gaue me a Being by my Redemption a Well-being who suffered Deatiâ— to preuent death and whose wound care our wouds 〈◊〉 (m) Isa câ— â— â—â—us sanatcsimiâ—â—â— voucâ—saâ—e to sanctify me with thy soule â—o meâ—â—â—ate my intellectuall powers with thy bloud and to wash away all their ordure filth with the water of thy pierced side that so I poore despicable and miserable man seeing all my sinnes afore drowned in the gulfe of thy inexhausted Mercy may in the end enter into thy promised and my hoped for Canaan Ioan. Londinens THE CONTENTES OF THE SEVERALL MOTIVES OF THIS TREATISE THE 1. MOTIVE THAT the priuate spirit is the chiefe supporter of Protestancy Page 1. Motiue 2. That the Prophesyes of Scripture confirme the Catholike Religion and refute Protestancy pag 10. Motiue 3. That generall Councells confirming Catholike Religion are reiected by Protetestants pag. 33. Motiue 4. That the Fathers of the Primitiue Church as Patrons of Papistry are reiected by the Protestants pag 39. Motiue 5. That the articles of Protestancy are particulerly condemned for benesâ—es by the ancient Fathers And that all Protestants originally came out of the Catholike Church pag. 53. Motiue 6. That true Miracles haue beene wrought for proofe of the Catholike Religion but not any for Protestancy pag. 64. Motiue 7. Absurdityes in the Protestants Religion pag. 77. Motiue 8 Deceites and sleightes practised by Protestant VVryters pag. 93. Motiue 9. That the doctrine of Catholike Religion tendes directly to Vertue of Protestancy to Vice and Liberty pag 118. Motiue 10. That Luther and Caluin are chiefe Patrones of Arianisme and therefore in other points of faith are not to be followed p 131 Motiue 11. That there is vnity in Fayth in Catholike Religion disagreements in faith in Protestancy pag. 139. Motiue 12. That Saluation may be had in Catholike Religion by the confession of Protestants pag. 154. The Conclusion to my Dears and Reverend Brethren the Lords Arch bishops and Bishops of England pag. 168 THE BISHOP OF LONDON HIS LEGACY THE 1. MOTIVE That the priuate Spirit is the chiefe supporter of Protestancy THE affected strange and exorbitant course we Protestants hould I yet range my selfe with my former Brethren according to my accustomed dialect in determining of doubts in ReligioÌ„ is able to cause the learnedest of vs to fluctuate and wauer in our already ietled iudgmentes We all know it is our own head Theoreme that the Scripture alone but such as our selues admit for Canonicall is to iudge of all arising Controuersyes in fayth and the priuate spirit to iudge of the sense of the Scripture Which priuate spirit being but a meere intentionall and vnreall name our owne D. (a) In CoÌ„trou 1. q. â— c. 3. 11. Whitaker thus speciously entitles An inward perswasion of the truth from the Holy Ghost in the secret closes of the belieuers hart Thus by recurring to Scripture alone we reiect all Apostolicall Traditions all definitions of the Church and the most ancient practise thereof by erecting the priuat spirit we make our selues sole Lords of the Scripture A poore refuge God knowes discouering in a cleare and impartiall eye the feeblenes of our owne cause since in so doing we being but parties constitute our selues as Iudges daring in the closure of all to iudge euen our owne Iudges Thus for example if our Aduersaryes the Catholikes in iustifying the articles of their fayth doe vrge any passage of the Machabees Ecclesiasticus Toby c. acknowledged for Canonicall Scripture by S. Augustin (b) De doctrin Christian l. 2. c. â— the third Councell (c) Can. 47. of Carthage this Priuate spirit in lieu of further answere peremptorily discanoneth all these Bookes vnder the tecture that they were (d) Doctor VVhitak in his answer to M. Reynoldâ—â—efutation p. 22. 23. Calu. lib. 1. Instiâ— c. 7. §. 1. 2. not first written in Hebrew and that the Maiesty and voyce of God appeareth not in them Strangely inferred as though the Spirit of God ought seruily to be tyed to any one tongue or because in the silly weenings of this spirit the Maiesty voyce of God speaketh not in the sayd Books therefore they are indeed wholy depriued thereof If our Aduersaryes proceeding further do insist for proofe of any dogmaticall point in the plaine wordes of confessed Scripture as for proofe of Apostolicall Traditions whereby this phantasy of the Scripture being sole iudge is impugned in that passage (e) 2. Thes 2. of the Apostle Hold fast the traditions which you haue receaued siue per sermonem siue per Epistolâ—m nostram either by word or by our Epistle the Priuate spirit as it were with it Mercuryes rod heere chaseth away the most obuious and familiar construction obtruding this Scholia vpon the text That (f) Kemâ—â— in 〈◊〉 Conc. â—â—dent the Apostle first deliuered those things by speach which after he left written in his Epistle Absured since the disâ—unctiue particle siue implyeth an Antithesis or opposition of the things deliuered by speach and the thinges written If they fortify the plaine and literall sense of the forsayd Text with the answerable ConstitutioÌ„s and Canons of most ancient generall Councels as of that of the second of Nice Si (g) Act. â— â—om 4. quis traditioneÌ„ Ecclesiae siue scripto fiue consuetudine valentem non curauerit Anathema sit the Spirit spurneth heere at auerring that (h) So D. VVhâ—â—ak l. de Coâ—â—â—il conâ—â—a Bellarâ—â— q. â— generall Councells may erre And that as (i) So Peter Martyr l. de votis p. 476. longe as we insist in generall Councels so long we shall continue in the Papists errours Thus hoping that the splendour of the whole Church of Christ being once obscured it selfe may shyne forth with more lustre so the least starre discouereth it light through absence of a greater light If our Aduersaryes produce the testimonyes but of priuate Fathers in warrant of Traditions as of (k) Lib. contra Donat Quae vnâ—uersa tenet â—cclesia ab Apostâ—lis praecepta benè creduntur quanquà m scriptanon reperiantur Augustine (l) Lib. 2. epist â— Cypriâ—n and the like O what indignity is it to this all-controuling Spirit which euen dronke with a selfe coÌ„placency can with one puff of his breath blow away the force of all their authorityes by saying Gods (m) Luth. tom 2. cont Reg Angl fol. 344. word is aboue all the diuine Maiesty maketh for me in so much as I regard not if a thousand Augustines a thousand Cyprians stood against me vanting further of it selfe Non sinam ipsos Angelos de mea doctrina iudicare Lastly if they put vs in mind how it hath been euer the proper Scene of heretiks to enamel varnish the deformed face of their Heresyes with the misapplyed texts of Gods sacred Word Haereses (n) Aug iâ— hom 9. tract 18. in Ioan. sumunt originem quando Scripturae bonae intelliguntur non bene Thus
see D. Bancrofts suruey pag. 219. verbum Deiprouoco But to resume my former heads Since then this reuealing spirit is not afraid to expunge out of the sacred Canon of Scripture such bookes as Apocriphall wherin it owne Religion is euidently impugned since it alloweth only such expositions of confessed Scripture as best sort to the supporting of it owne errours since it betrampleth all authorityes of Councells and Fathers who expound Gods word differently from it Since it hath beene the custome of all Heretikes to withdraw themselues to the weake retyre of only Scripture and their owne spirit interpreting the Scripture thus making a circular motion where from point to point there is a true progression but from the first point no progression at all since this Spirit engēdreth contrarieties in doctrine in the enioyers of it through ech mans misconstruction of Scripture Since the Scripture it selfe is of that abstruse sublimity as that Man without Gods directing grace cannot lay any true leuell thereto To conclude since the exorbitancy pride and petulancy of this Spirit is such as it expecteth in the end that all men should receaue from it as from a second Moyses the tables of our Euangelicall Law Non * Tert. de Orat. agnosei poterit à Spiritu sancto spiritus inquinatus What then remaineth but that my selfe carefull of my saluation should for euer after become iealous of the truth of that Religion which I find to be seated vpon those groundes and only those grounds which euery heresy promiscuously challengeth to it selfe And that relying on Gods holy visible Church vpon which he hath (p) Matt. 18. ◠Tim. 3. entayled his spirit of Truth I may interpose her infallible authority as an Isthmos or firmeland to stop the entercourse of the two mayne Oceans I meane the Scriptures abysmall profoundity and this Priuate spirits floating and boundles vncertainty But inough of this subiect of which as potentially inuoluing all other Controuersyes within it selfe I haue drawne I confesse for my fuller satisfaction certaine notes in some few scattered Papers THE II. MOTIVE That the Prophesyes of Scripture confirme the Catholike Religion and refute Protestancy PROPHESYES are diuine and infallible Predictions of thinges future future in respect of vs who measure all actions with the yard of Tyme but present in the eyes of God with whome there is neither tyme past nor tyme to come both being confounded in the depth of his owne Eternity Infallible as proceeding only from him who by his power disposeth all thinges as shall best please him by his Prescience forseeth distinctly all things so disposed as things present in the cleare glasse of his own essence And by his Will vouchsafeth that men shall warrant the certainty of his foreknowledge Prescientia Dei (a) Tert. l. 2 contr Marcion tot habet testes quot fecit Prophetas Now of the Prophesyes recorded in the old Testament I will take into my consideratiō only two The inditers of which according to the iudgment of (b) In Psal 3◠conc 2. S. Augustine as foreseeing Controuersyes and doubts in fayth to come spake more clearely of the Church then of Christ himselfe The first shall concerne the propagation of the Church of Christ and the conuerting of Kinges heathen and kingdomes to it faith touching which I will insist in those places of Scripture whose true sense and interpretation is acknowledged for such both by the Catholikes and by our Protestants Priuate spirit the alleadging of which texts is the more forcible since the confessed sense of Scripture is the soule as it were which informeth the body of the Letter Of this first point the Prophet I say thus speaketh The (c) 60. Iles shall waite for thee meaning the Church their Kinges shall minister vnto thee and thy gates shal be continually open neither day nor night shall they be shut that men may bring to thee the riches of the Gentils c. And againe speaking of and to the Church he further thus sayth Thou (d) Ibid. shalt sucke the milke of the Gentils and the breasts of Kinges Kings shal be thy noursing Fathers and Queenes thy Mothers And further Enlarge (e) 54. the place of thy tents spread out the curtaines of thy habitation for thou shalt increase on the right hand and on the left thy seed shall possesse the Gentils and inhabite the desolate Cittyes To the truth of which conuersions of Heathen Kinges and Countreyes to the fayth of Christ the Kingly Prophet speaking in the person of God to the Church thus accordeth I (f) Psalm 2. will giue thee the Heathens for thy inheritance and the ends of the earth for thy pessession That these places besides diuers others are vnderstood of the enlargment of Christs Church and the conuersions of Kingdomes and Nations vnto it is warranted by the marginall annotations of our own English (g) Frinted in the yeare 1576. Bibles no lesse agreeable to the particuler iudgments of (h) Vpon Ieremy Oecolampadius that learned Protestant D. Whitguift (i) In his defence p. 466. late Archbishop of Canterbury D. (k) In his answere M. VVilliam Reynolds Whitaker and all other graue Writers The next point which heere presenteth it selfe to be wayghed is to consider whether the foresayd predictions of the dilatation of the fayth of Christ and conuerting to it Kinges and kingdomes haue beene accomplished in the Protestants Church or in the Catholike and Roman Church for the clearing of which point we will begin with the tymes from Luthers first change of Religion and so ascend by degrees to the age of the Apostles in the discouery whereof we are to recurre to Ecclesiasticall Writers And thus the ground of beliefe touching this point is heere remoued from Scripture to man yet man is heere belieued to wit in relating whether the true or false fayth was then taught and brought in by reason of the Scripture And first that these Conuersions propagation of the Church any tyme for the space of these last thousand yeares euen vp to the dayes of Boniface the third and Gregory Bishops of Rome were not performed in the Protestant Church is ouer euident from all Ecclesiasticall historyes and records and from the voluntary confessions of learned Protestants so as to find the cōtrary in any approued Authors we may wel make the subiect of our desire but not of our expectation And first for Historyes we Protestants cannot produce any one authenticall history or narration notwithstāding some late effectles attempts of our own Nation in that nature being still in labour of that which I feare will neuer be borne intimating so much And which is more the Protestant Ecclesiasticall Writers do euen particulerly set downe and relate the conuersion of many Countryes made by catholiks euen to their own mayn preiudice heerin But the better to enleuen our discourse with examples where I will omit the subiecting of many vast Countryes to
the sweet yoake of Christ made in our owne dayes by the Iesuits whose very name to vs is vngrateful but Quis (l) Tertul. aduerjus gentes nominis reatus Quae vocabulerum accusatio Osiander a learned Protestant in his booke of Ecclesiasticall history faythfully relateth the Conuersions of many Countreyes Of which Of the (m) Cent. 9.10.11.12.13 14.15 Danes the Morauians the Polonians the Sclauonians the Bulgares the Hunnes the Normans the Bohemians the Swecians the Noruegians the Liuonians the Saxons the Rugy Tusanes By whome sayth he were they conuerted By the Bishops of Rome liuing in those seuerall ages To what fayth To the now Catholike or as he tearmes it papisticall fayth In like sort our Century writers (n) Cent. 8.9.10.11 discoursing vpon the same subiect affirm that the Countryes of Germany of the Vandals the Bulgarians Sclauonians Danes Morauians Hungarians Noruegians were first reduced to Christianity by the Church of Rome professing then by their owne acknowledgments the same religion which at this present it doth Thus hath Rome Christian subiected to it more Nations and Kingdome by a peaceable and sweet force of Religion then euer Rome Heathen did by warre And heere we are to note a consideration not to be neglected that as these and other Protestants do confesse that all the Conuersions of the foresayd Countryes were made by Papists D. (o) Lib. de Eccles contra Bellarm. §. 336 Whitaker therefore styling them impure and corrupt conuersions so not one of the sayd Protestants or any other though writing elaboratly of this subiect would euer ascribe the conuerting of any of these or any other one Heathen King or Nation to the Protestants labours But leauing these last thousands yeares let vs ascend higher to the next three hundred yeares ariuing from the tyme of Boniface the third vp vnto the dayes of Constantin the first Christian Emperour During the space of which three hundred years no Countryes or Kingdomes were conuerted at all to Christian religion either by Catholikes or by any others most Nations in respect of Religion lying then wholy wast and incultiuated The truth of which point is euen demonstrable seeing in these ages there were no Kinges who professed Christian religion the Emperours of the East West only excepted Among whome some were bastard Christians as being braÌ„ded with (p) ValeÌ„s Constantius Constans Arianisme others (q) Iulian. Apostata's so enioying but an abortiue fayth since it wombe became it graue Now concerning the tyme it selfe of Constantin it is so irrefragably true that neither himselfe nor any Countrey by his meanes was conuerted to our Protestant religion (r) Cent. 4 as that our Magdeburgenses recording the state of the Church in his tyme doe charge Constantine with all the Catholike pointes of religioÌ„ at this day professed by the Church of Rome styling them The errours of Constantine of hâ— age Lastly to rise higher in tymes to wit from the tymes of Constantine to that of Christ our Sauiour â—it is aboundantly testifyed by all Historiographers that the Church of God was so straitned and shut vp on all sides and in such violent persecutions though otherwise glad to sweat vnder such a burdeÌ„ as that it had no meanes to enlarge it selfe by conuerting to it Kinges and kingdomes and if it had at that tyme conuerted any yet the question would then follow whether such a Conuersion had beene made to the Protestant or to the Roman Church But the luculency of this former point appeareth both from the writings of the ProtestaÌ„t (Å¿) In the booke flyied Disputationes c. Deuines of Wittemberge from the testimony of our home-brother D. Barlow (t) In his defence of the articles of the Protestant religion p. 24 thus discoursing heereof In the primitiue nonage of the Church this promise of Kings allegiance thereunto was not so fully accomplished because in those dayes that Prophesy of our Sauiour was rather verifyed You shall be brought before Kinges for my names sake by them to be persecuted euen vnto death c. But now to reflect vpon this our Argument or Motiue Is the Protestant Church the true Church of Christ Then hath it conuerted many Kinges Kingdomes vnto the fayth of Christ Let any particularize if he can the Countreyes and Tymes which and when Hath not the Protestant Church conuerted any Kingdomes and Nations to the fayth of Christ Then it selfe is not the true Church of Christ since the Prophesyes of Gods sacred Write are infallible Non (u) Tert. aduers Gnost licuisset aliter euenire quà m edixit nec ipse aliter edixisset quà m euenire voluisset Which Prophesyes as being already actually accoÌ„plished by the Catholike Church in subiecting to it diuers true Kinges indeed so the full consideration of them hath much preuayled for his intended incorporating into the Church with one poore King in name To reply heere and say that these Prophesyes are to be full filled not before but after the preaching of Luthers Ghospell is controlled by the iudgment of all learned men and by experience it selfe since it is certaine I must confesse to the preiudice of our Ghospell that neither Luther nor his schollers nor his party haue as yet first conuerted any one Kingdome Nation Citty Village or House from heathnish insidelity to the fayth of Christ Therefore we must conclude with D. Whitaker (x) Lib. 7. contra Duraeum pag. 472. ingenuously thus confessing Whatsoeuer the ancient Prophets haue foretould of the enlargment amplitude and glory of the Church the same to haue beene already performed is most euident out of historyes so true is that Lex est Enangelium praedictum â—uangelium lex completa The other branch of Prophesyes wherein I heere will insist forâ—el that in the Church of Christ there shal alwayes be found Pastours and Doctours and a continuall administration of the Word and Sacraments the spirituall conduits whereby Gods grace is deriued into mans soule or the subordinate wheeles of his diuine Maiesty by which the soule is moued and directed to gaine it owne saluation To this effect are alleadged those wordes out of the (a) Ephes 4. Apostle a text which for it clearenes is able to coÌ„ment it Comment to wit that Christ hath placed in his Church Pastours and Doctours to the consumation of Saints till we all meet in the vnity of Fayth that is as our D. (b) In his answere to a counterfeit Catholike Fulke truely expoundeth for euer Caluin (c) Instit. 4. c 3.64 himselfe concluding from hence in these words The Church cannot at any tyme want Pastours and Doctours Now that these Pastours and Doctours must not in their offices and dutyes be silent is not only witnessed by the Holy (d) Isa 62. Ghost but also besides the nature of their function requiring it acknowledged by vs Protestants And therfore D. Fulke well sayth Truth (e) Vbi supra cannot be
continued in the world but by the Ministery of the Pastours and Doctours In like sort touching the continuall administration of the Sacraments the same is more particulerly euicted from the cleare wordes of our Sauiour and S. Paul seeing by the help of them we shal show (*) 1. Cor. 11. the Lords death vntill be come A point so euident that it lyeth out of the way of all Contradiction and therefore we Protestants in plaine wordes mantaine That the absence (f) Doctor VViles in his Synopsis pag. 1. of the Sacraments doth make a nullity of the Church And againe in D. Whâ—takers (g) Centra Duâ—aâ—â—m l. 3. p. 249. phrase That the administration of the word and Sacraments being present doth constitute a Church being absent doth subuert it and againe as the same Doctour (h) Vbi supra pag. 260. styleth them that they are Ecclesiae essentiales proprietates Thus do we and Catholikes ioyntly teach that not at sometymes only the Church of Christ being his intemerate immaculat spouse is to enioy Pastours Doctours and the vse of the word and Sacraments at other tymes to be wholy destitute of them ague-like hauing thus accesses and remittings but that at all tymes in all ages in al seasons the Church without any interruption is to continue in it full Orbe by euer enioying the foresayd meanes of mans saluation Now this being the true and confessed sense of all sides of the former Prophesyes We are to examine if in the Protestant Church the administration of the word and Sacraments haue for any ages or yeares beene interrupted since such an interruption being once proued it then ineuitably followeth that the Protestant Church is not that true Church of Christ which is delineated and descrybed in the former wordes by the Apostle To euict this our Aduersaryes the Catholikes do instance in the last hundred years before Luther vrging that if any such administration of the Word Sacraments had been in that age some one history or other would haue mentioned the Pastours and Doctors of those dayes But all historyes and relations of that age say they are most silent therein What answere can we giue heereto To produce any one Historiographer of that age but intimating so much we are not able Shall we then say as some of vs haue not beene ashamed to suggest that the Pope did determinately cause all such narrations both of former tymes and of that age aboue instanced concerning Protestancy to be suppressed thereby to bury in obliuion all memory of Protestant Religion It is a phantasy it is a dreame The personall faults and vices of some Popes are (i) So was Gregory the seaâ—eÌ„th wrote against by Bâ—nno Benedictus 3. by the Councell of Constance Eugâ—nius 4. by the Councel of Basil and sâ—m others recorded in Historyes yet to be read Is it then probable that the Popes were so solicitous to extinguish all remembrance of the Protestant Payth and yet content to suffer the lesse warrantable liues of themselues and their Predecessours to be recorded for all posterity Againe in the Canons of the CouÌ„cells of euery age there is frequent mention made of particuler heresyes which then embroyled the Church condemned by the sayd Councells Can we then thinke it possible to speake morally not metaphisically that the Pope and the Councells should be so distracted in iudgment as carefully to register all other impugned Heresyes and on the other side as carefully to suppresse all arysing opinions of Protestancy It is improbable it is absurd Lastly besides that the particuler subiect of all Ecclesiasticall historyes in the relation of new doctrins recorded in the sayd historyes are not the writinges of Husse Wykcliffe and others wherin they first disgorged forth some few pointes of Protestancy yet extant euen to these dayes So transparent in a cleare eye the former answere is Or shall we secondly labour to euade our Aduersaryes pressing vs by clayming Waldo VVikcliffe Husse and such others for pastours of the Protestants Church in their tymes Durum telum necessitas our challenging of them ryseth from our extreme want and penury It is most cleare that the foresayd men were no true Protestants since not only they euer retained most of the points of Catholike religion comparting with vs Protestants only in three or foure articles but also they broached diuers errours vniustify able in our owne and our Aduersaryes iudgments with which their owne writinges do still vpbraid them So much haue some of vs (k) Pox Act. Mon. pag. 618. p. 85. diuers other ProtestaÌ„ts wronged the reputed honour of our owne Church by pretending those former Heterogeneous and mongrill Sectaryes to be true meÌ„bers therof Againe suppose them to be entyre ProtestaÌ„ts it but iustifyeth the being of ProtestaÌ„t Doctors Pastours only for their own tymes we not being able to instaÌ„ce the like for diuers ages before them But sooner shall the seas ebbing and flowing forsake the moones course then the true Church of Christ be depriued but for one age yeare or day of her Pastours and an answerable administration of the Word and Sacraments Or shall we say that in the age aboue instanced as also in many other ages before there were Pastours and Doctours of the Protestant Church notwithstanding by reason of the tyranny of the Pope they were latent and vnknowne How inexplicable or rather contraditory is this Did those Pastours conceale their owne fayth through seare of persecution the strongest pulse which beateth in weakest mindes ioyning in outward show with the supposed Idolatry of the Church of Rome Then were they dissemblers forsakers of their owne Religion and no good members of the Church Ore (*) Rom. 10. fit confessiâ— ad salutem Did they openly professe notwithstanding the imaginary rage of their enemyes their fayth and exercise the Word the SacrameÌ„ts Then by so doing they were made most eminent for what Church is better known theÌ„ that Church which liueth vnder the hatches of persecution resembling the Sunne which is best subiect to the eye in it lowest descent Or what man can for his religion be persecuted which is not knowne Eye-witnesses heereof are those Countryes wherein the Catholike religion at this day suffereth pressures tribulations But to draw towards an end the doctrine of the Churches inuisibility mantayned by many of vs Protestants is a Supersedeas to all our former answeres since it irrefragably euicteth the want of Pastours and Doctours and consequently an interruption of the Word and Sacraments except we wil misapply to the Pastours and Doctours those words of Tacitus Eo ipso praefulgebant quod non visebantur For if the Protestant fayth for many ages was absolutly extinct and no such religion was then mantayned in any Countrey then followeth it that there were neither men in the world to preach the Word and minister the Sacraments according to that religion nor any to heare it preached or receaue theÌ„
Which serious disquisition search of myne I grant first inuited me to spend the more tyme and labour after in the reading of all our Protestant Wryters of any eminency And therefore what authorityes of Protestants are in these Motiues insisted vpon by me I except not one I do iustify them not as borrowed from any Catholike wryter for I hould that course vnworthy a Man of my Place but as from my owne most diligent and laborious reading of the Protestant Bookes themselues But to returne We haue aboue euidently proued that the auncient Fathers were supporters and defenders of the Roman Religion and that in their writings they do transmit and commend ouer the same to all posterity Can we thinke they iustifyed a false fayth they being the Churches Sentinells in those times Vpon thy walls (k) Isa 6â— O Ierusaâ—em I haue set watches for euer Or shall we dreame the Church of Christ being then in her greatest purity that vpon her Altar the Arke of Truth could be compatible with the Dagon of Heresy It is repugnant to Gods Prouidence repugnant to his (l) Matth. 16. Promise And doubtlesse if the Fathers fayth were false and Protestancy the true Fayth I may iustly say all collaterall respects weighed that heere Falshood is much honored with probabilityes and Truth discountenanced with Vnlykely hoods But for my selfe in particular my body daily hasting to it graue through it languishing sicknes the question is Whether during this short remnant of Tyme I should longer consociate my selfe in fayth and Religion with my former Brethren the Protestants or subscrybe to the Cristalline and cleare iudgments heerein of the Auncient Fathers But the election is already made And in these few leaues so my leaues shall not be without fruit that is my desyres without effect I do protest to God and the world that I haue and do renounce all Innouation of doctryne heeretofore imbraced by me and do with all resignation of mynd submit my iudgment to the iudgments of those Primitiue reuerend vertuous and learned Fathers whose voluminous Wrytings I grant for some yeares past haue had an influence and soueraignty ouer my Vnderstanding THE V. MOTIVE That the articles of Protestancy are particulerly condemned for Heresyes by the auncient Fathers And that all Protestants originally came out of the Catholyke Church IALLOVV well the proceeding of Theodosius (a) Sozomen l. 7. histor cap. 12. the Emperour who for his better suppressing of the arrising Heresyes of his dayes was accustomed to demaund of their cheife Patrones whether they thought the auncient Fathers liuing and sterning Gods Church before those new doctrines first appeared were orthodoxall in their fayth or no To which question when they gaue their assent by reputing the said Fathers for such he thus concluded Examinemus ergo doxtrinam vestram ad illorum scripta si cum illis consenserit retineamus sin winus abijciatur The lyke course I hould to be obserued in triall of our Protestant doctrin But I much feare the euent this for two different reasons The one in that I fynd as aboue is showed our owne brethren openly to breake with the cheifest Fathers of the primitiue Church reputing them as so many supporters of Papistry The other because many articles of our Protestant religion newly springing vp in those tymes thus the Gospell d teacheth vs (b) Matt. 13. that the Cokcle was presently sowne after the good seede haue beene condemned for Heresyes by Irenaeus Ierome â—piphanius Augustine and other Fathers in their Catalogues of Heresyes and other their wrytings I do not speake this of euery article of Protestancy since I grant some haue taken their first being from out owne sensuality lyke vnto certayne weeds which grow rather out of the Lust of the earth then from any formal seed Now these Fathers since they were learned could not but know since they were pious and godly would not but confesse the said then arysing doctrines to be crosse to the generall professed Religion of their owne and former tymes And it cannot be as yet nor hath beene by way of retaliation answered that any one of them were euer reprehended for ranging that opinion in the Catalogue of heresyes which was not then generally accepted for heresy Let vs exemplify in some The Arians besides their greater blasphemyes taught that all vnwritten (c) Lib. 1. c. a. contra Matrimin l. vlc Traditions were to be reiected they further perpetrated many sacriledges (d) Atha in apoleg pro fuga against the Sacraments Altars Priests and religious or professed persons And do not we Protestants bring them vpon the stage againe acting their parts in our writings and deportments The Aeriâ—ns to vse S. (e) â—ib de Haeres c. 33. Augustines wordes thought it vnlawfull orare vel offerre promortuis to pray or offer vp sacrifice for the dead or to obserue set dayes of fast and heereupon they were condemned for eating flesh in Lent See how we Caluinists are lineally proseminated sprung from the loines of Aerius so fully we do reintegrate his heresyes The heretike (f) Hier. l. 1. 2. contr Iouinian Aug. lib. de haeres cap. 82. Iouinian taught that Fasting was not meritorious that Virginity was not to be preferred before Wedlocke and that a man once hauing true fayth could not sinne Either we Caluinists are heerein Posthumi to Iouinian or Iouinian by preuention of tyme was an anti-dated Caluinist the difference is but small The o Eunomians maintayned (g) Aug. l. de haeres cap. 54. that no sinne could be hurtfull to one hauing fayth Wil you haue this doctrine deliuered in Luthers (h) Lib. de capt Babilon c. de Euchar. wordes Tam diues est Christianus vt non possit perire etiamsi velit quamtumq malè viuat nisi nolit credere so conspiringly we iumpe togeather in imbracing this confident presumption which as I may tearme it is no better then Hope out of it wits The Manichees depriued man of freewill according to that of S. Augustine Peccatorum (i) Lib de haeres c. 46. origineÌ„ non tribuunt Manichaei libero arbitrio Now Luther and (k) Lib. de seruo arbit Caluin (l) Lib. 2. Insiâ—t c. 2.3 4. are so precipitate and headlong in this doctrine that neither of them can brooks the name or sound of the word Freewill yet heerin they dissent from the Manichees in that they by taking away freewill ascribed all sins wickednes to that God which they tearmed an euill God as to the first cause whereas our men will needes impute the perpetrating of the greatest sinnes whatsoeuer to that God which they acknowledge for good The Donatists (m) Aug. l. 1. contra Petilian cap 51. 61. l. 3. cap. 40. most implacably hated the Bishop of Rome calling his feate Cathedram pestilentiae the very dialect of vs Protestants they most cruelly persecuted Monkes and Religious men
tyme and consequently imbraced another religion lesse auncient These words contayne a stampe or Character impressed vpon Innouation to distinguish it from Antiquity Wherunto wel accordeth that sentence of Optatus (n) Cont. Donat. l. 1. Videndum est quis in radice cum toto orbe manserit quis foras exiérit and more literally that of (o) Tract 3. in epist Ioan. Augustin Omnes Haeretici omnes Scismatici ex nobis exierunt idest ex Ecclesia exeunt intending heerby that whosoeuer maketh choyce of any new sect or doctryne the same Man either in himselfe or in his predecessours in doctryne did depart from a more generall society of men houlding a more auncient fayth then that which by him is chosen From which ground the two wordes Haeresis Apostata tooke their Ecclesiasticall signification the one signyfying a separation or choyce the other a Man going out or reuolting from Heer now I prouoke my own Brethren how learned soeuer to make good two things The one to show from what coÌ„pany or Church more ancient they catholiks departed The other to nominate any one Sect-mayster of Protestancy who was not originally a Catholyke retayning other points of the said Religion departed from this more ancient CoÌ„munity of fayth by forging som one heresy or other Concerning the first it is not sufficient for our Brethren vnder their reducing of the matter to the scripture interpreted by the priuate Spirit being but an idle circulation and maze of dispute to affirme that the Catholykes haue departed from the auncient fayth first instituted by Christ except withall they show some certaine Community of Christians more auncient then the Catholyks from whome they departed the Catholiques by by this meanes taking vpon them a certaine name of the first stampers of their doctryne as the Manichies the Donatists the Iouinians and all others haue done or from the doctryne it selfe But hic labor hoc opus est Our Brethren can neuer do it Neither in my reading haue I found any one Protestant how conuersant soeuer in Ecclesiasticall historyes either to attempt to proue this poynt though most materiall or but once to vrge it against the Catholyks so dangerously he forsaw it might be retorted vpon himselfe and his Religion Concerning the second Our Brethren cannot name any one Protestant euen from the first fiue hundred yeares or afore to the dayes of Luther a compasse of tyme contayning at least a thousand yeares which was not originally a Catholyke himselfe being afore a member of the Catholike Church and going out of it by dogmatizing some few new doctrynes still beleeuing the rest of the articles of Catholike Religion The Precedents of the Hussies Wicleffists and Waldenses may cleare this poynt all which supposing them for the tyme to be ProtestaÌ„ts are reduced as the streame to the fountayne and the branch to the tree to a knowne Catholyke beginning to wit to Husse Wicleffe and Waldo who by our owne acknowledgment were borne and baptized in the Roman Church themselues after leaping out of it by mantayning and broaching some one new doctryne or other not allowed by the Church of Rome according to that of (p) Adue MarcioneÌ„ Tertull. Haereses prodierunt ex nobis non nostrae If then the matter standeth thus that our Brethren notwithstanding their most diligent perusing of all Ecclesiasticall wryters whose proiected labour is to relate al occurents of the Church cannot shew any visible society of Men professing the crue Christian fayth from which as more auncient the present Roman Religion euer departed or went out And that on the contrary part out Aduersaryes are able to proue that euen from the first fiue hundred yeares till Luthers dayes not any one Man can be suggested or put forth for a Protestant who was not originally a Catholyke and no Protestant departing from the Catholyks by his after making choyce of some Innouation in doctryne If then I say this be so what inference more irrefragable can be made or what mathematicall demonstration more counincing then that the Catholyke fayth was more auncient then Protetestancy that being the (q) Matt. 13. good seed which was first sowne though hindred by an after casting into the ground of some tares of Nouelliâ—me and Heresy And thus farre of this poynt the which once more I commend to the diligent perusall of a cleare Iudgment The force of which Argument more easely inuadeth a vulgar Vnderstanding by forging this supposall Imagine then two great familyes or Houses the one in the first tymes of all comming out of the other but whether not confessed both standing in this competency of Antiquity If heere the heyre of the one should not only prouoke and will the other to show by good euidence when any of this heyres ancestours desceded out of the others family he not being able by sufficient wrytings to proue any such descent but withall would engage himselfe to manifest by most auncient and vndoubted Records that all the other parents in their first Ancestours were primitiuely descended from out his owne House And vpon such their descent and other circumstantiall occasions had their names first changed Now this heyre thus vndertaking and thus performing followeth it not most euidently that his house is the more auncient it being indeed the stem and the other but the branch Our Case heerein is the same both in respect of the poynt questioned being cast in one Mould THE VI. MOTIVE That true Miracles haue been wrought for proofe of the Catholyke Religion but not any for Protestancy SVCH is the benigne and mercifull proceeding of God with Man humbling himselfe in a certaine maÌ„ner to the weaknes of our Nature as that he expecteth not true fayth and doctrine at it first promulgation should vnder any penalty of punishment be beleiued except the truth of it were then fortifyed and warranted with some strange and great Miracles Thus he thought good in the vnsearcheable and abysmall depth of his wisdome to ordayne a necessity of Miracles to the confirmation of euery true new doctryne and extraordinary mission for the preaching thereof Both the Testaments afford plentifull proofe herein In the old we reade that when Moyses was sent by God to the People and said to God They (a) Exod. 4. People will not beleiue me nor heare my voyce God thereupon instantly gaue him power to worke miracles to the end as God said that the People may beleiue that the Lord appeared vnto thee a poynt so euident that in our English Bibles our owne marginall Note to this place is thus (b) Printed anno 1â—76 This power to worke miracles was to confirme his doctryne and to assure him of his Vocation In the New the words of our Sauiour to his Apostles proclayme the lyke truth saying As (c) Mate 10. you go preach heale the sicke clense the leprous raise vp the dead cast out the deuills c. And heereupon our Lord Iesus in another place thus
Duraeum pag. 480. with the first instituting of the fast of Lent being in his tyme negligently obserued the doctryne of which fast was so auncient that (m) Exam Coucil Trid part â— pag. 89. Kemnitius thus writeth heerof Ambrose Maximus Taurinensis Theophilus Ierome and others do affirme the fast of Lent to be an Apostolicall Tradition Now the Collusion heere vsed in these examples resteth in a willfull confounding of the first Institution of a thing with a renouation of the practise of the said thing Againe we sometymes obiect thereby to intimate an vncertainty of Catholike Religion some canon or sentence decreed afore by a lawfull Councell and true Pope and after impugned by another lawfull Councell and true Pope But this then which the vulgar doth not obserue doth concerne not matter of fayth and doctrine which neuer fuffereth any alteration by Popes or Councells but only matter of fact the sentence whereof though afore giuen may without any impeachment of the Churches authority vpon better and later information be altered Such were the alterable decrees of the Popes Formosus and Stephanus the seauenth in their seuerall Councells grounded principally vpon matter of fact vsually obiected by vs against our Aduersaryes of which point see Sigebert in his Chronicle Whereas our Aduersaryes as aboue is deliuered show that many of our Protestant doctrines were condemned for heresyes by Augustine Hierem Epiphanius others in those primitiue tymes Now we by way of recrimination do confidently auouch the same of diuers Catholike articles to wit that euen in those dayes they were condemned for heresyes by the sayd Fathers but how truely we auerre this good Reader obserue and if thou be a Protestant blush in thy brethrens behalfe Two examples shall serue for many Well then D. (o) In his Chalenge concerning the Roman Church p. 113. Sutcliffe and D. (p) In his answere to a counterfeit Cath. pag. 22. Fulke insimulate the Catholikes with the heresy of the Collyridans who according to Epiphanius were condemned as these men say for worshipping the Virgin Mary But let (q) Haeres 79. Epiphanius heere explaine himselfe his wordes are these Hi qui hoc docent qui sunt prae terquam mulieres Who teach this except they be women So as this fect consisted only of women of whome Epiphanius thus further writeth Sellam (r) Vbi supra quadratam ornantes panem proponunt offerunt in nomine Mariae c. that is These women adorning a square table do set bread thereupon and offer it in the name of Mary Thus their errour consisted in instituting a feminin Priesthood in sacrifying to Mary belieuing her to be a God And thereupon Epiphanius in the very same place thus censureth heerof Deo ab aeterâ—o nullatenus Mulier sacrificauit c. And againe Neq Deus est Maria c. nemo in nomine eius offerat How farre distant are the Catholikes from mantayning this Heresy either in their doctrine or practise Againe for a second example D. (s) In his answere to a Counterfeit Catâ— pag. 22. Fulke thus speaketh to the Catholikes Of the Heretikes Caiani you haue learned to calvpoÌ„ the Angels he alleadging Epiphanius for the same But Epiphanius wordes are these farre different from D. Fulkes application Non (t) Haeres 38. posse aiunt aliquos saluari nisi c. The heretiks Caiani taught none could be saued till they had gone through all sinnes and committing thereupon wicked thinges and actions they called vpon the name of such as were true Angells and of such as were by them vntruly tearmed Angells referrin to this Angell and that Angell proprian actionem their peculiar action saying when they committed their wickednes O tu Angele vtor tuo opere O Angell I now vse or execute thy worke c. Thus their errour consisted not in calling vpon the Angells but in calling both vpon true false Angells as making them Patrons of their wicked actions Would any man thinke we should wrong our owne reputation and honours in vsing these willfull and iniustifyable misapplications and forgeryes against the Catholikes We are scholars and should remember that as learning beautifyeth the mind so candor and integrity learning And therfore it is strange to see D. Willet in his Tetrastyson Papiseni D. Fulke and D. Sutcliffe in their afore alleadged bookes thus to bloâ— paper in labouring by these and other such like detortions of the Fathers words to perswade their Readers that many articles of Catholike Religion were condemned for heresyes in those ancient tymes But to proceed to other passages of this our Scene whereby we seeke thus to bleare the iudgementes of our credulous followers The better to grace our Religion with the venerable title of Antiquity some of vs (u) D Pulk in his answere to a counterfeit Catâ— passim M VVotion in his desence of D. Perkins pag. 500. touching â—ouâ—nian are not ashamed to insist in the former old registred heretiks of the primitiue church aboue rehearsed vrging them for Protestants But what gaine we heereby For first not any one of them did hould more then two or three points of Protestancy in all others being Catholike Againe such their points of Protestancy though first broached so long since were instantly condemned by the whole Church of God And who knoweth not that erring Antiquity is no better then late appearing Innouation I heere passe ouer our alleadging for these later ages as partly aboue touched of Waldo Wicklifse Husse Polydor Virgil Nilus Cassander and the like for members of the Protestant Church of which not any one was a perfect Protestant both because euery one of them euer belieued most articles of the Catholike Church dissenting from it only in two or three as also in that diuers of them mantayned sundry grosse (x) Whereof see their owâ— books yet extant and absurd doctrines both in our and the Catholikes iudgements and this with great stifnes and pertinancy of will which pertinacy euer consummates perfects an heresy And thus by this their obstinancy contemning the authority of Gods Church they became as I may tearme them formall and positiue heretikes though heresy be but a priuation To proue that Catholikes do disagree in matters of Fayth we obiect some differences among them but such if they be well obserued doe not rest in the Conclusion it selfe of the doctrine belieued but in the manner or some other circumstance of the Conclusion or article of faith which manner except it be defy ned by the Church may be disputed of and seuerally mantained without breach of fayth Thus they all conspyre and agree in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Schoolmen speake though not in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which later point is commonly reduced and tryed by scholasticall diuinity Thus for example when Christ descended into Lymbus Patrum to deliuer the soules of the Iust from thence some few Catholiks mantaine that he descended efficacioussy
Subiect and Syr Edwin (b) In his relation of Religion Sands his words a man of great eminency among vs shall seale vp all the Premisses of this chapter The Protestant Wryters in relation of things haue abused this present age and preiudiced Posterity Loue and Dislyke haue so dazled their eyes that they cannot be beleiued But heer I must take leaue to vse a kynd of introuersion vpon our former deportments When I first noted diuers of these peculiar deliueryes of our owne Brethren I confesse I was moued to a vertuous anger O how often sweet Iesus did I demand in silence of spirit Can that Religion be true which for the supporting of it self is forced to flye to these Collusions and Deceits as to it strongest Sanctuary Must the light of the Ghospell be needs thus blemished for it own maintenance with such works of darknes Cannot true fayth be preached and planted in Mens soules but by such deceauable meanes Yes Different Centers haue euer in their Orbes different motions and truth and falshood cannot run one and the same lyne of proceeding Poore man then that I am haue I so many yeares in my sermons and speaches so much laboured to perswade to that Religion which otherwyse then by these base and ignoble meanes cannot be vpholden But mercifull Lord looke vpon me with the eye of Pitty I acknowledg my fault and do confesse in the words of Ieremy that perhaps euen from my tongue and pen at vnawares calumniam sustinuerunt filij Israel (e) Iereâ—â— cap. 50. The Catholyks and their religion I haue wronged and depraued so iustly are thy owne words verifyed in my weaknes Quod natum (d) Ioan. cap. 3. est ex carne caro est flesh and bloud were the motiues which for some yeares past sealed vp my lips from deliuering and preaching the Truth THE IX MOTIVE That the doctrine of Catholike Religion tendes directly to vertue of Protestancy to vice and Liberty THE Propheticall King deliuereth this Encomion or prayse of the kingdom of Christ which is his church That it is Lex (a) Psalm 18. Domini immaculata testimonium fidele praeceptum Domini illucidum Meaning heereby that the doctrine of the Ghospell of Christ contayneth nothing that is false in respect of fayth nothing vniust or wicked in regard of manners The former point being in part already discussed in this other I will a little insist briefly running ouer some few articles both of the Catholike and Protestant Religion and so will referre to the indifferent Reader which is that fayth which leadeth to the broad way (b) Matt. 7. of destruction and which to the narrow strait (c) Luc. 1â— Matth. 7. way of life And first touching our Protestant doctrine of Iustification by only fayth what liberty breedeth it in mans soule Since by it we are taught that notwithstanding our perpetrating of the most facinerous crimes one naked act of fayth in belieuing that Christ dyed for our sinnes washeth away all our ordure and stench This fayth assureth vs that Confession of sinnes is needles that all satisfaction and Almesdeeds are bootles that instantly vpon our deaths without suffering any temporall punishment in Purgatory we flye vp to heauen And all this because Christ hath suffered and payed for vs all so little we belieue that saying Satisfactio (*) Tert. l. de poeniâ—â—nt Confessione disponitur Confessio poenitentia nascitur poenitentia Deus mitigatur Now doth not this open the sluce to all licenciousnes May not a man reply vpon this ground that we need not either to pray or fast at all since Christ hath prayed and fasted for vs Our doctrine of depriuing man of Freewill how preiudiciall is it to a vertuous life Since it deadeth and blunteth all our endeauours in seeking to liue vertuously For it teacheth to deliuer it in Luthers (d) Serm. de Moyse wordes That the ten Commandments appertaine not vnto Christians or in M. Foxe his phrase That the ten Commandments were giuen vs not to doe them but to know our damnation and to call for mercy to God And heereupon one Thesis or Conclusion of our fayth is The impossibility of keeping the Commandments taught by vs all and particulerly by D. Willet (f) Synop. paâ—ism p. 〈◊〉 in these wordes The law remayneth still impossible to be kept by vs through the weaknes of our flesh Neither doth God giue vs ability to keep it but Christ hath fullfilled it for vs. Now if we want Free-will to what end should we striue to obserue the Commandments by mortifying our passions or by for bearing the actions prohibited by them Or to what end are admonitions to vertue or threats deterring from vice to be vsed either by God in his holy write or by man in humane lawes In like sort this doctrine of want of Freewill teacheth vs that we haue not the guift of Chastity a doctrine most (*) M. Perkins in his reformed Cath. pag. 161. sayâ—h The vow of continenâ—y is not in the power of him that voweth dangerous to all men and women vnmarryed and also to those in state of Wedlocke when the one party either through absence or impotency cannot discharge the due of Mariage And out of this puddle streamed that filth of Luthers wordes It (g) Tom. 5 VVittemberg sâ—rm de Matrimo is not in our power to be without a woman c. It is as necessary as to eate drinke purge make cleane the nose c. And againe If the wife will not let the maid come What flesh-diuinity is this Thus doth our first Euangelicall Prophet who vaunted euer much of the spirit like a good peace-maker ioyne those two thinges togeather I meane the Spirit and the Flesh which the Scripture (h) Matt. 1â— Rom. 8. Calaâ— 1. euer deuydeth and opposeth Our doctrine of the diuision of sinnes teacheth that to the faythfull professours of the Ghospel all sinnes though in others most heinous and grieuous are but (i) Musculus in loc comm de peâ—cat seâ—t 5. and D. Pulke against the Rhemish Testament in epist Ioan. veniall Now what encouragement to sinne doth this doctrine affoard to all those who are perswaded they haue true fayth Since by this their doctrine commit they what sinnes they will they learne their sinnes shall not be imputed vnto them And heereto euen D. Whitaker (k) De Eccles coÌ„t Bellarm. contro 2. quast 5. p. 301. accordeth in these wordes Si quis actum fidei habet eipectata non nocent Sinne doth not hurt him who actually belieueth And Luther No (l) In his Sermons englished printed anno 1578. pag. 126. worke is disallowed of God vnles the Authour thereof be disallowed And M. Wetton To (m) In his answere to the late popish artiâ—ies pag. 91. 41. the faythfull sinne is pardoned as soone as it is committed they hauing receaued forgiuenes of all their sinnes past and to come strange and dangerous
being descended from those mentioned in Iob (e) Cap. 15. Bibunt quasi aquam iniquitatem They euen meditate how to become extremely vicious and as I may say they hould it a sinne to be but second in any sinne so much they affect all principality therein Witnesses heereof are the reuolted Priests the very scumm and improfitable burdens of the earth Good God! what base treacherous and inhumane motions haue some of them made to me for my imploying of their seruice But I will stay my pen. Concerning those who leauing Protestancy become Catholyks Many euen Protestants do obserue and confesse with me that by such their change in fayth they make a greater change in manners the will thus expecting to partake of the VnderstaÌ„dings good stil bettering their course of life and regulating in part their former exorbitancyes My self haue much marked this alteration and one example I cannot without wronge passe ouer It is this One yeare in my Vice chancelouriship in Oxford my deare mother from whose brestes I haue sucked my best milke there was a Mayster of Arts a man of reasonable yeares in iudgment a most forward and earnest Protestant of a delicate and choyce wit good literature a great spirit but extremely dissolute and loose in manners as wholy giuen ouer to Sensuality I wished him well for his good partes though his tares did ouergrow his wheat and for his friends behalfe My many perswasions for his change of lyfe was but as seede sowne in a barren ground in so much as I was forced otherwyse to chastize him for his publike disorders This Man leauing Oxford trauelled beyond the Seas there stayed some yeares altered his iudgment in Religion renewed his studyes was made Priest returned into England was apprehended and conuented before me then B. of London At the first sight I remembred well the Man and he me I could him I was sorry to heare that he had changed Ierusalem for Babylon I did meane EnglaÌ„d for Rome and the light of the Ghospel for supposed blynd Superstition I talked with him in priuate He denyed not his Priesthood I vrged him that his former bad Course of lyfe serued as a disposition to his now worse state I profered him if so hâ— would returne to the Truth to procure besydes his liberty present competency of Meanes and hereafter better aduancements for I thought such a man might be much seruiceable in our Church He kyndly thanked me for my proffers But I remember at my touching of his lyfe he gushed out into abundance of teares fully acknoledging his former enormous courses and his teares ceasing thus replyed My Lord for this was his answere it is to be feared that I may say with some Ancients perijssem si non perijssem since the reflecting vpon the deformity and vglines of my owne former wicked courses was occasionally a meanes for my change of Religion and my incorporating into Gods Church through his infinite mercy who worketh good out of euill as once he (f) 2. Cor 1.4 did commaÌ„d Light to shyne out of Darknes Me thought I saw compunction humility in his face such a change there was betweene him and his former selfe he tould me for temporall benefits he expected none his enlargment he desyred so far forth as therby he might more fully execute his Priesthood saying he desyred no other haruest in this World then to reduce poore straying soules to the Catholik Church But touching my motioning his reuolt in his fayth his reply was that if he had as many lyues as there are stars in Heauen a supernaturall and wonderfull resolution he would lose them all before he would change his religion I enquyred of his cariage in prison and I was informed that besides the affliction of the place which might seeme sufficient he vsed diuers voluntary austerityes The end was I not preuayling with him in my desyres did hasten his banishement But obseruing his different comportmentes at these two different tymes how often thought I for then I made no other construction though I graunt since I haue giuen it another Comment must it be the mishap of the Gospell of Christ and the aduantage of Superstition that a Man professing the true sayth must engulfe himself in all wickednes and after comming from the light into the darknes of Errour must instantly breath penitency of former sinnes humility charity and sanctity of lyfe But inough of this Man As concerning other Priests in generall my experience taken from their often appearance and conuiction before me assureth my iudgment that abstracting from the Lawes of the Realme they are good Men greatly deuoted to vertue and piety labouring with exposall of their liues to imminent danger to saue seduced Soules And indeed it is aboue the leuell of Nature to see most of them Gentlemen by byrth of liberall education hauing otherwise competency of meanes yea some heyres to their parents whole Patrimony and state thus to shake hands with the world and all the pleasures thereof so bearing a spirituall death in a naturall lyfe and ready only for the good of other soules to become so many yonge Isaacs expecting to be made sacrifices if the Angell of mercy stay not the hand of the Law Thus where some two or three of them among many scores through a base reuolting pusillanimity commonly vshered afore with a secret vitious course are glad to purchase an ignoble lyfe with ouerthrow the rest stand prepared to suffer a most happy death with Victory For the Lay-Catholykes I know they are commonly of most tender Consciences How many besydes men euen Women yea Gentlewomen and Ladyes of note haue beene afore me to whom I haue profered all kyndnes if they would show but the least relenting in the smallest poynt of their Religion but their resolution was so vnalterable that I was wont to muse thereat and say to my selfe see how weaknes remaynes firme and vnuanquished when strength oftentymes doth fall and yeald Besydes how many young gentlewomen of good portions and fitting for the World do leaue for euer their Countrey friends only to cloyster themselues within a wall and there to sperâ—â— all their dayes in Chastity fasting prayer and deuotion Holy Iesus forgiue me for my hindering of diuers such from taking this holy Course But to hasten to an end Since the doctryne of Catholyks and Protestans are so different in nature the one euen exhaling forth liberty and sensuality the other vertue piety and mortification and since the lyke disparity would be found in their lyues if due examination were made thereof what els can I conclude but that the Catholyke Religion is the true Religion and Protestancy but Errour Innouation Except I should mantayne contrary to the prouidence goodnes charity of God and to all naturall Reason that true fayth must needs be accompanyed with a bad lyfe and false fayth with a good
are not to be referred to one in respect of essence but rather in respect of consent And thus far of some few chiefest texts of all pretermitting diuers others (q) As in Genes c. 1. touching the word Eâ—oim and Genes c. 19. Psal 33. diâ—eâ— 3 other textes prouing the Blessed Trinity for breuity prouing the doctrine of the most B. Trinity yet otherwise depraued and misconstrued by Caluin Now that Caluin is charged by diuers Protestants for mantayning of Arianisme is no lesse euident For among others Aegidius Hunnius a most remarkable and learned Protestant writeth a book against Caluin euen of this subiect entituling it Caluinus Iudaizans Hoc est Iudaicae glossae corruptelae quibus Ioannes Caluinus illustrissima Scripturae sacrae loca testimonia de gloriosa Trinit ate c. aetestandum in modum corrumpere non exhorruit In like sort the sayd Author writeth a secoÌ„d book of the same subiect calling it Anti-paraeus Againe Conradus (r) In theolog Caluinist l. 2. fol. 38 39.4â— c. Schlusselburg a Protestant deeply and frequently chargeth Caluin with Arianisme Ioannes Matthaeus a Protestant writing against Caluin for teaching Arianisme entituleth his booke De cauendo Caluinistarum fermento c. Also Pelargus a Protestant thus passeth ouer Caluin and his schollars in these wordes Non (s) In his admenit de Arianis hic Caluinum Caluinianos in plurinis scripturae expositionibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 laboriosè ostendam c. That is I heere pretermit to show how Caluin and the Caluinists in many expositions of sacred Scripture do play the Iewes and the Arians Lastly Stancarus a Caluinist in other poynts thus wryteth to Caeluin Conclusum (t) Contra ministâ—os Geâ—teuenses Tyguâ—inos est ô Caluine doctrinam tuam de filio Dei esse plane Arianam de qua resilias quaÌ„primum te â—ro atque obsecro that is O Caluin it is concluded that thy doctryne touching the Sonne of God is plainly Arian from which I beseech thee that thou wouldest presently depart Now to crosse these learned Mens iudgements passed vpon Caluin it is not sufficient to affirme that Caluin euer in his lyfe professed himselfe to beleiue the doctryne of the Trinity since such his profession can be but only externall and in words for how can he be presumed inwardly and vndoubtedly to beleiue that doctryne the greatest authorityes in proofe of which doctrine himselfe laboureth to ouerthrow at least to eneruate and weaken Touching the third poynt to wit that most of our new Arians at this day were afore earnest Caluinists is auerred by diuers learned Protestan s And first M. Hooker thus faith of this (u) In his Eccles policy l. 4. p. 183. The Arians in the reformed Churches of Poland meaning thereby the reformed Churches of the Caluinists there thinke the very beleife of the Trinity to be a part of AntichristiaÌ„ corruption And that the Popes triple crowne is a sensible marke whereby the world might know him to be that mysticaâ—l beast spoken of in the Reuelation in 〈◊〉 respect so much as in his doctryne of the Trinity Againe the afore alledged Stancarus (x) Contra Ministros Geâ—teuenses Tyguâ—mos fol. 94. thus peremptorily auerreth The reformed Churches of Geneua and Tigure are Arians Iacobus (y) â—â—â—n praefat refutat Apolog. Dauaei Andraeas a learned Proâ—estaÌ„t thus giueth his iudgment heerein Minimù mirandum est ex Caluinianis in Polania Transiluaâ—is Hâ—ungaria â—lyâ—que locis quamplurimos ad Arianismum accessisse c that is It is not to be woundred that very many Caluinists in Polonia Transiluania Hungary and other places do imbrace Arianisme c. to which impiety the doctryne of Caluin hath prepared way Thus Andraeas to whose sentence the learned (*) In his Antiparaeus p. 97 Hunnius subcribeth in these words Tot celebres Anti-trinitary ex Caluinianorum Scholis Ecclesijs prodierunt c. So many eminent Anti-trinitarians or enemyes to the doctrine of the Trinity haue issued out of the Schooies and Churches of the Caluinists c. But to seale vp the truth heerof with producing examples of particuler men who being Caluinists became Arians I will heere content my selfe with one testimony only Adam Neuserus a Caluinist of great note and once cheife Pastour of Heidelberge became an Arian and after a Turke and thereupon flying to Constantinople did wryte from thence to one Gerlachius a Protestant Minister in Iuly 2. anno 1574. in this sort None (a) This is related by Osiander in Epitom ceut 16. p. 208. is knowne to be in our tyme made an Arian who was not first a Caluinist as Seruetus Blandrata Paulus Alciatus Francis us Dauid Gentilis Gebraldus Siluanus others Therefore who feareth to fall into Arianisme let him take heed of Caluinisme Thus much Neuserus for example of himselfe and these other particuler Arians who first were Caluinists And thus far of this subiect where we fynd by seuerall kynds of proofs that Luther Caluin are Posthumi to Arius and that Mans Vnderstanding in these our tymes neuer receaueth the deepe and full dye of Arianisme except first as for a due preparation thereto it be drenched and steeped in the tincture of Caluinisme But now to turne backe vpon the Premisses and vpon my selfe What Reason can I probably haue that Luther Caluin and their ofspring thus maynly erring in the fundamentall poyntes of Christianity doth not also erre in other lesser principles of their owne religion Is it possible that the wronging of Christ in his Essence being honour should be a step or disposition to preach in other poynts the true fayth of Christ Or shall the supporters and reuiuers of Arius the designed enemy of my Sauiour be my instructors and guydes touching my beleife in my Sauiour No. Such Pseudochristians and their serpentine and hidden malice against thee sweet Iesus I loath and disclayme from who though not as the Lambe of God which taketh away the Sinne of the world yet as the Lyon of (b) Apoc. cap. 5. the Trybe of Iuda which confoundeth his enemyes will for thyne honours sake inflict iust punishments vpon them for these their perpetrated indignityes THE XI MOTIVE That there is vnity in Faith in Catholike Religion and disagreements in fayth in Protestancy AMONG other incommunicable Attributes of God it is ascribed vnto him that he is (a) Since his vnity is opposed to all multitude as his simplicity of nature is to all composition summè Vnus though this his vnity of Essence and Nature comprehendeth eminenter all multiplicity of perfections in creatures This Vnity by way of Analogy that so the spouse might be heerein like to her Brydegrome God hath imprinted vpon his Church as an inseparable marke or Character And this consisteth in that her members are to imbrace one fayth one Religion and according to the Apostles wordes endeauouring (b) Ephes
as though the Sunne equally and indifferently shyned vpon vs all auerring with (d) D. â—e well in his Apology of the Church of England p. 101. sayth thus The ZuingliaÌ„s and Lutherans are good friends they vary not betweâ—ne themselves vpon the principles and foundatioÌ„s of our Religion but vpon only one questioÌ„ which is neither waighty nor great The like sayth D. VVhitakâ— in resp ad rationes Camp rat 8. p. 155. monstrous boldnes that the ProtestaÌ„t differ among themselues not in any mayne poynts of fayth but only in Ceremonyes and some few matters of Indifferency so making our pens and Controuersyes for our owne aduantage to partake of the nature of diaphanous and transparent bodyes which are equally capable of light darknes In lyke sort I cannot but obserue in the thronge of so many great differences among our selues the detriment we suffer particularly by our dissensions touching our Communion-Booke of Prayer and our English Translation of Scripture Since by the first we are not resolued how we ought to pray to God whether our prayers made for the remitting of our Sinnes be not an increase of our sinnes since wrongfully and with a false fayth to pray is but to offend God And thus do we depriue our selues of the cheife means of pacifying Gods wrath and indignation Seing Prayer is a secondary Mediatour betweene God and man by meanes of it God as I may say knoweth not that to wit our Sinnes which from all Etermity he did know nor remembers that which before the perpetrating thereof was firmely registed in the Booke of his Prescience Prayer indeed being the spirituall ayre which refrigerates the heat of our Passions Os (e) Psalm 1â—8 meum aperui attraxi spiritum In lyke sort we being at wars which is the true Word of God in our translations of Scripture we are in the meane tyme depriued euen by our owne grounds of the true Iudge for the appeasing determining of Controuersyes in Religion since granting the Scripture to be this Iudge yet this is to be vnderstoode of the Scripture as it is pure in it self and incontaminated not as it is abastarded with false Translations Besydes being vnresolued which is the true Word of God we know not which is that heauenly Kings true â—â—mbassadour bringing to mankynd the comfortable message of Saluation or rather which is the Great Seale of that most great God whereunto he hath set his hand obliging himself by promise to giue Pardon to all truly Penitent euery sentence thereof being indeed the Lyse of our Soule and Soule of our Life (f) Ioan. cap. 6. Verba quae ego locutus sum vobis spir tus vita sâ—nt But to conclude this Chapter since the Catholyks in respect of fayth enioy a perfect Vnity since the Protestants maintayne strange diuersityes of doctrine attended on with intestine simultyes and vnchristian Anathematizings And since I haue but one poore indiuisible soule not capable of seuerall wayes therefore I am resolued that this one soule of myne shall in her fayth according to her owne being and essence tread the path of Vnity not of multiplicious Contrariety and repugnancy in Religion THE XII MOTIVE That Saluation may be had in Catholyke Religion by the confession of Protestants PERVERSITAS fidei est probata non credere non probata prasumere saith the ancient and learned (a) Aduer Gâ—osticos Tertullian By which words we are taught that an indubious and and fully warranted Truth ought to ouerballance in matter of fayth all vncertaine iniustifiable fluctuations of a contrary iudgment Heere then the Question being in what fa th and Religion a man dying may be saued a primary and Cardinall poynt I fynd that the learneder sort of Protestants do conspiringly seach that a Catholyke or in our own phrase a Papist dying a Papist may be saued but I do not fynd the lyke fauorable censure of our learned Aduersaryes so vnanimously to passe vpon vs dying Protestants Thus the first poynt as being on all sydes approued I may securely beleiue the second as not granted I must apprehend at least as doubtfull The consideration of our owne Brethrens iudgments heere in the behalfe of our Aduersaryes I grant hath much swayed me For as some of vs do teach (b) Peter Martyr in his Comm. places parâ— 2 p. 319. Among all testimonyes that testimony is of greatest respect which is witnessed by the Enemy since such an authour by disprouing the truth most strongly approues it and by impugning propugnes it This poynt then to wit that the hope of Saluation belongeth to Papists dying Papists shall be demonstrated foure seuerall wayes euen from the ingenuous and plaine acknowledgment of those Protestants whose pennes and wrytings haue most stroÌ„gly inuaded the iudgment of their Readers First by showing that diuers of vs doe hould that the cheifest Articles of Catholyke Religion are but poynts of Iudifferency and compatible with Saluation and which is more by prouing that sundry learned Protestants haue actually and really beleiued the said Catholike Articles as true Secondly by manifesting euen from our owne wrytings that the Church of Rome is the true Church of Christ and that in that Church Saluation is to be obtayned Thirdly from our doctryne practize in baptizing the children of Catholyks Fourthly by insisting in diuers examples of particuler men which haue dyed in the Roman and Catholike Church and yet by vs Protestants are reputed for glorious Saints in heauen As touching the first I will rest for greater expedition in some few of the chiefest articls of the Roman fayth the which being accounted by vs as matters of indifferencyes may stand by our owne censures with saluation from whence we may inferre that then much more many other articles of the sayd Religion be reputed by vs to be of the like indifferency And first concerning the primacy of the Church Luther (c) In assert art 36. himselfe thus sayth The Popes supremacy is among those vnnecessary trifles wherin the Popes leuity and foolery is to be borne withall Melancthon (d) In his epist extant in the booke styled Centuria epist Theolog. epist 74. proceedeth more plainely saying An agreement may easily be established in the Article of the Popes Primacy if other articles could be agreed vpon The doctrine of the Primacy to wit that one must be chiefe in the Church of God is taught by (e) Vbi supra MelanctoÌ„ (f) So related by Hospinian hist p. 389. Iacobus Andreas (g) Luth. in loc com class c. 37 Luther and D. (h) D. Couell in his exam fol. 106. Couell who giueth this reason thereof saying If there were not one supreme head in the Church of God the Church should be worse then the meanest Commonwealth yea then any den of theeues Touching the reall presence D. Reynolds (i) In his conclus annexed to his conference pag. 722. so depresseth the weight thereof that he sayth
THE BISHOP OF LONDON HIS LEGACY OR Certaine Motiues of D. King late Bishop of London for his change of Religion and dying in the Catholike and Roman Church VVith a Conclusion to his Brethren the LL. Bishops of England Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum ecce hereditas Domini Psal 126 Beati qui ix Dominâ— moriuntur Apoc. 14. Permissu Superiorum M.DC.XXIII AN ADVERTISMENT OF THE PVBLISHER OF THIS TREATISE to the Reader GOOD Reader It is an approued Methode both of auncieÌ„t moderne VVriters after they haue made choyce of the Subiect by theÌ„ to be intreated off sometymes by a Poeticall Conceite particularly to tye and apply the sayd Subiect to some one peculiar person or other circumstance as if the Truth and Verity thereof did really exist only in the same Person or Circumstance Thus for Example Xenephon fashioning in his KYPOâ—ANAEIA or Institution of Cyrus what a Princâ— ought to be doth personâ—â—e all his Precepts therin in Cyrus Not that Cyrus was such a Prince as he is there described but that according to the judgmeÌ„t of Xenophon is Prince or King is wished to be so instructed and informed as he feygneth Cyrus And thus his Maiesty whom God long preserue following in part the like Methode doth delineate and draw with his learned Pencil the true portraiture of a good Prince in his Basilicon Doron a worke of eternall memory and worthy to be written in letters not of gould too base a mettall but euen in letters of Diamonds if so they could be melted and resolued Thus also doth Homer in his Odyssees as it were incorporate all his instructions and documeÌ„ts of a subtile and wyse traueller in the persoÌ„ of Vlysses The like may improportionably be auerred of Plato touching his CoÌ„monwealth of Aristotle touching his Felicity and lastly of that most glorious Martyr Sr. Thomas More in his Vtopia All or most of which Authours for their better warrant do challenge to themselues a Poeticall liberty in feyguing that really to be which indeed is not Now to apply this to our present matter in had â—â—â—hing the deceased Bishop of London D. King That he altered his Religion before his death and dyed Catholike is most certaine howsoeuer his Fâ—â—â—ries labour to suppresse the truth seeing if liberty were giuen it would infallibly be made euident by many vnanswerable reasons That he did write in tyme of his sicknes deliuered to others before his death any reason or motyues of such his change in Religion I will be sparing peremptorily to affirme for I will not exasperate his Friends aâ—d other great Protestant personages more then necessity inforceth For seeing they could not endure to heare that he dyed Catholike what tragedyes troubles would they attempt to rayse if it should be auerred that the Bishop did wryte any Motiues of such his alteration in Fayth and Religion Only I say seeing it is most certayne that he dyed Catholike And seeing no learned Man changeth his Religion but vpon some Inducements and Motiues And lastly seeing in the iudgment of the Publisher heerof no Motyues are more forcible for a Protestant perhaps particulerly for the Bishop to change his Religion and imbrace the Catholike Fayth then these set downe in this Treatise Therfore the Publisher as being warraÌ„ted by the former examples of Xenophon and others aboue meÌ„tioned wisheth that Himselfe may be heere taken to haue written these Motiues as a Precedent or Patâ—erne warranting any Protestant in the change of his Religion though by a Poeticall freedome peculiarly applyed to the Bishop in regard of his like change of Fayth and so accordingly the Treatise is styled His Legacy And therfore to keepe the better Decorum where the Bishop in the Epistle Dedicatory assumeth the wryting therof to himself VVhere also in the Booke it selfe there is some enterchange of speeches betweene the Bishop and others And lastly where the Bishop in the end thereof wryteth to the rest of the Bishops his Brethren All these passages the Reader may if it please him with my full consent and allowance suppose to be fictiones Personarum and warranted by the figure Prospopcia And that the Publisher heerof performeth no more if so much then Plutarch doth in his Parallels of the Romans with the Grecians That is to appropriate certayne Speeches or Orations to certayne Men and such speeches only as are most fitting to proceed with due consideration of Circumstances from the same parties to whom they are by supposall so ascribed Thus Good Reader seeing matters must be cautelously carried in these dayes thou seest I will thee not to take this Treatise as written by the Bishop and deliuered ouer to others in his life tyme but in Gods Name repute it as Myne For I am not desirous to father any thing vpon the dead nor doth the Catholike Cause need any such Pretence but what is acknowledged for such by the iudgment of all Men I know well the B â— Friends are farre from any such acknowledgment But howsoeuer if thou reape profit heerby I shal be glad but if neyther the Bishops change in Religion nor these present Motyues by whomsoeuer written can withdraw thee from the Heresies of these tymes I can but commiserate the poore and dangerous estate of thy Soule If any of the Bishops neerest Friends shall by answere impugne this Treatise let him take heed that the byrth of such a future worke become not viperous as not regarding whose sides it laâ—ceth before it can take is being But aboue all forbearing to cauill at the Method let him be carefull to answere the Motyues in particuler this directly and plainly and to all the authorityes as heere they do lye without affecting any obscurity in Methode or long and tedious Discourses therby to diuert the Readers mynd froÌ„ the point heere handled and to turne it to other by-matters Thus much is expected at his hands and the rather seeing aforehand he is premonished heereof only for the better manifestation of the truth And thus Good Reader wishing thee to take at least in good part the publishing of this Legacy which indeed had been sent to the Presse instantly vpon the Bishops death and so had then immediately come forth were it not that it hath been stayed till now vpon some iust and vrgent Reasons I bid thee hartily farewell Thy louing Friend A. B. THE EPISTLE TO THE READER GOOD Christian Reader whether Catholyke or Protestant heere before my Death I bequeath to thee as my Legacy these few leaues though the weake and feminyne Issue of my sicke and distempered Age contayning no doubt with amazement to thy selfe certaine grounds of my alienation of mynd froÌ„ the ProtestaÌ„ts Religion True it is that for some years past though I was far otherwyse affected when I did wryte my Lectures vpon Ionas I haue preached and taught the Protestant fayth with a certaine hesitation doubtfulnes of Iudgment in regard of some tyme more seriously spent
ministred Touching the doctrine of the inuisiblity of the Protestant Church for many ages we do find our Brother D. Parkins (l) In his exposition of the Creed And Lut. ep ad Argentin sayth Christum à nobis primò vulgatum audemus gloriari thus to write During the space of nine hundred yeares the Popish heresy hath spred it selfe ouer the whole earth And further For many hundred yeares our Church was not visible to the world an vniuersall apostasy ouerspreading the whole face of the earth With whome accordeth D. (m) In his answere to a counterfeit Catholik pag. 16. Fulke saying From the tyme of Boniface the third which was Anno Domini 607. the Church became inuisible and fled into the wildernes there to remaine a long season But M. Napper (n) In his treatise vpon the ReuelatioÌ„ pag. â—8 ryseth higher teaching That between the years of Christ 300. and 316. the Antichristian and Papisticall raigue began raigning â—niuersally without any debatable contradiction one thousand two hundred sixty yeares M. Brocard (o) Vpon the Reuelation p. 110. affirmeth that during the second and third age after Christ the true temple of God and light of the Ghospell was obscured by the Roman Antichrist himselfe But Sebastianus (p) In epistola de abrogandis in vniuersuÌ„ on nibus statutis Ecclesiasticis Francus otherwise a learned Protestant stretcheth farre further saying For certaine through this worke of Antichrist the externall Church togeather with the fayth and Sacraments vanished away presently after the Apostles departure and that for these fourteene hundred yeares the Church hath not beene external and visible with whom conspireth D. (q) In his answere to a counterfeit Catholike p. â—5 Fulke in these wordes The true Church decayed immediatly after the Apostles tyme. A strange and inconsiderate assertion thus to insimulate and charge the tymes next to the Apostles since besides the Scripture (r) Isa 2 Miche as 4 Psalm 19. Matth. 5. witnessing in many places a continuall visibility of the Church and true fayth at all tymes it was Gods good pleasure that his Church concerning true fayth and doctrine should contrary to the course of other things enioy her greatest strength and force in her greatest infancy But to the point From all these testimonyes may be inferred that if the Protestants Church was for so many ages inuisible and that the true fayth and Sacraments thereof were vanished away for so long a tyme then during the length of so many ages there were no Doctours to preach the Protestants fayth nor Pastours to minister their Sacramentes though the same euer to haue beene in the Catholik Church the Protestants forsayd testimonyes do necessarily and implicitely witnes and consequently that the aboue alleadged Prophesy touching the continuance of Pastours Doctours in the Church of Christ at all tymes till the end of the world is not accomplished in the Protestant Church Thus farre heerof only for greater perspicuity I will wind vp the two different parts of all the foresayd Prophesyes in this ensuing argument Then thus It is prophesyed of the true Church of Christ that she must conuert heathen Kinges Kingdomes and Nations vnto her fayth and Religion Aâ— also that she must in all tymes and ages without interruption entoy aflours and Doctours and an administration of the word and Sacraments But by the confessions of our learned Brethren the Protestants the Protestant Church hath neuer as yet conuerted to it any one Heathen King kingdome Nation for many ages togeather by the ProtestaÌ„ts like acknowledgments it hath wanted Doctours and Pastours â—â—preach the Protestants fayth and to minisâ—er the word and Sacraments Therefore the Protestant Church is not that true Church of Christ which is figured out in those foresayd Prophesyes The inference I vrge this I presse in this I make my station It is drawne from acknowledged Scripture on all sides and from the acknowledged sense of the sayd Scripture on all sides Let any learned Protestant or all the learned Protestants liuing sincerely and plainely without subtile euading and declyning the point vrged giue any satisfactory answere heereto and I will indisputably become recreant in my fayth The demonstration is vnauoydable such as that seueral markable ProtestaÌ„ts one way not coÌ„fessing out of their implacable hatred the former Prophesies to be fullfilled in the Catholike Church another seeing by al proofe of historyes whatsoeuer that they haue not beene performed in the ProtestaÌ„t Church 1. s Dauid George Professour at Basil did from hence conclude a thought horrible to be entertained that the Christian Religion as wanting the accomplishments of the foresaid Prophesyes was a false Religion 2. Beruardin Ochine a man highly commeÌ„ded by caliâ—â—n l. de scandalis pag. 111. ouâ— Sauiour a seducer and themselues thereupon sinally became s Iewes I execrate a Iew therefore seeing there is no other Medium I will dye heerein a Roman Catholike 3. Neuserus chiefe Pastour of â—eideâ—hergc 4. Almanus a Zuinglion all which throught the reasons aboue touched forsooke the Christian fayth See of these some others Conradus Schluffelburg in his Theolog. Calu. and Osiander Cent. THE III. MOTIVE That generall Councells confirming Catholike Religion are reiected by Protestants IT is certaine that the spirituall Enemy of mans soule though hating Order yet in impugning the Truth obserueth order For after his reiecting of Canonicall Scripture and expounding falsly by his Ministers confessed scripture he next maketh violent incursions vpon sacred Oecumenicall Councels they being in matters of fayth the highest Iudgements vpon earth whose semences are aboue all appeale and whose testimonyes I hould as so many sealing arguments Therefore I much grieued to find the first and chiefest of our Religion peremptorily to sindicate and censure next to that of the Apostles the first and chiefest generall Councell I meane Luther the Nicen styling it (a) â—uth l. de Concil decrees fâ—enum stramen ligna stipula c. But no meruaile since so long as we continue in condemning the articles of Catholike religion so long are we forced to breake with those Primitiue generall Synods To exemplify in some few for the truths sake though it be more hard to erect a truth by proofes then to confute an errour Who is so Alphabeticall yong a Controuersist but he knoweth that the doctrine of Peters Primacy and his successours is confirmed in the Canons of the second generall (b) Epist ad Damal quae exstat apud Theodor Councell of Constantinople and the third of (c) Apud Eugagrium lib. hist c. 4. Ephesus In the one by plainely acknowledging the doctrine in the other by deposing Nestorius by the authority of the Sea of Rome That Apostolicall traditions are warranted by the first second Nicen Councel the first condeÌ„ning the (d) In actis eiusdem Concii heresy of Arius besydes by Scripture euen by force of Traditions the other (e) Epst.
speaketh of himselfe If (d) Ioan. 15. I had not done the works which no other Man did they had not sinned To conclude S. Marke sealeth vp his Gospell with the lyke words touching the Apostles saying They (e) Mar. vâ—â— preached euery where and the Lord wrought with them and confirmed the word with signes that followed Now from these sacred texts of Scripture ryseth this Resultancy to wit What Church enioyeth this guyft of Miracles the same is the true Church since true Miracles are wrought only by the power of God though not allwayes by good men yet euer to a good end And what Church wanteth this priuiledge especially in the first planting of a new Religion or in an extraordinary Mission or vocation of Ministers the same is not to be reputed the true Church of God but the Conuenticle of Satan which later poynt is acknowledged for true euen by vs (f) Musculus thus writeth in loc com Vocatio quae immidiatè est a Christo c. babebat sua signa vnde cognosci potuis de quibus meminit Marcus Euangelista cap. vis Amandue Polâ—â—us in partis theolog l. â— p. 308. Ministrorum extraordinariè vocatoruÌ„â—tiam dona extraordiâ—aria fuere neÌ„pe Prophetia doâ—um edendi miracula Vide D. Sauaria in defens tract coutra respons Bezae cap. 2. p. 38. Luth. in loc com class 4. c. 20â— Bullinger aduers Anabapt lib. 3. cap. 7. saying Si dicitis vos instar Apostolorum peculiarem vocationem babâ—re probate eam signis miraculis ProtestaÌ„ts thus are we coÌ„tent to lend a hand for the drawing out of that sword which our Aduersaryes after do sheath in our owne sides for if I can proue that in the Catholike and Roman Church there hath beene in all ages the patration of true Miracles and that neuer any one hath beene performed by vs Protestants notwithstanding our vndertaking to plant a new Religion and challenging to our selues an extraordinary vocation what can be more irrefragably concluded but that the Catholike Church is that true Church whereunto our Sauiour hath tyed this glorious guift and that our Protestant Church is but a false and late erected synagogue According to that of S. Augustine Culmen (g) Lib. de â—tilitate credâ—â—di cap. 17. authoritatis obtinuit Ecclesia Catholica Haereticis Miraculorum maiestate damnatis And first to examine vs Protestants touching this point where as forseeing and acknowledging our want of miracles it will not be sufficient for vs by way of preueÌ„tion to say That since the doctrine now taught by vs was confirmed in the beginning by the Apostles and Martyrs with infinite miracles therefore it is not to be expected that we should worke any miracle for the second warranting of it This I say is but a subtill subterfugious declyning of the point for seeing our doctrine is confessed by vs to be repugnant to all Antiquity as appeareth from our reiecting of the ancient Fathers seeing we vendicate to our selues an extraordinary vocation as not being sent by ordinary Pastours but immediatly (h) Doctor Fulke against Stapl Marti c. p. 2. thus wryteth The ProtestaÌ„ts that preached these last dayes had likewise extraordinary calling Thesame is affirmed by Caluin Instit l. 4. c. 3. sect 4. by Philip Mornay in his treatise of the Church translated printed anno 160â— by Beza in epist. Theolog epist from God as we are forced to teach therfore we are obliged to make good this our doctrine vocation and mission by some supernaturall and diuine testimonyes that is by exhibiting of miracles Now how farre we Protestants are distant from the working of any such stupendious actions will appeare from the liberall acknowledgments of our want therein And first as confessing so much D. Sutcliffe thus writeth We (i) In his examen of Doctour Kellisons Suruey printed 1606. pag. 8. do not practise Miracles nor do we teach that the doctrine of Truth is to be confirmed with miracles To whose iudgment D. Fulke accordeth in these wordes It (k) Against the Rhemish Testament in Apocal. cap. 13. is knowne that Caluin and the rest whome the Papists call Archeretikes do worke no miracles A point so euident that through our owne want of miracles we peremptorily teach and mantaine that all true Miracles haue ceased euer since the Apostles tymes And yet heere I cannot pretermit to note how in the life of Caluin written by Hierome Bolsecus it is certainely affirmed and recorded for true that Caluin emulous of the Catholike Church for working miracles contracted with a poore man of his owne Religion to counterfeite himselfe dead that he for confirmation of his owne doctrine and vocation might seeme to raise him to life But Caluin in the presence of many began no sooner to call the poore supposed dead man to life but that instantly through Gods iust iudgement he became dead indeed and so was buryed And thus though Caluin neuer wrought any miracle yet God vouchsafed to exhibite this miracle for his greater confusion So as those wordes of Tertullian may well be heere verifyed Apostoli (l) Lib. de praescript de mortuis suscitabant Haeretici de viuis mortuos faciunt Now that the Catholike Church euer enioyed this priuiledge and honour of working miracles and this often in proofe of some Catholike point or other I thus proue And first to begin with the tyme of the Primitiue Church and for tast of some particulers I find in proofe of the Reall presence in the Sacrament S. Chrysostome (k) De sacerd l. 6. c. 4. thus to record of one A certaine venerable and aged man was vouchsafed by God to be made worthy of a vision which was that during that tyme meaning of celebrating the sacrifice of the Masse he did see whole multituds of Angells to descend suddenly downe being cloathed with shyning vestements and standing round about the Altar and bowing downe their heades in such sort as if one should behold souldiers bearing themselues in the presence of their King Thus far S. Chrysostome Touching the vertue of the signe of the Crosse (l) In vita Hilarionis Hierome (m) In vita Antonij Athanasius (n) Hâ—r 30. Epiphanius and (o) Hist l. 5. cap. 21. Theodoret do make so ample relation of many miracles done by it as that D. (p) In his answere to Iohn Burges p. 138. Couell speaking thereof thus writeth No man can deny but that God after the death of his sonne manifested his power to the amazement of the world in this contemptible signe being the instrument of many Miracles Touching the Image of Christ Eusebius thus writeth The (q) Hist l. 7. c. â— image of Christ was erected by that woman whome Christ cured of the fluxe and an vnusuall herbe did grow at the bottome thereof which after it growing vp and once touching the garment of the Image had power to cure all diseases Thus Eusebius Concerning
altogeather vnknowne and latent so as further we acknowledge that for the space of many hundred years the Papacy (l) D. Field in his book of the Church l. â— c. 6. sayth The Church when Luther began was that apparent Church wherein Luther the rest wer baptized â—eceaued their Christianity ordination and power of Ministry osiander â—pâ—som â—ent 16. p. 1073. Ecclesia quae sub Papaâ—u fuit â—obuit ministerium Euangelij sacra biblia Baptismum Coenam Domini c. And Luther in loc comm class 1. sayth In medijs furoribus c. Euen in the middest of the furours of the Dragon and the Lyon there did remaine Baptisme the Eucharist the power of the Keyes holy Scripture c. Thus Luther alone enioyed the safe keeping of the Scriptures and an auaylable administration of the Sacraments Now heere I would demand of our Inuisibilists how these two assertions can stand togeather to wit the Pope is Antichrist the Pope so being preserued for so many ages the Scripturer incorrupted and administrated the Sacraments profitably Which if they can then can Israell be found in Babylon and participation be betweene Christ Belial then must Antichrist only preserue the means for the descryall of Antichrist and he who is falshood it selfe be by our owne inference columna firmamentum veritatis Then can heauenly musickâ— for at least in part the Pope expounded the Scriptures truly proceed from the Dragons voyce and medicinable phisicke be drunke out of that cup which shall inebriate the Kings of earth then must our soules saluation for without the vse of the Sacraments it cannot be obtayned be wrought by our soules chiefest enemy and Heauen be purchased by the mediation of the Man (m) 2. Thess vbi supra of sinne and sonne of pocalyps thus is Antichrist become Christs setuantes best supporter keep safe those records wherby those many hundred thousandes (n) Apocalyp 14. of Christs Virgins make their clayme to the inestimable reward allotted for their vowed chastity As easily may we belieue that the Arke and the Idol Dagon could be placed togeather or dreame with Copernicus that the heauens stand still and the earth moues Neither wil that extrauagant answere giuen by some of (o) Doctor VVhitak lide Eccles p 165. so sayth And Beza epist Theo. ep 1. Voluiâ— Deus in papatu seruare Ecclesiam et fi papatus noÌ„ est Ecciesia vs when we are demanded to reconeyle these points auayle vs at all The Church was in the Papacy the Papacy was in the Church and yet the Papacy was not the Church O Delphick and Aenigmatical or other childish idle and false since if we belieue S. Augustine Nihil prodest esse in Ecclesia nisi sis cum Ecclesia Lastly diuers of vs Protestants I do not say all do implye in our writings that a man may haue â—â—luation in any religion so he hould the fundamentall points of the Trinity the Incarnation that Christ suffered for vs c. This is euident from the testimonyes of such of our Protestant Brethren as acknowledge the Lutherans who dissent from them in the doctrine of the Reall presence and the Puriâ—â—ns differing also from them in seuerall articles of fayth for members of the Church Yea our Brother M. D. (p) In his treatise of the kingdoÌ„ of Israel and the Church p. 94. Morton I infinitly meruaile he would euer suffer such wordes to fall from his pen teacheth that the very Arians may be saued for â—â—us he writeth The Churches of the AriaÌ„s are to be accounted the Church of God because they hould the foundation of the Ghospell which is fayth in Iesus Christ the son of God Sauiour of the world where by the way I note that it is strange he should be so seuere towardes Catholiks if reports be true being so indulgent to the very Arians To this sentence D. (q) In his answere to a counterfeite Catholikâ— p â—9 Fulk seemeth well to agree saying The true Church vnder the Emperours Constantine Constans and Valens was greatly infected with the heresyes of Arius Thus in his iudgements an Arian is a member of the true Church and consequently in state of saluation But our foresayd D. (r) Vbisupra p. 91. Morton comprehendeth al sects and heresyes whatsoeuer within the compasse of Gods Church and consequently of saluation if so they belieue in Christ for thus he writeth Wheresoeuer a company of men do ioyntly and publikely by worshipping the true God in Christ professe the substance of Christian Religion which is fayth in Iesus Christ the son of God and Sauiour of the world there is a true Church notwithstanding any corruption whatsoeuer Where we are to note the last wordes notwithstanding any corruption whatsoeuer Good God! how different is this man as heereafter I will show from the iudgment of the ancient Fathers and practise of the Primitiue Church But to proceed this most pernicious yet plausible doctrine being the Prodromus and forerunner of Libertinisme originally springeth from the Priuate Spirit since this spirit giueth reynes to euery Man to beleiue what it selfe best suggesteth But since the Canker heereof is secretly spred into the harts of many men at this day I will therfore rest the longer in discouering the absurdity and falshood thereof by stirring a litle the earth about the roote of it it being indeed a fayth coÌ„sisting in a wast of fayth and a Religion resting in the denyall of the necessity of any one Religion And first it is certaine that without fayth a Man caÌ„not be saued sine (s) Hebr. 11. fide impossibile est placere Deo And again qui (t) Marc. 16. non crediderit condemnabitur Withall it is as certaine that this fayth according to that (u) Ephes 4. vna fides vnum baptisma ought to be One True and Supernatural for if it be not One and True it saueth not Man but seduceth him since Truth is One and Errour various and multiplicious Now heere I vrge that one fayth cannot be in seuerall Sects seeing these Sectes teach poynts not only in themselues disparate and different but contradictory and meerly repugnant Furthermore that that fayth which saueth man must be entyre and true in all poynts is confirmed by other two irrefragable Reasons The first altogether insisted vpon by S. Thomas (x) â—n â— distinct 23. 22 q. 5. art 5. and all cheife Schoolemen is this True Christian fayth as being a supernaturall and infused Vertue hath a necessary reference to two thinges the first is that which Deuynes heere call Prima Veritas reuelans which is God reuealing all truths of fayth to the Church the second the authority of the Church which God heere vseth as a meanes by the which he propouÌ„deth the said truths to be beleiued So as no true supernaturall fayth can be produced but where these two concurre The first of these is called by the Deuines Obiectum formale of fayth
the second Amussis Regula or the Propounder of the articles of fayth Now from hence it proceedeth that whosoeuer denyeth any one Truth propounded by the Church to whom God reuealeth it doth not beleiue any other Article with a true fayth Since the authority of the Church doth indifferently and alyke propound all Articles to be beleiued Therefore who beleiueth the Article of the Trinity or the Resurrection of the body through the Authority of the Church propounding them to be beleiued will also beleiue Freewill Prayer to Saints c. and any other poynt seeing these are no lesse propounded by the Church to be beleiued as reuealed by God then the former are Thus it is euident that who beleiueth one article of true Christian fayth and beleiueth not another this Man beleiueth not any one article by reason of the authority of Gods Church and consequently hath no true supernaturall fayth at all which is auaileable to Saluation but beleiueth it in regard only of the probability of the point in his Iudgment and thus it is not Beleife but Opinion only in such a Man For seeing the same credit and affiance is euer to be giuen in all things to the same authority whosoeuer doth not beleiue the said authority in any one poynt doth not as is said beleiue it in any other from whence it followeth that the authority of God his Church is equally contemned in the denyall of the smallest articles as of praying to Saints Purgatory c. as in the greatest articles of the Trinity Incarnation or any other sublime and high mystery The second Reason It is peculiar to Vertues Theologicall and Infused to be obliterated and extinguished by one only contrary Act. Thus for example one mortall Sinne wholy taketh away Charity and Grace One act of desperation the vertue of Hope the same may be exemplifyed in the vertues of PeÌ„nance Religion and others Now heere by the same reason I inferre that one Heresy I meane an obstinate maÌ„tayning of any one errour in fayth how small soeuer against the authority of Gods Church depriueth a man of true fayth which as other Vertues aboue are is supernaturall theologicall and infused In this next place we will see how the iudgments of auncient Fathers do approue the former doctryne Two or three for instance shall serue And first that light of the Latin Church I meane S. Augustine (y) Lib. 18. de ciuil Dei c. 91. doth thus pensill forth an Heretyke Qui in Ecclesia Christi aliquid prauuns sapiunt si correpti vt sanum rectumque sapiant resistant contu naciter Haeretici fiunt foras exeuntes habentur in exercentibus Haereticis That is Who beleiueth any wronge or false thing in the Church of God and being admonished to beleiue the truth do resist contumaciously they become Heretyks and departing out of the Church they are reputed for open and willfull Heretyks S. Ambrose thus answerably wryteth (z0 Lib. â— in Luc. 〈◊〉 9. Negat ChristuÌ„ qui non omnia quae Christi sunt coÌ„fitetur he denyeth Christ who beleiueth not all poynts or articles concerning Christ. Thus who denyeth Lymbus Patrum denieth that Christ descended therinto and consequenly he denyeth Christ Finally S. Gregory (a) Orat. â—7 Nazianzene thus elegantly conspireth heerto Vnum vnicohaeret ex ijs quaedam verè aurea salutaris fit catena ideo si vel vnum dogma auferatur aut reddatur incertum tota catena disrumpetur That is One Article of fayth is so cohering with another that of them all there is made a goalden and healthfull chayne of fayth so as if but one article be taken away or made but doubtfull the whole chayne becommeth broken See the lyke agreeing testimonyes in (b) Apud Theod. l. 4. hist. c. 19. Basil (c) Lib. â— Apolog. contr Ruf. Ierome (d) Lib. 1. epist 6. ad Magnum Cyprian and (e) In Sym. Athanasius The auncient Fathers mynd in this poynt is manifested besydes by their particular Sentences from the practize of the Primitiue Church against Heretikes I meane from the perusall of the Catalogues of heeresyes written by them as is euident out of the Catalogues of heresyes and other such wrytings composed by Irenaeus Hierome Epiphanius Augustine Theodoret Philastrius and others in all which we shall find diuers condemned and branded for expresse Heretickes for their willfull maintayning in our iudgments but small errours though otherwise they belieued al the chiefe points of Christian fayth as the Trinity the Incarnation and the like For proofe wherof I will heere alleadg the wordes of S. Austine against the Pelagians whom he absolutly resolutly condemneth for Heretikes for their belieuing that man could keep the law of God only by force of nature without the force of Gods grace His words are these Nec (f) Epist 120. c. 37. tales sunt Pelagiani c. Neither are the Pelagians such men as thou shouldest easily contemne them for they liue continently are laudable in good works they beleiue not in a false Christ as the Manichees do c. yet because they are ignorant of the iustice of God endeauouring to make it their owne they are Heretyks and cast out of the Church And thus far for a touch of the practize of the ancient Church and the Fathers lyke conspyring testimonyes heerein where I may remit the Reader to what hath beene aboue alleadged touching the condeminatioÌ„ by the Primitiue Fathers of our Protestant doctrynes Which auncient Fathers as being learned and vertuous neither would nor durst register any for Heretyks but those who by the whole Church of God were reputed for Heretyks as afore I haue â—â—ted which point is made more euident in that we do not fynd any one of the said Fathers among so many to be contradicted by any other orthodoxall Father for such his proceeding But to leaue humane authority and to come to diuyne if we looke into Gods sacred Word it is cleare that who maintayneth any one Heresy the same hath no more true hope of his saluation then a Heathen or a Publican for we fynd our Sauiour to vse this commination Qui (g) Matt. 18. Ecclesiam non audiâ—â—it c. He that will not heare the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen or Publican Where we may obserue that Christ said not Who will not heare the Church in all things but absolutely pronounced Who will not heare the Church If then a Sectary or Heretyke will not heare the authority of the Church proposing such and such poynts for example of Freewill Indulgences Prayer for the dead c. to be beleiued how shall he escape the Anathema heere threatned And though these wordes immediatly be intended of fraternall correction yet à fortiori they are to be vnderstood of him who reiects the authority of the Church in matters of fayth Since this mans conteÌ„pt towards the Church is farre greater lesse pardonable For who refusetâ— to
and writinges rarell out the tyme working with such improbity of libour and toyle theâ—pyders webb which is so easily swept away Laborâ—ose nihil agunt to say with Seneca The Pope and the Church thus far proceed They declare only what bookes be Scripture or not Scripture among many Apochriphal writings and which construction of true Scripture among many suggested senses thereof is the intended meaning of the Holy Ghost Thus they neither make nor vnmake Scripture nor impose any sense vpon it which afore it had not but only declare which afore it had And thus by this meanes they assume no more to themselues then any priuate Protestant practiseth by the help of his reuealing spirit But what Must it needes be inferred that the Pope and the Church for such their proceeding seeke to be aboue the Scripture Then may it be alike concluded that the Iudge is aboue the Law since he expresseth what is Law and which is the true meaning of the Law-giuer therein All that hence may be truely deduced is this viz. That the Pope and the Church is not aboue Scripture which with all reuerence they affect but aboue the Iudgments of priuate men expounding the Scripture But heere to make an end of the Catholiks mistaken doctrines I cannot but call to mind how I was seueral tyms accustomed to charge the Priests and others of their Religion appearing before me with the defence of the former absurdityes though I confesse I did then well know what their learned men did hold therein And I do assure the Reader that the Priestes being expostulated heereof did seeme halfe amazed at these my strange demandes Yea one of the Priestes a bold and resolute man thus answered me My Lord if you demand of me and others in earnest whether these senseles positions be our do Irines it seemes you know not what the Catholik Church teacheth heerein and then it is strang his Maiesty should place you in seate of iudgment against vs to punish vs for that ReligioÌ„ your selfe not knowing the doctrine which the sayd religion teacheth An answere blunt and without respect yet not much to be disliked since it is a wronge to truth to be outfaced and depressed with calumnyes Towards the Auncient Fathers we haue seuerall peculiar deportments first we stryue to breake through their authorityes with sleighty euasions this fayling next to breake downe their authorityes by open disclayminges Thus in the former manner we proceed diuers wayes First when any place of a Father is obiected against vs we endeauour so loath we are to make an absolut departure from them if possibly it could be auoyded to interprete the Fathers words in some other sense then they are vrged by our Aduersaryes or intended by the Fathers Thus where (r) Lib. 4. de Trinit cap. 〈◊〉 4. Augustin (s) Lib. 6. desacerd Chrysostome (t) In psal 38. Ambrose (u) Lib. 6. contra Parmenianum others do teach that the Sacrament of the Excharist contayneth in it selfe a true and proper sacrifice Our Brethren in answere heereto say these Fathers meaning only to be that the prayer powred out by the faythfull at the tyme of the Communion are Spirituall Sacrifices But this is but a shadow of an answeare since the Fathers affirme literally that the body and bloud of Christ without the least intimation of any prayers being offered vp in the celebration of the Eucharist is a proper and true sacrifice Quid gratiùs offervi saith (x) V bi supra Augustine aut suscipi possit quà m carâ— sacrificij nostri corpus effectum sacerdotis nostri Next if the place of the obiected Father be so perspicuous as that it will receaue no other tincture of Interpretation then what the naturall colour of the sentence will properly beare we then labour to oppose another Father against him in the said poynt or if possibly we can the said Father aginst himselfe by vrgiâ—g some seeming contrary sentence our of him all this to disualew in the Readers eye the authority of the said Father Thus where Basill is produced in defence of TraditioÌ„s D. (y) Lib. de sacra scriptura p. 670 Whitaker answereth thereto pretending some other contrary place out of Basill saying Basilius secumpugnat After the same manner D. Whitaker (z) V bi supra pag. 6.6 auoydeth S. Augustins authority touching Traditions saying Although Augustine in this place may seeme to fauour Traditions yet in other places he defendeth earnestly the â—erfection of the Scriptures An vnworthy aspersion vpon the Fathers as if they were of that wauering irresolution in their fayth as to mantayne meere contrary doctrynes at one and the same tyme. Another sleight vsed by vs is that if the Father vrged in defence of any Catholyke poynt can be deprehended to haue maintayned any one acknoledged errour then we vsually reiect the said Fathers authority in all poynts of Catholyke Religion This chiefly taketh place in the produced testimonyes of Cyprian Tertullian and Origen euery one of them mantayning their peculiar errour This euasion is most weake except we could proue that these Fathers are condemned by the ioynt consent of other Fathers for their houlding of Catholyke doctrynes which is impossible to proue as well as they were written against by other Fathers touching their acknowledged Errours Another of our Sleights or Subtiltyes toucheth Mission and Vocation of Ministers which the Scripture teacheth to be visible according to those words of the Apostle No (a) Hebr â— 5. man taketh to him the honour of Pryesthood but he that is called of God as Aaron was which calling in the Apostles tymes was only by Imposition (b) 2. Timâ— 1. of Bishops hands Now then when we are charged by our Aduersaries in the first planting of Protestancy to want this lawfull Vocation and Mission since no man did either send vs nor from any did we receaue this Imposition of hands we to extricate and free our selues out of this Labyrinth haue excogitated out of the delicacy of our wit or rather extreme Necessity a new kynd of calling honouring it with the title of an Extraordinary and immediate calling from God Without any authority of man therein And so our first broachers of Protestancy do challeng this to themselues besydes that our doctrine of the Inuisibility of the Church potentially implyeth the same Answerably heerto Caluin thus saith Quia (c) So alleadged to say by Lasciuius a protestaÌ„t in his book de Russarâ—â—Ì„ c. religiâ—nâ— p. 2â— Papa tyrannide c. Because through the tyranny of the Pope the true order of ordination was interrupted therefore in these dayes we haue neede of a new helpe and this guyft is altogeather extraordinary Likewyse D. Fulke (d) Againest Stapleton Martiall p. 2. The Protestants that first preached these last dayes had likewyse extraordinary calling A sleight inuented to free our selues from the authority of the visible Church of God examining this our
assertions Our doctrine of Reprobation teaching that let one who is reprobate labour neuer so much to serue God in vertue and piety neuertheles he shall not nor cannot be saued engendreth many terrours in the soule of man and cannot but discourage man from vertue and piety In like sort our vndoubted certainty of saluation taught by vs giueth to man a great liberty to sinne since by this doctrine a vicious life though contaminated with all kindes of flagitious enormityes cannot preiudice him who is assured of saluation And which is more this certainty of saluation we teach euen during our voluntary committing of sinne since otherwise if vpon the new committing of any sinne the party should begin to be vncertaine of his saluation then was his former certainty no true certainty at all And hither tend those most dangerous wordes of Luther A (n) Tom. 1. wittem de captiu Babyl fol. 74. Christian man is so rich that although be would he cannot loose h s saluation by any sinne how great soeuer vnles he will not belieue And those of D. Fulke Dauid (o) In the tower dispuâ— with Edm. CaÌ„p the second dayes conference â— b. euen when he committed adultery was and remayned the child of God What bellowes of Libertinisme are these our positions Concerning good Workes how much doe we disparage them by our doctrine since we teach they cannot iustify man nor merit any thing at Gods hands Now who belieueth this can he with any alacrity vndertake feriall and painefull works they being otherwise crosse and repugnant to mans natural dispositioÌ„ therfore how dangerous are these and the like positions of our owne Brethren viz. To hould (p) Illiricus in praefat ad Rom. that good workes are in respect but of presence necessary to saluation as some Protestants do hould is a papisticall errour Yea Illyricus (q) Vidâ— Acta â—ol loq Aldeburgen p. 120 sect 11. further proceeding sayth thus Good workes are not only not necessary to saluation but hurtfull to it alleadging in defence of this monstrous opinion euen Luther Tindall thus assenteth heereto There (r) Act. Mon. p. 1330. is no one worke better then another as touching to please God to make water to wash dishes to be a sower or an Apostle all is one to please God But to descend more particulerly to the doctrine of good workes And first of Chastity thus basely heereof doth Luther speake saying If we (s) Tom. 5. VVitteÌ„ ad c. 7.1 Cor f. 107 respect the nature of Matrimony and single life in themselues Matrimony is as gould and the spirituall state of single life as dunge And D. Whitaker (t) Contra Camp rat 8. p 15â— See also D. Fuâ—k against the Rhâ—mish Testament in 1. Cor. 7. depresseth Virginity in these words saying Virginity is not smply good but after a certaine manner How much are the thousands of Virgins mentioned in the Apocalips who follow the Lambe wheresoeuer he goeth behoulden to these two good men Of Voluntary pouerty we find D. Willer thus to auerre He (u) In his Synops p. 245. is an enemy to the glory of God that changeth his rich estate wherein he may serue God for a poore Belike our Doctour was afraid to be perfect in following our Sauiour by giuing his goodes to the (*) Matt. 19. Poore Of Fasting our sayd D. (x) Synop. p. 24â— Willet thus pronounceth Neither is God better worshipped by eating or not eating And M. (y) In his reformed Cathol p. 220. Perkins Lasting in it selfe is a thing indifferent as is eating and drinking It is well that these our Brethren were not Niniuites since perhaps they would haue sought to appease Gods wrath by eating and drinking rather then by (z) Ionas 4. fasting But to the point Seeing then by these our former doctrines all good workes are bootles and vnnecessary and any sinnes whatsoeuer not preiudiciall to mans saluation if so he can but belieue I referre to all impartiall iudgmentes whether in an euen libration and wayghing of the matter these our positions tend not directly to the suppressing of Vertue and aduancement of sinne and sensuality Now if we next cast our eyes vpon the Catholik positions they do in my iudgment containe the very seed of all vertue and godly conuersation since they teach Confession of sinnes a thing vngratfull to mans nature this to be accoÌ„panyed with a true resolution at least not to coÌ„mit after the like or otherwise improfitable They teach restitution for iniuryes committed set tymes of Fasting and Prayer they further propose to the Caedar of Libanus I meane to those of the Church who striue to ariue to the height and perfection of Christian vertue Chastity Obedience and Pouerty By Chastity the professours thereof ouer-rule and beate downe all rebellious suggestions of the flesh by Obedience they curbe the inuate obstinacy and pride of man wholy submitting themselues in their liues to their Superiours disposall thus being become men meerely passiue and in whome as showing no reluctation therein there is found no Reaction by Pouerty they renounce all superfluityes and riches of the world fruitlesse for the most part and through abuse barrenner then Want following heerein the Councel of the (a) 1. Ioan. 2. Euangelist in contemning the world principles so peculiar to Catholikes and so disclaymed from by vs Protestants that one (b) Iacobus AcoÌ„tius serm 4. in c. 21. Lucae of vs lamenteth thereat thus saying A serious and ChristiaÌ„ discipline is censured with vs as a new Papacy and a new Monachisme And Syr Edwin (c) In his relation of Religion c. Sands a great Maister in Israel through racke of truth and his owne experience in trauell is forced thus to confesse Let the Protestants looke with the eye of Charity vpon those of the Papacy and they shall find some excellent Orders of gouernement some singular helps for increase of godlynes and deuotion for the conquering of sinne for the prositing in Vertue c. But setting a part the different doctrines of both sides and comming to peruse the liues of both professions we shall find no small disparity therein Touching the Protestants I will passe them ouer in silence they being heeretofore and yet are my deare Brethren whome I affect with all true Christian Charity referring ech man to his owne experience of these dayes and to Luthers iudgement of his tyme saying The (d) In poslida Euangel Dom 1. Aduentus world groweth euery day worse men are now more reuengefull couetous and licentious then they were euer in the Papacy Only I cannot forbeare my own and others mens obseruation which is That men departing from the Catholike Church to vs euer become worse in conuersation then afore and leauing vs to imbrace our Aduersaryes religion they instaÌ„tly begin a more reformed life Touching the first who more depraued in all licentiousnes and luxury then our Renegades or Protestant Ianisaryes as I may tearme them after they haue once forsaken the Catholike Church they
59. Muscuâ—uâ— and (b) in ep Paul ad Philipens Coless c. fol. 223. Zanchius But if bowing to the Name of Iesus being heard or read be lawfull then followeth it irrefragably that the honoring of Christs Image is lawfull since the name of Iesus is to the eare as his Image is to the eye And thus far of certaine mayne points of the Catholike ReligioÌ„ acknowledged but as matters of IndiffereÌ„cy by certaine Protestants and therefore not excluding in their Iudgments the beleiuers of them from Saluation and taught and beleiued for most true by other learned Protestants In this second place we will show that our learned Brethren do teach the Church of Rome notwithstanding her certaine supposed Errours to be the true Church of Christ and consequently her Professours to be not Analogical and half ChristiaÌ„s but true and perfect Christians and therefore not excluded euen by our owne mens iudgments from the hope of Saluation First then we do fynd our Brother (c) In his treatise of the kingdome of Israel and of the Church p. 24. D. Morton now Bishop of Couentry and Lichfyeld thus to wryte Papists are to be accounted the Church of God because they do hould the foundation of the Gospell which is fayth in Christ Iesus the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the World If then the Papists by the Church of God it followeth they are the true Church of God since to speake with S. Cyprian Adulterari (d) Lib de vnit Eccl. non potest sponsa Christi incorrupta est pudica In like sort M. (e) In his fift booke of Eccles policy pag. 188. Hooker giueth this honourable and worthy respect to the Church of Rome saying The Church of Rome is to be reputed a part of the house of God a limme of the visible Church of Christ we gladly acknowledge them to be of the family of Iesus Christ M. Bunny (f) In his treat tending to pacific p. 109 111. speaking of the Catholikes and I rotestants thus writeth Neither of vs may iustly account the other to be none of the Church of God we are no seuerall Church from them nor they from vs. D. Field thus writeth We (g) Of the Church l. 3. cap. 46. doubt not but that the Church in which the Bishop of Rome with more then Luciferlike pride exalted himselfe was notwithstanding the true Church of God that it held a sauing profession of the truth in Christ therefore in his iudgment those which dyed in this Church might be saued D. Some If (h) In his defence against Penry p. â—76 you thinke that all the popish sort which dyed in the Popish Church are damned you thinke absurdly and do dissent from the iudgment of all learned Protestants D. Barow I (i) In his 4. sermoÌ„s 2. questions disputed ad Clerum p. 448. dare not deny the name of Christians to the Romanists sith the learneder writers do acknowledge the Church of Rome to be the Church of God To be short leauing out the authorityes of many others D. (k) in his defence of M. Hook c. p. 77. Couell thus auerreth We affirme them of the Church of Rome to be paries of the Church of Christ and that those that liue and dye in that Church may notwithstanding be saued This Doctour further charging those that thinke the contrary with l ignorant zeale Thus we see how the Sphere of Catholike Religion euen according to the Theoryes of our best Euangelicall Mathematicians turneth vpon the Poles of Mans saluation A third way of prouing the former verity may be taken from the Protestants doctrine and practize touching the baptizing of Catholike children which baptisme we Protestants teach to be good and auaylable whether it be ministred by Catholike Priests or by Protestant Ministers and this as we (m) So teach the Deumes of Geneua in the propositions and principles disputed at Geneua p. 178. The same is taught by D. VVhigist in his defence p. 623. by M. Hooker in his Eccles policy l. 3. pag. 131. affirme because they are coÌ„prehended within the couenant of eternall life by meanes of the fayth of their parents Now when we Protestants baptize the children of Catholiks it is not sayth M. (n) Vbisupra Hooker very learnedly in regard of Gods promise which reacheth vnto a thousand generations since if it were so then saith he all the world might be baptized meaning the children of Iewes Turkes c. in so much as no man is a thousand descents remoued from Adam but it is by reason of the fayth of their Catholike parents And hence it is that D Some (o) In his defence against Penry cap. 22. affirmes That Infants children of West Indian Christians whose former Ancestours in regard of their late conuersion to Christianity neuer knew the Christian fayth being baptized by their Catholike Priests receaue true baptisme to vse his wordes are engrafted into Christ. But heere I vrge If the fayth of Catholyke Parents be auaylable for their Childrens Saluation much more then is it auaylable for their owne Saluation except we will imagine their fayth to participate of the nature of the Ayre which is a principall Cause why all other things may be seene and yet it selfe depriued of the benefit of being seene The fourth and last Medium which I will heere vse for the warranting of the foresaid Verity of Catholyks Saluation shall be to apply the former vniuersall Truth of Schooles learned Protestants to particuler Persons that is to set downe the iudgments of vs Protestants articulately and punctually passed vpon certaine men who by our owne Confessions dyed Catholyks whom neuerthelesse we affirme to be saued And first touching the Fathers in generall whom to haue lyued and dyed Papists as being reiected for their doctryne by vs is euident out of our former passages Now of them (p) In his reply in â—octor VVhirgif defence p. 82. M Cartwright thus charitably wryteth I doubt not but diuers Fathers of the Greek Church who were Patrones of Free will are saued The lyke iudgment D. Whitaker (q) Contra rat Camp pag. 78. vs supra giueth of the Fathers notwithstanding their doctryne touching Satisfaction and Merit of works And the same iudgment of vs is proued euen from the word and title of Saint which almost all the sober learned ProtestaÌ„ts commonly giue in their wrytings speaches to Augustin Ierome Ignatius and the rest of the Primitiue Church Now if we entitle them Saints then do we acknowledg they are saued except we would say there are some Saints which are not saued But to descend to more particuler examples Beda as Osiander (r) In epitom cent 8. l. 2. c. 3. witnesseth was wrapped in all popish errours wherein we at this day dissent from the Pope and yet he is acknowledged by D. (s) In â—esuâ—â—sme par 2. rat 3. Humfrey to be in the nuÌ„ber
of godly men to vse his words raysed vp by the Holy Ghost Againe Gregory the Great and Augustin who first planted in England Christian Religion are confessed by vs to haue beene Papists as aboue is showed and yet they are thus styled by vs That (t) M. Godwin in his Catal. of Bishops pag. 3. See the like coÌ„mendation giuen to them by D. Fulke against Heskins Sanders c p. 561. blessed and holy Fathers S. Gregory and S. Augustine our Apostle S. Bernard by our acknowledgment was so confessed a Papist as that he was an Abbot and (u) Osiand in epitom Cent. 12. p. 309. Authour of many Monasteryes in France and Flaunders and yet D. (x) Lib. de E cles p. 369. Whitaker thus writeth of him Ego quidem BernarduÌ„ verè suisse Sanctum existimo And Osiander (y) Cent. 12. p. 309. tearmeth him A very good man Of Bernard Francis others Tindall (z) Act. mon. pag. 1338. thus acknowledgeth I doubt not but S. Bernard Francis and many others like holy men erred as concerning Masse thus he confessing them to be men of Sanctity and holynes and consequently in state of saluation And touching the same point Luther (a) In col loq Germ. cap. de Missa thus saith Priuate Massse hath deceaued many Saints and carryed them away into errour from the tyme of Gregory for 800. yeares Of S. Dominicke who was the Authour of the Order of the Dominican Fryars (b) In Chronic. p. 200. Pantaleon a Protestant relateth much and speaking greatly of his piety and vertue concludeth thus Dominicus erat vir doctus bonus Praedicatorum Ordinem instituit His like confessed Holines is celebrated much at large by the (c) Cent. â—â— col 1179. Centurists To conclude of these three former Saints Luther thus confesseth Fateor c. I gâ—aunt that the guifts of God were not want ng to Francis Dominicke and Bernard and to others who were the first Authours of Colledges for Monks but these guifts are but personall But such guifts cannot stand without true vertue nor true vertue without hope of saluation And thus farre of this most certaine and vndeleble truth that Catholikes dying as Catholikâ— may be saved confessed in the cleare words of the most learned Protestants from whence we may be assured of their iudgments especially deliuered in the behalfe of their Aduersaryes answerable heerein to their writinges since wordes are the naturall shadow of the mind cast by the light of the Vnderstanding But heere do present vnto vs two Porismata or Resultancyes out of the Premisses of this Passage The first That all true Reason perswadeth me to implant and ingraft my self in that Church which I fynd to be acknowledged for the true church promising Saluation to her members euen by her Aduersaryes For if I dye Catholyke my lyfe being agreable thereto both Catholyks and Protestants warrant my Saluation But dying in the fayth of Protestancy the Protestant alone and this in honour of their owne Religion assure me of it For there is neuer a learned Catholyke wryter in the world an obseruation much to be weighed who granteth that a Protestant dying with a positiue setled and contumacious neglect of the Catholyke Church and fayth can be saued This then being thus shall I in so great a busines leaue a certainty for vncertainty God forbid We Protestants expect to be beleiued in other our Positions and doctrynes Why not then in this Since then the Protestants do teach that Catholyks so dying are in state of Saluation I am resolued my Brethrens wrytings shall haue that powerfull influence ouer me as what theÌ„selues doe heerin teach I will through Gods grace put in execution And so my Will shall become in this poynt a ready and seruiceable Handmayd to their Iudgments The second The Wronge which we Protestants commit in afflicting the Catholyks and in vnnaturally betrampling vpon their deiected estats only for matters of Religion Alas by our owne doctryne they are neither Babylonians nor Aegyptians both they and we being as we teach Isralits why then should Israel thus persecute Israel Are we not become the gaze of Christendome thus to fight without an enemy Thus for kynred to wound it owne kyndred yea often the Father the Sonne so turning our owne swords into our owne childrens breasts we still inciting his Maiesty to greater seuerity a Prince of his owne disposition of the most benigne mercifull and commiserating nature that the World at this day enioyes and all this for the Catholyks liuing in that fayth and Religion in which our selues teach they may be saued thus do we make the confessed hope of their saluation to be the sole cause of their pressures and calamityes Good God! who would thinke that Christians the cheifest articles of whose fayth are either reputed but as Indifferencyes or which is more beleiued for true doctrine by their Oppressours whose Church is acknowledged to be the d Dâ— Morton vbi supra Church of God houlding the foundation of the Gospell the (e) M. Hooker vbi supra family of Iesus Christ it being no seuerall (f) M. Bunny vbi supra Church from theirs nor theirs from it houlding (g) D. Field vbi supra a sauing Profession of the truth in Christ in which many (h) D. Couell with the other Doctours vbi supra dying are by their Aduersaries registred for most glorious Saints shold neuertheles be persecuted by other Christians of their owne Country yea their owne flesh for their only perseuering in the foresaid Church with confiscation of goods restraint of body and sometymes with sheeding of most innobloud suffering a cruel death Obstupescite (i) Hierem cap. 2. Cali super hoc portaecius desâ—lamini vehementer Heere now I will stay my penne making this last Motiue as a fitting Catastrophe for all Since that Closure and End is warrantable inough which euicteth from the ingenuous Confessions of the most learned Protestants that I may be saued in that Religion wherein I am resolued to dye THE CONCLVSION TO MY DEARE AND REVEREND BRETHREN THE LORDES ARCH-BISHOPS AND BISHOPS OF ENGLAND REVEREND and Learned Brethren the ouerlooking eyes of our Nation my Pen heere salutes your Lordships before it taketh it last pawse This smal Legacy I haue determined to leaue behind me primitiuely for the iustifying of my vnrepented reuolt from you in matter of Fayth for Non (a) Tert. suffundar errore quo caruisse delector Secondarily for the benefit of those whose weake Iudgments haue beene abused through their ouer-hasty swearing Fealty to their Protestant Maysters To your selues it is needles as already enioying the same other forcible demonstrations in the like behalf Diuers of you haue spent I know many yeares in seriously perusing the holy Scriptures the voluminous Commentaryes of the Lights of Gods Church the Ecclesiasticall Historyes of all ages the Oecumenicall Councells of the Primitiue Church
then before in those kynd of studyes in the which to speake in the VVisemans (a) Eccles cap. 52. dialect Modicum laboraui sed inueni mihi magnam requiem Many are the Reasons warranting this my change much trauelled in euen by my owne paynes and disquisition for I graunt I scorned to looke into these weighty matters with other mens eyes yet by reason of the present weake state of my languishing Body I haue selected these few particular Motiues ensuing hereafter in due tyme to be presented to the eye of the World Touching which I foresee I shall fynd different and perhaps some calumnious Censures For I probably presage that since it wil be interpreted iniurious to the present State as if (b) Tert. lib. aduers Gentes non possumus Romani esse hostes non esse and displeasing to his Maiesty whom in my soule I do affect with all true Allegeance do acknowledge with all Gratefulnes his many Honourable vndeseruing Fauours and for whose true Happines I do and daily wil pray as long as this enfeebled flesh of myne shall enioy this ayre when it shal be reported that the Bishop of London dyed a Romanist in Religion and hath not beene ashamed euen with his owne penne to pull in those Colours of that fayth which himself afore had aduaÌ„ced that therefore it must be diuulged either he dyed not in that Religion or at least that these written Motiues are but masked vnder his Name as being framed by some Catholike Pryest for the greater defaming of the ProtestaÌ„ts Ghospell No No. By Gods infinite grace I am resoued notwithstanding all contrary assaults whatsoeuer to dy a menber of the Catholyke or as we tearme it Papist Church Inueni (c) Cantie 8. quem diligit anima mea tenui eum nec dimittam And as an earnest giuen to this my designe I haue heere written this small Treatise which in my lyfe tyme is deliuered to a friend It is myne and penned by my self and to me the dearest and choisest Chyld that euer the wombe of my brayne brought forth howsoeuer it is likely that Orphanlyke it shal be cast out and be betrampled vpon with all ensuing serpentine malignity I haue purposely enleuened the most passages thereof with the testimonyes of diuers Protestant Wryters and Doctours and this for two respects One because my selfe being heeretofore a Protestant Doctour and placed in that eminency of seate wherin I am I thought it the more sutable to produce authorityes of men of my owne former Religion Rancke and Profession The other for breuity seeing the acknowledgments of Protestants in poynts controuerted preuent that we need not to recurre through a long and wearisome enquiry to Scriptures Fathers or Historyes for the determining of the said Poynts and I remember well that dull and tedious reading soone turneth the edge of fastidious and curious Witts The truth is heere set downe plainly without Affectation of pleasing Oratory or to vse the Apostles phrase the perswasible (d) 1. Cor. 2. words of humane wisdome for at this tyme and vpon this subiect I little pryze a fluent smooth and oyled tongue If it be demanded why now and not before I do wryte this Apology Let such men know iâ—lis the feare of Hell and losse of Heauen the only two landing-places of the Soule after her departure from hence for all Eternity that hath forced me heerto Alas my poore languishing body euery day decaying and assuring itself that many moneths for I look not for yeares it cannot hould out sommons me now to display the very secrets of my soule for the sauing of my soule and not to draw any veyle betweene me and my most inward Thoughts and Intentions I haue dissembled my Religion for some few yeares so haue Wyfe Children wordly Honours enthralled my Soule sweet Iesus forgiue me I haue persecuted the Church of Christ for many yeares O blessed Apostle S. Paul thou who once wast a Persecutour but after a planter of Gods Church intercede for me But O the torment of my afflicted ConscieÌ„ce I haue had my hand would to God both hand and arme for the preuenting of such a mischeife had then beene cut off in sheeding of innocent Bloud And is it not high tyme for me to cast vp these accounts and to vse an introuersion vpon my owne Actions O happy Almond who heeâ—e vpon earth didst maske thy self vnder the name of Mollineux In thy bloud euâ—â— in thy bloud did I wash my hands It was I that did further thy death be thou O blessed Saint who now seest and hearest me Quid (e) Creg l. 4. dial non videt qui videntem omnia videt be thou I say out of thy Seraphicall Charity as propitious to pray for remitting of that crying-Sinne as I am ready to acknowledge the Sinne. And let thy bloud guilty of no other treason then in not being a â—raytour to Christ and his Church not resemble the bloud of (f) Gâ—â—es 4. Abel which cryed for reuenge against his brother but rather the bloud of Christ which prayed (g) Luc. c. 3. for pardon of his Crucifiers Well then the state of my former lyfe and my present weaknes being thus haue I not iust reason to say with the Spouse (h) Cant. 4. Vadam admontem mirrhae collem thuris where a man by a spirituall annibilatioÌ„ of himself enioyeth a more perfect being That is I will spend the short remnant of my lyfe in Pennance and Prayer Let my future Aduersaries spit our their Venome neuer so much in their contumelious Scripts against me I care not I feare not I am resolued for my owne good to breake with flesh bloud since shortly I am to leaue all flesh and bloud I am within the iawes of death all that I expect is to saue my soule And poore Doctour King dying Catholike is not ashamed to acknowledge the transgressions of Doctour King liuing Protestant Therefore O most mercifull Lord who aâ—t God of God and Man for Man who hast sayd to a sinnefull soule Tu (i) Ierâ—n â— fornicata es cum multis amatoribus tamen reiertere admo ego reâ—piam te doe not repudiate this poore soule of myne which hath committed spiritual fornication with Honours Preferments and other such glorious Miseryes Thou who in thy holy Writ hast left recorded Quomoâ—o (k) Psal â—02 miseretur Pater filiorum misertus est Dominus timentibus sâ— Be hould heer thy Prodigall son prostrating my selfe at the feet of thee my heauenly Father humbly crauing pardon for my mispent substance and partrimony Finally thou who thus assurest 〈…〉 Nolo (l) Fzech cap. 18. mortem morientis conuertimini â—iuite Looke vpon me who now halfe dead in body and heeretofore wholy dead in Soule euen loathing the vpbrayding remembrance of my former courses do cast my selfe betweene thy armes to receaue a new spiritual life Sweet Iesus who by my creation
the sayd Centurists (o) Cent. 2. c. 10. col 107. elswheresty le to be periculosa quasi errorum semina And thus farre for truth of the sacrifice of the Masse from the end of the first foure hundred years euen vp to the dayes of the Apostles though all such testimonyes be reiected by vs Protestants A truth so euident that Caluin (q) Lib. 4. instit c. 18. sect 〈…〉 thus confesseth Veteres illos video c. I doe see that the ancient Fathers did wrest the memory of the Lords supper otherwyse then was agreeing to the institution of the Lord. Since the Fathers supper did beare the show and face of a renewed oblation c. they imitating more neerely the Iewes manner of sacrifycing then either Christ did ordaine or the nature of the Ghospell would suffer Caluin (q) In omnes Pauli epist in Heb. c. 7. pag. â—2â— further charging them That they adulterated the supper of the Lord by adding sacrifice vnto it And Hospinian (r) Histor sacram l. 1. c. 6 p. 20. thus further acknowledgeth I am tum primo illo saculovi uentibus adhuc Apostolis c. Euen in the very first age the Apostles being aliue the Diuell endeauoured to deceaue more about this Sacrament then about Baptisme withdrawing men from the first forme therof To whom Sebastianus (s) Iu epist de abrogaÌ„dis in vniuers omnibus statut Ecclesiast Francus thus accordeth Statim post Apostolos omniae inuersa sunt c. Coena Domini in sacrificium transformatu est Thus farre of the Masse But if we proceed further in a more large ample manner touching the whole body of Catholike Religion taught by the Fathers in generall we shall rest amazed to see what a corrent and inundation of our Brethrens sharp censures do ouerflow the writings of all the Ancient Fathers Sortably heerto to omit the depressing speaches of Luther touching particuler Fathers saying Cyprian (a) Iâ— colloquijs mensal c. de Patribus Eccles lib. de serâ—o arbitrio is a weake Denine I hould Origen long since accursed Basil is of no Worth he is wholy a Monke In the Writinges of Hierome there is not one Word of true sayth in Christ and perfect Religion Tertullian is but superstitious other such base refuse of Inuectiues do we not find Luther (b) Luth. 〈…〉 supra to conclude thus against al the Fathers without exception The Apology of Philip Melancthon doth farre excell all the Doctours of the Church and exceed euen Augustine himselfe And yet further with greater acerbity in these wordes The Fathers (c) Luth. lib. de seruo at bitrio printed an 1â—â—1 pag. 434. of so many ages haue beene plainely blind and most iâ—norant in the Scriptures they haue erred alâ— their life tyme vnles they were amended before their deaths they were neither Saints nor pertayning to the Church See how Apostasy is the Daughter and Mother of Pryde But to proceed further the Archbishop of Canterbary though more mild yet most boldly thus censureth (d) In his defence of the answer to the admonition p 472. 473. the Fathers The doctrine taught and professed by our Bishops at this day is more perfect and sounder then it commonly was in any age after the Aposties c. With which sharp censure Bâ—â—â— (e) In ep theolog ep 1. thus iumpeth If we compa a our â—yâ—es with the tymes next to the Apostles my iudgment is that those tymes had plus conscientiae scientiae minus and we scientiae plus conscientiae minâ—â— Melancthon as loath to be flow in so charitable an act thus (f) In 1. Cor. c. 3. wryteth Presently from the beginning of the Church the ancient Fathers obscured the doctrine concerning Iustification of sayth increased Ceremonyes and deuised peculiar worships D. Humfrey chargeth D. Iewell with great inconsideration in appealing to the Fathers saying He (g) In vita lewel printed at LaÌ„don pag. 212. gaue the Papists too large a scope was iniurious to himselfe and in a manner spoyled himselfe and his Church I will conclude this Scene full of scurility and vn worthy criminations with Doctour Whitakers (h) Contra Durâ—â—um l. 6. pag. 413. saying Ex Patrum erroribus ille Pontificiae religionis cento consequutus est The religion of the Papists is a patched cloath of the Fathers errours sowed togeather Add for the close of all our owne doctryne of the inuisibility of the Church for many ages together euen in those Primitiue tymes for if the Protestant Church during those tymes by our owne frequent Confessions was latent and inuisible as aboue is showed then followeth it that the Fathers of those ages in their wrytings and Commentaryes mantayned not the Protestant but the Catholyke and Roman Religion But heere notwithstanding our absolute disclayming from the Fathers in generall I will annexe as an Appendix one obseruation concerning particulerly Origen Tertullian and Cyprian Fathers of great Antiquity learning and Iudgment It is this These three Fathers erred in certaine points Origen in teaching that the Deuills should in the end be saued Cyprian in Rebaptization Tetullian in denying second Mariages All these three were written against for these their errours by (i) See August against Origen in baeres 43. against Tertul. in haeres â—6 against Cyprian in tom 3. de Baptism l. 2. c. 7. Vide Hier. in l. contr IounianuÌ„ Vigil Vide Epiphan l. de haeresibus Augustine Ierome and other acknowledge mantayners of the Roman Religion Now heer Ivrge Augustine Ierome as is aboue showed are charged by our Brethren as Patrones of Papistry if then Origen Tertullian and Cyprian had dissented from Augustin Ierome and other Fathers in those Catholyke poynts wherewith wee truely charge them no doubt but Augustine and Ierome in their Catalogues of Heresyes would as well haue registed other their opinions for heresyes in which Origen Tertullian Cyprian dissented from them as they did register their three former Heresyes But no such censure or condemnation do we fynd in their wrytings from which we may infallibly conclude that what Articles of the present Roman and Catholike Religion were mantayned by Augustine Ierome and others of those ages wryting of the heresyes of their tymes the same were also taught by the foresaid Origen Tertullia Cyprian Thus much of these three Fathers in whom by the way we may glosse how dangerous it is to shut our sight against the radiant beames of the Churches authority so the eye suddenly comming out from a great light presently seeth worse And heere I am to certify the Reader that some few testimonyes among many others of our owne Brethren alleadged in this treatise I did fynd produced in certaine Catholyke Books but at the first reading of them I rested much doubtfull of the ingenuous playne and true alledging of them till by my owne perusall of our said Brethrens bookes I found them most sincerely vrged
tymes recording the miacles of their dayes as we commonly giue to the Commentaries of Caesar or to the Lyues of Liuy or any other auncient prophane Authentical Authour we must be forced to acknowledge that such miracles were really wrought and no forged lyes Againe touching the particuler miracles of Sichem diuulged by Lipsius as is said it is knowne that in Brahant and all other Prouinces now vnder the Archduke neare adioyning to Sichem there are many Protestants at this day how chanceth it then that amonge so many Miracles there said to be done no one Protestant would take exception against any one of them as not done at all or otherwyse but effected by confederacy of partyes and by deceite Which one poynt considering how vigilaÌ„t we Protestants are to take aduantage of our Aduerlâ—ryes proceedings mightily strenghneth the certainty and truth of the said Miracles Neither for the disgracing of all Miracles in generall as meer forgeryes is it sufficient to alleadge some one or two perhaps supposed to be Miracles and yet found after to be but feygned for if any one Miracle among so many hundreds as are related by graue Authours be true supposing for the tyme all the rest to be false that one Miracle irrefragably and demonstratiuely proueth the truth of Catholyke Religion since God concurreth to the working of Miracles only with those of a true foyth or to confirme true Faith Againe by the former Reason we should reiect all the bookes of holy Scripture seeing there were some other counterfeyted Bookes obtruded for Scripture being meerely forged vnder the Apostles names as (m) Hist l. 3. c. â—â— Eusebius n Cone Aduers leg Proph. l. 1. c. 20. Augustin (o) Hist l. 7. c. 19. Zozomen do witnes Or secondly shall we confessing the matter of fact of miracles as granting them to be truly done yet seeke to ascry be the doing of them to the power of the Deuill tearming them AntichristiaÌ„ Wonders and lying signes as Osiander (p) Cent 10.11.12 c. and the Centurists (q) Cent. 4. col 1445. Cent. 5. col 148â— c. do style them Do we not blush thus in our answere to conspire and compart with the Pharisces in condemning the Miracles of our Lord and Sauiou this Man (r) Matth. 1. casteth not out Deuills but by Beelzebub the Prince of Deuills But against this second refuge First it cannot be applyed to those infinite Miracles recorded in confirmation of diuers Catholyke poynts by Zozomen Augustin Ierome and othes as aboue in part is showed since those Miracles were wrought in the Primitiue Church and longe before Antichrist his comming euen according to our owne doctrine of Antichrist first reigne who commonly teach that he came not before the first six (s) So doth teach D. Fulke in his answer to a counterfets Gaetholike p. 30. D. VVillet in his Symops p. D. Downham in his treatise of Antichrist l. 2. p. 4. others hundred yeares placing his first comming in Boniface the third Anno Domini 607. Secondly Antichrists miracles are no true miracles but such as our owne learned Visinus truly teacheth As the order of Nature olserued may be effected by the deceite of Men or Diuels But instantly to cure diseases without any secondary humane meanes whatsoeuer or vpon the suddayn to stay the naturall flowing x of the Sea and the lyke where Omnipotency is necessarily requyred to suspend the working of that which Omnipotency first ordayned is both supra and contra Naturam and therefore can be accomplished only by his power who is able at his pleasure to disioynt the est ablished course of Nature (t) In CoÌ„ment Catech p. 28. And yet euen of these kyndes of Miracles there are aboundant testimonyes of approned Authours that they were performed in the Catholyke Church throughout all ages of the said Church Thus we see (u) Euag. l. 4. now weake our former enasion is And therefore I cannot but commiserate our owne D. Whitaker who foreseeing all other former answeres to be defectiue betaketh himselfe to this last despayring refuge to wit that (x) Lib. de Ecces p. 48. God doth giue power of working true Miracles vnto false teachers not to confirme their false Opinions but to tempt those vnto whom they are sent Omisery and feeblenes of Nouelisme in doctryne which is forced through it owne pouerty to sustentate support it selfe for the tyme by mantayning assertions repugnant to the prouidence and charity of God towardes man and to all light of naturall reason for heere the Doctour acknowledgeth them to be true miracles and wrought only by God and yet only exhibited for temptation of others And thus if we belieue that doctrine which is accompanyed with true miracles wrought by God alone may we not well say supposing the doctrine to be false with one writer Domine (y) Rich. de sancto Vicâ—â—â— l. 1. de Trinit e. r. si errorest quod credimus à te deceptisumus And with this I heere end agreeing in part with S. Augustine whome as among other reasons Miracles did as himselfe (z) Tom. a. contra epist Manich c. 4. affirmeth iustly hould within the Catholike Churches besome so the forces of miracles among other Motiues hath first reduced me to the sayd Churches bosom since indeed I can repute it little lesse then a miracle that a man of iudgment and reading should incorporate himselfe into any other Church then which is honoured and confirmed with mirâ—cles THE VII MOTIVE Absurdityes in the Protestants Religion IT is most true that our ProtestaÌ„nt Fayth is not inuolued with such obscurityes perplexing the iudgement of Man as we find to be in the Catholike fayth where in some points insteed of discourse the vnderstanding yealdeth an vnexamined humble assent where reasons of credibility first vrged concerning fayth cause vs in the end to expect no reasons for proof of fayth laudo (a) Terâ—â—â— de Corona mâ—litis fideÌ„ quae antea credit quam didicit the primitiue cause of the disparity heerof being in that the Protestant fayth eloquar an sileam but my tonguescornes any longer to betray the truth is indeed a meere Negatiue fayth consisting for the most part in annihilating destroying the positine assertions of the Catholikes Which being so what then can be more easy to the Vnderstanding then to conceane that such or such a thing or point not Since so the vnderstanding is only exercised like the eare iudging of silence or the eye of darknes Neuer the lesse if we take into our consideration diuers of the Protestants positions we shal find included therein in lieu of high Misteryes such reall contrariety in sense and grosse absurdityes in the immediate ineuitable illations from them as that they impugne all naturall light and so a man beginning to giue assent thereto ceaseth to be himselfe that is a Creature indued with reason I will exemplify this in some few
obey the Church in one poynt doth as aboue is said wholy and absolutely contemne all the authority of the Church Againe we fynd the Apostle speaking of the works of the flesh meaning those workes which are committed by wicked men without the assistaÌ„ce of the Holy Ghost thus to wryte (h) Galat. â— The works of the flesh are Adultery Fornication c. Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Debate Emulations Wrath Contentions Seditions Heresyes c. they which do such things shall not inherit the kyngdome of God where we fynd the word Heresy particulerly set down in our English Bibles though the latin word being Sectae is more remisse and therefore increaseth heere the force of our illation Now from hence I thus argue As the Apostle doth in this place pronounce sentence of condemnation against the Sinne of fornication though but once committed so also against but one sect or Heresy Since he heere maketh no mention of the plurality of tymes in committing any Sinne nor of the number of Heresyes before the workers and defendours of them can deserue damnation And thus farre of our Adiaphorists or Neutralls in fayth for I can tearme them no better who though they beleiue some articles that are true yet beleiue those truths falsly as not relying vpon the grounds of beleife to wit God reuealing and the Church propounding And indeed such men if they be punctually examined are found to beleiue nothing but their Sense at most their Iudgment So they giue credit to the matter but not to the Authour and so much euery man affoards to a discredited and blemished witnes Away then among Christians with this tepidity or cold indifferency in fayth which is of that charitable disposition forsooth as to promise that to all others I meane Saluation of which it selfe is not capable Therefore to conclude my last Arrest and sentence heerin it that indifferently to allow all Religion is to take away all Religion and that Neutralisme in fayth finally discargeth it selfe into Libertinisme in maners I will heere stay my Pen passing ouer many other Positions of like nature breathing such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and impossibilityes which we mantayne Only I say as aboue I touched that if we ballance them with the most abstruse difficultyes to be found in the Catholyke Religion yea with those in the doctryne of the Reall Presence we may conclude that those more easely may become the Obiect of our beleife and so to be beleiued then these and other such lyke exorbitant grosse and absurd Assertions or Connexions of ours Since those former only transcend Reason these manifestly impugne Reason By beleiuing the first we forbeare to be Heathens by beleiuing these other we cease to be Men Those do aduance and magnify in Man the power of God these obliterate and deface in him by giuing assent thereto the Image of God To be short those may be apprehended by the light of fayth these are euen incompatible with the light of our Vnderstanding THE VIII MOTIVE Deceites and sleights practised by Protestant VVryters I HAVE euer beene of mind that matters of Religion are to be proceeded in with a fearefull and innocent pen and that who approacheth thereto ought with (a) Exod. cap. 3. Moyses to put their shooes off their feet the place wherin they stand being holy ground that is ought to cast off al imperfections of intended calumnyes impostures and other fraudes in regard of the venerable subiect to be intreated of I would to God I could not iustly charge my owne brethren with faultines heerein so exempting them out of the number of those who to vse the Prophets phrase Dolosam (b) Ose 12. calumniam diligunt But it falleth out far otherwise to their dishonour and my griefe since if tryall be made we shall find many Babylonians to dwell in our supposed Hierusalem Our owne fraudulent deportements in this great busines of Religion great in that it concerns our soules interminable weale or woe haue much disedifyed me begetting at the first in me a staggering opinion whether that can be Truth which needeth such supporters of deceite and collusion I will exemplify in diuers And to omit our pretence of the Priuate spirit for the auoyding of all authorityes as already discouered aboue The first kind of these shall concerne the English translation of our Bibles The sleight consisteth in translating such texts as mention Traditions and merit of Workes I will heer forbeare to show how the Scripture (c) Ioan. â—ic 1. Thess 2. commandeth vs not to relye only vpon Scripture or how our men haue borrowed our fayth heerein from the old Heretikes Nestorius (d) Vt habetur in sexto Synodo act 1. and Dioscorus so as we receaue by Tradition to reiect Traditions The imposture only in translating it is wherein I now dwell Whereas then the new Testament maketh relation of good traditions and bad wicked and Iewish traditions expressing them both by one and the same greeke word to wit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifyeth Traditio Now our English translations in such (e) 1. Cor. 2. I pray you Brethren that you be mindfud of mâ— and as I haue deliuered vnto you you kâ—ep my OrdinaÌ„ces The lâ—ke translating of the word Ordinances is in 2. Thess 2. texts wherein are vnderstood good and profitable Traditions doe translate insteed of the word Traditions the word Ordinances But where the texts speake of wicked (f) Matth. 15 VVhy doe you transgresse the CommandmeÌ„ts of God by your Traditions and friuolous Traditions there they remember precisely to set downe in their translations the right word Traditions and not the word Ordinances or any other word in lieu of it as may be seene in these Textes quoted But this I feare was done in dislike of Apostolical traditions that so the ignorant Reader should neuer find the word tradition in Scripture in a good sense but alwayes in a bad and disallowed Though now in our last translation but not in any former for the better plaistering of the matter we put in the margent of such texts speaking of godly Traditions the word Traditions The like course we take in translaring the greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying dignus in english worthy and the verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be made worthy for in those Texts (g) Luc. 21. watch at alâ—ryâ—as praying that you may be accounted worthy to stand befor the sonne of God The like iâ— done in the Greeke verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Luc. 20. 2. Thess 1. which concerne merit of workes wherein these forsayd wordes are vsed we translate them to seeme to be worthy and to seeme only to be made worthy therby to weaken such texts for the prouing of merit of Workes But in other Texts (h) O how much forer punishment shall he be worthy which tredeth vnder foot the son of God not touching the doctrine of merit we can be content to
and vertually only others which is the more sound opinion that he descended in soule and really But all of them belieue that there was a true Lymbus Patrum which is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or conclusion it selfe from whence Christ deliuered the soules of the Patriarks And I referre to any schollers iudgment this inference Some Papists do teach belieue that Christ did descend into Lymbus Patrum only vertually or efficaciously others and this with farre greater consent that he descended in soule and really Ergo some of them doe belieue there was not a Lymbus Patrum exorbitantly concluded To this Head may also be referred how our Protestant (y) D. Iewell in his Apology of the Church of England p. 96. D. Fulke in his answere to a counterfeit Catholike pag. 65. D. VVillet in his Synops p. 60. Doctours they are not ashamed to vrge it and yet I am halfe ashamed but to relate it for proofe of disagreements in Catholyke Religion haue obiected the diuers Religious Orders in the Church of Rome to wit that some are Bernardins other Franciscans and the lyke some goe in blacke other in graye or whyte these doe eate flesh those do not c. These argumentes as discouering our extreme penury of better stuff were far more conueniently forborne then insisted vpon fince they proue no contrariety at all in matters of fayth for they all beleiue the same articles of Catholyke Religion but only do show who were the first beginners of those Orders and that some members of the Catholyke Church do liue in a more gentle and remisse others in a more strict and seuere degree of deuotion and Vertue lyke the Centurion and Zachaeus who by different wayes honored Christ Neuertheles they all take the three essentiall Vowes I meane of Chastity Pouerty and Obedience necessary to euery Religious Order and by their first Institution do spend much tyme in Prayer which is the Winge of the Soule much tyme in fasting and other corporall chastisements the winges of Prayer good Men still mortifying both body and Soule their Will being indeed to deny their Will and their freedome consisting in restraint of Liberty comforting themselues with that sentence of Augustin Omnia inucnit an Deâ— qui propter Deum â—mnia relinquit And thus far hereof Concerning the Markes of the Church what stratagems of wit do we vse Do we (z) So teacheth D. VVhitguift in his defence of the answer p. 81. Calu. insti c. 1 sect â—â— D. VVhitaker cont Campian rat â— pag. 44. and others not mantayne as a Cardinall poynt of our Profession that the true preaching of the Word and administration of the Sacraments are the only signes of the true Church to distinguish it from all false Synagogues and hereticall Conuenticles To what end are these erected by vs for Notes To the end forsooth that our selues alone may be the sole iudges which is the true Church For we reiect all authority of Fathers Councells and practise of Gods Church in teaching when and where the Word is truly preached and the Sacraments duly ministred and in the closure of all we will suffer no other Iudgments then our owne to passe vpon these poyntes though euery registred Heretyke may and will with as great confidence in his owne Opinion challenge these Notes to his Church and Professours as we do And thus by these Meandrian wynding we reduce the knowing which is the true Church vnto the graue Appeale made to our owne Priuate Spirit aboue discouered within the vast Circumference whereof this particuler Collusion besydes many others is contayned I haue beene ouer longe in reuealing our owne blemishes and scarrs so Light discouereth Shame and indeed I greiue as tendring my Brethrens reputation that so vnworthy a subiect should so longe arrest my Pen. Therefore I will close vp in few words diuers other sophistications subtiltyes practized by vs both in impugning and answering our Aduersaryes As how we are accustomed to depraue either by adding to or concealing part of the sentence in the testimonyes of the Authors produced by vs I speake confidently for vpon my owne knowledge we Protestants rest inexcusable heerin As also how after the end of the authority produced in a different letter we begin with some few short words of our owne directly against Catholyke Religion causing them to be printed in the lyke different letter that so the Reader through diuersity of the letter may take them for the words of the for mer alledged Authour And if we be expostulated thereof we then ascrybe it to the Printers ouersight And for the better preuenting of all discouery thereof as also when we vrge some authorityes without corrupting the words yet insisted vpon by vs most differently from the Authours mynd we often allâ—adg the Authours name only but without any citation of the Booke where such words are to be found and if of the Booke yet without noting the chapter of solio or if with noting the folio yet not shewing what edition when their are diuers we do follow seeing the same sentence or authority in seuerall Editions is to be found in seuerall folios Also I briefly passe ouer how ambitiously and affectedly we fill the margents of our Bookes with numberles citations of Texts of Scripture meerely impertinent for proofe of the poynt questioned but seruing only to cast dust to the eyes of the ignorant How in refuting our Aduersaryes Booke when we seeme to answere to some obiected Authority or argument we often giue slip to the authority or point produced and either by degrees flye to the state of the Question as though afore it were not acknowledged or to the Scripture the accustomed Ocean of Heretyks wherein they may wander vp and downe at large or to some by-circumstance (a) Hier. in epist ad Paulinum Sola ScripturariÌ„â— ars est quam sibi passim omnes vendicantâ— bane garrutâ— anus hanc destrus Senex hane Sophista verbosus hanc vniuersi praesumuÌ„t lacerant docent â—n requam discunt meerely accessory to the doubt there controuerted or vse longe and extrauagant discourses ambages of Words and all this to entertayne the Reader therewith that so vnespyedly we may diuert the Readers eye and memory being thus fixed vpon our digressions from the Authority or Reason alleadged And finally how in our Answering we still set down in our books only such passages of our Aduersaryes wrytings whereunto we are able to giue best colour of answere concealing the most materiall and forcing proofes and arguments of our Aduersaryes said Books Or if pretending integrity we do reprint our Aduersaryes Books at large then we commonly make choyce of a very darke and litle Character or letter for it therby more easily to withdrawe the Readers eye from perusing it at full our owne answere thereto being set downe in a fayre large and pleasing letter or Print So cautelous and subtill we are in our proceedings heerin But inough of this
lyfe as if Truth in doctryne had interleaged and couenanted with Vice and Vertue with falshood and Errour to deceaue Mankynd THE X. MOTIVE That Luther and Caluin are cheife Patrones of Arianisme and therefore in other poynts of fayth are not to be followed NVM QVID (a) Matt 6 7. colligunt de spinis vuas aut de tribulis ficus saith our Blessed Sauiour By which words I am taught that Truth in particuler doctrynes hardly taketh it flowing and emanation from those Men who are transcendently euil either in their liues or in their mayntenance of any execrable blasphemyes Since then I fynd Luther and Caluin the two cheife Corner-stones in the edifice of our Protestant Church maynely in their wrytings to impugne the sacred Mystery of the holy Trinity the most supreme and Cardinall poynt of Christian Religion I cannot easily be induced any longer to imbrace and entertayne other dogmaticall poynts of fayth as true first broached in these dayes by them Good Protestant Reader who shalt deigne to peruse this passage I do not wish thee heere to blush through shame at these thy Grand Maysters proceedinges for that were an ouer myld and gentle redargution of them but I will thee euen to grow pale through feare and horrour to fynd Men vpon whose credit and affiance thy fayth and consequently the weale or woe of thy owne Soule greatly dependeth to rise to that ascent of Impiety as to reuine and raise vp out of the depth of Hell the most blasphemous Heresy of Arius against the Maiesty of the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world But heer I see it is true (b) Tert. contra Gentes fiunt non nascumtur Christiani To come to the poynt And first concerning Luther Is it not confessed that Luther was so aduerse to the Blessed Trinity as that he would not brooke this Verse to stand in the Litanyes (d) In postil maiore Basileae printed 15â—7 Holy (c) Vide Enchirid. precum anni 1543. Trinity one very God haue mercy vpon vs He affirming c the word Trinity to be an humane inuention and to sound coldly And hence it is that Luther in these ensuing words disgorgeth forth his poison against the most sacred Trinity Anima (e) Luth. â—il cont Iacobum Latomum tom 2. VVittemb latinèedito anno 15â—â— though in later editions these wordes are purposely left out omitted mea odit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 optimè exegerunt Ariani ne votem illam prophanam nouam regulis fidei statui liceret that is My soule euen hateth the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Consubstantialie And the Arians iustly vrged that this prophane and new word should not be inserted within the rules or principles of our fayth And beer upon also it well may be that Luther purposely expungeth out of his Dutch Bibles this following place of Scripture being a markable text in proof of the Trinity There be (f) 1. Ioan. 5. three which giue witnes in Heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three be one And thus much for some tast of Luthers mynd heerein who stands so iustly chargeable with this execrable Heresy of Arius that Zu nglius wryting against him touching that subiect thus rebuketh him In (g) Tom. 2. in resp Luth. sol 474. verbis Lutheri grauissimi errores latitant c. There lye most great errors in Luthers words When I reade Luthers booke it seemes to me that a beastly Hog doth gruntle in a garden beset with most fragrant flowers so impurely so vnlyke to a Deuyne and so improperly Luther disputeth of God al holy things Thus Zuinglius To come to Caluin Luthers heyre-apparent though by his owne industry he hath much improued as I may say his bequeathed inheritance Caluins absolute dislike of the Trinity and the doctrine thereof is manifested three seuerall wayes First by his owne speaches deliuered against the Trinity his different expounding from all Antiquity the chiefest passages of Scripture vsually alleadged in proofe of the Trinity Secondly from the testimonyes of other learned Protestants for I purposly forbeare all authority of Catholikes heerein charging Caluin with Arianisme Thirdly from the examples of the new Arians who before their reuolt thereto were commonly earnest and forward Caluinistes To begin with the first And first we do find Caluin to tread the steps of Luther in disallowing that somer prayer Holy Trinity one God haue mercy vpon vs. For thus Caluin (h) In epist 2. ad Polonos in tract theolog pag. 796. writeth Precatio sancta Trinitas vnus Deus miserere nostri mihi non placet ac omnino barbariem sapit That is That prayer holy Trinity one God haue mercy vpoÌ„ vs pleaseth not me since it wholy tasteth of Barbarisme Touching Caluins contrary interpreting of the chiefest texts of Scripture alleadged by all antiquity for proofe of the Trinity two or three texts shall serue for example And first that principall passage I and (i) Ioan. 10. the Father are vnum one viz. thing euer mainly insisted vpon by the (*) Viz. Basiâ— l. 1. in Eunom circa fineÌ„ Chrysost in hunc locum Augu. in hunc locuÌ„ omnes adj Fathers against the old Arians for proofe of the Trinity is thus auoyded by Caluin Abusi (k) In Ioan cap. 10. sunt hoc loco veteres vt probarent Christum esse Patri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neq enim Christus de vnitaâ—e substantiae disputat sed de consensu c That is The Ancients haue abused this place to proue from thence Christ to be consubstantiall to his Father for Christ heere disputeth not of the vnity of essence but of the vnity of consent and Will this being indeed the old condemned interpretation of Arius Againe that text Thou (l) Psalm 2. art my Sonne hodie this day I haue begotten thee interpreted not only by the Fathers but euen by the Apostle (m) Hebr. cap. 1. himself to proue Christs diuinity is in these words shifted off by Caluin Scio (n) Calu. in psal 2. hunc locuÌ„ de aeterna Chrisâ—i generationâ— Ã mult is fuisse expositum qui in verbo hodie argutè philo ophati sunt c. I know well that many haue interpreted this place of the eternall generation of Christ subtily disputing about the word hodie Againe that markable passage aboue touched There (o) 1 Ioan. 5. be three that giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three be one Which words all Fathers (*) Hier. in hunc locum Cypr. l. de vnit Eccles â—than in l. 1 ad l beâ—ph and Interpreters euer expounded of the Trinity is thus answered by Caluin Quod (p) Calu. in hun locum dicit tres essâ— vnum ad essentiam non refertur sed ad conscusum potiùs That is Where it is heere sayd these three are one these wordes