whome the papistes counte no parte of their church but schismatikes conuerted the Moscouites first of all vnto the profession of the name of Christ which yet continue in their religion being neither the true faith nor yet popish religion As for the popish church as it is certeine that it hath peruerted and corrupted all partes of the Latine or Westerne Church with Idolatry and false religion so it shal be harde for the papistes to proue that it hath conuerted any Nation from Gentility to the popish religion except some partes of Germanie and them by force of armes rather than by preaching and reaching as appeareth by the conuersion of Liuonia Anno Domini 1200. of Prussia Anno Domini 1254. and of Lithuania Anno Domini 1386. wherefore I conclude that seeing I haue shewed that our Church holding the true doctrine of the Apostles is that which conuerted all nations to true religion and that the popish church hath not conuerted any people to true religion nor all people to the profession of the name of Christ this chalenger whosoeuer he be do the recant The second article conteyneth 4. demandes 1 I aske of him what Church it was which hath induced the Christian people through the whole worlde to geue most humble credit in all points to the holy bookes of the Byble I Aunswere it was the Church of Christ and not the Popish church which hath commended the bookes of holy Scripture to be beleued of all true Christians where soeuer they be although it be the office of the holy Ghost to open the hartes of men and to forme them that they may beleue the scripture to be true like as it is the office of the scripture or worde of God to trie and examine whether it be the spirite of God that perswadeth vs to beleue any thing so the spirite beareth witnesse to the worde and the worde to the spirite As for the popish church it coulde not induce the Christian people to geue credit to the scripture in all pointes because she is contrarie to the scripture in many pointes and euen in the cheefest pointes of Christian Religion namely in pointes concerning the glorie of God and the saluation of mankinde geuing the glory of God to dead men and dumbe Images and denying the mercy of God pourchased by the onely sacrifice of Christes death to be the onely cause of mans saluation Finally seeing it is manifest by the aunswere to the first article that the popish church did not conuerte all nations to the profession of the Christian faith it is euident thereby that the popish church did not induce all them that are called Christians to geue credit to the bookes of the holy Bible as this chalenger woulde haue it to be thought 2 VVhat Church hath had the discerning seuering of them from other writinges of all sortes THe Church of Christ hath not an absolute authority to allow or refuse bookes of the scripture but a iudgment to discerne true writinge from counterfaicts the word of God of infallible verity from the writing of men which might erre this iudgement she hath not of her selfe but of the holy Ghost as for the popish Church it can not be said to haue this iudgemēt of discerning the scripture of God from other writings not only because she is so blind that she can not discerne betwene the Canonical bookes of the scripture from the Apocrypha writings as appereth by receauing the bookes of the Machabees Ecclesiasticus c. to be of equall authoritie with the bookes of the Law Psalmes c. but also because she is so presumptuous as to compel men to beleue that Customes and traditions writinges of doctors decrees of Popes and Councells are equall with the authoritie of God his worde yea are of force to alter and change the lawe of God and the institution of Christ set forth vnto vs in the scripture And although she boast that she receaueth all the bookes of scripture yet this proueth no more that she is the Church of Christ than was the churches of the Arrians Donatistes Nouatians Euthychans other heretikes which receiued the Bible as well as the Popish church 3 VVhat Church hath had the custodie of them and most safely hath preserued them for the necessary vse of God his people and from the corruption of aduersaries as well of Iewes as heretikes of all sortes THe prouidence of God hath alwayes preserued the Scripture both from the violence of tyrants from the falshoode of heretikes and hath neuer suffred the true Church to be destitute of the necessarie vse thereof But the popish church hath not kept the scripture for the necessary vse of the people which hath so kept it in an vnknowen tongue that the people coulde haue no vse much lesse the necessary vse thereof wherefore if this be a note of the Catholike Church to kepe the worde of God for the necessarie vse of God his people it is plaine that the popish church is not the Catholike Church which hath kept the scripture so that God his people coulde haue no vse thereof And if the only custodie of the scripture from corruption of heretikes be a sure note of the Church why is not the Greeke Church the Catholike Church which vnto this day hath kept the scripture as safely as the popish church why are not other Estern Churches of Asia which neuer acknowledged the Pope or popish religion true Churches which likewise haue preserued the scripture as we haue seen of late that the newe Testament is printed in the Syrian tongue at themperours charges for the encrease of Christian faith among them And finally why are not the Iewes the Catholike Church which haue kept the old Testament in Hebrue more faithfully than euer the Papistes And because they boast of safe preseruing of the scriptures all men that are learned in the tongues can testifie in how corrupt a Latin translation they haue kept the scriptures both of the olde and of the new Testament 4 And let the Protestant declare to me that their Congregation hath had from time to time or euer had right herein or any other Church sauing the Catholike Church and I recant OVr Congregation which is the body of Christ hath euer had both right and possession of the inestimable treasure of the word of Christ her heade as appeareth by this that our Church and Congregation beleueth nothing but that she learneth in it acknowledgeth that all thinges profitable to saluation are sufficiently conteined in it and finally in all thinges submitteth her selfe to the iudgemēt of it But the popish church which beleueth many thinges contrarie to the scripture teacheth many thinges beside the scripture necessary to saluation and refuseth to haue her faith doctrine and ceremonies to be iudged by the scripture neither hath neither euer had any right to the scripture though she haue neuer so many bookes of them in possession Wherefore these thinges considered this chalenger
and good workes shew their coÌ„uersion not only by wordes but in deed and in trueth c. With them the Byshop maie deale more gently whereas those that thinke it is sufficient onely to enter into the Church are charged in any wise to keepe the ordinary time c. Wherefore he that gathereth that paines are due to sinnes after remission of them by example of them that remitted no sinnes but after sufficient paines suffered for them or amendes made for them I holde him not onely malitious blinde but beastly vnreasonable 4 And if any man yet doubt why or to what end the Church of Christ thus greuousely tormenteth her owne children by so many meanes of heuy correction whome she might by good authoritie freely release of their sinnes let him assuredly know that she coulde not so satisfie Gods iustice alwayes by whome she holdeth her authoritie to edifie and not to destroye to bynd as well as to loose Although such dolour for offensies committed and so earnest zele may she sometimes finde in the offender that her chiefe and principall pastors may by their soueraigne authoritie wholy discharge him of all paines to come But els in the commoÌ„ case of Christian men this penaunce is for no other cause enioyned but to saue them from the more greuous torment in the worlde following In the which sense S. Augustine both speaketh him selfe and proueth his meaning by the Apostles wordes as followeth Propterea de quibusdam temporalibus poenis quae in hac vita peccantibus irrogantur eis quorum peccata delentur ne reseruentur in finem ait Apostolus si enim nosmetipsos iudicaremus a domino noÌ„ iudicaremur Cum iudicamur autem a domino corripimur ne cum hoc mundo dâ—mnemur Therefore sayth he it is of certaine temporall afflictions which be laid vpon their neckes that being sinners haue their trespasses pardoned lest they be called to an accompt for them at the latter ende that the Apostle meaneth by when he sayth If we woulde iudge our selues we shoulde not then be iudged of our lord And when we be iudged of our Lord then are we chastened that we be not damned with the worlde This onely carefull kindnesse of our mother therefore that neuer remitted sinne that was notorious in any age but after sharp punishment or earnest charge with some proportionall penaunce for the same doth not onely geue vs a louing warning to beware and preuent that heuie correction of the worlde to come which S. Paule calleth the iudgement of God because it is a sentence of iustice but also in her owne practise here in earth of mercy in pardoning of iustice in punishment she geueth vs a very cleare example of both the same to be vndoubtedly looked for at the handes of God him selfe by whome in the kingdome of the Church these both in his behalfe be profitably practised For if there were no respect of the dredfull day in the ende of our life nor any paine further due for sinnes remitted in the next world then were it cruell arrogancy in the ministers to charge men with penaunce needlesse to the offender and foly to the sufferer But God forbid any shoulde be so malipert or misbeleuing as to miscredit the doinges and doctrine of the Catholike Church which by the authoritie she hath to binde sinnes and the protection of the holy Ghost hath vsed this rodde of correction to the profit of so many and hurte of none euer sence our maisters death and departure 4 Marke here gentle reader what an absolute power of remissioÌ„ of sinns this Papist doth ascribe to the Church that she might he sayth by good authority freely release men of their sinnes with out satisfying of Gods iustice but that she will not except in some case where she findeth such dolour and zeale in the offender that her chiefe and principall Pastors may by there soueraine authoritie wholy discharge him of all paines to come Marke here the soueraigne authoritie of the Pope not subiect no not to the iustice of god For els how should the Popes pardons stand or Christes merites be excluded if the Pope had not power to doe by his soueraigne authority that Christ coulde not doe by his bitter passion to discharge penitent sinners of all paines to come you see therefore that the Popish church is not as a wife subiect to Christ her spouse to exercise on earth the authoritie of Christ in heauen according to his will but a presumptuous harlot to claime soueraigne authoritie in earth wherevnto he is bounde which is in heauen For otherwise though the olde fathers that were most earnest in maintaining the Churches authoritie as Cyprian Sermo de lapsis speaking against theÌ„ which thought it was sufficient if they were receiued by the ordinary authoritie of the Church although they were not truely penitent writeth thus Nemo se fallat nemo decipiat Solus dominus misereri potest veniam peccatis quae in ipsum commissa sunt solus potest ille largiri qui peccata nostra portauit qui pro nobis doluit quem Deus tradidit pro peccatis nostris Homo Deo esse non potest maior nec remittere aut donare indulgentia sua seruus potest quod in dominum delicto grauiore commissum est ne adhuc lapso hoc accedat ad crimen si nesciat esse praedictum Maledictus homo qui spem habet in homine Dominus orandus est dominus nostra satisfactione placandus est qui negantem negare se dixit Let no man sayth he deceiue him selfe let no man begile him selfe It is onely the Lorde that can shew mercy Onely he can graunt pardon to offenses that are coÌ„mitted against him who hath borne our sinnes Who hath suffered sorrow for vs whome God hath geuen for our sinnes A man can not be greater then God neither can the seruaunt by his indulgence remit or forgeue that which by so great offence is committed against the Lorde lest this offence also be added to him that is fallen away if he know not that it is fore shewed Cursed is that man that putteth his trust in man The Lorde must be intreated the Lorde must be pacified with our satisfaction which sayth he doth deny that man that denieth him In these wordes Cyprian not onely plainely denieth that absolute soueraigne authoritie of men which M. Allen affirmeth but also declareth what he meaneth by satisfactioÌ„ of god Namely that those which counterfected repentaunce and though by some outwarde obseruations to satisfie the Church might know they had to doe with God who was not pleased but with inwarde and harty conuersion whose knowledge they must satisfie with true repentaunce in deede as they seeke to satisfie iudgement of the Church by externall signes and tokens thereof But to returne to the common case of Christian men for the Popes cases be out of the common case of christen men M. Allen sayth penaunce and by penaunce he
woulde haue robbed the Church of the actes of the Apostles A sect called Alogiani do refuse the Gospell of S. Iohn with the Apocalypse Martine illiricus Caluine and their companions that no man being but an heretique shoulde euer out pricke them will shoulder with the proudest and lifte out of our Bibles the bookes of Machabees with S. Iames Epistle and more when more nede requireth The which Epistle as also the Epistles of Iohn and Iudas were once doubted of not as conteining any matter wherof the trueth was vncertaine but as bookes not knowen to be of like force as canonicall scripture in the impugning of heresies or confirming articles of belefe as all workes be till Gods Church haue published their authority and declared all thinges in them conteined to be of the same credit that the spirite of God is and of Gospell like trueth And by that authority of the Church what booke so euer be allowed though it was not so taken before yet now we must needes accept it sicut vere est verbum Dei as the very word of god And so be these canonicall Epistles and bookes of Machabees as before is declared Here nowe euery man may learne that it is a very daungerous matter to geue lesse credit to any of these bookes or wauer in any point of faith written in them for such fellowes iudgements that nowe amongest them haue lefte vs neither olde nor newe Testament Such stubborne boldenesse had these willfull men in mainteinaunce of mischeuous doctrine VVhose open impudencie was counted handsome conueiaunce of their scholers and adherents which were very many notwithstanding the Catholike Christian men in all ages both meruailed and lamented their blindnesse And yet doubtlesse it is not much to be wondered at to see that man flatly forsake the scripture of God who is not abashed to refuse and condemne that sense and vnderstanding of the Scripture which the whole Church with all her learned men haue euer allowed and counted most holy VVell by the strength of this piller we haue chalenged and saued hitherto for all the barking of bandogges the Scripture of God with the knowne meaning thereof And so I trust we shall doe still from the new aduersaries by the assured promise of thassistance of Gods holy spirite which shall leade vs not onely to the true canonicall Scriptures with the sense of the same but also guide vs in all truth necessary for our saluation Let euery man therefore here take heede how he doubteth of the knowne and certayne sense that the Church of Christ by decree of councell or consent of doctors applyeth to any Scripture least by mistrusting the sayd sense he goe forward vnaduisedly from open deniall of the common to found a priuate meaning of his owne in the stubborne defense whereof when he shall against the truth malipertly stand he goeth vnluckely forward at the end blasphemously reiecteth the blessed word sacred Scripture of God as we haue proued the auncient enemies of truth to haue done and as in these new sect maisters we may to our great dolour see Yet loe euen these are they that in all ages as Vincentius sayth flye in their talke and teaching ouer the law the prophets the Psalmes the Gospell That cry out of pottes pulpits nothing but Gods word the booke of the Lorde the testament of Iesus Christ Paule scripture as it may be supposed and as in th ende it is proued to driue out of doores Paule Scripture Testament and Christ too and not to bring into the peoples heades or heartes the feare and loue of God the holsom precepts of Paules heauenly preaching nor the true meaning of any Scripture VVho being vrged will rather credit a minstrells ballat then the Machabeis or best booke in the Bible But now you may see that whiles these men thought to saue their credits by miscrediting the Scripture they haue wrought so wisely that they haue lost their owne credits both in this poynt and in all other for euer And as they hoped by deniall of Scripture to cloke their errour they haue wonne to them selues the property of an heretike by open shew of their owne folly 3 And euen as vaine friuolous is this discourse that followeth to shew what bookes of scripture were in olde time refused by what heretikes But you thinke to match vs with them for denying the Machabees where vnto you adde the Epistle of S. Iames. If Martine and Illyricus haue some times doubted of that Epistle they are not the first that doubted of it Eusebius sayth plainely it is a counterfect Epistle lib. 2. cap. 23. And yet he was not accompted an heretike I saye not this to excuse them that doubt of it for I am perswaded they are more curious then wise in so doing but whereas you ioine Caluine with them it is because you can not leaue to lye with out shame while you are an instrument to defend diuelish errors with out shewe of trueth For Caluine receiueth it defendeth it expoundeth it and in all his writings allegeth it as canonical scripture Therefore if he were as ill as you compt him yet it were shame to lye on the deuill But we shall not nede to â—ake among the olde heresies to finde what bookes of holy Scripture you Papistes refuse when it is an easy matter to take your owne confessions and bolde assertions by which it is manifest that you doe not as those heretikes which you name reiect some one or two bookes but the whole authority of all the canonicall scriptures For when you affiâ—me that no booke of holy Scripture is canonicall but so farre forth as your Church will allow it who seeth not that you doe abrogate all maiestie and authoritie from the word of God submitting it to the iudgements of men Moreouer when you will not admit any sence of the scripture but such as your Church wil allow although the same be contrary to the plaine wordes thereof what authority doe you leaue to the worde of God which you make to be but a dead lettre vntil you geue it such a sence as it pleaseth you Finally where you make decrees of men either priuate or common customes traditions vnwritten verities in which is no certainety at all not onely equiualent but also oftentimes superior to the auctority of holy scriptures what certainety credit or estimation doe you leaue to the scriptures of God aboue other writinges nay all other writinges are in better case then the scriptures are with you For other writings may be compted the workes of their authors with out your censure the holy Scripture may not be compted the worde of God except you list so to allow it which may as well refuse that which is Gods worde in deede as you receiue and obtrude that which is not the worde of God at all Other writings haue such sence as the authors haue expressed them selues in their workes and maye be gathered by their wordes The
membres of our common body and howe being practised by one it serueth before God for an other either in this life or the next our holy father Athanasius by his authoritie might well be a proofe sufficient but he is content to declare it vnto vs by an example and such an example that beside the matter may further put vs in remembraunce of the deuotion of our elders in an other point which the studious reader may marke by the waye thus then he sayth Quod in pauperes collocatur beneficiuÌ„ omnis bonae retributionis est augmentum Itaque pro defuncto oblaturus eundem serues scopum quem qui pro paruulo filio adhuc imbecillo infante interim dum puer aegrotat affert ceram oleum thimiama in templum Domini magna fide acceÌ„dit pueri nomine neque enim puer hoc faceret cum ignoret diuinae regenerationis constitutiones Sic cogitet etiam eum qui in domino morteÌ„ obijt posse offerre ceram oleum caetera quae in redemptioneÌ„ offerri soleÌ„t The benefit bestowed vpon the poore is a soueraigne ground of Gods rewarding And in thy oblations for the departed haue alwaies the same inteÌ„t scope that a father hath practising for the recouery of his sicke child being yong tender VVho for his sick son bringeth into the Church of our Lord God waxe oyle incense and with deuotion and faith lighteth them in the boyes behalfe for that the child him selfe being wholy vnskillful â—f the ordinauncies of our Christianity would neuer go about any such thinge euen so must a man thinke of the deceased persons case that he may doth offer as in an other maÌ„s person waxe oyle such like as coÌ„monly for redeÌ„ptioÌ„ are offered VVith proofe of our matter in hande here may be noted beside the vsuall oblation of thinges apperteining to the mainteinaunce of Church light and lampes setting vp of tapers of singular deuotion for sicke persons representing of our goods and Gods creatures from prophane vse of daily occupation to Gods honour in the temple the vndoubted hope that all faythfull people had as well to procure fauour to them selues thereby as mercy to other for whose sakes they did it and especially that in this mans age that was so auncient these tokens of loue and duety towardes our Lorde and shew of their homage by such externall actes were taken as peculiar ordinauncies and solemne constitutions of our Christianitie These thinges though the hedge of my cause forceth me to let them lightly passe yet as I go by I must needes beholde as steppes of olde maners with some mourning to say the trueth and no litle sorow in the contrary comparing of our corrupte conditions The reader as he list may perchaunce with more leasure or at leaste with lesse iniury to other weye the wonderfull waste that sinne and heresie hath wrought in our dayes of darknesse And wheÌ„ he considereth these thinges that be now of most men counted meere madnesse to haue bene liked allowed preached auouched sent out in solemne workes and writings to the vewe of the world and the sight of all posterity from the very heart spring of the ChristiaÌ„ Church by Athanasius the great O Lord what a mighty man in worde and worke do I nowe name him do I name whose memory is blessed in Gods Church in whose lappe our weeryed mother once before as she hath bene often in a maner learned to take her rest from the forsaken children whose only worde with out all proofe though he neuer speaketh but with weight of reason woulde beare ouer all these pety Protestantes put together so said Tully comparing the Epicures with Plato and Aristotle much more bouldly may I payse all heretiques in the worlde with this mans onely worde Him therefore such a man and so great a pillor of faith when the Catholike shall see proue and allow and practise those same thinges which our maisters of sectes can not abide but most abhorre and by him take a sure taste of his whole time shal he not wounder with all wise men at our downefall so deepe shall he not meruaile vnder one name of Christianitie that goeth yet common to our dayes with those happy times past to be such diuersitie of case and conditions that the one vnder so glorious a name must be nothing else but a cloked paganisme but yet I woulde not he shoulde occupie ouermuch his minde in this consideration till he see the whole ranke of Gods holy host and all the blessed bande of Martyrs and Sainctes stande with vs for the full defense of trueth and the common Church their mother and ours 4 The laste parte of this Chapter hath a boysterous bragge of two great doctors authorities Gregory Nyssene Athanasius the great but they stande both vppon either the credit or iudgement of Damascene neither of which we esteeme so much that we neede greatly regarde them Counterfecting was so common in those dayes and before them to maintaine such errors as coulde not be proued by scripture For to passe ouer that which Tertullian writeth in his booke de Baptismo of the priest of Asia which was conuicted to haue fayned certaine writings of S. Paule to Tecta was not the Nycene Councel the first and the best corrupted with counterfect canons by the Byshoppes of Rome to maintaine their vsurped authoritie in the dayes of S. Augustine which was plainely espied and confuted in the Councell of Carthago 6. cap. 4. 7. And in the Africane Councell were there not three faulse quaternions founde added to the 5. Councell of Constantinople which was espied in the 6. Councell of Constantinople Act. 3. 12. If men woulde be so bolde with generall Councells thinke you that they woulde be afrayde of Gregorius or Athanasius writings And what maner of a Sermon of Athanasius was that which was reade in the 4. action of the 2. Nicene Councell Of the image of Christ and the miracle done in Berytus that when a Iewe strake the image there issued out water and bloude what a shamelesse lye is that which Pope Adrian in his epistle writeth that CoÌ„stantine was clensed of a leprosie and baptised of Syluester at Rome contrary to the Historie of Eusebius who liued in Constantines time and knew him what faulsyfying of authorities is there to proue the worshipping of images out of Gregorie Nissene Basilius Magnus Athanasius and Ambrosius Chrysostome Cyrill and Hieronym with diuerse other in that leude Councell wherfore except you coulde alleage their sayings out of their owne workes I will neuer trouble my selfe to aunswere them although if they were there true authorities there is no cause why we shoulde beleeue either of them both in an article of faith with out the authoritie of the word of god Their time had diuerse errors superstitious ceremonies which they being occupied in fighting against greater heresies that then sprang vp of the Arians Macedonians
church affirmeth Luther to be an heretike seeing we know that Luther did not obstinately and malitiously erre in any article of faith concerning the substance of religion we doe not beleue her and specially because she is a partiall witnesse against him whome God vsed to discouer so much of her wickednesse to her great hindrance there is no credit to be geuen vnto her when she goeth about to deface him by sclaunderous names and false accusations Thus I haue shewed these thinges that you require both by good reason and also by scripture Therefore if I may beleue you you recant The fourth article conteyneth 3. demandes 1 I demand what Church hath mightely gonne through borne downe and fully vanquished all heresies in times past aswell against the blessed Trinitie as other Articles of our religion I Aunswere the true Catholike Church hath alwayes resisted all false opinions contrary to the worde of God as her duty was and fought against them with the sworde of the spirite which is the worde of God and by the aide of God obteyned the victorie and triumphed ouer them So did Paule ouercome the Iewes Act. 18. So did the fathers of the primitiue Church from time to time confute heresies by the scriptures and declare in their writinges that by them they are to be confuted for examples sake of a great number I will alleage a few Hylarius writing of the blessed Trinitie against heretikes Lib. 4. sayeth Cessent itaque propriae hominum opiniones neque se vltrà Diuinam constitutionem humanae iudicia extendant Sequamur ergo aduersus irreligiosas impias de Deo institutiones ipsas illas diuinoruÌ„m dictorum authoritates vnumquodque eorum ipso de quo quaeritur auctore tractabimus Wherefore let opinions propre to men geue place and let not mens iudgements stretche them selues further than God his constitution Therefore against these vnreligious and vngodly opinions of God let vs follow the very authority of God his sayings and handle euery one of them by the aide of him about whome the question is Thus Hylarius woulde haue heresies against the Trinitie to be confuted not by mens iudgement but by God his word Basilius magnus very often testifieth that he woulde haue all good thinges proued by the scripture and all euill thinges confuted by the same In his moralles Dist. 26. Euery worde or deede must be confirmed by the testimonie of holy Scripture for the perswasion of good men and the confusion of wicked men And in his treatise of Faith we know that we must now and alwayes auoide euery voice or opinion that is differing from the doctrine of our Lorde And in his short definitions to the first interrogation whether it be lawefull or profitable for a man to permit vnto him selfe to do or say any thinge which he thinketh to be good without the testimonie of the holy Scripture he aunswereth forasmuch as our Sauiour Christ sayeth that the holy Ghost shall not speake of him selfe what madnes is it that any man shoulde presume to beleue any thing without the authoritie of God his worde By these and many other places it is manifest that Basilius woulde haue heresies and false opinions confuted by the holy Scriptures Chrysostome vpon Luke cap. 16. sayeth that the ignorance of the scriptures hath bred heresies and brought in corrupt life yea it hath turned all things vpsidown by which it appeareth by what meanes he would haue heresies kept away namely by knowledge of the scriptures It were to long to reherse all the places of S. Augustine by which his minde appeareth that he would haue the Church sought onely in the scriptures and heretikes confuted onely by the scriptures to whose onely authoritie in many places he professeth that he him selfe will be bounde as Epist. 19. ad Hieronymum Epist. 48. Vincentio Epist. 111. Fortunatiano Epist. 112. to Paulina contra Faustum lib. 11. cap. 5. Contra Cresconium Grammaticum lib. 2. cap. 31. 32. de Baptismo contra Donatistas lib. 2. cap. 2. De meritis remissione peccatorum contra Pelagianos lib. 3. cap. 7. De naturae gratia cap. 61. De gratia Christi contra Pelagium cap. 43. De nuptijs concupiscentia lib. 2. c. 29. In these places S. Augustine preferreth the authority of the Canonicall scripture before all writinges of Catholike Doctors of Byshops of Councells before all customes and traditions But that he would haue the true Church sought onely in the scriptures it is manifest by these places first in his 48. Epistle to Vincentius Nos autem ideo certi sumus neminem se a communione omnium gentium iustè separare potuisse quia non quis quam nostrum in iustitia sua sed in scripturis Diuines quaerit Ecclesiam speaking of the Donatistes he sayeth We are suer that no man could iustly separate him selfe from the communion of all Nations because none of vs seeketh the Church in his owne righteousnesse but in the holy Scriptures So if the Papistes woulde not presume of their owne righteousnesse but seeke the Church of Christ in the scriptures they would not separate them selues from the communion of Christes Church now by God his grace inlarged farther than the Popish church Also in his booke De vnitate Ecclesiae cap. 2. he hath these wordes Inter nos autem Donatistas quaestio est vbi sit Ecclesa Quid ergo facturi sumus in verbis nostris â—am quaesituri an in verbis capitis sui Domini nostri Iesu Christiâ— puto quod in illius potius verbis eam quaerere debemus qui veritas est optimè nouit corpus suum The question is betwene vs and the Donatistes where the Church shoulde be what shall we doe then shall we seeke her in our owne wordes or in the wordes of her heade our Lorde Iesus Christ I thinke we ought rather to seeke her in his words which is the Truth and best knoweth his owne body So the question is at this daye betwen the Papistes and vs where the church is let vs seeke in God his worde there we shall easily finde her To the same intent he speaketh in the third fiueth and sixtenth Chapters of the same treatise Furthermore that he woulde haue heretikes confuted onely by the scriptures he sheweth likewise in many places of his workes for writing against Maximinus the Arian lib. 3. cap. 14. a place commonly and often cited he sayeth but nowe neither must I preiudicially bring forthe the Councell of Nice nor then the Councell of Arimine for neither am I bounden to the authoritie of the one nor you of the other but let matter with matter cause with cause reason with reason contend by authoritie of the scriptures not proper to any but indâ—fferent witnesses to both partes If Augustine would not oppresse the Arrians by the authoritie of the Nicene Councell which was the first and the best generall Councell that euer was but only by the scriptures how much lesse woulde he
charge them with other authorities that the Papistes alleage beside the authoritie of holy scriptures And in his booke De Vniâ—ate Ecclesiae against the Donatistes the 16. chapter Sed vtril ipsi Ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinarum scripturarum Canonicis libris oftendant quia nec nos c. But whether they holde the church or no let them shew none other wise but by the canonicall bookes of holy Scripture for we our selues doe not say that men ought to beleue vs that we are in the Church because we holde that Church which Optatus of Mileuitum or Ambrose of Millayn or innumerable other Byshops of our communion haue commended to vs or because it is set forth by the Councels of our felowe byshops or because so many myracles of hearing requests or healinges are don in the holy places which our fellowship doth frequent in the whole worlde so that the bodies of Martyrs which were hidden so many yeares which thinge if they will aske they may heare of many were reuealed vnto Ambrose and that at the same bodies one that had bene many yeares blinde very well knowen in the citie of Millayn receyued his eyes and eye sight either because this man dreamed or that man was rauished in the spirite and hearde a voice that he should not ioyne himselfe to Donatus or that he shoulde departe from the faction of Donatuâ— for when soeuer such thinges are don in the Catholike Church they are to be allowed because they are don in the Catholike church â–ª but the church it selfe is not therfore proued to be Catholike because these thinges are done in it By this Augustine declareth first that heretikes must be confuted onely by the scriptures and secondly that neither Councells succession of byshops vniuersality miracles visions dreames nor reuelations are the notes to trie the Catholike church but onely the scriptures Moreouer in his booke De Pastoribus cap. 14. Quaerit infirmus Ecclesiam c. A weake person seeketh the Church he wandreth and seeketh the church â–ª what sayest you The church is of Donatus side Enquire for the shepheards voice Reade me this out of some Prophet reade me this out of some Psalme rehearse me it out of the lawe rehearse it out of the Gospell rehearse it out of the Apostle out of them do I rehearse the Church dispersed ouer all the worlde And a litle after Tu accusas non Euangelium c. Thou accusest not the Gospell thou accusest not the Prophet not the Apostle of whome this voyce speaketh to me I beleue him other I beleue not But thou wilt bring forth decrees I will also bring forth decrees shoulde I beleue thine beleue thou mine likewise I beleue not thine neither do thou beleue mine then let mens writings be layd away and let Gods worde sounde betwen vs bring me one place of scripture for Donatus side c. These places maye sufficiently declare by what meanes this doctor thought the Church shoulde ouerthrowe heresies namely by the worde of God onely which thing also Leo the first byshop of Rome in his Epist. 10. ad Fabianum contra Eutychen plainely confesseth saying Sed in hanc insipientiam cadunt qui cum ad cognoscendam veritatem c. But those men fal into this foly which when they are hindred by any doubt to knowe the trueth haue not recourse to the voyces of the Prophets not to the writings of the Apostles not to the authoritie of the Gospell but to them selues And therefore they become maisters of error because they haue not bene schollers of trueth Of the same iudgement was the whole Councell of Constantinople the sixt as appeare Actione 18. Si igitur omnes simpliciter c. Therefore if all men from the beginning woulde haue simply and without subtiltie taken vpon them the preaching of the Gospell and haue bene content with the constitutions of the Apostles suerly matters shoulde haue bene well and in good case neither shoulde painefull contention haue bene exercised against the authors of heresies nor against the fauorers of priests Here the Councell confesseth that the heretikes and schismatikes grow so fast because they were not beaten downe by preaching of the Gospell and authority of the scriptures Thus I haue declared by example and authority of these Fathers that the true Church of Christ hath conuicted all heretikes onely by the scripture 2 And what Church it was that hath alwayes stande still and stedfast whilest all other Congregations as well of Arrians as Anabaptistes Aerians Nouatians Vigilantians Iouinians and the rest haue decaied THe true Church of Christ hath alwayes stoode stedfast and vnseparable from Christ her heade when all heretikes haue bene and shal be confounded But the true Church hath not alwaies florished in wordly peace and tranquilitie for vntill the tyme of Constantine the great which was Anno Dom. 339. the Church had small rest from cruell persecution in most places and soone after againe vnder the Emperors Constantius Constans and Valens it was greatly infected with the heresie of Arius what time also Tiberius Bishop of Rome was infected with the same heresie After that when Iulianus the Apostata was Emperor the temples of Idolls were opened and gentilitie againe restored so that the Church suffered great detriment To be short when the barbarous Goathes Vandales Alanes and other Idolatrous or heretical nations destroyed the Empire the Church of God suffered a great Ecclipse But when Mahomet in the East Antichrist the Pope in the West seduced the world with most detestable heresie then was fulfilled that which was reuealed to S. Iohn in the 12. of the Apocalyps the woman clothed with the Sonne which you your self confesse to be the Church was so persecuted by the Dragon that she fled into the wildernes there to remaine a long season Where she hath not decayed but ben always preserued vntil God should reueale Antichrist and bring her againe into open light which his holy name be praysed is now brought to passe in our dayes to our inestimable comfort and his euerlasting glory 3 And if it can be proued that either the Protestants Church or any other Church but ours hath mightely ouerthrowne these foresayd sectes and other of all sortes I recant IT hath bene already proued sufficiently that the true Catholike Church which is ledde onely by the worde of God as a most infallible rule hath ouerthrowne heresies of all sortes But the popish church which refuseth the only weapon by which heresies are cut downe to be sufficient for that purpose neuer was nor shall be strong enough to encounter with heretikes therefore she practiseth to vanquish those whom she counteth for heretikes not by authoritie of the Scriptures but by fire and sworde and cruell warre as appeareth by her dealing with the Waldenses Albigenses Bohemians and in our dayes with the true Christians But where her power of fire and sword could not preuayle there hath she not ouerthrowne such as she condemneth for
the like practise was assayed by Mahomet the deuills onely dearling by whome numbers of wiues togither often diuorcies and perpetuall change for nouelty was permitted By which doctrine of lust and libertie the floure of Christiandom alas for pity was caried away At which time though our faith Christes church were brought to a small roome and very great straights yet by Gods grace good order and necessary discipline this schoole of lust hath bene reasonably till our dayes kept vnder and the grauitie of Christian maners as the time serued orderly vpholden TO THE PREFACE 1 IF you had not promised and professed an orderly proceding in this cause we woulde neuer haue enquired whether good order would require that an heretike should haue bene first defined before he were diuided And especially in this controuersie where either partie chargeth other with heresie it had been conuenient that the right definition or description of an heretike had bene first set downe that men might thereby haue learned who is iustly to be burdened with that crime For an heretike is he that in the Church obstinatly mainteineth an opinion that is contrary to the doctrine of God coÌ„teined in the holy Scriptures which if any of vs can be proued to doe then let vs not be spared but condemned for heretiks But if iust proofe therof can not be brought against vs but contrarywise we be able to shew manifest euideÌ„ce that our aduersaries doctrine is cleane contrary to the Scriptures of God then let the name of heretikes be applied to them to whome the definition doth agree with further punishment due to calumniators that slaunder other men in that whereof they are guilty them selues Nowe to the matter of this Preface which as the argumeÌ„t declareth consisteth of three partes wherof the first is that there be two sorts of heretiks the one preteÌ„ding vertue the other opeÌ„ly professing vice This part is shewed in three leaues following In the substaÌ„ce of which point I will noâ— differ with you yet something will I note in your handling thereof as occasion moueth me First you affirme that heresie and all willfull blindnesse is vndoubtedly a iust plague of God for sinne I mislike not your affirmation but I maruaile how you can affirme this and be a good Catholike when we cannot say halfe so much but we are charged by you to make God the author of sinne But such is the force of trueth that oftentimes the enimies thereof them selues when they speake without contention cannot auoyed a true confession God therefore as this Papist can not now deny punisheth sinne with sinne not as an euil author but as a rightuous iudge Proceding further you say that Christ hath geuen all heretikes this marke that there vnsemely works should euer detect their fained faith wherein you speake not onely contrary to the trueth but euen to your owne affirmation before For our Sauiour Christ hath apoynted false prophetes to be knowne by their fruites which is there false doctrine contrary to Gods worde cloked with the sheepe skinnes of fained holinesse and vertue which though it be many times discouered yet is it many times so closely conueyed that it clearly escapeth the iudgement of all men Who was euer hable to chardge that damnable heretike Pelagius with any notorious crime or wicked behauiour in his outwarde life and conuersation you your selfe confesse that there appeared in him nothing but grauity constancy and humility If his doctrine had not bene found contrary to the word of God he shoulde neuer haue bene tried to be a faulse prophete by his workes Such are many of his scholers the free will men of our time whose opinion if it were not manifestly repugnant to the authoritie of the holy Scriptures there manners are vnreprouable in the iudgemeÌ„t of mortall men The like may be said of Iouinian who if he were so great an heretike as you make him yet he himselfe as you shew after out of Augustine offended not in that which he perswaded others to doe Your last example of heretiks openly professing vice is of Mahomet by whose licentious doctrine you affirme that your faith Christes Church were brought to a small roome very great streights If this be true thaâ— you affirme that the Catholike Church must be otherwise estemed and by other notes then you are wont to describe it or else your Church by your owne assertion can not be counted Catholike For if Christes Church be brought to a small roome and great streights where is vniuersality Consent of all nations multitude of people c. that you are wont to talke of But by your discipline the schoole of lust hath bene reasonably till our dayes kept vnder the grauitie of Christian maners as the time serued orderly vpholden You doe well to qualifie your asseueration with those termes reasonably orderly and as the time serued For otherwise the whole Christian worlde should be witnesse against you and yet to shew with what reason order or opportunitie the schoole of lust hath bene shut vp before our time or yet is Wher your doctrine most preuaileth let the filthy stewes and brothel houses opened in euery citie yea and at your mother citie of Rome most licentiously of all other not onely by your gouernours permitted but also by your doctors defended let them I say beare sufficient witnesse against you 2 But now once againe in our cursed dayes the great flowe of sinne turning Gods mercy from vs with exceding prouocation of his heauy indignation towards the wicked hath made our aduersary much mâ—re bold and long practise of mischiefe a great deale more skilful The serpent passed all other creatures in subtelty at the beginning but now in cruelty he farre passeth him selfe The downefall that he hath in a fewe yeares rage driuen man vnto by thopen supporting of sinfull liuing it is sure very wofull to remember and an exceding hearts greefe to consider Looke backe at the Christian Epicures whom I now named view the men of like endeuour in al ages compare their attempts to ours their doctrine to ours the whole race of their proceedings to ours And if we match them not in all pointes and passe them in most I except the wicked Mahomet and God graunt I may so doe long though they had out of his holy schoole their often diuorciâ—s and new mariages in their wiues life excepting him therefore if ours passe not in open practise of mischiefe and supportation of sinne all the residue miscredit me for euer This is euident to all men that thinges once counted detestable before God abhorred of the priestes straunge to the Christian people punishable by the lawes of all Princes be now in case to maintaine them selues to geue vertue a checke mate and without all colour to beare downe both right and religion Thus doth sacriledge boldly beare out it selfe and ouerreacheth the promoters of Gods honour so doth incest encounter with lawfull mariage the
not what sense they made so they were handsomly matched togither Well howsoeuer our workes shal be found when they shall be openly iudged before him that best doth know them I am sure they shall not proue worse then the popish cleargy and if they shall be examined by mans iudgement me thinke they should be very vnequall Iudges before whom we should not be able to approue our innocency in comparison of our aduersaries doings But that in wordes we praise all maner of sinne whether it be in committing that which God forbiddeth or in omitting that which God commaundeth If that I say can be proued against vs then let our enemy pursue our soule and take it yea let him tread our life downe to the earth and lay our honour in the dust But to returne to our works what example is brought out to confirme the same Not the particular faultes of some of our profession that might beare some colour of confirmation lest for the infirmitie of euery one of our side he might be requited with the enormities of an hundreth of his owne sect but that he chuseth which is common to most of our preachers not to be found in any one of theirs This no doubt must be some great offence to iustifie so heinous an accusation In deede a great mote in the Papistes eyes that is the mariage of our ministers Blessed be God that although some singular persons may be accused of notorious crimes yet our whole state can not be charged by this instrument of Sathan with no greater fault then the allowance of Gods owne institution And yet see howe this rowling rhetorician scoffeth with the schole mens terme of Annexum ordini Be like S. Paule taketh mariage to be so annexed to the order of an ecclesiasticall minister that he neuer describeth the perfect paterne of a Bishop or Deacon but one of the first pointes is that he be the husband of one wife But I pray you M. Allen though you can not away with the mariage of vowed Priestes are you also angry with the matrimony of our new disordered ministers as it pleaseth you to call them which neuer tooke your order nor medled with any vowes you were wont to account them for mere lay men and will you not allow the mariage of lay men at least wise to be lawfull if you can not with the Apostle call it honorable Is that which the Apostle counteth honorable of you called licentious life and which the spirite of God nameth an vndefiled bed dare you terme it contemptibly a couch for delicate persons ease What haue you here to cloke your open blasphemy for your wordes are not of the abuse but of the state of mariage it selfe You procede with like modesty to affirme that we haue remoued all those meanes that might serue for the abating of sinnes dominion and which are they For soth the Sacrament of penaunce fasting and the opinion of purgatory To the first we answere that we know no Sacrament of penaunce instituted by Christ but the doctrine of repentance defaced by the false and deuilish perswasions of auriculer confession superstitious satisfaction and popish absolution we haue faithfully restored according as the same is taught in the holy Scriptures of god And those other we haue remoued as being not onely contrary to the doctrine of Gods word but also as most pernicious pillowes and blasphemous boulsters of all sinne and securitie For what feare or conscience could be of sinne intended or committed where this perswasion tooke place that the fast once rehearsed in the eare of a priest and a fewe wordes by him pronounced after a sory satisfaction of a pelting penance according to the Priestes pleasure was a full and sufficient discharge both before God and the world And as for the power and authoritie of pardoning or reteining sinnes that our Sauiour Christ hath committed to his ministers is not taken away by vs but truly declared to be the iudgement of God and not the absolute authority of man But how blasphemously the Papists chalenge vnto them selues this authority let it appeare by this that M. Allen calleth it that power which the sonne of man hath in earth to forgiue sinnes by which words our Sauiour Christ challengeth vnto him self that which is proper vnto his diuinitie although he were humbled in the shape of a seruaunt vppon earth namely an absolute authority to forgiue sinnes which none hath in heauen or in earth but only god And as to the remouing of fasting if that be fasting which they call fasting namely the eating of fish it hath not bene diminished but increased in our time and as for true fasting and abstinence in deede it hath bene publikely commaunded obserued as occasion was offered and priuate fasting with the right vse thereof is still commended in our doctrine men exhorted vnto it Onely the abuses superstition and deuilish doctrine set forth by the papistes is remoued if it be litle practised it is because among many professors there are but few followers of the Gospel But looke vpon the persecuted congregations and you shall see often publike fasting the priuate exercise the Lord knoweth and hath commaunded to be couered rather then opened Nowe must we come to the opinion of purgatory which in deede togither with masse of Scala coeli we haue vtterly remoued and digged vp euen from the very foundations howsoeuer M. Allen gathering togither the old rude rubbish tempering it with new fine cement would labour to build it vp againe And euen as I sayd of popish confession and satisfaction so say I of purgatory we abhorre the opinion therof not only as blasphemous against the bloud of Christ which purgeth vs from al our sinnes but also as a very canch of careles securitie which Sathan hath deuised to aduaunce the dominion of sinne For where as the feare of euerlasting torments of hell fire is the right terrour to bridle iniquitie as that which is due for sinnes and wickednes yet restraineth not the vngodly from their abominable life what restraint shall there be when the eternall paines are chaunged into temporall the temporall paines may be redemed by so small a price as popish satisfactions may be bought for which redemption if it be neglected in mens life yet it may be performed by their friendes after their death M. Allen sayth fewe of vs consider the deepe wound that sinne maketh in mans soule But we may iustly say to the Papistes that they neither consider the depth of the wound nor the perfection of the medicine For we consider the wound of sinne to be as deepe as the deepest pitt in hell which will not be filled vp with the slabbersawce of mens merits and satisfactions but onely with the bloud of the onely sonne of god which is so soueraigne a salue for this so desperate a sore that of them that were the children of wrath and deade in sinnes it quickneth them rayseth
the blessed martyr noteth certeine conuersies in his dayes who thought they had much wronge to be further burdened with penaunce for their fall more theÌ„ the returne to God againe he toucheth the maners of our time very neare his words sounding thus Before their sinnes fully purged before the confession of their faulte made before their consciencies by the priest and sacrifice be cleansed before the ire and indignation of God be pacified and past they thinke all is well and make boast thereof But he instructeth them in the same place better as followeth Confesse your selues brethren whilest ye are in this life and whilest the remission and satisfaction by the priestes apointement is acceptable Let vs turne vnto God with all our hartes expressing the penauÌ„ce for our sinnes by singular griefe and sorow let vs call for mercy let vs prostrate our selues before God let our heuinesse of hearte satisfie him let vs with fasting weeping and howling appeace his wrath Whome for that he is our louing father we acknowledge to be mercifull and yet because he beareth the maiestie of a iudge he is for iustice much to be feared To a deepe and a greuous wounde a long and sharpe sauluing must be accepted Exceding earnestly thou must pray thou must passe ouer the remnaunt of thy time with lamentable complaintes thou must for thy soft bedde take harde earth and ashes and romble thy selfe in sackecloth for the losse of Christes vesture refuse all apparell after the receite of the Deuils food chuese earnest fasting and by diligent applying thy selfe to good workes and almes deedes purge thy sinne and deliuer thy soule from death 3 Here he asketh leaue of the Reader to be somwhat long in rehearsing the opinions of diuerse doctors to confirme his former falshod but he should rather haue asked leaue of the doctors them selues to belye them so beastly to racke their sayings so violently farre from their purpose and meanings And to beginne with Origen what doth he in that place by him alleged but exhort men vnto harty and earnest repentaunce by humbling them selues before God and acknowledging their sinnes which holy Scripture testifieth to be the way to preuent the wrath of god And what his iudgement was concerning satisfaction for sinnes he declareth sufficiently in his 3. booke vpon the Epist. to the Rom. cap. 3. where often times he repeateth that a man is iustified before God by faith onely affirming that in forgeuenes of sinnes God respecteth no workes but faith onely as he proueth by the parable that our Sauiour vsed vnto Simon the Pharise Luke 7. and aunswereth also those obiections which euen the Papistes at this day make against vs for teaching that faith only doth iustifie vs in the sight of god S. Cyprian as I haue sufficiently shewed before calleth such as had fallen in time of persecution from the profession of christianity to harty repentaunce and to testifie the same by submitting them selues humbly vnto the discipline of the Church But it is straunge to see how vnconsideratly M. Allen allegeth his places that oftentimes they conteine more playne matter against him then apparant profe by violent wrasting can be wroÌ„g out from them I maruaile M. Allen either seeth not him selfe or thinketh that other men can not espye that Cyprian exhorteth men to confession of their offences in this life where onely satisfaction and remission made by the Priestes is acceptable vnto the lord If men can not satisfie nor Priest remit but whilest men are in this life then farewell satisfaction for the dead and purgatory 4 So doth S. Augustine correct the error of such as thinke the chaunge of life with out all cogitatioÌ„ or care of their offenses past to be sufficient for mans perfect repaire and reconciliation to our Lorde againe It is not sufficient sayth he to amende our maners and turne backe from our miâ—dedes vnlesse we satisfie before God for them which we haue already committed by dolour of penauÌ„ce by humble sighes grones by the sacrifice of a coÌ„trite harte working with almes dedes And in this sense againe he vttoreth this comfortable rule Sed neque de ipsis criminibus quamlibet magnis remittendis in Ecclesia Dei desperanda est misericordia agentibus poenitentiam secundum modum sui cuiusque peccati But we may not despaire of Gods mercy for the remission of sinnes in the Church be they neuer so greuoiâ— â–ª I meane to all such as will do penaunce according to the quaÌ„tity of their fault So S. Ambrose writing to a religious woman that had broken her vowe of chastity which in those dayes was reckened one ef the most deadly and greuous crimes that coulde be warneth her thus Grandi plagae alta prolixa opus est medicina grande scelus grandem necessariam habet satisfactionem A greuous hurt must haue a deepe long sauluing a heinous offense requireth maruelous much satisfaction Yea as I take his words he plainely admonisheth her that she shall haue much a doe to satisfie fully for her sinne during her life therefore he seemeth to will her not to looke for full remedy and release before she feele Gods iudgement VVhich he meaneth not by the generall day but the particular accompt which followeth streight vpoÌ„ mans death But that I deceiue no man wittingly I wil report his owne wordes Inhaere poeniteÌ„tiae vsque ad extremum vitae nec tibi praesumas ab humano die posse veniaÌ„ dari quia decipit te qui hoc tibi polliceri voluerit quae enim proprie in dominuÌ„ peccasti ab illo solo in die iudicij coÌ„uenit expectare remediuÌ„ CoÌ„tinue in penaunce to the last day thou hast to liue and presume not ouer boldly of pardoÌ„ to be obteined in mans day for who so euer promiseth thee so he deceiueth thee for thou that hast offended directly against God him selfe must at Gods hande onely in the day of iudgement trust of mercy If he meane by the last IudgemeÌ„t then the author supposeth that such horrible incest shall be punished till the day of the general resurrectioÌ„ in purgatory for after that day as Augustin affirmeth there shal be no more any of the elect in paine He meaneth theÌ„ surely nothing els but that there caÌ„ be no penaunce aunswerable fully in this life to so greuous a crime and that the Church ordinarely pardoneth not the sinnes which be not by some proportion of paine and punishment recompensed And this is ordinary though by the supreme power giuen to Gods ministers for the gouernement of the Church the offender may in this case or the like if his competent dolour of hearte and zeâ—e so require wholy be acquieted through the merites of Christes death and the happy fellowship of sainctes in the communion of the common body where the lacke of one membre is abundantly supplied by the residue Mary it is a â—arde matter to be so qualified that
at the last appearing Finally the exact triall and purging that he speaketh of is the discouering of hypocrites by his doctrine wherof also Iohn Baptist preacheth that his fan is in his hand and he shall purge his floore c. To conclude that this may not be thought to be mine owne collection it is the iudgement and interpretation of Ieronym vppon this very text Malachy the 3. in euery poynt who with all his learning coulde finde no purgatory fire spoken of in this cap. Now to the other place o◠Paule that it can by no equity be drawen to purgatory for all M. Allens likelihoode numbring in the margent it shall be manifest by as many euident arguments First S. Paule speaketh not generally of all men but of preachers onely that are buylders of Gods Church Secondly he speaketh not of all their workes but of their preaching or building onely Thirdly he speaketh neuer a word of purging or making cleane of mens works but of the triall of the worke of building which is doctrine But what doctrine is tryed to be true or false substantiall or superficiall by the fire of purgatory Fourthly the workes are sayd that shall be tryed by fire and not the persons Fiftly the gold and siluer abideth the strawe and stuble consumeth through the fire of this triall which is the iudgement of God and not the paynes of purgatory And this is the iudgement of Ieronym vpon the place of Malachy before rehearsed where also he applyeth the text of Esay 4. before cited by M. Allen. fol. 59. The Lord sayth he is a consuming fire to burne vp our wodde hay and strawe The other obseruations be also taken out of that auncient doctor whose commentary vppon the epistle to the Corinthians hath gone vnder the name of Ieronym and is annexed to his workes sauing that by gold siluer wodde straw c. he vnderstandeth the men them selues and not their workes But as for purgatory he findeth none by that text S. Augustine also although otherwise inclining to the errour of purgatory yet he is cleare that this text proueth it not neither ought to be expounded of it and that he sheweth by many reasons Enchirid. ad Laurentium cap. 68. where he affirmeth that by the fire is ment the triall of tribulation in this life Chrysostom vpon the same text vnderstandeth by the fire euerlasting punishment euen of him that shall be saued through fire without any mention of purgatory except it be in reprouing them that denied immortall punishmēt to be meant by this place in 1. Cor. 3. Hom. 9. But if the place were to be considered absolutely without regard of circumstances as the Papistes doe when they expound it for purgatory yet can not it aptly be framed thereto because he sayth that euery mans worke or the man him selfe if they will shall passe through that fire but they thē selues affirme that perfect good men shall not come there at all nor very wicked men but onely men of a midle sort but by tryall of this fire whereof S. Paule speaketh good men shall receiue reward when their worke endure therefore this is not the fire of purgatory That there is a particulare iudgement and priuate accompt to be made at euery mans departure of his seuerall actes and deedes vvith certaine of the fathers mindes touching the textes of Scripture alleged before CAP. VII 1 ANd though such as shall liue at the comming of the iudge in the later daye shall then be purged of their corruption and base workes of infirmity by the fire that shall a better and alter the impure nature of these corruptible elements or otherwise according to Gods ordinaunce yet the common sort of all men which in the meane time depart this worlde must not tary for their purgation till that generall amending of all natures no more then the very good in whome after their baptisme no filthe of sinne is founde or if any were was wiped away by penaunce must awayt for their saluation or the wicked tary for their iust iudgement to damnatiō But straight this sentēce either of iudgement or mercy must be pronounced and therefore is called the particulare iudgement by which the soule onely shall receiue welthe or woe as at the day of the great accompt both body and soule must do Of this seuerall triall the holy Apostle S. Paule sayth statutum est omnibus hominibus semel mori post hoc iudicium It is determined that euery man once must dye and after that commeth iudgement And an other Scripture more expressely thus Facile est coram domino reddere vnicuique in die obitus sui secundum vias suas It is an easy matter before our Lorde that euery man at the day of his death shoulde be rewarded according to his life wayes Againe in the same place Memor esto iudicij mei sic enim erit tuum mihi heri tibi hodie Haue in remembraunce my iudgement for such shal thine owne be yesterday was mine today may be thine And therfore S. Ambrose sayth that without delay the good poore man was caried to rest and the wicked riche out of hand suffered torments That euery man sayth he may feele before the day of iudgement what he must then looke for And in an other place the same holy man writeth that Iohn the beloued of Iesus is already gone to the paradise of euerlasting blesse passing as few shall do the firie sworde at the entraunce of ioy without all stoppe or tariaunce because the fire of loue in his life time had such force in him that the amēding fier after his chaunge should take no holde of him at all so sayth Ambrose But of this priuate iudgement the Reuerend Bede hath a goodly sentēce in the fift of his historie Meminerimus facta cogitationes nostras nō in ventū diffluere sed ad examē summi Iudicis cūcta seruari siue per amicos Angelos in fine nobis ostendēda siue per hostes Let vs remēbre saith he that all our dedes thoghtes shal abide not be caried away with the winde but be reserued to the examination of the high Iudge so shall be laide before our face at our ending either by our good or aduersary Angels By all which it is euident that the soules sleepe not of which errour Luther was also noted nor be reserued in doubt of their damnation either perpetuall or temporall till the latter day but streight waye receiue as they deserued before in their life either welth or wofull paines In this day of our Lorde then this Purgatory paines must beginne to all such as haue after their Baptisme where they laide the foundation of Christes faith builded the workes of lesser sinnes and imperfection and not washed them a waye by penaunce in their life nor obteyned mercy for the same The which trueth the places of the Prophet and Apostle before alleaged with out all
vnsemely wrething or wraesting do so plainely beare that if ours were a sense neuer hearde of before yet the onely comparing of the textes and necessary circumstancies of the letter might rather driue vs to that meaning then any other that they can euer alleage or proue But now as Catholikes euer do keping the olde meaning and forging no newe geuing no other sense then that which the persuasion of all Christian people both learned and simple hath driuen from the beginning of our faith downe to our dayes and framing no other vnderstanding then that which we finde expressely in the learning and faith of our fathers both set forth and proued who is so rude in iudgement or so entangled with any contrary opinion that will not acknowledge the trueth and doctrine euery waye so compassed with proofe and all likelihoods CAP. VII 1 THat the iudgement of God beginneth at the death of euery man and so continueth vntil the full manifestation therof in the last day is clearer by the Scripture of God then that it needeth the confirmatioÌ„ of mans authoritie But that Ambrose is alleged to proue that euery man immediatly after his death doth feele that he must looke for in the daye of iudgement I meruaile to what purpose it is brought in if it be not to ouerthrow purgatory For if it be true as it must needes be no man feeleth paine after this life but he that shall feele it eternally And surely to the same effect he speaketh in his booke de bono mortis where he commendeth the death of the faithfull quia deteriorem statum non efficit sed qualem in singulis inuenerit talem iudicio fururo reseruat quietè ipsis fouet praesentium inuidiae subducit futurorum expectatione componit Because death maketh not their state worse but such as it findeth in euery man such it reserueth into the iudgement to come and quietly chierisheth them and both taketh them away from the enuy of things present and setleth them in expectation of things to come Thus sayth Ambrose plainely in this place what soeuer he speaketh allegorically of the fiery sword in other places VVell it is euident you saie that the soules departed sleepe not of which error Luther also was noted I neuer harde any man of credit note him therof who is well knowne to haue bene of a cleane contrary iudgement but I reade in the actes of the Councel of Constance that Pope Iohn the 23 was condemned for denying the immortality of the soule the resurrection of the deade and the life euerlasting But if the soules sleepe not then they be awake in purgatory or if ye reason not so subtilly you meane that if they be at all in purgatory they be there immediatly after their departure out of their bodyes But how shall we proue that they come there at all Forsooth by the sayings of the Prophet and of the Apostle before alleged which are so plaine proofe and so euident to be vnderstoode of them selues that they nede none other interpretation But how plaine it is that they serue nothing to that purpose I haue sufficiently declared already yet must we further follow the same matter because here are brought in the authoritie of the doctors to agree with M. Allens glose 2 But as reason is and my promise was at the beginning I will let the good Christian see the wordes of most notable auncient writers that he may reioyse his faith to be so surely grounded First then you shall perceiue that S. Augustine expoundeth the texte of the prophet Malachie before recited for purgatory paines euen as I saide I am certaine he may much moue our aduersaries as one whome they chalenge to be patrone of some of their opinions but how vniustly in all pointes God knoweth and in this matter especially you shall now perceiue After the rehersall of the Prophets wordes and well weying of the matter he thus writeth Ex ijs quae dicta sunt videtur euidentius apparere in illo iudicio quasdam quorundam purgatorias poenas futuras Vbi enim dicitur Quis substinebit diem introitus eius aut quis ferre poterit vt aspiciat eum quia ipse ingreditur quasi ignis conflatorij quasi herba lauantium sedebit conflans emundans sicut argentum aurum emundabit filios Leui fundet eos sicut aurum sicut argentum quid aliud intelligendum est dicit tale aliquid Isaias Lauabit dominus sordes filiorum filiarum Syon sanguinem emundabit de medio eorum spiritu iudicij spiritu combustionis Nisi sortè sic eos dicendum est emundari à sordibus eliquari quodammodo cuÌ„ ab eis mali per poenale iudicium separantur vt illorum segregatio atque damnatio purgatio sit istorum quia sine talium de coetero commixtione victuri sunt sed cum dicit emundabit filios Leui fundet eos sicut aurum argentum erunt domino offerentes hostias in iusticia placebit domino sacrificium Iuda Hierusalem Vtique ostendit eos ipsos qui emundabuntur deinceps in sacrificijs iusticiae domino esse placituros ac per hoc ipsi a sua iniustitia emundabuntur in qua domino hostiae displicebant porrò in plena perfectaque iustitia ipsi erunt cum mundati fuerint quid enim acceptius deo tales offerunt quà m seipsos verum ista quaestio de Purgatorijs poenis vt diligentius pertractetur in tempus aliud differenda est thus in english By the foresaide wordes in semeth very euident that in the time of that iudgement there shall be certaine Purgatory paines for some sort of men For when it is saide Who can be able to susteine the day of his comming who can stand in his sight because he shall sit trying out and purifying as it were golde and siluer and entre in like the fier of the fornace and as washers sope he shall make cleane the sonnes of Leui shall trie them as golde and siluer VVhat other thing by all these wordes can be ment but purgatory paines Namely seeing the prophet Esaie hath the like in these wordes God shall washe a waye the filthe of the sonnes and daughters of Syon and purge bloude from the middest of them in the spirite of iudgement and fier Except a man might conueniently say that they shall be washed from filthe and as you would say newe fourged when the wicked by finall iudgement are seuered out of their company that so their departure and damnation may be the purgation of the rest because after that day they shall liue for euer without the company of the badde But when the Prophet sayth more that he will clense the children of Leuy and purify them as golde and siluer that they may offer their oblations in righteousnesse and the sacrifice of Iuda and Hierusalem shall please our Lorde He â—urely giueth vs
which Christ sweareth shall be made vnto the vttermost farthing For he that refuseth reconciliation or repentance in this life must not looke for a pardon after this life Therefore if M. Allen will needes vnderstand this pryson for purgatory I will be so bold vppon Christes oth and earnest asseueration to affirme that he which is so imprisoned shall neither looke for mercy nor satisfaction by other mens payment but by his owne suffering But let vs see how he proueth that this place is to be vnderstood of purgatory First by likelihood that he should not haue sayd he shall not escape vntill he hath payd the vttermost farthing but rather cast him into the darke dungeon of euerlasting damnation M. Allen either can not or will not see that Christ here continueth an allegory of a temporall iudgement as Matt. 18. where he hath the same Donec as the same in like sense is often vsed else where Secondly the name of imprisonment will not well admitt he sayth any other meaning but of a temporall torment as though hell is not called a prison 1. Peter 3. And Apoc. 20. which is a place of euerlasting torments Therefore here is no shew of matter but bigge wordes onely 2 And these notes well and diligently considered may geue greate light to the alleaged wordes otherwise somewhat obscure and therewith proue our matter too They be not of my scanning onely as for some parte thou shalt perceiue by these wordes of Rupert an excellent good author Aduersarius eorum qui erant eiusmodi sermo fuit euangelij omnis praedicator euangelicae veritatis potestatem habens non consentientem sibi tradere iudici non solum iudici verum etiam malo ministro quemadmodum vnus eorum tradidâ—t hominem satanae The aduersary of such men was the worde of the Gospell and ech preacher of the trueth who had poure to deliuer him that would not agree vnto him to the iudge yea further then that he had authority to commit him to an euill minister as one of them gaue vp a man to Satan Here we see what that aduersary is to whome we must consent in this life and withall we haue an example in this iudgement of Gods ministers how man may be committed in the next life to a tormenter that may vexe him then at Gods prescription as he doth now at the charge onely of his minister then in fauour and mercy of the iudge as it is now in loue and charity of the vicegerent then for the atteining of heauens blesse as it is nowe for the saluation of the person punished For the executioÌ„ of Gods sentence may be either by a good spirite or our aduersary Angell or by his will and worde onely to whome all creatures serue and obey In this sense Paulinus who was S. Augustines peare writeth that the holy Ghost and Gods worde be mans aduersaries in earth to whome if we applie our selues obediently in this world our sorowe can not be long in the next life But these be his owne wordes Neque septem dies luctus noster excedat si consentiamus in huius vitae via aduersario nostro id est spiritui ac vei bo dei quod nobis peccaÌ„tibus aduersatur c. Our griefe can not be much longer then seuen dayes he meaneth it shall be a temporall paine and not very long if we consent in the way of this life to our aduersary that is to witte the spirite and worde of god For they be our aduersaries when we sinne because the holy Ghost chargeth the world with sinne and the worde of God if we obey not will be our accuser and promotour vp vnto the Iudge who will haue an accompt of his talent to the vttermost farthinge Thus farre spake this Author and in like sense many moe whome I neede not nowe name Because there is such store of testimonies that not onely in some part make for the opening of this scripture but altogether for Purgatory And one or two of them I will briefly recite because I determined with my selfe and bounde my selfe for my discharge and the readers more safe warraunt to bring no texte of scripture for the proofe of my purpose except I might finde some holy writers of the antiquity that vsed the same directly in that sense that if any maÌ„ would repreheÌ„d my meaning yet he should not be so bold with such as I caÌ„ name proue to be my authors therin 2 In this part are two testimonies alleged one of Rupertus an other of Paulinus of which Rupertus affirmeth his exposition of the aduersary but touching purgatory he sayth nothing Paulinus interpreteth the aduersary somewhat otherwise but he speaketh of them that doe agree with him in the way of this life whose sorrow he sayth shal not exceede seuen dayes but what sorrow they shall abide that contemne this agrement he sayth nothing but generally of the accompt of the vttermost farthing I maruell whether M. Allen was awake when he alleged these two testimonies for purgatory or whether he thought that all men should be asleep that should reade them 3 But whome may I more safely alleage for the contentatioÌ„ of sober wittes and repressing the aduersaries boldenesse then the blessed martyr S. Cyprian VVho in the forth booke of his Epistles for the declaration that euery one which here is pardoned of his sinnes shall not straight be exalted to the glory of sainctes and martyrs after their death vseth very fitly as he doth all other placies of scripture the forsaide text by these wordes Aliud est ad veniam stare aliud ad gloriam peruenire aliud missum in carcerem non exire donec soluat nouissimum quadrantem aliud statim fidei virtutis accipere mercedem aliud pro peccato longo dolore cruciari purgari diu igne aliud peccata omnia passione purgari aliud denique pendere in die iudicij ad sententiam domini aliud statim a domino coronari In English it is an other thing to stande at a pardon then out of hande to atteine to glory it is an other maner of matter to be coÌ„mitted to prison thense not to depart till the last farthing be discharged to receiue out of hand the rewarde of faith and vertue It is one thing by greate sorow to be tormented for our sinnes and by long fire amended purged of the same and an other to haue sufficiently purged them by martyrdom in fine it is not all one to hange on Gods sentence in the day of iudgement and out of hande to be crowned of our Lorde These wordes as you see expressely proue our matter open the meaning of the scripture whereon we nowe stoode and do clearely set forth the ordre of Gods iustice in the next life And they shall content the reader better if he marke vpon what occasion this blessed man spake these wordes There were many in the persecutioÌ„ of that time
but they had it out of Gods holy worde and tradition of the holy Apostles and by the very suggestion of the spirite of trueth All which if it can not moue the misbeleuer and stay the rashenesse of the simple deceiued sort it shall be but lost labour to bring in any more for the confirmation of that trueth which all the holy doctours haue so fully both proued and declared to my hande 5 The tales that you tell out of Gregory and Bede may be hearde as they are tolde and beleeued as they deserue but that you make the opinion of purgatory such an article of faith that no article with more force of the spirite nor with more graue authority was set forth sence the beginning of Christian religion and yet neuer taught in the scripture that is by no meanes to be borne with all If Sathan hath labored to plante that error which is most blasphemous against Christ and occasion of most licentious wickednesse in all them that professe Christ and beleue it if Sathan I saye hath bent all his force to plante such an error by which his kingdome is so much aduaunsed no wise man can maruell Of like leuen it is that you affirme That neuer nation was conuerted to the fayth but it had purgatory taught by worde and confirmed by miracle O impudent affirmer Of so many nations as S. Luke recordeth in the Actes of the Apostles to haue bene conuerted to the fayth name one vnto which you can proue that purgatory was taught eyther by worde or miracle But to be sure you name all euen of the primitiue Church when that aboundant floude of faith was spred ouer all countries But when the proofe commeth you leape but 600. yeares from Christ to Gregories dialogues from which time I will not deny but you may haue great store of such stuffe as you haue miracles now in Flaunders of the honest woman of the olde Baylye in London and such like 6 But nowe for vs that through Gods greate mercy be Catholikes let vs for Christes sake so vse the benefit of this our approued faith to the amendement of our owne liues that where no argument will serue nor authority of Scripture or doctour can conuerte the deceiued yet the fructe of this doctrine shewed by good life and vertuous conuersatioÌ„ may by Christes mercy moue them Let the priest consider that this heuy iudgement must beginne at the house of God as S. Peter affirmeth and so doth S. Ambrose proue it must do In whome for the dignity of his honorable ministery as much more holynesse is requisite so a more straite reckening must be required Let the Lay man learne for the auoyding of greater daunger in the presence of the highe Iudge willingly to submit him selfe to Gods holy ministers VVho haue in most ample maner a commission of executing Christes office in earth both for pardoning and punishment of sinne that suffering here in his Church sentence and iuste iudgement for his offensies he may the rather escape our fathers greuous chastisement in the life to come Therefore I woulde exhorte earnestly the minister of God that in geuing penaunce he would measure the medecine by the maladie aptly discerning the limitation of the punishment by the quantity of the faulte not vsing like lenity in closing vp of euery wounde For they shall not be blamelesse surely that do the worke of Gods iudgement committed to their discretion negligently nor the simple soule that lookes to be set free from further paine can by the acceptation of such vnâ—quall remedies auoide the scourge of iudgement prepared except he him selfe voluntaryly receiue as I woulde wishe all men shoulde some further satisfaction by the fructes of penaunce that of his owne accorde he may helpe the enioyned penalty and so by Gods grace turne away the great greefe to come Excellently well and to our purpose saide S. Cyprian in the fourth booke of his epistles talking of such offenders as were not charged with penaunce sufficiently or otherwise negligently fulfilled the same by these wordes We shall not herein any thing be preiudiciall to Gods iudgement that is to come that he may not allow and ratifie our sentence if he finde the perfect penaunce of the party so require But if the offender haue deluded vs by fayned accomplishing of his penaunce then God who will not be deluded because he beholdeth the hearte of man shall geue iudgement of such thinges as were hidde from vs And so our Lorde will amende the sentence of his seruauntes VVhere this doctour seemeth to allude to the accustomed name of Purgatory which S. Augustine and other do often call the amending fire Though it may well be that he here calleth the contrary sentence of iudgement to eternall damnation vpon the impenitent sinner whome the priest because he coulde not discerne the fayned hypocrasy of his externall dealing from the inward sorow of hearte pronounced to be absolued of his sinnes it may stande I say that he termeth that contrary sentence of God the correction or the amendement of the priestes iudgement How so euer that be it is a worke of singular grace and discretion so to deale with the spirituall patient that he haue no nede of the amending fire 6 Here is an exhortation vnto Papistes first to the priestes that they will shew the fructe of this doctrine in their conuersation For my parte â— am perswaded if feare of eternall torments in Hell that God threatneth by his scriptures will not terrify them the fayned paines of purgatory which they can by their owne Masses and other like merits auoide will not restraine them The laye men are exhorted to submitte them selues to the priestes who haue such an ample commission that they may both pardon and punish sinne euen as Christ him selfe did vpon earth But what auayleth this submission when the ignorant or negligent priest that weigheth not the penaunce in euen ballance with the offence doth not by his absolution or pardonning take awaye one houres torments of purgatory as both M. Allen him selfe in effect confesseth and the Maister of the sentence also teacheth vnto whome M. Allen hath bene so good a scholler that he hath borowed of him not onely his iudgement but in diuerse places his very wordes also he hath translated Of the nature and condicion of Purgatory fire the difference of their state that be in it from the damned in Hell vvith the conclusion of this booke CAP. XIII 1 IF any curious heade list of me demaunde where or in what parte of the worlde this place of punishment is or what nature that fire is of that worketh by such vehement force vppon a spirituall substance I will not by longe declaration thereof feede his curiosity because he may haue both the example and the like doubt of Hell it selfe and many other workes of God moe The learned may see that question at large debated in the bookes of the City of God and in
the literall exposition vpon the Genesis And yet after all searche that man can make this must be the conclusion with the author of those bookes Quomodo intelligenda sit illa flamma inferni ille sinus Abrahae illa lingua diuitis illa sitis tormenti illa stilla refrigerij vix fortasse a mansuetè quaerentibus à contentiose autem certantibus nunquam inuenitur melius est dubitare de occultis quam litigare de incertis I am sure sayth S. Augustine the Riche man was in wonderfull feruent paine and the Lazare in the rest of a pleasaunt abiding but how or of what nature that Hell flame and fire is to be taken or Abraham his bosom or the glottens tongue or the intollerable thurst in that torment or the drop to quenche his heat All these doubtes can scarsely be dissolued and satisfied to the contentation of him that with humility maketh serche thereof But to contentious and curious ianglers they shall neuer be knowen Therefore better it is to be in doubt of these secrets then to stand in contentious reasoning of thinges vncertaine So must we thinke also of Purgatory that the paine thereof of what condicion so euer it be or where so euer the ordinaūce of God hath placed it is wonderfull horrible And by force of operation representeth the nature of our fire and both by scriptures and doctors is most termed by the name of fire as Hell torment is It worketh so vpon the soule of man as the other did vpon the riche mans soule and all other that be already in Hell before the receyuing of their bodies into the same misery at the generall day of Iudgement And the sensible griefe may be as great of certaine as in the other place of euerlasting damnation as Cyrillus in vita Hieronymi doth declare CAP. XIII 1 THis is a very needelesse discourse vnlesse it were to make vp a browen doosen of chapters to enquire of the nature or condition of purgatory fire c. and then to be able to determine nothing of it If we shall geue credit to those visions reuelations and apparitions which M. Allen defended so pithily in the last Chapter before there is no man knoweth his owne house better thē we may know euery corner of purgatory the place the length the bredth the depth the fire the water the burning the scalding the broyling the frying the whipping the hanging c. At the least wise if M. Allen would haue taken so much foolish paynes as to haue translated out of that worshipfull author which he citeth that which he hath written of the qualitie and condition of the paynes of purgatory he migh◠haue enlarged this chapter by two or three leaues That beastly asse and shamelesse counterfector that calleth him selfe Cyrillus in the deuills name Bishop of Ierusalem writing to such an Augustine as he was a Cyrill of the miracles of S. Ieronym maketh a large discourse of the paynes of hell and purgatory as he learned of Eusebius and of 3. deade men whom Ieronym caused to be restored to life after he had shewed them the paynes of purgatory and hell and this to confute the errour of them that denyed purgatory I would maruell surely whether impudency in him that inuented that fable and set it out vnder the name of Cyrillus were greater then in M. Allen that allegeth his name authoritie as antique authentical sauing that that counterfecter played the foole in the night but Allen bringeth him forth in the brode daye light 2 But this is the greate misery and the difference that such as be in the iudgement of Hell paines haue no hope of mercy no passage from their infinite woe no ende of torment no release of paine no expectation of saluation no comforte by Christ but endlesse desperation hatered of vertue wearinesse of their creation sorowe of their owne being and persons and which is most vntollerable perpetual blasphemy grisely cursing of Gods holy name The other being vnder their mercifull fathers chastisement in purgatory suffer great paine but in quiet peace of conscience in assured expectation and warraunt of their saluation in loue of Gods iustice and iudgement euen towardes them selues in the vnity of the spirite of God bearing testimony of them that they be the children of the houshoulde in perpetuall experience of mercy and grace in daily hope of release in perfect loue with out all sinne or daunger of sinning in gladde conceiuing the benefit of their redemption for the remission of their offenses past and in worship and confession of Gods holy name then and after for euer more And this is the company of the inferiour partes which boweth their knee and reuerenceth the name of Iesus as the Apostle saith when the other which be in the deepe hell the Prophet bearing witnesse can not prayse nor confesse his blessed name which they both detest blaspheme to their vnspeakable paine There hath euer bene sence the death of the first vertuous man till this houre and so shall be till the day of latter iudgement a company of elect and chosen people that do honour God in the loughers partes as till Christes descending to Hell the fathers resting place in generall and some that suffered for sinne further paine beside And after continually as before the place of Purgatory to endure for the punishment of certaine till the latter day when all the elect shall reigne without griefe or peine with Christ for euer more And although the place of this torment and the nature therof be not certainely determined nor knowen to any but such as God of his wisedome list reuele it vnto yet it is with great probability and likelihood thought of such learned men as deserue singular credit that it is in the lower roumes as sinus Abrahae may appeare by scripture to haue bene and separated from hell as it was because all places of punishmēt after this life be called of holy writers conformably to scripture Inferna But with curious searche of these thinges as we be not charged so to beleue that iustice is there done vpon sinners by much sorow and torment of their soules by the authority of Gods worde and Church we are of necessity induced The care and consideration whereof if it take deepe impression in our mindes I am sure it shall worke exceding greate chaunge in our whole life and maners 2 Here we are taught what the difference is betwene the paynes of hell and purgatory This difference is not in quality nor quantity but in respect of continuance and of the persons The one is eternall the other temporall they that are in one are desperate and impatient the other in hope and patience without sinne or daunger of sinning Surely if those tales were true that are told of them that are in purgatory there appeared in some but smal patience One that was promised by an Angell that he should tarry but 3. dayes
in them is learned so hath she perpetuall confirmation in the same and nothing contrary vnto her But heresie as she is inuented in mans head so she seeketh confirmation in the reason and authoritie of man which because they haue not full credit with them that professe religion without the authoritie of Gods word at length whē it is fully shaped in the shop of mans brayne then it is brought to the Scripture to see if it can finde any colour by any phrase of wordes wrested from the meaning or by any vayne collection that hath no force of necessary conclusion being content to haue but onely a colde claime vnto the authoritie of Scripture although it haue the whole scope and purpose of the holy Ghost yea often times also manifest wordes against it which difference as it may be found in all heresies so in none more notably then in this errour of purgatory Consider what textes of holy Scripture are alleged for it and you shall see they can not bring one out of which any necessary argument may be framed to proue their cause or which hath not by learned interpretors of the olde time bene otherwise expounded then of their cause As in the text here alleged out of S. Matt. cap. 12. who so euer shall speake blasphemy against the holy ghost it shall not be forgiuen him neither in this world nor in the world to come If the sense were not plaine of it selfe that he which so sinneth shall not obtayne forgeuenes in this life nor be absolued in the last iudgement yet the other Euangelistes doe plainly expound the meaning S. Luke sayth simply he shal not be forgiuen S. Marke saith he hath no remission for euer but is guilty of euerlasting iudgement Neuertheles behold what a wrangling M. Allen maketh about the interpretation of these wordes But I will offer him fayre play he is an auncient maister of art since he writ this booke he hath added tenne yeares to his study of diuinitie in which space he might haue bene a doctour of the same faculty let him with all the diuinitie that euer he studied or with all the artes that euer he professed make a true syllogisme in forme and matter out of this authority to proue that God forgiueth sinnes after this life which are not remitted in this life and I will confesse the doctrine of purgatory with him which otherwise I would not doe to winne all the patrimony of S. Peter that the Pope claymeth in Italy but vntill such tyme as we may obtayne a good argument let vs consider such as we haue He signifieth sayth M. Allen that a man in some case might perhaps not speede of a pardon in this life yet may obtayne it in the next when the matter goeth by perhaps it is good to beware of after claps why M. Allen what sinnes are those of which a man may perhaps not speede of a pardon in this life and yet obtayne it after this life If they be truely repented in this life we haue a warrant of Gods owne mouth without your perhaps that in the same hower they shall be remitted Ezech. 18. 33. But if they be not repented where is your warrant that euer they shall be remitted But I aske againe what sinnes are those that perhapps maye misse of a pardon in this life and obteine it after this life by all likelyhood they must be some great sinnes that perhapps may not speede of a pardon here and yet finde it afterwarde There is no man would thinke otherwise by these wordes nor by the wordes of Christ if he vnderstood them so that some sinnes might be forgeuen after this life but whē all commeth to all The Maister of the Sentence and Gregory before him and M. Allen him selfe woulde alowe no sinnes to be forgeuen after this life but very small and light offences How be it it is plaine that these wordes neither in the worlde to come are added by waye of amplification for it is the purpose of our Sauiour Christ to set forth to the vttermost the heynousnesse of blasphemy against the holy Ghost so that if he had ment that any sinnes might be remitted after this life that were not pardoned after this life he shoulde haue ment the greater and not the lesser for lesse sinnes be soner pardoned and the pardon of greater more hardely obteined But marke the equitie of M. Allen the horrible blasphemer for all the vehemency of Christes wordes by M. Allens iudgement is but in a manner discharged of hope of remission as though he were not simply and altogether excluded And the light offender is turned ouer to purgatory for his remission yet M. Allen will stand vpon the forme phrase of words not knowing that this worlde is taken for all the time that is vnto the ende thereof and the worlde to come not for the state or time of them that are departed vnto the iudgemēt but for the time of eternitye after the ende of this worlde or els the wordes of Christ in Matthew should not be equiualent with the wordes in Marke he shal be guilty of euerlasting iudgement or condemnation which the olde interpretor calleth eternall offence The like forme or phrase of words is vsed by S. Paule to the Ephesians cap. 1. that Christ is exalted aboue euery name that is named not onely in this worlde but also in the worlde to come by which wordes he meaneth the supreme and euerlasting kingdome of Christ which extendeth vnto all eternitie But if a contentious person like to the Valentiniane heretikes or such like woulde inuent monstruous names as those heretikes did and proue by this place that there are names named in the worlde to come that are not named in this worlde shoulde he not haue as good grounde out of this place as the Papistes haue of the other 2 But because we haue to do with fickle marchauntes that will not sticke to brast boldely the bandes of euident scriptures as anone you shalt see and therefore will as I thinke litle be moued with reasonable and playne gathering out of the scriptures nor much esteeme this likelihood as ouer small a proofe in so greate a doubte therefore I will shew my warraunt for this construction that thereby the studious reader may see whome the aduersaries do so rashly contemne herein and whome we haue as authors in this meaning of Christes wordes now recited that neither they may be beleued with out reason and proofe nor we miscredited after so good authority of the auncient writers as neither they for shame nor we of conscience can deny S. Gregory whose authority I may boldely vse against them because they mislike not his iudgement when it may appeare to make for them as in deede it neuer doth he doubted nothing to gather of this our Sauiours speach that sinnes might be forgeuen in the next worlde And thus he writeth for that point De quibusdam leuibus culpis esse
ante iudicium purgatorius ignis credendus est pro eo quod veritas dicit Si quis in sancto Spiritu blasphemiam dixerit neque in hoc saeculo remittetur ei neque in futuro In qua sententia datur intelligi quasdam culpas in hoc saeculo quasdam in futuro posse relaxari quod enim de vno negatur consequens intellectus patet quia de quibusdam conceditur sed tamen vt praedixi hoc de paruis minimisque peccatis fieri posse credendum est For certaine small sinnes that there is a purgatory fire before the daye of iudgement we must needes beleue because the trueth it selfe vttered so much in these wordes If any sinne against the holy Ghost it shall not be remitted neither in this worlde nor in the worlde to come By which sentence it is geuen vs to vnderstande that as some offensies be released in this worlde so there may some other be remitted in the life following For that which is denyed in one sorte the meaning is plaine that of some other kinde it must needes be graunted But as is saide before this is onely to be taken of lighter offensies thus farre spake S. Gregory and proueth learnedly beside by examples and sondry Scriptures through out the whole worke our matter If our aduersaries woulde with desire to learne as they commonly do to reprehend reade but his discourse onely they might quickely see their owne foly and amende their misbelefe They call him the last good Pope as he was in deede a blessed man and by his authority the perfect conuersion of our nation to Christes faith was wrought I woulde his holy workes deserued but as much credit now with certaine forsakers as his Legates then did with all the vnfaithfull people of our countrie But to go forwarde in our matter we shall finde in S. Bernarde the same wordes of our Sauiour alleaged for our purpose thus Non credunt ignem Purgatorium restare post mortem sed statim animam solutam a corpore vel ad requiem transire vel ad damnationem quaerant ergo ab eo qui dixit quod dam peccatum esse quod neque in hoc saeculo neque in futuro remittetur cur hoc dixerit si nulla maner in futuro remissio purgatione peccati They beleue not sayth he by some heretiques of his owne time that there is any purgatory paines remaining after death but they suppose that the soule straight vpon departure hense goeth either to rest or damnation let such fellowes aske therefore of him that saide a certaine greuous crime coulde neither be forgeuen in this worlde nor in the worlde to come why he so saide if there were no remission nor purgation of sinnes in the life following thus said Bernarde opening his graue iudgement both vpon the text and our matter whose authority if any esteme lesse because of his late writing let him know that the aduersaries haue none for their side so auncient by C C C. yeare except they name the heretike Aërius or such like whose antiquitye maketh not so much for them as his auncient condemnation for heresie in this poynt maketh against them 2 M. Allen in his conscience knoweth that he hath no grounde in the authority of Gods word and therefore he flyeth to the authority of man But that he might seeme to be driuen perforce to that where vnto he doth come most willingly he pretendeth a fonde excuse because he hath to doe with such fickle marchaunts as wil not sticke to breake boldly the bands of euident Scriptures But he knoweth in his conscience that he hath no authoritye of Scripture to charge vs for if he thought we would breake the bonds of Gods word he might well thinke we would not be holden by the authoritie of mens writing and those of the latter sort six hundreth yeares after Christ the eldest For Augustine makeâ—h as litle for them as he doth against vs Gregory and Bernarde whereunto he addeth Bede are of opinion that sinnes not remitted in this world may be remitted in the world â—o come but how hapneth it that Chrysâ—stome and Ieronym which both interpreted that place could gather no such matter although they otherwise allowed prayer for the dead The reason must needes be because the errour of purgatory growing so much the stronger as it was nerer to the full reuelation of Antichrist Gregory and Bede sought not the true meaning of Christ in this Scripture but the confirmation of their pausible error M. Allen thinketh we must be sore pressed with the authoritie of Gregory because we mâ—slike not his authority where he inueigheth against the supremacy of one Bishop aboue all other or where so euer he agreeth with the truth But he must be once againe admonished that we are bound to no mannes authoritie no longer then he followeth the authoritie of Gods word And therefore though Gregory were the last of all the Romish Bishops in whom was any sparke of goodnes because Boniface his successor and so all the rest by Gregoryes owne iudgement prophecy were all Antichristes yet is not all that Gregory writte of equall authoritie with the word of God without authoritie whereof we beleue not an Angell from heauen as I haue often shewed much lesse a Bishop of Rome 3 But that in the mouth of two or three witnesses all trueth may appeare and contrary falsehood vanish away S. Augustine him selfe gathered by this place now alleaged euen then when he had no occasion geuen him by the wrangling of any misbeleuer to wreast any scripture otherwise then the very wordes imported the trueth of remission of certaine faultes in the next life in these wordes Facta resurrectione mortuoruÌ„ non deerunt quibus post poenas quas patiuntur spiritus mortuorum impertiatur misericordia vt in ignem non mittantur aeternuÌ„ neque enim de quibusdam veraciter diceretur quod non eis remittetur neque in hoc saeculo neque in futuro nisi essent quibus etsi non in isto tamen remittetur in futuro There shall be certaine at the time of resurrection also who shal obteine mercy after they haue suffered such paines as deade mens ghostes do abide that they be not cast into the euerlasting fire for els it coulde not in any true sense be spoken that certaine shoulde neither haue pardon in this worlde nor in the worlde to come except there were some that speeding not of pardon in this life might yet haue remission in the next so sayth he Being I warraunt you so sadde witted and so farre from phantasies that he would not grounde any assured doctrine vpon euery light occasion offered or motion made had not the very words and forme of phrase approued it and Gods Church liked it Hauing then these graue fathers with others for our warraunt in the exposition of this place we do take it for a sure grounde that the paine of purgation in the next worlde
holy Scripture may not haue any allowed sence approued to be the meaning of God the author thereof by consideration of the wordes nor conference of one place with an other but it must nedes haue such sence as your Church will fayne vnto it Finally other writinges are of credit according to the authoritie of the writers The holy Scriptures with you haue not credit according to the authoritie of God the author of them but according to your determination that maye conferre or perferre vnto them what you list whereby it is manifest that you Antichristian Papistes receiue onely the names of the canonicall scriptures and the metaphysicall wordes abstract from all sence but the authoritie meaning and credit you vtterly deny to be in them submitting them altogether to your owne selues and your most corrupt peruerse iudgement The rest of your tedious rayling vnto the ende of the chapter I know not why I should aunswere further except it were to waste incke and paper For the stocke of your fructlesse tree being digged vp by the rootes the proude toppes and braue braunches therof must nedes fal downe and wither away with it That the funeralls of the Patriarches both in the lavve of nature and Moises and Christ had practise in them for the reliefe of the soules departed CAP. IIII. 1 NOw therefore I haue great hope to trust so much of all studious readers for that loue which they beare vnto truth that they will geue creditte to the manifest wordes of Scripture which so plainly doe set forth not onely the benefite that ariseth to the departed by prayers but also witnesse that there was practise at Ierusalem by oblation and sacrifice for the same purpose by order of their law For otherwise would that good knight so highly commended neuer haue presumed to bring in any superstitious new vsage contrary to the rule of that Church neither would the Priestes at Ierusalem haue offered for the dead without contradiction vnder the gouernment of so good a bishop neither would the Author of she booke vpon so light a beginning haue praysed the fact or otherwise made mention of it then as of a new deuise of the same man VVhom I doubt not therefore rather to haue followed the continuall custome of the Church then to haue inuented any newe vnknowne order of his owne VVhich may well appeare at this day by the ceremonies and sacrifices of the olde lawe yet superstitiously obserued emongest the dispersed Iewes where emongest other rites of their lawe they offer and make solemne supplication for the soules departed as Antonius Margarita a Iewe that forsooke his profession and became Christian witnesseth in a booke that he made of the faith of the Iewes VVhere he reporteth out of their sacrifice this prayer Deus animarum fidelium recordetur in paradisum cum Abraham Isaac Iacob alijsque integerrimis sanctis collocet that is Lord remember the faithfull soules and place them in paradise with Abraham Isaac and Iacob and other thy perfect Sainctes and holy men And for that purpose they haue a memoriall booke as he sayth out of which the names of the departed are yerely recited But we much neede not this report herein for that may well appeare to haue bene vsed long before Iudas Machabaeus his dayes For what other thing doth that long mourning fasting charitable releuing of the poore and other common afflictions which men tooke vpon them at the obites of their friendes and fathers as well in the law of nature as afterward continually in Moises time what else can they meane but perpetual practise for the rest of their soules Looke how religiously Abraham celebrated the rites of his wiues funerall which the Scripture calleth Officium funeris the office of the Buriall which he fulfilled by weeping and lamentation made ouer the corps Neither can I thinke that the office and iust funeralls stoode in mourning or sorowyng without praying or other remedies of reliefe towardes the departed seeing especially that office of mourning by solemne dirigies as we nowe tearme them had place time and ordre by rule appointed to be executed yea and were not ended by many dayes together nor at one time nother As it appeareth that Ioseph and his brethern executed their fathers funeralls first fourty dayes in Aegypte and then in their owne country celebrabant exequias saith the text seuen dayes together So the children of Israel celebrated Moyses obsequies with thirty dayes solemne mourning in the downes of Moab Not by that weeping which procedeth of priuate affection towardes a mans friende for that can not be limited nor yet prescribed by rule as all these solemne dirigies were But questionlesse this office conteined for the reliefe of the deceased almes prayer fastes and teares all which may well be termed mourning songes or weeping ouer the dead for that time most cōuenient Of which the wise man geueth this precept Super mortuū plora VVeepe ouer the departed And that thou maiest well perceiue these publike rites of solemne dirigies to perteine properly to the due helpe of those for whome they be exercised S. Ambrose doubteth not to affirme that of those burialls in the lawe of nature the necessary obseruation of our Christian dayes monthes and yeares mindes kepte for the deade had their beginning saying thus in his funerall sermon made the fourtith daye solemnely kept for the memory of the noble Emperour Theodosius Eius Principis proxime conclamauimus obitum nunc quadragesimum celebramus assistente sacris altaribus Honorio principe quia sicut sanctus Ioseph patri suo Iacob quadraginta diebus humationis officia detulit ita hic Theodosio patri iusta persoluit quia alij tertium trigesimum alij septimum quadragesimum obseruare consueuerūt quid doceat lectio consideremus defuncto inquit Iacob praecepit Ioseph pueris sepultoribus vt sepelirēt eum repleti sunt ei quadraginta dies Haec ergo sequenda solemnitas quam prescribit lectio Bonus itaque Ioseph qui formam pio muneri dedit c. VVe kept of late the day of this noble kinges buriall And now againe we celebrate his fourtith dayes mind the prince Honorius his sonne assisting vs before the holy altares for as holy Ioseph bestowed vpon his fathers funeral fourty dayes dutie euen so doth this prince procure his fathers obsequies And because some obserue the thirde day and the thirtith other kepe customably the vij and the fourtith let vs looke vpon the text which readeth thus Iacob being departed Ioseph commaundeth the prouisours of the sepulture to bury him and so they did and made vp full fourty dayes in that obite this solemnity then must we fellowe prescribed by the scripture Good was this Ioseph that first gaue vs the forme and fashion of so holy a function By these wordes we see the antiquity of our Christian dirigies and diuersitie of dayes as yet it is vsed in
lye a. But whether is he worthy to be thrust that regarding no communion either olde or new of any trueth but his common vnion of lying and rayling together hath falsyfied both the decrees of Vase and Carthage what M. Allen two Councells at one clappe falsyfied and that not ignorantly but wittingly not negligently but wilfully and yet must you wipe your lippes as though it were not you and rayle like a ruffian vpon our ministers in the ruffe of their newe communion when you are not ashamed to faulsyfie the decrees of the olde communion Be not these the wordes of the Carthage Councell Ca. 95 Qui oblationes defunctorum aut negant ecclesiis aut cum difficultate reddunt tanquam egentium necatores excommunicentur They which either deny to the Churches or els pay with difficulty the oblations of the deade let them be excoÌ„municated as murtherers of the poore Likewise the CouÌ„cell of Vase Ca. 2. Qui oblationes defunctorum retinent ecclesijs tradere demorantur vt infideles ab ecclesia sunt abijciendi quia vsque ad exinanitionem fidei peruenire certum est hanc pietatis diuinae exacerbationem quia fideles de corpore recedentes votorum plenitudine pauperes consolatu alimoniae necessaria sustentatione fraudaÌ„tur toti ergo tales quasi egentium necatores nec credentes iuditium dei habendi sunt vnde quidam patrum hoc scriptis suis inseruit congrueÌ„te sententia qua ait Amico quicquam rapere furtum est ecclesiam vero fraudare sacrilegium est They which reteine the oblations of the deade and make delay to deliuer them to the Churches are to be cast out of the Church as infidels For it is certaine that this prouoking to wrath of the mercy of God recheth euen to the vttermost denying of the faith Because both the faithfull departing from their bodye are defrauded of the fullfilling of their desires and the poore of the comfort of foode and necessary sustentation They therefore that are such are to be compted as murderers of the poore and such as beleiue not the iudgement of God wherefore one of the fathers hath put this in his writinges with agreable meaning whereby he saith To take away any thing from a mans freind is thefte but to defraude the Church is sacriledge What other thing can be gathered out of those decrees but that those men are noted with censure which keepe backe such thinges as men that are departed had bequethed to the Churches for the releefe of the poore what is this to oblation or sacrifice for the deade is it all one to speake of oblations of the deade and oblations for the deade With M. Allen it is all one for after he hath sayed that the Councells do excommunicate all them that hinder the oblations for the departed he addeth that the canons of the Councells runne thus that they which withdraw the oblations of the departed are excommunicated But herein he declareth that he is a manifest falsyfier not of error but of purpose 2 Damascene that blessed man that suffered so much sorrowe for trueths defense whose authority I must often vse in this treatise because he purposely stoode for this quarell against certaine heretiques of his time He therefore in the life of Iosaphat excedingly prayseth his passing loue towards his father departed VVho first with all godly deuotion procured his exequies and dirigies on the day of his buriall then commended his soule to God with seuen dayes solemne prayer and supplication at his sepulcher and with a wonderfull liberall almes or oblation for the poore people he finished vp the matter the viij daye But if you can finde in you hearte to credit this good mans report he will assure you of the vsage of his time By which you shall perceiue that it is a horrible slauÌ„der that the wicked haue raised on Gods Church and ministers which be not ashamed to say and auouch in their open sermons and vaine libells that these yearely and so many monthes mindes haue bene newely practised and deuised against Gods worde and the vsage of the primitiue Church VVherein they shewe them selues exceding ignorant in the affaires of the Church or els passing bolde and malitious in willfull deâ—eiuing the simple For our onely monthes and yeares oblations in Damascens dayes as he often affirmeth there were customably kept tricesimales quadragesimales anniuersariae memoriae the thirtith the fourtith the yeares mindes and portions apointed out as he sayth in testaments for the mainteinaunce thereof And all this commonly besides the peculiar deuotion of some towardes their singularly beloued If thou list go yet vpwarde thou shalt finde no lesse care for the helpe of the soules deceased for S. Ambrose reporteth of his time that otherwhiles the third the thirtith otherwhiles the seuenth the fourtith minde dayes were religiously obserued yea and that as he saith by good authoritie and auncient vsage of the Patriarches both in the lawe of nature and Moyses Cum frequeÌ„tibus oblationibus omnibus with often and sundry oblations for the rest of the departed This xxx dayes memoriall olde holy Ephreem in his testament and last will prouideth for him selfe after his departure The seuenth day was also euer in the primitiue Church with great religion obserued because as Beda saith that hath the representation of the life to come And S. Ambrose practised it for his brother for the like protestation and signe of the resurrection and rest perpetuall Die septimo sayth he ad sepulchrum redimus qui dies symbolum est futurae quietis the seuenth day we come together againe to my brothers sepulchre because that day is a pledge of the rest to come 2 That which can not be proued by the Councells shal be made cocke sure by the doctors and Damascene that blessed man shall beginne the daunse who as their fables write of hm had his hande cutte of for crafty conueiance yet was it againe restored by miracle by the blessed virgine after it had bene nailed to the Church dores of a longe time I haue often saide we deferre nothing to his authoritie who was both in a corrupt time and he him selfe a corrupter of religion by building vpon fables and authorities of men as maye be manifest to any that shall reade his writinges which of the Papistes of meane iudgement in these dayes is not ashamed of that fable which he reherseth in Serm. de defunctis how Gregory shoulde praye and obteine pardon of God for the sinnes of Troianus an heathen Emperor that was in Hell 4. or 5. hundreth yeares before Gregory was bishop of Rome so maye they be of the tale of Falconilla and all other like fables auouched by him in the historie of Barlaum and Iosaphat But of memories of the dead and prayers for the deade also we will not striue but that they were vsed before the times of Beda Ephraim and Ambrose but with out warraunt of
vnapte to receiue comforth thereby yet these holy appointed remedies are both comfortable and meritorious to the geuers and procurers as blessinges which are not lost but turne againe to the bestowers For the profit of other or the onely will to relicue other is a singular deserte and meanes of merite to a mans selfe Full truely saide Damascene that this carefull helpe seruing of others mens lackes is much like to the paine which one taketh in anoynting with a precious baulme an other mans body which as he tempereth in his hande to bestowe vpon an other it first redoundeth in verdure and vertue to him selfe and then passeth by him to the vse of his neighbour for whome principally it was prepared 3 These matters stand all vpon a false supposition that any prayers are auailable for the deade which when it can not be proued it is in vayne to shewe who taketh profit by them who not who more and who lesse and what becommeth of those prayers that be offered for either them that neede no helpe or that can not be helped We learne out of Gods worde that what so euer we doe pray for according to Gods will we shall obteyne 1. Iohn 5. therefore this one hatchet shall cut asunder all these knottes prayers for the dead are not according to the will of God and therfore they are not heard at al for immediatly after death as M. Allen him selfe confesseth followeth iudgement but prayers eyther neede not or boote not when the party is eyther acquited or condemned by the sentence of the iudge which as Augustine sayth can not be indifferent betwene rewarde punishment De libero arbitrio lib. 3. cap. 23. 4 But notwithstanding this free procurement and liberall graunt of common helpes in the departeds case euen there where it is vncertaine whether they take effect or no the Church yet doth not onely absteine from sacrifice and request for such as doe openly appeare to sinne vnto death as the Apostle sayth but some times for punishment of certeine contemptes and disobedience in some persons she forbeareth these meanes euen there where she might proffet the departed peradueÌ„ture cleane discharge him of sinne and paine with all VVhich she doth by merueillous graue authoritie to the great terror of offenders That by the greuous punishment of certaine many might learne to be carefull and wise Greate is the authoritie of Gods ministers suerly and heuy is their hand often vpon sinners alwayes to edifie and neuer to deâ—troie VVhat a straunge force had Peters wordes that droue â—owne to death for dissimulation man and wife almost both at a lappe what a horrible dreadfull iudgement practised Paule â—n geuing vp some to Satan him selfe for sinne howe sharply â—id the primitiue Church execute iudgement vpon greuous ofâ—enders whome some times after many yeares separation from the comfortable receiuing the sacraments they woulde hardely admit at their last ende to the fellowship therof But no where could the maiesty of Gods Church appeare with more terrour then in this case when she dischargeth certaine for their punishment of all common helpe by prayers oblation and sacrifice after their departure though they otherwise dyed in the fauour of God as I take it might be of the chosen company that shall be saued And that punishment was nothing els but a keping of them in longer correction and paine for their sinne vnder Gods scourge in the next worlde for the admonishment of others in that case to beware whiles she would not vse her ordinary meanes for their release A notable example we haue thereof out of a Councell holden in Affricke the decree of which assemblie S. Cyprian him selfe with a practise in the execution thereof reporteth in the first booke of his epistles VVhere he willeth that one Victor who had made Geminus Faustinus being a priest against the ordre taken in the Councell of Aphrike the executor of his testament shoulde therefore haue no prayers of the clergie nor sacrifice after his departure saide or done for him For in that time of greate persecution such instant prayers so often sacrifice the scarsity of ministers the peoples necessity required that the priests shoulde perpetually with out all exception of worldly affayers serue the altar But you shall heare this blessed Martyrs or rather his wordes together with the Councells ordinaunce Victor cum contra formam nuper in consilio a sacerdotibus daâ—aÌ„ Geminum Faustinum presbyterum ausus sit actoreÌ„ constituere non est quò pro dormitione eius apud vos fiat oblatio aut deprecatio nomine eius in ecclesia frequentetur vt sacerdotum decretum religiose necessariò factum seruetur a nobis simul caeteris fratribus detur exemplum ne quis sacerdotes ministros dei altari eius ecclesiae vacantes ad seculares molestias deuocet In English thus Seeing Victor against the ordre taken of late in a holy Synode of priestes hath made Geminus Faustinus the cheefe doeâ— in the execution of his will and testament let it be prouided that there be no oblation there with you for his reste nor yet any prayers in his behalfe in the Church that the decree of the priestes before sayde maye be religiousely obserued and executed by vs That thereby all other our bretherne maye beware by his example howe they withdrawe suche as shoulde serue the authour to entangle them selues with worldely affaires 4 Now commeth a cumbersome case that whereas he had affirmed before in the beginning of this capter that there is no crime so greeuous that man may commit in the course of this life but the Church vseth prayers accustomably therefore in which affirmation he includeth sinne against the holy Ghost also nowe he findeth in Cyprian a place where prayers and sacrifice as he thinketh were denyed to him which had committed but a small fault in it selfe and such as Priestes doe now adayes commonly incurre namely to be an executer of mens testamentes But the matter seemeth to be farre otherwise then M. Allen doth take it Cyprian in the 6. Epistle of his first booke reporteth that there was a decree made in the assembly of the Church before his tyme that no brother departing out of this life should name any of the clergy to be his executor or ouerseer of his will. Ac si quis hoc fecisset non offerretur pro eo nec sacrificium pro dormitione eius celebraretur Neque enim ad altare Dei meretur nominari in sacerdotum prece qui ab altari sacerdotes ministros suos Leuitas auocare voluit ideò c. And if any had done so there should be no offering for him nor sacrifice for his falling a sleepe so they called departing out of this life should be celebrated For he is not worthy to be named at the aultar of God in the prayer of the Priestes which would call away his Priestes ministers the Leuites from the
tell how the Sainctes departed shoulde know our necessities or heare our prayers cap. 15. Proindè fatēdum est nescire quidē mortuos quid agatur sed dum hic agitur postea vero audire ab eis qui hinc ad eos moriendo pergant Wherefore it must be confessed that the deade truely knowe not what is done here while it is a doing but afterwarde doe here it of them which by death doe passe from hence vnto them Wherefore if we will haue any thing vnto them we must tary vntill some deade may cary our passage and it must be such a one also as knoweth our case or else we are neuer the neere Possun◠ab angelis qui rebus quae aguntur hîc praesto sunt audire aliquid mortui It may be also that the deade here some what of those Angels which are present at such thinges as are done here cap. 16. Quanquam ista quaestio vires intelligentiae meae vincat quemadmodum opitulantur martyres ijs quos per eos certum est opitulari Although this question passeth the strength of mine vnderstanding howe the martyrs helpe them whome it is certaine to be helped of them These places and the whole discourse of that booke doth proue that although Augustine were willing to meinteine the superstition that was not throughly confirmed in his time about burialls and inuocation of Sainctes yet he hath nothing of certainety out of the worde of God either to perswade his owne conscience or to satisfie them that moued the doubtes vnto him 4 But leauing the thinges not principally intended as sufficiently by vse of the Church approued let vs turne to the practise of the oblation and prayers in the dirigies of the auncient that seeing them both praye and say Masse for their dearest freindes soules thou may be bolde to vse the same for thine That doe I call Masse which they call sacrifice Because S. Hyerom vseth it in the same sense in these wordes Sunt qui de leuioribus peccatis cum quibus obligati defuncti sunt post mortē possunt absolui vel poenis videlicet castigati vel suorum praecibus eleemosinis missarumque celebrationibus c. There be some which after their death may haue absolution of their lighter offensies in the debt whereof they passed out of this life either after iust punishment for the same suffered or else through the prayers and almes of their freindes with the celebration of Masses So sayth S. Hyerom or else as some thinke the reuerent Beda either of their graue iudgement weyeth more with me then any one mans alieue VVell therefore Masse oblation or sacrifice call it as you will all is one for our purpose and like hated of heretikes howe so euer it be named it was practised with praiers for the rest of the departed through out the Christian worlde S. Ambrose exhorteth other men to doe it for their freindes he did it for his owne VVriting therefore a letter of comforte to one Faustinus that ouer much bewailed the death of his sister thus with comforte he geueth counsell Non tam deplorādam quà m prosequendam orationibus reor nec maestificādam lachrymis tuis sed magis oblationibus animam eius Domino commendandam arbitor I suppose thy sisters case should not so much be lamented as she by thy prayers ought to be relieued Thou must not sadden her soule by teares but by oblations commende her to our Lorde How many byshoppes now in England of the new gise woulde follow this kinde of consolation by letters Howe many woulde exhorte their freindes to got Masse saide or prayers for their louers reste So many as be like good Ambrose surely woulde so doe that is neuer a one make their accompt as neere as they can But will you see how he practised vpon his owne prince the Emperour Theodosius Da requiem perfecto seruo tuo Theodosio requiem quam praeparasti sanctis tuis Illò conuertatur anima eius vnde descendit dilexi ideo prosequar cum vsque ad regionem viuorum nec deseram donec fletu praecibus inducam virum quò sua merita vocant in montem Domini sanctum Giue rest good Lorde vnto thy good seruaunt Theodosius euen that rest which thou hast prepared for the holy Sainctes Let his soule ascende from whense it came I loued him and therefore I will prosecute him vnto the lande of the liuing I will neuer leaue him till with teares prayers I bring that man according to his deseruinge to the holy hill of god This man knew his duety towardes his prince whome he loued a lieue and forsooke not being deade So did he pray and offer for Gratianus and Valentinianus so did he vse the same for his owne deare brother the worthy Satyrus in these wordes much to be noted Now Lorde almighty to thee doe I commende the good soule of my brother Satyrus now lately departed to thee O Lorde doe I make my oblation accept I besich thee this due office of a brother and mercyfully looke vpon the sacrifice of a priest See loe this good father vsed of brotherhood prayers and because he was a priest he did sacrifice in that respecte and saide Masse for his brothers soules rest VVhome in his funerall oration he setteth forth with many singular prayses and commendations especially that he was both Christianed and buried in the vnity of the Romane Church that is to saye as him selfe expoundeth it of the Catholike faith 4 All this while we haue weighted for dirige and Masse according to your promise and now belike we shall haue it out of S. Hieronyme I trowe But who will graunt you that the commētary vpon the prouerbes out of which you alleage your testimony is Hieronyms worke The olde coppies in parchment as Amerbachius confesseth declare that Beda was the author of it Which you can not vtterly deny your selfe but all is one with you But so it is not with vs to bragge of S. Hieronyms authority and then to alleage one that is 400 yeares younger then he But either of their iudgements weyeth more with you then any one mans a liue beware what you saye doe you not esteeme the Popes iudgement more than either Bede or Ieronym but perhaps you will answere me that the Pope is no man Nec Deus es nec homo quasi neuter es inter vtrumque Thou art neyther God nor man but a neuter betwene both you know who writ this verse vnto the Pope and how it is allowed for catholike in the booke of the Popes canon law Well passing ouer Bede we will come to Ambrose who in deede alloweth prayer for the deade as it was a common errour in his time but not the sacrifice of the Masse in that sense the Papistes doe I haue shewed before howe vnproperly he vseth the name of sacrifice as in his booke de virginibus lib. 1. Virgo matris hostia est cuius
Scriptures nor in the most auncient writers that lyued with in an hundreth yeares and more after the time of christ And to the particuler practise of the later times we aunswere that it is not sufficient to controll the auncient doctrine and primer practise If we be required to shew some place of any auncient writer which denyeth purgatory or prayers for the deade we haue already shewed that Augustine some time doth doubt whether there be purgatory some time affirmeth there is no meane or thirde place but heauen for the elect and hell for the reprobate likewise for praying or satisfying for the deade we haue alleaged Cyprian and others your owne common law out of Hieronym sayth that the prayers of the liuing profit not the deade 13. quaest 2. In praesenti saeculo c. In this present worlde we knowe that one of vs may be helped of an other either by prayers or by counsells but when we shoulde come before the iudgement seate of Christ neither Iob nor Daniel nor Noe can intreate for any man but euery man must beare his owne burthen Yea Gelasius the Pope sayth that no man can be absolued of the Pope after his death 24. q. 2. C. legatur Wherefore serue the Popes pardons then To that which is required of the expresse word of God forbidding prayers for the deade we aunswere that all places of scripture that forbidde prayers without fayth forbidde prayer for the deade for faith is not euery mans vaine perswasion but an assurance out of the worde of God which because we can not haue in praying for the dead therefore we are forbidden to praye for them If it be against the hope of Christians to morne for the deade much more it is against the fayth and hope of Christians to praye for them For by our prayer we suppose them to be in misery whome the worde of God doth testifie to be in happines to be at rest to be with Christ Iohn 17. Apoc. 14. And as for a place so expounded by an auncient writer I will seeke no farther then the place of Hieronym euen now alleaged out of your owne canon lawe vppon 2. Cor. 5. referring the reader to many other places alleaged in this aunswere as out of Cyprian Origene and others by which the intollerable lying bragging and rayling of this miscreant shal be better confuted then by any contradiction of wordes And where as he sayeth we chalenge the olde doctors before the simple for our partakers whether they be simple or wise before whom we speake as we speake not alwayes before the simple onely but often times and commonly before as wise and well learned men as M. Allen we neuer make any such challenge of them as the Papistes doe which offer to stand to their iudgement in all thinges and yet in most thinges yea in the cheefest pointes of religion that be so in deede or be so compted of them they are contrary to the doctors and olde councells for which cause and not for confirmation of trueth we alleage the authoritie of men for we haue learned as Augustine sayth to geue this honor only to the canonicall scriptures that we must beleue them with out controuersie and all other writings we receiue so farre as they agree with the scriptures and not other wise wherefore we doe not onely saye that the doctors haue erred like men but we haue proued it so that the Papistes them selues can not saye naye for shame But to that he sayth we doe boldely condemne the holy Scriptures that it out of all measure impudent and sclaunderous And that which he citeth out of Irenaeus belike as he had it of some foolish priest that fedde him with notes of doctors or as he is impudent enough to peruerte the fathers meaning him selfe so if he had alleged the whole sentence he might well haue taken him selfe and the rest of his fellowes by the noses for heretikes by the iudgemeÌ„t of Irenaeus whose wordes be these Cum enim ex scripturis arguantur in accusationem conuertuntur ipsarum scripturarum quasi non rectè habâ—ant neque sit ex authoritate quia variè sunt dictae quia non possit inueniri veritas ab his qui nesciant traditionem non enim per literas traditam illam sed per viuam vocem When they be confuted by the scriptures they are turned into the accusation of the scriptures them selues as though they were not well nor of sufficient authority both because the trueth can not be founde of them which knowe not the tradition for that was not deliuered by writing but by worde of mouth How saye you M Allen who is an heretike by Irenaeus iudgement who accuseth the scriptures as though they were not of sufficient authority who sayth the scriptures are like a nose of waxe who saye the trueth can not be founde in scriptures without tradition of vnwritten verities In good sooth M. Allen you haue the worst grace of any that euer I knew in alleaging the sentences of the doctors for you alleage fewe or none but either in whole or in parte they make against you 9 But if you thinke that I feane of them you shall see what shamefull shiftes the maisters and captaines of the contrary assertion haue deuised for the defense of them selues I dare say if the studious be but any whit indiffereÌ„t he will leaue their sâ—hoole for euer The chiefe Captaine of all these contentious heades like an vnshamefast childe affiâ—meth that the doctors praysed and followed the common errors of the ignorant people in almes and prayers for the departed Brentius aunswereth that Tertullian making mention of yearly oblations for the deceased tooke his error of the hethen vsage of the gentility And Augustine he saith affirmed purgatory prayers and almes for them for the affiance that he had in mens merites towardes the remission of sinnes Melancthon as though he were no man that might orre him selfe sayth the doctors were men and discented amongest them selues As for the vsage of any celebration in the worlde what roume can it haue with these champians when Câ—luin confesseth in plaine termes that the celebration of the Sacrament hath bene contaminated euen in a maner sith the Apostles time and first planting of our religion and to reduce it to the puritie againe the man frames a newe one of his owne so farre from superstition that it hath no steppe of religion or true worship of god But well the worde of God is yet safe with them there a man may holde them No surely they are as â—alsie with the very scripture it selfe when so euer it maketh against them Brentius before named is not ashamed to saye that he pardoneth the author of the Machabeis of his error and ignorance And that thou may see the perfect image of a prowde heretike Caluin sayth thus as for the booke of the Machabeis I will not vouâ—hsalfe to make aunswere to it Mercifull God what faithfull
arme our selues against the like aduersaires of trueth with his minde in such other points of weight as in his dayes were not doubted of which yet might fall in question by the contentious wittes of many that can not quiet them selues in the holsome doctrine of Christes Church Amongest other things what this holy mans minde was concerning the vtility vsage of prayers and sacrifice for the deade and who were the institutors thereof thou shall now heare I will recite but a parte of his heauenly talke though the whole make wholy for our purpose Although sayth this holy doctour he that Christianly is hense in faith departed be hanged in the ayer and his body vnburied yet after thy prayers made to God sticke not to light lampe and taper at his sepulchre for these thinges be not onely acceptable to God but are rewarded For the oyle and waxe be to him as an holocaust or a sacrifice to be consumed by fire but that vnbloudy hoste is a propitiation and remission to the partie It may seeme by his wordes that when by occasion of punishment or otherwise any person was vnburied yet there was made some hearse or monumēt where his freinds lighted tapers as they doe at this daye and procured the holy Masse which Athanasius calleth the Vnbloudy hoste or sacrifice to be celebrated in his behalfe for so I take that when he sayth that a man being hong in the ayer may haue tapers and Masse at his sepulchre though some seeke an other meaninge which may well stande too and it skilleth not for our purpose for so much is plaine that in Athanasius his dayes the sacrifice was called and counted propitiatory euen for the deade But nowe a litle afterwarde in the same oration he instruteth vs for the first authors and institutors of this vsage in the vnbloudy sacrifice and in the burialls of Christian men All these holy thinges sayth he the Apostles of Christ those heauenly preachers and scholars of our Lorde the first orderers of our sacrifice charged to be obserued in the memories and anniuersaires of the departed c. he calleth the Apostles Curatores Sacrificiorum as you woulde saye men appointed to take ordre for all thinges perteyning to the solemne ministerie of the greate and high misterie As in the Psalme the spirituall gouernours are named Ordinatores testamenti Dei super sacrificia The prouisours of Gods testament touching the sacrifices The residue of his holy wordes thou may finde in Damascens oration of the departed where he recyteth both the Gregories of the Greeke church S. Denyse and S. Chrysostom too which writers doe rather serue my turne nowe then the Latines because they may put vs out of doubt for the vsage of the Greeke and other Churches which afterwarde by schisme fell together from the true worshippe of God into diuers errors That we may knowe those same countries vnder the gouernment of these excellent blessed men to haue obserued the same things which to their owne eternall miserie and decaye of their Church and countries they afterwarde contemned For their dissension and diuision both in this point others of no lesse importaunce hath procured Gods vengeaunce so much that nowe they haue almost no Church at all as we may haue right good cause to feare what will become of vs that followe their steppes in such pointes as in them haue duely deserued Gods greuous plaques 4 When you name Athanasius and thinke we shoulde be so sore afrayd of his name you haue good reason for you allege nothing else of him but his name I haue often tolde you Damascens report eyther for his corrupt iudgement or his cracked credit is nothing regarded of vs And euen the authoritie of Athanasius without the worde of God is the authoritie of god And as Augustine sayth of Cyprian we count not all his writing for canonicall Scriptures but we iudge them by the canonicall Scriptures The creede commonly called Athanasius creede although it be very godly and agreeable to the holy Scriptures yet by the iudgement of the best learned was complyed by some later writer then Athanasius As for the plague of the Greeke Church which M. Allen iudgeth to haue fallen vpon them for their departing from the Church of Rome he iudgeth both falsely and vnreasonably For what schisme was the Church of Africa first plaged by the Vandales that were Arians and afterward vtterly subuerted by the Saracens I doubt not but iustly for their sinnes but not for leauing the Romish Church 5 Amongest other for that Chrysostoms authority is exceding graue I will let you see his opinion for the institution of these beneficiall relieuinges of the departeds paine These be his wordes Let vs sieke out all meanes whereby we may best helpe our brethern departed let vs for their sakes bestowe the most present remedie that is to saye almes and oblation for thereby to them ensueth great commoditie gaine and profit for it was not rashly nor without greate cause prouided and to Gods Church by his disciples full of wisedome deliuered and decried that in the dreadfull misteries there shoulde be especiall prayers made by the priest for all those that sleepe in faith For it is a singular benefit to them These were Chrysostoms wordes whereby not onely the trueth of the cause and first authors of the practise be opened but that there is wounderfull benefite to the parties for whome prayers be so made in the holy sacrifice The which thing our forefathers well knewe when they were so earnest after their departure to haue a memory at the holy altar Now adayes heresie hath cankered euen the very deuotion of Catholikes who although they thinke it to be true that Gods Church teacheth herein yet the zele of procuring these meanes is nothing so great as the importaunce of the cause requireth But if they note well those carefull admonitions of all these blessed fathers they shall perceiue that euery time that Christes holy bloude is represented vnto God in the Masse for the departed they feele a present benefite and release of their paines they doe reioyse sayth holy Athanasius when the vnbloudy hoste is offered for them The old fathers to put a difference betwixt the sacrificing of Christes owne body vpon the crosse and the same vpon the altar in the Church doe lightly terme this way of offering the vnbloudy sacrifice and the thinge offered which is Christes owne blessed body they call likewise the host vnbloudy And Chrysostome neuer putting any doubt of the first authors of offering for the deade proueth that it is exceding beneficiall to the deceased because the Apostles full of Gods spirite and wisedome woulde else neuer with such care haue commaunded this holy action to be done for them A lasse a lasse fo◠our deare freindes departed that they must lacke this comforte But wo euerlasting to them that are the cause of so much miserie 5 Chrysostome can no more proue that
prayer for the dead came from the Apostles then Tertullian could proue that oblation for the deade came from them To detest fasting on Sunday and to pray kneeling with diuerse like superstitions Tertullian referreth to the Apostles as well as prayer for the deade deny one and doubt of all the rest And whereas M. Allen vpon contemplation of Chrysostome wordes falleth into a hidden agony cryeth alasse alasse if he would consider what the same man writeth vpon the Epistle to the Philip. Hom. 3. he would not make so great mone the losse is not so great Procuremus eis aliquid auxilij modici quideÌ„ attamen iuuemus eos Let vs procure them some helpe in deede but small helpe yet let vs helpe them Loe M. Allen your owne doctor confesseth it is but smal help that can be procured by prayers almes or remembraunce of them at the celebration of the holy misteries You will say that soone after he sayth the Apostles that instituted such memory knewe that much commodity came to the deade Then see how soone he forgetteth him selfe when he followeth not the rule of holy Scripture Againe howe like you M. Allen that he alloweth not prayers nor the said memory to helpe them that were Catechumeni which were learning their catechisme and dyed before they were baptised S. Ambrose you say cap. 9. of this booke did pray and offer for Gratianus which was but Catechumenus and dyed before he was baptised Againe how agreeth this with your catholike doctrine which you boast is so well ordered to your handes that Chrysostome denyeth them prayers and alloweth them almes for their helpe Catechumenos verò neque isto solatio dignamur sed omni huiusmodi destituti sunt auxilio vno quodam dempto quo nam illo pauperibus illorum nomine dare licet vnde illis non nihil refrigerij accedet As for them that be Catechumeni we count them not worthy of so much as this comfort but they be destitute of all such aide except one What one is that we may giue some thinge for their sake to the poore whereof some refreshing shall come vnto them 6 But heare I pray you what notable wordes S. Damascen hath for the vtilitie and institution of these thinges The holy Apostles and disciples sayth he of our Sauiour Christ haue decried that in the dread soueraigne vndefiled and liuely Sacraments â—o he calleth the Masse there shoulde be kept a memoriall of those that haue taken their sleepe in faith the which ordinaunce vntill this day without gainsaying or controwling the Apostolike and Catholicke Church of God from one cost of the wide world to an other hath obserued and shall religiously keepe till the world haue an ende For doubtlesse these thinges that the Christian religion which is without error free from falshood hath so many ages and worldes continued vnuiolably not without vrgent cause those thinges I say are not vaine but profitable to man acceptable to God and very necessarye for our saluation Thus farre spake the doctor setting forth not onely his owne minde but the faith of a numbre of the peeres of Gods Church wherein to proue this doctrine to be catholike he fitly followeth the same way which Vincentius Lyrinensis gaue vs once for a rule to trye trueth by Prouing that it hath antiquitie as a thinge that came and hath continued euen from the beginning of the Christian religion declaring that it hath the consent of all nations because it is and hath bene practised through out all the costes and corners of the wyde worlde and last that it hath the approbation of the wisest and holyestmen that euer were in the Church of christ And more then all this that it shall so continue till the ende though it be for a time in some peculiar nations omitted because it is receiued into a parte of that worship of God which in the Church can not perishe 6 As for Damascene I know not wherefore his authoritie serueth but to fill vppe the number for neither is his credit nor his antiquitie comparable with the former we refuse not the rule of Vincentius Lyrinensis concerning antiquity so you can proue that it hath God to be the author the Prophets and Apostles As for witnesse vnder this antiquitie that which had an erroneous beginning shall haue a shamefull ending 7 And this prescription of trueth our aduersaires can not auoyde but with such vnseemely dealing as I trust they them selues now be ashamed of as all other reasonable men are For now let them come with brasen facies and blasphemous tounges and say that prayers for the deade be vnprofitable that the rites of the buriall be superstitious that to say the Masse and sacrifice to be propitiatory for the soules departed is iniurious to Christes death that the doctors praised the errours of the ignorant people of their dayes that they all erred and were deceiued that the Church of Christ hath bene ledde in darke ignorance till these our dayes let them bestowe these vaine presumptious wordes where they maye take place for nowe all wise men doe perceiue that all these haue their holy institution by Christ and his Apostles practised vniuersally in the primitiue Church embrased of all godly people and approued to be wholy consonant to Gods worde by the pillors of Christes Church who so consonantly agree together in this point as well for the practise and proofe as for the beginning therof that to dissent from them and trust in these reedes of our dayes were meere madnesse that are pufte to and fro with euery blast of doctrine that care not what they say so that they say not as other their forefathers sayed that had rather then they woulde geue ouer a singular opinion of their owne imagination refuse and denie the authoritie of so many notable wise auncient godly and well learned fathers whome we haue named Although we haue left out many of no worse iudgement plainely auouching these thinges to come into Christes Church and worship by the ordinaunce of his holy Apostles All which thinges if our aduersaries haue reade then they are in a most miserable and heuy taking that doe withstand an open knowen trueth and as I feare against their owne consciences too Or if they haue not reade these plaine assertions of all learned men sith Christes time then they are most impudent that so vainely bragge in a matter whereof they are not skillfull But I trust God will open their eyes and breake their prowde hartes to the obedience of his holy Church 7 Nay M. Allen your prescription is not yet proued that this geare came from Christ and the Apostles The oldest witnesse that you haue alledged fathered manifest fables vpon the institution of Christ the Apostles as you your selfe can not deny if you haue any conscience at all and therefore not sufficient to be credited for that you allege him Wherefore you may bestow where you list these swelling bragges
may by the example of Christ aunswere one question with an other why was it first reueiled to the Arians in councell holden against Christ that the article of his descent into hell was meete to be added to the creede and confession of faith which was not reueiled to so many godly meÌ„ as set forth the Symbole nor to the holy Nicene Councell Aunswere me if you can or any Robin good fellowe of your sect â–ª learned or vnlearned is it any preiudice to the trueth of that article or to the right that it hath to be placed in the creede that it was first added by the Arrians why was the trueth reueiled to heretikes concerning rebaptisation rather then to Cyprian and so many catholicke byshoppes why was it reueiled to the Pelagians that infantes might be saued without the participation of the sacrament of Christes body and bloude rather then vnto S. Augustine Innocentius byshoppe of Rome and as Augustine sayeth all the catholicke fathers of that time which thought it was as necessary for them to receiue the communion as to be baptised If heretikes shoulde not affirme somethinge that were true they shoulde neuer deceiue any man And sometime Satan affirmeth the trueth not because he will haue it beleeued but rather that proceding out of his lying mouth it might the sooner be discredited And therefore sometymes Arrians Pelagians Anabaptistes and such like by the subtilty of Satan haue affirmed somethinge that is true either to winne credit to their manifolde lyes or else to drowen the credit of that trueth among so many errors 7 Nay I will pose you further is not your preaching the very ready waye to all such extreeme blasphemies as they boldely mainteine did euer man fall from the Catholicke Church to those further heresies then you yet openly professe but he tooke yours by the waye as a plaine passage to extreme infidelitie yea your opinions doe so well stande with the other that they neede not afterwarde to refuse any one pointe of all your doctrine to mainteine their owne There is no article of Catholicke doctrine but it is as much hated of them as of your selues Helpe your selues here my maisters or else all the worlde will take you to be in your heartes of the same sectes wherevnto your faith is alwayes so dearely ioyned Put your heades together and tell vs whie your doctrine is so deare to the AriaÌ„s all wicked men so hated of the holy fathers of Christes Church If you frame not your aunswere well you liese your credites your scholars and your honesties VVell thus haue I pointed out your author his name was Aërius you must be called Aërians you maye kepe the name of Protestaunts or Euangelistes beside For a holy newe calling is lightly ioyned to such men VVhereby though some simple be deceyued yet wâ—se men be warned Or if the olde authors of this secte be not so glorious as these new reuiuers if they list and like so they may call them selues Lutherans or Caluinistes or what they will but Catholickes Although Martyn Luther graunted purgatory and prayers with this error that such as were there might yet by their diuers deseruinges winne or loose life euerlasting as men of doubtefull state as they were before in the worlde plaine against our Sauiours admonition and carefull warning veniet nox quando iam nullus operari potest VVorke whiele the day lasteth for the night shall come wheÌ„ no man can labour But I neede not to stande vpon this point which of neither parte is much regarded Neither will I spende any more time in getting them an author of their secte seeing they haue choise of diuers Let them goe out of the Citye of God from amongest the holy company and turne on the lifte hande and looke amongest the outcastes of all agies and they shall haue freindes and fellowes enowe 7 That you saye of our preaching to be the waye to so many heresies might haue bene sayed of the Gentiles and Iewes to the whole Church of Christians The Gentiles continued constant so did the Iewes without schisme in their errors when the professors of Christianity were rent and torne into an hundreth sectes and heresies There were no heretikes but they hated Iewes and Gentiles as much as the true Christians was therefore the religion of the Iewes and Gentiles better then the religion of the Christians Yea there neuer was since Christ any heresie or heretike but they agreed in many more thinges with the Christians then with the Gentiles and Iewes was therefore the Christian religion false or the Paganes and Iewes superstition true It is therefore no dâ—sâ—redit of our doctrine that Arrians or Anabaptistes of our time either haue any thing of yours or prayse any thing of ours Neither our credit schollers nor honestie are in daunger for their errors which they learned not of vs neither are your wit learning or heresie the greater for vttering this foolish conceipte which no more toucheth vs or defendeth you then it carpeth the religion of Christ and mainteineth the Idolatrie of the heathen The worlde seeth what vaine reasons you leane vnto being destitute of the worde of god An heretike helde this opinion therefore it is false The deuill beleueth there is one God therefore shall not Christian men beleue so why woulde God reueile any trueth to heretikes why did the Pharizees which otherwise were heretikes defende the resurrection of the deade This vaine frothe of wordes and smoke of foolish and vnlearned questions will euen fall downe and vanish awaye of it selfe though it be not blowen away by vs The latter end of this chapter hath one croppe of his olde custome to charge Luther with defending of Purgatory which either was while he remained in ignorance or else it is but a fained fable as many other of him and others are deuised by the Papists who as they erre from the trueth of God so they delight in sclaundering of good men but they shall not preuaile their madnes is made knowen to all men That their falsehood is condemned and the Catholicke trueth approued by the authority of holy Councells Their pride in contemning and the Catholickes humilitie in obedient receyuing the same And a sleight vvhereby the heretikes deceiue the people is detected CAP. XV. 1 ANd for our parte it is sufficient good reader that we knowe the first founder thereof and that we be nowe right well assured that he in his time and his scholars in theirs haue bene noted called and condemned for heretikes in this as in other fonde peruerse opinions beside not onely by the singular iudgements of diuers learned men but by the common sense and consent of the worlde and by auncient Councells both generall and particular as we maye reade in the Councells of Carthage the iiij of Bracharense and Vase the Decrees of which by occasion we rehearsed once before They are both auncient and of greate authority and honored with the presence of
not nowe that they renounce all that helpe of Councells Doctors which with vauntes they clamed before whiles they impudently make a diuision or contrarietie betwixt them and the holy scripture And we take it at their hand as an open acknowledging of their lacke there where they pretended greatest store The which thinge if they likewise would confesse openly in pulpit and in plaine words as they meane nothing lesse when they shew the people that they were but men that they might erre that they followed the custome of the common people in their time that they are not to be receiued but where they agree with scripture that them selues must try whether they be consonant to the word of God or no if they would I say without such cloked wordes bouldly pronounce as Luther their maister did that they cared not for a hundreth Augustines or Hieroms that they esteemed not the consent of all nations that they would be tryed by the iudgement of no coūcell that they would purposely runne contrary to the Councells decree in all causes that they would take that for thonely truth which is conteined in the holy Scriptures and that for Scripture which them selues thought good and last of all that for the true meaning which agreed best to the vpholding of error and heresie then would the people leaue these lewde masters on the plaine field which now they keepe with them one while by the praises of the doctors and antiquitie and somewhiles by thabasing of them againe and deceitfull referring all to the onely Scriptures to which they say credit may safely be giuen where the doctors without daunger can not be further followed then as they be not found to disagree with Gods word So that the cause seemeth now to be driuen to this ishue in the eyes of thignorant whether men should rather beleue the Scipture or the doctors the word of God that can not be false or the fathers that were but men and therfore might erre deceiue and be deceiued 3 But that you loue to spende many wordes about a thinge of naught you might haue spoken as much in three wordes as you haue done in three leaues But that I maye breefely cut of your lauesh lippe labor whereas you vse in deede as greate impudencie as you charge vs withall in wordes first you would make our chalenge contrary to it self as though one while we boast of the doctors and then being driuen from them we flie to the Scriptures They that dayly heare our preaching with any diligence peruse our writing can beare vs witnes that you doe falsely shamefully belie vs For we stand for authoritie onely to the iudgement of the holy Scriptures and whatsoeuer we say of fathers councells or the most auncient primitiue Church it is either for testimony of our truth or for conuiction of your lying For it is you M. Allen the Papists that boast of all antiquitie all fathers all doctors all councells all Churches to be all togither on your side among whom as we will not deny but you haue some Patrones of some of your errors so will we affirme that you haue more enemies in the greatest of your heresies And therefore this ishue is rightly ioyned and without any Ieofayle vpon this point that the Scripture is to be credited rather then the doctors the word of God rather then the writings of men 4 But this is not the state of our controuersie nor of any question betwixt the Catholikes and them And that they knowe full well though they craftely cloke it with chaunge of wordes for we acknowledge most gladly that if any Doctor Prophet Apostle or Angell if it were possible preach vnto vs any thing against the word and truth of Gods Scripture that he is accursed of God and to be reiected of men But here is the stand and the point of all our doubtes in generall note it well Maister Protestaunt whether the auncient fathers some of them being in Christes time diuers of them scholars to his Apostles many within one hundreth or two of yeares afterward most of them more thē a thousand yeares since I speake of such as we haue named in our cause all wonderfully learned as well in the knowledge of the secretes of Gods mysteries as the tongues all mercifully endued with great giftes and graces all exceeding studious in the Scriptures all hauing the same testament and written worde of God that we now haue all vsing meruelous diligence in the conference of diuers places for the true meaning and vnderstanding of the same all hauing feruent zeale in teaching the Christian people all at times appoynted resorting togither from diuers partes of the world to some one general search in which by humble conference togither and prayer they doubted not to obteyne the spirite of truth as it was by our Maister promised the question is now then I say whether those holy men thus holpen by nature diligence time and grace be not more like to vnderstand the Scripture then these men which either lacke all these helpes or most of them Secondly it followeth thereupon whether we should rather giue credit to them affirming purgatory and prayers for the deade to be not onely consonant but plainely proued by the Scriptures or else to our new aduersaries auouching these thinges to be against the Scripture VVhereby you see we must not nowe reason whether we ought to beleue the doctors or the Scriptures better but whether for the true sense we must not beleue the olde fathers better then these newe fooles 4 In wordes you graunt our ishue because you knowe that all the cuntry of christians would otherwise go against you but in deede you deny it For the ishue which you would ioyne vpon is both captious and doubtfull Captious because it disioyneth those thinges which are not to be separated namely the Scripture and the true meaning thereof Doubtfull because it standeth vpon a likelyhoode and not vpon a certeinty For thus you ioyne whether the olde doctors be more like to vnderstand the Scriptures then the Protestants I haue aunswered before we wil make no comparison with them Neither will we challenge the likelyhood to vs neither will we leaue it to them for whether so euer we doe we shall be neuer the more certeine of the truth But this will we set downe as a most certeine principle that no man can vnderstand the Scriptures but by the same spirite by which they were written What then shall we arrogate the spirite as proper to vs and deny it to them God forbid They had their measure of Gods spirite we humbly thanke his maiestie so haue we How then is the spirite of God contrary to it selfe because they and we agree not in all thinges God forbid Cyprian and Cornelius were both endued with Gods spirite and both Martyres yet they agreed not both in one interpretation nor iudgement of the scripture what then there remaineth but this second