deliuered to his Apostles and disciples and here you tell vs that when you came to more iudgement for the better informing your selfe herein you read ouer the Chronicles of England a proper course indeede as if a man should reade ouer the Chronicles of England to search whether the practise of our Architects in building agree with Vitruuius his precepts or of our husbandmen in manuring their grounds with Columellaes rules For mine owne part I should rather haue thought that the readiest way to informe your selfe aright had been to compare the religion of England with the doctrine of the Gospels Epistles Actes of the Apostles and Church history the ende of a Chronicle being not to shew euery alteration in religion specially where it is made peece-meale insensibly and by degrees of which a man may say that hee sees it is changed though he sawe not the changing as he sees the grasse hath growen though he saw it nor growing and the shadow in a diall to haue mooued though not moouing The enuious man sowed his tares in the night so that men discouered it then when they sprang vp in the morning but the sowing of them they could not obserue because it was done cunningly in the night when all men slept and for a time they lay hid vnder the earth And yet are not our Chronicles so silent but that they euery where lay open the iust comp aint of our Kings and groning of our Clergie and people vnder the yoke of the Bishop of Rome as shal more clearely appeare when we come to shew what benefit euery estate may expect from the restitution of Romish religion But you say you found the religion of England a plaine change and change vpon change But our constant answere is that which you professe you hoped to finde that the change was in the Church of Rome our change being nothing else but the scowring off of that rust or the repairing of those ruines which we found had insensibly growen vpon it For to suppose that tract of time cannot drawe a corruption vpon religion aswell as vpon ciuil affaires is as if a man should imagine that Castles indeede are subiect to reparations but not Churches and for your pretended change vpon change wee may boldly say that our Common prayer booke hath not receiued so many changes as your Breuiaries your Portesses your Legends your Martyrologies your Pontificals your Ceremonials and specially your Missals haue done and that since our reformation nay since the framing and publishing of our Common prayer bookes in the beginning of the reigne of Edward the VI. wee find no change in any materiall point at all saue that in their Letanie they prayed to be deliuered by name from the tyrannie and malice of the Pope which for any thing I know might as iustly and vpon as good reason haue been retained by vs as it was by them put in H Now why Henrie the VIII should cause the first change in religion out of a desire to change his bed-fellow I see not except you esteeme a restraining of the Popes vnlimited power in dispensations to be a change in religion and indeed it may well be since now the world is come to that passe that the Popes authority and religion are in a manner as reciprocall as the definition and the thing defined And for the change of his bedfellow it is well knowen to those that haue read ouer our Chronicles with obseruation as your selfe pretend you haue that he being married to her at the age of 10. yeeres or thereabout protested against it when he came to 14. in the presence of Richard Foxe Bishop of Winchester and Iohn Reade a publique Notary as appeares by a deed vnder his owne hand being then Prince of Wales besides the Counsell both of Spaine and of France treating a mariage for the Lady Mary the one wiâ—h Charles the Emperour the other with Henry Duke of Orleans they both made a doubt whether the mariage of her mother hauing bene wife to the Kings owne brother could be dispensed with or the children begot in this second bed legitimate and by Law allowed to succeed to the crowne nay which is more D. Longland then Bishop of Lincolne the kings Confessour after it had long slept reuiued this Scruple in the kings conscience the Cardinall being Archbishop of Yorke and Legate to the Pope together with the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the rest of the Bishops Rochester onely excepted who was then lately made Cardinall but lost his head before his hat came ouer subscribed and sealed to the iustnesse of the diuorce both our Vniuersities yea many beyond the Seas to the number of 10. or 12. some of them in Italy it selfe and vnder the Popes peculiar iurisdiction confirmed it vnder their common seales diuerse of our Doctors being purposely sent to Rome about it offered dispute before the Pope to proue it Cranmer in a priuate conference at Vienna with Cornelius Agrippa then following the Emperour euery where admired for his learning so fully satisfied him that he held the proposition most true if it could be proued that the Lady Katherine was carnally knowen of Prince Arthur whereof the presumptions were great The one was that Prince Henry was deferred from his creation and title of Prince of Wales by the space of sixe moneths after Arthurs decease vpon a supposition that the Lady Katherine might be by him conceiued with childe Another was that for this cause the said Lady procured a second Bull from the Pope with this addition Velforsan cognitam and peraduenture carnally knowen which Bull was only purchased to dispense with this mariage A third presumption was from the report of Prince Arthurs Chamberlaine vpon certaine words spoken by the Prince the first morning that he rose from his bed A fourth was the relation of the Ambassadours of Ferdinando her father king of Spaine being sent hither purposely to see the mariage consummated who returned their knowledge of their mutuall coniunction by the markes and that nothing was left vnperformed of any nuptiall right And surely they being both of yeeres able enough to accomplish the acte he aboue 15. and she aboue 17. laid both in one bed almost fiue moneths together doe assure vs the certainety of that which in this businesse is made the greatest scruple These were the reasons which in appearance moued Henry the VIII to the remouing of his bed-fellow not those which you as fondly imagine as you suggest malitiously I doe not take vpon me the clearing of this king from all the blame that is cast vpon him yet I may truely say that strangers haue bene more fauourable vnto him then our owne countrey-men he being deepely and bitterly taxed not onely by Saunders from whom nothing but such slanders could be expected but by a later writer professing himselfe of our owne Church to the great content of the Romish faction whose obligation notwithstanding to the daughter in the
AN ANSWER TO A TREATISE WRITTEN BY Dr. CARIER By way of Letter to his MAIESTIE WHEREIN HE LAYETH DOWNE SVNDRY POLITIKE CONSIDERATIONS By which hee pretendeth himselfe was moued And endeuoureth to moue others to be reconciled to the Church of ROME and imbrace that Religion which he calleth CATHOLIKE By GEORGE HAKEWIL Doctour of Diuinity And Chapleine to the PRINCE his Highnesse B. C. Mine heart will vtter foorth a good matter I will intreat in my workes of the King G. H. Giue thy iudgements to the King O God and thy righteousnesse to the Kings sonne IMPRINTED AT LONDON by IOHN BILL 1616. Cum Priuilegio TO THE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MAIESTIE DREAD SOVERAIGNE HAD this Letter of Dr. Carier beene imparted or the drift of it onely reached to your Maiestie it would haue deserued none other answere then your Maiesties priuate censure and might well haue beene buried in silence with the Author of it But now that it not only aymes in particular at all the members of the bodie Politike First the Nobles then the Commons and lastly the Clergie but withall is published to the view of the World and spread through all the quarters of your Land for the better effecting of that it aymes vnto and is not a little magnified by the Romish faction It must needs argue in vs either want of wisedome in preuenting a mischiefe or of power in prouiding for our owne safetie or of zeale and sinceritie in our loue to the Trueth if it should passe without some discouery aswell of the malicious scope to which it tends as the weakenesse of the arguments by which it endeuours to perswade The maine end which it driues at is either a totall reconcilement to the Church of Rome or if that cannot be a partiall toleration of the Romish Religion The generall meanes by which it striues to compasse this end are first by working a destraction euen amongst those your Subiects who euery way conforme themselues aswell to the doctrine as the discipline of the Church of England established by publike allowance in making some Puritanes and some Protestants who in his language can endure the state of the Church of England as it is but could be content it were as it was implying thereby the rest to be Puritanes some Caluinists and some temperate men who cannot but in iudgment approue the trueth of that Religion which he calles Catholike thereby implying the rest to bee Caluinists the one he termes the greatest enemies of the Clergie the other his honest and louing brethren wherof he professeth he knew many and himselfe to be one whereas in trueth if any such there be the difference should rather haue beene made betwixt Protestants and Papists English and Romish Catholikes since they who could be content the Church of England were as it was before the Reformation can in my iudgement bee none other then Papists and those that in their iudgement approue the doctrine of the pretended Catholike Religion can as farre as I apprehend it been none other then Romish Catholikes Thus those whom we call Papists he calles Temperate Protestants and those whom we call Protestants he calles State Puritanes The second generall meanes for the compassing of his desired end is an indeuour to worke an vtter seperation betwixt our Church and other reformed Churches specially those of France and the Netherlands whom therefore in contempt hee calls Hugonots and Geux and their doctrine Caluinisme intending thereby as I conceiue either to weaken our strength by leauing vs to stand single or which is worse to inforce vs at length to relapse vpon Rome And to this purpose is hee bold to affirme that their doctrine makes as much against the Religion of England as that of Rome whereas the writings of the most learned men aswell on their as on our side our harmonies of Confessions the testimonie of our aduersaries nay the Pope himselfe in his Bull against Queene ELIZABETH your Maiesties Bookes and practise in the matching of that Noble Ladie your daughter and in permitting those Churches the free exercise of their Religion within your dominions so plainely euince the contrarie that I wonder hauing let fall so foule a blot from his pen he durst present it to your Maiesties view and yet I neede not wonder considering hee was not ashamed to tell your Maiesty that for any thing you haue written in your Apologie or Premonition you may when you please admitte the Popes Supremacie in spirituals which must needes argue either that he was meerely ignorant what your Maiesty had written or cared not at all what himselfe wrote regarding rather the euennesse of his Stile and the cadencie of his sentences then the trueth of his assertions like false windowes bearing proportion with the rest of the building but without light By the trueth of these assertions your Maiestie may make an estimate of the whole piece in which if I can iudge any thing I haue not met within the narrow compasse of so short a treatise so formally pend and carrying so faire an outside so many weake arguments so many grosse mistakes so many notorious falshoods so many irreconciliable contradictions so many sandie and disioynted consequences howsoeuer were his proofes neuer so strong so sure so true so consonant so coherent yet was hee a man most vnfit to intermeddle in a businesse of vnion and pacification who was so farre ingaged to one partie as by his owne acknowledgement hee was perswaded that all the Religion at this day prescribed and practised by the Church of Rome is the true Catholike Religion and promiseth particularly to iustifie it from point to point when time and opportunitie should serue and your Maiestie together with vs of the same profession he rangeth among Iewes and Infidels and heretiques for refusing to ioine with them in the worship of Christ in the Sacrament But God blessed not his vaine proiect Mr. Henrie Constable dying within fortnight after he came from Paris by Cardinall Perrons appointment to Leidge to conferre with him and himselfe a while after in Paris within a moneth of his comming thither to conferre with the Cardinall yet as the Apostle speakes of Abel being dead he yet speaketh though in a different manner and the speach of dead men commonly prooues more effectuall more profitable or more dangerous then that of the liuing For your Maiesty there is God be thanked no feare at all the obligations by which you haue tied your selfe to the Religion established amongst vs being so many and so strong and withall his motiues for inducement to the contrary so weake dealing with your Maiesty as the deuill did with our Sauiour who being beaten from Scripture fell to the promising of the glory of kingdomes which notwithstanding was not in his power to performe onely for their sakes some Replie seemed not vnnecessary of whom it may truely be sayd which hee falsly affirmes of your Maiesty that they imbrace shadowes
censure of wise men might deseruedly haue purchased some more respectiue termes of the Father whereas Thuanus the most vnpartiall and iudicious Historiographer of our age giues this testimonie of him that he was a Prince of singular naturall indowments and such a one in whom had hee not too much loosed the reines to this pleasure you could hardly find wanting any perfection Nay after his diuorce from his Queene and from the Church of Rome the Bishops which hee named sayth hee were honest men and good Schollers being euer himselfe a great Patron of learning which testimonie I the rather alledge because the Spanish expurgatorie index hath rased it as also diuers other verie memorable passages in this Author B. C. 5. Thus I satisfied my selfe at Schoole and studied the Artes and Philosophie and other humane learning vntill being Master of Artes and fellow of Corpus Christi Colledge in Cambridge I was at last by the Statutes of that house called to the studie of Diuinitie and bound to take vpon me the Order of Priest-hood then I thought it my duetie for the better satisfaction of mine owne soule and the sauing of othermens to looke as farre into the matter as possible I could that I might find out the Trueth and hauing the opportunitie of a very good Librarie in that Colledge I resolued with my selfe to studie hard and setting aside all respect of men then aliue or of Writers that had mooued or maintained Controuersies farther then to vnderstand the question which was betwixt them I fell to my prayers and betooke my selfe wholly to the reading of the Church Historie and of the ancient Fathers which had no interest on either side and specially â— made choise of S. Augustine because I hoped to find most comfort in him for the confirming of our Religion and the confuting of the Church of Rome G. H. 5. After your perusing the Chronicles of England you betake your selfe to the reading of the Church Historie and ancient Fathers and in speciall make choise of S. Augustine in whom you find the doctrine of Rome euery where confirmed and ours confuted But I would faine know whether one maine point of the doctrine of the Church of Rome be not the Supremacie of that Sea and whether a chiefe feather in that wing be not Appeals from forraine parts Now whether S. Augustine approued them I appeale to his practise being one of those Bishops in the Councell of Carthage who discouered and disclaimed the impudencie and forgerie of the Church of Rome in challenging that as right which some of constraint had performed and others of courtesie had graunted for which himselfe with his Fellow-Bishops were excoÌ„municated by the Bishop of Rome and for any thing I can finde in the Church Historie so died Some of his workes I haue read specially those of Christian doctrine and of them I will be bold to say that they confirme no one point of Romish doctrine controuersed at this day and surely there if any where had beene the proper place to declare the Bishop of Rome Supreame iudge in all controuersies B. C. 6. In this sort I spent my time continually for many yeeres and noted downe whatsoeuer I could gather or rather snatch either from the Scriptures or the Fathers to serue my turne But when after all my paines and desire to serue my selfe of Antiquitie I found the doctrine of the Church of Rome to be euery where coÌ„firmed by most profound demonstrations out of holy Scripture made most agreeable to the trueth of Christs Gospel and most conformable to all Christian soules and saw the current opinions of our great Preachers euery where confuted either in plaine termes or by most vnanswerable consequence although mine vnderstanding was thereby greatly edified for which I had great reason to render immortall thankes to our blessed Sauiour who by these meanes had vouchsafed to shewe himselfe vnto mee yet my heart was much grieued that I must be faine either not to preach at all or to crosse and varâ—e from the doctrine which I saw was commonly receiued G. H. 6. I haue perused your Common-place booke written for the most part with your owne hand and indeed it thereby appeares that your noting might more deseruedly bee termed a snatching then a gathering though by your will you solemnely bequeath it as a rich legacie to C.C.C. in Camb. whereof you were a Fellow but you found the doctrine of the Church of Rome you say euery where confirmed by most profound demonstrations from holy Scripture in trueth I must confesse they are so deepe that throughout this treatise they are inuisible but I much desire to knowe by what profound demonstration from holy Scripture you would proue the adoration of images the administration of the Sacrament vnder one kinde the exercise of publike prayer in a language not vnderstood of the people or lastly the Bishop of Romes vsurpation ouer the temporals of Princes vnlesse you bring Bellarmines profound demonstration to that purpose Pasce oues meas or Baronius Surge occide manduca or the Canonists fecit Deus duo magna luminaria much like a profound demonstration I haue heard of for proofe of the Salique law the lillies neither labour nor spinne therefore the Crowne of France ne tombe point sur laquenouille fals not to the distaffe or like that of a Frier who would needs proue that ten worlds were made in the first Creation and that out of our Sauiours wordes in the Gospel annon decem factisunt mundi but he was well answered by his brother in the words following Sed vbisunt nouem and did hee not deserue the title of D. profundus trow you for so profound a demonstration By such like profound demonstrations you find the doctrine of the Church of Rome made most agreeable to the trueth of Christs Gospel which for the Sacrament is drinke yee all of this and for the power of his ministers my kingdome is not of this world wordes deliuered as it seemes out of a propheticall spirit as foreseeing what errours should in after ages spring vp in his Church but you doe well to say that those doctrines were made agreeable to this trueth they may bee made so or at leastwise made to seeme so by forging and hammering vpon the anuill of mens conceits howbeit in themselues they are not so as the belles seeme to the childe to ring that tune which runnes in his head B. C. 7. Being thus perplexed with my selfe what course I were best to take I reflected backe againe vpon the Church of England and because the most of those Preachers which drewe the people after them in those dayes were Puritans and had grounded their diuinitie vpon Caluins institutions I thought peraduenture that they hauing gotten the multitude on their side might wrong the Church of England in her doctrine as well as they desired to doe in her discipline which indeed
it to the world that no other sect of heretikes not excepting Turke Iew nor Pagan no not euen those of Calicute who adore the deuill did euer maintaine it by the grounds of their religion Marke by the grounds of their religion that it was lawfull or rather meritorious as the Romish Catholikes call it to murder princes or people for quarrell of religion And although particular men of all professions of religion haue beene some theeues some murtherers some traitours yet euer when they came to their ende and iust punishment they confessed their fault to be in their nature and not in their profession these Romish Catholikes onely excepted And if that be your religion which we finde maintained by the chiefe pillars and Doctours of your Church and determined to bee Catholike by your Popes and Cardinals surely we haue as litle reason to entertaine your doctrine as wee haue good reason euer to be iealous of your practise Your doctrine is That the Pope if hee thinke good may excommunicate and depose kings and dispose of their kingdomes by absoluing their subiects from their allegeance and setting forraine princes to inuade there dominions as if they held not their Crownes from God but from him and as if they were to write no more in their stiles by the grace of God but by the Popes grace king of such or such a kingdom Your doctrine is that treason deliuered vnder the seale of cōfession is not to be discouered though it be to the indangering of your Soueraigns person the subuersion of the whole body of the State Your doctrine is That as many Churchmen as are in the Kingdom which in most is a third part in some more they are all exempted from the coertion of the ciuill Magistrate being for punishment whether in bodie or in estate onely lyable to the censures of Ecclesiasticall courts which haue both dependance vpon the Popes authoritie and direction from his Canon Law Your doctrine is That as many Bishops and Arch-Bishops as are any where consecrated ought to take their oath to bee true and loyall to their good Lord and holy Father of Rome to the vtmost to execute and further his Commaunds without any limitation or reference to the authoritie of their Soueraigne Lord the King as may appeare by the tenour of the oath here ensuing which I haue annexed to the end the Reader may iudge whether this be the onely Religion as Mr. Doctour pretendeth to keepe Subiects in obedience to their Kings I Iohn Bishop or Abbot of A. from this houre forward shall be faithfull and obedient to S. Peter and to the Holy Church of Rome and to my Lord the Pope and his Successors Canonically entring I shall not bee of counsaile nor consent that they shall lose either life or member or shall bee taken or suffer any violence or any wrong by any meanes Their counsaile to mee credited by them their messengers or Letters I shall not willingly discouer to any person The Popedome of Rome the rules of the holy Fathers and the regalities of S. Peter I shall helpe retaine defend against all men The Legate of the Sea Apostolike going and comming I shall honourably intreate The rights honours priuiledges authorities of the Church of Rome and of the Pope and his Successors I shall cause to bee conserued defended augmented and promoted I shall not bee in Counsell Treatie or any act in the which any thing shall be imagined against him or the Church of Rome their rights states honours or power And if I know any such to bee mooued or compassed I shall resist to my power and assoone as I can I shall aduertise him or such as may giue him knowledge The rules of the Holy Fathers the decrees ordinances sentences dispositions reseruations prouisions and commandements Apostolike I shall keepe to my power cause to be kept of other Heretikes Schismatikes and Rebels to our Holy Father and his Successours I shall resist and persecute to my power I shall come to the Synode when I am called except I bee let by a Canonical impediment The lights of the Apostle I shall visite personally or by my deputie I shall not aliene or sell my possessions without the Popes Councell so God mee helpe and the holy Euangelists No meruaile then that Henry the eight when he commaunded the forme of this Oath to bee publikely reade in Parliament complained to the Speaker Sir Tho. Audely and some others whom for that purpose he sent for that he had thought the Clergie of his Realme had bene his Subiects wholly but now we haue well perceiued sayeth hee that they are to vs but halfe Subiects or indeed scarce Subiects at all Finally your doctrine is that the Christians in the Primatiue Church abstained from taking armes not so much for conscience sake as because they wanted strength which must needs open a wide gappe to the people vpon any humorous discontent when they once feele their owne strength like an vntamed horse to cast their rider if they may and that I may speake in your own phrase to make no bones of violating the Maiestie of the king and his children and is this a Religion fit to keepe Subiects in obedience to their Soueraignes Whereas our doctrine on the other side is That the persons of princes are sacred and by Gods ordinance priuiledged from all violence and for their actions that they are onely accomptable to God their Crownes and Scepters not disposeable by any but by him who set the one vpon their heads and the other in their hands who hath the name written on his thigh King of Kings and Lord of Lords who as Iob speaketh leadeth Princes away spoiled and ouerthroweth the mightie and againe he powreth contempt vpon Princes and weakeneth the strength of the mightie Lastly our doctrine is that the Subiects duetie is not by any dispensable but by him alone who by his diuine prouidence subiected them to that power Now whether of these doctrines ours or yours is most likely to keepe men in obedience euen our enemies shall bee our Iudges Yet this to bee your doctrine your bookes witnesse and no man of learning and ingenuitie among you will denie But for our doctrine you pretend the opinions of Caluinists and those countrey Caluinists and those met in an Ale-house not in plaine termes but by consequences gathered not by sober or setled braines vpon iudgement but by working heads of greater libertie at their pleasure and that not in their bookes or speeches but in their liues and practises Thus the mountains swell as if wee should haue a giant borne but at length after much expectation wee haue a little mouse brought into the world What Mr. Doctour are there no principles in the Romish Catholike Religion from whence working heads of greater libertie doe at their pleasures draw the like dangerous consequences in their liues and practises If there bee none how comes it to passe that there are so many
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.
none otherwise of Faith then the Scriptures giue him warrant which it may bee in your opinion are but a strong fancie neither but had you as throughly read him vpon that point of Iustification by faith as Pighius did though with a mind to confute him you might haue had the grace to haue yeelded in opinion to him as hee did by the confession of Tapper in the 8th Article of his second Tome sometimes his fellow-pupil vnder Adrian the VI. Pope of that name neither doth hee in that Catechisme teach them to contemne all ancient learning and authoritie as you faine but fained authoritie and learning falsely so called For what learning haue wee more ancient then the Scriptures or what authoritie more binding and yet for authoritie of the most auncient Councels and godly Fathers I thinke hee voucheth more then euer Doctor Carrier read though hee built not his faith vpon them and teach others to doe the like in regard of such auncient learning and authoritie being but humane the aduise of the Prophet is to bee regarded or rather the command of God by the Prophets mouth to bee obeyed Thus saith the Lord Stand in the wayes and see and aske for the olde pathes where is the good way and walke therein and yee shall finde rest for your soules For it is true that with all wise and moderate persons that kind of antiquitie obtainâ—th that authoritie and reuerence as it is sufficient matter to moue them to make a stand and to discouer and take a viewe but it is no warrant to guide or to conduct them a iust ground I say it is of deliberation but not of direction but on the other side as it is well obserued by a writer whom Master Doctor himselfe before nameth with honour who knoweth not that time is truely compared to a streame that carrieth downe fresh and pure waters into the salt sea of corruption which enuironeth all humane actions and therefore if man shall not by his industry vertue and policie as it were with the Oare rowe against the streame and inclination of time all institutions and ordinances be they neuer so pure will corrupt and degenerate Finally for the iustifying of that which you haue deliuered touching Caluine and his proceedings you send vs to Bezaes narratioÌ„ of Caluins life but had you not in the perusal therof shut vp the eye of charitie and onely opened that of malice and enuie you might as easily haue seene and obserued in the same narration his wonderfull assiduitie in reading in preaching in writing in conferring insomuch that being aduised by his physicians and by his friends requested a little to forbeare in regard of the weakenesse of his body and his manifold infirmities his vsuall answere was that idlenesse to him was the greatest sickenesse or Vultis me otiosum à Domino deprehendi will yee that the Lord when hee commeth should finde me doing nothing his zeale to Gods trueth and courage in maintaining it such that he not only crushed the errors of the Church of Rome but quelled like another Hercules so many new monsters of opinions by the clubbe of Gods word that the very meÌ„tioning the names of the authors and summâ— of their seuerall heresies would take vp much time and many lines his sound and profound knowledge in his profession such that Melancthon no childe in Diuinitie was wont to style him by an excellencie The Diuine his temperance such that for many yeres he tooke but one repast a day his modesty such that by his will hee ordained after his death there should be no monumeÌ„t erected to him or so much as a Tombe-stone layed ouer him yet Beza his Colleague would not spare to bestowe this ensuing Epitaph on him which hee was as able as vpon that sad occasion vnwilling to afford and the other out of his deserts as worthy as out of his modesty the crowne of all his other vertues vnwilling to receiue Romae ruentis terror ille maximus Quem mortuum lugent boni horrescunt mali Ipsa à quo potuit virtutem discere virtus Cur adeo exiguo ignotoque in cespite clausus Caluinus lateat rogas Caluinum assidue Comitata modestia viuum Hoc tumulo manibus condidit ipsa suis. O te beatum cespitem tanto hospite O cui inuidere cuncta possint marmora After his death many of the citizens who had often seene him before yet much desired to see him againe and many strangers came from forreine parts purposely to know him and to bee knowen vnto him among whom was a worthy Gentleman at that time Ambassador in France for the Queen of England and howsoeuer malice haue found Lucianus in his name charitie hath found Alcuinus B. C. 28. Now it is the nature of all common people especially of Ilanders not onely still to affect more and more noueltie and libertie and to bee weary of their olde Clergie but also to admire any thing that comes from beyond the Seas and to cherish and comfort one another with reporting the good successe which Schismatikes and Rebels happen to haue against their lawfull Prelates and ancient gouernours and to impute all their good fortune to their new Religion Hence it is come to passe that that doctrine which is indeed the lawfull doctrine of the Church of England is neglected or contemned as a relike or a ragge of Popery and Caluins institutions being come from Geneua and fairely bound vp with the Preface of the Gospell is dispersed throughout all Schooles Cities and Villages of England and hath so infected Priest and people as although it bee against law yet is it cryed vp by voyces to be the only current Diuinitie in Court and Countrey in hope belike that it may one day serue the turne in England as well as it hath done in Geneua and in other places where it hath preuailed G. H. 28. Your Countrey-men are herein much bound to you in that you make Ilanders so much to affect nouelty ascribing their change of religion to the changeablenesse of their nature whereas other nations in the continent of Europe are by consent of those who are interessed in neither by nature more changeable then they That Polander who first by his pen encountred his Maiesties Premonition labouring to wype off the staine of the Powder-treason from the religion of the actours laid it vpon the nature of an English man whom in all religions he accuses to be naturally disloyall to his Prince to his imputation of disloyalty you adde the affectation of nouelty thereby to lay a staine vpon our religion But Qui mala non mutat in bonis non perseuerat The seruant is not aboue his lord nor the disciple aboue his master and we know that it was the question which the Iewes proposed to our Sauiour What new doctrine is this and of the Grecians to S. Paul May wee not know what this new
termeth Caluin a reuerend Father and worthy ornament of the Church of God Now touching his booke of Christian Institution in particular M. Hooker who is well knowne not to haue contemned the doctrine of the Church of England as a ragge of Poperie thus writes Two things saith he speaking of Caluin in his Preface to his bookes of Ecclesiasticall policie of principall moment there are which haue deseruedly procured him honour through the world The one his exceeding paines in composing the Institutions of Christian religion The other his no lesse industrious trauaâ—les for exposition of holy Scripture according to the same Institutions In which two things whatsoeuer they were that afterward bestowed their labour he gained the aduantage of preiudice against them if they gaine-sayed and of glory aboue them if they consented Then which I cannot imagine what could bee vttered more effectually Thus malice would not suffer you to see that worth in Caluin and his Writings which these Worthies professed and published who were notwithstanding more earnest and zealous Patrones of the doctrine of the Church of England then your selfe But it may be you thought it would bee credit enough for you onely to enter the lists with so stout and renowned a champion howbeit to hunt after applause by dishonouring the names of famous men was held by S. Ierome and is accounted by all good and wise men but a tricke of vaine and childish arrogancie there being lesse comparison betwixt Carier and Caluin then Caluin and Stapleton whom notwithstanding a great Diuine and publike professour of one of our owne Vniuersities comparing together professeth there was more sound Diuinity in Caluins little finger then Stapletons head or whole body I will conclude mine answere to this Section with the words of a graue Bishop yet liuing no enemie to the doctrine of the Church of England as his Writings shew Caluin is so well knowen sayeth hee to all those that bee learned or wise for his great paines and good labours in the Church of God that a fewe snarling Friars cannot impeach his name though you would neuer so wretchedly peruert his words Thus much of Caluin and his Writings for I durst not goe so farre as Thurius Praeter Apostolicas post Christi tempora chartas Huic peperere viro saecula nulla parem B. C. 29. These reasons or rather corruptions of State haue so confounded the doctrine of the Church of England and so slandered the doctrine of the Church of Rome as it hath turned mens braines and made the multitude on both sides like two fooles which being set backe to backe doe thinke they are as farre asunder as the horizons are they looke vpon But if it please your Maiestie to command them to turne each of them but a quarter about and looke both one way to the seruice of God and your Maiestie and to the saluation of soules they should presently see themselues to bee a great deale more neere in matters of doctrineâ— then the Puâ—itanicall Preachers on both sides doe make them beleeue they are I can not in the breuity of this discourse descend into particulars but if it please your Maiestie to command me or any other honest man that hath taken paines to vnderstand and obserue all sides freely and plainely to set downe the difference betwixt Caluinisme and the doctrine of England established by Law and then to shew Locos Concessos and Locos Controuersos betwixt the Church of England and the Church of Rome I doubt not but the distance that will be left betwixt for matter of doctrine may by your Maiesty be easily compounded G. H. 29. Whether reason or rather corruption of State haue not bred confusion rather in the doctrine of the Church of Rome then of England let Romes infinite ambition and insatiable couetousnesse masked vnder pretence of doctrine testifie As long as the Bishops of Rome kept them to their profession in the gaining of soules to God matters went wel for doctrine but when once they turned Statists in stead of gaining soules cast about for the gouernment of the world then were their Friars and flatterers found who were as readie to shape and frame her Doctrine according to the modell of State Before the Councill of Trent which was called in the memorie of some yet liuing it is made euident by my learned brother Dr. Carleton in his Consent of the Catholike Church against the Tridentines that the Doctrine of the rule of Controuersies of the Church of Iustifying Faith of Grace was the same in the Church of Rome which is now publikely taught and professed with vs. If by the Church of Rome we will vnderstand her chiefe Prelates not those Friars and flatterers which belonged rather to her Court then her Church from whence then arose this confusion of doctrine which followed after but onely from that corruption of State which went before and yet it cannot but bee acknowledged that as our bodies first warme our clothes and then our clothes serue to keepe warme our bodies so the corruption of State first brought foorth this confusion of doctrine but being brought foorth the daughter serues to nourish and maintaine the mother Now for the confounding of our doctrine wee answere with S. Paul If our Gospel saith he be hid it is hid to them that are lost So we if our doctrine bee confounded it is to them whom the God of this world hath confounded and blinded lest the light of the glorious Gospel of CHRIST who is the image of God should shine vnto them The second thing which you charge vs with is the slandering the doctrine of the Church of Rome and are your Romanists cleare of that accusation or dare any man of iudgement and learning discharge them doth not Pererius accuse Catharinus for calling that an intollerable and desperate opinion of Luther touching Reprobation which notwithstanding was the same opinion and none other as Pererius confesseth then S. Augustine maintained touching the same point Doth not Reynolds our Countrey man howbeit otherwise maliciously bitter against Caluin specially in his Caluino Turcisme in his iudgement free Caluin from the imputation of making God the authour of sinne in his latter yeeres which notwithstanding is still pressed vpon him both by your selfe and others Doth not Bellarmine cleare him from making the second person in Trinitie to be from himselfe and not from the first with which errour notwithstanding hee is charged by Genebrard by Lyndan by Canisius And for our owne Church doth not Bristow affirme that our Religion is prooued by experience to be indeed no Religion Doth not Allen speaking of our Sacraments Seruice and Sermons call them things which assuredly procure damnation Doth not Reynolds in the booke before named endeuour to make our Religion worse then the Turkish not distinguishing betwixt Caluinisme and the doctrine of the Church of England But
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
read and search the Scriptures and yee erre not knowing the Scriptures and for traditions he names them not but to reiect them Secondly it is acknowledged by the greatest Clerks and chiefest pillars of the Church of Rome that the Euangelists in writing their Gospels and the Apostles their Epistles were none other but the pens of a ready Writer the Secretaries of their Lord and Master now that which the Secretarie writes according to the direction and inditing of his Lord more commonly is more iustly ought to be called the writing of the Lord then the Secretarie it is St. Augustines reason in the last Chapter of his first booke of the consent of the Euangelists Cum Euangelistae saith hee Apostoli scripserunt quae Deus ostendit dixit nequaquam dicendum est quod ipse non scripserit quicquid enim ille de suis factis dictis nos legere voluit hoc scribendum illis tanquam suis manibus imperauit In as much as the Euangelists and Apostles wrote that which God manifested and spake it cannot be said that himselfe wrote not for whatsoeuer his pleasure was wee should reade touching his workes and words that he gaue them in charge to write as it had beene with his owne fingers Thirdly it is reported by Eusebius lib. 1. cap. 13. that our Sauiour left in writing a letter to Abgarus King of Edessa the copie whereof he there setteth downe at large affirming the originall to haue bene kept among the publique Records of that Citie but for mine owne part I must needs say that if it bee not fained I can not conceiue why it should not be receiued as canonicall Fourthly and lastly it may very well bee that our Sauiour wrote nothing himselfe in as much as those things which were to bee written were testimonies concerning himselfe for though it be true in regard of his diuine authoritie which hee deliuers in the eight of St. Iohns Gospel Though I beare record of my selfe yet my Record is true Yet in regard of the apprehension of flesh and blood it is as true which he hath in the fifth of the same Gospel If I should beare witnesse of my selfe my witnesse were not true B. C. 2. That our Sauiour commanded not his Apostles to write his Religion but to teach it Ite praedicate G. H. 2. As if a man might not teach as well by his pen as his tongue by writing as speaking nay doctrine deliuered by writing as it is conueyed more purely and certainely without mixture arising from humane frailtie and corruption so it spreads farther and lasts longer and if it degenerate is more easily reformed It is worthy to bee marked which St. Luke hath in the Preface of his Gospel to that noble Theophilus Hee confesseth that he had beene instructed in the doctrine of Religion yet hee thought to write vnto him from point to point that hee might haue the certainety of those things so that though hee had indifferent good knowledge before yet writing the storie was the meanes to beget certainety so saith Dauid This shall bee written for the generation to come Neither to my remembrance doe I reade of any that forbad their followers to write but onely the Pythagoreans and the Druides Once wee are sure that it pleased Almighty God to countenance the writing of holy Scripture by his owne practice in as much as hee wrote the Decalogue once and againe in tables of stone And as he led the way himselfe so in expresse termes he commanded his seruants the Prophets to doe the like Moses and Esay and Ieremy and Ezekiel and Habacuk Before the Law was written what vniuersall apostasies there were from the true worship of God the floud is a sufficient testimonie and after it was lost though the Priesthood continued what generall swaruings there were both of Prince and people as well in maners as religion appeares 2. Chro. 34. What forbids vs then to thinke that our Sauiour in commanding his Apostles to teach all nations should not by vertue of that command as well giue them in charge to publish their doctrine by writing as to deliuer it by word of mouth Besides whiles wee reade in the first of the Reuel at the 11. verse that he who was dead and is aliue commands Iohn to write those things which he saw in a booke and againe at the 19. verse Write the things which thou hast seene and the things which are and the things which shall come hereafter And againe in the second and third Chapters in particular to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus write to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna write to the Angel of the Church of Pergamus write to the Angel of the Church of Thyatira write to the Angel of the Church of Sardis write to the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia write to the Angel of the Church of Laodicea write while I say we finde the charge of writing so often giuen to Iohn and that by him who was dead and is aliue I can neuer subscribe to the trueth of that Proposition that our Sauiour commanded none of his Apostles to write except I should denie S. Iohn to haue beene an Apostle or our Sauiour to be vnderstood by him who was dead and is aliue B. C. 3. That of the twelue Apostles seuen did leaue nothing at all in writing but taught their Successours the Religion of Christ by word of mouth G. H. 3. This Proposition supposeth the number of the Apostles to haue bene but twelue whereas Matthias made the thirteenth and Paul the fourteenth who proclaimes it in the front of the greatest part of his fourteene seuerall Epistles Paul an Apostle But it may be Mr. Doctor will not vouchsafe him that name because he wrote more then any of the Apostles Secondly in the fifteenth of the Actes wee reade that the Apostles met together in Councill wrote Letters the very tenour whereof there appeares neither can it be otherwise conceiued but that the whole number of them or at leastwise the greatest part was there assembled So that to say that seuen of them left nothing in writing is both derogatorie from the authoritie of Scripture and in it selfe vniustifiable Thirdly it may very wel be that seuen of them left nothing els but that Letter in writing not because they held it sufficient to teach only by word of mouth as Mr. Doctor would imply but because sixe of them had written which how needfull it was they should performe appeareth aswell by Saint Paul as Saint Iude. Fourthly and lastly though nothing of their writing bee come to our hands yet it is not certaine whether they left nothing in writing since it is probable that Saint Paul wrote another Epistle to the Corinth which is now no where extant B. C. 4. That Saint Marke Saint Luke and Saint Paul were not of Christs company whiles he was vpon the earth and therefore must needs learne
the 11. and 19. of Iames being put for the 1. and the 17. the 15. to the Heb. for the 11. and Psalm 83. 12. for 84. 11. But herein it may be hee followed the diuision of the vulgar edition and the rest I am content to impute to the Printer Hanc veniam petimusque damusque vicissim Dr. CARIERS PREFACE TO HIS LETTER Most Excellent and Renowned Soueraigne IT is not vnknowne to all those that knowe me in England that for these many yeeres I had my health very ill and therefore hauing from time to time vsed all the meanes and medicines that England could afford Last of all by the aduice of my Phisitians I made mine humble suite vnto your Maiestie that I might trauell vnto the Spaw for the vse of those waters purposing with my selfe that if I could be well I would goe from thence to Heydelberge and spend this winter there But when I was gone from the Spaw to Aquisgrane and so to Colin I found my selfe rather worse then better then I was before and therefore I resolued with my selfe that it was high time for me to settle my thoughts vpon another world And seeing I was out of hope to enioy the health of my body at the least to looke to the health of my soule from whence both art and experience teacheth me that all my bodily infirmities haue their beginning for if I could by any study haue prooued Catholike Religion to bee false or by any meanes haue professed it to bee true in England I doubt not but the contentment of my soule would haue much helped the health of my bodie But the more I studied the Scriptures and most ancient Fathers to confute it the more I was compelled to see the trueth thereof and the more I laboured to reconcile the religion of England thereunto the more I was disliked suspected and condemned as a common enemie And if I would haue been either ignorant or silent I might perhaps with the pleasures and commodities of my preferments haue in time cast off the care of Religion But seeing my studie forced mee to knowe and my place compelled me to preach I had no way to auoid my griefe nor meanes to endure it I haue therfore apprehended the opportunitie of my Licence to traâ—ell that I may withdraw my selfe for a while from the sight and offence of those in England which hate Catholike Religion and freely and fully enioy the presence of our blessed Sauiour in the vnitie of his Catholike Church wherein I will neuer forget at the dayly oblation of his most blessed bodie and blood to lift vp my heart vnto him and to pray for the admission of your Maiesty thereinto And in the meane time I haue thought it my duety to write this short treatise with mine owne hand wherein before I publish my selfe vnto the world I desire to shew to your Maiesty these two things 1 The meanes of my conuersion vnto Cath. Religion 2 The hopes I haue to doe your Maiesty no ill sâ—ruice therein I humbly craue your Maiesties pardon and will rest euer Your Maiâ—sties faithfull and truely deuoted seruant B. Carier GEORGE HAKEVVIL IT is likewise knowen to all them that knew you that for these many yeres you haue beene more sicke in minde then in body which hath appeared not onely publikely in your Sermons and writings but priuately in your Conferences and Letters where of my selfe am in part a witnesse but they with whom you were longer and more familiarly conuersant can more fully testifie it and though you vsed many medicines yet one was wanting to wit a meeke and quiet spirit a thing before God much set by it being as Dauids musicke which stilled Sauls rage and this I am perswaded would haue done you more good aswell in regard of the diseases of your body as your minde then any of your other medicines or all of them put together among which your last was the Spaw waters which I graunt you might vse by aduice of Physitians but I haue withall reason to thinke the voyage out of his Maiesties dominions into those parts was by you intended rather for the fuller safer discouering of the sickenes of your mind then the recouering of that of your body which your selfe in this very Preface confesse vpon the matter in as much as being you say suspected condemned as a common enemy and hauing no way to auoid your griefe nor meanes to endure it you desired to withdraw your selfe from the sight and offence of those who hated Catholike Religion whereby I presume you meane such as opposed your turbulent courses labouring vnder pretence of Catholike Religion and olde English diuinitie to bring in and set vp the new Romish and considering you stood so affected it seemeth to me strange you should purpose a iourney to Heydelberge and the spending of a winter there being so profested an enemy to all Caluinists except you hoped to conuert Abraham Scultet Or Dauid Parrey My selfe passed one whole winter amongst them and vnlesse their opinions be since altered or you had altered yours before your comming thither or at least concealed them at your being there you would doubtlesse before the winter had passed growen more weary of them then of vs But being you say vpon the way at Colin you found your selfe worse and thereupon resolued it was high time to settle your thoughts vpon another world and being out of hope to enioy the health of your bodie at least to looke to the health of your soule So that by your owne confession you made a vertue of necessitie then resoluing to settle your selfe when you expected not long after the dissolution of your body then to fixe your thoughts vpon God when you perceiued you could not long remaine in the world which as it is lesse acceptable to God then for a man to consecrate the flowre and strength of his age to him so is it in the doctrine of the Church of Rome lesse meritorious in it selfe and in reason not so exemplar to draw others Had you determined to forsake a falshod and imbrace a trueth for the meere loue of truth without worldly respects men would rather haue inclined to thinke that true which you had imbraced had you hoped to rise higher and liue longer and yet not held your life or hope of honor deare in regard of that future life and glory which you hoped for by the change of your Religion you might sooner haue induced others to follow your steps but for a man so ambitious as your selfe by your owne acknowledgement who by striuing against the streame had put himselfe not onely out of hope of rising higher but almost out of breath to and all hope of liuing much longer to seeke that name and fame in dying abroad which he saw could not bee gotten by liuing at home it may perhaps worke somewhat with those
who iudge of matters onely by euents as Geometricians measure the height of towres by their shadowes and are ready to turne euery accident to an argument for their owne purposes but such as iudge of euents by looking into their causes which not many loue much to busie their braines about nor are indeed capable of and frame not arguments to their opinions but contrariwise submit their opinions to the soundnesse and force of argument such I â—ay I am sure it cannot much moue AN ANSWERE TO D. CARIERS LETTER TO THE Kings Maiestie CHAP. I. The meanes of my conuersion to Catholike Religion BENIAMIN CARIER 1. I Must confesse to Gods honour and my owne shame A that if it had bene in my power to choose I would neuer haue bene a Catholike I was borne and brought vp in schisme and was taught to B abhorre a Papist as much as any Puritane in England doth I had euer a great desire to iustifie the religion of the state and had great C hope to aduance my selfe thereby neither was my hope euer so great as by your Maiesties fauour it was D at the very instant of my resolution for Catholike Religion and the preferment I had together with the honour of your Maiesties seruice was greater by much then without your Maiesties fauour I looke for in this world But although I was aâ— ambitious of your Maiesties fauor and as desirous of the honours and pleasures of my Countrey as any man that is therein yet seeing that I was not like any long while to enioy them and if I should for my priuate commodity speake or write or doe any thing against the honour of Christ his Church and against the euidence of mine owne conscience I must shortly appeare before the presence of the same Christ in the presence of the same his Church to giue an account thereof Therefore I neither durst any further to pursue my owne desire of honour nor to hazard my soule any farther in the iustifications of that religion which I saw was E impossible to bee iustified by any such reason as at the day of iudgement would goe for payment and that it may appeare that I haue not respected any thing so much in this world as my duetie to your Maiesty and my loue to my friends Countrey I humbly beseech you giue me leaue as briefly as I can to recount vnto you the whole course of my studies and indeuors in this kind euen from the beginning of my life vntill this present GEORGE HAKEWIL 1. A In saying you would neuer haue bene a Catholike if it had bene in your power to choose you seeme to fall vpon that opinion which is wrongfully thrust vpon Caluin that wee are conuerted as it were by constraint whether we will or no and consequently you ouerthrow both the freedome of will and the merit of worke B It seemes then your father who brought you vp did much abhorre a Papist and yet you confesse in the next Section that he was a learned and deuout man and that he seasoned you with the principles of piety and deuotion C Your great hopes were indeed alwayes beyond your iust deâ—â—rts yet his Maiestie might be drawen to fauour you the raâ—her for that hypocriticall sermon which you made last before him in his â—happell at White-hall D So it seemes you resolued for the pretended Catholike religion before your parting from hence howbeit before you beare vs in hand that you got licence to trauell to the Spaw onely for your health and afterward you tell vs that you went hence hoping to finde some greater offence in the seruice of the Church of Rome then you had done in their bookes that so you might returne better contented to persecute and abhorre the Catholikes at your pleasure Thus for your aduantage you turne your tale as Mariners doe their sailes E No reason at the day of Iudgement in all likelâ—hood shall better goe for payment then that which the Iudge as a rule to be iudged by himselfe hath left vs and of which we may say if we be deceiued thou Peter thou Paul or thou Christ hast deceiued vs. But whether on the other side your humane inuentions or as the Apostle cals them voluntary religion and will-worship will then passe for currant pay a iuster doubt may be made of which hee might iustly say as he doth to his people by his Prophet Who hath required these things at your hands B. C. 2. I was borne in the yeere 1566. being the sonne of Anthonie Carier a learned and deuout man who although hee were a Protestant and a Preacher yet did so season me with the principles of pietie and deuotion as I could not choose but euer since bee verie F zealous in matters of religion Of him I learned that all G false religions in the world were but policies inuented for the temporall seruice of Princes and States and therefore that they were diuers and alwayes changeable according to the diuers reasons and occasions of State H But true Chrâ—â—â—ian Religion was a trueth reuealed of God for the eternall saluation of soules and therefore was like to God alwayes one and the same So that all Princes and States in the world neuer haue beene nor shall be able to ouerthrow that Religion This to me seemed an excellent ground for the finding out of that Religion wherein a man might find rest vnto his soule which cannot be satisfied with any thing but eternall trueth G. H. 2. F A zealous man indeed your selfe confessing in your Preface that you then began to looke to the health of your soule when you were out of hope to enioy the health of your bodie And in the very Section going before that you were as ambitious of his Maiesties fauour and as desirous of the honours and pleasures of your Countrey as any man that is therein But it seemes you dwelt by bad neighbours who are thus inforced to commend your owne Zeale or else they hold it of none other kind then that of which the Apostle speakes hauing strife for her companion and sedition for her daughter and if wee should graunt that you had Zeale though not according to knowledge I rest well assured that this Epistle in the iudgement of the wisest would not euince the contrary G Your father being as you say a Protestant and a Preacher in all likelyhood by False Religion vnderstood the Romish being indeede the deepest policie inuented by men for their own purposes that euer was in the world the children of darkenesse being in their generation wiser then the children of light and is in that regard rightly termed by Saint Paul the mysterie of iniquitie which began to worke in his dayes but since hath fullie weaued those threeds which were then begunne to be spunne the Cockatrice is now hatched which was then onely in the egge And surely I thinke not without great
reason the Bishop of Rome hath or at least wise formerly had the word Mysterie engrauen on his diademe since in the seuenteenth of the Reuel at the fift verse it is foretold it should be written on the forehead of the â—reat Whore For to passe by other depthes of Satan as they bee called Reuel 2. verse 24. I would know what Religion was ener in the world which inuented a policie like to the Popes dispensations in generall but specially in Mariages it being hitherto the best stake in his hedge and without exception the strongest sinew for the tying of Christian Princes vnto him as to their head they being made many of them by it legitimate and illegitimate without it So they stand in a maner bound to defend his authority with the same sword that they do their own Crownes And I am verily perswaded were it not that they lie obnoxious to him in this regard some of them would not sticke so close to him as they doe especially since the publishing of his Maiesties learned and godly premonition vnto them Farther what vse they make of Confessions for the discouerie of all secrets as well of nature as of States Indulgences Canonizations Consecrations Of their bloodie Inquisition which like a sharpe Northerne winde nippes the spring of Religion in the bud Of forging false Authours and corrupting the true Of suppressing the bookes of our Writers and correcting their owne Of spreading false rumors and razing all antiquitie that makes against them the world hath long since discouered Besides all this they haue a baite for euery fish a motiue to draw euery seuerall humour for an ambitious disposition they haue a triple Crowne or a Cardinals cap for a Contemplatiue a Monkes cloister or a Friars coule for a working practical head imployment in State affaires for a Scholasticke preaching writing and in writing some they set to meditations some to politike discourses some to cases of conscience some to commentaries some to controuersies according to the seuerall point and temper of their wits Nay he that shal but consider the politike forme of gouernment obserued in the onely order of the Iesuits their rules their intelligence their corespondence their infinite cunning deuises how to winne some whom they desire for respects to be of their society or to make their friends and to disgrace or remoue others whom they suspect to stand in theirway may iustly pronounce of them that they haue perfectly learned the former part of our Sauiours lesson Be wise as serpents but not the latter be ye innocent as doues wheras nothing argues the inocency of our cause more then that it hitherto hath bin and still is supported meerely by the goodnesse of God and the euidence of trueth H Surely if true religion be vnchangeable then the Romish cannot be the true it hauing suffered so many changes both in doctrine and practise that wee may now iustly question it whether it bee the same or no as the Schollers of Athens did Theseus his ship after many reparations wee may seeke Rome in Rome it selfe and not find it I will instance onely in the Masse which like a beggars cloakehath receiued so many additions and patcheâ— that if S. Peter should now liue to see a Priest saying Masse hee would without doubt conceiue it to bee any thing rather then the commemoration of Christs death or the administration of his Supper and to speake a trueth as long as the traditions of Men are held of equall authoritie with the liuely Oracles and eternall trueth of God it caâ—not bee but that religion which is grounded on them should be as subiect to variation as are the conceptions of mens minds So that your ground for the finding out of that religion wherein a maâ— might finde rest vnto his soule is excellent good but your application erroneous since there is indeede no rest but vpon eternall trueth and no trueth eternall but that which is diuine B. C. 3. My next care then was after I came to yeeres of discretion by all the best meanes I could to enforme my selfe whether the religion of England were indeed the very same which being prefigured and prophecied in the olde Testament was perfected by our blessed Sauiour and deliuered to his Apostles and disciples to continue by perpetuall succession in his visible Church vntill his comming againe or whether it were a new one for priuate purposes of Statesmen inuented and by humane lawes established Of this I could not chuse but make some doubt because I heard men talke much in those dayes of the change of religion which was then lately made in the beginning of Queene ELIZABETHS raigne G. H. 3. I would demaund by M. Doctors leaue whethermen might not talke as much of the change of religion made in the beginning of Queene Maries raigne as Queene Elizabeths But you will say Queene Maries was a restitution to the ancient and wee replie that Queene Elizabeths was a restitution to a more ancient and most true it is the most ancient is the most true So that in this regard wee may iustly say Nos non sumus nouatores sed vos estis veteratores and with our Sauiour From the beginning it was not so B. C. 4. I was sorry to heare of a change and of a new religion seeing me thought in reason if true religion were eternall the new religion could not be the true But yet I hoped that the religion of England was not a change or a new religion but a restitution of the olde and that the change was in the Church of Rome which in processe of time might perhaps grow to bee Superstitious and Idolatrous and that therefore England had done well to leaue the Church of Rome and to reforme it selfe and for this purpose I did at my leisure and best opportunitie as I came to more iudgement reade ouer the Chronicles of England and obserued all the aâ—terations of religion that I could find therein but when I found there that the present religion of England was a plaine change and change vpon change and that there was no cause of the change at all at the first but onely that â— King Henry the VIII was desirous to change his olde bedfellow that hee might leaue some heires males behind him for belike hee feared the females would not bee able to withstand the title of Scotland and that the change was continued and increased by the posteritie of his latter wiues I could not chuse but suspect some thing But yet the loue of the world and hope of preferment would not suffer me to beleeue but that all was well and as it ought to be G. H. 4. You told vs before that your care was assoone as you came to yeeres of discretion by all meanes you could to enforme your selfe whether the religion of England were indeed the very same which being prefigured and prophecied in the olde Testament was perfected by our blessed Sauiour and
and more then must be granted by vs it reaching to the deposition of Princes from their thrones and the disposition of their Crownes when his Holinesse shall iudge it fit for the vnity of the Church as well appeared in his Buls both against King Henry the father and Queene Elizabeth the daughter And thus farre Cardinall Perron that peaceable man and your great Patron expressed himselfe in the last assemblie of the three estates of France for which the Pope gaue him and the rest of the Clergy who stucke to him in that businesse as great thankes as if they had saued Saint Peters shippe from sinking both the Cardinall and the Pope supposing as it seemes that those sparkes flew into France from the fire of England howsoeuer sure it is they were quenched by the water of Tyber B. C. 15. So that whereas my hope was that by finding out the corruptions of the Church of Rome I should grow further in loue with the Church of England and ioyfully returne home and by inueighing against the Papists both enioy my present preferments and obtaine more and more I saw the matteâ— was like to fall out cleane contrary It is true indeed that there are many corruptionsâ— in all States God hath not his wheat field in this world wherein the deuill hath no tares growing and there are not tares more ranke then those that grow among the wheat for optimi corruptio pessima and where grace aboundeth if it be contemned there sinne aboundeth much more But seeing my reading and experience hath now taught me that the trueth of Christian Religion taught and practised at this day in the Church of Rome and all the obedient members thereof is the very same in substance which was preâ—igured and prophesied from the beginning of the world perfected by CHRIST himselfe deliuered to his Apostles and by them and their Successours perpetually and vniuersally practised vntill this day without any W substantiall alteration and that the new religion in X England wherein it doth differ hath no ground but either the pleasure of the Prince and Parliament or the common crie and voyce of the people nor no constancie or agreement with it selfe what should I now doe It is not in my power not to know that which I doe know nor to doubt of that which I haue spent so much time and taken so much paines and bestowed so much cost and made so many trials to find And I know if I should yeeld to be reconciled to the Church I should be in this world in all likelihood vtterly vndone and which grieued me more I should bee reiected of your Maiestie my most redoubted Lord and Master and despised by all my deare friends and louers in England G. H. 15. W The Church of Rome holds indeed the substance of Christian Religion in profession but yet by consequence shakes the foundation of it as it holds the death of Christ to be satisfactory for sinne and yet adding thereunto her owne meritorious satisfaction consequently by the latter she ouerthrowes the former for If righteousnesse be by the Law then Christ died without a cause and in reason impossible it is if traditions be held of equall valew with the Scriptures for the constituting of substantiall points but that in short time there should ensue a substantiall alteration and he that knowes not that the Church of Rome holds many things now as parts of the Catholike faith which it helds not in former ages knowes little what hath bene anciently held or now is X If by the religion of England you vnderstand that which is by Law established as in coÌ„mon construction you cannot otherwise be vnderstood you coÌ„demne your selfe out of your owne mouth in as much as you acknowledge before that the religion established by law in England was the same saue onely it was somewhat defectiue which now is and euer had beene held in the Catholike Church and yet here you say it hath no ground but the pleasure of the Prince and Parliament wheras in trueth we build vpon the Rocke of the Scriptures but you vpon the sand of traditions and which of vs hath the sounder foundation I appeale no farther then reason it selfe to iudge You as though you were not yet dead from the ordinances of the world burden your selues with traditions as touch not taste not handle not which all perish with the vsing and are after the commandements and doctrines of men but we haue a most sure word of the Prophets taking heede thereto according to S. Peters counsell as to a light that shineth in a darke place and as our ground is sure so is our agreement constant and vniforme in all points materiall and necessary to saluation whereas in the building of your tower of Babel such diuersitie of languages is heard that there is hardly any exposition of Scripture or point in controuersie which hath not bene or is called into question either directly or by consequent by some that liued and died in that Church which you call Catholike as will easily appeare to him who shall turne ouer the volumes of of Cardinall Bellarmine which is the true reason as I suppose that his workes are not allowed to bee read of all but of publike professours and such others as haue speciall permission from their Superiours B. C. 16. These were my thoughts at the Spaw which did so vexe and afflict my soule as that the waters could doe my body no good at all but rather much hurt neuerthelesse I auoided the company of Catholikes abstained from the Church and did both dispute and write against the Church of Rome as occasion was offered I still hoped that time would giue better counsell and therefore resolued to goe from the Spaw to Heidelberge to doe my duetie there in the meane time I thought with my selfe it may be God hath mooued his Maiesties heart to peace and reconciliation I knowe his disposition was so in the beginning and I remember M. Casaubon told me when I brought him out of France that his errand was nothing else but to mediate peace betweene the Church of Rome and the church of England Therefore I thought before I would submit my selfe to the Church of Rome I would write vnto M. Casaubon such a letter as he might shew vnto your Maiestie containing such conditions as I thought might satisfie your Maiestie if they were performed by the Church of Rome The copie of which letter is too long here to set down But when M. Casaubon answered me that he knew your Maiestie was resolued to haue no societie with the Church of Rome vpon any condition what soeuer and that it would be my vndoing if those my letters should come to your Maiesties hands or of those that bare the sway I began to despaire of my returne into England vnlesse I would ouerthrow both the health of my bodie and the quiet of my
Kings and Princes wheresoeuer they can preuaile in which passage can none other bee intended but the Netherlanders of whom touching this point I will say no more that they are now after the wasting of so much treasure and the shedding of so much Christian blood declared a free estate by him whose Regall right you pretend they ouerthrow Lastly those whom you call Caluinists either denie or call into question as few principles of Religion or Articles of Faith as any Romish Catholike nay I will be bold to say it and readie to make it good that the former maintaine some of them strongly which the latter ouerthrow if not in plaine termes and directly yet at least indirectly and by consequence by establishing their owne Articles Vnknowne to the Apostles and the Primitiue Church they make the Articles of our Christian Creede of none effect and for exposition which concernes not points in difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome if I can iudge any thing your Writers differ more among themselues and assume to themselues a greater libertie in expounding then ours and if they be restrained of their Allegoricall Tropologicall and Anagogicall interpretations as impertinent many times to the point in hand as wide from the scope of the Text they will presently cry out that wee despise the authoritie of the Church when it may be they haue wrested the meaning of one or two latter Fathers against the streame of Antiquitie and what bond of obedience can there be to God or to Kings for Gods sake in such Religion B. C. 14. It is commonly obiected by States-men that it is no matter what opinions men hold in matters of Religion so that they be kept in awe by Iustice and by the sword Indeed for this world it were no matter at all for Religion if it were possible to doe Iustice and to keepe men in awe by the Sword In Militarie estates while the Sword is in the hand there is the lesse need of Religion and the greatest and most martiall estates that euer were haue beene willing to vse the Conscience and reuerence of some Religion or other to prepare their Subiects to obedience but in a peaceable gouernment such as all Christian kingdomes doe professe to be if the reines of Religion bee let loose the sword commonly is too weake and comes to late and is like enough to giue the day to the Rebell And seeing the last and strongest bond of iustice is an Oath which is a principall act of Religion and were but a mockerie if it were not for the punishment of Hell and the reward of Heauen it is vnpossible to execute iustice without the helpe of Religion and therefore the neglect and contempt of Religion hath euer beene and euer shal be the forerunner of destruction in all setled States whatsoeuer G. H. 14. Hauing now spent your powder and shot in discharging your three substantiall reasons and the Apologizing of the Powder-treason for the filling vp of your paper but to the abusing of his Maiesties leisure and patience you here begin a fresh with a solemne discourse of the necessitie of Religion for a well ordered Common-wealth vnder colour of meeting with an obiection of States-men that it matters not what opinions men hold in matters of Religion so they bee kept in awe by iustice and by the sword But these Statesmen I take to be of Machiauels sect who of what nation he was by birth and of what religion by profession wee are not ignorant The ancient Romans indeed being themselues Lords of the world became vassals to the Idoles of all nations by admitting the free vse of their diuerse Religions of them all holding that as it seemeth the most perfect Religion which refused none as false neither is the Turke much different from that opinion howbeit hee preferre his owne Religion before all others but all other States-men who are so conuersant in affaires of State as they neglect not Christanitie can not but hold the Christian religion alone admittable in Christian Common-wealthes Now as we grant in all States some Religion necessary and in Christian States onely the Christian admittable So with all we confesse an Oath to bee a principall acte of that Religion But how it is abused by Romish Catholikes for seruing their owne turnes by Dispensations by aequiuocations and Mentall Reseruations both Histories witnesse and wee haue had too great experience By which meanes that which indeede should be the surest and strongest band of truth iustice and as the Apostle speakes an end of all strife is become the matter of quarrell and a meere visard for iniustice and falshood to maske vnder and by the same meanes as the Romish Religion is growen odious to vs so for their sakes both ours and theirs going both vnder the common name of Christians is in that respect growen odious to the very Turkes who obserue an oath made by the name of their Mahomet more inuiolably then wee by the Name of CHRIST one to another as well appeared by our King Henry the third who being a great exactor vpon the poore Commons as euer was any king before him or since and thinking thereby to winne the people sooner to his deuotion most faithfully promised them once or twice and thereunto bound himselfe with a solemne oath both before the Clergie and Laitie to graunt vnto them the old liberties and Customes of Magna Charta and Charta de Foresta perpetually to bee obserued whereupon a Quindecim was granted to the King but after the payment was sure the King trusting the Popes dispensation for a little money to be discharged of his oath and couenant went from that he had promised and solemnely sworne before In like manner the sayd King at another time being in neede of money signed himselfe with the crosse pretending and swearing deepely in the face of the whole Parliament that hee himselfe would goe in person against the Saracens but as soone as the money was fingred small care was taken for the performance of the oath being so put in head by certaine about him that hee needed not to passe of that periurie for so much as the Pope for an hundred pounds or two would quickly discharge him thereof as Matthew Parris reports it who liued at the same time and was often in Court with him this was then the account which by reason of the Popes easie dispensations Kings made of their oathes to their Subiects The like account by the same meanes did Charles the 9th of France and the Queene his mother make of their oath taken to the King of Nauarre the Prince of Condie the Admirall and the rest of the Protestant profession at what time his sisters marriage was made more red with their blood then his wine but this blood crying for vengeance himself at his death issued blood at all the passages of his bodie Neither did Subiects make any other reckoning of their oathes taken to their Kings
hundred yeeres for so long you say hath it lasted whereas in trueth if that be true where our religion hath yeelded one rebell to speake within compasse yours hath yeelded a thousand and if the Principles of our religion as the case now stands induce men to rebellion surely in common reason it should much rather doe so if a contrary be once admitted to confront it So that whiles you pretend to perswade his Maiestie to the safest course you aduise him in all likelihood to the most dangerous Whether his Maiestie then respect heauen or earth his neighbours abroad or his Subiects 〈◊〉 home his securest course will bee to maintaine and allow that onely religion which he professeth and consequently in labouring to draw him to the contrary you cannot but doe him very ill seruice B. C. 18. But perhaps there is such opposition both in matter of doctrine and matter of State as it is impossible that euer there should be any reconciliation at all betwixt the Church of England and the Church of Rome of which I humbly pray your Maiestie to giue mee leaue to shew to you what I haue obserued G. H. 18. Your imaginary possibility of reconciling England with Rome is a fond speculation of an idle braine and nothing else but a Castle built in the ayre whether we consider as a later writer of our owne hath well obserued the indisposition of the parties or the qualitie of the Controuersies or the difficultie of the meanes For the first of which were we neuer so peaceably disposed yet such a stiffe auersenesse there is in the Romanists that they suffer not their adherents to ioyne with vs in any religious exercise against which notwithstanding themselues can no way except They excommunicate their Subiects who trauell or traffique into our countreys they straightly charge them not to reade or keepe any of our Bookes though meerely tending to the practise of piety no nor the Bible it selfe without speciall leaue though of their owne tranâ—lation And for vs they esteeme no better of vs then of Iewes or Turkes nay to the Iewes they allow Synagogues within Rome it selfe whereas vs they persecute with fire and sword and for the Turkes they hold their Alcoran in nothing inferiour and in some things much betteâ— then our religion or our Translation of the Bible No maruaile then though Cassander by labouring to mediate a reconcilement howbeit hee were set a worke by Ferdinand and Maximilian both Emperors hath carried away blowes on both sides which it seems Bellarmin in his 3. booke and 19. Chap. of Laiks thought he well deserued helping to lay on loade vpon him The second thing that makes vs irreconcileable is the qualitie of our controuersies they being not verball differences as some would haue but materiall and that of the highest nature no lesse then the redemption of mankind and the iustification of a sinner but aboue all that vpon which the rest depend of the Bishop of Romes power in iudging and determining inâ—alliblely of all controuersies arising in matter of religion wee may bee sure they will euer while they are able without yeelding an inch as stiffely maintaine as wee iustly oppugne which the latest writings of their Iesuites haue giuen vs so sufficient occasion by aduancing and inlarging this power to the vtmost to bee confident of that wee neede make no farther doubt of that matter The third thing which makes vs irreconciliable is the difficultie in the meanes of reconcilement which in the iudgement of the wisest is in likelihood the definition of a generall Councill or nothing But who shall call this Councill and prescribe the time and place of meeting and persons that shall meete who shall sit as President in it what shall be the rule of disputing and meanes of executing what is determined we shal need a former Councill to define B. C. 19. It is true that the breach hath continued now these many yeres and it is much increased by so long continuance so that it was neuer greater then it seemes to be at this day nor neuer more dangerous to deale withall For if a man doe but goe about to stop it there ariseth presently a great and fearefull noise and roaring of the waters against him but yet neuerthelesse the greatnesse of the noise ought not to discourage vs but rather to giue vs hope that though it bee wide yet it is but shallow and not farre from the bottome as proceeding from affection which is sudden and violent and not from iudgement which is quiet constant and alwayes like it selfe For if a man aske in colde blood whether a Romane Catholike may be saued the most learned Churchman will not denie it and if a man aske whether a Roman Catholike may be a good Subiect the most wise States-man will easily grant it May we be both saued then we are not diuided in God May wee be both good Subiects then we are not diuided in the King What reason is there then that we should be thus hotely and vnplacably diuided G. H. 19. The increase of the reformed Churches which you call a breach so that their strength was neuer greater nor more dangerous to deale withall then at this day though the disciples of Rome grieue and gnash their teeth at it and consume away to see it yet haue we good reason to thanke God for it in as much as neither the deuil nor the Pope neither Rome nor the gates of Hell with all their bloodie Persecutions their holy Leagues and mischeiuous Combinations could euer yet preuaile against it Nay hitherto the more they haue laboured to quench it and trample it vnder foot the more hath it shined like a bright torch and flourished as the Palme tree which the more it is pressed downe the more it spreadeth Their blood hitherto hath prooued the seede of the Church and that which S. Augustine speakes of the first Christians may be verified of them they were mangled they were scourged they were stoned they were burned they were multiplied and because you cannot with all your malice and power and policie destroy it we argue with Gamaliel that it is from God neither can you iustly call that sudden or violent which as your selfe before confesse hath now continued these many yeeres and hath increased by continuance whereas sudden things in their ordinary course and by discourse of reason last little and by continuance rather decrease it being proper only to naturall motions to gather strength and fortifie themselues in going And for that great roaring of the waters which you pretend though it be a noise fearefull to you yet to vs is it acceptable as being occasioned not so much from the shallownesse of the waters themselues as from the stoppings and opposition of others and their own concurrence to remoue and beare down by all lawfull meanes that which is opposed for the stopping of their current But the reason which you adde why wee should thinke them
shallow as proceeding rather from affection then iudgement is this because if a man aske you say in cold blood whether a Roman Catholike may be saued the most learned Church-man will not denie it Wherein if we be more charitable to you then you are to vs in passing censures of damnation it should in my iudgement rather argue the goodnesse of that Religion from whence such charity flowes towards mens persons then be vrged as a proofe for the approbation of that erronious doctrine which in it selfe it condemns The Turke is too liberall in admitting all Religions to the hope of saluation and on the other side you are too niggardly and sparing in shutting out all from the hope thereof which receiue not the marke of the beast in their foreheads or hands We desiring to runne a middle course betwixt both extremes as we shut out all such who directly deny the merits of CHRIST so doe wee passe a fauourable censure on those who deny him not of malice but of ignorance and that not directly but by consequence It is true that S. Paul hath in the fifth to the Galatians If yee be circumcised CHRIST shall profit you nothing That is if a man put his trust in Circumcision or in any thing else beside Christ though with Christ in the matter of iustification he is abolished from Christ and the merite of his death and Passion Now what confidence the Romanists put in their owne satisfaction for veniall sinnes and temporall punishment either in this life or in Purgatorie due to mortall their writings testifie but yet our assurance is that many of them when they come to make their last account betwixt God and their owne Conscience and throughly consider of the weakenesse and corruption of their owne nature for the vncertaintie of their owne proper righteousnesse and for the auoiding of vaineglory according to Bellarmins aduise they rest wholly in the alone mercie and goodnesse of God renouncing in particular that merite of worke which their Church in generall for her owne aduantage maintaineth and teacheth them to maintaine Or lastly God of his Graciousnesse may accept of their repentance for vnknowen sins and consequently for their erronious opinons which by reason of their education they vnwittingly imbrace yet this charitable construction of ours can bee no sufficient warrant for vs either to shut our eyes against a knowen trueth or to open our eares to hearken to any motion of reconcilement to a knowen errour Now whether a Romane Catholike may bee a good subiect wholly submitting himselfe to Romish positions I referre the reader to his Maiesties speech in Parliament in the yeere 1605 who should know what belongs to his owne state and to mine answere to the 12. Sect. of this Chapter a part of his Maiesties very words in that speech are these I therefore doe thus conclude this point that as vpon the one part many honest men seduced with some errors of Popery may yet remaine good faithfull subiects so vpon the other part none of those that truely knowe and beleeue the whole grounds and schoole conclusions of their doctrine can euer prooue good Christians or faithfull subiects If then we bee so farre diuided both in God and in the king how can we but be vtterly diuided in our selues B. C. 20. Truely there is no reason at all but onely the violence of affection which being in a course cannot without some force be stayed The multitude doth seldome or neuer iudge according vnto trueth but according vnto customes and therefore hauing beene bred and brought vp in the hatred of Spaniards and Papists cannot chuse but thinke they are bound to hate them still and that whosoeuer speaketh a word in fauour of the Church of Rome or of Catholike religion is their vtter enemy and the Puritanicall Preacher who can haue no being in charity doth neuer cease by falsifications and slanders to blow the coales that hee may burne them and warme himselfe But if your Maiesty shall euer bee pleased to commaund those make-bates to hold their peace a while and to say nothing but that they are able to proue by sufficient authority before those that are able to iudge and in the mean time to admit a conference of learned and moderate men on either side the people who are now abused and with the light of the Gospel held in extreme ignorance are not yet so vncapable but they will be glad to heare of the trueth when it shall be simply and euidently deliuered by honest men and then they will plainely see that their light of the Gospel which they so much talke of is but a counterfeit light in a theeues lanterne wherby honest mens eyes are dazeled and their purses robbed and it will also appeare that there is not indeed any such irreconciliable opposition betwixt the Church of England and the Church as they that liue by the schisme doe make the world beleeue there is neither in matter of doctrine nor in matter of State G. H. 20. You farther endeuour to prooue in the entrance of this Section that the diuision of the Church of England from the Church of Rome ariseth rather from affection then iudgement in as much as the multitude doth seldome or neuer iudge according to trueth but according vnto customes Now whether it be the Church of England or the Church of Rome that stands vpon multitude and that multitude vpon custome the Bishop of Rome himselfe shall be the iudge nay not onely your multitude but the chiefest pillars of your Church stand most vpon it if you had but looked into your great Cardinals notes of your Church you should haue found antiquity or custome to haue beene the second howbeit both Acosta and Xauerius in their seueral writings made the Indians standing vpon their customes the chiefe difficulty of their conuersion to CHRIST It was Symmachus the Pagans argument in his Epistle to Theodosius the Emperour recorded by S. Ambrose Seruanda est tot saeculis fides nostra sequendi sunt maiores nostri qui secuti sunt foeliciter suos Our religion which hath now continued so many yeeres is still to bee retained and our ancestours are to bee followed by vs who happily traced the steps of their forefathers and is not this Mr. Doctors owne argument to perswade his Maiesty to the Romish religion in the 2. and 10. Sect. of this Chapter how comes it then to passe that in this place he findes fault with those that iudge according to custome and makes it a popular errour teach that a while and indeed we may be brought to shake handes with Rome she standing vpon a pretended truth of antiquity but we vpon the antiquity of trueth in as much as our Sauiour said not I am antiquity but I am trueth And S. Cyprian his blessed Martyr Antiquity without truth is nothing els but ancient errour Now the reason you giue that our
multitude iudge according to custome is because that they beeing bred and brought vp in the hatred of Spaniards and Papists can not choose but thinke they are bound to hate them still Wee might giue the same reason with more shew of truth of your multitude trained vp in the hatred of those who you call Lutheranes and Caluinists whom they are taught to hate more then ours either a Spaniard or Papist which two what reason you haue to couple together I vnderstand not except it be to iustifie the front of Puentes his booke Chronicler to the King of Spaine which sets forth Rome as the Sunne with this inscription Luminare maius vt praesit vrbi orbi and Spaine as the Moone with this Luminare minus vt subdatur vrbi dominetur orbi ouer both is written Fecit Deus duo magna luminaria and in the midst betweene both are the armes of Rome and Spaine knit together with this motto In vinculo pacis vnder the one is set Rome as a conquerour and vnder the other Spaine as a warriour both supporting betweene them the ball of the world vnder which is this title Tomo Primero de la conueniencia de las dos Monarquias Catholicas la de la Iglesia Romana y la del Imperio Espanol c. Neither are we ignorant who they are that doe not whisper it in corners but publish it to the world in their bookes that GOD MADE TWO GREAT LIGHTS ☉ The greater to be the Soueraigne of the City and the World ☽ The lesser to be ruled by the City and to ouer-rule the World IN THE BOND OF PEACE THE FIRST VOLVME OF THE CONVENIENCIE OF THE TVVO CATHOLIKE MONARCHIES THAT OF THE CHVRCH OF ROME and the other of the Spanish Empire With a Defence of the Precedencie of the Catholike KINGS of SPAINE before all the KINGS of the World TO THE MOST GLORIOVS PHILIPPO ERMENIGILDO OVR LORD EMPEROVR OF THE KINGDOMES OF SPAINE AND SENIOR OF THE GREAtest Monarchie that euer hath bene amongst men from the Creation of the World to this age AVTHOR Mr. Fr. IVAN de la Puente of the Order of the Predicants Chronicler to the Catholicall Maiestie Calificador to the Inquisition and Prior of S. Thomas in Madrid 1612. We haue the true resemblances of royall linages ROME SPAINE IN MVTVALL AYDE At MADRID Out of the Kings Print P.P. fe FECIT DEVS DVO LVMINARIA MAGNA Luminare maius vt praesit Vrbi et Orbi Luminare minus vt subdatur vrbi et dominetur orbi In vinculo pacis TOMO PRIMERO DE LA conueniencÃa de las dos MonarquÃas CatolÃcas la de la Iglesia Romana y la del ImperÃo Espanol y defensa de la Precedencia de los Reyes Catolicos de Espanna a todos los Reyes del Mundo AL GLORIOSISIMO FILIPO Ermenigildo nuestro Sennor Emperador de las EspanÌ„as y SenÌ„or de la maior Monarquia que antenÃdo los hombres des de la creacÃon hasta el SÃglo presente Autor el Maestro fr Iuan de la Puente de la orden de Predicadores ChronÃsta de la Mag a CatolÃca CalÃfÃcador dela InquisicÃon y PrÃor de S to Tomas de MadrÃd 1612. as there is one head who guides all in spirituall so there should bee but one to doe well in all Christendome to gouerne all in ciuill affaires and not vnlikely Mr. Doctor when he thus ioyned Spaniards and Papists together might secretly ayme at some such matter and yet are not the Pope and the Spaniard so firmely vnited betweene themselues but that Charles the V. was content to winke at least at the sacking of Rome by Charles Burbon then vnder his pay and Phillip the II. his sonne being one of the pretenders to the Crowne of Portugall refused to stand to his Holinesse arbitrement in the decision of that controuersie and they both while they liued were and this present king yerely is accursed at least inclusiuely for withholding the kingdomes of Naples and Sicilie as being of right parts of S. Peters patrimonie But all that is obiected against the Papists or Spaniards are in your account the falsifications and slanders of puritanicall Preachers howbeit who they are that labour by that meanes to disgrace their opposites let the Pictures forged and printed of our fained persecutions in couering your Catholikes with Beares skinnes and baiting them with dogs testifie and your reports which my selfe haue heard from your Friers in their Pulpits of our strange barbarisme as well in manners as religion as if no sparke of ciuilitie or knowledge of God were left amongst vs. It is your practise if not your doctrine Calumniare audacter semper aliquid haeret Bee bold to lay on loade with slandering somwhat will alwaies sticke to though the wound be closed and cured some scarre will euer remaine though a man purge himselfe neuer so sufficiently yet such is the nature of slander that it runnes faster and spreads farther then the purgation Many who heard the one neuer heard of the other or if they heard it through malice and naturall corruption they more willingly hold fast and entertaine the one then the other I haue heard it credibly reported that a Spaniard comming to Oxford and seeing the Trinitie pictured long agoe in the Diuinitie schoole window he wondred at it considering hee had been taught by their Preachers that wee denied and blasphemed the Trinitie And here the Pamphlet written and published of Bezaes death and reuolt which himselfe liued to answere with Bezarediuiuus though it bee famously knowen yet it is not amisse to reuiue it being so notable and shamelesse an imposture Touching your motion to his Maiestie for the silencing of those Preachers vpon whom for speaking freely against the abuses of the Church of Rome you bestow the liuerie of Make-bates it is not vnlike for the manner of it to Philips capitulating with the Athenians that for the better negotiating of a peace they would be content for a while to deliuer ouer their Orators into his custodie But Demosthenes finding himselfe to be chiefly interessed in that businesse told his citizens that it was as much as if the woolues should desire to haue the dogs in their keeping that guarded the sheepe His Holinesse may permit and countenance and by rewards incourage his Iesuites and Friars to speake and write what they list of Kings Princes and namely of his Maiestie our most renowmed Soueraigne witnesse the railings and slanders of Pacenius Christanouie Becanus Coquaeus Eudaemon Schoppius Rebullus Parsons Coffeteau Peletier Gretser their pennes may walke at libertie their tongues are theirs they ought to speake what Lord shall them controll But his Maiestie shall doe well to bridle and restraine his most painefull and duetifull Ministers who stand in the watch-tower and keepe Sentinell to discrie the incursions of the enemie and to discouer such false Prophets as come to vs in sheepes clothing but within are rauening woolues or if
they bee not silenced they must say nothing but what they are able to prooue by sufficient authority before those that are able to iudge as if our Bishops were ignorant that it belonged to their charge to take notice of the preaching of vnsound doctrine within their Diocesse and accordingly to censure it or knowing what is their duety in that behalfe they were more vnwilling or vnable to performe it then Doctor Carier and his Colledge of Critickes and in the meane time a conference must be had of learned and moderate men on either side such belike as your selfe like Metius Suffetius luke-warme halting betwixt two opinions rowing to the shore and looking to the Sea holding with the hare and running with the hound who publikely pray for the King and priuately worke for the Pope true learning we reuerence and Christian moderation we highly esteeme but Science falsely so called bent to the patronage of falsehood and neutralitie vnder the vizard of moderation to the reconciling of error to trueth is but the abusing of faire and honourable Titles to base and malicious ends which imputation you labour to fasten vpoÌ„ vs as if by the light of the Gospel we held the people in extreme ignorance wheras the Prophet Dauid tels vs that the word of the Lord was a lanterne to his feete and a light vnto his pathes and S. Peter You haue a most sure word of the Prophet to which you doe well that you take heede as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place but you beare vs in hand that the light of the Gospel holds men in extreame ignorance Zachary prophesied of his â—onne the Baptist that he was ordained to giue light to them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death to guide their feete into the way of peace and the Baptist himselfe of CHRIST that he was that true Light which lighteth euery man that commeth into the world But you tell vs that it serues to dazell mens eyes and rob their purses And no doubt had you liued among the Pharisees in the time of CHRIST or Iohn the Baptist you would haue called their doctrine a counterfeit light in a theeues lanterne aswel as ours being in substance the same with theirs And for ignorance I may bee bolde to say it with a thankefull acknowledgement to God for it that a good part of our people are more expert in the Scriptures and are better able to yeeld an account of that faith which is in them then many of your Prelates and Priests whereof some beare the name of the brotherhood of ignorance and all at least by your practise acknowledge her the mother of deuotion in as much as you withhold the trueth in vnrighteousnesse like Esopes dog you neither eate hay your selues nor suffer others to eate it You pretend the key of Knowledge but you neither enter in your selues nor suffer others to enter you neither reade nor esteem the Scriptures your selues as you ought nor suffer the people to reade them but seale them vp in an vnknown language to the vse of a few with whoÌ„ you please to dispense B. C. 21. For matter of doctrine there is no reason that your Maiestie or the Kingdome should be molested or burthened for the mainetenance of Caluinisme which is as much against the Religion of England as it is against the Religion of Rome and will by necessarie consequence ouerthrow not onely the Catholike Church the Communion of Saints and the forgiuenesse of sinnes but also all the Articles of the Creede saue onely so much as the Turke himselfe will be content to beleeue which will be easie to proue vpon better leasure The doctrine of England which is contained in the Common prayer booke and Church Catechisme confirmed by act of Parliament and by your Maiesties Edict wherein all Englishmen are baptized and ought to be confirmed and therefore there is some reason that this should be stood vpon But this doctrine in most of the maine points therof as hath bene touched before and requireth a iust Treatise to set downe in particular doth much differ from the current opinions and Catechismes of Caluinisme doth very neere agree with or at least not contradict the Church of Rome if wee list with patience to heare one another and those points of doctrine wherein wee are made to be at warres with the Church of Rome whether we will or not doe rather arguethe corruptions of the State from whence they come then are argued by the grounds of that Religion wherevpon they stand and the contradiction of doctrine hath followed the alteration of State and not the alteration of State beene grounded vpon any trueth of doctrine G. H. 21. We are now come to one of the maine points you driue at howbeit you seeme onely to glance at it in passage and to draw it on vpon the bye which is to put vs off from all fellowship and communion with those Churches who acknowledge Caluin to haue beene an excellent instrument of God in the abolishing and suppressing of Poperie and the clearing and spreading of his trueth that so being separated from them we may either stand single and be encountred alone or returne againe to our old bias and relaps vpon Rome and so through Caluins sides you strike at the throat and heart of our Religion For our parts we all wish with the Reuerend learned Prelate of our owne Church that you were no more Papists then wee Caluinists no more pind on the Popes sleeue then we on Caluins whoÌ„ we esteeme as a worthy man but a man and consequently subiect to humane error and frailtie We maintaine nothing with him because he affirmes it but because from infallible grounds he proues it whereas the Popes bare assertion with you is proofe sufficient You are so sworne to his words that they are of equal or higher authoritie with you then Pythagoras his precepts with his Schollers ipse dixit is enough for your warrant but for vs we imbrace Caluin as himselfe doth authors not diuine vsque ad aras so farre foorth as with diuine hee accordeth and no farther This is our iudgement of Caluin but to say that the doctrine which he maintaines is as much against the Religion of England as it is against that of Rome is a desperate assertion and such as can neuer be made good did all our fugitiues lay their heads together and were all their wits turned into one And I much meruaile what you meant pretending so much tendernesse of conscience and diligence in search of the trueth to suffer your malice so farre to preuaile vpon your iudgment as to let so foule a blot so manifest a falshood to drop from your pen and not only so but to present it to the scanning of so learned a Prince and to publish it to the view and censure of the world For if Caluins
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
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
G. H. 44. And wee are on the other side as confident that in going to the Church of Rome and forsaking your owne in which you were bred and baptized besides the indangering of your own soule you haue done no good seruice to his Maiestie neither in respect of himselfe nor his children neither of his Lords nor Commons in perswading vnitie with the Church of Rome vnlesse first shee could bee perswaded to the imbracing of the same veritie in Religion with vs. There is onely the Clergie left which if Popery should goe on and preuaile as you desire it should shall not in the next age bee left to bee satisfied or to giue satisfaction but there is little reason that any man that loues the Clergie should desire to satisfie such Clergie-men as your selfe while you were among vs who vnder hand fauour Papists and maintaine such points of doctrine as if his Maiesties authoritie were not would out of hand ouerthrow the doctrine established and in stead thereof reestablish the Papacie B. C. 45. There neuer was is nor shall bee any wellsetled State in the world either Christian or heathen but the Clergie and Priesthood was is and must bee a principall part of the gouernment depending vpon none but him onely whom they suppose to bee their God but where Caluinisme preuaileth three or foure stipendary Ministers that must preach as it shall please Mr. Maior and his brethren may serue for a whole city and indeede if their opinions bee true it is but folly for any State to maintaine more For if God haue predestinated a certaine number to bee saued without any condition at all of their beeing in the visible Church by Faith or their perseuering therein by good workes If God hath reprobated the greatest part of the world without any respect at all of their infidelity heresie or wicked life if the faith of CHRIST be nothing else but the assured perswasion of a mans owne predestination to glory by him if the Sacraments of the Church bee nothing but signes and badges of that grace which a man hath before by the carnall couenant of his parents faith if Priesthood can doe nothing but preach the word as they call it which lay Lay-men must iudge of and may preach to if they will where occasion serues If the study and knowledge of antiquity vniuersality and consent be not necessary but euery man may expound Scripture as his owne spirit shall moue him If I say these and such like opinions be as true as they are among the Caluinists in the world common and in England too much fauoured and maintained there will certainely appeare no reason at all vnto your Parliament whensoeuer your Maiesty or your successours shall please to aske them why they should bee at so great a charge as they are to maintaine so needlesse a party as these opinions doe make the Clergie to be They can haue a great many more sermons a great deale better cheape and in the opinion of Caluinisme the Clergie doe no other seruice they that doe in England fauour and maintaine those opinions and suppresse and disgrace those that doe confute them they although themselues can be content to bee lordes and to goe in Rochets are indeed the greatest enemies of the Clergie and it were no great matter for the Clergie they might easily turne lay and liue as well as they do for the most part but it is a thing full of compassion and commiseration to see that by these false and wicked opinions the deuill the father of these and all other lies doth daily take possession of the soules of your Subiects both of Clergie and laitie These kind of Clergie men I confesse I doe not desire to satisfie any other way then as I haue alwayes done that is by the most friendly and plaine confutation of their errours to shew them the trueth as for other Clergie men that are conformable to the religion established by Law as well for their doctrine as for their discipline if they be good Schollers and temperate men as I know many of them are they cannot but in their iudgements approue the truth of Catholike religion and if it were not for feare of losse or disgrace to their wiues and children they would be as glad as my selfe that a more temperate course might be held and more liberty afforded to Catholikes and Catholike Religion in England These Clergie men I am and euer shall be desirous to satisfie not onely in respect of themselues but also in respect of their wiues and children whom I am so farre from condemning or misliking as that I doe account my selfe one of them and I desire nothing more in this world then in the toleration of Catholike religion to liue and die among them and therefore I haue had so great care in this point as before I did submit my selfe to the Catholike Church I receiued assurance from some of the greatest that if his Maiesty would admit the ancient subordination of the Church of Canterbury vnto that mother by whose authority all other Churches in England at the first were and still are subordinate vnto Canterbury and the first free vse of that Sacrament for which especially all the Churches in Christendome were first founded the Pope for his part would confirme the interest of all those that haue present possession in any Ecclesiasticall liuing in England and would also permit the free vse of the Common Prayer booke in English for Morning and Euening Prayer with very little or no alteration and for the contentment and security of your Maiesty he would giue you not onely any satisfaction but all the honor that with the vnity of the Church and the safetie of Catholike Religion may be required which seemed to me so reasonable as beeing before satisfied for the trueth of Catholike Religion I could aske no more so that I am verely perswaded that by yeelding to that trueth which I could not deny I haue neither neglected my duety and seruice to your Maiesty and your children nor my respect and honour to your Lords and Commons nor my loue and kindenesse to my honest friends and brethren of the Clergie but rather that my example and my prayers shall doe good vnto all G. H. 45. That the Clergie should be a Principall member of the body popolitike we graunt but that they should depend on none but him only whom they suppose to bee their god wee denie Indeed where the authority of the Bishop of Rome swayes looke how many Clergy men there are so many subiects are exempt from the Iurisdiction of the secular power and wholy depend vpon his Holinesse who is to them in regard of the vniuersalitie of his commaund and the infallibilitie of his iudgement in stead of their God but for vs Non habemus talem consuetudinem neque Ecclesia Dei we depend
those two things which M. Doctour craues to be yeelded vnto he shrowds vnder the cloake of the first vse of the Sacrament whereas his Maiestie rightly termeth the present doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome therein new coyned articles neuer heard of in the first 500. yeeres Such as are the cutting off of one halfe of the Sacrament from the people priuate Masses where the Priest playeth the part both of the Priest and of the people their Transubstantiation Eleuation for adoration reseruation in boxes and circuâ—gestation in Processions besides an infinite number of ridiculous and apish toyes in the celebration of it Notwithstanding you make no bones to demand the free vse hereof that is as I conceiue in effect the publike toleration and liberty of Romish religion a matter most vnreasonable to be expected from his Maiesty of any king liuing who therefore specially seemes to mislike the bitternesse of some busie Ministers who God be blessed grow both fewer in number and more calme in their courses because they trouble the peace of the Church thereby giuing aduantage to the entry of Papists by the diuision thereof how then can you conceâ—ue any hope of a Toleration of your pretended Catholike religion it selfe But if you consider that which his Maiesty writeth against the mariage of his sonne to oâ—e of a different religion your hope wil be much lesse Solomon from the toleration of a strange worship within his dominions fell at last as we know to the imbracing of it himselfe And it is obserued by Diuines both Iewish and Christian that the diuersitie of religion tolerated by King Solomon in diuine worship was by God requited vpon his heire and next successour Iure talionis by a retaliated diuision of an vnrecouerable rupture in the ciuill gouernment Your owne Stapleton spares not to reuile Bodiâ— in particular as an enemy to Christianity for maintaining that liberty The Rhemists conclude to like purpose in their annoâ—ations vpon the new Testament and Bellarmine spends two whole chapters in confuting their arguments who pleade for this indifferencie inforâ—ing it from the example of the Iewish Church grounds of Scripture practise of Emperours iudgement of Fathers yea reason and experience to bee pernitious in any Realme boâ—h to the Ecclesiasticall and ciuill state and dangerous euen to themselues which vse that liberty shall we imagine then that his Matie a king if any other in the world so desirous to serue God truely without shrinking or wauering setled in conscience resolued in iudgement confirming by practise by word by writing by oath by lawes by aduice what hee openly professeth would euer differ so much from himselfe as to admit euen of a partiall Toleration of a religion different from if not contrary vnto his owne a matter so contrary to Gods will so dishonourable to himselfe so dangerous to the State Be not partaker saith S. Paul to Timothy of other mens sinnes now I cannot conceiue how in his case the Magistrates permitting when it is in his power to forbid can well be distinguished from pertaking From your demands you come to your promises whereof the first is that the Pope for his part would confirâ—e the interest of all those that haue present possession in any ecclesisticall liuing in England he must then confirme the interest of all those whom you call Puritans and Caluinists as well as others which I thinke hee will bee as vnwilling to doe as they to take it from him nay I am perswaded there is no Clergy man in England worthy the name and credit of a good Subiect or the profit of the liuing he holdes who would thinke the possession of it any way the securer for the Popes confirmation But to grant that the right of those who haue the present interest in them might by that means bee strengthened what were like to become of the fattest Benefices and best dignities of our Church the same power continuing in the next age wee may in part coniecture by the experience of former times they being by the Popes authoritie conferred vpon his fauourits Italians and strangers who neuer came so much as to see them and yet notwithstanding was the rest of the Clergy so harrowed partly by the cunning practise and partly by the violent extortion of his Legats and Collectours as I haue already shewed that it is surely a lamentable thing to read it much more to feele it The Second thing you promise is the permitting the free vâ—e of the Common prayer booke in English for Morning and Euening prayers with vâ—ry little or no alteration belike then his Holinesse hath of late better studied that Scripture of Saint Paul the 1. to the Corinthians and the 14. then which I see not what can be more cleerely spoken not onely for reading and expounding the Scriptures but specially for praying in a knowen language and if his Holinesse iudge it no offence to God to permit the vse of our Liturgy in English what reason can our Recusants pretend of their refusall to ioyne with our Congregation in the vse of it except his purpose bee to permit it only for an interim as Charles the 5th did to the Germans vntill hee can gaine further strength to worke his owne ends or as hee doth the stews to auoide a greater conceiued mischiefe but God be thanked wee haue and hope still to haue the freâ—â—se of that booke without his permission and for his permission should thinke nothing the better but rather the worse of it The third and last thing you offer is that for the contentmâ—nt and securitie of his Maiesty his Holinesse would giue him not only any satisfaction but all the honour that with the vnity of the Church and safety of Catholike religion may bee required but how farrâ— the vnitie of the Church and the safety of Catholike religion extends it selfe is so doubtfull a case as none can determine it but the Pope himselfe so that except his Maiestie can define or diuine rather what that meanes hee shall bee as farre to seeke of his securitie as euer Hee hath alreadie declared by his Breues that the taking of the Oath of Allegeance cannot stand with the safety of Catholike Religion so that if hee will secure his Maiestie hee must not only condemne those Authors and damne that Doctrine which teaches his power in deposing Kings and disposing of Kingdomes but hee must either recall that declaration made as hee pretendeth vpon long and weightie deliberation which it may bee to â—erue his turne hee would as willingly doe as absolue the Venetians though they no way submitted themselues in the point controuersed or if hee persist in the maintenance thereof as in greatest likelihood hee wâ—â—l I see not which way hee can secure his Maiestie except hee may bee said to secure who cuts off all meanes of his securitie an oath being among all Christians and Heathens if they bee but morally honest
more often Recognized it in his prayer before his Sermons 4 Pag. 220. Where among such famous Doctors as were conuerted lately to the Romish Religion hee reckons Dr. Bull for one 5 See the late B. of Lincolnes answere to a namelesse Catholike p. 115. 6 May 21. 1610 7 His Maiesty there speakes of the French King Henry the IV. 8 Nâ—sâ— itaque idexpâ—ctâ—â—ur a serenâ—ssimo Regâ— vâ— palam â—or am vniueâ— so mundo profiteatur sâ—metâ—â— ad sidem cogâ— non vâ—deo quo modo aâ—imus Regius in tâ—m iusta 17a tanto perâ—â—â—lo suo suorum pâ—ssit ad corum parâ—es propius aâ—â—edere 9 See the relation of the state of religion in these Westerne parts which it were much to be wished the Author himselfe would perfect and publish 10 Brittaâ—nom 〈◊〉 pag. 324. 1 I can shew it in the Authors owne Letters that he had a purpose of publishing it 2 He hath now gotten more name and fame by running away from vs then by any acte that euer hee did among vs. 3 The Credite he had in Court was won by his hypocrisie 4 He was like enough to aspire to higher preferment but while he remained like himselfe not like to attaine it 5 What intiâ—ing baits could these be vnto him who by his own acknowledgement felt the state of his body such that hee could not long enioy them 6 The wauering was in his braine not in their opinions 7 Hee professeth indeed that hee found a large opposition betweene the new French as he calleth it and the old English but betweene the English and the Râ—mish none at all or â—o small as it might easily be reconciled Chap. 2. Sâ—ct 29. 8 Or rather a counterfeit light from him who is transformed into an Angel of Light 9 His owne relation shewes how slowly he proceeded in this businesse as being in hope of higher preferment and yet in despaire of longer life 10 Catholike Roman I take to be as much as Kent and Christâ—ndome 11 Had Mr. Dr. done so he had rested where he was Cap. 2. Sâ—â—t 36. 1 You might haue named Scripture as well as art but it seemes you purposely forbore it lest you shou'd seeme a Caluinist 2 In your 2. chap. 21. Sect. you affirme the doctrine of the Church of Eng. to be that which is conteined in the coÌ„mon prayer booke and Church Catechisme very nere agreeing with or at least not contradicting the Church of Rome 3 Had you brought any proofe from the Scriptures ancient Fathers for the trueth of that Religion which you call Cathol you would haue thereby giuen vs some reaâ—on to thinke â—ou had indeed studied them 4 Your reconcâ—liation of religâ—oÌ„ was nothing else but a renouncing of the truth 5 It is maruell you had not imparted knowledge by writing 6 Your place compelled you not to preach points of Râ—mish doctrine 7 Catholike Religion is not hated in England but the religion of pretended Catholikes is iustly restrained 8 You might as fully and â—reely haue enioyed the preâ—ence of our blessed Sauiour in the vnitâ—e of the English Church as the Râ—mish 9 How can there be a dayly oblation of that which himselfe offered once for all Heb. 7. 27. 9. 28. and 10. 10 10 When his Maiâ—sties reasons are answered why he should not bee already esteemed in the vnitie of the Catholike Church prayer for his admission into it will bee admitted 11 Your dueâ—ie would better haue appeared in writing somewhat in defence of his Maiesties writings 12 Your auowed presence at the dayly oblation as you call it was a sufficient declaration of your reuolt 13 How sufficiently either of these two bee shewed I leaue it to the indifferent Reader to iudge 14 I wonder that any hauing affiance in his Holinessâ— pardons should desire his Maâ—esties 15 Hee is indeed likely to bee a faithfull seruant to his Maiestie who flies to the tents and pleads the cause of his sworne enemies 1. Pâ—t 3. 4. 1 It was such a schisme as the Apostle practised when certaine were hardened disobeyed speaking euill of the way of God he departed from them and separated the discsples Acts 19. 9. and gâ—ue the like commandement to others if any teach otherwise and consenteth not to the wholsome words of the Lord Iesus and from such separate thy selfe 1. Tim. 6. 3 4 5. 2 This ambition of yours was it which being some what crossed or not fully satisfied caused your apostâ—sie as it did Arrius his heresie 3 Yet himselfe afterward iustifies it chap. 2. sâ—ct 21. 4 Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles and can either duety or loue be expected from such subiects and friends better is the hâ—tred of an open enemy then the loue of such a friend 5 Ab ouo vsquâ— ad maluâ—â— He repeats the same phrase in diuers other places * Colâ—ss 2. 23. * Esai 1. 12. 6 Great zeale and neutralitie in Religion seldome stand together as neither doe gâ—eat zeâ—le and vehement ambition 7 We grant as much tâ—at the gates of hell shall neuer vtterly prâ—uaile against it Non bene câ—n 〈…〉 vna sede morantur ambitio zelus * Iames 3. 16. * Rom. 10. 2 * Lâ—ke 16. 8. * 2. Thes. 2. 7. * Matth. 10. 1â— 1 He indeede deliueredit to his Apostles and disciples to continue but sure wee are it continued not by that succession and in that Church which you call visible and perpetuall or at least not as he deliuered it the enuiâ—us man came in the night and sowed tares amongst it * Matth. 19. 8. 2 Obserue here the great zeale of this man which himselfe boasteth of in the 2. Sâ—ction going before * Matth. 13. 5. 25 1 It is to be noted that some of thesâ— Vniuersities professe in their published instruments that they tooke an oath to deliuer and to study vpon the foresaid questions as should be to the pleasure of God and according to conscience the copie whereof is to be seene in our English Chronicles 2 After the determinations of these Vniuersites were read in open Parliament there were shewen aboue a 100. bookes drawen by Doctours of strange regions which all agreed the Kings marâ—age to be vnlawfull 1 How learnedly you vnderstood the state of the question betwixt vs appeares afterward in setting downe the opinion of the Church of Rome touching Images 2 No mention at all of reading the Scriptures that was too base a worke for so great a Clerke 1 How comes it to passe then that the profouÌ„d Doctors for prooâ—e of many doctrines of that Church forsake the Scriptures flie to traditions 2 As if in your learning the Gospel were not Scripture 3 Belike then we in these colde Northerne Climats haue no Christian soules 4 When those Preachers shal be named and their current opinions specified and the passages quoted by which they are conâ—uted I doubt not but the vnanswerable
Cant. in your Letter dated from Colin the 17 of August 1613. that you neither were nor euer would be wholly reconciled to the Church of Rome 16 By Pope Gregories letter to Austin the Monke it appeares that the other Churches were by him subordinated to Yorke and London but by king Ethelbert to Canterbury so that the L. Archbishop holds his iurisdiction by the Kings authority and not by the Popes 17 How then wil you make good our Sauiours words Mâ—ne house shal be called the house of prayer or of S. Paul that he was sent to preach and not to baptize that is as I take it chiefly to preach 18 How can he confirme them in Ecclesiastical liuings who are no better then Lay men hauing no lawful orders as is the currant opinion of Rome 19 So that looking throgh the spectacles of that religion all seemed golde to you that glistered but you might as well haue for borne the asking of that as ought else 20 That is such if any such there bee who in iudgement approue the trueth of Catholike doctrine in your sense for others you renounce as the greatest enemies to the Clergy that is your selfe and your supposed brethren 1 1. diâ—t 4. quâ—â—nic §. potestaliter 2 P. 1. q. 23. a. 5. ad 3. 3 De gratia lib. arbitrio lib. 2. cap. 9. * Ephes. 1. 4. 4 Annot. 251. 5 Disâ—n Rom. 9. Num. 91. 6 Basâ—l dor pag. 1â— * Iam. 2. 19. * Ephes. 6. 16. * 1. Ioh. 5. 4. * Châ—â— 11. 1. 7 Inst it â—ib 3. cap. 2. â— 7. 8 See the 4. booke 14. chap. of his Institut * 1. Cor. 11. 13 28. * 1. Iâ—hn 4. 1. * Hâ—b 5. 4. * 2. Pâ—â— 1. 20. * 1 Cor. 14. 32 33. 9 Basil. Dâ—r lib. 1. pag. 10. * Ta. 3. â— 10 200. yeeres of which you cannot except against for freedome if that be your meaning 11 Pref. to his â—â—sil dor fol. 6. 12 Pag. 78. 79. 13 Promp Cath. fâ— â— pâ—st 〈◊〉 14 Bodin lib. 3. cap. 7. pol. 15 In Ephes. 4. 16 D◠〈◊〉 is cap. 18. 19. * 1. Tâ—â— 5. 22. 17 Quinâ—n 〈◊〉 cum pâ—ssit iâ—bâ—t 1 How then in your Doctrine doe children baptized with vs which die instantly after their Baptisme goe to heauen 1 Appointed for the day of our deliuerance from the Powder treason 1 M. Doctour being but a nouice in his religion it seemeth had forgotten there was any such place as Purgatory 2 Belike Master Doctor had now gotten him a knocking paire of beades to keep him from sleeping while he was at his Oraisons * 2. Mac. 15. 39. 1 Maluit culpam dâ—prâ—â—ari quam nâ—n committere 2 Mâ—dâ— abstinent prâ—pter câ—mâ—une bâ— num Ecclesiâ— non propter bonum priuatum 3 So Pelitier in his narration published of his death witnesseth * 〈◊〉 14. 13. * Gal. 16. 4. 4 See Widdringtâ—ns Supplication to the Pope 1616. * 1. Cor. 4. 5. Vers. 14. Vâ—rsâ— 31. * Exed 31. * Exod. 17. 14. â—sai 8. 1. iâ—r 30. 2 â—zâ—k 37. 16. hab 2. 2. * Phil. 3. 1. * Vers 3. * 1. Cor. 5. 9. * De Câ—â—â—il auth lib. 2. caâ— 12. * Rom. 2. 12. * Iohn 5. 45 * 1. Tim. 3. 15. a Epist. ad Archiep Lâ—gdâ—n b Dâ—nâ—t Eccl. c. 14. §. sed râ—spâ—nâ—â—amus c Desig Eccl. lib. 23. c. 3. d Lonicâ—â— Thâ—atr p. 246. e Lib. 2. 15 46. f Loco supra citato g Apol. p. 3. c. 9. h Lib. 1. annâ— 1525. i De mâ—rt Oâ—col praefâ—x Annot. in proph k Lib. 35. 1564. l In vita Cal. m Lib. 3. 1547. n Lib. 6. 1550. o Ibid. p Liâ— 25. 1â—60 q Ibid. r Lib. 9. 1552. s P. Matâ—h hist. de Frâ—n lib. 1. nar 4. t In Bâ—ned 4. Cron. l. 4. u Sum. de Eccl. l. 2. c. 103. x Camb. 〈◊〉 y Lib. Hist. 6. cap. 10. * 1. Tim. 4. * Mat. 5. 45. * Bâ—â—lus 9. 1. z Dâ— Ciuiâ— Dei Lib. 1. cap. 8.
if they had the like dispensations or Kings to Kings or Subiects to subiects And if this be not to make a meere mockery of oathes which should be made in trueth in iudgment and in iustice and consequently of religion as if indeede there were no punishment of Hell no reward of heauen I conceiue not what is and by your owne rule this contempt of religion cannot but in time drawe on the destruction of those States which thus vnder pretence of religion and obedience to their holy Father neglect and contemne it Lastly if they esteeme so little of oathes made one to another what should we expect at their hands to whom they hold Faith is not to bee held bee it neuer so solemnely plighted whereas Abraham made conscience of his oath taken to Abimelech and Iacob to Laban both Idolaters and so did they againe though Idolaters or Infidels to Iacob and Abraham But let such as maintaine that position That faith giuen or sworne to Heretikes or Infidels is not to bee held call to minde what successe it tooke at the battaile of Varna in Bulgaria in the yeere of our Lord 1404 what time Ladislaus the yong King of Polony by the dispensation of Pope Eugenius and the perswasion of Iulianus his Nuntio broke his Oath and League made with Amurath the second Emperour of the Turkes in which battell the King his horse being first killed vnder him was stricken downe and slaine the Popes Bishops that were in the field to incourage the souldiers fleeing to saue themselues fell into Bogges and Marishes and there perished Iulianus the Cardinall which with the Pope was the chiefe doer in breaking the League was found dead in the way being full of wounds and spoyled to his naked skinne and all the ditches and trenches were filled with the blood of Christians A memorable spectacle of Gods vengeance vpon the breach of oathes made euen to Infidels Discite iustitiam moniti non temnere Diuos B. C. 15. The deuill that intendeth the destruction aswell of bodies as of soules and of whole States as of particular men doth not commonly beginne with mens bodies and with matters of State but being himselfe a Spirit and the father of lies hee doth first insinuate himselfe into mens vnderstandings by false principles of religion whereunto hee hath the more easie entrance because hee hath perswaded their gouernors to beleeue that it is no great matter what opinions men hold in matters of religion so that they looke well into their actions and keepe them in obedience Which perswasion is all one as if the enemie that besiegeth a citie should perswade the garison that they might surrender the Castle to him well enough and keepe the base towne to themselues But when the deuill hath preuailed so farre as by the matters in the first truth that is of religioÌ„ to get the vnderstanding in possession which is the Castle as it were and watchtower of both the soule and bodie and state and all hee will peraduenture dissemble his purpose for a while and by slandering of the trueth and pleasing them with the trifles of the world which by Gods permission are in his power make men beleeue that the world is amended For nemo repentè fit pessimus but shortly after when hee seeth his time hee will out of his arsenale of false apprehensions in the vnderstanding send foorth such distorted engines of life and actions as will easily subdue both bodies and states and goods and all to his deuotion G. H. 15. This Section together with your former for any thing I can gather serue onely to make a large Portall to a little Cottage and wide Gates to a Citie that may runne out of it you fetch a great swinge to strike a litle blow and a full carriere to leape ouer a straw It is throughout a meere flourish rather intended as it seemes to amaze the reader as Mountebankes doe their hearers with arsenals of apprehensions and distorted engines of actions then to teach him the plaine and simple trueth scarce so good as a Metaphor which I haue heard tending to the contrary of yours that if the Faux of our concupiscence should once giue fire to the powder of our appetite it were likely to blowe vp the Parliament house of our reason The scope you driue at as I conceiue is this that the vnderstanding being misinformed in religion produceth answerable effects in the coÌ„uersation which we as easily grant as you vnnecessarily goe about to proue The heathen Philosopher could tell vs Si cui intueri vacet quae faciunt quaeque patiuntur superstitiosi inueniet tam indecora honestis tam indigna liberis tam dissimiliasanis vt nemo fuerit dubitaturus furere eos si cum paucioribus furerent nuncsanitatis patrocinium est insanientium turba If a man had the leisure to looke on those things which men possessed with superstitious opinions both doe and suffer hee should find theÌ„ busied about matters so vnbeseeming honest minded men so vnworthy of free ingenuous spirits so vnlike the effects of sober and setled braines that a man would sweare they were starke mad were but the number of them lesse that went a madding whereas now the onely cloake to palliate and patronize their madnesse is the multitude of mad men Which words sound to me as if the marke they shoot at had been the practise of the present Church of Rome issuing from their false and superstitious opinions touching Gods worship In which whether we consider the things they doe in the administration of their Sacraments about the reliques of dead men in setting foorth the feasts of our Sauiour and the Saints or what they suffer in Pilgrimages in Penances and the like if the same things were acted but by fewe in number which now by long custome and common consent are growen familiar to them being practised by multitudes I cannot iudge them so vnwise but themselues if they stood by and looked on would iudge them mad I haue heard of a Turke who comming to Rome and beholding their most abominable and licentious disorders at their Carneuals and presently vpon it their counterfet sadnesse and hanging downe their heads like a bulâ—ush vpon Ashwednesday so named for the ashes which they tooke he conceiued that the sprinkling of ashes had bene a speciall remedie for the curing of madnes but to the matter It is true indeed that where Idolatrie and vngodlinesse goeth before there a giuing vp to a reprobate sence and worldly lusts follow after as S. Paul rangeth them in his first to the Romanes and his second to Titus Yet on the other side it is as true that vpon the putting away of good conscience in the entertainement of worldly lusts as often ensues a shipwrake of Faith in opening a gappe to vngodlinesse as we learne of the same Apostle 1. Tim. 1. I haue obserued it in mine owne experience and so I thinke
haue others that few haue forsaken our Religion to imbrace the Romane but such as haue bene first in their liues notoriously deboshed or extremely thirstie and ambitious of honour and preferment beyond the opinion of other men and their owne desert And whether more distorted engines of actions be sent foorth from the arsenall of Romish apprehensions or English in regarde of Religion let the barbarous Massacre of France and the vntimely death of their two last Henries the often attempts vpon the person of our late happie and famous Queene and of late the damnable Powder-treason intended against our gracious SOVERAIGNE and the State and lastly the cruelty and ambition the vnnaturall and vnmeasurable lust euen of those nations which are most zealous of the Popes greatnes and are therefore accounted most Catholike decide the controuersie It was a good answere which was returned by one of our side to a pretended Catholike demaunding what reason hee had not to imbrace that Religion why saith hee Because it teacheth a man to eate his God and kill his King And in any Religion whatsoeuer it is not so much the knowledge of the truth which maketh an honest and happie man as the practise of that we know The deuill himselfe when wee haue done our best will know more then we howbeit it is certaine wee must endeuour to know the will of God before we can doe it and therefore the good Angels are so much more foreward and constant in the execution of his wil then we as they know it better then we We see through a glasse darkely but they face to face Wee in part know but they euen as they are knowen B. C. 16. The Caluinisticall preacher when hee hath gotten his honest abused and misguided flocke about him will cry out against mee for this Popish collection and call God and them to witnesse that he doth daily in his Sermons exhort men to good workes and to obedience to the Kings MAIESTIE and am not I and my brethren sayeth he as honest and as ciuill men as any Papist of them all for mine owne part I will not accuse any Caluinist though I could neither can I excuse all Papists though I would Iliacos inter muros peccatur extra But I must neuer forget that most true and wise obseruation which the noble and learned Sir Francis Bacon maketh in one of his first Essayes viz. that all Schismatikes vtterly failing in the precepts of the first Table concerning the Religion and worship of God haue necessitie in policie to make a good shew of the second Table by their ciuill and demure conuersation toward men for otherwise they should at the first appeare to bee as afterwards they shew themselues to be altogether out of their ten Commandements and so men would bee as much ashamed to follow them at the first as they are at the last It is a sure rule of policie that in euery mutation of State the authors of the change will for a while shew themselues honest rather of spite then of conscience that they may disgrace those whome they haue suppressed but it doth neuer hold in the next generation You scarce heare of a Puritan father but his sonne proues either a Catholke or an Atheist Mutinous souldiers whiles the enemy is in the field will bee orderly not for loue of their general but for feare of their enemy but if they be not held in the ancient discipline of warres they will vpon the least truce or cessation quickly shew themselues G. H. 16. Whatsoeuer fond conceit your idle braine fancieth to it selfe or your pen paints foorth to others touching our Preachers whom you terme Caluinistical we may freely speake it and thanke God for it that this Iland affoords as many learned sufficient Preachers and that in a more substantiall conscionable fashion then all the Popes hierarchie it may seeme a bolde assertion but he that in forraine parts hath seene and obserued the apish action and heard the ridiculous and vnsauoury tales of their Friers who are commonly their most famous Preachers will vndoubtedly grant as much Nothing so frequent with them as fictions against Lutheranes and Caluinists of fables out of their golden legend deuised by leaden braines and vttered by brasen foreheads whereas the word of God the only meanes of rightly informing the vnderstanding and conuincing the conscience they either vse not at all or very sparingly and that commonly in Latine without quotation of verse or chapter as if they feared indeede the people should haue too much knowledge of it whereas S. Paul professeth that hee had rather speake fiue words in the Congregation to the instruction of others then tenne thousand in a strange tongue But herein he scarce shewes himselfe a good Catholike and a marueile it is the index expurgaâ—ory had not wipte it out Now for the piece of the Sermon which you put into the Caluinisticall Preachers mouth that himselfe and his brethren and their flocks were as honest ciuill men as any Papist of them all howsoeuer you are pleased to play the iester and make your selfe merrie in such kind of flouting yet I may truely say and I thinke it will not be denied that many of those preachers and their brethren are honester men then the Pope and his brethren the Cardinals whose excessiue pride and luxury had it not beene counterballanced by the fained humility of the Friers impossible it is that their kingdome could haue stood thus long which made Panigirolla as I suppose when he came to speake of Sanctam Ecclesiam in his sermons at Turim in Sauoy to fetch the word sanctam from sancio sancis sanciui distrusting as it seemes to proue the Romish Church the true Catholike by the marke of sanctity and holinesse which he saw rather to agree to the Caluinists then to them otherwise it was impossible hee should so childishly wrest the meaning of the Apostles the ordinary sense of the Latine word the onely sense of the Greeke word and the common consent of all antiquity And it seemes your selfe foresaw so much when you tell vs you could not excuse all Papists though you would And for mending the matter you presse vs with the authority of S ir Francis Bacons Essayes that all Schismatikes failing in the precepts of the first table concerning the worship of God haue necessity in pollicie to make a good shew of the second Table by their ciuill and demure conuersation towards men But herein in my iudgement you doe that noble and learned gentleman as you deseruedly stile him some iniury in applying his obseruation if it bee his against the religion which himselfe professeth whereas in trueth it fits it selfe more properly to your Romish Catholikes here at home among vs who pretend some of them great shew of morall vertue and ciuill honesty specially in matter of mortification and charitable workes whereas they mangle the precepts of the