faith must bee iustified to be true sound and liuely by the fruits thereof For whensoeuer God forgiueth sinne he giueth grace also to resist and mortifie sinne See Hookers Discourse of Iustification §. 21. At the first instant when we are conuerted and iustified we receiue the spirit of Adoption we are made members of Christ and our bodies temples of the Holy Ghost euen then we receiue habituall righteousnesse wherewith our soules are inwardly indued and if wee liue that habituall will bring forth actuall righteousnesse vpon all occasions mortifying sinne and beatifying all the parts and actions of our life All these are giuen together in the root we receiue them all at once 1 Cor. 6.11 Gal. 6.15 col 3.10 eph 4.4.23 2 Cor. 4.16 psal 51.10 hebr 9.14 1 pet 2.9 See Pâ—rkins Refor Cath point 21 The manifold vses of good workes they are inseparable and will shew their comforts inwardly in our hearts and their fruits outwardly in our liues which if a man doe not find in himselfe he can haue no hope of saluation 1 Cor. 6.9 10. 1 Iohn 3.8 1.6 Ezek. 18 13 21 22. Therefore we vrge mortification of sinne denying our lusts and affections and a holy resolution to serue God in all soundnesse purenesse integrity and sincerity of heart and a true care to keepe all Gods Commandements not in act onely but in heart too without swaruing at all vnder any colour dispensation interpretation or whatsoeuer We thinke your extenuating of some sinnes calling them veniall and extolling mens satisfactions more then themselues need that they may be applyed by indulgences to them that need and the slight pennances imposed by your Priests and reciting a few prayers that haue pardons annexed to them or pilgrimes to some Saints Images or Reliques be they true or false and many other your humane deuices are the very stranglers of true penance mortification of sinne and care of good life 16 We exhort vnto and vrge such good workes as God hath prescribed commanded and promised rewards vnto both of holinesse towards God subiection to our Magistrates iustice to men sobriety and cleannesse in our selues and workes of mercy to them that need c. You doe not you cannot mislike this but whereas you adde other workes out of your owne braines which God neuer commanded nay which crosse Gods Commandements * A man may forsake parents to become a Christian Mat. 10.37 ergo to become a Monk So Bellarmine râ—asoneth lib. 2 de monachis cap. 36. contrary to the Councell of Gangren cap. 16. that children may forsake their duty to Parents for vowes of deuised Religion subiects may rebell against their Princes yea depose and murder them at the Popes appointment and doe many such things those wee cannot but detest and abhorre 17 We beleeue that howsoeuer man hath power in naturall morall ciuill Artic. 10. 1562. M Perkins Reformed Cath. point 1. and Augusâ—in confess art 18. Bâ—llar teacheth the same De â—ra lib. aâ—â— lib. 4 cap. 4 seq lib. 5. cap. 14. seq lib. 6. cap. 1. c. and also outward Ecclesiasticall actions to doe them or not to doe them except God restraine him yet he hath no freewill power or ability to conuert himselfe truely to godlinesse to beleeue or to performe or will any meere spirituall inward or holy actions pleasing God vntill God first by his grace moue his heart to will and giue him ability to performe them Phil. 2.13 Your best learned men beleeue and teach so also But you haue many other idle questions needlesse yet hurtfull to the Church which your Cassander wisheth were abolished Cassander consult in articulo 18. Of this point of Freewill see a fuller discourse afterwards lib. 3. Of Freewill Hebr. 13.6 psal 19.11 pro 11.18 hebr 6.10 mat 10.41 42. Bellarmine confesseth this to be our doctrine lib. 5. de iustif cap. 1. So Bellarmine de Iustif lib. 5. cap. 17. § Iam. vero and Rhemists vpon 2 tim 4.8 and vpon hebr 6.10 18 We beleeue that the good works of a iustified person are acceptable to the Lord please him are rewarded of him and procure many excellent blessings from him This you beleeue also but whereas you adde that that they doe properly and condignly merit eternall life as an equall recompence and reward you teach contrary to the Scriptures and to the ancient Fathers and to many of your owne men Of this point also see hereafter lib. 3. Of Merit 19 We beleeue that our Lord hath instituted two Sacraments in his Church as seales of his Couenant with his people and Conduits of Iustifying grace to wit Baptisme and his holy Supper You beleeue the same but you adde fiue other Matrimony Penance Ordination We find two mentioned by the Fathers as properly called Sacraments Aug. epist 118. lib. 3 de doctrina Christiana cap. 8. Ambros lib. de Sacraâ—entis Iustin Martyr Apolog 2. Tertul lib. 4. contra Marc. cap. 34. Cyril Cateches See Kemnit examen part 2. desacram But of things called Sacraments vnproperly they speake of more then seuen But this is a nouelty not knowen or not obserued in the Church of more then a thousand yeares and not imposed in the Church of Rome to be necessarily beleeued but very lately See more of this in B. Mortons appeal lib. 2. cap. 26. sect 4 5. Confirmation and Extreme Vnction Of which also we acknowledge the Institution and vse onely we deny them the name and the nature of Sacraments Artic. 25. 1562. art 27 28. Perk. resorm Cath. point 19. 20 We beleeue that God hath so annexed grace vnto the Sacraments that all well prepared receiuers doe participate the Iustifying and sanctify ng grace as well as the outward Elements You beleeue so too but you adde that Sacraments haue this grace Ex opere operato A tic 29. 1562. â—1 We beleeue that in our Lorâ—s supper the worthy Communicant really partaketh Christs Body and Blood You beleeue the same we onely differ in the manner how we say spiritually with his soule you say with his mouth and stomacke the substance of the Bread and Wine being you say transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ So that you also beleeue that impious Men and Atheists yea Cats Dogs and Mice eating the bread doe eat the very body of Christ Our manner is enough for saluation and agreeable to antiquity yours is a nouelty and crosseth the analogy of faith Of this point see a large discourse hereafter lib. 3. cap. Of the Eucharist 22 We beleeue there are two places prepared for soules departed out of this life Heauen for the blessed Perkins Reformed Catholicke point 17. of Purgatory Hell for the damned You beleeue so likewise but you adde other places more Purgatory Limbus patrum and Limbus pucrorum Of this point see more hereafter lib. 3. cap. Of Purgatory c. 23 We beleeue that Iesus Christ hath satisfied for our sinnes
the Eunuch who embraced the Old Testament Acts 8 28-35-37 c. And by Saint Peter to Cornelius and his company who had before receiued the Religion of the Iewes Acts. 10.2 22 35 43. And by Saint Paul Acts 13.14 16 -32 -38 39. c. The Apostles receiuing the Conuerts to Baptisme vpon adding to their former knowledge these few principles of true Faith in Christ Iesus and good life shewed that in their Iudgement they wanted no essentiall thing necessary for the making of them true members of the Church and perfect Christians or as our Catechisme calles them members of Christ Children of God and inheritors of the Kingdome of Heauen and that if God should take them out of this world in their first entrance into these principall grounds of saluation without further knowledge or practise yet vndoubtedly they should die sufficient Christans and in the state of Grace §. 6. Conformable to the Apostles practise the Christians of the Primitiue Church baptized those that were Catechized in the grounds of sauing doctrine as the essentiall points of Religion that constitute a Christian as appeareth by Irenaeus and Tertullian See Irenaeus and Tertullian cited before chap. 1. sect 2. sub 1. §. 2. whom I alleadged before and by the Creeds which were ordayned as Badges of Christians and differences of true beleeuers froÌ„ either vnbeleeuers or hereticks The Westerne Churches vsed in their Baptisme that short form of confession comoÌ„nlly called the Apostles Creed which in the more ancient times was breefer then now it is as our Learned Bishop Vsher hath punctually obserued B. Vsher serm at Wansted p. 28. The mention of the Fathers being Maker of Heauen and Earth the Sonnes death and descending into Hell and the Commuion of Saints being wholly omitted happily as not necessary for all men to know as Suarez saith or sufficiently implied in other articles or knowen by the light of reason and so not making difference betwixt Christians and heathen these reasons some for one point some for another But being in time made for better explication so full as it is now the whole Westerne Church hath long receiued as a badge of their Faith distinguishing the Beleeuer from the vnbeleeuer The Eastern Church vsed in Baptisme a larger Creed Vsher ib. p. 30. Euseb ep apud Socrat l. 1. hist cap. 8. al. 5. Theodoret. lib. 1. cap. 12. the same or very little different from that we call the Nicene Creed because the greatest part thereof was repeated and confirmed in the Nicene Councell to which it was presented by Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea with this Preamble As we haue receiued from the Bishops that were before vs both at our first Catechising and when we receiued Baptisme and as we haue learned from the holy scriptures and as we haue both beleeued and taught when we entred into the Ministery and in our Bishoprick it selfe so beleeuing at this present also we declare this our Faith vnto you To this the Nicene Fathers added a more cleare explication of the Deity of the Sonne against the Arrians which then troubled the Church professing him to be begotten not made and to be of one substance with the Father The second generall Councell assembled 56 yeares after at Constantinople approuing all the former added also something concerning the holy Ghost which then was oppugned by the Macedonian Heretickes The same Fathers also then added the Articles concerning the Catholicke Church and the priuiledges thereunto belonging The Roman Church after the dayes of Charles the Great added the Article of Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Sonne And the late Councell of Trent recommended it vnto vs Concil Trident. seff 3. as That principle in which all that professe the faith of Christ doe necessarily agree and the firme and onely foundation against which the gates of Hell shall neuer preuaile And by which alone our Fathers sometimes drew Infidels to the faith ouercame Heretickes and confirmed the faithfull Such are the words of the Trent Councell So that in this Creed they confesse That onely foundation and principle of faith is to be found in the vnity whereof all Christians must necessarilly agree Section 2. § 1. The rule enlarged and approued in this Age. § 2 By Azorius out of the School-diuines in 14 Articles § 3. Some obseruations and censures of those 14 Articles § 4. The rule set downe by Bellarmine more briefly § 5. By D. Field farre more sufficiently in 6 Articles with his iudgement of the deductions therefrom euident or obscure § 6. B. Vshers distinction of superstructions vpon the foundation § 7. Consequents of this doctrine §. 1. But because we see this foundation of faith hath from the Apostles times continually been enâ—â—ged by reason of errours and heresies arising in sâ—â—erall Ages let vs search a little further how the most Iudâ—cious men doâ— bound it in these our dayes §. 2. Azorius the Iesuite deliuers the vnanimous consent of all the Roman Diuines in 14 Articles Azorius Institu tionum moralium part 1. lib. 8. cap 5. § At iuxta ibid § tertio quaeritur seq whereof seuen concerne the Diuine nature and seuen concerne the humane all which are to be beleeued explicitè with distinct vnderstanding of all men Of the first seuen there is taught in the First That God is in Nature and Substance eternall infinite immense and in maiesty highest euery where not onely in power might and efficacy but also in deed and truely present who hath power of life and death is the supreme Lord of all things who can with his becke and at his pleasure doe all things which he will who knoweth seeth careth for and moderateth all things Secondly The first person in nature and diuine substance to wit The Father is the beginning of two diuine persons and therefore the begetter of the Sonne and breather of the Holy Spirit vnbegotten subsisting of himselfe and by himselfe not receiuing and hauing his essence of another Third The second person in the Diuine nature is true God begotten of the Father onely from all eternity the naturall Sonne of God consubstantiall and equall to him in all things the onely Word and expresse Image of the Father most perfectly representing and expressing him Fourth The third person in the diuine Nature the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Sonne from all eternity is true God coaeternall to them both coâ—quall and consubstantiall and to be worshâ—pped with the same faith and with equall seruice and honour Fifth God is the creator of all things who by his onely becke and word out of nothing produced all things visible and inuisible or the whole frame of the worlâ— in the beginning of time and hauing produced them preserues directs cares for and gouernes them with great goodnesse and wisdome And as he is the creator of all things from whom all things be ng made of nothing did in time proceed so he is the end of all
beleeued by as many as shall be saued y In â—ulla juramenti de prosess fidei These 12 new Articles you may see also in the Epistle Dedicatory to B. Iewels workes in euery Church In Onuphrius added to Platina in vita Pij 4. 7 We beleeue that the true God is to be worshipped in Spirit and Truth and according as himselfe hath prescribed and you yeeld that therein we doe well but you adde that he may be analogically relatiuely worshipped by Images and by other Doctrines deuised by Men which are not commanded but sharply reproued by the Scriptures Exod. 20.4 5. Deut. 4.15 16. Mat. 15.9 Mar. 7 3 4.7 Col. 2.18 22 23. God grant we may serue him as himselfe hath prescribed and then we shall be sure to be happy enough See D. Hall Roma irreconciliabilis sect 21. 8 We beleeue we ought to pray with feruency and sincerity of heart with a purpose to forsake all sinne and to serue God truely and with faith and hope to be heard you beleeue so also but you adde wee may pray in an vnknowne tongue without vnderstanding sense or feeling what we say with many repetitions and by number vpon Beads without weight and that such prayers are satâ—sfactory for sin and meritorious of grace You doe not say I hope we ough to pray in a tongue vnknowne but we may doe it So you condemne not our custome lest you condemne Saint Paul also 1 Cor 14.15 c. but onely excuse your owne 9 We beleeue we ought to pray vnto God the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost you yeeld it to be good but you adde not that we are commanded but that we may also pray vnto Angels and Saints deceased But surely the worship and inuocation of Angels is forbidden by the Councell of Laodicaea much more of Saints For they that vrged the worship of Angels alledged that for our better accesse vnto God we we must vse the intercession of Angels as Gods Courtiers and Attendants and this is your reason for your prayers vnto Saints The Councell therefore that forbiddeth the one implieth the prohibition of the other See more of this in Bishop Mortons Protestants Appeal lib. 2. cap. 12. section 1 2 3 4 5 6 c and compendiously sâ—ct 13. 10 We beleeue that our Lord â—esus Christ is our Mediator both of Redemption and intâ—rcession You grant this to be true but you adde vnto him Angels and Saints vpon whose intercession and merits you also in part relye See B. Morton ib. lib. 2. cap. 12. specially sect 10 11 12 13. Perk. â—esor Cath. points 15. 11 We beleeue that the glorified Saints beare most louing â—ffection to the Saints liuing on earth and pray in generall for the Church Militant You beleeue so to but you adde that they heare mens prayers made vnto them pray for particular men and know their wants which hearing and knowledge we say is proper to God alone But your greatest Clerkes cannot determine how the Saints know our hearts and prayers whether by hearing or seeing or presence euery where or by Gods relating or reueâ—ling mens prayers and needs vnto them All which wayes some of your Doctors hold as probable or possible and others deny and and confute them as vntrue Of this see Bishop Morton Appeal lib. 2. cap. 12. sect 5. and lib. 5. cap. 2 sect 2. Perkins reformed Catholicke point 14. 12 We honour Gods Saints deceased as the Prophets Apostles Martyrs and other holy sâ—ruants of God both by reuerend memorials of them praises to God for them and for his benâ—fits to the Church by them and by imitation of their vertues Their true Reliques vertues bookes good workâ—s and eâ—amples we respect with reuerence And their bodily Reliques we despise not but reuerently keepe them if we may without offence This you like well but whereas you further worship the Saints theâ—r Images or Reliques with kneeling Inuocation dedication of Churches and Festiuall dayes and Pilgrimages to their Shrines or Reliques you step too farre into superstition and Idolatry See B. Mortons Appeal lib. 5 cap. 2. sect 3 4 5. and cap. 3. sect Doctor Hall Roma irreconciliabilis section 20. and 21. 13 We beleeue tâ—at man is iustified by the merits and passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Antic 11. 1562. you beleeue so too but you aâ—de that he must be further iustified by his owne merits or satisfactions Of Iustification and of Merits see a large discourse afterwards 14 We beleeue also that as Christs most perfect righteousnesse is most necâ—ssary to be imputed vnto vs for our Iustâ—fication so our owne inherent righteousnesse wrought in vs by Gods Spirit for sanctification of life is necessary to saluation and that he is no good Christian that shewes not his true conuersion by the fruits of a good life You cannot mislike this And yet you charge vs that we open a gate to all licentiousnesse of life because we teach that we are not iustified by our owne good works which are farre short of perfection but by Christs righteousnesse imputed vnto vs which alone is most perfect and able to satisfie Gods Iustice and his Law We vrge good workes as much as you as absolute necessary effects of Iustifying grace but not causes thereof saying with S. Bernard They are Via regni non causa regnandi The way whereby we must walke to felicity or else we shall neuer come to it but not the meritorious cause of felicity 15 Yea we vrge good workes more then you doe We teach that in true conuersion a man must be wounded in his conscience by the sense of hâ—s sinnes his contrition must be compungent and vâ—hement brusing breaking renting the heart and feeling the throwes as a woman labouring of Child bâ—fore the new creature be brought forth or Christ truely formed in him It is not done without bitternesse of the soule without study care indignatioâ— râ—uâ—nge 2 Cor. 7 11. But as some Infants are bâ—â—ne with lâ—sse paine to the Mother and some with more so may the new man be regenerated in some with more in some with lesse anxiety of trauell But surely grace is not infused into the heart of any sinner except there be at least so great affliction of spirit for sinne foregoing that he cannot but feele it otherwise he might make a confâ—ssion without contrition Thus we vrge sinners to a true feeling and sorrow for their sinne And for scandalous faults we vrge open sinners to open acknowledgement satisfaction of the Church and to â—ndure the censures thereof and all men to practise the actions of holy deuotion the better to humble and dispose themselues to be more capable of reconciliation with God and to promise and vow amendment of life and set down with themselues the best fitting courses for it See D. Francis White Orthodoxe Faith p. 16. We teach though they must be iustified by Christs merits onely applied and made theirs by faith yet that
admitted Acts 2 after one sermon of Saint Peter wherin he had taught the principall heads of faith in Christ in one day 3000 men were baptized who whithout doubt knew nothing else but those necessary things And therefore it is added that after baptisme they perseuered in the Doctrine of the Apostles that is they learned what yet they had not heard of Christian Misteries c. B. Vsher Sermon at Wanstâ—d pag. 32. See also his booke De Christianarum eccles successu statu cap. 1. § 15. This our Bishop Vsher agreeth vnto alledging the Apostles sermons to that purpose which treated onely of the first principles of the Doctrine of Christ vpon the receiuing whereof as of sufficient doctrine to make them Christians men were baptized And this he further confirmeth by the writings of Irenaeus and Tertullian and the Creeds receiued by the Church the Apostles Creed the Creed of Athanasius The Creed of the East Church See before cap. 1. sect 2. subject 1. §. 2. recited and confirmed for the beleefe of the whole Church in the Councells of Nice and Constantinople and the late Councell of Trent Whereof I haue spoken already § 5. D. Field of the Church booke 3. chap 4. Our Doctor Field doth more fully and perfectly describe those things that so neerely touch the very life and being of Christian Faith and Religion that euery one is bound particulaâ—ly and expresly to know and beleeue them vpon paine of eternall damnation He reduceth them to sixe principall heades First concerning God whom to know is eternall life we must beleeue and acknowledge the vnity of an infinite incomprehensible and eternall essence full of righteousnesse goodnesse mercy and trueth The Trinity of persons subsisting in the same essence the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost coessentiall coeternall and coequall the Father not created nor begotten the Sonne not created but begotten the holy Ghost not created nor begotten but proceeding Secondly we must know and beleeue that God made all things of nothing that in them he might manifest his wisdome power and goodnesse that he made men and Angels capable of supernaturall blessednesse consisting in the vision and enioying of himselfe that he gaue them abilities to attaine thereunto and lawes to guide them in the wayes that lead vnto it that nothing was made euill in the beginning that all euill entred into the world by the voluntary aversion of men and Angels from God their Creator that the sinne of Angels was not generall but that some fell and other continued in their first estate that the sinne of those Angels that fell is irremissible and their fall irrevocable that these are become deuils and spirits of errour seeking the destruction of the sonnes of men that by the misperswasion of these lying spirits the first man that euer was in the world fell from God by sinnefull disobedience and apostacy that the sinne of the first man is deriued to all his posterity not by imitation onely but by propagation and descent subiecting all to curse and malediction yet not without possibility and hope of mercifull deliuerance Thirdly we must beleeue that for the working of this deliuerance the Sonne of God assumed the nature of man into the vnity of his Diuine person so that he subsisteth in the nature of God and Man without all corruption confusion or conuersion of one of them into another that in the nature of man thus assumed he suffered death but being God could not be holden of it but rose againe and triumphantly ascended into heauen that he satisfied the wrath of his Father obtained for vs remission of sinnes past the grace of repentant conuersion and a new conuersation ioyned with assured hope desire and expectation of eternall happinesse Fourthly we must constantly beleeue that God doth call and gather to himselfe out of the manifold confusions of erring ignorant and wretched men whom hee pleaseth to be partakers of these precious benefits of eternall saluation the happy number and ioyfull society of whom we name the Church of God whether they were before or since the manifestation of Christ the Sonne of God in our flesh For both had the same faith hope and spirit of adoption whereby they were sealed vnto eternall life though there be a great difference in the degree and measure of knowledge and the excellency of the meanes which God hath vouchsafed the one more then the other Fiftly we must know and beleeue that for the publishing of this ioyfull deliuerance and the communicating of the benefits of the same the Sonne of God committed to those his followers whom he chose to bee witnesses of all things he did or suffered not onely the word of Reconciliation but also the dispensation of sacred and sacramentall assurances of his loue set meanes of his gracious working that those first messengeâ—s whom he sent with immediate commission were infallibly led into all truth and left vnto posterities that summe of Christian Doctrine that must for euer be the rule of our faith that these blessed messengers of so good and happy tidings departing hence left the Ministery of Reconciliation to those whom they appointed to succeed them in the worke so happily began by them Lastly we must know and be assuredly perswaded that seeing the renouation of our spirits and mindes is not perfect and the redemption of our bodies still remaining corruptible is not yet therefore God hath appointed a time when Christ shall returne againe raise vp the dead and giue eternall life to all that with repentant sorrow turne from their euill and wicked wayes while it is yet the accepted time and day of saluation and contrary wayes cast out into vtter darkenesse and into the fire that neuer shall be quenched all those that neglect despise so great saluation All these things and these onely doe directly concerne the matter of eternall saluation saith Doctor Field These things saith he make the rule of faith whereof a man cannot be ignorant and bee saued By these all the holy Fathers Bishops and Pastors of the Church measured and made their Sermons Commentaries and interpretations of Scripture This rule is deliuered by Tertullian Irenaeus Tertull. de praescriptionibus adversus hareticos adversus Praxcam Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 3. See here before cap. 1. sect 2. subsect 1. §. 2. and other of the Fathers and with addition of conclusions most easily clearely and vnavoydably deduced hence by Theodoret in his Epitome Dogmatum For a second sort of things there are that attend on these first as consequents deduced from them or some way appertaining to them such as a man being perswaded of these will see the necessary consequence and deduction of them from these if they be propounded vnto him As that there are two wills in Christ that there is no saluation remission of sinnes or hope of eternall life out of the Church c. In such second things clearely deduced from the first principles if a man
would to God the forme of beleeuing were fetched from the Primitiue Church Thus saith Staâ—pulensis By which rule iustified by our Aduersaries we conclude that the holy Church of God need not receiue or beleeue any of those things following to wit Purgatory Inuocation of Saints departed worshipping of Images Auricular confession the Popes pardons Transubstantiation the Masse to be truely and properly a propitiatory sacrifice to be offered both for the quicke and the dead the Sacrament without Communicants and Communion vnder one kinde without the Cup to be sufficient for Lay people reseruation of the Sacrament and eleuation thereof to be worshipped and circumgestation in Procession for pompe and adoration Matrimony and extreme Vnction to be properly Sacraments of the New Testament and to conferre grace single life necessary to be imposed vpon the Clergy All which and more your Iesuite Azorius reckons for Traditions vnwritten p Azorius Institutionum lib 8. cap. 4. §. 3. seq Also that the Church of Rome is head of all â—hurches and that all Christians must fetch their Faith their Orders and iurisdiction from it that the Bishop thereof cannot erre in matters of faith or interpreting the Scriptures See more of this point Rainold Hart confer chap. 5. diuision 1. pag. 184 c. And chap. 8. divis 1. pag. 462. c. The Scriptures teach no such thing and therefore we need not beleeue it 5 We being constant to the former rule for the sufficiency of the Scriptures in matters of faith and good life further admit of some kind of Trad tions to wit first Doctrinall traditions agreeing with the Scriptures or thence truly deducted q Many Fathers call the whole Word of God which by some holy men guided by Gods Spirit was let downe in writing and by them also others deliuered to the people by liuely voyce A tradition which the Church must preseruâ— and also the forme of wholesome words Creeds Catechismes c. thence deducted 2 Tim. 1.13 Rom. 6 17. See Rain Hart. c. 8. d. 1. p 466 467. So the baptisme of Infants if not coÌ„manded in plaine words yet plainly deducted from Scripture Gen. 17.12 13. Col. 2.11 1â— Act. 2.38 39. Luke 18.16 Mar. 10.16 Mat. 19.14 18 14. 1 Cor. 7.14 Mat. 28.19 The doctrine of the Trinity the equality of three Diuine persons in one substance and the distinction by incommunicable proprieties Gen. 1.1 26. Mat. 3.16 Iob. 1.32 Mat. 17 5 28.29 2. Cor. 13.13 1 Iâ—b 5.7 Psal 2.7 Heb. â— 3 5. 7.3 Col. 1.15 The proceeding of the holy Gâ—ost from the Father and the Son as from one beginning and one spiration from all eternity Ioh. 14.26 15.26 16.13 14. Rom. 8.9 Secondly rituall traditions for order and decency left to the disposition of the Church being not of Diuine but of positiue and humane right r 1 Cor. 14.40 11.2 Acts 15 â—0 So they be not childish or trifling nor accounted parts of Gods worship nor with opinion of merit nor burthensome for their mâ—ltitude Å¿ Of the multitude S. Augustine complained in his time Epist 119. ad â—anuar c. 19. See D. Ram. Hart c. 8. div 4. p. 599. seq The first of these no man allowes and commends more then we and the second kind wee retaine and vse with reuerence such as are profitable and comely in our times and countries without condemning other Churches differing from ours in such matters as we find Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine did Aug. Epist 188. But a third kind of Traditions obtruded for Articles of Religion grounds of Faith and part of Gods worship neither contained expresly in Gods word nor thence deducted by any sound inference and yet receiued by the Councell of Trent Sess 4. with the same authority and reuerence that the holy Scriptures are receiued those we gainesay as things derogating to the verity sufficiency and perfection of the Scriptures And herein your Romish Writers deale fraudulenly against vs and deceiue the world for they alleadge the Fathers speaking of the first kind of Traditions as if they spake of all whereas indeed they write very strongly and sharply against this third kind which wee refuse Bishop Vsher in his booke against the Jrish Iesuite pag. 36. seq alleadgeth a whole Iury of ancient Fathers testifying the sufficiency of the Scriptures for matters of Faith Tertullian Origen Hippolitus the Martyr Athanasius Ambrose Hilary Basil Gregory Nissen Jerom Augustine Cyril Theodoret. So that the Traditions which they vrge we alow and those that we deny they write sharpely against The Fathers say your Rom sh are not of the Protestants Church because they vrge Traditions but wee say more truely The Fathers are not of the Romish Church because they teach the Scripture is sufficient and needs no Traditions to supply their defect as the Romish teach When Bellarmine and your other Doctors are pressed with the authority of the Fathers they are compelled to yeelâ— vnto vs the sufficiency of the Scriptures as I alleadged artic 4. but obserue their vnconstancy lest they should ouerthrow thereby the manifold doctrines held by their Church that haue no ground in the Scriptures they are faine to maintaine also vnwritten Traditions to bee the grounds of those Doctrines See more of this point in Mr. Perkins Reformed Catholicke the 7 point B. Morton Apol. Cathol part 2. lib. 1. cap. 32. seq And Protestants Appeal lib. 2. cap. 25. D. Field of the Church Booke B. Vsher in his answer to the Irish Iesuite Rainolds and Hart confer chap. 5. diuision 1. pag. 190. 6 We receiue and beleeue also the three Creeds The Apostles the Nicene and that of Athanasius t These are in our Bookes of publicke prayer and booke of Articles of anno 1562 art 8 and subscribed vnto by all Ministers and the foure generall Councels of the Primitiue Church as good formes of true Christian Doctrine deductions and explications of Scripture u Acknowleeged by King Iames in his Praemonitiâ—n to all Christian Monarâ—s p. 35. and by our Acts of Parliament You receiue the same also but you adde a thirteenth article decreed to be an article of Faith thirteene hundred yeares after Christ by a thirteenth Apostle Pope Boniface the eight x Boniface 8. liued an 13â—â— his Decree runs thus Subesse Romano Pontâ—fici omni humanae creaturae declaramus dicimus desinimus pronunciamus omnino esse de necessitate salutis Thus Boniface 8 in extrauag de majoritate obedientia cap. vnam santaâ— That it is necessary to saluation to be subiect to the Bishop of Rome which is neither in the Scriptures ancient Creeds nor ancient Fathers nor can be thence deducted And you haue further also dately added 12 new Articles by the authority of Pope Pius 4. anno 1564 raised out of the Councell of Trent and added to the Nicene Creed to be receiued with oath as the true Catholicke Faith to bee
and redeemed vs. You beleeue so also but you adde Christ hath satisfied onely for the eternall punishment and for sinnes before Baptisme but that we must satisfie for our following sins August serm 13. De verbis dom Christus suscipiendo poenam non suscipiendo culpam culpam deleuit poenam See B Mortons Appeal lib. 1. cap 2 sect 23. § 47. lib. 2. cap. 15. sect 8 9 10. and also for the temporall punishment due to all our sins either vpon earth or in Purgatory This we account an errour against the foundation making Christ but halfe a Sauiour and against reason for he that forgiues the fault forgiues the punishment also in S. Augustines opinion 24 We beleeue that we ought to pray for all the members of Christs militant Church vpon earth you beleeue so too but you adde wee ought also to pray for the soules suffering in Purgatory which was a thing long time vnknowne to the Church of God §. 2. These are the principall points of Religion and the foundation of our church by your approbatioÌ„ of theÌ„ you grant them all to be true good ancient and Catholicke which may appeare also by that which followeth Se hâ—story of the Councell of Trent lib. 1. pag. 95. At a Diet in Râ—tisbon anno 1541. where was present Iasper Cardinall Contareni the Popes Nuncio Granuel deliuered a booke of 22 Articles to be considered of by the Diuines of both sides whereof the chiefe were chosen by the Emperour to dispute namely Eckius Flugius and Gropperus Romists Melancthon Bucer and Pâ—storia Protestants and vpon their debating some things were approued and some amended by common consent They dissented onely in fiue things and in seuenteene they all finally agreed Ibib. pag. 54.55 Also when the Augustane confession of the Protestant Princes and Diuines was read at Augspurge anno 1530 the Popes Legate Cardinall Campeggio said plainly to the Emperour that the difference of that doctrine from the Roman for the most part seemed verball and that it imported not much whether one spake after one manner or after another and that for the present there was no cause to make any strict examination of the doctrine onely meanes should be vsed that the Protestant should goe no further on See Annals Elizah â—ngl pag 63. and Relation of Religionin the West parts pag. x. 2. 159. And Pope Pius the fourth anno 1560. offered to Queene Elizabeth to allow our whole Booke of Common Prayer if she would receiue it as from him and by his authority And so he might well doe for the booke was with great iudgement purposely so framed out of the grounds of Religion wherein both sides agree that their very Catholickes might resort vnto it without scruple or scandall if Faction more then reason did not sway The truth is were it not for other causes the Controuersies of points of Religion might well be compounded betwixt vs. For the learned of them know that our doctrine is sufficient to make vs true Christi ans both for faith and good life to make vs liue holily righteously and soberly by Gods grace to become good subiects to our Princes good neighbors amongst men good diligent and dutifull members of the Common-wealth painfull peaceable and blessed people and blessings to the Countrey where we liue and to conduct vs thorow all necessary gratious wayes and means ordained by God to eternall blessednesse There is no defect in our doctrine to these ends to promote Christs Kingdome both of grace and glory §. 3. Onely they know and we confesse our Doctrine is insufficient to set vp an earthly Church-kingdome instead of Christs heauenly Kingdome such as the Pope desireth ouer-topping all other Christian Princes and Potentates and maintained with all worldly wealth pompe and glory Were it the purity of Religion which he desired described and receiued in the best Primitiue times of the Church our Religion would abundantly satisfie him but this high transcendent supremacy of the Pope farre beyond those Primitiue times and the wealth of the world to maintaine him and his in their greatnesse Acts 19.28 25. is the great Diana of the Romans which they striue for And these doctrinall controuersies are but subordinate meanes subtilly kept on foot to make the aduersaries of his supremacy more odious For by that craft their wealth is maintained D. Francis White Orthodox faith Epist dedic Ramolds Hart confer cap. 7. dinis 6 7. pag. 367 seq Our Doctor Reinolds obserueth well and proueth largely that this in these latter Ages hath been the Pope maine aime and practise And men of skill and iudgement who knew the popes thorowly and faithfully set forth their liues haue opened this secret and mystery of State as it hath been managed since it grew to maiesty that they minde the propping vp of their owne Kingdome while they pretend the worship of Christ and that in the popes language the Church doth signifie not the company of the faithfull seruants of God but the Papacy that is the dominion and princehood of the pope in things both temporall and spirituall K. Iames his Remonstrance to Peron pag. 246. And our late learned and iudicious King Iames saith The name of the Church serueth in this our corrupt Age as a cloke to couer a thousand new inuentions and no longer signifies the Assembly of the faithfull or such as beleeue in Iesus Christ according to his Word but a certaine glorious ostentation and temporall Monarchy whereof the pope forsooth is the supreame head Ibid. pag. 259. And S. Peters net is now changed into a casting net or a flew to fish for all the wealth of most flourishing kingdomes 1 To this end consider whether there be more care and policy to maintaine the popes greatnesse and reuenues then to make good Christians For where good Christians are already such as the Primitiue Christians were thither the popes Emissaries come to make them the popes subiects and sticke not at Treasons Rebellions inuasions if they haue hope so to effect it Relation of Religion in the West pag. 156 159. 2 Consider whether all other thogh neuer so profane or wicked Iewes Stewes Turkes Infidels Heretickes or Atheists open enemies of Christian Religion be not suffered more quietly to liue in Italy Rome and vnder the popes nose then Protestants whose onely great crime is They are against the popes vsurpations and corruptions Molius defence pag. 464. 3 Consider if all sinnes against God and his Word be not more slightly punished then offences against the Popes greatnesse In cases of Murder Treason Incest Blasphemy c. ordinary Bishops may bind and loose but the cases of hindring men from going to Rome for pardons of intrusion into any benefice or office Ecclesiasticail of purloyning any Church goods or offending the Sea-Apostolicke c. those are reserued to the pope onely And the penitentiary taxe for falsifying the letters Apostolicall is
vniuersall both in time and place §. 4. See Aug. in Psal 92. continued throughout all Ages and dispersed in all places in which sense onely the Church is Catholicke and one then it is a point of faâ—th and not of sight For it is visible totally at any one time or place to any mortall eyes Some part thereof being in Europe some in Asia some in Africa for place some part in heauen triumphant some on earth militant some not yet in the world for time We beleeue therefore that there is one Catholicke Church we see but a small part of it that is one vniuersall company of Christians spread ouer the whole earth and continuing from the Apostles times till the day of Iudgement part whereof is now in heauen part on earth and part yet to come called to be professors of Gods worship and partakers of his glory through Iesus Christ his sonne And though this whole company be neuer visible to men at once yet some parts thereof liuing vpon earth are alwayes visible to men by their persons and profession some at one time some at another some in one Countrey some in another as the Church of Jerusalem and of Antioch of Rome Corinth Galatia c. In the Apostles times the seuen Churches of Asia in S. Iohns time the Churches of England France and other Nations in our time §. 5. Secondly if you take the Church for the company of Christians liuing in any one particular Age and thereunto apply the propheticall promises you must admit a threefold distinction one of the parts of the Church another of the promises appliable to the seuerall parts and a third of the times wherein they are to be fulfilled For a D. VVhite Reply to Fisher pag. 52. most of the promises though in generall termes made to the Church in common to shew what the whole is in respect of Gods outward vocation or what the office and duty of the whole Church is yet doe appertaine formally and indeed onely to the better part of the common subiect As your owne Doctors teach b Cornel. de â—apide com Esa cap. 2. v. 4 Cum Deus aliquid Synagoga vel Ecclesiae permittit quamvis amplâ— vniuersal bus vâ—rbis â—â— tamen de bonis proba tantum qui saeâ—â—s amicitiam cum deo promittente paâ—iscente seruant intelligendum The Scriptures giue vs a distinction of the Called and Chosen saying Many be called but few chosen Mat. 20.16 The Called are the Professors and the Profâ—ssors saith your c Bellar. de Ecclesâ— militant lib. 3. cap. 2. §. nostra autem sententia Bellarmine are the members of the true Church though they be reprobi scelesti impij reprobates wicked and impious For saith he to be a member of the Church there is not necessarily required any inward vertues but onely outward profession But I hope you will not say that to this company in grosse these promises doe belong of purity vnspottednesse eternall life but onely to the better part thereof that is the Chosen that truely beleeue and holily liue according to Christs doctrine which company because who they are is onely knowne to God the discerner of the hearts and not to men who see onely their persons and profession but not their hearts may well be called in respect of men The invisible Church as visible to God onely The Holy Ghost describing the true members of the Church calls them such as should be saued Acts 2.47 The Lord added to the Church such as should be saued And this is the ordinary doctrine of d Aug. de Bapt. contra Donatisâ—as lib. 6. cap. 3. Auari raptores faencratores inuidi malevoli ad sanctam ecclesiam dei non pertinent quamvis esse videantur illa autem columba vnica pudica casta sponsa sine macula ruga hortus conclusus sons signatus paradisus cum fructu pomorum c. non intelligitur nisi de bonis sanctis iustis intimâ—m supereminentem spiritus sancti gratiam habentibus S. Augustine that true godly men such as shall be saued are the only heires of the promises the couetous rauenous vsurers enuious malevolous do not belong to the holy Church of God though they seeme to be in it That onely Doue that chaste and pure Spouse without spot or wrinkle that garden inclosed fountaine sealed paradise of Pomegranats c. is not vnderstood but of the good holy and iust such as haue the inward and supereminent grace of the holy spirit Thus Saint Augustine Againe e Aug. ib. lib. 7. cap. 51. he saith All things considered I thinke I shall not rashly say that some are so in the house of God that they are also the very house of God which is said to be built vpon a Rocke which is called his onely Doue his faire Spouse without spot or wrinckle c. for this is in the good faithfull The like De vnitate eccle cap. vlt. Epist 48. De Bapt. cort Donat. lib. 5. c. 27. in praesatione in Psal 47. De doctr Christiana lib. 3. cap. 22. In the rules of Tychonius De corpore Domini bipartito and holy seruants of God euery where dispersed and yet conioyned in spirituall vnity and in the same communion of the Sacraments whether they know one another by face or not And it is certaine that others are said so to be in the house that they belong not ad compagem domus to the frame of the house nor to the society of fruitfull peacefull righteousnesse but as the chaffe among the Corne c of whom it is said They departed from vs but they were not of vs. In many other places Saint Austen hath the like Insomuch as Bellarmine being ouerpressed with the Scriptures and Fathers and especially Saint Augustine §. 6. cannot but yeeld and saith in plaine tearmes f Bellar. de eccle milit lib 3 cap. 2. §. notaâ—dum autem that wicked men without any internall vertue are no otherwise members of the Church then our excrements and diseases are parts or members of our bodies as our hayres our nayles and euill humours in our bodies and elsewhere g Ib. cap. 9. §. Ad vltimum aâ—o malos non esse membra viva corporis Christi hoc significari illis scripturis obiectis He saith that euill men are no other then dead members of Christs body and hee citeth many learned Papists that say Malos non esse membra vera nec simpliciter corporis ecclesiae sed tantum secundum quid aequivocè That euill men are not true members nor simply of the body of the Church but onely after a sort and equiuocally His Authors alleadged there are Iohannes de Turrecremata Alexander de Ales Hugo B. Thomas Petrus à Soto Melchior Canus alij I will conclude this point with Saint Augustine who saith h Aug lib. 2. contra Creâ—conium
Iosephists Esperonists Arnoldists Wiclifists Hussits c. to omit other nick-names giuen them vpon other causes § 3 And now secondly that they were our fore-runners in the points of Religion wherein we differ from you your Writers shew plentifully a Hist Waldens Book 1. cap. 8. Aeneas Sylvius and Iohn du Bravius in their histories of Bohemia make the doctrine taught by Calvin all one with that of the Waldenses And the same Sylvius saith b Aeneas Sylv. hist Bohem. cap. 35. The Hussites did imbrace the opinions of the Waldenses And Hosius heres lib. 1. saith the leprosie of the Waldenses infected all Bohemia Lindanus in his Analyticke Tables makes Caluin inheritor of the Doctrine of the Waldenses Thomas Walden c VValden lib. 6. de reb Sacram. tit 12. cap. 10. saith The doctrine of the Waldenses crept out of the quarters of France into England meaning by Wiclife against whom he wrote d D. Vsher Gravis quaest cap. 8. §. 1. Poplinerius saith The Waldenses and Albigenses about the yeere 1100 and the succeeding times spread their doctrine parum differentem little differing from that which the Protestants now imbrace Lancelotus du voisin Poplinerius histor Franc. lib. 1. fol. 7. b. edit anno 1581. e Ib. cap. 9. §. 22. Gretserus the Iesuite calls the Albigenses Waldenses and Berengarians Caluinianorum atavos the Caluinists great grandfathers Gretser prolegâ—m in scripta edita contra Wald. cap. 5. f D. Abbot against Hill Reason 1. §. 18. Francis Guicciardin an Italian and Florentine Historian writing of the yeere 1520. lib. 13. saith that Luther set abroad the doctrine of the Bohemians naming Hus and Hierom. And Petrus Messias a Spaniard in the life of Wenceslaus mentioning the opinions of Hus and the Bohemians saith They were the seed of those errours as he cals them which were afterwards in Germany to wit taught by Luther g Ib. §. 29. And Iohannes Cocleus a man that had laboured in the story of the Hussites and set out bookes thereof and also wrote sharpely against Luther saith that Hus did commit spirituall fornication with many aliens with the Wiclivists the Dulcinists the Leonists the Waldenses the Albigenses and others of that sort enemies of the Church of Rome And he saith that Luther followed Hus his Doctrine lib. 2. de Actis scriptis Lutheri And cals the Lutherans new Hussites And againe lib. 3. and lib. 8. he saith that vnto his time till Luthers time and after there remained the sect of the Thaborites in many places of Bohemia and Moravia vnder the name of Picards and Waldenses h Histor Albigens lib. 1. cap. 8. Eckius in his common places cap. 28. saith Luther had done nothing else but renew the heresies of the Waldenses Albigenses Wiclife and Iohn Hus. § 4 Antiquus Sir our men deny not but these Waldenses and others were Luthers fore-runners in many things but they held some things which you are ashamed to hold and therefore were not of your Church or Religion Antiquissimus I know well that many errours were imputed to them which they neuer held As i B. Vsher Grauiss quaest cap. 10. §. 15. Bernardus Girardus the French Historian lib. 10. saith Although they had some ill opinions yet these did not so much stirre vp the hatred of the Pope and great Princes against them as their freedome in speech which they vsed in blaming and reprouing the vices dissolute manners life and actions of Princes Ecclesiasticall persons and the Pope himselfe That was the chiefe thing which drew the hatred of all vpon them effecit vt plures nefarie affingerentur eis opiniones à quibus omnino fuerant alieni this caused many wicked opinions to be deuised and fathered of them from which they were very free and guiltlesse k Ib. cap. 8. §. 28. Thuanus histor lib. 5. anno 1550. reckons vp their opinions thus They held that the Church of Rome because it had forsaken the true faith of Christ was that Whore of Babylon and that barren tree which Christ cursed and therefore we ought not to obey the Pope and Bishops which fostered his errours that the Monasticall life was the sinke and kennell of the Church the vowes thereof vaine and seruing onely for vnclean lusts that the Priests orders were notes of that beast mentioned in the Reuelation that purgatory fire sacrifice of the Masse Sanctuaries or hallowed places about Churches worshipping of Saints offerings for the dead were the Inuentions of Sathan Then he addeth To these certaine and chiefe heads of their doctrine alia afficta others are fained and deuised concerning Mariage resurrection the state of soules after death and of Meates l B. Iewel Apol. cap. 1. diuis 1. Bishop Jewell saith our ancient Christians were slandered that they made priuy meetings in the darke killed yong babes fed themselues with mens flesh and like Sauage and brute beasts did drinke their blood In conclusion how that after they had put out the Candles they committed adultery or incest one with another brethren with sisters sonnes with theiâ— mothers without shame or difference men without all Religion enemies of mankind vnworthy to be suffered in the world Thus they said of the ancient Christians and thus they said of the Waldenses most vniustly and vntruely of both you doubt not of the former let many of your owne Writers satisfie you of the later m Vsher grav qu. cap. 6. §. 11. Rainerius whose booke Gretserus the Iesuite lately set out among other Writers of the Waldenses saith The Waldenses were the most dangerous sect to the Church of all other for three causes the third whereof is that whereas other sects through the outragiousnesse of blasphemy against God worke a horrour in men this sect of the Leonists hath a great shew of piety because before men they liue iustly and of God they beleeue all things piously and hold all the articles contained in the Creed onely they blaspheme and hate the Roman Curch for which the multitude is easie to beleeue n Hist â—ald booke 1. cap. 5. Iacobus de Riberia in his collections of the Citie of Tholous saith the Waldenses wonne all credit from the Priests and made them little esteemed by the holinesse of their liues and excellency of their doctrine The like saith Rainerius cited ib. De forma haeret fol. 98. And Clauâ—ius de Scissel Archbishop of Turin saith they liued vnreproueably without reproach or scandall among men cited ib. In his Treatise against the Waldenses The B. of Canaillon sent a certaine Monke a Diuine Vesembec Oration of the Waldenses citat ib. to conferre and conuince the Waldenses of Merindal in Prouince who vpon his returne said He had not so much profited in all his life in the Scriptures as hee had done in those few dayes conference with the Waldenses Wherevpon the Bishop sent diuers Doctors to confound them but vpon their returne one of them said with a
Peter reiects the popes authority infallibility giues sentences against Purgatory acknowledgeth two Sacraments onely hath much against Transubstantiation and denyall of the Cup. See the allegations out of him in Catalogo testium lib. 3. Sixtly was Jrenaeus a Protestant no for he defended free-will so farre that Protestants count it Pelagianisme So did many other Fathers Hilary and Epiphanius yea Chrysostome Cyril Ambrose Theodoret. What then were all these papists No for though in heat of exhortation they gaue sometimes too much to free will and in hatred to the Maniches and Stoicall Christians that held such a fatall necessity of mens actions as tooke away mans guiltinesse of sinne yet in their more moderate and settled writings they taught as the Protestants doe August contra Iulianum l'clag lib. 1. cap. 2. Pelagianis nondum litigantibus Patres securiùs loquâ—bantur saith Saint Augustine Vntill the Pelagians began to wrangle the Fathers tooke lesse heed to their speeches But such their speeches The Papists themselues condemne Maldonate in John 6.44 pag. 701. Pererius in Rom. 9. nu 33 pag. 1001. Sixtus Senensis Tolet c. See D. Mortons Appeal lib 2. cap. 10. sect 1 2. § 4. sect 3. § 7. lit n. See also my Chapter of Free-will §. 6. I might runne thorow the rest of this W. G. his allegations and shew his vanity and folly in shooting such arrowes against the Protestants as being retorted and shot backe againe doe mortally and vnrecouerably wound his owne cause But I will leaue off following his order and adde a few more and by occasion of this last I aske of Saint Cyprian Augustine Fulgentius Gregory Nyssen Gregory the Great Anselm Bernard were they Papists oâ— of the now Roman-Catholicke Religion No for they taught concerning Free-will iust as the Protestants teach Morton ib. sect 3. Was Athanasius a Papist no for hee reckons the number of Canonicall bookes otherwise then Papists doe and magnifies them for their perspicuity certainty and sufficiency as Protestants doe he teacheth Iustification by faith onely writeth against adoration and prayer to Saints and Idolatrous worship of Images shewes the custome of the Church in his time to minister the Communion in both kindes and not on Altars but tables of wood writes to the Bishops of Rome as his brethren and equals giues reasons why the dead cannot appeare againe to men for feare of teaching lies and errours and because the good are in Paradise the euill in Inferno He counts marriage of Bishops a thing indifferent and vsed indifferently in his time and it appeares by his bookes that in his time the sacrifice of the Masse and the fiue new Sacraments were not knowne Was Saint Ierom a Papist no for hee earnestly maintaineth the sufficiency and excellency of the Scriptures exhorteth married Women Virgins Widdowes diligently to study them he teacheth Iustification by Gods mercy and beateth downe mans merits hee writes sharpely against free-will without Gods grace against purgatory against transubstantiation and orall manducation hee taxeth the popes supremacy and the Clergies liues and for his sharpe writing he was faine to flye from Rome See Catalogus testium lib. 4. Was Gelasius your owne Bishop of Rome a Catholicke of your now Roman Religion no for he condemdemned as sacrilegious your now-halfe Communion without wine and seuerely commanded either to minister both the kindes or neither to the people The necessity whereof now you call heresie De consecrat dist 2. comperimus Was S Gregory your owne Bishop likewise long after Gelasius of your Church and now-present Religion no for he taught the sufficiency and perfection of the Scripture reiected the Apochryphall bookes from the Canon held the reading of Scripture profitable for all men Iustification by faith and not by inherent righteousnesse wrote against mans merit and for the glory of Gods grace and mercy hee forbad the worshipping of Images and wrote sharply against the title of vniuersall Bishop as a badge of Antichrist or his forerunner c. And for conclusion of this point were the other two greatest Doctors of the Church Saint Chrysostome and S. Augustine of your present Religion No for Saint Chrysostome a Homil. De Lazaro passim alibi extolled the authority dignity sufficiency perspicuity necessity and commodity of the Canonicall Scriptures and exhorted Lay-men and Tradesmen to get them Bibles and reade the Scriptures at home and that man and wife parents and children should reason and conferre of the doctrine thereof b In 4. cap. Ephes hom 10. He taught that the Church of God was nothing but a house built of our soules and the stones thereof were some more illustrious and faire polished other more obscure and of lesse glory c In Matth. hom 55. 83. Serm. de Pentecost tom 3. that the Church was built not super Petrum but super Petram not vpon Peter but Peters confession that Christ was the Sonne of God the Sauiour of the world d In Matth. hom 35. ad cap. 20. That whosoeuer desired primacy vpon earth should find confusion in heauen and not be reckoned amongst the seruants of Christ e In 2 Thess homil 3 4. That Antichrist would command himselfe to be honoured as God and fit in the Church that he would invade the Roman Empire and striue to draw to himselfe the Empire or Rule of God and men And though he extolled the power of free-will in the Regenerate and exhorted all men to vse the power they had yet hee f In Gen. hom 29. perswaded the godly to acknowledge it to proceed from Gods grace and taught all men that sinne entring lost their liberty corrupted their power and brought in seruitude and g Hom. de Adam that without Gods grace man could neither will nor doe any thing that was good that h Hom. 1. in Acta as they that die Purple first prepare it with other colours so God prepares the cares of the mind and then infuseth grace that i Hom. 1. dom Advent before sinne we had free-will to do good but not after that it was not in our power to get out of the Deuils hand but like a ship that had lost his sterne which guided it wee were driuen whither the tempest would euen whither the Diuell would driue vs and except God by the strong hand of his mercy did loose vs we should continue tiâ—l death in the bonds of our sinnes k In Râ—m â—om 5. 17. That the Law would iustifie man but cannot for no man is iustified by the Law but he that wholly fulfils it and that is not possible to any maÌ„ l In 2 cor hom 11. He that must be iustified by the law must haue no spot found in him and such an one cannot be found but onely Iesus Christ m In Rom. hom 5 17. therefore he onely hath attained the end and perfection of the Law n Hom. 7. in 3. cap.
was driuen out Notwithstanding within a few dayes after to appeale the tumults of people he was recalled Socrates lib. 6. cap. 16. placed agâ—ine in his Bishopricke restored to preaching and so continued a while but not without tumults wherein many were wounded and many killed And when hee was banished againe the Cathedrall Church at Constantinople with the Senate hâ—use were set on fire and burned to the ground in the pursuit of reuenge Baronius beginning the story of this contention Baron tomo 5. anno 400. nu 51. saith thus I take in hand a great and lamentable narration of strife and direfull persecution not of Gentiles against Christians nor heretickes against Catholickes nor of wicked men against good and iust but which is monstrous and prodigious euen of Saints and holy men one against another Ninthly Socrates lib. 7. cap. 33. D. Fâ—eld church lib 5 cap 33. â—pâ—end 1 part pag 116 117 118. c D Hall Columbâ— Noe pag. 44. In the first Councell of Ephesus being the third generall Councell there arose great contâ—ntions bâ—twixt Cyril of Alexan ria and Iohn Bishop of Antioch two Patriarkes either of them thundring Anathematismes againâ—t other and depriuing each othâ—r of their Churches Theodores vnhappily thrust his sickle into Iohns haruest against whom at the â—nstigation of Euoptius Cyrillus grieuously inueighed Theodoret accused Cyrill of Apollinarisme and Cyrill accused Theodoret of N storianisme And this fury spred so farre that it drew almost the Christian world into sides So that when afterwards Theodoret would haue come into the Chalcedon Synod the Aegyptian and other reuerend Bishops cryed If we receiue Theodoret we cast out Cyril the Canons cast out Theodoret God abhorres him This was done in the first action of the Chalcedon Councell and againe in the eight action the Bishops crying out openly he is an Hereticke he is a Nâ—storiâ—n away with the Hereticke Yet when the matter was fully knowen and that Theodoret had willingly subscribed to the Orthodoxe Creedes and to Leo's Epistles The whole Synoâ— cryed with one vâ—yce Theodoret is worthy of his Ecclesiasticall Sea let the Church receiue her Catholike Pastor Antiquus Your discourse hath â— t me into a mixture of griefe and â—oâ— Griefe that any of the holy ancient Fathers haue held any errours at all and that there were such bitter contentions among them Ioy that seeing there were such they are not hid from me For that will make me more moderate in thinking of them though reuerently as holy men yet still as men subiect to humane infirmities and not in all things to make their sayings rules of my faith or their doings patâ—ernes of my life but altogether to make the most holy perfect infallible and vnstained word of God the guides of both and it shall make me also more wise in esteeming men now liuing reuerently for the graces of God which I see in them notwithstanding their humane fraâ—lties such as I perceiue the best Saints of God haue had But yet I see not any sufficient rule to leade mee to Iudge how you can challenge the Fathers to be of your Religion more then the Romans may challenge them to be of theirs I perceiue well they diffâ—red from both in many things wherein you both refuse them Antiquissimus You make that vse of my discourse that I wish For the Rule to direct your iudgement I haue pointed at it often and now I will briefely and as fully as I can lay it open vnto you CHAP. 4. Of the Rule to iudge the soundnesse and purity of all Christians and Churches by This Chapter hath foure Sections The first Section of the Rule vsed in the Primitiue Church The second of the Rule enlarged and approued in this Age The third of Obiections arising from the former discourses and their answeres The fourth of the necessity of Preaching still to them that hold the Rule The first Section § 1. The Rule in generall § 2. Opened by distinctions of the foundation of Religion § 3. A necessity to haue a short rule drawne out of the Scriptures § 4. This rule is described by Saint Paul § 5. The practise of it by the Apostles who onely deliuered the most necessary fundamentall points to the Iewes and then baptized them § 6. The like practise vsed by the following Primitiue Church to their Catechumeni before Baptisme §. 1. THe Rule to Iudge all Christians and Churches by is this They that hold the same fundamentall points of Christian Religion which doe sufficiently constitute the Church of Christ and hold no other opinions wittingly and obstinately that ouerthrow any of these fundamentall points they are vndoubtedly of the same true Church and Religion §. 2. For the vnderstanding of this Rule note 1 Saint Paul distinguisheth betwixt the foundation and that which is built vpon the foundation 1 Cor. 3.10 As a wise Master-builder I haue laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon The word Foundation is taken two wayes First for the principall thing which is to be beleeued and wherupon our saluation is builded that is Iesus Christ as Saint Paul saith there verse 11. Other foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Iesus Christ Acts 4.12 There is no saluation in any other there is none other name vnder heauen giuen among men whereby we must be saued 1 Tim. 3.16 This is the great mystery of godlinesse God was manifest in the flesh c. This was Saint Peters confession Matth. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Vpon which confession as Saint Augustine and Chrysostome expound it Christ said he would build his Church and the gates of Hell should not preuaile against it Secondly the word Foundation is taken for the Doctrine of the Scriptures which teach saluation onely by Iesus Christ as Ephes 2.20 The house that is the houshold or Church of God is built vpon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himselfe the chiefe Corner stone And so the Apostles are called twelue foundations Reuel 21.14 to wit in respect of their doctrine whereby they laid the foundation of the Church and of mens saluation by Iesus Christ §. 3. 2 Although the whole Scripture and euery thing therein contained or from it necessarily deduced be a fit obiect for faith to apprehend Yet that all Christians should thorowly conceiue and vniformely professe them all is not to be hoped B. Vsher Serm. at Wansted pag 22. nor in any Age hath beene found As we haue manifestly proued * In the former Chapter Variety of Iudgements in some points of lesser moment which are not plainely deliuered in the Scriptures may be tollerated and must not dissolue the vnity which all must hold in the fundamentall principles Heauen was not prepared for deepe Clerkes onely which vnderstood all or for such as neuer differed in any opinion 1 Cor. 132 12. but euen for such also as knew but in part and saw through a
glasse darkely Aug. epist 57. Regula Fidei pufillis magnisque communis And therefore beside that larger measure of knowledge whereof all are not capable there must be a rule of Faith common to great and small as Saint Augustine calls it And as there is a common saluation a Iude v. 3. whereof the meanest beleeuer is capable as well as the greatest Apostles b 2 Pet. 1.1 so there must be a common faith c Tit. 1.4 sufficient to conduct vs all vnto it §. 4. This Saint Paul calls The fourme of sound words 2 Tim. 1.13 hold fast the forme of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and loue which is in Christ Iesus 1 It must be a forme frame or fashion body method Rule of Faith or of sound and sauing Doctrine fit for all Preachers to frame their Sermons by and all Christians to frame their faith and life by Timothy in preaching and the Ephesians in hearing and practizing 2 It must be not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as rom 6.17 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here a short forme or briefe method There must perspicuity for the vnderstanding and breuity for the memory of simple men 3 To these must be added certainty which thou hast heard of me learned of men inspired by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.21 2 Tim. 3 15 16 17. Bellar. De verbo Dei lib. 1. cap. 2. § quare cum Sacra Scriptura est regula credendi certissima tutissimaque saith Bellarmine 4 Adde also sufficiency both for Credenda all things to be beleeued in Faith and for Facienda all things to be performed in Loue which is the fulfilling of the Law For true Faith and good life containe all things belonging to a Christian And all things appertaining to these that are necessary for all men to know are contained in the Scriptures saith Bell also * Idem ib. l. 4. c 11.9 His notatu Duo omnia illa scripta esse ab Apostolis qua sunt omnibus necessaria quae ipsi palam omnibus pradicaverant Costerus in Enchiridio c. 1. de sacra scriptura §. Caeterum Caeterum non insiciamur praecipna illa capita qua omnibus Christianis ad salutem necessaria perspicue satis essè Apostolicis scriptu comprehensa As Augustine also de doctr Christiana l. 2. c. 9 â—ellar de Iustif l. 3. c. 8. § prima ratio B. Vsher serm Wansted p. 42. Vincent Lirinen siâ— contra haeres c. 3. Jn ipsa catholica ecclesia magnopere curandum est vt id teneamus quod vbique quod semper quod ab omnibus creditum est hoc est enim verè proprinque catholicum Ioan. Serran in Apparat. ad fidem call â—l edit Paris 1607. pag. 172. Vsher ib. pag. 59. See S. August libr. de fi de operibus cap. 9. Yea and that plainly enough saith the Iesuite Costerus 5 And to these belong also that Antiquity Vniuersality and Vnity which are so much spoken of and are vsually but most falsly applyed to the new additioÌ„s of the Roman Church as well as to these fundameÌ„tall principles to which onely they belong Vincentius Lirinensis saith well That is truely and properly Catholicke and to be held in the Catholicke Church whâ—ch in all places in all times and of all Christians hath beene and is beleeued And this saith Serranus a late learned man who hath written a full discourse of this argument is that doctrine against which the gates of Hell shall neuer preuaile and which the Father of lies by all his deuises and attempts could neuer yet nor euer shall abolish or foote out of the hearts of men This Antiquity Vniuersality or Catholicisme and this Vnity or Generall consent of Christian doctrine will neuer be found any where but in the essentiall substantiall and fundamentall points thereof 6 Saint Paul yet addeth these words Which is in Christ Iesus because he is the deepest Foundation root Author and finisher of our Faith and Loue of our future saluation and of our present gracious conuersation Other Foundation can no man lay saith the same Saint Paul 1. cor 3.11 Not that there need no other principles of Faith then those that concerne his person onely and directly for the Articles concerning God the Father the Holy Ghost the forgiuenesse of sinnes resurrection of the dead the last Iudgement c. haue their place in the Foundation Hebr. 6.1 â— but because Christ is the most especiall obiect of our Faith and the primary Foundation of all the other for they haue all reference vnto him being such as concerne either His Father or His spirit or His incarnation or His office of mediation or His Church or the speciall benefits which he hath purchased for it And also all the Articles as they build vs vpon the Foundation and as they incorporate vs into the mysticall Body or as they are meanes of our Iustification and life they looke vpon the sonne of God and him onely Also we must not onely know the originall cause of our saluation but also our need therof by knowledge of our originall and actuall sinnes which deserue damnation and the meanes to communicate this saluation vnto vs the Church the Ministery preaching sacraments and the dueties which we must do For rom 10.14 how can we know God or pray to him without beleeuing or beleeue without hearing or heare without preaching or haue preaching except Preachers be sent from God by meanes of the Church or know our duties without Gods comandments Mat. 15.9 Faith is necessary Rom. 4.14 gal 2.21 hebr 11.6 so is new birth Joh. 3.5 2. cor 5.17 Ioh. 13.8 Repentance luc 13.3 Deniall of our selues luc 9.23.24 c. §. 5. But how farre these Fundamentall principles which are absolutely necessare to saluation must extend is a Question of some difficulty The Apostles contented themselues in conuerting the Jewes to Christian Religion to teach them that Christ Iesus was the Sauiour of the world and that Saluation was to be had onely by Repentance from Dead works and Faith in him For that he was the very Messias foretold by the Patriarks and Prophets had died for our sinnes and rose againe for our Iustification They mentioned not God the Father Creator and Preseruer of the world nor the doctrine of the Trinity and other things which the hearers knew before without any new teaching being Jewes and well acquainted with the Olde Testament but presupposing they were grounded in these points before they layd the foundation of the New Testament to wit Saluation by Iesus Christ onely B. Vsher in his Sermon at Wansted 1624 And Bellarmin also lib. 4. de verbo Dei cap. 11. alleadge these examples to this purpose which when the people receiued and beleeued they presently baptized them and receiued them into the Congregation of Christs flocke Thus did Sant Peter Acts 2. and Acts 3. and Acts. 4.10 11 12. The like course was vsed by Phillip to
Purgatory Indulgence the doctrine of transubstantiation Communion of the Laity in one species priuate Masses and such like yet all this cannot proue yours to bee the true Church nor the Roman to bee false because yet you are defectiue in this That the Church being one onely true entire body of Iesus Christ you are seperate from it and will not be vnder the gouernment of that visible-hood which Christ hath appointed ouer it to wit the Bishop of Rome the successor of Saint Peter to whom is giuen the highest iurisdiction and gouernment of the whole Church vpon earth and the infallibility of iudgement to guide it right and keepe it from error so that they that are not vnder his gouernment and guidance are out of the Church in which saluation is to be found and no where else Neither can the things now vsed which were not vsed in the Primitiue Church any way nullifie or disgrace the Church since in the wisedome of him that is infallibly assisted by the holy Ghost for the guidance of the Church they are iudged profitable in these times which were not so necessary in former ages All inferiour and priuate spirits must submit to the iudgement of that Head whom Christ hath constituted ouer his Church and doth assist with his spirit that hee shall not erre That Saint Peter was made Prince and Head of the Apostles by our Sauiour Christ the Proofes are plaine in the Scriptures and Fathers Mat. 16.16 In the 16. of Saint Matthew when Saint Peter had confessed Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Christ answered Thou art Peter and vpon this Rocke will I build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against it To thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen to open and shut to bind and loose In the 21 of S. Iohn Christ saith to Peter Ioh. 21.15 Since thou louest mee more then these the rest of the Apostles Feed my Sheepe Be thou the generall Pastor ouer my whole flocke euen ouer the rest of the Apostles In the 22. of Saint Luke Christ saith I will pray for thee Peter that thy faith shall not faile Luk. 22.32 and when thou art conuerted strengthen thy Brethren Conformable to these Scriptures the Fathers doe ordinarily giue vnto Saint Peter the Primacy of the Apostles call him the Mouth the Chiefe the Top the Highest the Prince the President of the Apostles the head and foundation of the Church all which laid together and well considered doe proue such a prerogariue in Saint Peter that the Church taught and guided by him and his Successors shall neuer erre in matters of Faith and good life but bee infallibly lead into all truth that bringeth to holinesse and happinesse And this is not promised to Saint Peters person or for his life onely but to all his Successors when Christ promiseth to bee with them to the end of the world Mat. 28. in the last words Whereupon these things will follow 1 That the Church of Rome See the Relation of the Religion in the West parts pag. 15. now gouerned by S. Peters Successors is vndoubtedly the true Church of God deliuering and practising the true meanes of saluation and hath the prerogatiue to keepe men from erring in matters of Faith and from falling from God hath the keyes of heauen in custody to admit in by indulgence such as shall be saued and shut out by excommunication such as shall bee condemned so that in it there is a happy facility and without it an vtter impossibility of saluation 2 And consequently It is of the necessity to saluation that all particular Churches and all men be subiect to the Bishop thereof Christs Vicar and the visible head of the Catholike Church vpon earth and whosoeuer or what Nation or people soeuer are not subiect to him in spirituall things are no part of the Catholike Church of Christ §. 3. Antiquis Were all this true and substantiall it were able to charme all the world to be of your Church and to make the Pope absolute Lord of all And you do politikely to keep this point for your last refuge and final ground of all controuersies betwixt vs for if you can euict this you need no more If your Popes bee Saint Peters successors in all those things which you ascribe vnto Saint Peter and thereby haue full iurisdiction ouer the whole Christian world and cannot erre all is yours Stapleton principio doctr lib 6. cap. 2. Sanders Rocke of the Church Bristow Motiue 47. c. See Bellarm. letter to Blackwell there is an end of all controuersie and disputation And therefore your Chieftaines haue great reason to fortifie this piece with all the art and artillery their wit learning and power can afford them thereby to cut off all particular controuersies wherein they finde we are too strong for them This Gorgons head alone is able to affright the simple that they shall not beleeue their owne eyes or see your palpable corruptions or beleeue that any thing can be amisse with you be it neuer so foule and and manifest But alas deare friend I shall shew you plainely that all this is but an Imaginary Castle built in the Ayre without ground or foundation and that all your men stretch the Scriptures and the sayings of the Fathers farre beyond their meaning B. Iewel B. Bilson B. Morton B White D. Rainolds D. Field c. To answere their bookes and arguments punctually would aske too great time and be a needlesse labour because our Learned men haue done it sufficiently and often already But for your satisfaction I will shew you first what dignity the ancient Church hath yeelded to the Bishop of Rome Secondly that the Supremacy now claymed cannot be proued to bee giuen to Saint Peter either by the Scriptures or thirdly by the Fathers but coÌ„trary that both the Scriptures and Fathers are against it Fourthly that the true primacy and Prerogatiues of Saint Peter aboue the rest of the Apostles were personall and did not descend to his successors §. 3. 1. For the first Aeneas Syluius who was afterterwards made Pope Aeneas Syluius epist 288. Ante conciliuÌ„ Nicenâ—â— qu sque sibi viuebat paruus respectus habebatur ad ecclesiam Romanam and called Pius Secundus saith plainly that before the Councell of Nice 327. yeeres after Christ little respect was had to the Church of Rome yet was Rome the chiefe City of the world by reason of the Antiquity Magnificence Dominion and the residence of the Emperours there at that time The Apostles vsed to plant Churches in the chiefest Cities from whence the Gospell might best be propagated into the Countries adioyning Cities therefore were first Christians the people dwelling in Country Pagis Villis in Pages and Villages being not conuerted See D. Field Church book 5. epist to the Reader cap. 27. 30 31. were called Pagans or Infidels But for their
for the Faith of Christ contra Northumbrot infideles as your histories tell vs n Galfrid Monum hist lib. 1. cap. 12 13. In these latter times our Aduersaries reckon examples enow o Azorius Iesuita Institut moral part 1. lib. 8. cap. 20. §. Decimo quar of Greekes Armenians Ruthenians Aegyptians Aethiopians and other remote parts of the world which doe not acknowledge the Pope to bee their superiour no more than the Protestants doe And yet your Azorius a choyce man deliuering the doctrine of the Roman Church dare not affirme them to be heretikes but excuseth their opinions different from the Romists and cals them onely Schismatikes because they refuse the Roman superiority To say nothing of the Protestants whereof there are innumerable in Germany France Britaine Pelonia Dauid Bohemia Hungaria Heluetia Suetiâ— Silesia Morana Transiluania and other parts which in this age make the greater part of Christendome which all reiect the Roman Hierarchy as contrary to the Apostles doctrine and the Primitiue Church for many ages It may seeme strange that any man that hath any dram of Christian Charity or come of Christian salt in his heart should perswade himselfe or force his heart to thinke that so many learned Bishops of old time and Christians suffering Martyrdome for Christs sake and such infinite store of people of all nations in these latter ages professing Iesus Christs religion holding all points necessary to saluation and for them suffering losse of goods imprisonment banishment death and depriâ—ation of all earthly comforts besides it should cease to be Christians and become damned creatures onely because they will not become subiects to the Pope of Rome as to their superiour who as they are verily perswaded sitteth as Anrichrist in the Church of God abrogating many of Gods Lawes and establishing his owne Or shall they that in tendernesse of Conscience haue reformed many grosse abuses in life and errors in doctrine which had crept into the Latine Church bee condemnâ—d for reforming them and not communicating with him in his continued abuses though they hold all good things with him and refuse nothing which the Scriptures and pure Antiquity hath deliuered No my friend Be you Antiquus if you will and sticke to Hildebrands dictates broached eleuen hundred yeeres after Christ when Satan was newly loosed or to Boniface the eights decree 200. yeeres after Hildebrand for that is your greatest Antiquity I will bee Antiquissimus and hold the old Religion which the Apostles taught which the first Churches held the East the South the West the middle Churches yea all Churches euen the Roman Church it self for many hundred yeeres next after Christ according to which patterns the Protestants haue reformed their Churches in these latter ages as neere as was possible for them and make no more doubt of saluation therein then of the holy Fathers Saints and Martyrs of former times which reiected the Popes superiority and soueraignty as we doe CHAP. 7. Of the Popes infallible iudgement in guiding the Church by true doctrine § 1. It cannot be proued by Scriptures or Fathers or by the Analogy to the chiefe Priests of the old Testament § 2. Neither is such infallibility now necessary in any man § 3. But if in any man most improbably in the Popes whereof some haue been children and many most wicked men and monsters of men § 4. And many Popes haue erred De facto in Iudgement § 5. Which the Romists distinctions and euasions cannot auoyd § 6. The manifold and manifest Iudgement of Antiquity ouerthroweâ— this supposed infallibility For § I. The Ancients euer accounted the Pope fallible § II. And neuer in their writings mentioned their Infallibility § III. But reiected often both their iurisdiction and Iudgement § IIII. Which if they had beene established and beleeued the Fathers studies and commentaries vpon the Scriptures had beene in vaine § V. And Councels had beene called to no purpose §. 1. Antiquus SVppose the Popes claymed-supreme-gouernment ouer the whole Church cannot bee proued by Scriptures nor Fathers yet if he haue infallibility of iudgment in all points of heauenly doctrine we are bound to submit vnto him Antiquissimus Proue that hee hath such infallibility and we wiil submit to his iudgement Antiq. It is proued by the text a Be lar de Rom Pont. lib. 4 cap. 3. Luk. 22.31 32. Simon Simon Behold Sathan hath desired to winnow you like wheat but I haue prayed for thee that thy Faith should not fayle and when thou art conuerted Strengthen thy brethren Antiquis These words are no way appliable to Peters successors except you will haue them first deny Christ outwardly though faith fayle not in their heart and secondly conuert and afterward strengthen their brethren Else these things are proper to Peter who indeed was so grieuously tempted by Sathan that in that triall through the extremity of feare he denied Christ and that with bitter imprecations but yet by vertue of Christs prayer he denied him not by infidelity the perswasion of his heart remayned the same it was before then repenting bitterly for his outward Apostacy and receiuing the sweetnesse of Gods mercy in forgiuing conuerting and strengthening him hee was able and fit to strengthen his brethren to preuent their like fals or restore them after their fals by hope of the like mercy Thus your Iesuite b Sa Iesuita schol in Luk. 22 id est sicut ego orando te prote i inquit interlinearis glassa ne deficeres sictu infiâ—miores sratres exemplo tuae poenitentiae consorta ne de veâ—ia desperent Seâ— Ar as Mortanus Aquinas Catena on this place Sa interprets this place truely alleadging the interlineall glosse for it And thus doth c Theophylact. vpon Luk. 22. Theophylact also attributing the confirmation of his brethren not to Peters constancy in the true Faith but to his sence of Gods tender mercy recalling and recouering him by which he was able to strengthen the weaâ—e to comfort the sorrowfull to confirme the doubtfull and to rayse them vnto assured hope of finding mercy that otherwise were ready to despaire For who will not be confirmed saith the same Theophylact by Peter in the comfortable perswasion of Gods gracious mercy to repentant sinners that seeth him whom Christ had so much hoâ—oured after so shamefull and execrable fault of Abnegation of his louing Master the Lord of life not onely receiued to mercy but restored to the dignity of the prime and chiefe Apostle Bellarmine bringeth some reasons and allegations to proue those words of Luk. 22 to make for Saint Peters and his successors infallibility but all farre too weake to proue his purpose See them fully examined and answered by D. Field d D. Field Church booke 5 chap. 42. who answers also the other allegations of Mat. 16.18 Vpon this Rocke I will build my Church and of Iohn 21.15 16 17. Feed my sheepe seed my lambes Vpon which the infallibility of the
many great men and Bb. were alienated from him which bred so great troubles in the Empire and proceeded so farre that the Princes of Germany meant to create another Emperour if Henry were not absolued by the Pope from his curse Whereupon hee was compelled sore against his will to goe and submit himselfe to the Pope and finding the Pope at Canusium put off his kingly robes and waited three daies barefoot in very cold weather at the Popes gate crauing pardon for his deeds a spectacle to men and Angels and a mocking stock to his proud enemies At last by mediation of the Empresse his mother Matildis his kinswoman and at the earnest intreaty of all his people crying for pitty with much difficulty hee obtained absolution from his Anathema This storme thus blowne ouer raysed another for many condemned Henry for basenesse in himselfe and wrong to them whom he had brought into trouble and now made his peace with their enemy so bad a man an enemy to all religion and goodnesse when hee should haue beene a protector of his friends and followers and a reuenger of Ecclesiasticall lawes violated Thus the Princes and Bishops of Italy raised hatred to the Emperour with purpose to chuse Henries sonne though young and to goe with him to Rome and to set vp another Pope who should presently consecrate the Emperour and nullifie all the acts of this apostate Pope This Caesar hearing of sent to appease their minds excusing all by necessity and promising henceforward to right all things amisse But Caesars enemies chose Rodulph Duke of Sueuia to bee King of Romans taking order that the Empire should thenceforward goe by election and not succession Whereupon grew mighty troubles Nation against Nation Bishops against Bishops euery one thinking they were in the right Henries side as Emperour by birth and long continuance Rodulphs side as autorized to kill the excommunicate and all his fauourers For the Pope had againe vpon new discontentments excommunicated Henry and all his fauourers and sent a Crowne to Rodulph with this inscription Petra dedit Petro Petrus diadema Rodulpho This Rodulphus after some bloody battels with Henry at last lost his right hand and being brought to Mersburge said to the Bishops and great men present that this was a iust punishment due to his periury because with that hand he had sworne feaulty to his Lord and at their perswasion had broken it Henry then hastens towards Rome with his army to regaine the Popes fauour but being denyed it except hee would resigne his Crowne and Empire into the Popes hands he besieged the City and did much harme to it and to the Country about for two yeeres at last the good Pope that had brought them all into misery and danger left them wrapped therein and fled and the people repenting their rebellion with much money purchased that the City should not bee destroyed Henry enters shewes openly the iniuries of the Pope causeth a new Pope Clemens to bee elected by whom Henry was consecrated Emprrour with the good liking of all and hauing established all things well departed into Germany Anno 1085. B. Carâ—ton iurisd c. 7. §. 105. Sigebert anno 1085. Florent Wigorniens anno 1084. Math. Paris anno 1086 Specul historial lib. 25. cap. 82. And Hildebrand wandring like a vagabond without comfort without help without hope though brought to a most pittifull estate yet pittied of no man trauelling vnder the vnsupportable burthen of a restlesse conscience he died for griefe at Salernuâ— confessing that hee had greatly sinned in the Pastorall charge committed vnto him and by the Diuels perswasion had stirred vp hatred and wrath against mankind This was the end of Hildebrand whom the Germans alluding both to his name and conditions called Hell-brand the Dutch tongue and the English sounding much alike as if he were a firebrand fetcht from Hell to kindle a fire in the Church to consume temporall estates which is not yet quenched Antiq. The euill liues of some few Popes is a Theame that you Protestants take great pleasure in speaking of and wee Catholikes exercise our patience in vnwilling hearing of it I assure you I haue suffered much in holding out to heare this your discourse Antiquis Good friend we should not onely patiently but diligently and gladly heare try and examine out the truth in matters of such weight Antiq. But I make a question whether your relation be the truth or no for learned Baronius and many other Catholiks doe much praise Pope Gregory 7. and account him a Saint Antiquis For the truth of my relation I cite your owne Authours who liued and wrote in those times or neere vnto the times wherein the things were done who set downe the whole substance of the story and it is not reasonable to thinke that late writers men of yesterday such as Baronius knew the truth of these things better then they But that the Italians and moderne Catholikes doe much commend Gregory I maruell not It behoues them to say with Demetrius and the craftsmen of Ephesus Acts 19. Sirs you know that by this meanes by the Popes Supremacy and the mainetayners thereof we haue our liuing our wealth and honour let vs cry downe this Paul and all that speake against it and still perswade the world that Great is Diana of the Romans §. 6. Antiq. Well I let passe your mirth and will suppose that some of the Popes liues haue beene very faulty but the faults of the person must not take away the good vse of the office This height of Supremacy might be of excellent vse to knit all Christian Princes in perfect vnity amity not only to liue happily among theÌ„ selues but to ioyne all their forces together against the common enemy the Turke And while the Pope was in reuerend esteem and authority with Christian Princes many worthy matters were performed and much more might haue beene done had it not been thwarted Antiquis You speake by imagination and fancy what might bee done but reade the histories of the Emperours Princes and Popes liues and see what was doâ—e and you shall finde all contrary to your imagination Our late learned and iudicious King Iames shewes by the issue and euent that the expeditions to Ierusalem were a deuice and inuention of the Pope K. James his Remonstrance to Peron p. 61. whereby he might come to be infeoffed in the kingdomes of Christian Princes for then all such of the French English or Germans that vndertooke the Croisado became the Popes meere vassals all robbers adulterers and bankrupts once crossed on their Cassoks or Coat-armors were exempted from the secular or ciuill power and their causes sped in consistorian courts whole Countries were emptied of their Nobles common souldiers the Nobles were driuen to sel their goodly Manors and ancient demeanes to the Church men at vnder prices the very meanes of Church and Church-mens reuenues growing to so great height And then his bountifull holinesse
of ioyning with the Emperour and Easterne Christians against the Saracens directly tooke occasion to disable them against the Saracens and to encrease the scandall for his owne priuate ends to the great ruine of the Empire and hurt to all Christendome Now he saw the Empire decayed in the West and by the Saracens sore shaken in the East and encombred also with a ciuill warre and the greatest part of Italy seized vpon by the Lombards the Exarchate of Rauenna and the Dutchy of Rome onely left to the Emperour and those but weakely guarded now he thought was the time for him to play his prizes he gripes the occasion cals a Councell declares the Emperour heretike for defacing holy Images forbids his Rescripts or Coyne to be receiued or to goe currant in Rome and his Statue or Armes to stand in the Temple The tumult groweth to height promoted principally by the Pope and the Exarch of Rauenna loseth his life But this tumult at last being appeased and Rome for ought the Pope could doe remaining firme to the Emperour about twelue yeeres after Palmerius ebrâ— anno 726. when the Emperour Leo Isauricus began sharpely to prosecute Image-worshippers Pope Gregory the second seeing him haue his hands full elsewhere and Rome weakely guarded with men and munition found meanes by helpe of the Lombards to make the people rebell and so the Pope quickly became master thereof And saith Nauclerus Such authority then had the Popes decrees that first the Rauennates Naucler 2. gen 25. B. â—arâ—ton iurisdiction c. 6. §. 7. after that the Venetians did rayse an open rebellion against the Emperour and this rebellion proceeded so farre that euery City and Towne put downe the Emperours Exarches and created proper Magistrates to themselues whom they called Dukes and thus as at a great shipwracke euery man catches a piece so euery City made her owne Duke and the Pope was carefull that his part should not be the least Not long after this Ado Viennensis in Chronico Trithemius Annals when the Cities of Italy began to prey one vpon another the stronger vpon the weaker and the Pope and the Lombards being the strongest of all who had agreed in conspiring against the Emperour now fell out about diuiding of the spoyle the Pope hauing made vse of the Lombards to oppresse the Emperour vseth still the same Art to call in Pepin the Constable of France into Italy to suppresse the Lombards and settle the Pope in that which both had gotten from the Emperour Anno 742. which was done And shortly after the States and Peeres of France by the counsell of Zachary the Pope put downe King Childerike as a man too weake to gouerne and made Pepin King of France Thus the power which the BB. of Rome had receiued of the Emperor and other Christian Kings they now turned against them as the Iuy that is supported and riseth aloft by the Oake in the end decayes and spoyles the Oake it selfe This was a great steppe to the Popes Supremacy but yet it was not come to the height Emperours were not yet deposed by Popes not cut downe but some of their branches cut and pruned off B. Carlton ib. cap. 6. §. 13. And Charles the sonne of Pepin who still further subdued the Lombards enioyed the power by the Popes kinde grant which ancient Emperours held before him to chuse Popes and inuest Archbishops and Bishops in all the prouinces of his gouernment Sanders l. â— de clauib Dauid But of this strange purchase of Rome by the Popes from the Emperours D. Sanders writes that it is to be accounted one of the greatest wonders of the world that the Roman Bishops without any power or armies haue remoued the Roman Emperours from the Tower of the Empire and made themselues Lords of the Pallaces of Caesars and turned the whole City into their owne power Indeed it is a wonder that men pretending holinesse peace comfort and blessings to the world should vse such wicked detestable rebellious treasonous courses to depriue their Soueraignes of their Rights Cities Lands and Honours by such audacious fraud and damnable policies §. 10. Of Gregory 7. that first attempted absolutely to depose Kings I haue spoken before It seemes he tooke heart at the successe of his Predecessors to goe beyond them seeing Leo Iconomachus as they called him the warriour against Images cast downe and Childerike of France cast downe and K. Pepin set in his place From these and such like facts other Popes and especially Gregory 7. deriued a Ius a right and from these workes of darknesse tooke light making them the rules of their vnruly gouernment and therefore after this the world could neuer take rest for the Popes Then the Kings set vp in place of the deposed must needs bee firme to the Pope and so must others that hoped by the Popes authority to enlarge their dominions and encroach vpon others and they againe must be honoured by the Pope and one mutually support another how bad soeuer the liues either of Popes or Princes were and thus the best minded quiet and best were beaten downe and one Tyrant strengthened another Sir Iohn Hayward reckons vp a number of Popes Sr. Iohn Hayâ— Supremacy p. 56. seq that raised other Princes or Subiects against their own Emperours or Soueraignes Iohn the 3. raised Berengar and Adalbar against Otho the Great Iohn 18. raysed Crescentius against Otho 3. Benedict 9. stirred Peter K. of Hungary against Henry the blacke Gregory 7. Rodulph against Henry 4. Gelasius 12. raised many against Henry 5. Innocent 2. set Roger the Norman against Lothaire 12. The same Innocent raised Guelphus of Bauier against Conrade 3. Hadrian 4. raised Millan and the other Lombards against Frederike Barbarossa Alexander 3. stirred the Dukes of Saxony and Austria to disquiet Almaine Innocent 3. thrust Otho D. of Saxony into bloody warre against Philip brother to Henry 6. Pope Honorius 3. raysed the Lombards against Frederike 2. Clemens 5. opposed Robert King of Sicilie against Henry 7. Iohn 22. opposed Frederike of Austrich and Lewes of Baâ—ier to fight for the Empire Clemens 6. opposed Charls 4. King of Bohemia against the said Lewes Eugenius 4. raised tragedies against Sigismond specially to impeach the Councell of Basil Paul 2. raised stirres against Fredericke 3. to chase him out of Italy When eight Emperours had beene scorched with excommunications of the Popes and their dominions set on fire and potent enemies enflamed against them and many of them consumed the rest afterwards grew coole and were content with what holy water the Popes vouchsafed to sprinckle vpon them those eight were Frederik 1. Frederik 2. Philip Conrade Otho the fourth Lewes of Bauaria Henry 4 and Henry 5. §. 11. Antiq. I am glad yet that these troubles reached not to our English Kings Antiquis If you thinke they did not you are much deceiued Reade our histories and enforme your selfe better you shall finde
Kings and discharging their subiects of their alleagiance fidelity and obedience dissoluing gouernment and filling kingdomes with warres and miseries begunne by Hildebrand and still continued by his successors Obserue secondly out of the story of King Iohn Mat. Westmonast Flores loco quo supra pag. 95. K. Iamâ—s Remonstr p. 58. That this successor of Peter fished not for soules but for kingdomes euen with the destruction of millions of soules if your owne doctrine be true for he caused the whole land to be interdicted and so to continue six yeeres fourteene weekes and two dayes plaguing all this while the whole body of the land for the head the Kings offence a point of iniustice with a heauy spirituall plague for a light temporall offence a point of impiety For al this while the Church-dores through the whole kingdome were shut vp no belles stirred no prayers preaching Sacraments permitted Children kept vnbaptized bodies vnburied all people accursed liuing like heathens dying like dogs without instruction exhortation consolation and all that dye thus vnder the curse of the Interdict without some speciall indulgence or priuiledge are thought for euer damned and adiudged to eternall punishments as dying out of the communion of the Church Alas how many millions of soules did this Innocent the Pope wilfully send to hell in this large kingdome of England and Wales in this large time of aboue six yeeres for anothers offence for what could they doe or what offended they poore people if the King would not be ruled by the Pope Nay they offended the King also and incurred much danger and dammage by falling from their obedience for the Popes sake and yet are thus recompensed by him Are these the actions of the Vicar of Christ to saue soules or rather of Antichrist to destroy them Is this the kinde Father of the Church K. Iames ib. p. 257. But obserue further thirdly how these pretended successors of Saint Peter change their spirituall power into temporall for their worldly gaine and greatnesse and change Christs Kingdome which was not of this world into the winning and disposing of the kingdomes of this world and make the pennance of sinners the forfeiture of their estates Is this the satisfaction to be imposed vpon a sinner that of a Soueraigne and free Prince he must become vassall to his Ghostly Father and make himselfe and all his subiects tributary to a Bishop that shall rifle the whole Nation of their coyne and make them doe him homage Shall not a sinner be quitted of his faults except he be turned out of all his goods possessions inheritance and his Pastor be infeoffed in his whole estate Is this holinesse or is it not plaine tyranny and robbery It is plainely to heape robbery vpon fraud and tyranny vpon robbery and to change the sinners repentance into a snare or pitfâ—ll of coozening deceit And as the end is naught so the meanes is worse to bring it to passe by such subtill pranks and wicked deuices as not to sticke at setting a whole flourishing kingdome on fire by warres and seditions not to care what becomes of mens estates of their bodies liues or soules but bring them all to ruine so that the kingdome may be weakened and the King brought to so low a degree of misery that hee may be easily lifted out of his estate and the kingdome seized vpon Of King Henry the thirds reygne See before booke 1. cap. 6. sect 14. Reade also Math Paris Math. Westminster in Henr. 3. B. Carlton of Iurisdiction exhausted of treasure and scourged of his subiects by the Popes most intollerable exactions which caused the people to wish rather to dye than to liue to endure them I haue spoken something already and can say much more §. 12. Antiq. This is enough for me and for this matter more than enough But it may be in these latter times of greater light and opposition the Popes haue beene more moderate and become more like to their first Ancestors Antiquis Neuer a whit See before Booke 1. cap. 5. §. 3. consider 6. haue I not told you before of K. Henry 8. who though he continued the Popes religion entire yet for reiecting his iurisdiction was condemned by the Pope excommâ—nicated pronounced no King his subiects commanded to deny subiection to him and all men to take armes against him c. The like course the Pope hath runne agaynst our late most excellent Princes Queene Elizabeth and King Iames. For I will passe by the mischiefes done in other Countries and the murders of the two last Kings of France the troubles of our owne kingdome will hold me long enough Camden Annal. Elizab. p. 27. By the happy abolishing of the Popes authority by Queene Elizabeth England became the most free of all Countries in the world the Scepter being as it were manumitted from forraign seruitude and a great masse of mony kept at home which formerly was exhausted and yeerely and daily carried to Rome for first fruits Indulgences Appeales Dispensations Palles and such other things so that the land grew much more rich than in former ages The Popes could not be insensible of their losse this way besides all other and conceiuing some hopes of recouery by encouraging persons discontented with this mutation B. Car ton thankfull remembrance pag 13 See the Bull of Pius 5. in Camdens Annals pag. 183. in the eleuenth yeere of her reigne Pope Pius the fifth excommunicated her deposed her by his Bull dated anno 1569. quinto Calend. Mart. thereby also absoluing her subiects from their oath of alleagiance and from all other offices and duties accursing all that did obey her This was done to procure a strong party in England to ioyne with the Pope and Spaniard in their designe for the inuasion and conquering of England when their forces should bee ready Camden ib. pag. For the Papists in the Land were so strangely perswaded and bewitched as to admire with astonishment a certaine omnipotency in the Pope and that his Bulles were dictated by the holy Ghost and that they in executing them and in murdering their Princes should doe meritorious acts very acceptable to God and dying therein should become glorious Martyrs and haue higher places in heauen than other men See Camden Annales Elizabethae p. 315. p. 348. in fine anni 1581. To gayne more people of all sorts Noble Gentle inferiours to their faction and to gull them with such false opinions the Pope out of his Seminaries at Rome and Rhemes sent out yeerely a number of Priests disguised into England to grope and peruert the hearts of men secretly and wickedly telling them that the Pope had supreme power ouer the whole world yea euen in politike affayres that such as were not of the Roman Religion were to be depriued of all regall power and dignity that it was lawfull yea and a meritorious work to depose Princes excommunicated by the Pope that the
and at their pleasure changed the Seas gaue Bishoprickes and brought their louers or Harlots Amasios suos into Saint Peters seat as false popes that in those times Christ slept in the ship which was ouerwhelmed with the waues and there was none to awaken him For bad popes set vp bad Cardinals bad Bishops bad Priests as nothing is more common then for like to beget his like And for the liues of the Romish Religious in generall Gerbertus said The Gerbert epist 40. Romanorum mores mundus perhorrescit citat ab Vsserio cap. 2. § 32 33. Romans manners are abhorred of the world Werner fasc temp aetat 6. circa an 944. Sanctitatem Papas dimisisse ad Jmperatores accessisse Wernerus that holinesse had forsaken the popes and betooke it selfe to the Emperours Cameracensis Petrus de Alliaco Cardinal s Cameracensis De Reform Eccle Ad hunc statum venit Ecclesia vt non esset digna Regi nisi per Reprobot Vsher c. 7. §. 7. The Church of Rome is come to this state that it is not worthy to bee gouerned but by Reprobates Naâ—ele vol. 3. geâ—cra 39. pag. 220. Nauclerus reports out of Joannes Flatzboricosis that pope Adrian 4 said No man was more wretched then the pope of Rome and Onuph de Vitis Pontifâ—n vita Marcell 2. addit ad Pla inam pa 359. Onuphrius testifieth that Marcellus sitting one day at dinner after long silence remembring the words of Adrian 4 speaking of the troublesome bitter and miserable liues of the popes and the difficulties of managing their estates at last striking his hand vpon the table said Non vidio quomodo qui hunc locumallissimum tenont salvari possunt I see not how those that hold this high place of the popedome can be saued As if there were a necessity imposed vpon the pope to be a wicked man that his place required it and that otherwise he could not maintaine his estate This Genebrard chrono lib. 4. pag. 753. Marcellus liued anno 1555. In our Queene Maries time and dyed the 22 day of his popedome not without suspition of poyson as Genebrard saith because some doubted hee would proue too good Quod nimbum rectus quibusdam futurus videretur Guicci ardin lib. 16. pag. 586. lat edit Basil 1567. Tunc in Pontifice probitas laudatur cum caeterorum hominum nequitiam non excedit Guicciardine describing the dissembling and vnpriestly prankes of pope Leo the tenth who began his raigne anno 1513 saith he was counted a good Prince for then honesty is praised in a pope when he exceeds not all other men in wickednesse Sarith in Policratic lib. 6. cap. 24. Vsher de statu suc Eccl. cap. 7. § 6. Joannes Sarisburiensis saith The Church of Rome shewes her selfe Not a Mother but a stepmother There sit the Scribes and Pharises laying heauy burdens on mens shoulders but touch them not with their least finger There Iustice Piety and Verity are set to sale They hurt most commonly and herein they imitate the deuils which then are thought to doe well when they cease to doe no hurt except a few which performe the name and office of Pastors Yea euen the Roman Bishop himselfe is grieuous to all and almost intollerable Thus write their owne Authors Pope Gregory the 7. So saith Onuphrius in vita Greg 7. Aventine Otto Frisingensis Gotfridus Viturbiensis Trithemius Sigebert and many other Catholicke historians See their allegations and words at large in B. Vshers booke De Eccles successione statu cap. 5. alias Hildebrand who liued in the tenth Age and began his raigne anno 1073. when Sathan was let loose Reu. 20.7 was the first that set vp the popes earthly kingdome instead of Christs Heauenly and raised it in wealth Maiesty and authority aboue all secular Princes and Emperours which their successors haue continually encreased mauger the world mauger the Emperours and haue brought into subiection both hie and low terrifying all with their thunders and embroyling the Christian world with insurrections warres and miserable vexations setting the subiects against their Princes sonnes against their fathers and making the Christian world worse then the Heathen a very Shambles of Christian blood Very many saith Aventine Plerique cryed out against Hildebrand and cursed him saying That vnder the Title of Christ he acted the businesse of Antichrist and ouerthrew Peace and Piety and to hide his execrable ambition deuised Fables corrupted Histories and adulterated the very Scriptures interpreting them falsly to serue his owne affections Sir Iohn Hayward of Supremacy pag. 61. he made blinde people beleeue that it was not sufficient to know and embrace the Catholicke faith vnlesse it were with subiection to the Pope and that all that fought against the Pope drew their swords against heauen and maâ—e offer like those Giants of whom the Poets write to scale the skies and to pull God out of his throne And that to fight for the Pope euen against their owne gouernours and naturall Princes whom the pope iudged to be his enemies was to fight for the Church and for God was a meritorious worke and the most sure vndoubted way to heauen When this opinion was once planted in euery state by that opinion any state might be supplanted Hist of the Councell of Trent lib 5. pag. 437. It was well obserued by the Chancellor in an Assembly of the States of France at Orleance that Religion is the potent weapon ouercommeth affâ—ctions and charity and is the surest bond of humane society that Kingdomes are more bounded and more diuided by Religion then by the Confines themselues that he that is moued with Religion contemneth wife children and kinred This he said of Religion whether it be true or false The more potent weapon Religion is the greater care is to be had that people be instructed in right and true opinions For where people haue beene rightly instructed they haue for conscience sake obeyed their Princes Rom. 13 5. and princes haue preuailed against many popes Sigebert anno 1088. Haec sola nouitas redicam haresis nec dum in mundo emerserat c. Vsher ib. c. 5. § 3 But when the popes had setled that strange nouâ—ty or rather intollerable heresie in the hearts of men that subiects owe no subiection to euill princes to wit whom the popes account eu ll and though they haue sworne fidelity vnto them yet they owe none neither are periured that fight against the King but they must be taken for Excommunicants that doe not sight against him at the popes command and doing so are absolued from all sinne of iniustice and periury and doe highly merit at Gods hand when this I say is settled in mens hearts the popes may vnsettle and ouerthrow what prince and state they list They neen no other Armies not treasure while they haue mens consciences at their commands let them but thunder out their threats and Excommunications of such as disobey them and set their Agents to publish