his Angels charge ouer thee but suppressed that which made against him to keepe thee in all thy wayes now if any man farther desire his Maiesties meaning in calling Rome the Mother Church hee hath fully expressed himselfe in his Premonition Patriarchs saith he I know were in the time of the Primitiue Church and I likewise reuerence that institution for orders sake and amongst them was a contention for the first place And for my selfe if that were yet the question I would with all mine heart giue my consent that the Bishop of Rome should haue the first seat I being a Westerne King would goe with the Patriarch of the West whereby it is cleare that his Maiesties meaning was and is to yeeld the Bishop of Rome ouer other Westerne Bishops in case they should meet iâ— Councell a prioritie in sitting not a superiority in commanding a primacy or precedency in order not a supremacie in power and iurisdiction it beeing the marke which Mr. Doctour driues at and from thence labours cunningly but malitiously to inferre contrary to his Maiesties both minde and words I conclude this point with a Reuerend Prelate His Vicarship to Christ must be proued by stronger and plainer euidence then you haue yet shewed before wee may grant it and for his Patriarkeship saith he which you now take hold of by Gods law he hath nne in this Realme for â—ixe hundred yeeres after Christ he had none for the last sixe hundred as looking to greater matters hee would haue none aboue and against the swâ—rd which God hath ordained he can haue none to the subuersion of the faith and oppression of his brethren in right reason and equity he should haue none you must seeke farther for subiection to his tribunall this land oweth him none B. C. 18. There is another statute in England made by Queene Elizabeth and confirmed by your Maiesty that it is death for any English man to bee in England being made a Priest by authority deriued or pretended to bee deriued from the Bishop of Rome I cannot beleeue that I am a Priest at all vnlesse I be deriued by authority from Gregory the great from whence all the Bishops in England haue their being if they haue any being at all G. H. 18. The Statute intended is the 27. of Eliz. Cap. 2. which indeed in the body thereof hath words sounding to that purpose but the sense is malitiously peruerted and the inference thereupon for he that shall reade through that Statute and consider all the parts shall clearely perceiue that therby none other Priests are intended then Popish Priests made and ordeined by Popish Bishops and not such as Mr. Doctour was made in England by any of our Bishops here Though perhaps it were true that our Bishops did deriue their first authority from Gregory which we do not yeeld vnto considering that Augustine from whom they are pretended to deriue it was not consecrated by him but by Aetherius Archbishop of Arles if wee may beleeue our own Venerable Bede for the title of the Statute is An Acte against Iesuites Seminary Priests and such other like disobedient persons and the preamble of the acte hath these words Whereas diuers persons called or professed Iesuites Seminary Priests and other Priests which haue beene and froâ— time to time are made in the parts beyond the Seas by or according to the order and rites of the Romish Church haue of late yeeres commen and bene sent into England c. So that if according to the rule Praefatio est clauis Statuti we shall interprete the body by the title or preamble howsoeuer the wordes in the body of the acte bee somewhat generall yet what Priests are intended by the Law-makers is euident enough and except M. Doctour were a Priest according to the Order and Rites of the Romish Church by shauing anoynting and imposition of hands by a Popish Bishop and that since the first yeere of Queene Elizabeth he needed not to haue feared the danger of the Law B. C. 19. There is another Statute in like maner made and confirmed that it is death to bee reconciled by a Catholike Priest to the Church of Rome I am perswaded that the Church of Rome is our mother Church and that no man in England can be saued that continues wilfully out of the visible vnitie of that Church and therefore I can not chuse but perswade the people to be reconciled thereunto if possibly they may G. H. 19. This Statute also is either purposely or ignorantly mistaken and is not distinct from that following but are both one namely 23. Eliz. cap. 1. The title of it is An Acte to retaine the Queenes Maiesties Subiects in due obedience and the preamble recites that whereas diuers ill affected persons haue practised to withdraw the Queenes Subiects from their naturall allegeance the purueiw of the Acte followeth that all persons which shall put in practise to â—bsolue perswade or withdrawe any of the Queenes subiects from their naturall obedience to her Maiestie or to withdraw them for that intent from the religion established and so foorth shall be traitours and the person willingly absolued or withdrawen as aforesayd to be likewise a traitour so that the withdrawing of the Subiect from their naturall obedience or for that intent from the religion established is the offence made treason and not simple exhorting to the Romish religion as is alleadged And yet to speake a trueth I see not how any exhortation to an absolute submission of the vnderstanding and the will to the Bishop of Romes Iurisdiction which now is made the onely essentiall forme of that religion can well be seuered from such an intent But Rome you say is the mother Church and no man in England can bee saued that continues wilfully out of the visible vnitie of that Church Where if you terme it the mother Church in that sense that his MAIESTIE doeth wee imbrace it but if your meaning bee that shee is our mother either in regard that wee receiued the first life or still should receiue the nourishment of religion from her wee denie it our nation being first conuerted to the Christian faith by Ioseph of Arimathea who intombed the Corps of our Sauiour and lieth himselfe interred at Glastenbury together with twelue disciples his assistants where they first preached the Gospel as Gildas affirmeth in the life of Aurelius Ambrosius and Malmesbury in the Booke intituled The Antiquitie of Glastenbury written to Henry of Bloys brother to King Steuen and Abbot of the same place and it is consented vnto by the learned Antiquaries of later times as namely Mr. Cambden Iohn Bale Matthew Parker Polydore Virgil and others grounding themselues vpon the authoritie of the best approued and most ancient writers and withall considering our keeping of Easter and other Ceremonies were after the fashion of the Easterne Church and not of the Westerne at the comming of Austin I may very well coniecture that our
haue stirred mee either to robbe the Pope of any thing due vnto him or to assume vnto my selfe any farther authority then that which other Christian Emperours and kings through the world and my owne Predecessours of England in especiall haue long agone maintained Neither is it enough to say aâ— Parsons doth in his answere to the Lord Cooke that farre more kings of this Countrey haue giuen many more examples of acknowledging or not resisting the Popes vsurped authority some perchance lacking the occasion and some the ability of resisting them for euen by the ciuill Law in the case of a violent intrusion and long wrongfull possession against me it is enough if I proue that I haue made lawful interruption vpon conuenient occasions Hitherto his Maiesty And I cannot but wonder what Mr. Doctour meant if he had read it not to take any notice of it or if he reade it not how he durst presume thus to write to his Maiesty without so much as the reading of his writings From whence we may gather that what Henry the VIII acted in that regard was but a manifestation of the intents and desires of his predecessors which they durst not fully expresse and what they enacted a preparatiue to the roundnesse of his proceedings Besides I see not but if his Maiesties predecessors granted that to his Holinesse which was indiuidually annexed to the Crowne as being a speciall branch of their prerogatiue Royall his Maiestie stands none otherwise bound to maintaine that graunt then they held themselues obliged to make that good which King Iohn had yeelded vnto him and if they did part with their authoritie as your selfe speake then was it their owne before they parted with it and not the Bishops of Rome as your Romane Catholikes would haue it by Diuine right and consequently beeing their owne as they vpon occasion best knowen to themselues conferred it so vpon a contrary occasion I see no reason but either themselues or their successours might as lawfully resume it But the trueth is that it was not giuen by them but stollen by the Bishop of Rome and by him held vnder colour of prescription yet your selfe by discourse of reasâ—n and force of trueth are driuen to confesse that our bodies and goods are at his Maiesties command either forgetting 〈◊〉 whom you wrote or not remembring or it may bee so much as knowing what the Church of Rome whose defence you vndertake defends touching the exemption aswell of the bodies as the goods of Churchmen from the iurisdiction of the secular though Supreame power and how his Maiestie in diuers parts of his writings hath most sufficiently prooued the nouelty of this doctrine so that what you write herein can bee imputed to none other but to grosse flattery or palpable ignorance flattery of his Maiestie in that which he truely holds or ignorance of that which is falsely held by the Church of Rome but like a shrewd Cow that hath yeelded a good meale oâ— milke and then ouerthrowes it with a spurne of her foote so hauing subiected our bodies and goods to his Maiesties commaund you exempt our soules from his charge but by way of protection in Catholike Religion as if you meant purposely to crosse that of the Apostle Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers But I would â—aine dâ—maund if his Maiestie should not protect vs in that Religion which you call Catholike whether our bodies and goods shall then bee at his commaund Surely if his Holinesse whom you cannot but vnderstand by those that supplie Christs place in ijs quaesunt iuris diuini and to whom you would haue vs subordinate haue the command of our soules and his Maiestie onely of our bodies the later may command what hee list but men will execute his commands no farther then the former will be pleased to giue leaue whereof we haue had often and fresh experience aswel in the Bulls of Pius Quintus and in the Breuâ—s of Paulus Quintus and in trueth â— cannot but commend his wit though not his honestie that hee intitleth himselfe vnto and interesteth himselfe in the more actiue and noble part the bodie without the soule being as the shales without the kernell or the scabberd without the sword Those Kings that out of their Regall authoritie purged the Church of corruptions and reformed the abuses thereof brought the Arke to her resting place dedicated the Temple and consecrated it with prayers proclaimed fastes caused the booke of the Lawe new found to bee read to the people renewed he Couenant betweene God and his people bruised the brasen Serpent in pieces which was set vp by the expresse commandement of God and was a figure of Christ destroyed all Idols and false Gods make a publique reformaâ—ion by a Commission of Secular men and Priests mixed for that purpose deposed the high Priest and set vp another in his place they that lawfully called Generall Councils for the suppressing of heresies as Constantine did the Nicene Theodosius the elder the first at Constantinople Theodosius the yonger the Ephesin Valentinian Martian the Chalcedonian they that made Lawes for the ordering of Church-men and Church-matters as Iustinian and Charlemaine cannot in the iuâ—gement of any indifferent man be said to haue no charge of the soules of such aâ— are committed to their charge but onely by way of protection Neither doeth it follow that his Maiestie in taking the charge of soules vpon him according to the qualitie of his office and Gods appointment whose officer hee is should therfore be himself a Priest or be the author of his owne Religion as you would maliciously inferre from the custom of the heathen Emperors no more then the Kings of Israel or the Emperors of the Christian Primitiue Church were Priests or authors of that religion which by diuine ordinance they tooke care of aswell in the Priest as in the people aswell in confirming and countenancing what was in order as in censuring and restoring what was amisse neither was it in the time of the law of nature held vnlawfull that both the Regall and the Ecclesiasticall the princely and the priestly power should reside together in one person during which Law wee haue not many examples of Kings that gouerned a people where the Church of God was planted there is onely mention to my remembrance of Melchisedecke King of Salem and of him it is sayd withall that hee was a Priest of the most High God so that in his person these two offices the principalitie and the Priesthood were ioyned both which followed the prerogatiue of the birth-right and to this double dignity was answerable a double portion the like do we reade of Anias that he was Rex idem hominuÌ„ Poebique Sacerdos and it was the speach of Diogenes the Pythagorean that to make a compleat King hee had need bee a Captaine a Iudge and a Priest of which two
vpon due search I found to be most true for I found the Common prayer booke and the Catechisme therin contained to hold no point of doctrine expresly contrary to Antiquitie but onely that it was very defectiue and contained not enough and for the doctrine of I Predestination Sacraments Grace Freewill Sinne the new Catechisme and Sermons of those Preachers did run wholly against the Common prayer booke and Catechisme therein and did make as little account of the doctrine established by law as they did of the discipline but in the one they found opposition by those that had priuate interest in the other they said what they list because no man thought himselfe K hurt G. H. 7 If our Common prayer Booke and Catechisme therin contained holde no point of Doctrine contrarie to Antiquitie as you affirme Surely the Church of Rome must needs be contrary to Antiquitie in as much as it holds diuers points contrarie to it If we should beginne with the Preface which is confirmed by equall authoritie of State as the bodie of the booke it tels vs in the verie entrance there was neuer any thing by the wit of man so well deuised or so sure established which in continuance of time hath not beene corrupted as among other things it may plainly appeare by the Common praiers in the Church commonly called Diuine Seruice the reason is added a little after in as much as the godly and decent orders of the Fathers were altered and neglected by planting in vncertaine Stories Legends Responds Verses vaine repetitions Commemorations Synodals that commonly when any Booke of the Bible was begunne before three or foure Chapters were read out all the rest were vnread Another reason is there annexed that whereas S. Paul would haue none other language spoken to the people in the Church then they vnderstand and haue profite by hearing of the same the Seruice in this Church of England these many yeeres hath beene read in Latine to the people which they vnderstand not so that they haue heard with their â—ares onely but their minde hath noâ— beene edified thereby Now for the bodie of the Common prayer Booke I will first beginne with the diuision of the Commandements The Church oâ— Rome ioyneth the two first in one the better thereby to cloke their Idolatrie in the worship of Images But the Common prayer Booke of the Church of England diuideth them into two therein following two of the Fathers at most excepted all Antiquitie The Church of Rome in the doctrine of the Sacrament of the Eucharist teacheth that we eate and drinke the Body and Blood of Christ carnally The Common prayer of the Church of England in the forme of administring that Sacrament that wee doe both Spiritually and by Faith feed on him in our hearts eating and drinking in remembrance that C H R I S T dyed and shed his Blood for vs. The Church of Rome holdeth that the Oblation of the Bodie of C H R I S T is to be iterated The Common prayer Booke of the Church of England that being by himselfe once offered hee is a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice for the â—innes of the whole world which also meeteth with the Romish satisfaction for Veniall sinnes as they call them and temporall punishment dew to Mortall The Church of Rome teacheth that the outward Sacrament of Water sufficeth to saue Infants The Common prayer Booke of the Church of England in the administration of publike Baptisme that the working of the holy Ghost is to be ioyned thereunto The Church of Rome teacheth that Laijks and Women may in some cases lawfully Baptise The Common prayer Booke of the Church of England in the administration of priuate Baptisme that none may doe it lawfully but the lawfull Minister The Church of Rome teacheth that children may bee confirmed before they come to yeres of discretion and are able to yeeld an account of their Faith The Common prayer Booke of the Church of England in the order set downe for Confirmation teacheth and commandeth the contrarie More might bee sayed to this point but this shall suffice to shew that if the Common prayer Booke of the Church of England be in no point of doctrine contrarie to Antiquitie as M â— Doctor affirmeth then must Antiquitie needs bee contrarie to the doctrine of the Church of Rome in as much as the doctrine thereof and our Common prayer Booke are contrarie each to other But you further adde that though it containe no point contrarie to Antiquitie yet is it verie defectiue and containeth not enough Indeed we confesse yâ— we goe not so far as the Church of Rome but so far as we haue warrant We pray to God in the Name of CHRIST they to God to Saints We pray for the liuing they for the liuing and the dead We acknowledge 2. Sacraments they to those two adde fiue more We make the Communion of the Eucharist properly a Sacrament they a Sacrament and a sacrifice and that propitiatorie We hope to be saued by the merits of Christ they by his merits and their owne the principall ground of all these additions is that we make Scripture the onely rule of faith they both Scripture and traditions and by mingling the water of their owne inuentions with the wine of the Gospel they haue made the Law of Christ of none effect And surely if defect may iustly bee imputed to vs excesse may much rather to them who in their Pontificall spend seuen leaues in the largest fol. onely about the benediction of bels which is indeed little different from Baptisme and many hundreds about such â—opperies and trifles as wise men among themselues cannot but laugh at and yet dare not speake against and good men pitie though they cannot remedy I I marueile what doctrine of predestination grace free-will or sinne you finde in the Common Prayer booke or Catechisme therein the end of the one being not to set downe doctrinall positions but the exercise of religious actes and of the other as briefly as may bee to instruct children in the principles of Christian religion not men of riper age in the controuersies K It is to me strange that you dare write thus to his Maiestie who made it knowen to the world by his pen when other Christian Princes and Churches were silent that hee thought himselfe hurt by the pestilent subtilties of Vorstius howbeit he were not vnder his dominions by Legate his own subiect who was burnt at London for Arianisme some few yeeres since But surely I am clearely of opinion that his Holinesse would take it much more to heart and thinke himselfe more hurt if a Frier should preach against his power in deposing Kings and disposing of kingdomes then if he denied the eternall generation of the second person in Trinitie from the first or the procession of the third from the other two B. C. 8. This truely was an increase of my griefe for knowing diuerse of those Preachers to be
referre this Matrimoniall cause to the hearing and determining of his Legates but gaue Campeius a secret Bull in his bosom as witnesseth Francis Guicciardin in the 19th Booke of his Historie a Catholike in his profession no man more a reporter of things hee sawe no man truer and a creature of the Popes imployed in honourable charges the Copie of it is to be seene in Anti-Sanders dated in the yeere 1527. the 17th of December and the fifth yeere of Clement the seuenths Popedome wherein hee infringeth the former dispensatioÌ„ affirming that the King could not continue in such Matrimonie without sinne whereupon hee decreed that after the delaration of the nullitie of the former mariage and the Kings absolution it should bee lawfull for him to marrie another This Bull he forbad him to shew to any saue onely to the King and Cardinall Wolsey his fellow Commissioner in that businesse and though openly he commanded him to handle the cause with all expedition yet secretly hee willed him to protract the time promising that himselfe would watch an opportunitie to publish the Decree so the King and Queene were cited to appeare before them in May following at which time after some debating of the cause they protracted the sentence till the beginning of August and after many delayes finding that King Henry could not by hope of the diuorce bee drawen to side with the French the Pope commanded Campeius to burne his Bull and to returne home whereby it appeares that King Henry might easily haue had the nullitie of his mariage with Queene Katherine ratified at Rome without taking the title of Supreme head if hee would haue yeelded to the Popes conditions But the Lords you say and Commons would neuer haue suffered such a Statâ—te to bee made had not that title inabled the King to pull downe Abbeys and Religious houses and giue them to Lay men I would faine know then what mooued the Bishops to giue way to it who had no share in that diuision yet had they with the consent of the Clergie passed it in Conuocation before it was so much as proposed in Parliament and for the Commons a very little share fell out to their parts And if â—he assuming of that title were indeed so needfull as you pretend for the supressing of those houses by what authoritie did Cardinall Wolsey dissolue some and the King by his example more before that title was by him publikely assumed Now for Queene Elizabeth it is true that she reuiued those Statutes of Supremacie enacted by her father and repealed by her sister but not without diuers exceptions as may appeare by the bookes in so much as a new forme of Oath was established by her which is the Oath at this day in force the refusall of which vpon a second offering by such as stand conuicted of a former refusall is by the Statute of 5â— Eliz. cap. 1. made high Treason and it is none otherwise Nay further by an expresse prouiso in that Statute none are compellable to take the Oath the second time but Ecclesiasticall persons and some few others especially named in that Statute neither doth shee take to her in that or any other Statute the title of Supreme head but of Gouernour by which what shee vnderstood herselfe expressed in her Iniunctions and her Clergie in their 37. Article confirmed in two seuerall Conuocations where they thus speake Where wee attribute to the Queenes Maiestie the chiefe Gouernment by which title we vnderstand the mindes of some slanderous folkes to be offended wee giue not to our Princes the ministring either of Gods word or of the Sacraments the which thing the Iniunctions also lately set foorth by Elizabeth our Queene doe most plainely testifie but that onely prerogatiue which we see to haue beene giuen alwayes to all godly Princes in holy Scripture by God himselfe that is thâ—t they should rule all estates and degrees committed to their charge by God whether they be Ecclesiasticall or Temporall and restraine with the ciuill sword the stubburne and euill doers neither doe I see how Osorius in his Epistle to her can be interpreted to affoord her lesse where he professeth that all Kings are Pro parte suaiuris diuini Vicarij Vicars of Gods Law in their places From Queene Elizabeth you passe to his Maiestie and tell him that he confirmed the same Statute to satisfie other men arguing therein his Maiestie of great weakenesse either as being not able to iudge what he did or as being caried by others against his owne iudgement But that his MAIESTIE did it aduisedly and rather to satiffie himselâ—e then others appeares by this that hee was inuested with the same power which that Statute giues him before his receauing of the Crowne of England and since himselfe with his owne penne hath thus both iustified and explained it if these examples saith he sentences title and prerogatiues and innumerable other in the olde and new Testament doe not warrant Christian Kings within their owne dominions to gouerne their Church aswell as the rest of their people in being Custodes vtriusque tabulae not by making new Articles of Faith which is the Popes office as I said before but by commaunding obedience to bee giuen to the word of God by reforming the Religion accâ—rding to his prescribed will by assisting the Spirituall power with the Temporall sword by reforming of corruptions by procuring due obedience to the Church by iudging and cutting off all friuolous questions and Schismes as Constantine did and finally by making decorum to be obserued in euery thing and establishing orders to be obserued in all indifferent things for that purpose which is the onely intent of the Oath of Supremacie if this office of a King I say doe not agree with the power giuen him by Gods word lâ—t any indifferent man void of passion iudge But yet his Maiestie you say yeeldeth the Church of Rome to be the Mother Church and the Bishop of Rome to bee the chiefe Bishop or Primate of the Westerne Churches Indeed his Maiesty in his first speech in his first Parliament called after his entrâ—nce to this Kingdome is pleased to acknowledge the Romane Church to be our Mother Church this M. Doctour is content to vrge but to conceale that which he addeth defiled with infirmities and corruptions as the Iewes were when they crucified Christ and as I am none enemy saith he to the life of a sicke man because I would haue his body purged of ill humours no more am I an enemy to their Church because I would haue them reforme their errours not wishing their throwing out of the Temple but that it might be purged and clensed from corruption otherwise how can they wish vs to enter if their house bee not first made cleane Herein Mr Doctour dealing with his Maiesty as the deuill did with our Sauiour hee pressed that out of the Psalme which made for himselfe Hee will giue
if you pretend both and in the end performe neither it is the worst piece of seruice you can doe B I suppose there is no gouernour in the world who deserues that name but that a chiefe part of his care is to make his subiects at leastwise morally good that so he may find them the more obedient and some of those very heathen kingdoms which S. Augustine describes in his bookes of the city of God specially that of the Romanes yeelded more rare examples of morall goodnesse namely of iustice and temperance then it doth at this day though it professe Christ. And for the seruing of the times and turnes of those that beare the sway I doubt not but as many may be found in those kingdomes which you call Catholike who are as able and willing to doe it for their owne aduantage as amongst the heathen themselues C It is true that the happinesse of the whole State extends to euery particular member of the same in as much as they all belong to the same body but that the happinesse of euery particular member should reach to the whole body of the State is not alike certaine But to grant both I must confesse my dulnesse I conceiue not how from thence it followes that the vertue of a good man and a good citizen is alwayes and necessarily the same Once I am sure that Aristotle who defends the one denies the other Bodin both a Christian a Catholike of your owne in my iudgement truely obserues that the best men for the most part are the worst Statesmen in as much as being caried vp to heauen by contemplation they shunne societie and seeke out deserts and solitary places for their abode And I would faine know of your Monkes and Friers and Hermites and Anchorites who presume by their vertue and goodnesse not onely to merite for themselues but to supererogate for others what good they doe as members for the Common wealth but onely by meanes of that imaginary Supererogation which is no lesse hard for a wise man to beleeue then for a good to performe But to let passe the examination of the trueth of both those positions and the dependance of the later vpon the former your inference therupon to iustifie your selfe and your owne proceedings is both in it selfe more vntrue and in regard of the premises more loose and inconsequent in as much as by leauing your station and betaking your selfe vnto and consulting with the enemies of his Maiesty and the State for the ruine and destruction of both which you maske vnder the glorious titles of honour of our Sauiour common saluation vnity peace reconciliation seruice to his Maiesty good of his kingdome you neither performe the part of a good Common wealths man not yet of an honest man consequently indanger as farre as in you lieth not onely the happinesse of the State in which you liued Church in which you were baptized but of your owne together with them but aboue all a marueile it is that acknowledging your selfe a member of the Church of Rome you notwithstanding still professe your selfe a Minister of the Church of England since your common opinion of vs is that amongst vs there is no lawfull calling to the Ministery no sucâ—ession or conferring of holy Orders no Ephod no Teraphim but that our Ministers are in the state of Lay-men and none other Of this cunning dealing I can conceiue none other reason but that you may with more ease and least suspition conuey your poyson into the readers minde B. C. 2. And although it be sufficient for a man of my profession to respect onely matters of heauen and of another world yet because this world was made for that other I haue not regarded mine owne estate that I might respect your Maiesties therein And after long and serious meditation what religion might most honour your Maiestie euen in this world I haue conceiued vndoubted hope that there is no other Religion that can procure true honour and securitie to your Maiestie and your posteritie in this world but the true Catholike Roman Religion which was the very same whereby all your glorious Predecessours haue beene aduanced and protected on earth and are â—uerlastingly blessed in heauen G. H. 2. The deuill howbeit he be rather a Polititian then of any other profession yet when he came to tempt our LORD tooke vpon him the habite of a Diuine but you in tempting the LORDS annointed lay aside the habite of a Diuine and wholy take vpon you the person of a Polititian But herein if I should tell you you played Phormioes part before Hannibal you would thinke your deepe Policie much impeached Now as you differ from the Deuill in that he turned himselfe in appearance into an Angel of light being indeede a Spirit of darkenesse but you being an Angel in profession turne your selfe into a tempter so in this you both agree as if you had learned your methode from him and proposed him as your patterne that as hee being beaten from Scripture betooke himselfe as being his last refuge to the shewing of the kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them to our Sauiour promising him all if hee would but fall downe and worship so you perceiuing belike all other arguments to bee spent in vaine at length you purpose to try what vse may bee made of the deuils last motiue by promising his Maiestie all worldly honor and securitie for himselfe and his posteritie if he would but fall downe and worship your Lord the Pope but as the deuil promised that which was none of his to giue so doth your Lord too in the disposing of those kingdoms and the glory of them which no way belong vnto him except it bee by the title of being heire apparent to the god of this world and the prince that ruleth in the aire but were it not for feare of interrupting of your deepe and serious meditations I should make bold to put you to the question whether these were the baits that Saint Peter angled with to catch soules or the weapons that Saint Paul fought with when he professed that they were not carnall but mightie through God to cast downe holdes they proposed not honour and securitie to the disciples of CHRIST but hazard and basenesse I insist the longer vpon this argument because the whole following discourse is stuffed with nothing else but reasons of this nature as if in the profession of Religion not the sinceritie and trueth of it were so much to be regarded as those secular and temporall commodities which sometimes attend it as the shadow doth the bodie His Maiesties owne words to his sonne of fresh blessed memorie touching this point are most remarkeable worthy to be written in letters of gold and to be ingrauen in a pillar of brasse or marble If sayeth he my conscience had not resolued mee that all my Religion presently professed by mee and
and receiuing life and strength vnto and from the other yet true religion medleth not so much with the temporal state as to hinder or further the proceedings of it otherwise then by the force of the word and the power of Ecclesiasticall censures but that which you call the Catholike religion hath like the Iuie that growes into the wall so incorporated and intwisted it selfe into the bowels of those States where it is setled that it can hardly bee rooted out or remooued without endangering the bodies of the States themselues which cannot but giue vs iust occasion to suspect that it is for the most part in the points controuersed betweene vs nothing else but a policie inuented of men to serue their owne turnes And consequently according to your owne rule set downe in the second Section of your first chapter a false and counterfeit religion And in trueth when wee shall come to examine the rules of that Church wee shall finde that they are not so consonant to the Maiestie and greatnesse of temporall Princes as you pretend but rather tend to the trampling of their Maiestie vnder foote and laying their honour in the dust and to the aduancing and raising of the greatnesse of the Bishop of Rome to the vtmost pitch and possibilitie of height Some of these rules which make so much for the Maiestie of Kings are brought by Bellarmine and by his Maiestie truely obserued and quoted in the latter end of his Apologie for the Oath for Allegeance which because they are so pat to this present purpose I will craue pardon to borrow and annexe hereunto they are twelue in all a fit number for the Iesuites Creede or to make vp a full Iury to passe a verdict vpon Mr. Doctors Assertion That Kings are rather slaues then Lords That they are not onely subiects to Popes to Bishops to Priests but euen to Deacons That an Emperour must content himselfe to drinke not onely after a Bishop but after a Bishops Chaplen That Kings haue not their authority nor office immediatly from God nor his Law but onely from the law of nations That Popes haue degraded Emperours but neuer Emperour degraded the Pope nay euen Bishops that are but the Popes vassals may depose Kings and abrogate their lawes That Churchmen are as farre aboue Kings as the soule is aboue the bodie That Kings may be deposed by their people for diuers respects But Popes can be deposed by no meanes for no flesh hath power to iudge of them That obedience due to the Pope is for conscience sake But the obedience due to Kings is onely for certaine respects of order and policie That those very Churchmen that are borne and inhabite in Soueraigne Princes countreys are notwithstanding not their Subiects and cannot bee iudged by them although they may iudge them And that the obedience that Churchmen giue to Princes euen in the meanest and meere temporall things is not by way of any necessary subiection but onely out of discretion and for obseruation of good order and Custome His Maiesties inference hereupon is this These contrarieties saith hee betweene the Booke of God and Bellarmines bookes haue I here set in opposition each to other vt ex contrarijs iuxta se positis veritas magis elucescere possit and thus farre I dare boldly affirme that whosoeuer will indifferently weigh these irreconciliable contradictions here set downe will easily confesse that Christ is no more contrary to Beliall light to darkenesse and heauen to hell then Bellarmines estimation of Kings is to Gods by whom they are called as his Maiestie noteth before The sons of the most High nay Gods themselues The Lords annointed Sitting in his throne The angels of God The light of Israel The nursing fathers of the Church with innumerable such stiles of honor wherwith the old Testament is filled and as for the New Testament Euery soule is commanded to be subiect vnto them euen for conscience sake All men must be prayed for but specially Kings and those that are in authoritie The Magistrate is the minister of God to doe vengeance on him that doth euill and reward him that doth well yea we must obey all higher powers but specially Princes and those that are supereminent Giue vnto Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is Gods So that wee may iustly conclude out of his Maiesties true collections and iust inferences that the rules of holy Scripture which wee make our principall and onely infallible leuell aswell in matter of manners as of doctrine are indeed most consonant to the maiesty and greatnesse of Kings but the rules of that religion which you call Catholike as they are reported by Bellarmine next his Holinesse the chiefe pillar and Proctor thereof this age hath aforded most disconsonant and repugnant thereunto I cannot but wonder then what Mr. Doctor meant to write thus to his Maiestie who hauing so particularly and exquisitely published his mind to the world in this point it must needs argue grosse ignorance and negligence in him not to haue read or obserued what was by him written or a strong presumption of his owne abilitie with one breath of his mouth or blot of his pen to perswade his Maiesty to the contrary B. C. 11. I knowe well that the Puritans of England the Hugonots of France and the Geuses of Germany together with the rest of the Caluinists of all sorts are a great faction of Christendome and they are glad to haue the pretence of so great a Maiestie to be their chiefe and of your posteritie to be their hope But I cannot be perswaded that they euer will or can ioyne together to aduance your Maiestie or your children further then they may make a present gaine by you they are not agreed of their religion nor of the principles of vniuersall and eternall trueth and how can they be constant in the rules of particular and transitory honour where there is nullum principium ordinis there can bee nullum principium honoris such is their case there is a voyce of confusion among them as well in matters of State as of Religion their power is great but not to edification they ioyne together only against good order which they call the common enemie and if they can destroy that they will in all likelihood turne their fury against themselues and like deuils torment like serpents deuoure one another in the mean time of they can make their Bourgers Princes and turne old kingdomes into new States it is like enough they will doe it but that they will euer agree together to make any one Prince King or Emperour ouer them all yeeld due obedience vnto him further then either their gaine shal allure them or his sword shall compell them that I cannot perswade myselfe to beleeue and therefore I cannot hope that your Maiestie or
first Table in their number making of foure but three and of those three they breake the first and second in worshipping the Blessed Virgine Angels Saints Reliques Images with diuine worship and in speciall the Crucifix and Sacramentall Bread professedly with the same kind of worship which is due to Christ as God and what account they make of the other two their little reckoning of blaspheming and profaning Gods Name and Gods day giue but too sufficient demonstration to the world But to bee plaine with you I finde no such words in S ir Francis Bacons Essayes printed the yere 1612. which vpon this occasion I haue reuised there beeing onely one of religion and that the very first which speakes so wittily so learnedly so fully against your drift in this place and the former section which shewes how the deuill out of the arsenall of false apprehensions sends forth the distorted engines of actions they be his owne words in that place as I cannot but hold it both a fence and a grace to insert it into mine answere whole and intire as himselfe hath deliuered it lest I should doe him iniury by mangling it The quarrels and diuisions for religion saith hee were euils vnknowen to the heathen and no maruell for it is the true God that is the ielous God and the gods of the heathen were good fellowes but yet the bounds of religious vnitie are so to bee strengthened that the bounds of humane societie bee not dissolued Lucretius the Poet when hee beheld the acte of Agamemnon induring and assisting at the sacrifice of his daughter concludes with this verse Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum But what would hee haue done if hee had knowen the Massacre of France or the Powder treason of England Certainely hee would haue been seuen times more Epicure and Atheist then hee was nay hee would rather haue chosen to haue been one of the mad men of Munster then a partaker of those counsels For it is better that Religion should deface mens vnderstanding then their pietie and charitie retaining reason onely but as an Engine and Chariot-driuer of cruelty and malice It was great blasphemie when the deuill sayd I will ascend and bee like the highest but it is a greater blasphemie if they make God to say I will descend and bee like the Prince of darkenesse And it is no better when they make the cause of Religion descend to the execrable actions of the murthering of Princes butchering of people and firing of States neither is there such a sinne against the person of the holy Ghost if one should take it literally as in stead of the likenesse of a Doue to bring him downe in the likenesse of a Vulture or Rauen nor such a scandall to their Church as out of the Barke of S. Peter to set foorth the flagge of a Barge of Pyrats and Assassins Therefore since these things are the common enemies of humane society Princes by their power Churches by their decrees and all learning Christian Morall of whatsoeuer Sect or opinion by their Mercurie rodde ought to ioyne in the damning to Hell for euer these facts and their supports and in all counsels concerning Religion that counsell of the Apostle would be prefixed Ira hominis non implet iustitiam Dei The same noble gentleman speaketh much to the same purpose in his Essay of Superstition as that it erecteth an absolute tyrannie in the mindes of men it hath been the confusion and dissolution of many States anâ— bringeth a new Primum mobile that rauisheth all the Spheres of gouernement The master saith hee of Superstition is the people and in all superstition wise men follow fooles arguments are fitted to practise in a reuersed order And thus I hope by this time Mr. Doctor hath gained little to the aduantage of his cause from the true and wise obseruations of Sir Francis Bacon Lastly for your instance in Mutinous souldiers I cannot conceiue whither your discourse tends but to shew that more honestie is yet left amongst vs then in those of your profession and is like to bee as long as we feare the assault of a common enemie which is like to bee as long as you remaine in opinion and condition like your selues B. C. 17. And as for their exhortations to obedience to your Maiestie when they haue first infected the vnderstanding of your Subiects with such principles of rebellion as haue disturbed and ouerthrowen all other States where they had their will it is a ridiculous thing to thinke vpon such exhortations and all one as if a fantasticall fellow finding a herd of young cattell in a close should first breake downe the hedges and then crie aloud to the cattell they doe not venture to goe out not seeke any fatter Pasture for feare they bee put in the pound and if they chance to feede where they are because they haue no experience of other and to tary in the Close for an houre or two then the vnhappie fellow should runne to the honour of the cattell and tell him what great seruice hee had done him and how hee had kept his cattell in the Close by â—is goodly charmes exhortations Let them say what they list of their own honesty and of their exhortations to obedience as long as they doe freely infect the peoples soules with such false opinions in religioÌ„ they do certainly sowe the seedes of disobedience rebellion in mens vnderstandings which if they bee not preuented by your Maiesties giuing way to Catholike religion will in all likelihood spring vp in the next generation to the great preiudice and molestation of your MAIESTIE and your posteritie so that whether I doe respect heauen or earth mine owne soule or the seruice of your Maiestie God or your neighbours or your subiects my assured hope is that by ioyning my selfe to the Catholike Church I neither haue done nor shall doe any ill duety or seruice vnto your Maiestie G. H. 17. You say that our exhortations to obedience are ridiculous the vnderstanding being once infected with such principles of rebellion as wee teach Had you vouchsafed to haue stooped to the nominating of those principles in particular you had dealt ingenuously and giuen some matter of reply but as you would shew your selfe a polititian in the whole body of your discourse so doe you specially in this that throughout you insist vpon vniuersals which not onely dazell the eyes of their vulgar Reader but yeelde starting holes of euasion to the authour What your Principles are and what ours touching obedience to the ciuill Magistrate I haue already opened in mine answer to the twelfth and thirteenth Sections of this Chapter Now the remedie you say to preuent the mischiefe likely to ensue vpon such doctrine is the admission of Catholike religion as if wee neuer heard nor read of any rebellion abroad nor at home raised from the professours of that religion during the space of a thousand sixe
doctrine bee as opposite to our Religion as to the Romish then must it needs follow that either ours and the Romish agree in one or that ours is as distant from Caluins as Caluins is from the Romish both which to bee vntrue appeares aswell by the testimonie of all other Romish writers and the authority of the Pope himselfe in his Bull against Queene ELIZBAETH as those whome they terme Lutherans who euer range vs among the Caluinists as also of our owne writers and those of forraine Churches by you termed Caluinistical because with him they ioyne in profession of the same trueth the manifold Letters by them written and Bookes dedicated to our late blessed Queene our Bishops and Noble men by French and Heluetian Diuines specially of Zurich and Basil testifie to the world that they then held their religion to bee the same with ours and ours with theirs and for any thing I know neither theirs nor ours is since changed saue onely some such neutrals as your selfe labour to drawe vs neerer to Rome then they can bee drawen or the trueth it selfe will permit that wee should Among many other testimonies I will onely instance in two the one an Heluetian touching our conformitie with forreine reformed Churches in former times the other a French man touching the present the Heluetian is Bullinger who dedicating his Commentaries vpon Daniel to Horne Bishop of Winchester Iewell Bishop of Salisbury Sandes Bishop of Worcester Parkhurst Bishop of Norwich and Pilkington Bishop of Durham in his Epistle Dedicatory professeth hee did it chiefly to this ende that posterity might vnderstand their indissoluble knot of friendship and the mutual consent betweene England and Suisserland in matter of Religion howbeit they were remooued farre asunder in situation of place The French is Peter Moulin who in defence of his Maiesties Booke against Coffeteau acknowledgeth that wee had enough sufficient men of our owne to defend the Cause but that hee vndertooke the worke to let the world knowe that the same Confession which his Maiestie had made was also theirs and that they and the trueth were assailed in his Person and Writings But what neede I stand vpon the particular testimonies of priuate men since the Confessions of our Churches are extant to be compared as well in the Booke intituled The Harmony as in that other termed The bodie of Confessions In the meane time to giue the Reader some satisfaction I will set downe the doctrine of the Church of England in points of difference together with Caluint on the one side of it and the Romish on the other that so wee may make some estimate whether Caluinisme bee as opposite to the Religion of England as to that of Rome Now for the doctrine of the Church of England I will not extend it so wide as to the Bookes and Lectures of our Bishops and publique professours the lights and guides of our Church and Vniuersities nor yet contract and confine it as Mr. Doctor doeth within the narrow compasse of the Common prayer Booke and Church Catechisme the booke of Canons and therein Nowels Catechisme Can. 79. being confirmed and allowed by publike authoritie But aboue all I very much maruell Mr. Doctors memory should so farre faile him as quite and cleane to forget the Booke of Articles solemnely agreed vpon by the Reuerend Bishops and Clergie of this kingdome at two seuerall meetings or Conuocations of theirs in the yeeres of our Lord 1562 and againe 1604 and lately againe confirmed by two seuerall Canons the 5 and 36 in number since himselfe subscribed to them at the taking of his Orders if not of his Degrees and liuing a long time as Chaplen in house with Archbishop Whitegift and since keeping his ordinary turnes of waiting at Court and residence at Canterbury he could not bee ignorant of them nay I can shewe it vnder his owne hand which argues hee fought against the light of his owne conscience that setting downe the differences betweene the Olde English and New French diuinitie as he calles it hee quotes diuers of those Articles for the doctrine of the Church of England and besides professing himselfe so skilfull in the Statutes he could not but knowe that The Booke of Articles and Iniunctions is by them aswell confirmed and authorized as The Booke of Common Prayer in which Articles are also allowed and ratified The second Booke of Homilies and holy Orders so that whatsoeuer is doctâ—inally deliuered in any of these may safely bee called The doctrine of the Church of England But for the present I will content my selfe with the Booke of Articles onely and for the doctrine of the Church of Rome with the Canons and positions of the Tridentine Councell and Catechisme and for Caluines doctrine with that specially which hee hath deliuered in his 4. Bookes of Christian Institutions Here followeth the Table of differences B. C. 22. For when the breach was resolued on for the personall and particular ease of Henry the VIII and the children of his later wiues it was necessary to giue euery part of the Common-wealth contentment for which they might hold out in the heate of affection and studie to maintaine the breach otherwise it was likely that in the clearenesse of iudgement it would quickly haue growen together againe and then the authours thereof must haue beene excluded and giuen account of their practise G. H. 22 Howbeit Henry the VIII actually indeed made that breach with Rome which continues at this day and is like to doe till Rome by her reformation endeuour to make it vp yet they certainely erre who seeke the cause of it onely in him and in his times or fixing their eyes vpon his person quarrel looke not vp to the state and course of former ages for as no wise man would assigne the cause of death to some accident falling out in the last point and period of life but to some former distemper or intemperancie so the reasons of vnhorsing the Pope and reiecting his authoritie with the generall applause of all the estates of the Realme hauing beene so long anâ— so deepely rooted in mens minds are not to be searched for in the personall and particular proceedings of Henry the VIII but in the ancient Records and euidences of our Histoâ—ians who all complaine of the spurring and gauling and whipping of our land by those Italian riders vntill like Balaams asse shee turned againe opened her mouth to complaine and being out of all hope of reliefe by complaint cast her rider As many witnesses we haue hereof well neere as Writers since the last 600. yeres as many cleere testimonies as there be leaues in Mat. Paris the most learned and sufficient Writer vnlesse you will except William of Malmesburie that those times afforded It was a memorable speech of Robert Grosteed Bishop of Lincolne who liued 358. yeres since in the time of Gregory the IX Caelestine the IIII. Innocent the IIII.
both they and their posterity might be at vtter defiance therewith and so hauing ouerthrowne and prophaned the good workes of the Saints it was necessary for them to get them Chaplins that might both dispute preach and write against the merits of good workes the inuocation of Saints the sacrifice of the Altar prayer for the dead and all such points of Catholike doctrine as were the grounds of those Churches and religious houses which they had ouerthrowen and prophaned And it was not hard for those Chaplines by some shew of Scripture to proue that which their Lords and followers were so willing to beleeue G. H. 23. The Abbies and Religious houses were growen to that height of idlenesse the mother of ignorance and luxurie within themselues and by reason thereof into that contempt and base estimation with the people that it was high time some blood should haue beene drawen from their swelling veines specially considering the little vse the Common-wealth had of them but chiefely for that they were so farre degenerated from the primitiue institution Their number was great it being 645. monasteries of men and women accounting the Priories and Frieries besides Chaunteries and free Chappels their seate commonly in the fairest and fattest part of the land their reuenues amounting to an inestimable summe as in the originall booke thereof taken by Commission and giuen to the King may appeare though at their dissolutions their values were fauourably and farre vnder rated in so much as in the raigne of Edward the first a statute of Mortmaine was made for the restraining of that excesse And had not Henry the fifth beene wisely diuerted vpon the French warres by Archbishop Chichly he had in all likelihood preuented Henry the eight in diminishing if not demolishing those houses being sâ—t on by his Parliament held at Leicester in the beginning of his raigne in which a bill was exhibited complaining how their reuenues giuen for deuotion were most desorderly wasted vpon Hounds and Hawkes and Horses and Whores which if better imployed would serue for the defence of the land and honour of the King and suffice for the maintenance of fifteene Earles fifteene hundred Knights sixe thousand two hundred Esquires and one hundred Almes-houses for reliefe of impotent and diseased persons and besides all this to the Kings Coffers there would thereby yeerely accrew twenty thousand pounds And to speake a trueth Cardinall Wolsey was the man who by pulling downe the smaller both shewed and made a way to the King Henry the eight for taking the like order with the bigger Neither did hee thinke his hands lesse bound towards his owne subiects then the Pope and French King did theirs for the rooting out of the rich and powerfull order of Templars through Christendome accusing them of like grieuous and vnnaturall offences as were in open Parliament layed to the charge of our monasticall professours vpon the relation of such Commissioners who were appointed to make search to that purpose no marueile then that as after the dissolution of that order which fell out in the raigne of Edward the second as Thomas de la More reportâ— is who at the same time liued as an officer in his Court the heires of the donors and such as had indowed them with lands reentred vpon those parts of their ancient patrimonies so in the downefall of Monasteries the Lords tooke their share of those lands which their ancestors had formerly bestowed to piouâ—â—vses but were at that time very much abused by the possesâ—ours But a great part of them about or somewhat aboue 600. yeeres since were thrust into the possessions of maried Church-men by Dunstan Archbishop of Canterbury so that if euery bird had his feather at their dissolution the greatest part of their lands had returned to the Clergie or at least their impropriations which were as improper to them though they held them by dispensation as now it may well bee disputed they are to the possessâ—urs of them A part whereof notwithstanding are so farre off from being at defiance with your Church that they are professed Romane Catholikes And in Queene Maries dayes among all those that intirely embraced that Religion not so much as one was found that could be drawen to disgorge those sweet morsels they had deuoured or to make restitution of a foote of land though the Queene her selfe the rather to draw them on had offered all she held in possession Then was your doctrine of good workes your Inuocation Saints your sacrifice of the Altar and your prayer for the dead restored which were the grounds you say of those religious houses yet the land which had bene their maintenance was not restored And as the reuiuing of those doctrines could not serue to giue new life vnto the carkasses of those ruined houses so the ruining of those houses was not the cause as you pretend of the impugning of those doctrines since they were impugned by the confession of your owne Writers by the Waldenses by the Albingenses by Wicliffe by Husse by Luther by Zuinglius by Caluin before those houses fell and continued for the most part during all the raigne of Henry the eight as may appeare by the sixe articles commonly called the whip with the sixe cordes And for any thing I finde he altered nothing excepting the taking downe of Monasteries and the Popes authority but onely the translation of the Bible and the singing and reading diuine seruice in our mother tongue so that it is cleare to any indifferent iudgement that the contradicting of those doctrines rather caused the ruine of those houses then their ruine as you would beare vs in hand the contradicting of those doctrines And it were no hard matter not by shew of Scripture but by Scripture it selfe to prooue their vnsoundnesse But an harder I am sure it were for his Holinesse Chaplaines from thence to proue their soundnesse in that sense as they are now defended in the Church of Rome howbeit you are as willing to beleeue the trueth of them for the aduantage you reape by them specially by the sacrifice of the Altar and prayer for the dead as any can bee vpon the like reason to beleeue the contrary B. C. 24. To the Commons was giuen great hope of reliefe for their pouertie ease of subsidies and the burden of so great a Clergie and many other goodly gay nothings And for the present they should haue liberty and the benefit of the common Law that is leaue to liue by such Lawes as themselues list to make and to contemne the authoritie of the Church which although it were for their benefit euery way yet because it crossed their affections like wayward children they could neuer abide it and was not this reason enough for them to hold out the breach and to study Scripture themselues that they might be able to confute Confession Satisfaction Penance and to declaime against that tyranny of the Church of Rome whereby
to any man of iudgement whereof a chiefe one is his Maiesties vndertaking the cause in writing wherein wee are bound to blesse God that hath set such a King ouer vs whom he hath indowed with such singular gifts as to giue occasion to such an Obiection Hee was no foole that pronounced that CoÌ„mon-wealth happy where learned men had the gouernment or the gouernors were learned and another who holds those wise men in the Gospel who came from the East are therefore held Kings because they were learned which I speake not to derogate froÌ„ other Kings but to thanke God for our owne whose drops that fall both from his tongue and Pen are as the Prophet Dauid speakes in another case like raine falling vpon the mowen grasse or as showers that water the earth We haue read in our own Chronicles of one Bladud a Brittish King who studied at Athens of Alured a Saxon King who translated the Psalter into his own language of Henry a Norman King who for his great schollership was surnamed the Beauclarke but for a King only Dauid and Salomon excepted that hath written so much and so well as his Maiestie exposing it to publike censure hath left it as an euerlasting monumeÌ„t of his name to posterity for mine owne part I must confesse in my small reading I haue not met with any either in our owne or forreine History Some Kings haue done some what in this kinde but hee excelleth them all so that for a Christian King to write and to publish his writings to the world euen in matter of Religion is not without example The Booke of Charlemaine in defence of the decree of the Synode of Frankeford which himselfe had thither called and against the Canons of the second Nicene Council touching the controuersie of adoring images is yet extant to bee seene in the Palatine library so is it acknowledged by Augustinus Steuchus in his second booke of Constantines donation where hee presses some things in that Booke for the Popes aduantage Howbeit Bellarmine in his second Booke of Images and 15th Chapter labourto prooue the contrary granting that it was sent by that Emperour to Pope Adrian but not as his owne His Maiesties Bookes aswell the former in defence of the Oath of Allegeance as the later by way of Premonition to the Christian States are no doubt as great corrasiues and eyesores to you as to vs they are cordiall and comfortable and cannot be but to him as dishonourable if hee should recall them as now they are honourable if hee continue constant to himselfe and them Now that they should proceede rather from the instigation of others then his owne disposition is a surmise of your owne I know not whether more foolish as being ignorant of that which hee had both written and spoken and done since hee came to yeeres of discretion conformably thereunto or dishonest in calling his Maiesties singular wisedome into question in suffering himselfe to bee so farre abused as vnwittingly to bee sent on other mens errands and to serue other mens turnes Howsoeuer there is nothing you say in that booke by which you cannot but vnderstand both the Premonition and the Apologie both bound together in one volume and titled together in one front why his Maiestie may not when he please admit the Popes Supremacie in Spirituals wherein first you dash though peraduenture vnawares against your great Cardinal who in his Letter to Blackwell professeth that in whatsoeuer words the Oath of Allegeance in defence of which his Maiestie wrote his Apologie bee conceiued it tends to none other end but that the authorie of the head of the Church of England may bee transferred from the Successour of S. Peter to the Successour of K. Henry the VIII this indeed he affirmes falsly but both in his Tortus against his Maiesties Apologie and in his Apologie against his Maiesties Premonition hee affirmeth truely that the vsurped Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome is in them both impugned And I cannot but marueile at such shamelesse impudencie as dares thus to write to his Maiestie touching his owne writings whose very words toward the later end of his Apologie are these discoursing before of the Supremacie of K. Henry the VIII in Church-matters for which Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas Moore were pretended to haue suffered I am sure saith hee that the Supremacie of Kings may and will euer be better maintained by the word of God which must euer be the true rule to discerne all weighty heads of doctrine by to bee the true and proper office of Christian Kings in their owne dominions then hee will euer be able to maintaine his annihilating Kings and their authorities together with his base and vnreuerent speaches of them wherewith both his former great volumes and his late bookes against Venice are filled Where he goes on and proues this Supremacie aswell by the Old as the New Testament and the practise both of the Kings of Israel and the Christian Emperours in the Primitiue Church both explaning and iustifying the Oath of Supremacie as it is by him imposed and taken by vs and in his Premonition written afterward though set before in the Booke he is so cleere in this point that Mr. Dr. cannot but stand conuinced either of grosse negligeÌ„ce in not reading or vnpardonable forgetfulnes in not remembring what he had read His Maiesties words are these But as I well allow of the Hierarchie of the Church for distinction of orders for so I vnderstand it so I vtterly deny that there is an earthly Monarch thereof whose word must be a Law and who cannot erre in his sentence by an infabilitie of spirit Because earthly Kingdomes must haue earthly Monarchies it doth not follow that the Church must haue a visible Monarch too for the world hath not one earthly Temporall Monarch Christ is his Churches Monarch and the holy Ghost his Deputie Reges gentium dominantur eorum vos autem non sic Christ did not promise before his Ascension to leaue Peter with them to direct and instruct them in all things but he promised to send the holy Ghost vnto them to that end And for these two before cited places whereby Bellarmine maketh the Pope to triumph ouer Kings I meane Pasce oues and Tibi dabo claues the Cardinall knowes well enough the same woâ—â—s of Tibi dabo are in another place spoken by Christ in the plurall number and hee likewise knowes what reasons the ancients doe giue why Christ bade Peter Pasce oues and also what a cloud of witnesses there is both of ancients and euen of late Popish Writers yea diuers Cardinals that doe all agree that both these speeches vsed to Peter were meant to all the Apostles represented in his person otherwise how could Paul direct the Church of Corinth to excommunicate the Incestuous person Cum Spiritu suo whereas he should then haue sayed Cum Spiritu Petri and how could all the
and that in as honourable and publike a forme of triall as euer was vsed in this kingdome and although as his Maiesty himselfe hath well obserued the onely reason they gaue for plotting so hainous an attempt was the zeale they caried to the Romish Religion yet were neuer any other of that profession the worse vsed for that cause as by his Maiesties gracious Proclamation immediately after the discouery of the said fact doth plainely appeare onely at the next sitting down againe of the Parliament were there Lawes made enacting some such orders as were thought fit for the preuenting the like mischiefe in time to come amongst which a forme of oath was framed to bee taken by his subiects whereby they should make a cleare profession of their resolution faithfully to persist in their obedience according to their naturall allegeance to the end a separation might bee made betweene so many of his Maiesties Subiects who although they were otherwise Popishly affected yet retained in their hearts the print of their naturall Allegeance to their Soueraigne and those who being caried away with the like fanaticall zeale that the Powder-traitours were could not containe themselues within the bounds of their naturall Allegeance but thought diuersitie of Religion a safe pretext for all kinde of Treasons and Rebellions against their Soueraigne Which godly and wise intent God blessed with successe accordingly for very many Subiects that were Popishly affected aswell Priests as Laickes did freely take the same oath whereby they both gaue his Maiestie occasion to thinke the better of their fidelitie and likewise freed themselues of that heauie slaunder that although they were Fellow-professours of one Religion with the Powder-traitors yet were they not ioyned with them in treasonaâ—le courses against their Soueraigne whereby all quietly minded Papists were put out of despaire and his Maiestie gaue good proofe that hee intended no persecution against them for conscience sake but onely desired to be secured of them for ciuill obedience which for conscience sake they were bound to performe I vse his Maiesties very words because he is best able to expresse himselfe and I know not how to expresse my selfe better nor by many degrees so well These were the greatest effects of his Maiesties anger vpon occasion of the Powder-treason which notwithstanding to shew your Rhetorike you compare to a storme vpon the Sea raising vp the billowes to the height making him inexorable impatient of any equall hearing chiding and punishing vntill he were weary wheras if his Maiâ—stie had but giuen way to the fury of the multitude the chiefe offenders no doubt had beene torne in pieces before they could haue come to the place of execution or of triall and if the like monstrous and neuer heard of offence had beene committed by Protestants for their Religions sake in other countries the body of that profession had suffered for it Indeed his Maiestie had sufficient occasion giuen that his wrath should haue beene as the roaring of a Lyon which is the Herauld of death but bearing the Image of God and being the Vicegerent of God on earth nay stiled God by God himselfe his mercy so triâ—mphed against his iustice that he seemed not to be mooued as the hainousnes of so horrible a fact required vntill his Holinesse by his two Breues and Cardinall Bellarmine by his Letter to the Arch-priest throughly awakened him they thereby disswading his Subiects from taking that most reasonable Oath of Allegeance and checking the Arch-priest for taking it to these his Maiestie in his booke Intituled Triplici nodo triplex cuneus or an Apologie for the oth of Allegeance vouchsafed with his owne Penne to frame a full and quicke answere aswell for the satisfaction of scrupulous consciences as for the iustifying of his owne proceedings to which the Cardinal vnder the name of Tortus makes his reply and hauing on his visarde dealt with his Maiestie at his pleasure in such termes as neither became a Churchman to giue nor a Prince to take whereupon his Maiestie being nowe somewhat warmed once againe tooke his quill in hand and wrote that excellent Premonition to the Monarchs and free States of Christendome as the Prince of Aurange did his Apologie to the States of the Netherlands hauing his head proscribed by Phillip the second King of Spaine for the summe of 25000. Crownes wherein hee not onely refutes Bellarmines reply but by a large Confession of his Faith cleareth himselfe from all imputation of Heresie and with all most iudiciously setteth downe the reasons of his opinion why he cannot but conceaue the Bishop of Rome to be Antichrist To this the Cardinall againe reioyneth somewhat more manerly in shew but indeed no whit lesse saucily then in his former discourse and how many Hell-hounds haue followed vpon the same sent the world to well knoweth besides it is not vnknowen how some of the plotters or at leastwise abettors in that intended Tragedy haue their Apologies published from Rome and others their protection in Rome nay the doctrine which gaue life to that and giues way to the like attempt is as violently maintained by the Romish Doctors as euer beside infinite other writers witnes Beaumanoirs expostulatory defence of Suarez against Seruius expository coÌ„plaint as also Cardinal Perrons and his fellow Prelates late proceedings in France together with his Holinesse benedictioÌ„ for that speciall peece of seruice both the Cardinal in his oration the Pope in his Letter labouring to disgace our Church State with what assurance then can this Maiesty ioyne hands with Rome since though the Powder be remoued froÌ„ vnder the Parliament house yet they still prepare new matter for the like Blow and no doubt but Paulus V. would be as ready to make his Oration in Conclaue in commendation of it being once acted as Sixtus Quintus was in commending that mortall blow giuen Henry the thirde of France by a Friar Iacobin which that it may the rather appeare I will hereunto annexe the Translation of his Letter to Cardinall Perron and the other French Prelates assembled in Parliament the Originall it selfe is but a barbarous Papall stile and therefore it cannot be expected but the Translation should be sutable the Letter was written vpon occasion of a Bill passed in the Lower-house crossing the Popes pretended Power in Deposing and Murthering Princes and crossed by the Clergie Pope Paul the fifth VEnerable Brother our beloued Son and likewise Venerable Brethren and beloued Sonnes greeting and Apostolicall benediction The excesse of boldnesse wherby some as we haue heard in the generall assembly there held in the 2. of Ian. haue endeuoured to violate the sacred authority of the Apostolike See hath so troubled our minde that were we not comforted by the firme confidence wee haue in the singular pietie and prudence of our dearest children King Lewis and Queene Mary his mother whom we vnderstand to haue been carefull to represse so vnaduised an attempt and in the admirable zeale
said for your deliuerance from thence but that you must presently iumpe into heauen I durst warrant the Iesuits among whom you died did not esteem you such a Saint Indeed Castellanus who made the funerall oration vpon Francis the 1. the French King was excepted against and accused by the Sorbonists for saying That he doubted not but the Kings soule was in heauen but his purgation was made by Mendoza that he thought he called by Purgatorie in passing but being as he was of a stirring disposition hee made no stay there but I thinke M. Doctor who offers to vndertake the iustifying of all Romish doctrine was not of this opinion We teach with S. Iohn that Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their labours But M. Doctor should haue remembred that the Church of Rome teacheth with Virgil whose authority Bellarmine solemnly quoteth to that purpose That the soules of the most iust except they die by Martyrdome or presently after Baptisme or doe some notable Meritorious worke as for the purpose the killing of a King whom that Church shall iudge a Tyrant are all to bee scoured in the flames of Purgatory fire before they enter into heauen But in the meane time you say you will reioyce in nothing but onely in the Crosse of Christ which is the glory of his Maiesties Crowne where if by the Crosse of Christ you vnderstand as S. Paul did Christ Crucified you do well hee being indeed not only the Glory of his Maiesties Crowne but the Crowne of his and our glory but if the materiall Crosse or a painted or carued Crucifix this could bring but a shadow of ioy to you and of glory to his Maiesties Crowne Lastly you conclude that you are not gone from his Maiestie to his aduersaries but before him to his Mother For the first of which I demaund who his Maiestie shall account for his aduersaries but those who condemne such Romane Catholikes censuring their Books and commaunding them to purge themselues who onely maintaine his Ciuill power in Temporall affaires and restraine his subiects from taking the Oath of meere naturall Allegeance which in effect is all one as if they absolued them from that Oath being taken and consequently incouraged them to rebellion For the second part of your conclusion we doubt not but his Maiesties Mother might find mercie knowing no better religion then that in which shee was borne and bred when such Apostates as our of discontent or for temporall respects forsake a knowen trueth which they haue preached in which they were baptized to which they haue subscribed shall finde heauen gates shut against them But wee iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lord come who will lighten things that are in darkenesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest and then shall euery man haue praise of God Who so confirme vs in that we are right and reforme vs in that we are amisse that passing through things temporall wee may not finally lose eternall Now prayse and honour and glory and power bee vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lamhe for euermore B. C. Multum incola fuit anima mea cum his qui oderunt pacem eram pacificus cum loquebar illis impugnabunt me gratis Psal. 119. vers 5 6. G. H. The wordes of his mouth were smoother then butter but warre was in his heart his words were softer then oyle yet were they drawen swords Psal. 55. 21. AN ANSWERE TO THE MATERIALL POINTS of a second Letter of Dr. Cariers written also from Leige to his friends heere in ENGLAND WHen I had almost finished my former answere to the Doctors Letter to his Maiestie another Letter of his dated also from Leigâ— and directed to his friends in England came to mine hands wherunto are added certaine collections found in his Closet made by him as it is thought saith the Publisher of the miserable endes of such as haue impugned the Catholike Church to which is also annexed a briefe exhortation to perseuere constantly in the sayd Catholike Church what opposition soeuer may occurre and lastly a few examples of the admirable felicitie of such as haue defended the same Church First then for the Letter I must confesse I expected from Mr. Dr. some piece of greater value considering himselfe had promised vs in the last Section of his first chapter particularly to iustifie and make plaine froÌ„ point to point the Religion at this day practised and prescribed by the Church of Rome Pelitier for him that hauing consigned his writings into the hands of one of his friends wee should shortly haue that happinesse as to see them published to the ioy and comfort of Catholikes and the edification of those whom hee had forsaken But at last we haue receiued for payment in ful satisfaction of the whole debt as I conceiue this Letter with the appertenances which I would haue set downe intire as I found it the very sight of it being confutation sufficient but that I should haue done the Printer iniury in staying his presse and withall haue raised my booke to a bulk too far exceeding my purpose and it may be haue deceiued the reader too in offring that to his view which he would haue iudged scarce worth the reprinting In his entrance after his verball flourishes and the repetition of that which hath already been answered more then once if any way materiall hee settles at length vpon nine Propositions the very marrow and piâ—h of all his Letter all tending to draw what hee might from the authority of Scriptures and to cast it vpon the Church that is in his language the Romish Clergie as afterwards hee expresses himselfe I will examine the propsitions as they lie in order B. C. 1. That our Sauiour did leaue nothing in writing but taught his Religion to his Apostles by word of mouth G. H. 1. Doubtlesse our Sauiour was not of that Polish Cardinals minde who thought it had beene better for the Church had there beene no Scripture extant at all for though himselfe left nothing in writing touching his Religion yet by the Scriptures alone hee proues himselfe to be the Messias in his conferences his Sermons his disputations with it hee informes the ignorant confirmes the weake instructs his Disciples confutes the Pharisees puts the Sadduces to silence and the diuell to flâ—ght Not a booke of Moses and scarce a Prophet but hee either quotes some passages from him or at least alludes to some in him specially that of the Psalmes and the Prophet Esay Nay in the 24. of St. Luke it is said hee proued his passion and resurrection from Moses and all the Prophets Though it were hee that spake to the Patriarches in dreames and visions and Reuelations yet hee mentions none of them for proofe and except they were 〈◊〉 much lesse traditions but his ordinarie questions and exhâ—rtations and reprehensions are How readest thou and haue yee not
as to be a scourge to other States or for some other temporall seruice which either their predecessors had done or theÌ„selues might doe or lastly as S. Ierome notes God thereby inuites them by his bounty that theÌ„selues should bee conuerted from their owne sins See T. Fitzâ—herbert of this poiâ—t in his treatise of Policie and Religion part 1. ca. 17. 4 His ordinary guarde in Constantinople and there about are but 24. thousand and though many of them be taken from the breasts of their Christian mothers yet is it not the greatest part as you auouch 5 Their facilitie in admitting other religions aswell as their owne to hope of Saluation should in reason rather weaken their Empire then fortifie it and those other principles of great importance rather serue to make a tyrant then to increase or maintaine a temporall Christian gouernement Rom. 13. De Ciuit dâ—i lib. 5. Cap. 21. 1 Since it was first a Church there were neuer so many able labourers in it nor religioÌ„ so sincerely preached and professed as by Gods gracâ— it is at this day so that it rather deserues the name of a body and yours of a shadow 2 By Schisme and Heresie you vnderstand schismatikes and heretikes and among them you ranke his Maiestie Such is the great honour you doe him as the Iewes dealt with Christ so doe you with his annointed they said Haile King of the Iewes and they 〈◊〉 him with theâ—r rods Iohn 19. 3. 1 Obserue the moderation of this reconciler who would beare the world in hand that Christ is none otherwise present among vs in our Churches then he is among the deuils in hell 2 If they shall say vnto you Behold he is in the secret chambers beleeue it not Mat. 24. 26. 1 Who are more guilty of this then your Priests and Iesuites 2 Was not this the pretence of Thomas Pâ—râ—y Earle of Northumberland and Charles Neuill Earle of Westmerland when they tooke armes and raised forces against their Soueraigne in the yeere 1569. and yet sent out Proclamations and Commissions in her name which notwithstanding they ceased not to bee Popish traitouâ—s howbeit the Spanish expurgatory index labours to cleare them from that imputation as also the Earle of Desmond and a notorious traitour of Ireland by rasing that â—estimonie of them in M. Cambden who iustly records them so to posterity 3 Who haue serued their own turnes most and raised more sedition the Clergy of Rome by their vniust vsurpation or the Clergie of England by their iust reformation I leaue to the world to iudge 1 This is the hope and prayer oâ— you all as long as you want stâ—ength but if you had that once we should quickly heare you change your note and sing another song In the meane time we can account your prayer none other then as theirs in the last Psalme saue one who haue the praise of God in their mouth and a two edged sword in their hands either be what you would seeme or seeme to be what indeed you are * Psal. 73. * Psal. 103. 1 In the front of this reason you seeme to disstinguish it from the former but in the pursuit of this Section you meerely confound them 2 In saying so you cannot but put his Maiestie to rebuke also there being the like none other reason of him and of other Kings who haue disclaimed vnion with Rome 3 I meruaile much where those rules were to be found for the space of the first 300. yeeres after Christ and whether the greatnesse and Maiesty of the great Turke or King of China be not beyond all the rules that Catholike Religion deliuereth in that kind 4 What they are that despise gouernement and speake euill of those that bee in authoritie his Maiestie is not now to seeke 1 De Laâ—ciâ— cap. 7 2 De Ponti Ro. lib. 1. cap. 7. 3 Ibidem 4 Ibidem de Cler. cap. 20. 5 De Pontif. lib. 3. cap. 16. * Lib. 5. cap. 8. 6 De Laicis cap. 8. 7 De Pontif. lib. 5. cap. 8. 8 De Pontif. lib 2 cap. 26. 9 De Pontif. lib. 4. cap. 15. 10 Dâ— Clericis cap. 28. 11 Ibidem 12 Ibidem * 2. Sam. 7. 14. * Psal 82 6. * 1. Sam. 24. 11. * 2. Chro. 9. 8. * 2. Sam. 14. 20. * 2. Sam. 21. 17. * Isay 49. 23. * Rom. 13. 5. * 1 Tim. 2. 2. * Rom. 13. 4. Matth. 22. 11. 1 Neither the Dutch nor the French acknowledge his Maiestie their chiefe 2 They ioyne together against the visible Monarchie of the church or rather the tyranny of the Pope which you call order but good it can not be being not from God 3 I desire to learne where you find that the deuils torment one another once we are sure if they did but helpe to cast out one another their kingdome could not stand 4 You seeme to intend the Netherlands which notwithstanding was neuer a kingdome nor their Bourgers Princes but how the Pope hath turned the ancient kingdome of the Romanes into a new State and made himselfe of a Priest a temporall Prince wee are not ignorant 5 Neither can I perswade my selfe that your Catholikes will euer ioine together to make one King ouer them all though the Iesuites it may be both desire and endeuour it 1 The word Geuse in their language signifies a begger 1 Bellarmine chargeth not only Calum with this opinion but Zuinglius and Kellison Melancthon who were not Caluinists 2 Surely that Pope who in his Conclaue told his Cardinals that the dominican Frier murdered the French King by the will of God by his ordinaÌ„ce by the aide of the Almighty by his speciall helpe spake litle lesse yet is that oration verified by Warmington a Romish priest sometimes Chapleine to Card. Allen from whom himselfe got a copie 3 They might quickly bee as learned as your selfe in the Scriptures for any thing appeares in this Epistle 4 Belike your selfe were present to take your part of the ale or you had good intelligence with the alewise 1 1 In his speech in Parliament after the Powder treason * Iob. 12. 19. 21. In 1. 2. d. 129. n. 2. In 1. Iac. 10. reas cap. 8. Demonst. 1 3 7. Lection 8. par â— De sig lib. 3. cap. 5. In hâ—â— epist. to Cham. In his Suruay l. 5. c. 2. Bib. sel. li. 8. c. 11 De amis gra lib. 2. cap. â— 3. Lib. 3. q. 12. de sac l. 1. pa. 4. c. 12. 2. d. 34. q. 1. art 3. 1. q. 13. art 1. pa. 1 9 3. 1 2. q. 93. art 6. pa. 4 96. 2. d. 37. q. 1. 1. par q 49. ar 2 Lib. 1. dist 41. In 9. ad Rom. lect 3. Torquet ac flectit in eis inuisibiliter operando * Vers. 27. 28. * Vers. 5. * Cap. 1. 21. * Cap. 10. 15. 1 Foelix scelus virtus vocatur had it taken effect that which now is stiled an horrible
lawfull to the Confessor to publish that which he heard in confession but none saith hee of those holy Fathers euer decreed that constitution of Ecclesiasticall discipline with such strictnesse as thereby to make the Law of God of none effect They knew well enough that if the case so stood as the Law of the Church enioyned silence and the law of God vtterance wee should rather obey God then man They knew well enough that Dauid is commended of the Sonne of God to whom properly belongs the interpretation of the lawe himselfe being the author of it for the eating of the Shew-bread which otherwise was not lawfull saith Christ for him to eate rather then hee would suffer himselfe to starue with hunger To like effect is that which my Lord of Ely hath in his last booke against Bellarmine Let that reuerence which is due to that seale be preserued inuiolate but towards penitents not wilfull proceeders in thier mischieuous plots neither is that saith hee the seale of God and CHRIST but of Satan and Antichrist with which so horrible villanies are masked But will Mr. Doctor say these are but the opinions of priuate men I demaund the authority of your Church for the seale of secresie but if he had â—in as skilful in the decrees Canons of our Church as he would beare vs in hand he was he would surely haue forborne that demaund the 113. Can. of those which were agreed vpon in Conuocation anno 160â— ratified by his Maiesties royal assent concluding thus Prouided alwayes that if any man confesse his secret hidden sins to the Minister for the vnburthening of his conscience and to receiue spirituall consolation and ease of mind from him wee doe not any way binde the said Minister by this our Constitution but doe straightly charge and admonish him that he do not at any time reueale and make knowen to any person whatsoeuer any crime or offence so committed to his trust secrecie except they be such crimes as by the Lawes of this Realme his owne life may be called into question for concealing them vnder paine of irregularitie So that neither is Mr. Doctors Assertion true that the people with vs are freed from the possiâ—ility of Confessing though they are from the necessitie nor his reason because wee haue taken away the seale of secrecie the abuse being onely by vs remouâ—d but the vse aswell by publike authoritie as priuate opinions retained and maintained But to conclude this point the libertie which the people haue gained by separation from Rome stands not so much in forbearance of Confession rightly vsed as in that libertie wherewith CHRIST hath made them free for if the sonne haue made them free then are they free indeed if they intangle not themselues againe with the yoke of bondage my counsell is that which the Apostle there aduiseth Stand fast and to like effect though in another place and case Art thou free seeke not to bee bound and as many as walke according to this rule peace shall bee vponthem and mercie and vpon the Israel of God B. C. 43. As for the libertie of making Lawes in Church-matters the common Lawyer may perhaps make an aduantage of it and threfore greatly stand vpon it but to the Common people it is no pleasure at all but rather a great burden for the great multitude of Statutes which haue been made since the Schisme which are more then fiue times so many that euer were made before since the name of Parliament was in England hath caused also an infinite number of Lawyers all which must liue by the Commons and raise new families which cannot bee done without the decay of the old and if the Canon of the Church and Courts of Confession were in requâ—st the Lawyers market would soone bee marred and therefore most of your Lawyers in this point are Puritans and doe still furnish the Parliament with grieuances against the Clergie as knowing very well that their owne glory came at the first from the Court Infidel and therefore cannot stand with the authoritie of the Church which came at the first from the Court Christian I speake not against the anciâ—nt lawes of England which since King Ethelberts time were all Catholike nor against the honest Lawyers of England I know many and honour all good men among them and doe looke for better times by the learning wisedome and moderation of the chiefest But I am verely perswaded that the pretended liberties of the Commons to make Lawes in matter of Religion doth burden the Common-wealth and doth trouble and preiudice your Maiestie and pleasure none at all but the Puritan and petti-fogging Lawyer that would faine fetch the antiquity of his Common Law from the Saxons that were before King Ethelbert So that whether wee respect the spirituall instruction and comfort or the temporall wealth and libertie of the Commons of England if the Puritan Preacher and the Puritan Lawyer who both seeke the ouerthrowe of the Church and deceiue and consume the people would let them alone there would quickely appeare no reason of their state at all why they should hate the Catholike Church that is so comfortable and beneficiall vnto them or maintaine the Schisme that with sugred speaches and counterfeit faces doth so much abuse them G. H. 4â— The next priuiledge which you pretend to the Commons is the liberty of making Lawes in Church-matters as if they could make lawes without the consent of the Lords both Spirituall and Temporall or they all without the royall assent of his Maiestie and for the multitude of Statutes which you speake of the multitude of erroneous opinions deuilish practises from Rome haue caused a great part of them and the malice both of the deuil as knowing his time to be but short and of men in this last and worst age of the world generally increasing must needes giue occasion to more lawes Hee that shall looke into the bodie of the ciuill law may find that those lawes multiplied faster from Constantines time to the ende of Iustinians which was about 200. yeere then in foure nay in fiue hundred yeeres before though the one were vnder a Christian gouernement and the other vnder an heathenish whâ— tooke their beginnings as wee knowe onely from the lawes of the twelue tables which were brought out of Greece Did not God himselfe besides those twelue precepts grounded vpon the law of nature adde many lawes therunto for the gouernement of his Church and that which hee did by the Ministry of Moses vnto that speciall people the same power hath hee left to the gouernours of particular Churches conditionally all their lawes bee conformable or at leastwise not repugnant vnto his law the rule and square of all humane lawes how hath the Canon law it selfe to which Mr. Doctors drift is wholly to resubmit vs in Church gouernement growen vp to a great bulke and massie bodie and
how hath their multitude intangled the Christian world yet must no man dare open his mouth to complaine of that We reade of Luther that when he heard his books by publike order were burnt in Rome he as solemnely burnt the Canon law at Wittenberge We haue not proceeded neither thinke wee it fit to proceed so farre but haue rather chosen out of that dunghill to seeke for a pearle which hauing found we are content to keepe and as occasion serues to make vse of We haue not wholly abrogated the Canon law but wee retaine it in part though not as receiuing strength from the Popes authoritie who for any thing I know hath no more right of making lawes for vs then wee haue for him but from the gouernours of our owne Church Neither did the Kings of France in the erection of their Vniuersities receiue it any otherwise then to vse at their own discretioÌ„ not to oblige them as a law or if it did the power of it was deriued from their owne approbation not from Romes imposition and therefore haue they expresly and by name forbidden the 6th Booke of the Decretals to bee read in their Vniuersities as lawe as being expresly against the lawes and liberties of the Gallican Church Now if they refuse one part they might in my iudgement by the same reason if they found it inconuenient or disagreeable reiect the whole and I thinke they would not stand much if occasion serued vpon the casting off of the Canon lawe who could by no meanes yet bee induced to the receiuing of the Canons of the Council of Trent A notable instance hereof wee haue euen in the depth of Popery in our owne Countrey At the Parliament of Merton it was proposed that children borne before marriage might bee adiudged legitimate according to the rule and practise of the Canon law They all made answere with one voice Nolumus Leges Angliae mutari we wil not yeeld to the change of the lawes of England by which it appeares that they receiued not in those very times all the Popes Canons as lawes and those which they receiued they had not the force of lawes because the Pope imposed theÌ„ but because themselues entertained them in that nature and to that purpose ratified them Mr. Doctor need not marueile then if our Parliament now make lawes to the same purpose and by the same authority as they ratified those The Summons of Parliament euer since the time of King Henry the V. and how long before I know not haue in one constant forme and tenour made mention that the Parliament is summoned to consult de negotijs statum defensionem Regni Angliae Ecclesiae Anglicanae contigentibus of businesses concerning the State and defence of the Realme and Church of England Among other Kings S. Edward begins his lawes with this protestation that it was his Princely care Vt populum Dei super omnia Sanctam Ecclesiam regat gubernet To rule and gouerne Gods people and aboue all the Church of God And before him Ina kâ—ng of the West Saxons professeth that hee called a Councill of his Bishops and Senators that they might consult of matters De salute animarum Statu regni touching the saluation of their soules and the State of the kingdome And therefore doeth our chiefe Antiquarie rightly distinguish our Courts into Ecclesiasticall Ciuill and mixt which hee makes the Parliament as beeing compounded of both and consequently capable to determine of matters of both natures though I must needes say the case is somewhat altered from â—ormer times when not onely the Arch-bishâ—ps the Bishops the Abbots and Priors whose number was double to thâ—t which now it is and litle inferiour to the â—eâ—porall Lords sate in thhe igher House of Paâ—liament and had conâ—luding voâ—ces but the bodie of the Clergie and Cathedrall â—hurches had their Proctours amongst the Commons as may be câ—llected by diuers of our Statutes in print but noâ— that the number of the Lords Spirituall in the higher House is â—essened and the others are cleane excluded the lower House mee thinkes it should stand with reason and equitie that thâ— liâ—ertie of making of lawes or Canons in Church-matters should bee referred and reserued by his Maiesties gracious fauour and with his Royall assent to Church-men assembled in their Conuocation who are presumed to be most able and willing to establish good and wholesome Constitutions and to reforme what is amisse Thus in the yeere 1603 at his Maiesties first entrance into this kingdome by vertue of hiâ— Prerogatiue Royall and Supreame authority in causes Ecclesiasticall did hee graunt licâ—nce and free power vnto them to treate and agree vpon such Ordinances as they should thinke necessary and conuenient for the honour and seruice of Almighty God and the good and quiet of the Church and afterward being by them agreed vpon and throughly considered by his Maâ—estie out of his princely inclination to maintaine the present estate and gouernment of the Church of England hee not onely coâ—firmed them by his Royall Assent but by the same authoritie commaunded the entertainement and execution of them through the Realme Another matter you fling at is the multitude of Lawyers at this day as iâ— they were exceedingly increased but if you had read and well obseâ—ued Foretescues obseruation in this behalfe who wrote about 200. yeeres since being then Chiefe Iustice of England and had compared this time to that you would haue found that the number of that Proâ—ession in those dayes was litle lesse then at this day certainely their colledges were then more then now His words are Sunt namque in eo decem hospitia minora et quandâ—que verò plura quae nominantur hospitia Cancellariae ad quorum quodlibet pertinent centum studentes ad minus et ad aliqua eorum maior in multo numerus licet non omnes in eis semper conueniant MaioruÌ„ quatuor sunt ad minimuÌ„ eorum pertinent in forma praenot at a ducenti studentes aut propè They haue ten lesser houses which they call Innes of Chancerie to euery of which belong one hundred students at least and to some many more though they be not all continually resident in them of the bigger houses they haue â—oure and to each of them in like manner belong two hundred students or thereabout Whereras at this present in some of the Innes of Court there are not 260. and in the greatest little aboue 300. in commons at one time and for the â—nnes of Chancerie they are but eight in number and in most of them not aboue 50. in commons together But if they are increased it may well be imputed not so much to our multitude of statuts as to our long peace the nurse of homebred quarrels or to the dissolution of our Monestaries and that as I conceiue for foure reasons First for that whereas in those dayes when the Monasteries stood many yonger brothers did