against our religion out of the Creed which as you haue seene consisteth wholly vpon his owne forced exposition and vaine illations R. ABBOT That our profession of saith in the Creed importeth a particular application of those things which we beleeue Romission of sinnes is beleeued not wrought hath beene sufficiently declared a Sect. 3. before in the question of the certainty of saluation M. Bishop referreth his Reader to that question as hauing there iustified what he saith heere but with what face can he so doe before he hath made it appeare that he is able to defend what he hath said there What exceptions he hath vsed there the same he vseth heere he giueth them no further strength he cleereth them not from those answers whereby hath beene shewed the inualidity of them but goeth on with his cuckowes note saying ouer and ouer still one and the same thing But his adding of conditions is the destroying of the nature of true faith which when it professeth to beleeue the remission of sinnes doth therby disclaime the working of it resting vpon Gods promise b Agust in Psal 88. Non sâ—cundiâ—m merita nostra sed secundùm miserecordiam eius firma est promissio which as S. Austin saith is sure not according to our merits but according to his owne mercy c Iere. 31.34 I will forgiue their iniquities and their sinnes wil I remember no more His sacrament of penance we know not because Christ hath not taught it but the true Sacraments which Christ hath ordained are to the faithfull repentant not workes of merit whereby they purchase but seales and confirmations of Gods gift whereby hee freely bestoweth the remission of sinnes As for the keeping of Gods commandements we say with S. Iohn He that saith he knoweth him that is as Gregory Bishop of Rome expoundeth it d Gregor in Ezechiel hom 22. De fide operatione Ioannes fatetur dicens Qui dicit se nosse deum c. he that saith he beleeueth in him keepeth not his commandements is a liar and there is no truth in him e Rom. 7.12 The commandement is holy and iust and good and f Heb. 12.14 without holinesse no man shall see God But the keeping of Gods commandements is one thing according to the condition of the law another according to the precept and exhortation of the Gospell The Gospell fauourably commendeth vnto vs the keeping thereof as a fruit of faith the law strictly requireth it as the condition of eternall life The Gospell admitteth forgiuenesse of that that by humane frailty is left vndone the law is neuer satisfied vnlesse g Gal. 3.10 all be done Therefore if the beleefe of out obteining eternall life must rest vpon our workes according to the law we can neuer haue assurance of faith because we can neuer finde sufficiency and contentment in our owne works It followeth therefore that to build the faith of the Gospell vpon the workes of the Law is to confound the Law and the Gospell and to destroy the truth of faith h Rom. 4.14 If they which are of the law be heires saith the Apostle then faith is made voide and the promise is made of none effect But i v. 16. therefore it is of faith that it may be of grace and therefore k Rom. 11.6 not of workes and the promise may be sure to all the seed that is to all that beleeue according to the example of Abrahams faith Now then whereas M. Bishop saith that he beleeueth to haue life euerlasting if hee keepe the commandements that is no beleefe at all because he cannot keepe the commandements as is required for couenant of eternal life Whereas he telleth vs that he may haue a very good hope by Gods grace to performe them his owne heart telleth him that he saith vntruely because he knoweth himselfe debarred from that hope by God himselfe by whose words we are taught that l Eccles 7.22 there is not a man iust in the earth that doth good and sinneth not and that m Iames 3.2 in many things we offend all and that n Psal 143.2 in Gods sight no man liuing shall bee found righteous Therefore amidst all our keeping of Gods commandements amidst all our fightings and wrastlings against sinne we stil hold fast that confession that the iust euen the iust shall liue by faith because all our iustice in this life is maimed and halting and o August de ciu det lib. 19. cap. 27. Ipsa iustitia nostra tanta est in hac vita vt potiùs remissione peccatoruÌ„ constet quà m prefectione virtutum consisteth rather in forgiuenesse of sinnes than in perfection of vertues It remaineth therefore that true faith is the apprehension and particular application of the promise of God expecting the effect and participation thereof not for any workes of ours but for his owne mercies sake Of which faith it followeth indeed that we turne from our sinnes and conforme our will to Gods will and abide in the lap of the Catholike church but these are effects and not causes of that state of saluation which we attaine by faith onely Saint Austin therefore requiring these things doth not shake his owne assertion of particular faith whereby he teacheth a man as M. Perkins sheweth to beleeue as touching himselfe the remission of sinnes the resurrection of the body and euerlasting life As for the contradiction which M. Bishop noteth in M. PER. words it is more in his conceit than it is indeed He saith heere that the act of faith is particularly to apply he saith elsewhere that faith notwithstanding doth not alwaies attaine to a distinct application by formall proposition but that it is sometimes inuolued and inlapped in sighes and grones in desires and praiers to God which cannot be without an expectance of Gods goodnesse and mercy and yet a perplexed and trouled minde by questioning it selfe cannot see so much in it selfe He saith againe that some define faith generally to be a certaine and full perswasion which he calleth so high a reach as few can attaine vnto because as there is strong faith to perswade certainely and fully so there is also weake faith which apprehendeth and perswadeth comfortably but yet not with fulnesse and vndoubted certainty He saith nothing heere contrary to this because whether it be strong faith to apply strongly or weake faith to apply weakely yet both serue in their degree particularly to apply It is then M. Bishops want of vnderstanding heere that maketh him to mistake not M. PER. heate of quarrelling that maketh him to forget But now to shew what Saint Austins opinioÌ„ is concerning these matters of beleefe he bringeth vs two sentences the one to shew that by ordinary faith a man cannot bee certaine of his saluation the other that a man once truely iustified may afterwards finally fal away both tending to this that a man cannot be said by the
do not beleeue the one Catholike Church because they doe as well not beleeue it as beleeue it And as for the communion of Saints their learned Masters doe commonly cassier it out of the Creed and that not without cause For by the Saints vnderstanding as the Apostles did all good Christans whether aliue or departed this world they that deny praier to Saints and for the soules in Purgatory haue reason to reiect the common society and enter course that is betweene the Saints and the mutuall honour and help which such good Christian soules doe yeeld and afford one to another R. ABBOT The holy Catholike church which wee beleeue in the Creed being the communion of Saints is onely one The Catholike Church only one which is the body of Christ whereof all the faithfull are members being ioyned into this society by one spirit Visible and Inuisible being but circumstances cannot argue any multiplication of the church because the inuisible church importeth all them and them only who are the true members in their time of the visible church For in the visible church the name of the church properly belongeth to them onely who liue by faith and by the spirit of Christ the rest are not members but a August in 1 Ioan. epist tract 3. Sic sunt in corpore Christi quomodo humores mali as euill humours in the body which wait their time to be purged out In the meane time because all professe to seeke Christ and to serue him and our eies cannot distinguish betwixt them that truely doe so and them that doe not therefore visibly and to vs all goe together vnder the name of the church though many there be hypocrites and time seruers who with God and to his sight are no part thereof So then the church visible and inuisible in substance are the same they differ only in respect and M. Bishop knoweth that respects change not the natures of things and therefore those different respects doe nothing hinder but that the church in nature is alwaies one As touching the holinesse of the church M. Bishop in the deliuering of our opinion keepeth his woont He saith The holines of the church imputatiue and reall that we imagine it to be holy by the imputation of Christs holinesse to the elected brethren and not by the infusion of the holy Ghost into the hearts of all the faithful Whereas we doe not imagine only but by the word of God beleeue and know that the church and all the members thereof are holy not onely iudicially by the imputation of Christs holines but also really by the infusion of the holy Ghost begun in this life by b Rom. 8.23 the first fruits of the spirit and fully to be perefected when the promise of Christ shall be fullfilled c Mat. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shal be satisfied Againe he excepteth against vs that we cannot abide the name Catholike in the true sense of it Of the true sense of the name Catholike But what is that true sense That is saith hee they will not beleeue the true church to haue beene alwaies visibly extant since the time of the Apostles But what ancient father did euer set this downe for the true sense of the name Catholike If any let him be brought foorth If none why doth he contrary to his owne prescription introduce a new exposition of an article of our beleefe Cyril in his Catechisme bringeth in all the meanings of the name Catholike that he could learne that the church is so called for that d Cyril Hierosci Catechis 18. Illuminat Catholica vocatur quia per vntuersum sit orâ—em terrarum diffusa c. Et quia doret Catholicè hoc est vniuersalitèr sine vllo defectu vel differentia omnia dogmata quae deberent venire in cognitionem c Et quòd omne genus hominum ipè subiugat et quia in vniuersum curat omne genus peccatorum c. hab turque in illa omne genus virtutis c. it is vniuersally spread thorow the whole world for that it teacheth vniuersally all doctrines that are to be known for that it subiecteth to it alkinde of men for that it healeth all kinde of sinnes for that it hath in it all kind of vertues but of M. Bishops meaning that it should be alwaies visibly extant he had learned nothing Surely S. Ambrose saith e Ambros Hexaem lib. 3. cap. 2. Ecclesia habet tempora sua persecutionis pacis videtur sicut luna deficere sed non deficit obumbrari potest deficere non potest The church hath her times of persecution and peace it seemeth as the Moone to faile but it faileth not it may be ouershadowed but vtterly faile it cannot If the church may be as the Moone so ouershadowed by persecution as not to be seene then it is not necessary to be alwaies visibly extant and if that be not necessary then M. Bishop hath plaied heere the false merchant to tell vs that the church is therefore called Catholike because it is alwaies visibly extant Albeit there is somewhat also to be obserued concerning the name of the true church that we may speake to that time of the visibility of the church which M. Bishop specially intendeth For if wee call that the true Church which truely hath the outward vocation and calling of the church then we deny not but that the church in the time of Antichrist must bee and hath beene alwaies visibly extant because Antichrist was to possesse and hath possessed the visible state of the church But if by the true church we meane those members of the church which are truely correspondent to the vocation and calling of the church in faith and obedience vnto God then the true church is not alwaies visible because the greater part being the woorse doth many times oppresse the better and weaker part and proudly carrying it selfe in the opinion and confidence of it selfe persecuteth and driueth into corners all them that gainesay their traditions and wilworships which by their owne authority they establish to delude thereby and frustrate the word of God And thus we say that the true church in the time of the exaltation of Antichrist was in a sort inuisible the publike state of the church yeelding it selfe in thraldome to his tyranny and persecuting the true members of the church who disclaiming his obedience sought to keepe themselues entire and faithfull vnto God Whereas hee further addeth for the notation of the name Catholike that the church was so called as being generally spred into all countries we willingly acknowledge the same as being before acknowledged by the ancient church and defended against the Donatists who by other expositions sought to draw the name vnto themselues as the Papists now doe Onely wee adde that caution which Bellarmine himselfe hath deliuered as necessary for himselfe that f Beliarm
death confessed that all his life he had doubted of three things whereof now he should be resolued whether there were a God whether the soule be immortall and whether there be any life after this life as Iulius the third who commanded to bring him his Porke in despight of God as Leo the tenth who made but a fable and a toy of all that we beleeue concerning Christ Many other of them haue there been of the same stampe most damnable villaines the very monsters of mankind vtterly deuoid of all remorse and conscience of piety towards God and thereby giuen ouer to all dissolutenesse and abomination of wicked and finfull life From them and their appendants hath this poison spred it selfe not only into the whole Court and City of Rome but into all Italy insomuch that in the Italian tongue the name of f Hespinian de Origine Monachatus lib. 6. c. 66. a Christian is by custome growen to signifie a foole M. Bishop well knoweth what the curse of the Wolfe is a most horrible blasphemy there vsed not fit for the mouth of any Christian to speake or the pen of any Christian to write to which though the Pope for his credits sake haue of later time assigned some kind of punishment yet well he woteth that it is more generall than that his Law can worke the restraint of it Out of Italy or at least from birds of the Popes hatching came the book De tribus mundi impostoribus whereby Moses and Christ as well as Mahomet are made but deluders and deceiuers of the world Out of Italy came Machiauels precepts wherby he hath taught men to cast off all yoke of religion and to vseit only to serue turne which notwithstanding according to that conceipt that he had of religion could say that g Machiauel Disputat de resubl l. 1. c. 12. Nusquam mâ—nus vel pietatis vel religionis est quam in ijs hominibus qui Romae vicinâ—ores habitant there was no where lesse faith or piety than in them that dwell neerest to Rome Whose rules as they are at this day the managing of the Papacy and familiar to all states that are confederated therewith so specially are they entertained and practised by the Iesuits who hauing taken away the honor from Friar Dominick of being the pillar of the Lateran Church and being become the speciall vpholders of the declining kingdome of Antichrist are discouered by the secular Priests and namely by their Proctor Watson to be very Atheists not regarding religion at all but only for a cloke to hide their villanies and for the compassing of their wicked and vngodly designes Thus Atheisme albeit it be not contained in the positiue Doctrine of the Romane Church yet becommeth a sequell thereof whilst hauing no true grounds for the iustifying of it and therfore being driuen to support it selfe by carnall policy it begetteth in the Politicians that practise for it a striuing and fighting against God whereby religion is quite banished out of the heart and only an outward colour remaineth for their maintenance of outward state Now therefore I will not question them of Atheisme vpon M. Perkins grounds but leauing his conclusion will only examine so far as need requireth M. Bishops defense of the propositions from which he draweth that conclusion there being nothing here but what either hath been before or must afterwards be further spoken of First M. Popery ouerthroweth the grace of God Perkins propoundeth that the Church of Rome making the merit of mens works to concur with the grace of God ouerthroweth the grace of God Which to be true appeareth by the words of the Apostle who mentioning k Rom. 11 6. the election of grace inferreth thus If it be of grace it is not of works otherwise grace is no grace or if it be of works it is not of grace otherwise worke is no worke importing plainly that grace and worke cannot be so reconciled as that what is of grace may truely be said to bee of works or what is of works may truely bee said to bee of grace For grace as Hierome expoundeth it importeth i Hieron Rom. ca. 11. Gratuitum munus appellatur a free gift so that k Iden epistâ—ad Vâ—metriad vli gratià non operum retributio sed donatis est largitas where grace is there is not rewarding of works but largesse and bounty of gift For l Leo epist. 84. Quae vtâ—que nisi â—atis detur non est gratia sed merces retributiâ—o meritoâ—uÌ„ grace saith Leo bishop of Rome except it be freely giuen is not grace but the reward and recempense of merits or workes implying that if it be the reward of merits then it is not freely giuen and therefore cannot be calied grace Therefore when the Apostle saith m Rom. 6.23 Eternall life is the grace or gift of God through Iesus Christ our Lord we must vnderstand it according to the words of the Psalme n Vulgat Latin Psal 55.7 Proâ—ihilo saluos facies illos Thou wilt saue them for nothing o â—â—eion ad Pâ—â—â—g lib 2. Hand 〈◊〉 quio iustos qui nou proprâ—â—â—crâ—to sed de saluâ—ntur clementia meaning the iust saith Hierome who art not saued by their owne merit but by the mercy of God To this M. Bishop telleth vs that they doe not make the merit of mans worke and the grace of God two distinct agents but hold that no works of man haue any merit vnlesse they proceed and prinâ— from the very grace of God Where not to question what he meaneth by giuing the name of an agent to the merit of mans worke answer him to the rest that his answer is vnsefficient and vaine because the Apostle knew well that we haue no workes wherewith to mooue God but only such as proceed from the grace of God and yet resolueth that Gods election if it be of works cannot be said to be of grace Whencesoeuer the workes proceed this rule standeth still most firme and sure that that cannot be said to be freely giuen and for nothing that is repaied to the merit of workes But whilest they will haue only workes of nature excluded by the Apostles words and not the workes that are wrought by grace they necessarily fall into the heresie of the Pelagians that the election of grace dependeth vpon the foresight of those works which our free will should doe by the help of grace Which if they will not grant as I trow they will not they must perforce confesse that the Apostle heere excludeth not only workes of nature but generally all workes whatsoeuer And the rather must they so confesse that they may not make the Apostle speake so idlely as by that construction he doth If it be of grace then it is not of workes done without grace and if it be of workes done without grace then it is not of grace as if the Apostle had had to doe with men who
of vnderstanding and touch of conscience as might serue to direct him in some sort for morall and ciuill life for the preseruation and maintenance of society amongst men This direction of our life God increaseth and strengthneth much by education and instruction more by the knowledge and vnderstanding of true religion most of all by the grace of spirituall regeneration Were it not that God in mercy had set these bounds bankes to restraine and hold in the rage and fury of vnlawfull and wicked lust the fall of man had carried him into all importunity and extremity of wickednesse and abhomination and the state of men had beene much worse then the state of bruit beasts When God therefore taketh away these props and staies both of grace and nature and leaueth lust to it owne vnbridled and vnruly passage and to the spurres of Satans malicious prouocations what must needs follow but that as the water vpon the rupture of the bankes breaketh foorth with all force and violently beareth downe all that commeth in the way so man setting a side all respect of conscience of modesty and honesty most wretchedly demeaneth himselfe and the further God goeth from him so much the more betaketh himselfe to all most vngodly and reprobate courses When God left a 2. Sam. 11.4.14 Dauid a while to himselfe how fearefully how beyond all expectation did he fall The like we see in Solomon in Ezechias in Peter and other holy men and seruants of God Now b Luk. 23.31 if these things befall in the greene what shal be done in the drie If it haue beene thus with them who haue beene neere to God what shall bee expected of them who are strangers to God and haue no part in the spirit of grace What other waies and meanes God hath for that purpose c Aug. cont Iulian Pelag. l 5. cap. 3. siue deserendo siue alio quocunque vel explicabili vel inexplicabili modo quo facit haec summè bonus ineffabiliter iustus either explicable as Saint Austin speaketh or vnspeakeable we know not onely this we know that he carieth a most potent and mighty hand both inwardly and outwardly in moouing and directing the wickednesse both of infernal spirits men continuing himselfe both most perfectly good and vnspeakeably iust Now the ends and vses whereto God ordereth and disposeth sinne are partly reduced to mercy and partly to iudgement In the former respect Saint Austin saith that d Idem de nat grat cap. 27. Etiam necessarium fuisse homini ad auferendam superbiae vel gloriae occasionem vt absque peccato esse non posset it was necessary for man for taking away occasion of pride and vaineglory that he should not be in case to be without sinne and e Idem de ciu des l. 14. ca. 13. Audeo dicere superbis esse vtile cadere in aliquod apertum manifestumque peccatuÌ„ vnde sibi displiceant qui iam sibi placendo ceciderant that it is profitable for the proud to fall into some open and manifest sin that they may be displeased at themselues who by too well liking of themselues did fall So saith Basil that f Basil serm Quòd deus non sit author malorum Ille sapiens prouidentissimus rerum humanarum dispensator diaboli vtitur ad nostâ—am exercitationem malignitate quâ—mad modum medicus viperae veneno ad salutarem medicamentorum praeparationem as Physicians vse the poison of the Serpent to make thereof a healthfull medicine so God the most wise and prouident disposer of humane things vseth the malignity of the diuell for the exercising of vs g Ambros de paenitent lib. 1 ca. 13. Malitiam eius nobis ad gratiam conuertit he turneth his malice saith Ambrose to be a furtherance of grace vnto vs. And thus Saint Austin again saith that h August de praedest grat ca. 20. Probatur deum vti cordâ—bus etiam â—nalorum ad laudem adiumentum bonorum sic vsus est Iuda tradente Christom sic vsus est Iudais crucifigentibus Christum quanta inde bona praestitit populis credituris God vseth the hearts of euill men to the praise and to the helpe of good men as he vsed Iudas to betray Christ as he vsed the Iewes to crucifie Christ and what great benefites did he thereby performe to them that should beleeue in him i Idem in Psal 93. Illi qui mar tyres persecuti sunt persequendo in terra in caelum mittehant scientes quidem praesentis vitae damnum inferebant sed nescientes futurae vitae lucrum conferebant They which persecuted the Martyrs saith he by persecuting them vpon earth sent them to heauen they knew that they caused them the losse of this present life but they knew not that they yeelded them the gaine of the life to come For execution of iudgement he maketh vse of sinne both in that he punisheth the sinne of one by the sinne of another and in that he punisheth a man himselfe by his owne sinne former by latter and greater sinnes k Greg. Moral lib. 2. cap. 6. Deo ad vsum iusti iudicij iniusta diaboli voluntas seruit The vniust will of the diuell saith Gregory serueth God for the vse of iust iudgement The wicked in holy scripture are called l Esa 10.5.15 the rod of Gods wrath his axe his saw his stafe m Ier. 51.21 his hammer and weapons of war because he vseth their malice and fury to chasten his people for their sinnes and to bring destruction vpon other that are his enemies vntill hauing finished his worke which he hath intended to doe by them he giueth way to the malice of others to be reuenged vpon them also And heere it is duly to bee obserued that in these vses of sin the act that is committed therby is not alwaies sinne in it selfe but becommeth sinne to him that doth it only by the minde wherewith he doth it When the murtherer killeth a man as touching the act he doth nothing but what in due course may lawfully be done Doth not the magistrate put a man to death and is guiltlesse therein Did not the Israëlits without offence slay the Canaanites and Samuell slay Agag the King of the Amalechites The murtherer of a cruell minde practiseth the death of another man God hath iust cause why to deliuer the same man to death and therefore giueth way to the others cruelty against him God is herein free but man is guilty and albeit he doe the thing which God intended yet his wicked and cruell minde remaineth iustly to bee punished n Aug. in Psal 93. si traditio Christi non tradentis animus considerandus est hoc fecit Iudas quod fecit deus pater c. quod fecit ipse dominus c. Ep. 48. Cur in hac traditione deus est pius homo reus
Prolog Quod vtique non ad diuinitatem eius sed ad carnem relatum est quae sitientium corda populorum perenni riuo sui sanguinis inundauit Which saith Ambrose is not referred to the godhead of Christ but to the flesh which did water and refresh the hearts of the thirsty people with the euerflowing streame or riuer of his bloud And thus S. Austin saith of Manna that it signified h Aug. in Ioan. tract 16. Hunc panem significauit Manna hunc panem significauit Altare dei Sacramenta ill fuerunt in signis diuersa sunt in re quae significatur pariasunt the same bread euen the body of Christ that is signified in the table of the Lord they are both Sacraments saith he in signes they are diuers but in the thing signified they are equall and alike Now if without any reall presence the faithfull in Manna did eat the flesh of Christ and in the water of the rocke did drinke the bloud of Christ then it followeth that there is no necessitie of the reall presence to our eating the flesh of Christ and our drinking of his bloud But I would yet further aske him how the reall presence maketh our Sacrament of greater grace and perfection then the old seeing the body of Christ is thereby made subiect to bee eaten of wicked and vngodly men who receiue no grace by it yea of swine and dogs and mice as they affirme which are not capable of any grace For if the very receiuing of Christs body into our bodies doe worke effect of grace then should grace bee wrought in these also But if the effect of grace be to be attributed vnto faith then the reall presence is needlesse because faith touching the Sacrament but as the hemme of Christs garment vpon earth receiueth vertue from the body of Christ in heauen to heale to feed and strengthen vs vnto eternall life That which hee bringeth for confirmation of his argument belongeth nothing therto Christ saith he preferreth the meat that he was to giue to his disciples before that of Manna which their fathers had eaten in the wildernesse And who doubteth thereof when as our Sauiour saith i Ioh. 6.48.51 I am the bread of life The bread which I will giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world for who doubteth but that Christ or the flesh of Christ is to be preferred before Manna but that this flesh of Christ is to be eaten in the Sacrament really with the mouth and into the belly this place prooueth not Christ there compareth not their sacrament with ours but he compareth their sacrament as the signe with himselfe as the thing that was signified thereby k Augu. cont Faust. Manich. li. 12 c. 29. veterem figuram carnalitèr accipâ—entes mortui sunt Which signe or figure they who vnderstood no otherwise but carnally died and perished but they who vnderstood the same aright vnderstood Christ therein they did eat the flesh of Christ and drinke his bloud as before was said and obteine life by his name l Aug. in Ioan. tract 26. Visibilem cibum spiritualiter intellexerunt spiritualiter esurierunt spiritualiter gustauerunt vt spiritualitèr satiarentur The visible food saith Austin they vnderstood spiritually they spiritually hungred after it they spiritually tasted it that spiritually they might be satisfied So do we in our Sacrament and without any reall presence it is life to vs euen as it was to them 57. W. BISHOP Secondly Christ promised to giue to his Disciples his flesh to eat and his bloud to drinke and when they marueiled how that could be hee assured them Ioh. 6.55 that vnlesse they did eat his flesh they should not haue life in them and further certified them that his flesh was truely meat and his bloud truely drinke whence it is most plainely deduced that he who neuer faileth of his promise gaue them his true flesh to eate R. ABBOT We grant his conclusion that Christ gaue to his disciples and further giueth vnto vs his true flesh to eat but the question still is how or in what sort we eat it Christ indeed hath taught vs that a Iohn 6.55 his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drinke indeed but will M. Bishop say that they are meat and drinke to the body that the body is nourished and fed with the body and blood of Christ and that the same is turned by digestion into the substance of our bodies If not then it cannot be said that with the body wee eat the flesh of Christ and drinke his blood but this must necessarily be vnderstood to be an action of the minde Therefore Cyprian saith that for the doing hereof b Cyprian de caena domini Haec quoties agimus non dentes ad mordendum acu imus sed fide syncera panem sanctum frangimus we doe not sharpen our teeth to bite but with sincere faith we breake the sacred bread and Austin questioneth c Aug. Cur paras dentes ventrem crede manducasti why preparest thou thy teeth and thy belly beleeue and thou hast eaten and defineth it d Idem in Ioan. tract 26. Qui manducat intus non foris qui manducat corde non qui premit dente to be eating within not without to be eating with the heart not crushing with the teeth And otherwise to vnderstand it of eating the very flesh of Christ with the mouth what is it but the grosse error of the Capernaits literally vnderstanding the words of Christ because they were no other but carnall men e Tertul. de resurr carnis Durum intolerabilem existimauerunt sermonem eius quasi verè carneÌ„ suam illis edendam determinassâ—t They thought his speech to be hard intollerable saith Tertullian as though he had determined that they should verily eat his flesh But if they had been intelligent hearers and men spiritually minded they would haue discerned by the other words of Christ the true meaning of this speech For when he attributeth the same to beleeuing in him that he doth to the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood that f Iohn 6.47 whoso beleeueth in him hath euerlasting life he plainly giueth to vnderstand that the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood is to be expounded by beleeuing And so doth S. Austin construe it when hee saith g August in Ioan tract 26. Credere in Christum hoc est manducare panem viuum qui credit manducat To beleeue in Christ that is to eat the bread of life he that beleeueth eateth Againe when he perceiued their repining at his words he saith vnto them h ver 61.62 Doth this offend you What then if ye shall see the sonne of man ascend where he was before i Aug. vt supra ille putabant eum erogaturuÌ„ corpus suum ille autem dixit se ascensuruÌ„ in
infallibly what is the certaine meaning of euery place Are those holy fathers loth of their labour or are they so busied in other or greater affaires as that they haue no leasure to attend to such trifles Satisfie vs M. Bishop as touching these matters otherwise we must take this deuise to be as indeed it is the couer of your shame the cloake of your apostasie which can no otherwise be shadowed but by this pretense That the Popes sense is the very trueth of Scripture being notwithstanding wholly repugnant contrary to the words In a word the Pope thrusteth out the lawes of Christ which are expressed in the words of Christ and by his sense setteth vp his owne lawes vnder the name of Christ To giue power to the Pope properly to forgiue sinnes as M. Bishop doth is a wicked blasphemie and an Antichristian exalting of him into the place of Christ When the Scribes said within themselues f Mar. 2.7 Who can forgiue sinnes but God only our Sauiour Christ did not contrary them therein but partly by discouering the thoughts of their hearts and partly by the miracle that he wrought taught them to vnderstand him to be God the Sonne of God and therefore that he had power to forgiue sinnes He hath left it therefore so to be conceiued of vs that power to for giue sinnes belongeth to God only g Cyprian de Lapsis Nec remittere aut donare indulgentia sua seruus potest quod in dominum delicto grauiore commissum est The seruant sai he Cyprian cannot for giue that which by hainous traspasse is committed against the Lord. h Cyril in Ioan. lib. 2. cap. 56. Certè solius reri dei est vt possit à ptceatis homines soluere cui enim alij praeuaricatores legis liberare â peccato licet nisi legis ipsius authori Surely it belongeth only to the true God saith Cyrill to be able to release men from their sinnes for who but the maker of the law can free them from offense that are trespassers of the law As for that which M. Bishop obiecteth that Christ said to his Apostles i Iohn 20.23 Whose sinnes ye remitte they are remitted vnto them and whose sinnes ye retaine they are retained it no more importeth a power of forgiuing sinnes then the ministers k 1. Tim. 4.16 Sauing them that heare him importeth a power of sauing For as the minister saueth not properly by any power of sauing but only by teaching the way of saluation so he also forgiueth sinnes not properly by any power thereof but by preaching the Gospell of remission of sinnes and designing them to whom belongeth this remission God hath made vs not Lords but l 2. Cor. 3.9 Ministers of the new Testament and of the spirit neither hath he giuen vs the power but m cap. 5.18 The ministry of reconciliation for God was in Christ reconciling the world vnto himselfe not imputing vnto them their sinnes to vs he hath committed only the word of this reconciliation namely whereby we preach and testifie in the name of Iesus Christ remission of sinnes and reconciliation to God to all that repent and beleeue the Gospell But this whole cōmission of forgiuing sins shall be the better vnderstood by those instances by which Cyrill exemplifieth the same n Cyril vt supra Erit autem id duobus vt arbitror modis primò baptismo acinde penitentia Nam aut credentes vitae sanctimonia probates homines ad baptismum inducunt indignos diligenter expellunt c. First in baptisme and afterward in repentance Them that beleeue and approoue themselues by holinesse of life the minister addmitteth to baptisme this is to forgiue their sinnes but carefully he repelleth and putteth backe them that are vnworthy this is to retaine them But of this forgiuenesse of sinnes in baptisme we must remember that which S. Austine saith if at least that booke be his o August scal Paradis cap. 3. Officium baptizandi dominus concessit multis potestatem verò authoritatem in baptismo remittendi peccata sibi soli retinuit The Lord Iesus gaue the office of baptizing to many but the power and authority to forgiue sinnes in baptisme he reserued to himselfe only For the noting of which difference he rightly alleageth the words of Iohn Baptist p Ioh. 1.26.33 I baptize with water but he it is which baptizeth with the holy Ghost Now if to baptize with water to the remission of sinnes be to remitte sinnes in that sense which our Sauiour intendeth in that speech and to baptize with water to remission of sinnes importeth no power for forgiuing sinnes but only a ministery for publication and for the applying of Gods seale for exhibiting and confirming thereof it followeth so far foorth that those words of Christ doe not giue to the minister any power properly to forgiue sinnes Therefore Chrysostome though he terme this ministery in some sort a power yet to shew in what sort it is to be conceiued most notably saith q Chrysost in Ioan. hom 85. Quid sacerdotes dico Neque Angelus neque Archangelus quicquam in his quae a deo data sunt efficere potest sed pater filius sp sanctus omma facit sacerdos linguam manus praebet Not the Priest only but neither Angell nor Archangell worketh any thing in those things that are giuen of God but the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost doth all the Priest putteth too but his tongue and his hand The other instance which Cyrill giueth is r Cyril vt suprà Aut ecclesia filijs peccantibus quidem increpant paenitentibus autem indulgent 1. Cor. 5.5 When the minister giueth checke to offendours and to the penitent release Whereof he giueth example in the incestuous Corinthian whom for fornication the Apostle deliuered to Satan for destroying the flesh that the spirit might be saued and afterwards receiued againe that he might not be ouerwhelmed with ouermuch sorow here the Corinthians did forgiue and the Apostle himselfe did ſ 2. Cor. 2.7.10 forgiue and thus the terme of forgiuing hath alwaies his place and vse but this forgiuenesse is disciplinary for reconcilement to the Church it is not forgiuenesse of sinnes spiritually and properly so called though by the ordinance of Christ it must be to the peritent a necessary introduction to the assurance and comfort thereof as t See the Answer to the epistle dedicatory sect 28 before hath beene declared I conclude this point with that which Hierome writeth vpon the words of Christ to Peter u Matt. 16.19 whatsoeuer thou bindest in earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer thou loosest on earth shall be loosed in heauen for declaration whereof he saith that z Hieron in Matt. 16. Quemodo ibs sacerdos leprosum facit mundum velimmundum non quò sacerdotes leprosos faciant immundos sed quò
one that walketh before him and therefore that of him and his fellowes that deride them the words following haue their iust construction But you witches children come hither the seede of the adulterer and of the whoore On whom haue yee iested vpon whom haue yee gaped and thrust out your tongues are yee not all rebellious children and a false seed But from these he goeth to some of the learnedst amongst vs citing Caluin and Beza Christ truely and properly merited for vs by Caluins doctrine I truely confesse saith Caluin that if a man will set Christ singly by himselfe against the iudgement of God there will be roome for merit Where that thou maiest see gentle Reader that it was not without cause that I suspected him for the former citation I pray thee first to obserue that the very argument of the chapter whence he alleageth these words is thus set dowee h Caluin Instit. l. 2. c. 2. Rectè et proprtè dici Christum nobis promeritum esse gratiam dei salutem That it is rightly and properly said that Christ hath deserued for vs the grace of God and saluation which he purposely disputeth against some i Sect. 1. sunt quidam perperam arguti qui etsi fatentur salutem nos per Christum consequi nomen tamen meriti audire non sustinent quo putant obscurari deâ— gratiam who although they confesse that we attaine saluation by Christ yet cannot endure to heare the name of merit because they thinke the grace of God to be obscured thereby Secondly albeit he set downe Caluins tearmes of qualification k Ibid. EquideÌ„ fateor siquis Christum simpliciter per se opponere vellet iudicio dei non fore merito locum quia non reperietur in homine dignitas quae possit deum promereri simply and by himselfe yet very treacherously he leaueth out the end of the sentence whereby those tearmes are to be vnderstood which is this because there can bee found no worthinesse in man that can deserue at Gods handes For heereby it is manifest that Caluin in those wordes respecteth Christ as man and onely in that respect denieth merit if Christ meerely as man be opposed against the iudgement of God And this further appeareth by that which he addeth to his purpose out of Austin which M. Bishop dissembleth because hee thought he could not so honestly cauill against Austin as he might against Caluin l August de praedest sanct cap. 15. Est etraÌ„ praeclarissimum lumen praedestinationis gratiae ipse saluator ipse mediator dei hominâ—â— homo Christus Iesus qui vt hoc esset quibus tandem suis vel operum vel fidei praecedentibus meritis natura humana quae in illo est comparauit Respendeatur quaeso ille honâ—oâ—t à verbe patri coaeterno in vnitatem personae assumptus filius dei vnigenitus esset vnde hee meruerit There is saith Austin a most notable and cleere light of Predestination and grace euen the man Christ Iesus the Sauiour the Mediatour betwixt God and men who to bee so by what former merits of his either of workes or of faith did the nature of man in him atteine vnto Tell mee I pray saith he that that man taken into vnitie of person with the word coeternall to the Father should be the onely begotten Sonne of God whereby did he merit or deserue it By which words S. Austin giueth vs plainly to vnderstand that the man Christ Iesus did not by merits atteine to become our Sauiour to become the Mediatour betwixt God and man but it was by Gods predestination and grace by his decree and ordinance that it so came to passe Heereupon then Caluin inferreth that m Calu. vt supr Cùm ergò de Christi merito agitur non statuitur in eo principium sed conscendimus ad dei ordinationeÌ„ quae prima causa est quia mero beneplacito modiatorem statuit qui nobis salutem acquireret when we speake of the merit of Christ we are not to place it as the first beginning but we ascend to the ordinance of God which is the first cause because he meerely of his owne good pleasure appointed him the Mediatour to purchase saluation for vs. In which words he acknowledgeth that Christ did verily and indeed purchase saluation for vs but yet that it came of the good pleasure of God and his meere grace and mercy to giue him vnto vs for a Mediatour to merit and purchase our saluation His drift is not in any sort to impeach the merit of Christ but onely to shew that the merit of Christ is no impeachment of the free mercy of God because of that free mercy it is that we haue him to merit for vs. And to that purpose it is that he saith n Ibid. Nam Christus nonnisi ex dei beneplacito quicquam mereri potuit sed quia ad hoc destinatus erat vt iram dei sacrificio suo placaret suaque obedientia deleret transgressiones nostras that Christ could not merit any thing but by the good pleasure of God because but by the good pleasure of God he could not be Christ he could not be man he could not bee the Mediatour betwixt God and man In a word hence it came that he merited for vs as it is added in the next words because hee was destinated and appointed that by his sacrifie he should appease the wrath of God and blot out our transgressions by his obedience To the same effect it is also added which M. Bishop thirdly mentioneth o Ibid. Ex sola dei gratia quae hunc nobis constituit salutis modum dependet meritum Christi that the merit of Christ dependeth vpon the onely grace of God which saith he hath appointed for vs this means of saluation Not so then but that Christ did indeed merit saluation for vs but it was the grace of God that gaue him to merit for vs and so to bee the meanes of our saluation which is the thing that Beza also defendeth against Heshushius And what is there in all this for M. Bishop to dislike He will not say that Christ as a meere man could haue merited at Gods hands because he hath before confessed that the value and dignitie of Christs works arose from the dignitie of his person in that hee was the Sonne of God Hee will not denie that it was the good pleasure and grace of God that gaue Christ to merit in our behalfe for that the texts of Scripture cited by Caluin for proofe thereof doe manifestly shew p Ioh 3.16 God so loued the world that hee gaue his onely begotten Sonne to the end that euery one that beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life q 1. Ioh. 4.10 Not that we loued God but that hee loued vs first and sent his Sonne to be the attonement for our sinnes by which it
feare him Is not this M. Bishop a most gracious and glorious effect of the bloud of Christ Can you say any thing to magnifie the power of Christs death further then we do If you will say truth M. Bishop you can say nothing for as for that which you do say that the bloud of Christ doth now in baptisme fully clense our soules from al the filth of originall sinne your owne heart telleth you that it is a verie lie And because that is a lie therefore for iustice and rigteousnesse before God you must betake your selfe to that which now in mockery you call because you know it not the rare instrument of a new deuised faith and to the reall imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ who really communicateth vnto vs whatsoeuer he hath done for vs. And impious it is to thinke Å¿ Rom. 4.3.5.6 the imputation of righteousnesse which the Scripture expresly teacheth to be as you seeme to imagine it only mentall and phantasticall But of all these points heere girded at by M. Bishop t Answer to D. Bishops Epistle sect 7.17 Of originall sinne per tot of the remainder of originall sinne u Answer to the Epistle sect 19. Of Iustification sect 44. of the staine and imperfection of our workes x Of the certaintie of Saluation sect 2.3 c. Of Iustification s 15.16 c. of the nature of faith y Of Iustification sect 3.4 c. Luther affirmeth not equalitie of grace of the imputation of righteousnesse so much hath beene said before as that it shall be but tedious both to the Reader and me to goe ouer the same againe And surely we can take all this speech of his to be no other but wild and carelesse babling so long as we see him vnable to defend that which to the same purpose he wrote before But vpon that mention of faith and imputed iustice he quarelleth at Luther for saying as he reporteth that whosoeuer is borne againe of this Euangelicall faith is equall in grace both to Peter and Paul and to the Virgin Mary But he therein belieth Luther who in the very place confesseth difference of faith and therefore cannot be said to affirme equality of grace His words are z Luther in 1. Pet. c. 1. vnam Christiani omnes fraternitatem babemus c. See the vvhole place Answer to the Aduertisement sect 15. All we that are christians haue one brotherhood which we haue attained in baptisme of which no saint hath more then thou I. For with what price he was redeemed with the same was I redeemed also It cost God no lesse for my sake then for any the greatest saint saue that he hath perhaps better embraced this treasure that is hath stronger faith then I. This Luther spake rightly of the common condition and calling of Christianity wherein no man hath more interest then other which yet hindereth not but that in particular gifts of grace according to diuers measures of faith one man may farre excell another But what conscience he vseth in these citations it may easily appeare for that whereas heere he citeth this place of Luther to charge him with affirming equality of grace in this world he alleageth the very same in a Sect 15. Hod God is said to fauour vs no lesse then his Son Christ the treatise following to charge him with affirming equality of glorie in the world to come From Luther he goeth to Zwinglius albeit the words which he biteth at be not the words of Zwinglius but of Conradus Fabritius another Minister of that Church which yet containe nothing amisse but that a venemous spider hath the sucking of them b Act. Disput 2. Tigur apud Zwinglium Deus pater omnibus Christianis qui vera spe fide charitate Christo nituntur non minus sauet necminus propitius est quam Christo filio suo proprio fidelem huiusmodi non minus quà m filium suum tuebitur nec minus quà m filium suum ab aeterna morte eundem liberabit non minùs ab aeterno incendio illum eripiet non minùs caelum illi patere faciet c. Quid nâ—u t is aeternam vitam non minus illi quà m filio suo largietur Testimonium nobis huius certitudinis est locupletissimâ—m quod est ipse Christus aeterna veritas c. God the Father saith Fabritius no lesse fauoureth all Christians who rest vpon Christ by true faith hope and charitie nor is lesse gracious to them then to Christ his owne Sonne No lesse will hee defend such a faithfull man then his owne Sonne no lesse will hee saue him from euerlasting death no lesse will hee deliuer him from euerlasting fire no lesse will hee cause heauen to bee open vnvnto him then to his onely begotten sonne What should I vse many words He will no lesse giue him euerlasting life then he will to his sonne He addeth further We haue a most abundant testimony of this assurance which is Christ himselfe the eternall truth c. By which words it plainely appeareth that that which he saith no lesse no lesse is not referred to intension and quantity but to assurance and certainty He no lesse fauoureth the one then he doth the other that is he as certainely fauoureth the one as he doth the other no lesse will he giue eternal life to the one then to the other that is he will giue it as certainly to the one as to the other And what is this other in effect then that which Christ himselfe saith of the elect to his father c Iohn 17.23 Thou hast loued them as thou hast loued me which manner of speech as Saint Austin noteth d August in â—an tract 110. Neque enim semper aequalitatem significat qui dicit siâ—ut illud ita illud sed aliquando tantum quia est illud est et illud aut quia est illud vt fit et illud doth not alwaies signifie equality but sometimes signifieth onely because the one is the other also is or that the one is that the other also may be In the same sort and no otherwise are the words of Fabritius to be vnderstood as M. Bishop himselfe knoweth but shift he must to say somewhat The words which he citeth as of some of our Martyrs out of M. Foxe I cannot finde by his quotation I remember that long since I haue red some such kinde of words but he is so false that I dare not presume that he hath reported them altogether truely as they are The meaning of him that spake the words was this that we haue the same right to heauen that Christ hath because Christ hath giuen vs his right It is written of Saint Bernard that being in a time of sicknes much vrged with Satans accusations he answered for himselfe e Vita Beâ—nardi l. 1. cap. 12. fateor non sum dignus ego nec proprijs possum meritis
cannot bring so much as one man within the compasse of eleuen hundred yeeres after Christ that euer reduced the Sacraments to that number And shall not we well deserue to bee written vpon the backe-side of the booke of Wisedome if we shal take that for a principle of Christian religion which came first out of their schoole for the space of more then a 1000. yeres was neuer so knoweÌ„ in the church of Christ The Apostle m 1. Cor. 10.1.2 c. when he wil shew the Church of the Israelites to haue beene equall to vs in grace of Sacraments instanceth the same only in our two sacraments because he knew no more And no more did the ancient Fathers know who vniuersally holding the same mysterie of the creation of the woman out of the side of Adam being asleepe namely that n Aug. in Psal 56. Dormienti Christo in cruce facta est coniux de latere percussum est enim latus pendent is de lancea et prâ—fluxerunt Ecclesiae Sacramenta in Ioan. tract 15. thereby was figured the framing of the Church by Sacraments out of the side of Christ being dead when being pearced there issued out of it o Ioh. 19.34 1. Ioh. 5.6 water and bloud doe name those Sacraments as we doe p Aug. de symbol ad CatechuÌ„ lib. 2. c. 6. Sanguis aqua quae sunt Ecclesiae gemina sacramenta Chrysost in Ioan. hom 84. Theophy in Ioan. 19. Cyprian de passione Christi Of the effects of the Sacraments two onely and no more Whereas he saith that we extinguish the vertue and efficacy of those two sacraments it is only his blinde conceit We deny not but that the Sacraments are instruments of grace and of remission of sinnes and yet we deny them to bee so in that sort as is affirmed by the church of Rome namely as to giue grace ex opere operato for the very worke wrought as the Schoolemen speake It is worthily obserued by Saint Austin that q Aug. in Ioan. tract 80. Aâ—cedat verbum ad elementum fit Sacramentum etiam ipsum tanquam visibile verbuÌ„ a Sacrament is as it were a visible word because by it in way of signification God as it were speaketh the same to the eie other senses which by the word he soundeth to the eare Yea hee affirmeth that the outward element of it selfe is nothing but it is by the word that it hath whatsoeuer power it hath r Ibid. Quare non ait Nunc mundi estis propter baptismum quo loti estis sed ait propter verbum quod locutus sum vobis nisi quia in aqua verbum mundat Detrahe verbum quid est aqua nisi aqua moxâ— Vnde ista tanta virtus aquae vt corpus tangat cor abluat nifi saciente verbo Non quia dicitur sed quia creditur Why doth not Christ say Now are yee cleane by the baptisme wherewith yea are washed but by the word which I haue speken to you but because in the water it is the word that clenseth Take away the word and what is water but water Whence is it that the water hath so great power to touch the body and to wash the heart but that the word doth it and that not because it is spoken but because it is beleeued Now if the Sacrament haue all his vertue and efficacy from the word and the word haue his power not for that it is spoken but for that it is beleeued we must conceiue the same of the Sacrament also that the effect thereof standeth not in being applied by the hand of the minister but in being beleeued by the faith of the receiuer God both by the one and by the other ministring and increasing faith and the holy Ghost accompanying both the one and the other to doe that that is beleeued Thus is baptisme a signe of representation to the vnderstanding and seale of confirmation to faith effectuallie deliuering to the beleeuer through the holy Ghost the grace of God and the remission of all his sinnes And why doth it trouble M. Bishop that wee make baptisme in this sort onely a signe and a seale when as though signes and seales be not the things themselues yet by signes and seales men are woont to be entitled and inuested to the things signified and sealed And hath not the Apostle himselfe taught vs thus to speake Gregory Bishop of Rome saith that Å¿ Greg. Moral lib. 4. c. 3. Quod apud nos vales aqua Baptismatis hoc egit apud veteres vel pro paruulis sola fides vel pro maioribus virtus Sacrificij vel pro his qui ex stirpe Abrahae prodierant mysterium circumcisionis what the water of baptisme doth with vs the same did the mystery of circumcision with the seed of Abraham But of circumcision the Apostle saith thus * Rom. 4.11 The reall eating of Christ a grosse fancie Abraham receiued the signe of circumcision as the seale of the righteousnes of faith Baptisme therefore must be to vs the signe and seale of the righteousnesse of faith Their doctrine of reall eating the body of Christ importeth no matter of comfort and dignitie but a carnall rude and profane fancy t Cyril ad Euopt cont reprehens Theodor anath 11. Num hominis comestionem nostrum hoâ— sacramentuÌ„ pronuntias irreligiose ad crassas cogitationes vrges eorum qui crediderunt mentem attentas humanis cogitationibus tractare quae sola pura inexquisita fide accipiuntur Doest thou saith Cyril pronounce our Sacrament to be the eating of a man and irreligiously vrge the minds of them that beleeue to grosse imaginations and assay to handle by humane conceits those things which are to bee receiued by only pure and vndoubted faith Christ indeed is not the foode of the belly but of the minde and therefore u Cyprian de caena dom Haec quoties agimus non dentes ad mordendum acuimus sed fide syncerae panem sanctum frangim us partimur we doe not whet our teeth to bite but with syncere faith we breake and diuide the sacred bread saith Cyprian because x August in Ioan. tract 26. Credere in Christum hoc est menducare paenem viuum to beleeue in Christ saith Austin that is to eate the bread of life and y Iohn 6.54.56 he that thus eateth the flesh of Christ and eternall life and Christ shall raise him vp at the last day And because we thus teach that spritually and by faith we eate the very body of Christ and drinke his blood as alwaies so specially in that speciall helpe of faith which God hath ministred vnto vs in the supper of the Lord and that thereby we grow more and more into communion and fellowship with him to become partakers of the riches of his grace to immortality and euerlasting life therefore we doe not take
that high dignity but ambitious persons flatterers stageplaiers and men defiled with all vices that there was scant a man preferred to be a Bishop that had but euen lightly read heard or learned the holy Scriptures yea that had so much as touched that holy booke saue onely the couer albeit they tooke their oath at their institution that they had knowledge of them Bernard also mentioneth that euen in his time t Bernard epist 42. Scholares pueri impuberes adolescentuli ob sanguinis dignitatem promouentur ad ecclesiasticas dignitates de sub ferula transferuntur ad principandum presbyteris laetieres interim quòd virgas tuaserint quà m quòd meruerint principatum nec tam illis blanditur adeptum quà m adempâ—uÌ„ magisterum Schoole-boies and beardlesse youthes were promoted to ecclesiasticall dignities and from the ferula were exalted to beare rule ouer Priests such as were more glad that they had escaped the rod than that they had obtained their preferment and ioied more that they were come from being vnder masters than that they themselues were become masters The behauiour of these Bishops Clemangis further describeth that u Clemang vt supra Non quidem ammarum sed crumenarum potius quaestum vbique explorant c. Nihil omnino agunt nisi quod ad colligendam quacunque ex oceasione pecuniam suffragan posse crediderint c. Multò aequanimiùs laturi â—acturam decem millium animaruÌ„ quà m deceâ— aut duodecim solidorum c. Nullus ad clerâ—â—atum vel ad sacrum ordinem vel ad quemcunque gradum ecclesiasticum nisi mercede accedit Omnes quotquot aduenerint nullo aut paruo admodum discrimine ad eos quos petierint titulos admittunt nisi fortè siqui adeò egestate premuntur vt soluendo non sint Nulla de anteacta vita percunctatio est c. De literis verò doctrina quid loqui attinet cùm omnes fere Preâ—byteros sine aliquo captu aut rerum aut vocabulorum morosè syllabatimque vix legere videamus c. Si aliqua beneficia suae sint dispositions deuoluta pro quaestu ea conferunt vel fuis ea spurâ—s histrionibus donant they euery where sought the gaining not of soules but of mony doing nothing but what might serue their turne to gather mony taking in much better part the losse of ten thousand soules than of ten or twelue shillings admitting none to sacred orders or to any degree of the church but only for money refusing none in a maner but onely such as were so poore that they could not pay money no question of their life no question of their learning so that their Priests for the most part could very hardly read hauing no vnderstanding at all either of the things which they reade or of the words bestowing for money their benefices which they had to bestow or vpon their bastards and â—tage-plaiers x Specul eccles Pontif. ex Aluaro Pelag. de Planctu ecclesiae Vix credo maximè in Hispania quòd de centum episcopis sit vnus qui non sit Simoniacus in ordinibus beneficijs conferendu I scant thinke faith Aluarus Pelagius that of a hundred Bishops there is one that doth not practise simonie in bestowing of orders and benefices And whereas M. Bishop twiteth our Ministers with solacing themselues with their Yoke-fellowes Clemangis againe telleth that y Clemang ibid. Rectores parochiarum in plerisque dioecesibus ex cerâ—o condicto cum suis praelatis pretio passim publicè concubinas tenent their Bishops for a certaine fee did giue licence to their parish Priests euery where and openly to keepe Concubines which z Sleidan Comment ii 4 Scire se Germaniae Episcoporum hunc esse morem vt accepta pecuâ—ia scortationem suis permittant Cardinall Campegius also confessed that the Bishops of Germany were accustomed to doe that a Clemang Passim inuerecundè prolem ex meretricio susceptam scorta vice coniugum domi tenent their Canons and Chaplaines openly and shamelesly kept their bastards and harlots in house with them Yea Theodoric de Niem saith further that b Theodor. de Niem In eisdem etiam partibus Hiberniae Norwegiae iuxta consuetudines patriae licet Episcopis Presbyteris tenere publicè concubinas eisdem visitantibus bis in anno subditos sibi Presbyteros c. suam dilectam ducere secum ad domes hospitia corundem subditorum presbyterorum nec ipsa dilecta permittit episcopum â—masium visitare sine ipsa c. Et penè idem modus quoad luxuriant circa Presbyteros Gasconiae Hispaniae ac Portugaliae c. in omnibus obseruatur in Ireland and Norway as also in Gascoine Spaine Portugall and other countries it was lawfull by the custome of their countrey for Bishops and Priests openly to keepe concubines and when the Bishops twice in a yeere did visit the Priests and Clergy of their iurisdiction they led their minions about with them who would not suffer their paramour Bishops to goe in visitation without them because they would be partakers of their good cheere and prouide that they should not fall in loue with other to their wrong The glosse of the Canon law saith that c Dist 81. Maximianus in glossa Pauci sine illo vitio inueniuntur there were few Priests found without the sinne of fornication so as that not without cause Gerson the Chancelour of Paris wished it to bee enquired of as a matter worthy of reformation d Specul eccle Pontif. ex Io. Gerson Scrutemini si alicubi sacerdotes in consuetudinem duxerunt sub praetextu antillarum habere concubinas Whether that Priests any where had drawen it into custome vnder pretence of maide-seruants to keepe concubines pointing at a thing which all men saw to be common euery where Such was in a word the continency of those Romish Bishops and Priests as that Aluarus Pelagius before mentioned saith that e Ibid ex Alu. Pelag. In pauco maiori numero sunt filij laicorum quà m Clericorum in Spaine and otherwhere their bastards were almost as many as the children of lay men f Ibi. ex Theod. de Niem Vnde quodammodo plures innaturales ex foedo complexu nati quà m filij legitimi ac naturales in ecclesiasticis titulis coÌ„cedendis praeferuntur plures legitimis apertissimè promouentur so as that in all those parts saith Niem speaking as before of Ireland Norway Spaine Gascoine Portugal and other countries there were more such bastards preferred to ecclesiasticall dignities than there were of them that were lawfully begotten Albeit they rested not heere but g Bernard ser in Synodo Remensi Episcopi Sacerdotes traditi in reprobum sensum faciunt quae non conueniunt quae enim in occulto fiunt ab Episcopis turpe est dicere c. Masculi in masculos
our confidence in them which we are to put in God onely and not increatures of which notwithstanding the Church consisteth Which exposition wee acknowledge conteineth the very trueth agreeable to Gods word and doe wish that they would alwaies continue constant therein But they doe heerein as their vsuall maner is what by euidence of truth they are forced to say in one place for the maintenance of their owne traditions and superstitions they vnsay it or qualifie it in another And in this sort M. Bishop heere dealeth who first inclining somewhat to that construction alreadie mentioned and telling vs that to beleeue in a thing is to make it our Creatour by giuing our whole heart vnto it alleageth notwithstanding that some ancient Doctours take the words to beleeue in not so precisely but say that wee may beleeue in the church and in Saints heereby to make way to his absurd conceits which none of the ancient Doctours dreamed of it is true indeed that Epiphanius and Cyril haue vsed that maner of speech by adding the preposition in to the rest of the articles I beleeue in one holy Catholike church in one Baptisme in the remission of sinnes in the resurrection of the body in the life eternal but yet making thereof no other construction than we do as if the article were away To beleeue in the church was with them as M. Bishop saith to beleeue certainly in the Catholike church to be the onely true company of Christians and thereof we contend not wee beleeue the same as well as they though not in M. Bishops meaning which neuer was any part of their meaning that the Catholike church should be meant in any speciall maner of the church of Rome But whereas he addeth it is another part of their construction that to the lawfull gouernours thereof that is as he intendeth to the Pope and his Cardinals and Bishops it appertaineth to declare both which bookes be Canonicall and what is the true meaning of all doubtfull places in them he verie shamefully abuseth the ancient Doctours of whom there is not one that hath noted any such matter to be conteined in the Creed If hee know any let him acquaint vs therewith if hee know none let him confesse to his Reader as he must that he hath sought to deceiue him with a lie The same I say of beleeuing in Saints for which of the ancient Doctours hath taught vs out of our Creed that we are to beleeue in them He telleth vs what they meant by it that wee beleeue the Saints in heauen to heare our praiers to be carefull to pray for vs and to be able to obteine by intreatie much at Gods hands But what a strange man is he that will tell vs what men meant by words which they neuer spake Surely to beleeue in Saints is no antiquitie but nouelty and the deuice of him who by beleeuing in Saints seeketh to draw men away from beleefe in God The Apostle telleth vs that f Rom. 10 17. Faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God Thereupon Basil gathereth thus g Basil Ethit reg 80. Si quicquid ex fide non est peccatum est fides verò ex auditu auditus autem pâ—r verbum Dei est ergo quicquid extra diuinam Scripturam est cùm ex fide non sit peccatum est If whatsoeuer is not of faith bee sinne and faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God surely whatsoeuer is beside the Scripture of God because it is not of faith is sinne Let M. Bishop then shew vs some word of God some warrant of Scripture that it is one point of faith to beleeue in Saints or if hee cannot so doe we must rest perswaded as we are that to beleeue in Saints is to sinne against God And if we may not beleeue in Saints then neither may we pray vnto them for h Rom. 10.14 how shall they call vpon him saith the Apostle in whom they haue not beleeued And seeing praier is i Grego Moral lib. 22. cap. 13. Vera postulatio non in oris est vocibus sed in cogitationibus cordis not a matter of the lippes but of the heart how can wee beleeue that the Saints in heauen heare our praiers when as the word of God telleth vs that k 1. King 8.39 it is God only which knoweth the hearts of all the children of men Againe seeing God hath himselfe named vnto vs the Mediator by whose intrety l Mat. 3.17 Ephe. 3.12 for whose sake he wil accept vs and in whom he will be m Iohn 14.13 glorified for the granting of our requests who n Rom. 8.34 sitteth at the right hand of God and o Heb. 7.25 euer liueth to make intercession for vs how can we call it faith and not rather impudent presumption that we of our owne heads should set vp euery Saint in heauen to be a Master of requests and disturbe that order which God himselfe hath appointed for our accesse to him Admit that in generality they pray for the consummation of their brethren they pray in fellowship of loue not by authority of mediation as ioined in affection with vs not as by specialtie of fauour appointed to be patrons for vs for in that respect it is true which Saint Austin telleth vs that p August in Psam 64. Solus ibi ex his qui carnem gustaverunt interpellat pro nobis of all that haue beene partakers of flesh it is Christ onely in heauen that maketh intercession for vs. To conclude we haue heard before out of the Catechisme that our beleeuing in God requireth all our confidence and trust to be placed in God onely Accordingly Cyprian saith that q Cyprian de dupl martyr Non credit in deum qui non in eo solo collocat totius felicitatis suae fidutiam he beleeueth not in God that placeth not the confidence of all his happinesse in God onely But beleeuing in Saints cannot be vnderstood but to import putting of trust and confidence in them Therefore we cannot beleeue in Saints but with the ouerthrow of our beleefe and trust in God And that the Popish beleeuing in Saints importeth the putting of their trust and confidence in them it plainly appeareth as by other their offices of deuotion so specially by their Ladies Psalter wherein they blasphemously vse to the Virgin Marie those words whereby Dauid professed his trust in God r Psalter Mariae Psal 7. Domina in te speraui de inimicis meis libera animam meam Psal 10. In domina confido propter dulcedinem misericordiae nominis sui psal 21. Quia ego speraui in gratia tua sempiternum a me opprobrium abstulisti Psal 45. Domina refugium nostrum tu es in omni necessitate nostra Psal 53 Domina in nomine tuo saluum me fac O Lady in thee haue I hoped deliuer my soule from mine enemies I
Rom. 8 11. quickened by his spirit h Rom 5.19 iustified by his obedience i 2 Cor. 1.22 Ehâ— 1.13.14 2. Tim. 2.19 sealed to the remssion of sinnes and euerlasting life That God hath such a people we beleeue it we see it not neither can our eies discerne who they are that appertaine to this number it being one of the proper emblemes of Gods honour j The Lord knoweth who are his In this sort doe we in the articles of our Creede professe to beleeue the holy Catholike church That there is a church also visible no man denieth no man doubteth nay we affirme that it is amidst that church which wee see that God gathereth vnto himselfe that church which we cannot see And to speake of this visible church also we cannot see it to be Gods church or that it is Gods word that there is preached or that they are the Sacraments of Christ which are there administred or that there is any fruit or benefite to be reaped thereby We see these things done but the estimation of them is a matter of faith and not of fight we see the persons but we do not by our eies perceiue them to be that that they take vpon them to be But being by faith instructed that these things are of God or professing so to be beleeue we discerue by hearing and seeing who they are to whom we are to adioine our selues for the exercise of our faith So then the church is both visible and inuisible visible as touching the persons visible as touching open assemblies and exercises but not visible to bee the church of God for then Iewes and heathens would see so much and would leaue to persecute which now they doe not because they haue no faith and the church is no otherwise knowen so to be but onely by faith Now what saith M. Bishop to hurt any thing that we say The persons saith he in the Catholike church are visible but their indowments are inuisible Well and men are not true members of the true church by being such and such persons but by hauing such and such inward indowments and therfore though they bee visible as touching their persons yet they are not visible as true members of the church The church therefore which wee professe to beleeue which consisteth in them that are the true members of the visible church must needs be granted to be inuisible Yea I say further that men are not at all members of the visible church by being such and such persons but by profession of the faith and name of Christ and participation of his Sacraments And therfore M. Bishop doth much amisse to compare visible persons and inward qualities with the body the soule because to be a visible person is not to be in part a member of the church as the body is part of a man for then euery Turke and Infidell might be said to be in part a member of the church because he is a man but outward acceptance of the faith and visible communion with the church maketh a man outwardly a member thereof and is as it were the body the life and soule wherof is the inward grace of the spirit whereby he is indeed to the eies of God that which outwarly he seemeth to bee to the eies of men But a further difference also there is for that the soule though in it selfe it be inuisible yet is certainly perceiued and discerned by the actions and motions of the body and therefore well may a man be said to be visible as a man though as touching the soule it selfe he be inuisible whereas there are no such actions or motions of a member of the visible church whereby the eie of man can certainely see that hee hath life within or is spiritually the same to God that outwardly he giueth semblance to men to be Because therefore the true members of the church are not to be discerned with the eie it followeth that the church properly so called consisting of those true members is visible to God onely 7. W. BISHOP His last obiection against vs out of the Creed is That the articles of remission of sinnes resurrection of the body and life euerlasting containe a confession of speciall faith For the meaning of them is thus much I beleeue the remission of mine owne sinnes and the resurrectition of mine owne body to life euerlasting Answer That is not the meaning vnlesse you adde some conditions to wit I beleeue the remission of my sinnes if I haue duly vsed the meanes ordained by our Sauiour for the remission of them which is after Baptisme the Sacrament of Penance Item I beleeue I shall haue life euerlasting if I keepe as Christ willed the yong-man to keepe Gods commandements or at the least if I doe die with true repentance Now whether I haue done or shall doe these things required of me I am not so well assured as that I can beleue it for I may be deceiued therein but I haue or may haue a very goood hope by the grace of God to performe them Neither is there any more to be gathered out of Saint Augustine as some of the words by himselfe heere alleaged doe conuince For he requireth besides faith that we turne from our sinnes conforme our will to Gods will and abide in the lap of the Catholike church and so at length we shall be healed See the question of certainty of saluation Note also by the way the vncertainty of of M. PER. doctrine concerning this point for he holdeth that it is not necessary to haue a certaine perswasion of our owne saluation Pag. 2â—0 275. but that it is sufficient to haue a desire to haue it and that doctrine he putteth there as he saith himselfe to expound the Chatechismes that propound faith at so high reach as few can attaine vnto yet heere and elsewhere the goodman forgetting himselfe chargeth vs to crosse the Creed because we doe not wrest faith vp to so high a straine and so in heate of quarelling often expoundeth this contrary to his owne rule Now for proofe of S. Augustines opinion heerein whom he onely citeth take these two sentences for the two points be speaketh of For the first that we be certaine by ordinary faith of our saluation let this serue Of life euerlasting which God that cannot lie hath promised to his children De bono perseuer cap. 22. De correct grat cap. 13. no man can be secure and out of danger before his life be ended which is a tentation vpon earth Secondly that a man once truely iustified may afterward fall We must beleeue saith this holy father that certaine of the children of perdition doe liue in faith that worketh by charity and so doe for a time liue faithfully and iustly they were then truly iustified and yet afterward doe fall and that finally because be calleth them the children of perdition Thus much in answere vnto that which M. PER. obiecteth
articles of the Creed to beleeue the remission of his owne sinnes vnto euerlasting life The first as he alleageth is thus p August de bono perseuer cap. 22. De vita aeterna quam filijs promissionu promi sit non mendax deus ante tempora a terna nemo potest esse secuâ—usmisicum â—oÌ„summata fuerit ista vita quae tentatio est super terram sed faciet nos perseuerare in se vsque in huius vitae â—nem cui quotidie dicin us Ne nos inferas in tentationem Of life euerlasting which God that cannot lie hath from euerlasting promised to the children of promise no man can be secure before his life be ended which is a temptation vpon earth But what M. Bishop did your breath faile you that you could goe no further did you not thinke the end of the sentence as woorthy to be repeated as the beginning Goe on man tell out your tale for Saint Austin addeth further But he wil make vs to perseuere in him vnto the end of this life to whom we daily say Lead vs not into temptation What could Saint Austin deuise to speake more agreable to our assertion than this is We say that respecting our selues we haue no security wee are continually beset with danger and feare many occasions we haue of distrust and despaire and with these temptations we haue to wrastle the whole course of this life but amidst all our distractions and feares this is stil the support of our faith that he wil make vs to perseuere in him to the end of our life to whom we daily say Lead vs not into temptation q 1. Thess 5.24 Faithfull is he saith the Apostle who hath called you who will also doe it In the other place Saint Austin saith that r â—e corrept gratia cap 13. CredenauÌ„ est quâ—sdam de filijs perditionis non accepto do no perseuerantiae vsque in finem in fide quae per dilectionem operatur incipe re viuere aliquandiu fideliter aciustè viuere postea cadere c. we are to beleeue that some of the children of perdition not hauing receiued the gift of perseuering to the end doe begin to liue in faith that worketh by loue and for a while doe liue faithfully and iustly and afterwards doefall away But this Saint Austin speaketh according to men and as seemeth to the eies of men and of that profession of faith which by outward fruits carieth for the time the semblance of true faith For to the eies of God I haue Å¿ Of the certainty of saluation sect 10. before shewed out of Austin that reprobates are neuer effectually called neuer iustified neuer partakers of that healthfull and spirituall repentance whereby man in Christ is reconciled vnto God Therefore Gregory Bishop of Rome faith that t Gregor Moral l. 25. c. 8. Specie tenus credunt quotquot certum est electorum numerum summamque transire Ad fidem specie tenus regni veniunt qui a numero regnicaelestis excluduntur they who are not of the number of the elect doe beleeue but only in shew do in shew onely come to the faith of the kingdome u Ibid. lib. 34. cap. 13. Aurum quod prauis eius persuasionibus quasi lutum sternipotuerit aurum ante dei oculos nunquam fuâ—t Qui enim seduci quandoque non reuersuri possunt quasi habitam sanctitatem ante oculos hominum videntor amittere sed eam ante oculos dei nunquam habuerunt that the gold which by Satans wicked suggestions commeth to be troden vnder feete like dirt was neuer gold in Gods sight that they who can be seduced neuer to returne againe seeme to lose the holinesse which they had after a sort before the eies of men but indeed they neuer had it in the sight of God Behold heere M. Bishop one of your owne Bishops of Rome either a correctour if you will so haue it or as we will rather say an expounder of Saint Austins words but wholly aduerse and contrary to you denying vnto reprobates that faith and holinesse which you so confidently attribute vnto them So that in fine we see that M. PERK not by forced exposition or vaine illations but directly and according to truth hath charged you with impious violation of the first principles of the faith 8. W. BISHOP Hence he proceedeth to the tenne Commandements But before I follow him thither I may not omit heere to declare how the Protestant Doctors doe foully mangle and in manner ouerturne the greatest part of the Creed Obserue first that according to their common doctrine it is not necessary to beleeue this Creed at all because it is no part of the written word secondly that Caluin doubteth whether it were made by the Apostles or no being then no part of the written word Cal. lib. 2. Instit cap. 16. sess 18. not made by the Apostles it must by their doctrine be wholly reiected Now to the particulars 1. Concerning the first article I beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth they doe erre many waies First they doe destroy the most simple vnity of the God-head Confess fidei gener by teaching the diuine essence to be really distinguished into three persons If the diuine nature be really distinguished into three there must needes be three diuine essences or natures ergo three Gods Caluin also saith In actis Serueti pag. 872. that the Sonne of God hath a distinct substance from his Father Melancthon that there be aswell three diuine natures as three persons in locis de Christo Secondly they ouerthrow the Father in the God-head by denying the Sonne of God to haue receiued the diuine nature from his Father as Caluin Beza and Whitakers doe See the Preface Thirdly how is God almighty if he cannot do all things that haue no manifest repugnance in them But he cannot after the opinion of diuers of them make a body to be without locall circumscription or to bee in two places at once which notwithstanding some others of them hold to be possible In colloq Marpurg art 29. Li. 1. cont Scargum cap. 14. Dialog de corpore Christi pag. 94. De consil part 2.276 as Zwinglius Oecolampadius Andreas Volanus c. Fourthly though we beleeue God to be maker of heauen and earth yet neuer none but blasphemous Heretikes held him to be true authour and proper worker of all euill done vpon earth by men Such neuerthelesse bee Bucer Zwinglius Caluin and others of greatest estimation among the Protestants See the Preface 2. And in IESVS Christ his onely Sonne our Lord. They must needes hold Christ not to be Gods true naturall Son which denie him to haue receiued the diuine nature from the Father againe thy make him according to his God-head inferiour to his Father See the Preface 3. Borne of the Virgin MARY Many of them teach that Christ was borne as
a time because the end of his sitting is for the subduing of his enemies which thencefoorth shall be none and for the bringing of vs to God who then shal perfectly and immediately be ioyned vnto God f 1. Cor. 13.12 to see face to face and to know euen as we are knowen g August de Trin. lib. 1. ca. 10. Vt iam non interpellet pro nobis Mediator Sacerdos noster filius Dei filius hominis sed ipse in quantum Sacerin est assumpta propter nos serui forma subiectus sit ei qui illi subiecit omnia vt in quant is Deus â—â—t cum illo nos subiectos habeat in quantum Sacerdos nobiscum illi subiectus sit so as that our Mediatour and Priest the sonne of God and the sonne of man shall no further make intercession for vs saith S. Austin but he also as our Priest hauing taken for vs the forme of a seruant shall be subiect to him who hath subdued to him all things that as he is God he may haue vs subiect together with himselfe as man and as our Priest may with vs be subiect to himselfe as God the kingdome thencefoorth to abide not in the manhood of Christ as now it doth but in the Godhead that God as the Apostle saith may be all in all For conclusion of this section M. Bishop addeth That God shall then render vnto euery man according to his workes all the packe of them doth vtterly deny But M. Bishop you should for example haue named one you should haue quoted some place where either in common or priuate iudgement this deniall is set downe Gods rendring according to works prooueth no merit If you can bring none what a shame is it for a man of your degree and profession thus wilfully to lie and to wrong them that haue done no wrong to you The Scripture indeed hath taught it as he alleageth and we beleeue and so preach to all men that h Rom. 2.6 God shall render vnto euery man according to his workes We giue warning with the Apostle i Gal. 6.7 that no man deceiue himselfe for whatsoeuer a man soweth the same shall he reape He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reâ—pe euerlasting life We teach by the word of Christ that k Iohn 5.28 the houre shall come when all that are in their graues shall heare his voice and shall come foorth they that haue done good to the resurrection of life and they that haue done euill to the resurrection of condemnation And yet we teach withall that we are l Rom. 3.24.25 iustified freely by the grace of God throuh faith in the blood of Christ and that God doth saue vs not for any merits of ours but onely for his mercies sake Can he not tel how these two may stand to gether Let him learne then of Gregory Bishop of Rome who propoundeth the question and answereth it m Gregor in Psal paenitent 7. Si illa sanctorum foelicitas misericordia est non meritis acquiritur vbi erit quod scriptum est Et tu reddes vnicuique secundum opera sua si secundum opera redditur quomodo misericordia aestimabitur sed aliud est secundum opera reddere aliud propter ipsa opera reddere In eo enim quod secundum opera dicitur ipsa operum qualitas intelligitur vt cuius apparuerint hona opâ—râ— eius sit retributio gloriâ—saiâ—â— namque heatae vitae in qua cum deo de deo vâ—â—i ur nullus potest aequari labor nulla opera comparaâ—i praesertim cum Apostolus dicat Non sunt condignae passiones c. If the blisse of the Saints be mercy and be not purchased or gotten by merits how shall that stand which is written Thou shalt render vnto euery one according to his workes If it be rendred according to workes how shall it be esteemed mercy But it is one thing saith he to render according to workes another thing to render for the workes sake For when it is said according to workes the quality it selfe of the works is considered that whose workes appeare good his reward may be glorious For to that blessed life where we are to liue with God and of God himselfe no labour or paines can be equalled no workes may be compared for that the Apostle saith that the sufferings of this time are not worthy of the glory that shall be reuealed vpon vs. Notwithstanding then that God doe render to euery many cccording to his workes yet the doctrine of merits which M. Bishop would build thereupon is excluded because our good workes though they be sufficient as markes to distinguish vs from others yet they are not sufficient to obtaine saluation for vs yea as n Of Iustification sect 49. elsewhere hath beene declared out of Gregory if God should in strict iudgement examine the defects and blemishes of them they should therein be sufficient to condemne vs. Whatsoeuer they are they are not our owne but Gods workes in vs and o August de grat lib arbit cap 7. Si dei dona sunt bona merita tua non deus cororat merita tua tanquam merita tua sed tanquaÌ„ dona sua when he shall crowne them he shall crowne them not as our merits but as his owne gifts as S. Austin saith 11. W. BISHOP 8. I beleeue in the holy Ghost First Caluin and his followers who hold the holy Ghost to haue the God-head of himselfe and not to haue receiued it from the Father and the Sonne must consequently deny the holy Ghost to proceede from the Father and the Sonne In the Preface In cap. 6. 17. Isa in 16. Marc. as hath beene elsewhere prooued Secondly they make him much inferiour vnto the other persons for they teach in their French Catechismes that the Father alone is to be adored in the name of the Sonne And Caluin against Gentil saith that the title of creatour belongeth onely to the Father and elsewhere that the Father is the first degree and cause of life and the Sonne the second And that the * In 26. Math. v. 64. Father holdeth the first rancke of honour and gouernement and the Sonne the second where the holy Ghost is either quite excluded from part with the Father and the Sonne or at most must be content with the third degree of honour R. ABBOT As touching the Frst point he referreth his Reader to the Preface and there it is already answered That which Caluin saith is namely concerning the second person in Trinity the Sonne of God M. Bishop by consequence draweth it to the third person the holy Ghost The obiection then or rather the slander being cleered as touching the Sonne is consequently cleered concerning the holy Ghost His second cauill is The holy Ghost not made inferior
to the Father and the Son that we make the holy Ghost much inferiour to the other persons And how may that appeare Marry in their French Catechismes they teach saith he that the Father alone is to bee adored in the name of his sonne But what because they say the Father alone must they needes be taken to exclude the holy Ghost Hath he not so much diuinity as to know that the name of the Father is sometimes vsed for distinction of persons sometimes indefinitely of God without any such distinction When our Sauiour saith a Matt. 23.9 One is your Father who is in heauen doth not the name of Father there extend to God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost Doth it not so also where the Apostel saith b Eph. 4 6. There is one God and Father of all who is aboue all and through all and in you all Doth M. Bishop otherwise vnderstand it when he saith Our Father which art in heauen Surely the French Catechisme may say as he rereporteth who yet seldome reporteth truth yet import nothing therby but what Origen saith ChristiaÌ„s of old did namely c Origen cont Cels â— 8 Christiani soli Deo per Iesum preces offerentes to offer praiers to God only by Iesus or in the name of Iesus The next cauil against Calum is of the same kind that the title of Creatour belongeth only to the Father Which M. Bishop might well haue vnderstood in the distinctioÌ„ of the persoÌ„s by their seueral attributes as d Calu. Opus in Explicat perfidiae Valent. Gâ—ntil Certè vnâ— consensu fatemur Christum impropriè vocari creatorem coeli terrae quoad personae distinctionem Neque enim dubium est quin seriptura patri nomen Creatoris vendicans personas distinguat Caluin setteth it down to be very true and the rather for that in the very articles of the Creed he findeth it so applied I beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth For although it be true which S. Austin oftentimes deliuereth that e August de praedest sanctor cap. 8. Inseparabilia dicimus â—sse opera Trinitatis the workes of the Trinity are inseparable and in the act of any of the persons is the concurrence of all yet they so concurre as that they retaine therein their seuerall proprieties so as that of seuerall actions arise seuerall denominations which in common phrase of speech are vsed as in some specialty belonging to one person rather than another As therefore we attribute it to the sonne alone to haue redeemed vs and to the holy Ghost alone to sanctifie vs albeit both the Father and the holy Ghost had their worke in our redemption and the Father and the Sonne haue their worke also in sanctifying vs euen so to the Father alone the title of Creatour is applied not but that the Sonne and the holy Ghost haue their worke in the creation but because f Origen cont Cels lib. 8. Dicimus immediatum opificeâ— esse fiâ—um dei verbum c. Verâ— autâ—m patrem curus mandato munduâ— sit per ipsum filium conditus esse primarium opincem the Father is the primary or principall worker as Origen saith at whose commandement the world was created by the Sonne and g Hilar. de Synod adu Aria Si suis vnum dicens deum Christum autem deum ante secula filium dei obsecutum patri in creatione omnium non confitetur anathema sit wherein as the Syrmian Councel saith and Hilary approoueth the Sonne did obedience to the Father As for the rest that he heere quarelleth at that the Father is called the first degree and cause of life and the Sonne the second and againe that the father holdeth the first ranke of honour and gouernment and the sonne the second not to question the truth of his allegations I would in a word aske his wisdome doth he that saith that the Father is the first person in Trinity and the Sonne the second deny thereby the holy Ghost to be the third or doth hee hereby exclude the holy Ghost from hauing part with the Father and the Sonne Doth the Apostle when in his epistles he saith h Rom. 1 7. 1. Cor. 1.3 et in reliq Grace and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Iesus Christ doth he I say exclude heereby the holy Ghost from being the authour of grace and peace or from hauing part with the Father and the Sonne Or when he saith i 2. Cor. 1.3 Ephe 1.3 Blessed be God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ doth he deny the Sonne and the holy Ghost to be blessed and praised together with the Father If he doe not why then doth this idle headed Sophister thus take exception where there is nothing for him iustly to except against Forsooth at most saith he the holy Ghost must be content with the third degree of honour But what M. Bishop doe not you also place the holy Ghost in the third degree when you name him the third person Doth not your head serue you to vnderstand degree of order only without imparity or minority as all Diuines in this case are woont to do But why doe I thus contend with a blinde buzzard a wilfull and ignorant wrangler and not rather reiect him as a man worthy to be altogether contemned and derided He hath k Preface to the Reader sect 7. before cited the latter of these words to shew that Caluin made the Sonne of God inferiour to the Father but how leaudly he dealeth in the alleaging of it and to how small purpose it is there declared there is no cause here to speake thereof 12. W. BISHOP 9. one I beleeue the holy Catholike Church the communion of Saints First where as there is but on Catholike church as the Councel of Nice expresly defineth following sundry texts of the word of God they commonly teach that there be two churches one inuisible of the elect another visible of both good and bad holy Secondly they imagine it to be holy by the imputation of Christs holinesse to the elected Bretheren and not by the infusion of the holy Ghost into the hearts of all the faithfull Catholike Thirdly they cannot abide the name Catholike in the true sense of it that is they will not beleeue the true Church to haue beene alwaies visibly extant since the Apostles time and to haue beene generally spread into all countries otherwise they must needes forsake their owne church which began with Friar Luther and is not receiued generally in the greatest part of the Christian world Finally they beleeue no Church no not their owne in all points of faith but hold that the true Church may erre in some principall points of faith How then can any man safely relie his saluation vpon the credite of such an vncertaine ground and erring guide may they not then as well say that they
therefore we may not doubt but that the fellowship of the grace of God as God himselfe hath ordeined is to be imparted vnto them We know that many things by the law were called holy which yet were not capable of inward and spirituall holinesse and therefore albeit wee say by the Apostles phrase that the children of the faithful are holy vnto God euen from their mothers wombe yet is there no necessitie to vnderstand this holinesse of any grace of inward regeneration as they wilfully vnderstand it it being sufficient both to the Apostles words and to our meaning that they be reckoned as belonging to Gods houshold partakers of his vocation and calling designed to his vse and in case to be made partakers of his holinesse That the remainder of originall sin is properly sinne in the regenerate and that it infecteth and staineth all our good works so as that it should preuaile against vs to condemnation saue onely that God imputeth not the same vnto vs it hath beene at large before declared and M. Bishop for shame should no more gainesay it till he haue made good that that there he hath said against it As for his Sacrament of penance we know it not Repentance Christ hath taught vs but Sacrament of penance he hath taught none and therefore iustly may wee leaue it to them that haue beene the deuisers of it For remission of sinnes which wee commit after baptisme wee looke backe alwaies in our repentance to baptisme it selfe where it was sealed vnto vs not for the present onely but for euer that h 1. Ioh. 2.2 if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the propitiation for our sinnes 14. W. BISHOP 11 The resurrection of the bodies Whether Farel the first Apostle of the Geneuian Gospel doubted thereof or no let his successor Caluin tell you who answereth Farels letter thus Epist ad Farellum That the resurrection of this our flesh doth seeme to thee incredible no maruell c. Againe many of them teach that Christ tooke not his bloud againe which he shed vpon the crosse yea some of them are so gracelesse as to say that his pretious bloud wherewith wee were redeemed Vide Conradum lib. 1. art 20. rotted away on the earth 1600. yeeres agoe If then it bee not necessarie to a true resurrection to rise againe with the same bloud why is it necessarie to rise againe with the same bones and flesh the one being as perfect a part of a mans body as the other R. ABBOT The epistle wherein are the words mentioned by M. Bishop importing a doubt of the resurrection of the bodie was not written to Farel as he falsely quoteth but to one a Caluin epist. 103. Quòd res tibi incredibilis videtur huius carnis resurrectio nihil mirū Lelius Zozimus an Italian who seemeth to haue beene but meanely perswaded of some other points of Christian doctrine After two epistles to this Zozinus in the former whereof these words are there follow two epistles to Farell But what drowsie fit was M. Bishop in to take Farels name from an epistle that followed after and by forgery to adde it to the epistle that went before But this is one of the Romish holy fraudes whether true or false it skilleth not so that it be fit to serue the turne What wee thinke of Christs resuming his bloud againe I haue b Sect. 10. before shewed As for Conrades reports of the opinions of some of our men concerning the same they little mooue vs without better testimonie because wee know what the guise of Romish Sycophants in that case is wont to be 15. W. BISHOP 12 Life euerlasting First Captaine Caluin holdeth it for very certaine that no soule doth enter into the ioyes of heauen wherin consisteth life euerlasting vntill the day of doome These be his words 3. Institu 25. sess 6. The soules of the godly hauing ended the labour of this war-fare doe goe into a blessed rest where they expect the enioying of the promised glorie And that all things are holden in suspence vntill Christ the redeemer appeare Whose opinion is yet better than was his predecessor Luthers For he teacheth in many places Enarra in Gen. cap. 26. In Ecclesi c. 9. v. 10. that the soules of the godly departing from their bodies haue no sense at all but doe lie fast asleepe vntill the latter day Take this one for a taste Another place to prooue that the dead feele or vnderstand nothing wherefore Salomon thought the dead to be wholy asleepe and to perceiue nothing at all And again The sleepe of the soule in the life to come is more profound than in this life And Luther with this one position of his as that famous historiographer Iohn Sleidan recordeth ouerthrew two points of Popery to wit Lib. 9. hist. praying to Saints for they are so fast asleepe that they cannot heare vs and praying for the dead For they in Purgatorie slept also so soundly that they felt no paines A meet foundation surely to build such false doctrine vpon In 20. Luc. hom 35. But Brentius is most plaine in this matter who ingeniously confesseth that albeit there were not many among them that did professe publikely the soules to die with the bodie yet the most vncleane life which the greatest part of their followers did lead doth clearely shew that in their hearts they thinke no life to be after this yea that many such speeches doe sometimes proceed from them Finally it is a grosse errour of theirs to thinke that euery meane godly man shall be then made equall in glory with the Apostles which Luther teacheth whereas cleane contrary S. Paul declareth In 1. c. Petri 1. 1. Cor. 15.42 that as one starre differeth from another in glory so also shall be the resurrection of the dead I omit heere many other particularities that I be not ouer tedious For these their bickerings against the very principles of our Christian faith not leauing any one article of our Creed vnskirmished with all will serue any indifferent man for a warning to beware of their prophane doctrine that leadeth the high way to Infidelitie They vse to crie out much against the Antichrist of Rome for corrupting the puritie of the Gospell as the wicked Elders did against the adulterie of Susanna but the iudicious Christian may easily espie them themselues to be the true fore-runners of Antichrist indeed by their so generall hacking and hewing at euery point of the ancient Christian faith Thus much concerning the Creede now let vs passe to the Commandements R. ABBOT Note well The soules of the faithfull affirmed by Caluin and Luther to be in heauen gentle Reader the wilfull impudencie and malice of this man He saith that Caluin denieth to soules departed the ioyes of heauen vntill the day of doome and yet in the words by him cited hee seeth that hee
dormiunt mortui c. vt intelligas infernum dici vbi continentur animae quasi quoddam sepulchrum animae extra hunc corporalem mundum stcut terra est sepulchrum corporum quid autem illud sit nobis est incognitum to be that secret withdrawing place where the soules are conteined and which is as it were the graue of the soule without the compasse of this corporall world as the earth is of the body but what this is saith he it is vnknowen to vs. This conceit it seemeth hee drew either from the errour of Pope Iohn aforesaid or from the Popish fable of Limbus patrum reteining as yet some taste of that corruption which had beene long growing in him nad in respect whereof hee somewhere beseecheth his Reader to reade many of his works with compassion remembring that hee was sometimes a Monke as acknowledging that from his Cloister hee drew many things that were vnsound and in his writings might escape him vnawares But whatsoeuer his fancie were when hee wrote that Commentarie vpon Ecclesiastes hee was afterwards in expounding Genesis so farre from that opinion wherewith M. Bishop chargeth him as that most comfortablie hee setteth foorth the hope of the faithfull in their death yea euen in that very place whence M. Bishop cireth him the greater is his sinne that by dismembring a sentence would make him say that that is directly contrarie to the drift and purpose of that whole discourse He taketh occasion of his speech by the storie of Abrahams death and thereupon saith m Luther in Gen. c. 25. Nos habemus gratiam donum ac manifestam multiplicem scientiam de morte vita Siquidem certi sumus saluatorem nostrum Christum Iesum sedere ad dexteram dei patris expectare nos decedentes ex hac vita Quandocunque igitur excedimas è viuis ad Episcopum animarum nostrarum egredimur qui recipit nos inmanus suas is noster AbrahaÌ„ est cuius coÌ„plexu fruimur is viuit imò regnat perpetuò We haue a grace gift euen a manifest and manifold knowledge concerning death and life for we are sure that our Sauiour Iesus Christ sitteth at the right hand of God the Father and expecteth vs when we depart out of this life Whensoeuer therefore we die we goe to the bishop of our soules who receiueth vs into his hands He is our Abraham whose bosome or embracing we enioy he liueth and reigneth for euer Againe he saith n Ibid. In Christo mors non est acerba sicut impijs est sed est commutatio huius miserae calamitosae vitae in quietam besâ— tam. c. Et paulò post Multi loci scripturae sanctae comprobant quòd post mortem non morimur sed viuimus simplicitèr Esa 57. Requiescit in cubili c. Ingrediuntur non in mortem purgatorium aut infernum sed in pacem Death in Christ is not bitter as it is to the wicked but it is the changing of this wretched and miserable life into a quiet and blessed life Many places of Scripture saith he doe prooue that after death wee die no more but doe simply or perfectly liue And alledging the words of Esay o Esa 57.2 Peace commeth he shall rest in his bed whosoeuer walketh before him he inferreth They enter not into death into purgatorie or hell but into peace Heereupon hee mooueth a question p Et mox Alia quaestio nascitur cùmcertuÌ„ sit viuere esse in pace animas qualis illa vita aut quies sit Haec verò sublimior difficihor est quà m vt à nobis possit definiri deus enim noluit id a nobis cognosci in hac vita sufficit igitur nobis haec cognitio non egredi animas ex corporibus in periculum cruciatuum aut poenarum inferni sed esse eis paratum cubiculum in quo dormiant in pace Differunt tamen somrus siue quies huius vitae futurae Homo enim in hac vita defatigatus diurno labore sub noctem intrat in cubiculum suum tanquam in pace vt ibi dormiat ea nocte fruitur quite neque quicquam scit de â—llo malo siue incendij siue caedu Anima autem non sic dormit sed vigilat patitur visiones loquelas angeloruÌ„ dei Ideo somnus in futura vita profundior est quà m in hac vita tamen anima coram deo viuit seeing it is certaine that the soules liue and are in peace what maner of life or rest that is This saith hee is a higher and harder question than can be decided by vs for God would not haue vs to know it in this life It sufficeth vs to know that our soules depart not from our bodies to danger of the torments or paines of hell but that there is a chamber prouided for them where they may sleepe in peace But yet saith he there is difference betwixt the sleepe or rest of this life and of the life to come For man in this life being wearied with the daies labour at night entreth into his chamber as in peace that there he may sleepe and so in the night he enioyeth rest and knoweth nothing of any euill either of fire or of sword But the soule sleepeth not so but waketh and enioyeth the sight and heareth the speeches of the Angels and of God Therefore the sleepe in the life to come is more profound than in this life and yet the soule liueth in the presence of God Out of these last words M. Bishop taketh the occasion of his quarrell expounding sleepe as wee commonly take it as if Luther meant that the soule in death became wholly deuoid of all sense knowledge and vnderstanding and were as it were dead vntill the last day But what truth or conscience may we thinke is in this man who thus obiecteth the words as if Luther had put the soule in case of death when notwithstanding in the end of the same sentence he addeth that it liueth in the presence of God and in the whole circumstance of the place testifieth by the Scripture that it enioieth the bosome of Iesus Christ the sight and speech of God and his Angels a most peacefull and blessed life and that this sleepe is not such but that the soule waketh alwaies The meaning of Luther is plaine who finding the rest of the soules of the faithfull termed in Scripture a sleepe would signifie that this sleepe is a more sound and perfect rest than any is in this life voide of trouble and feare free from all knowledge of miserie and sorrow not distracted or interrupted with the cares or cogitations of our state not reckoning number of daies or length of yeeres all time seeming short for that blissefull and happie pleasure and contenâ—ment that is yeelded to the soule thereby For further declaring heereof he addeth anon after q Ibid. Qui somnum
and that euen to death and yet the Church of Rome against the intent of this Commandement alloweth that clandestine Marriages and the vowe of religion shall be in force though they bee without and against the consent of wise and carefull parents Answ It is very false to say that children must obey their parents in all things for if parents command them any thing either against Gods law or the Princes they must not obey them therein And touching clandestine and priuie Marriages they are of force aswell in the Church of England as in the Church of Rome yea more too For by the Church of Rome alwaies they haue beene forbidden verie seuerely and since the Councell of Trent are made voide and of no force where the Councell can be published Concerning entring into religion childrens vowes during their minoritie may be annullated and made of no force by their parents marry when they come to riper daies if their father stand not in necessitie of their helpe they may forsake him to follow Christ in a more perfect kinde of life as S. Iames and S. Matth. 4.22 Iohn forsooke their father Zebedee and followed Christ R. ABBOT There is little discretion in M. Bishops first exception because M. Perkins did vse no other but the Apostles words a Col. 3.20 Children obey your parents in all things for that is well pleasing vnto the Lord. When the Apostle saith in all things M. Bishop should not be so rude as to say It is verie false to say in all things howsoeuer wee denie not but that the words haue their limitation and restraint to those things wherein they command in right of parents The validitie of contracts marriages without consent of parents As touching marriages without consent of parents M. Bishop misreporteth the Councell of Trent which though it doe detest and prohibit the contracts of such marriages yet doth also b Conc. Trident. sess 24. Sancta Synodus anathemate damnat eos qui falsò affirmant matrimonia à filijs familias sine consensis parentum contracta irrita esse parentes rata vel irrata facere posse condemne them who say that such marriages when they are contracted are void and that it is in the power of the parents either to ratifie or disanull them The Church of England not meditating contradiction but truth approoueth so farre the sentence of the Councell and albeit it endeuoureth with all good care and circumspection to preuent and to exclude such wilfull and vngodly courses of marriage yet it acknowledgeth that marriages being so acted and done cannot be reuoked lamented they may be and greened at but voided they cannot be M. Perkins seemeth to be of other minde and hee followeth therein the iudgement of sundry late Diuines whom though otherwise we greatly esteeme and honour yet wee cannot subscribe that which they determine in this point Consent of parents belongeth to the honest and orderly proceeding of marriage and it is true that children sinne against the fift Commandement in neglecting their consent but this consent is no part of the essence and being of marriage which therefore being complet and perfect without it must necessarily stand good albeit the parents giue no consent vnto it The very essence of contract and marriage consisteth in the parties actuall giuing of themselues mutually ech to other according to the forme and maner of the countrey and place wherein they liue which being done the want of parents consent cannot vndoe it neither may they be sundred in two who by Gods ordinance though vnlawfully abused are become one By Gods ordinance I say because albeit they haue not vsed that maner of proceeding which God hath ordeined to the fastening of this bond yet the bond it selfe wherewith they are fastened is the ordinance of God to remaine inuiolable betwixt them that are once bound thereby Neither doth it make against this which is obiected that God ioineth not such together that they marry not in the Lord for so may it be said of them that marry only for carnal worldly respects of the beleeuer that matcheth him or her-selfe with an vnbeleeuer that they are not ioined by God nor married in the Lord because God hath forbidden such kinde of marriages to be made But yet as the bond of marriage though vnlawfully entred into holdeth these together and may not bee broken euen so though children may not lawfully marry without consent of parents yet being married they are tied by the couenant of God ech to other as husband and wife and may not shake off the yoke which they haue taken vpon themselues As for those phrases of Scripture which are vrged in this behalfe of parents c Gen. 21.21 Exod. 34.16 Deut. 7.3 taking wiues for their sonnes or husbands for their daughters and giuing their sonnes and daughters in marriage they imply indeed the parents right and power for the bestowing of their children but yet we cannot from thence argue that if the children preuent their parents and doe giue and bestow themselues their gift should bee void and their marriage a meere nullitie as if it had not beene For as wee reade of parents taking wiues for their sonnes so we reade of sonnes also without consent of parents taking wiues for themselues when yet the want of such consent hath been no disanulling of their marriage Esau d Gen. 26.34 tooke him two wiues of the daughters of Heth or Canaan e Ibid. 28.8 contrarie to the liking of his father and mother and yet when he had taken them hey held it not in their power to frustrate his taking of them but with griefe were forced to endure them And if the sonnes taking of a wife be of no force without the parents consent then Rebecca had no such cause of feare f Ibid. 27.46 lest Iacob also should take a wife of the daughters of Heth because his taking had been nothing so long as his father and mother should giue no consent vnto it So is it said of g Gen. 38.2 Iudah that he tooke him to wife a daughter of a Canaanite which wee cannot doubt but that it was as offensiue to his father Iacob as it had beene before to Isaac and yet his marriage was not taken to be of no effect To be short as the one phrase of Scripture may be deemed to import a right in the father to bestow the children so the other may bee thought to import a validitie of that which the childrē do though vnlawfully without the father It is here I know commonly obiected that God by his law prouided that h Num. 30.4 the vow of the daughter should not stand that was disauowed by the father and thereof is inferred that the daughters bestowing of her selfe in marriage cannot stand good without the father But that law if it be duly weighed maketh as little to that purpose as any thing else that is alleaged For the vowes and bonds
needs confesse themselues to be farre from it which hold that to be impossible and with the principall part of true religion which consisteth in offering a true reall and externall sacrifice vnto God as in that question hath beene prooued they are at vtter defiance R. ABBOT You haue shewed your owne folly M. Bishop and dishonestly The Protestants teach faith hope and charitie aright but for the peruerting of any articles of faith on our side you haue shewed nothing We teach faith hope and charitie as God hath taught them not as your schoole hath newly framed them We teach faith wherby a 1. Io. 5.10.11 to beleeue the record that God witnesseth of his Sonne that God hath giuen vnto vs eternall life and this life is in his Sonne We teach hope whereby b Rom. 8.25 to wait with patience for the reueilling of that which God hath giuen vs. Wee teach charitie whereby to performe c Eph. 2.10 those good works which God hath prepared for vs as the way wherein to walke to the receiuing of it True reall and externall sacrifice for propitiation of sin we teach none but the sacrifice of the passion of Christ because by d Heb. 9.28 10.14 being once offered he hath taken away our sinnes and made perfect for euer them that are sanctified Therefore the sacrifice which he intendeth is no other but sacriledge and idolatrie and because God hath condemned it therefore are we iustly at defiance with it I may not omit how he heere bobbeth his Reader with as in that question hath beene prooued whereas of that question hee hath said iust neuer a word 25. W. BISHOP 2 Touching the second Commandement after our account as God is honoured by swearing in iustice iudgement and truth so he is also by vowes made vnto him of godly and religious duties which the Prophet Dauid signifieth when he saith vow yee Psal 75.13 and render your vowes vnto the Lord your God Heereupon many Catholikes haue and doe continually vow perpetuall pouertie chastirie and obedience the more fully and freely to serue God which holy vowes the Protestants disallow wholly neither doe they allow of any other vowes for ought I haue heard they doe therefore diminish the seruice of God and pare away a part of that which is reduced to the second Commandement R. ABBOT We diminish not the seruice of God because we teach al that the word of God hath taught and with mens deuises God will not be serued Spirituall vowes admitted Popish vowes reiected The true spirituall vowes whereby we consecrate our selues to God we duly approoue but Popish vowes we reiect and detest not onely as superstitious but also as they teach them with opinion of merit and purchase of remission of sinnes for themselues and others most wicked and damnable There needeth heereof nothing more to be said then hath beene before deliuered in the handling of that question 26. W. BISHOP 3. And whereas in the third wee are commanded to keepe holy the Sabaoth day which is principally performed by hearing attentiuely and deuoutly that diuine seruice which was instituted by Christ and deliuered by his Apostles which is the holy Masse they may not abide it but serue God after the inuention of their owne braines with a mingle-mangle of some old some new odly patched together R. ABBOT What Christ instituted appeareth in the Gospell what the Apostles practised and deliuered appeareth by S. Paul holding himselfe entirely to that a 1. Cor. 11.23 which he had receiued of the Lord. What doe wee finde there that doth in any sort resemble the ougly monster of the Popish Masse Gregory Bishop of Rome saith that b Greg. ep l. 7 Indict 2. ep 63. Mos Apostolorum fuit vt ad ipsam solummodo orationem dominicam oblationis hostiam consecrarent the Apostles were woont with the Lords praier only to consecrate the sacred host and shall we then thinke the Apostles to haue been the authours of those gew-gawes and fooleries those turnings and windings and crossings blessings and murmurations and eleuations that are vsed in the Masse Iulius Bishop of Rome the first condemned the dipping of the Sacrament of Christs body in the cup of the bloud of Christ c De cons dist 2. Cum omne Quòd pro complemento communionis intinctam tradunt Eucharistiam populis nec hoc prolatum ex Euangelio testimonium receperunt c. because no witnesse heereof is brought out of the Gospell If nothing be to be done in the celebration of the Sacrament but whereof there is witnesse in the Gospel and d Cyp. l. 2. ep 3. In sacrificio quod Christus est nonnisi Christu sequendus est none as Cyprian saith be to be followed therein but only Christ we haue iust cause to reiect the Masse which hath so little of that that Christ did and so much that he did not The Masse therefore is no sanctifying but a prophaning of the Lords Sabaoth but the true sanctifying of the Sabaoth is in our diuine seruice wherein Gods word is read and taught praier is made to God in the name of Iesus Christ and the Sacraments are administred accordingly as Christ himselfe hath left the same vnto vs. Wherein we haue reteined whatsoeuer the abomination of desolation had left remaining of the ancient seruice of the Church and whatsoeuer was wanting we haue supplied agreeably thereto and to the word of God and no man will account it odly patched together but such odde fellowes as M. Bishop is who are so farre in loue with the Romish harlot as that they like to eat no bread but what is moulded with her vncleane and filthie hands 27. W. BISHOP In the fourth we are commanded to obey our Princes as well as our parents and all other our Gouernours in all lawfull matters yet the Protestants hold that our Princes lawes doe not binde vs in conscience R. ABBOT What Is Saul also amongst the Prophets Princes lawes how they binde in conscience Is M. Bishop now come to speake of obedience to Princes by the problemes of whose religion no Prince shall be obeied if the Pope list by any pretense of religion to picke a quarrell against him nor any matters shall be lawfull for him to command but what must stand with the Popes law Doth he speake of obedience to Princes who because his Prince liketh not to follow his course hath before threatned him a Epist to the king sect 34. God knoweth what that forcible weapon of necessitie will driue men vnto at length When the Fox preacheth beware the Geese To the point I answer him briefely we teach that Princes lawes in things subiect to their command do binde the conscience to externall obedience though not to any spirituall opinion of the things wherein we doe obey And that we doe not denie this he himselfe b Preface to the Reader sect 3. before hath testified for
calum vtique integrum Cum vid eritis filium hominis c. certè vel tunc videbitis quia noÌ„ eo modo quo putatis erogat corpus suum certè vel tunc videbitis quia gratia eius non consumitur morsibus They thought saith Austin that he would impart to them his very body but he telleth them that he will goe vp to heauen euen whole When ye shall see the sonne of man ascend where he was before surely then ye shall see that he doth not impart his body in that maner as you thinke ye shall then vnderstand that his grace is not deuoured by morsells Now if the ascending of Christ into heauen were an argument for the reforming of their fancy and correcting of their error then it must needs be a misconstruction of eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Christ whereby the same is said to be done by his being really present vpon the earth And that it might not be so vnderstood he further saith k vers 63. The words which I speake vnto you are spirit and life it is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing thereby aduertising them as S. Austin giueth to vnderstand that l Aug ibi Quomodo quidem edatur quisnam sit manducandi modus ignoratis they knew not in what sort his flesh was eaten or what the maner thereof is and that they should spiritually conceiue the doing of it in such maner as was before expressed out of Austin And hereof Origen saith m Ori. in Leuit. hom 7. Est in nouo testameÌ„to litera quae occidit eum qui non spiritualiter aduertit Nam si secunduÌ„ literamsequaris id quod dictum est Nisi manducaueritis carnem c. litera illa occidit There is in the new Testament a letter which killeth him that doth not spiritually listen to it for if thou folow according to the letter that which is written Except yee eat the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood that letter killeth Therefore S. Austin deliuering certaine rules whereby figuratiue speeches are to be knowen doth by his rule find that this speech of Christ is not properly or literally to be vnderstood but by a figure n Aug. de doct Christ l. 3. c. 16. si flagitium aut facinus videtur iubere aut vtilitatem beneficentiaÌ„ vitare figurata est Nisi manducaâ—eritis carnem filij hominis c. facinus vel flagitium videtur iubere figura ergò est praecipiens passioni domini esse coÌ„municandum suauitèr atque vtiliter recondendum in memoria quod carâ— eius pro nobis crucifixa vulnerata sit If any speeche seem to command a hainous or wicked act or to forbid well doing or any profitable thing it is a figuratiue speech Where Christ saith Except yee eat the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood c. he seemeth to command a hainous thing It is therefore a figure instructing that we are to communicate of the passion of the Lord and sweetly and profitably to lay vp in minde that his flesh was crucified and wounded for vs. In which sort S. Bernard also expoundeth that o Bernar de verb. Habac. super custodiaÌ„ c. sub edendi corporis sus mysterio discipulos ad communâ—â— andum passionibus suis aumonens vnder the mystery of eating his body Christ admonisheth his disciples to communicate of his passions Here is therefore no other but a spirituall action of the heart and soule which requireth no reall presence because the spirit of man by faith climbeth vp to heauen and looketh backe vnto the crosse of Christ and there receiueth nourishment and strength of him to liue by him for euer 58. W. BISHOP Thirdly Christ said in most cleere tearmes this is my body this is my blood What could be more certaine or more perspicuous R. ABBOT The words as wee expound them out of the circumstance of the text and the consent of ancient fathers are indeed perspicuous and cleere yeelding this meaning This bread is my body this wine is my blood that is the signe the sacrament the participation of my body and blood But M. Bishop for his life cannot make any certaine and definite meaning of them whereby their transubstantiation and reall presence may be made good If the words be so perspicuous and cleere for them how commeth it about that they haue so tossed and tumbled them and yet there is no certaine meaning thereof concluded amongst them till this day I need not stand hereupon hauing before said what is sufficient for this purpose in the eight and fortieth section 59. W. BISHOP Fourthly These words of the institution are recorded by three Euangelists and by S. Paul and they all vniformely deliuer it to be not the figure of Christs body but his body and that his body which should be giuen for our redemption on the crosse ergo it was that his true reall body which was nailed to the crosse for vs. R. ABBOT Euen so three Euangelists and S. Paul doe vniformely deliuer that the cup is the bloud of Christ or the new testament in his bloud as hath been a Sect. 50. before said and yet M. Bishop will not say I hope that the cup is really the bloud or testament of Christ That the Sacrament is the figure of Christs body is no new speech S. Austin saith that b Aug in Psal 3. Conuinium in quo corporu sanguinis sui figuram discipuâ—usuis coâ—mendauit tradidit Christ commended and deliuered to his disciples the figure of his bodie and bloud Tertullian expoundeth thus c Tertul. cont Marcion â—â— 4. Acâ—eptum panem corpus suum fecit dicâ—â—do hoc est corsus meum id est figura corporis mei This is my body that is to say a figure of my body Gelasius the Bishop of Rome saith that d Gelas cont Eutych Nest. Et certo imago similitudo corporis sanguinis domini in actione mysteriorum celebratur an image and semblance of the body and bloud of Christ is celebrated in the administration of the Sacraments Chrysostome saith that e Chrysost Opimperf in Mat. hom 11. In quibus non verum corpus Christi sed mystâ—rium corporu eius continetur in the sacred vessels not the true body of Christ but the mysterie of his body is conteined The ancient Liturgies doe vsually call the Sacraments f Constit Clem. l. 7. c. 26. Antitypa corporis c. Iacobâ— Liturg Typus corporis sanguinis Christi tui the signes of the body and bloud of Christ and so g Carol. Magn. epist. ad A cuin Panem fregit calicâ—m paâ—iter dedit eis in figuram corporis sanguinis sui Charles the great stileth them in his epistle to Alcuinus It should not therefore seeme strange to M. Bishop that wee also should expound the sacrament to
bee the figure of Christs body Yea but Christ saith he saith not that it is the figure of his body but his body And euen so S. Paul saith not that the rocke was a figure of Christ but h 1. Cor. 10.4 The rocke was Christ i August in Leuit. q. 57. Quod vtique non erat per substantiam sed per significationem which yet saith Austin was not Christ in substance but in signification If S. Paul might say that the rocke was Christ though in substance it were not so then might Christ say of bread this is my body though it bee not so in substance but in signification and power onely euen as hath beene k Sect. 48. before said that Sacraments commonly beare the names of those things whereof they are sacraments and that because though they be signes and figures yet they are such signes as doe by the ordinance of God truely and effectually exhibite and yeeld to the faith of the beleeuer the heauenly and spirituall grace that is signified thereby Now when we say that the Sacrament is thus the figure of Christs body how doe wee meane it but of his bodie which was giuen for our redemption vpon the crosse and therefore that addition set downe by M. Bishop is impertinent and maketh nothing at all for him 60. W. BISHOP Fiftly 1. Cor. 10.16 S. Paul demandeth thus the Chalice of benediction which we doe blesse is it not the communication of the bloud of Christ and the bread that we breake is it not the participation of the body of our Lord if then wee doe in receiuing the blessed Sacrament participate Christs body and communicate his bloud they surely are there really present R. ABBOT We doe in receiuing the blessed Sacrament participate Christs body and communicate his bloud and yet they are not there really present because wee participate Christs body by faith in spirit and soule not in body by the mouth and belly as hath beene before shewed S. Austin supposing Christ to be absent in body yet teacheth vs how wee receiue him when he saith a Aug. in Ioan. tract 50. Quomodo tenebo absentem quomodo in coelum manum mitâ—am vt ibi sedentem teneam fidem mitte tenuisti How shall I lay hold of him being absent how shall I put vp my hand to heauen to lay hold of him sitting there send vp thy faith saith he and thou hast taken hold of him There needeth then no reall presence for the receiuing of Christs body but by faith we lay hold thereof sitting at the right hand of God the father 61. W. BISHOP Againe S. Paul saith He that eateth and drinketh vnwoorthely 1. Cor. 11.28 eateth and drinketh iudgement to himselfe not discerning the body of our Lord and before is guilty of the body and bloud of Christ ergo the body and bloud of Christ are there present or else why should a man incurre that guilt but by his vnwoorthy receiuing of it and by not discerning Christs body to be there present R. ABBOT M. Bishop thinketh that we doe indignitie to the Saints when wee pull downe their images which they worship and yet hee will not say that those images are the Saints themselues and can he not conceiue that in the dishonor of the sacrament is the dishonour of Christ though the sacrament be not verily Christ himselfe but the representatâ—on and signe of his body and bloud the despight and villaine that is done to the Princes picture or seale is construed to be an indignitie to the Prince and so will the Apostle haue vs to conceiue of the Sacrament of the bodie and bloud of Christ It is by Gods ordinance to vs and in our vse as it were the body and bloud of Christ and therefore iustly is he said not to discerne the Lords body and to be guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ who vnreuerently and with contempt presumeth to offer himselfe to these mysteries of Christ though Christ himselfe be not really present in the vsage thereof 62. W. BISHOP Besides all these plaine texts of holy Scripture in confirmation of the reall presence the very circumstances of it doe much fortifie our faith therein In S. Luke we haue Luc. 22.15 that our Sauiour maruellously desired desiderio desideraui to eat that this last banquet with his Diâ—ciples S. Iohn addeth that whereas he loued his that were in the world vnto the end he loued them and knowing that the Father gaue all things into his hands and that he came from God and goeth to God c. What coherence I say with this exceeding loue and infiâ—â—te power of Christ to bee shewed in his last supper if he hath left onely bread and wine to bee taken in remembrance of him any meane man might easily haue done as much and Helias departing from his Disciple Heliseus did much more for hee left a more noble remembrance of himselfe behinde him to wit his cloake and double spirit But Christ bequeathing vs his true naturall body to bee the foode of our soules and comfort of our hearts as wee beleeue and teach he then indeed shewed his iâ—finite power and loue towards vs and that he came from God and as God bestowed an inestimable gift vpon vs such a one as neuer any other did or could possibly doe R. ABBOT It is truly said by Tertullian that a Tertul. de Baptism Nihil adeò est quod obiurat mentes hominum quà m simplicitas diuinorum operum quae in actu videntur magnificentia quae in effectu repromittitur c. nothing so much offendeth mens mindes in the Sacraments as the simplicitie of Gods works as they seeme in act and the magnificence which is promised in effect M. Bishop looking to the outward signes in the Lords supper taketh the same to be a simple token of Christs exceeding loue towards vs a matter that any man might doe and not so much as that that Elias left to his scholar Elizeus Thus in his blinde fancie hee amplifieth the matter as if wee taught that Christ in his last supper had recommended nothing to vs but bread and wine But let him vnderstand that we see and teach in this sacrament the exceeding great loue of Christ not in those simple creatures which we see in act but in the magnificence of grace which is promised in effect If wee consider these creatures in act they are but bread and wine but consider them in vse and effect and then this bread is heauenly bread the bread of life the food of immortalitie there is in it the spirit of Christ euen the power of the word of God not onely feeding but also sanctifying and clensing the soule I will expresse it by M. Bishops owne words that Christ hath bequeathed and heereby giueth vnto vs his true naturall body to be the food of our soules of our soules I say not of our bodies which if he did rightly meane
and would he then thus like a micher steale away from all and leaue the chiefe and principall matters of his suggestion without succour or defense I had often said and he hath now verified it that either he would not reply at all or else would doe it in that patching sort as he hath now done And surely had not I my selfe ministred vnto him the matter whereupon hee hath framed his Reproofe without any necessity thereof arising out of his Epistle I should haue gone for this time without any reproofe at all Vpon mention made of the Catholike faith I tooke occasion further than I was compelled by him to insist vpon the name of Catholike and to shew their abuse thereof Vpon his appeale to the Romane Church when the same was in the best and most flourishing estate I tooke occasion of a comparison of the doctrine of the old and new Church of Rome by sundry sentences of the Bishops and other writers of that Church whereas it had beene sufficient for me to haue disprooued those instances whereby he tooke vpon him to prooue the same faith in both From these two points ariseth the whole substantiall part of his booke and had I omitted these in hard case had he beene for the writing of a booke for for defense of his owne allegations he had had nothing more to say Now gentle Reader to confesse to thee the truth I had determined so soone as time should serue by a speciall treatise to enlarge the said comparison and to remooue their exceptions which they haue to take against it and so more fully to describe The true ancient Romane Catholike What then hath M. Bishop in effect done by his Reproofe but onely giuen me further occasion to doe that that I had beforehand purposed to doe and to consider of sundry matters which happily otherwise not minding I might easily haue ouerpassed For the doing of this I must craue thy patience for a time because it is a matter that will require conuenient time but in the meane time to giue thee some satisfaction as touching that Reproofe I haue thought good by a short Aduerisement to make it appeare to thee that Foxes whelpes are all alike that M. Bishop is no changling but continueth in his proceeding the same man that he was in the beginning 3. And first I would haue thee to obserue what a terrible inscription he hath put in the forefront to fright owles and buzzards that they may keepe them in their corners and not come foorth to see the light A Reproofe saith he of M. Doct. Abbots Defence of the Catholike deformed by M. W. Perkins wherein his sundry abuses of Gods sacred word and most manifold misapplying and falsifying of the ancient Fathers sentences be so plainely discouered to the eie of euery indifferent Reader that whosoeuer hath any due care of his owne saluation can neuer heereafter giue him more credit in matter of faith and religion But not contented heerewith to bombast this skar-crow to the full and to cause the greater terrour taking occasion belike by my comparing him and his fellow Wright to Iannes and Iambres he vnderwriteth to that title the words of the Apostle d 2. Tim. 3.8 As Iannes and Iambres resisted Moses so these men also resist the truth men corrupted in minde reprobate concerning the faith but they shall prosper no further for their folly shall be manifest to all as theirs also was Now is not this a horrible coniuration Gentle Reader and sufficient to make any mans haire to stare Wouldest thou not imagine heereby that there should be cause to cry out vpon me yea to hang me vp for abusing Scriptures and fathers and beguiling the world in such sort as he pretendeth But stay I pray thee a while remember that losers must haue their words and they will crie lowdest that smart most neither doth any thing in being handled make so importunate a noise as the filthy swine doth Saint Austine saith rightly that e August de ciu dei lib. 5. cap. 27. Non ideò plus potest vanitas quà m veritas quia si voluerit etiam plus potest clamara quà m veritas vanity is not therefore stronger than truth because if it list it can cry louder than truth Thou knowest that naughty drabs when they are reprooued for their leaud and vnhonest life doe set themselues with all bitternesse and violence to deuise and frame words and termes to gall and disgrace them by whom they are reprooued Thou maiest well conceiue that the greatest occasion of suspicion lieth on his part who like the silly wood-cocke that thrusteth his head into a hole and leaueth his body to be beaten till both head and all be dead so after three yeeres space leauing the whole body of his Epistle vndefended thrusteth himselfe into one corner of a booke there for a time to shrowd himselfe till his head being crushed in that corner also he shall haue no place left further to yeeld him breath But that thou maiest see from what spirit that title of his booke hath proceeded I haue thought good heere to examine the whole matter of his preface wherein he taketh vpon him to iustifie the same and professeth to haue said so much therein f Page 11. as may suffice to discredit me with all indifferent men Marke well I pray thee the matters which he bringeth consider well the waight and the truth of them and then take knowledge of some other obseruations that I shall giue thee concerning the whole book 4. His Preface he beginneth artificially according to a precept of Rhetoricke which teacheth a man g Quintil. Orator institut lib. 5. cap. 13. Haec simulatio hucusque procedit vt quae dicendo refutare non possumus quasi fastidiendo calcemus a dissembling tricke that what he cannot confute he shall seeme scornefully to reiect and trample vpon He telleth his Reader concerning mine answer that h Pag. 3. he found so little substance in it that a long time he was vnwilling to reply vpon it and could not thinke the time well bestowed which should be spent in so friuolous and vaine altercation Aquil◠non capit muscas The Fox would none And in this veine the man much pleaseth himselfe hauing much in his mouth my i Pag. 45. vnlearned writings k Pag. 94. more meet to stop mustard-pots than likely to stop any meane scholars mouth He calleth me l Pag. 86. shallow and shuttle witted m Pag. 16. one of the most shallow and beggerliest writers of these daies n Pag. 52. one of the shallowest for substance of matter that euer he read and o Pag. 40. if saith he there lie more marrow and pith hidden in my writing than one at the first sight would perhaps suppose spectatum admissi risum teneatis then surely it doth require a man of more substance than he though of lesser shew yea p Pag. 47. if
before the making of those coates Then he further alledgeth that God hauing made for man coates of skins c Ibid. b. Non quòd non vellet Deus ipsum decerpere de ligno vitae ac edere eiecit eum poterat enim in aeternuÌ„ viuere vbi rursus de ligno vitae edisset sed vt ne immortale fieret malum c. Eiecit eum vt mortificaretur primùm morte peccatuÌ„ quo sic post mortem consumpto peccato excitatus homo purus ederet vitam c. Qui enim omninò decernit carneÌ„hanc non esse immortalitatis susceptoriam reuera dementiae per morbuÌ„ maledicus est cast him out of Paradise not properly for that he would not haue him to eat of the tree of life and liue for euer for why would he send Christ into the earth if he would haue had man vtterly to die and not to taste of life but because he would not haue sinne to be immortall by mans liuing for euer in that state wherein he was Therefore he cast him out saith he that sinne first might be mortified by death that so sinne being consumed man after death being raised vp againe might liue pure and vncorrupt setting downe heereupon this conclusion which I wish M. Bishop to obserue how it fitteth his Proclus that by a disease of folly or madnesse he speaketh amisse who in any sort determineth that this flesh is not capable of immortality This he repeateth againe that d Ibid. prohibitus est autem â—t peccatum cooccisum cuÌ„ corpore moreretur corpus verò peccato perdito resurgeret man was hindered from eating of the tree of life that sinne being killed with the body might die but the body sinne being destroied might rise againe What M. Bishop may we not well thinke that you were in a dreame that would take those words to be the words of Proclus that this flesh is capable of immortality that this body sinne being destroied shall rise againe And this againe is set foorth by two notable similitudes whereof the one is taken e Ibid. c. Quemadmodum in aedificijs templorum pulchroruÌ„ vbi ficus enata est c. in omnes compositiones lapidum per multum sarmentosas radices diffusa non priùs a nascendo quiescit donec tota euellatur dissolutis lapidibus in locis in quibus enata est possunt enim rursus in suos locos adaptari lapides ficu sublata quo templuÌ„ quidem seruetur c. ficus verò tota radicitùs euulsa emoriatur eodem modo Deus optimus artifex templum suum hominem qui instar syluestris ficus peccatum produxit breuibus mortis ictibus dissoluit occidens velut scriptum est viuificans quò rursus earundem partium caro post exsiccatum ac mortuum peccatum instar renouati templi immortalis illaesa excitetur peccato perfectè ac funditùs perdito of a Figg-tree growing in the wall of a goodly temple and spreading the rootes into the iointes of the stones which ceaseth not to grow til it be quite pulled out the stones being taken asunder in the places where it grew which the fig tree being taken away may be put euery one into his place againe that so the temple may be preserued and the fig-tree pulled vp by the rootes may die For euen in the same sort saith he almighty God by the stroke of death dissolueth man who is his temple who hath brought forth sinne like a wild fig-tree killing him as it is written and giuing him life againe to the end that the flesh or body of the same parts euen of the very same parts after sinne dried vp and dead may be raised vp againe immortall and without any hurt sinne being wholly and vtterly destroied Then follow the words which first Bellarmine the Master and then M. Bishop the scholar obiect vnto vs as matter of heresie that f Ibid. Viuente adhuc corpore antequam moriatur necesse est simul viuere peccatum intus in nobis radices suas abscondens etiamsi forinsecus per castigationum ac admonitionum fectiones fuerit refraenatuÌ„ c. Constat contrahi quidem ac so piri per fidem nunc peccatum vt ne fructus noxios producat non tamen radicitus tolli c. so long as the body liueth sinne must needes liue withall inwardly hiding in vs the rootes of it albeit outwardly by the checkes of chastisements and admonitions it be brideled and refrained that certaine it is that sinne is now holden short and laied asleepe by faith that it may not bring foorth noisome fruits but it is not pulled vp by the rootes with other words more to that purpose which I haue set downe in answer to the epistle this conclusion thereupon ensuing that g Pag. 180. a. Proinde in auxiliaris medicamenti modum ab auxiliatore nostro verè medico Deo ad eradicationem peccati ac deletionem assumpta est mors vt ne perpetuò durans in nobis immortale sit peccatum c. Instar medicamentariae purgationis quo sic omninò inculpabiles innoxij efficiamur therefore death is appointed by God our helper and Physician to be as a medicinable purgation for the rooting out and destroying of sinne that it may not continue immortally in vs but we may be made blamelesse and without spot To the same purpose then hee addeth the other similitude h Ibid. b. Videtur velut siquis summus opifex flatuam pulchram ex auro aut alia materia conflet mutilatam repentè conspicatus a pessimo quodam homine qui prae inuidia non tulit decoram esse statuam eamque laesit c. si voluerit opus ipsum pulchrum esse ac irreprehensibile confringi ac rursus conflari oportet quo turpitudines alterationes omnes ac quae ex insidijs ac inuidia in ipso sunt per reparationem ac conflationem pereant ipsa verò statua in speciem suam integra inadulterata simillima sibijpsi fabricetur statuae enim perire non contingit per artificem ipsius etiamsi rursus in materiam resoluatur restitui enim potest turpitudines autem mutilationes perire contingit colliquescunt enim c. Idem sanè videtur in nobis Deus disposuisse hominem enim decentissimum suum opificium insidijs inuidia malè afflictum non sustinuit relinquere talem c. sed dissoluit rursus in materiam quò per reformationem colliquescant ac dissipentur omnia in ipso vituperabilia Nam illit conflari statuam est hic mori ac dissolui corpus illic verò reformari materiam ac suo niteri restitui est hîc post mortem resurgere that as a workman hauing made a goodly faire image of gold or some other mettall if he see it by any leaud body of enuy maimed and disgraced taketh course for the bringing of it to the former beauty to haue
Pag. 12. answer to the second section of his Epistle I say thus p Bulla Pij 5. de Maior obed cap. Vnam sanctam Behold sayth the Pope we are set ouer nations and kingdomes to build vp and to plant to pull vp and to destroy c. and therefore what the wisdome of God saieth as M. Bishop alleageth q Prou. 8.15 By me Kings raigne the same the Pope blasphemously applieth r Ceremon eccles Rom. lib. 1. cap. 2. Ad sum mum pontificem Dâ—i vices gerentem in terris tanquoam ad eum per quem reges regnant c. to himselfe Per me reges regnant By me Kings raigne To prooue that the Pope saith that By him Kings raigne I alleaged his owne booke Sacrar ceremon eccl Rom. l. 1. c. 2. where it is expresly sayd that it is he by whom Kings doe reigne as I haue now set downe in his owne words euen as * supra sect 5. before I noted him saying of the Emperour By me he reigneth Now in setting downe my text in Å¿ Reproofe pag. 82. his booke hee quite leaueth out the citation and then telleth his Reader t Pag. 84. This is the fift lie that he makes within the compasse of lesse than halfe a side for albeit the Pope vse the words spoken to the Prophet Ieremy Ecce nos constituti sumus c. yet doth he not those by King Salomon vttered in the person of Gods wisdome which M. Abbot deceitfully shuffleth in But M. Bishop do I lie indeed What will you tell me that I lie and in the mean time suppresse the proofe whereby it should appeare that I doe not lie If I should thus deale I know what you would terme it and I could not but acknowledge it what it is in you let the world iudge I forbeare to giue it the right name Another prank he plaieth of as great honesty as this in putting in of words which are none of mine u Answer to the epistle sect 3. pag 19. Our faith therefore say I because it is that which the Apostles committed to writing is the Apostolike faith and our Church ex consanguinitate doctrinae by consanguinity and agreement of doctrine is procued to be an Apostolike church At the end of which words M. Bishop x Reptoofe pag. 103. in setting downe my text hath put in c. as if there were something els to come in than he hath expressed and in the rehearsing of them in his answer addeth these words y Pag. 114. And is the only true Catholike church as if I had said that our Church of England is the only true Catholike church and is proued by perfection of doctrine to be the only true Catholike church heereupon running vpon mee for saying the same which I reproued in the Donatists wheras the words against which hee fighteth are none of my words but are most leaudly and falsely thrust in by himselfe You tell me of tricks M. Bishop but if I had vsed such tricks as these and many other of yours I would be ashamed euer to set pen to paper again Remember what your selfe haue said z Reproofe pag. 283. The diuels cause it is that needeth to be bolstered out and vnderpropped with lies 26. Yet further gentle Reader to giue thee some small taste of his answers to the authorities by me alleged thou maiest first take knowledge of those words of Austin a Answer to the epistle sect 3. pag. 18. ex August cont lit Petilian l. 3. c 6 Siquis siue de Christo siue de eâ—us ecclesia siue de quaecunque re quae pertinet ad fidem vitamque nostram non dicam Nos c. sed si angelus de caelo vobis annunciauerit praeterquam quod in scripturis legalibus Euangelicis accepistis anathema sit If any man nay if an Angell from heauen shall preach vnto you concerning Christ or concerning his Church or concerning any thing pertaining to our faith and life but what ye haue receiued in the Scriptures of the Law and the Gospell accursed be he What saith M. Bishop heere b Reproofe pag. 112. To S. Austin I answer first that those are not his formall words which he citeth Is that all But if those be not his formall words why doth he not tell his Reader what his formall words are Surely if hee were a man formally honest he wold deale more materially than to mocke his Reader in this sort Well though he will not tell the formall words yet he expoundeth the meaning to be if any shall preach contrary to that that is written whereas S. Austin telleth vs that c August de Doct. Christ l. 2. c. 9. In ijs quae apertè in scriptura posita sunt inueniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque vinendi in those things which are plainely set downe in the Scripture are found all those things which conteine faith and conuersation of life and therefore meaneth not only if any preach contrary but as his words are if any preach any thing beside that that is written accursed be he 27. I alledged that S. Paul writing his epistle to the Romans d Answer to the epistle sect 4. pag. 24. ex Theodoret praefat in epist Pauli comprehended therein as Theodoret saith omnis generis doctrinam accuratam copiosamque dogmatum pertractationem doctrine of all sorts or all kind of doctrine and very exact and plentifull handling of the points thereof The first part of these words in Latin he leaueth out in my text and in his answer saith to it thus e Reproofe pag. 132. 133. That you may see how nothing can passe his fingers without some legerdemaine marke how he Englisheth Theodorets words Dogmatum pertractationem the handling of opinions is by him translated all points of doctrine whereas it rather signifieth some than all opinions or lessons But M. Bishop this dealing of yours is somewhat too grosse Mee thinkes you should seeke to be acquainted with some Aegyptians that you may learne of them somewhat more cunningly to shift and conueigh Thou seest gentle Reader that he hath dashed out Omnis generis Doctrinam all kinde of Doctrine wherein the force of the words consisteth and then saith that by legerdemaine I haue Englished Dogmatum pertractationem all points of Doctrine Doe not maruell that he doth so because he well perceiued that by these words of Theodoret his Reader should see that if the Apostle comprehended in that epistle all kinde of Doctrine then the doctrine of the church of Rome that now is cannot be the same that it was of old because they haue so many Doctrines now whereof there is nothing conteined in that epistle 28. I produce Agatho Bishop of Rome professing f Answer to the epist sect 4. pag. 29. duty of obedience to the Emperour Constantinus the fourth and taking vpon him obediently to performe what the said Emperour commanded Heare