imagine to aske of your Maiestie any so great gift recompence or benefite in this worlde as shoulde be to them some fauourable tolleration with their consciences in religion the which consciences depending of iudegement and vnderstanding and not of affect and will can not be framed by them at their pleasures nor consequently reduced alwayes to such conformitie as is prescribed to them by their Superiours and yet this nothing deminisheth their duetifull loue towards the same Superiours seeing conscience as I haue said dependeth of iudgement and not of will BEcause you Catholiques are touched and that iustly with the crime of disobedience and rebellion towardes our soueraigne and that the whole fault hereof proceedeth from you that teache and leade the rest hereunto yee take some paines and seeke heere to cleare Poperie of that note but ill fauoredly and to little purpose for when you haue all sayd the matter is where it was you neither cleare your selues nor satisfie other you giue vs still faire wordes and make odious cōparisons besids the matter taking occasion in the most of this part to slander charge mē at home here and abroade aliue and dead one and other and still to vaunt and praise your selues and so make all things to serue your turne Herein spende you nowe sixe or seuen pages in this your Epistle to her Maiestie Whereof I must particularly speake some thing In the very entrye yee say yee medle with no mans particular fact but speake of the Catholik religion in generall So ye leaue vs a generall that can bee vndermined and ouerthrowne by no particulars Take away particulars and whereof will your generall consist Thus prouide you a salue for all the trecheries attempts taught and committed by any person of your side in any tyme So you salue vp the Popes bulles if you accompt him a man among other and his doing a particular facte So to make an ende yee salue vp all other libelles and writings made by any of those of your side what treason so euer they containe So yevantage your selfe greatly as ye weene and no lesse seeke you to disaduantage vs for what bryng you against vs and our religion in this case but particular mens writings and particular not factes but words of men Thus can you to charge in generall our religion both in doctrine and demeanour conclude without all reason A generall affirmatiue against vs by one or two particular examples but no particulars as I haue saide how contrary so euer they be in doctrine and behauiour to your Catholike religion in generall may ouerthrowe that you generally denie to fall into that religion Me thinketh you shoulde giue vs the same libertie ye take to your selues you medle you say with no mans particular fact and yet you will driue vs to answere for particulars 1 Your position hath two partes one to cleare your selues and your religion to wit you say that the Catholike religion in generall is vniustly touched by any secte of our time for teaching disobedience or rebellion against their Princes or as your note hath The Catholike faith teacheth obedience more then other religions This is for you I well wote not what you meane by your Catholike religion in generall nor howe you may vnderstande your note to bee some way true that your Catholike faith teacheth slauish obedience more then any other religion In that it maketh Emperours Kinges Potentates of the world and ciuil Magistrates so subiect to the Pope as to 〈◊〉 on their neckes to set them to holde his Stirrop his brydle to leade his Palfrey to kisse his foote c. Which al be but duties of obedience on their behalfes to set vp his creatures the Prelates of the Clergie to be Lordes ouer Gods Church whose seruantes they ought to bee As your very Pope also professeth himselfe to bee the seruant of the seruantes of God But as Salomon saith When a seruāt raigneth or is Lord it is one of the things of three or foure for the which the earth is moued can not susteine it selfe So this and such like slauishe obedience is nothing to the commendation of your Popishe religion which in too vile speeche and maner subiecteth into it those that yee call of the Laytte For obedience of subiectes to Princes it teacheth it so farre as may serue the turne of that religion and their ambitious mindes that I haue spoken of 2. The other part of your position here is to charge vs our religion to wit that the finall ende of our doctrine doing is to haue no gouernours or ruler at all that all heretiks and sectaries of our time such you call vs in euery coūtrey where they are contraried seeke to disturbe and molest by rebellion their Lordes and Princes teaching the same to be lawfull that they rushe into euerye thing with inordinate violence and like of nothing that order and obedience layeth downe vnto them whiche howe Clarkelike you proue wee shall God willing see in his place for first haue I to speake of you your faith doctrine religiō demeanor touching obediēce disobediēce w t is y t marke you shoote at or should be at least if ye rightly handled or perfourmed that yee take in hand Thus muft I stil put you in remēbrance of that where you shold proue and shewe that your faith and your religion that is the popishe faith and religion at this day is the Catholike fayth and religion as you terme it there you faile in your proofe It must needes bee supposed you are Catholikes and wee Heretikes and Sectaries because you say so without all proofe but the truth is farre otherwise False Catholikes or Catholikes in name may goe in opinion of men for Catholikes but true Catholikes shall they neuer be Leaue this equiuocation and ambiguitie of woordes and speeches and giue vs a sounder proofe then hitherto if ye haue it that Papistes bee true Catholiques and we Heretiks and Sectaries els giue vs leaue to beleeue that all ye say is not Gospell Our controuersie is not with the Catholik religion in general but with your Popish religion in particular The profession and fruites of your Popishe religion and disobedience to our Soueraigne the State and lawes here if we goe not without the compasse of these times will alwaies stoppe you from making a good argument to cleare your religion from rebellion namely when you deale with her Maiestie who is priuie of your whole doctrine and practise Yf you make a perfect argument eyther will one of your sentences be flatte false and so must be denied and you put to a harde prufe or els there is no remedy but ye must run for a poore helpe to an Elench and fallatiō which is a bad kind of reasoning You y t can not be reduced to conformitie prescribed by your Superiours Inducing you to your soules healthes to godlines to the cōmon good quiet of the countrey had not
shorter Be your selfe iudge herein M. Howlet If you tell vs your conscience in deed or let the world tel To whom you refer vs in comparing her maiestie our most dread soueraigne Queene Elizabeth and her peaceable and milde gouernment hauing beene so greatly disturbed and prouoked to the contrary and other princes and the former times that haue not been acquainted with the profession of the gospel And againe you say and truely that her maiesties noble mercifull disposition is knowne and renowmed through out the worlde The world you say doth know how that the great mercie and clemencie of her Maiestie hath staied oftentimes and restrained penalties from their execution and from the ouerthrowing of diuers men c. It doth so indeede and so doth it by experience of the sharpe executions done aforetime by your procurements and the ouerthrowe of diuers both men and families which feele the smarte at this day As you call your selues Catholikes and vs protestantes yea heretikes at pleasure so in like manner say you and say only your religion is the old so ours must be the newe religion wee are gone out from you and not you from vs. c. But leaue these enuiously deuised doubtfull and rackt tearmes of yours vs. c and haue recourse to the scriptures Let vs there and thence make our plea and then you shalbe founde to be that ye call vs we to be that you would so fain chalēg to your selues to beautifie your euil cause as it needeth Else let the word of God be iudge between vs and look who be found to haue swarued from the Prophets Apostles doctrine or 〈◊〉 haue gone and fallen from that and them let those be heretikes Spare not In the meane while in our iust defence let our denial suffice to answer the vniust 〈◊〉 and accusations bringing onely words without any proofe Concerning the comparison ye make of her 〈◊〉 this state with other princes and states not Christian onely but Turkes and Infidels your meaning and drifte therein may easily be espied It deserueth another answer than my words yet to clere herein both our soueraigne the state towardes the world I tolde you before that your case is not like to Turkes and Infidels Besides her maiestie and this state are not bounde to follow other Princes examples she being as free as they are in y e gouernmēt of her people whē doubt may be made First whether that be true you tell vs of Princes and their order of gouerning Infidels Haue you beene brought vp among the Turkes haue you trauailed into the Indies and farre partes of the worlde that you tell vs of to know this you report vs of the Infidelles c Know you of your selfe that this was neuer yet practised Or goe you by report onely I think you take it at other Next doubt may be made by Princes and states whether they you talke of vse those Infidels that be vnder their gouernement well and vprightly and whether euen in this point they doe well or no that being supposed which you affirme of them which thing they had neede and will vnderstand too before they 〈◊〉 bounde to follow their example in gouerning the people subiect vnto them This is reason and princes ouer other princes and states chalenge no such superioritie of prescribing in order of gouernment as you here too vnaduisedly doe Neyther are princes too curious to enquire examine and iudge how the rest order their subiectes in such cases but content themselues with ruling their own people in y e feare of God according to their owne dutie and Gods worde I adde yet further that whereas you alleadge It was neuer yet practised nor euer thought lawfull by the Catholike church that Infidelles should be enforced to any one act of our religion And running stil to your D. Thomas say vide D. Thomas c. I answer and say that Thomas his question is Whether Infidelles are to be compelled to fayth or to beleeue Which because it is aboue mans power to doe as beeing the gift of God or as he speaketh To receiue fayth pertaineth to the will and the will cannot be forced Therefore no mortall man may as seemeth take vpon him to force that which he cannot perfourme But your question is of perfourming any acte of Christian religion comming to Church the one that is faith is a heauenly inward gift and is in the hearte the other that is comming to church c. is an externall and outwarde acte and a profession of religion or an inducement and outward exercise and means to bring vs to fayth and to encrease and continue the same in vs. Now we say that the ciuill magistrate hath not onely authoritie frō God but is of dutie bound to maintain Gods honour and as a principall parte of his charge to see the cōmandements of the first Table of Gods lawe outwardly kept and perfourmed by al his subiectes without exception so much as he may punishing the trāsgressors also vnto which honour of God and first Table of his commandementes pertaine the actes and outward exercises of Gods true seruice and christian religion As then wee highlye praise G O D dayly for her maiestie in this behalfe and for the singuler care she hath ouer vs her poore subiectes to prouide vs of preaching and other meanes to bring vs to God and to furder vs in all godlines So doe wee tell you plainly that her Maiestie by authoritie may doth therein but her duetie enforce you to haunt Church Assēblies to heare the preaching of the Gospell c. Which bee the proper meanes to beginne encrease and continue faith and godlines in you and vs. Her part her care and charge it is to prouide and take heede nothing bee put vppon her people in Gods matters his seruice but y t which is warranted by his holy word which whilest her maiesty is occupied in you disturbe her Godly proceeding too much out of season time too vndutifully D. Thomas euē in his question of Infidelles sayth They are to be compelled yet of the faythfull if they haue power not to hinder Chtistes fayth or religion eyther by blasphemies and rayling or by naughtie persuasions or else by open persecution and violence c Marke well your D. Thomas his poyntes Now if Infidelles which were neuer Christened maye bee compelled in these thinges by your Thomas his iudgement much more maye you be restrained in your rages and violente and vnreasonable dealings punished for your disturbances and printing and spreading of seditious libels and bookes to the hinderance of the course of Christes Gospell amongest vs and the peruerting and poysoning of diuers especially such as are of the simpler sort and therfore easily seduced And this is not disagreeing from Thomas his wordes though you cannot abide to haue the same appli ed to you be it neuer so true in you This is your faulte D. Thomas
this Treatile for them and take paynes to set downe Reasons for the due reforming of them being in better hope then of the former but if all thinges bee well considered there will bee found falshood in felowship and very hollow dealing You cut them off from you and yet you woulde fayne holde them in still what opinion you hot Catholikes haue of all besides your selues euen such of your owne side whom ye speake farest vnto let me be bolde shortly to giue here a taste Generally you count no better of all them that goe to Churche heere for what respect soeuer other then such as the Pope will allowe whereof you speake and we shall see more in your qualifications afterwardes then of Apostataes renouncers of the Catholike religion perfidious betrayers of Gods Catholike cause traytours to God no Christians Heathen men and Publicanes c. And yet good sir all these as badde as they bee are byrdes of one feather and one neste Schollers of your owne teaching and none of our religion yea they defie it as you suppose hollowe geare still and nothing but hollowe Catholikes All the Catholikes in Englande that goe to Church directly denie their religion yea the yeelding therein is a flatte and euident denying of God and of his fayth And yet they remaine be accounted Catholiks stil what a religion call you that wherein men may denie not onely their religion but God and his fayth too and yet be of the religion stil Your Catholikes you speake of be such yet bee they in your heape still that is Catholikes and of the Catholike Religion They bee out of the Church so without hope of Saluation Scismatikes excommunicate persons and yet Catholiks still and of no other religion A good religion sure and a commendable is that they holde who bee Atheists and godlesse men in your opinion if they be not which directly and slatly renounce God and his fayth and yet iudge all other religions false and erronious besides their owne opinion and will neuerthelesse communicate with the same for some worldly respect and condenme other that will not doe as they doe Nowe if Athiests c. bee Catholikes I can not tell what to make of you Catholikes you bee neyther fishe nor fleshe nor yet I weene good redde hering as they say the wrong and perillous perswaūon that these men are sayde here to bee in builded onely on their owne fantasie may beseeme a fantasticall religion not grounded on Gods woorde but on vnwrttten verities traditions doctrines of men custom multitude c. as popery is Litle reformatiō as hithetto may serue such a deformed religion for these two sortes of Catholikes as you call them wee thinke yee doe in the one as in the other that is but imagine and goe all by supposition it is your Clearklie dealing whereof you heare what I say The aduise that I can giue them is that they leaue not only that perillous perswasion of communicating with contrary Religions but also and principally their Popery and the opinion they haue of that religion which as the rest is builded onely on fantasie Nowe haue wee viewed your Catholikes that you haue set vs here downe agreeing all in Poperie though but ill fauouredly and among them selues also hardely if your reasons following proceede from such a Catholike minde as you haue described vs in these men surely they are hollowe and can carrie no great waight with them with such as liue here in her maiesties dominions I verily think they can litle or nothing at all preuaile if they haue especially any wisedome or feare of God before their eyes for them y t being in heart of your religion do cleane contrary thervnto I wot not howe easily they will be led by you but surely if they will depende vppon God and his woorde they neede neither feare your threates nor regarde your Reasons for any value or waight that is in the same But before I enter into the particular examination of your nine Reasons hauing respect to the rude and simple sort I wil make bolde to set downe a reason contrary vnto yours whereby I meane to shewe that all men here liuing if they bee not too farre gone are bounde to haunt Church assemblies and the exercises of Religion vsed among vs. And yet before I set downe my reason both for the iust defence and cleering of her Maiestie and the State heere against such quarelpikers as you be And also for y t better satisfiyng of all her Maiesties duetifull subiectes and people I say to gods glory y t her maiestie y t state haue not pretēded to renounce Poperie a hollowe and rotten religion grounded vpon whatsoeuer not vppon Gods holie worde surely contayned in the Canonicall Scriptures as at this day is cleare to all that haue eyes to see to establishe another Religion though not so badde as Poperie yet not auowable deuised eyther by her selfe or by any other men but professeth to set vp the onely true religion of Iesus Christ taken out of the Scriptures Her Maiestie and the State haue and doe declare to the worlde dayly that in steede of mens inuentions and glorious shewes or voluntary Religion and will woorship as the Apostle noteth Superstition Shee and they esteeme the worde of God alone to bee the foundation of true religion The Apologie of this Church of Englande The Articles of religion set foorth by publike authoritie and suche other writings doe sufficiently proue this godly purpose and meaning and euen of late in the proclamation for the recalling home of her Maiesties subiectes from beyonde the seas c. is the same by expresse words mencioned None though the Papistes and enemies woulde make the worlde beleeue so are here called to the King and Queenes religion but with her Maiestie all degrees and persons are called to Gods and Christes true religion onely which shee with her people professeth Actes of Parliament and Statutes are not set into Churches in steade of Masse bookes Grayles Legends Portuises Images c. But the Sacred Byble the booke of the High and Immortall God of Heauen faithfully translated into the mother tongue to be read expounded heard and vnderstood of all to the vnspeakable comfort her Maiesties Ciuill Ministers As counsellers Judges Justices and so forth are not the Churche Ministers but spiritual Pastors and Teachers which are and by faithfull preaching ought to shewe themselues to bee the faythfull Ministers of Christ Iesus the Prince of Pastours or Shepheard and Byshop of our Soules Her Maiestie hath not taken away the Popes Antichristian office and vsurped tytle here to set her selfe in his place nor to take on the other side Christes office in hande or to infeoffe her selfe of his titles who leaueth euen to Christs Ministers their proper functions and charges whole of preaching the worde administring the Sacraments publike prayer Church discipline how euer this wrangler and his fellowes would beare the worlde in hande
of hypocrisie and hypocrites whom that religion maketh such ye might haue spared to talke of this kinde of men here They that knowe him not you say as in deede no man doth furder then hee vttereth and sheweth him selfe must needes presume him to goe of conscience and as a fauourer of that Religion and so be brought to like the better of that religion and the worse of the Catholike by his example You say true This is and if not needes must bee all christian and honest mens opinion of him yea ours vnlesse he must be taken to bee the diuels childe and of his religion And then knowe you him inwardely to be a Catholike a true Christian or of Christes religion and that we follow we denie him to be ridde him from vs and take him to your heape for his religion if he bee suchy a one You say Anibrose did accuse Valentinian the Emperour for giuing a publike Scandale to the worlde because he did but permit certaine altars to the Gentiles saying that men woulde thinke that he priuily fauoured them Ye giue a good lesson to warne Princes that bee professours of the Gospell to take heede they permit Papistes to haue no altars to sacrifice vpon in their dominions for giuing the like offence And for you Romane Catholikes that sue for tolleration for the free exercise of your Romane religion may her Maiestie answere you by your own rule and Reason We thanke you sir for giuing vs still so good weapons to beate your selues withall This is your very case Nowe let the Reader applye and make his profite of the rest The thirde reason is this When and where going and not going to Churche is made a signe 〈◊〉 betwixt a Catholike and a 〈◊〉 then and there is it not lawefull for a Catholike to goe to the Protestants Churches But so is it heere nowe wherefore it is not lawefull c. The first part of this reason he explaneth by diuision of the wayes whereby the professour of any religion may be 〈◊〉 which he maketh there by wordes workes and signe hee setteth out the whole by example of the Iewe in Italie familiarly knowne by our English Romanistes among whom the Iewe liueth in free profession of his religion and therefore had neede to be distinguished from christians by some markes But among vs heere in Englande where there is no such faction and diuersitie of religion by order of lawe vnder our gracious Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth tollerated but all bounde to professe the true christian religion to Gods glory and her Maiesties singular commendation neither is there neither needeth there in this policie any such distinction deuised by mē to seuer betwene religion and religion that is betweene truth and falshood Protestants and Papistes we content our selues with the notes and markes to knowe the professours of christian religion in Englande which are set vs downe in the holy worde of God which also depende not on mens cpinions nor are at their pleasure variable but are stayed vpon a 〈◊〉 better groūd And therfore we returne thcse voluntarie marks signes to note religiō the professors therof by to you to Rome to Italie where volūtary religiō or superstitiō raigne gaine is thought to be godlines We thank God and her Maiestie for our freedom frō the same and that we may liue at home in England in good conscience and sincere professiō of Christes religion without needing to runne into Italy where there is suche danger to denie the christian faith as yee tell vs of Looke you English Italianates to that and other the like dangers that ye haue willingly cast your selues headlong into And thus much concerning your first deuise in this reason 〈◊〉 that where telling vs of a Iewe yee affirme that to keep the Saterday holy day is a work proper to Iudaisme And againe that 〈◊〉 a christian yeelde therein to vse the same he sinneth greeuously and in effect denieth his faith Due might demaunde whether you English Romanistes and such other Catholikes in Italie do 〈◊〉 beare to keepe holy euen any of your late Pope canonized Saints dayes falling on the Saterday for feare of conformitie with the Iewes in that behalfe I weene not Thē in an externall signe as a yeallow cap wearing on the head which is a matter of lesse importance bee not too harde wherein though I thinke not the whole waight of our religion to consist yet speak I not on the other side as though I liked conformitie of the professours of Christes religion to antichriste and his ministers in any tokens and marks of their religion whatsoeuer I speake heere nothing of your grosse prophane exāple of a Tauern bush in liken ng the same to holy signes of religiō which too prophanely in my iudgement yee byd the Reader marke hee may also marke that as yee make going to Churche to seuer vs from you and to distinguish our religion from yours which is knowne by not going to Churche or by abstaining from Church so the haunting of Churche assemblies argueth some religion to bee in our men and that they carry religious mindes and abstaining from Churche assemblies which ye make a proper and peculiar signe of a true catholike argueth as much religion as is in a Horse For the proofe of the seconde part of your reason that the going to Churche in Englande is an apparant signe of a schismatike and the not going of a catholike It is manifestly to be proved yee say but it is not so easily doone as saide for vnlesse we will presume going to the Protestants churches to be hereticall as you doe and say a Catholike must so doe which is starke false your proofe will not goe forwarde All is still grounded on your false supposition and on the double and doubtfull taking of the termes of catholike and schismatike Al is but hollow and double dealing and belongeth for those wordes to the fallation of equiuocation that yee may finde moe slights then one in your reasoning Must the Protestant be a schismatik and a Papist a catholike because you presume and thinke so presume and thinke otherwise and as the truth is or at least notwithstanding your presumption giue vs leaue to thinke and say the contrary as the truth enforceth vs. But let vs see howe by presumption you prooue going to Church to be a peculiar signe distinctiue betwixt religion and religion First yee prooue it by the commanndement and exaction thereof You take vpon you to make a Cōmentarie to expounde the proceedings heere You make your self priuie of her Maiesties meaning and the Sates you 〈◊〉 imagine no other ende that men are commaunded to come to churche but to shewe themselues conformable to the religion heere professed You might knowe Sir there be and may bee diuers ends of one thing Considering that God hath instituted church assemblies to the good and benefite of his people if to the end his Maiestie may be obeyed accordingly and
It wil make you sweate and your shoulders ake too before you will be able to remoue these two blockes If you possible stumble at them and breake your shinnes thanke your selfe of your hurt who are more busie with them then you neede be Obedience yea and protestation of obedience to her Maiestie and her wholesome lawes in this behalfe aggrawateth the sinne rather then diminisheth it you say although I thinke there bee none that hath so little regarde to his Soules health as to goe to Church ouelie for obedience sake and not of a religious minde also He that thinketh it is naught to speake against the Pope at Paules Crosse which is your example though you call it rayling thinketh therein amisse and therefore being commanded if occasion serue therto shall do well to obey and doe it redressing his former foolish thinking which too absurdly still you make conscience when it is indeede but a fancie and a dreame tel vs it is Pilats case as much as lōg as you wil we wil 〈◊〉 bid you prooue it Your pope is not Christ fir nor the clearing or condemning of him the like doing to Pilats with Christ there is great oddes in the case Of pretended conscience c. I think I haue said enough and of the foolish and wicked band of a naughtie and erroneous conscience whereof you talke Prooue stil I bid you or hold your peace that haunting our churches is naught though you suppose it that is imagin and dreame so We that by experience finde and knowe the contrary can not graunt it you Obedience to her maiestie and protestation thereof in haunting holie church assemblies here authorised by law maketh the sinne greater Disobedience to her maiestie her godly lawes herein disloyalty rebelliō treason c. not onely diminish the subiectes faulte towardes their prince but is a vertue with you it is a confession of your popish catholike faith Obediēce to your pope to a prelate in a naughtie thing to your church euē against cōscience excuseth I haue giuē exāples a tast before this is your religiō cōscience After this fighting as you do stil w t your own shadow you make an obiection of your owne and answere it at pleasure And because you like not to single the matter it is your own word you huddle you shuffle double iūbling vp thinges full euell fauouredly together For reckoning how manie thinges are conteined in going to Church you bring us forth some that we acknowledge but diuers and very manie of your owne deuising which we iustlie reiect and 〈◊〉 as our answere before doth sufficiently declare Single things therfore I pray you seuer distinguish betweene good and bad one and the other better then you here doe or else keepe your annexes as you call them to sporte your selfe withall defend your obstinacie by word by writinges by imprisonment or as you will make al the world know your sturres and gaze vpon you to please your selues therein as much as lyketh you yet shall it be obstinacie stil say and doe what you can the more the matter commeth into trial the lesse credit and vauntage hath it of your side The conscience of the Catholike that thinketh he doth naught in haunting our Church assemblies is diuelish and dangerous as we haue seene the explanation of the church as you call it that is of the popish route and antichristian stuagogue is like to y t imagined conscience you labour hard to bring the church assemblies here into discredit You tel vs of the holding vp of a finger onely How vnlawfull it were in this case you adde such is your modestie a similitude of lifting vp but of a straw to the diuell in token of obedience which you say is as much as if one did word by word deny his creed But I weene not there is a differēce in the greatnes betweene sinne and sinne all sinnes are not equall Afterward of courtesie and grace you make vs foure qualificatiōs as you term thē which may make going to church lawful by the iudgement of your diuines meere particular knowne temporall busines How gingerly and nicely you walke in the matter These conditions added to going to church make it al one you say as not to go to church at al. You so prophane it as it is no better in your opinion then 〈◊〉 of the market or some like worldly busines which exercise is good enough for those of your religiō if you leaue but such a going to church as is al one with not going at al then may I shortly answer you as good neuer a whit as neuer the better In that which followeth in this third conclusion of Naaman the Sirian you so handle the matter as I know not whether you make his fact sinne or no if he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what needed he to seeke pardon at God his hande purchasing the same frō the prophet to be obtained by his praier If he sinned what tolleration could the prophet giue him therin For our case there is no difficultie therefore I omit it without further discussion your expositiō of y e whole In the fourth and last conclusion that you gather supposing lalfhood still you shewe your self very precise against our God his seruice for you say a man may not yeeld in any one little point therein which you would further ground vpon an other conclusion also If all be not lawfull then no part of it is lawful which groūd of yours how you can proue better then y t rest if you be put therto I wote not but I think hardly enough Neuerthelesse I now put you not vnto that labour you haue enough to doe alreadie and more then will euer be well done or cleared we must admit supposition for any thing you haue yet sayd I see not why our exercises in 〈◊〉 may not be thought lawful cōmēdable godly also For the general doctrine you here deliuer vs that God accepteth no particion no mayme in our seruice but eyther al or none must be his that we must walke with an vpright heart before him in roundnes of conscience without limitation dissimulatiō or haulting sticking precisely 〈◊〉 his holy law and commandements it is most true and as a heauenlye trueth so wee receiue it But the whole is verye badlye applied to your popish diuels seruice The textes of scripture that you cite talke of the sinceritie of God his seruice of his law and of his commandements c. Holde you there keepe to his holy word and we shall agree but you doe not you will not you may not you can not your false suppositiō deceiueth you there is a way saith the wife man that seemeth right to a man but the yssues therof are the wayes of death O y t the word of y t Lord in religion in life in gods matters in ours euery where euery way might be a lātern to our feet to be cōtinually caried
Puritās will finde grace with you We once make but one religiō of those y t you cal protestāts Puritās meaning yet such stil that yee abuse not your self I say others as ioine godly knowledge with their zeale except we may do y e like with you whot cold Catholikes as ye cal them wee are troubled with so many sorts of you false Catholikes already that wee are lothe to make any more except yee needes will your selues Housholders of loue as better agreeing with your religiō thā with Christs Gospel we cast to your heape as we doe al other false religions which we condēne acknowledge no other than that I haue 〈◊〉 described you Summe The true religiō or the religion of Christ heere professed is but one your religion is not only one but many distinct religions saith euen your Angelical Doctor Talke no more therefore of foure religions in this Realme when but one is auowed heere there bee moe then foure or fiue either diuers religions and distinct in name 〈◊〉 c. not in a Realine but in one Citie Towne with you this is your glorie I trust you wil not charge y t religiō I haue shortly described to be a sect nor the professors therof to be Sectaries I am sure 〈◊〉 ye can not considering that neither it nor they holde of men nor of names by them deuised or by you put vppon them That hath been hitherto proper to you them of your religion If you impugne this Religion Take what name you will yee shal shewe your selues to bee neither true Christians nor good subiects Take heede vnto it it lyeth vppon you And let not that moue you because in the day and cleere light of the Gospel when you M. Howlet are gone Heresies appeare and bee espted that for the most parte were sowen in your tyme before in the night that is in the tyme of Ignorance and darkenesse It is the nature and propertie of the light to disclose and shewe things that otherwise lie hidde It is a blessing of God Againe you knowe where G O D hath a Churche the Deuill will haue a Chappell harde by And tares in the night are sowen in the same field euen among the good seede Heresies also must be euen among you saith the Scripture c. You say Of these foure sorts of men the Catholikes are the first the auncientest the more in number the most beneficiall to al the rest whome you accompt Heretiques Sectaries hauing begottē bred vp the other and deliuered to them this Realme conserued by Catholike religion these thousand yeres and more c. Here haue I to aske you who then be the fathers to all those supposed Sectaries and men of diuers religions that you say are at this day in this Realme Who but you Catholikes y t haue begotten them Whose children be they of whose bringing vp that are accompted to be of so diuers naughty religions whose but yours y t will be Catholikes who haue begotten and bred them vp Howe come these yee accompt Sectaries here and by this Realme howe you Catholikes deliuered it them if al the sortes of men yee recken vp were such Sectaries and naughty men in deede as yee accompt them to be they might wel bee accompted your broode but first syr wee must desire you to take out of your heape those that you cal Protestants and Puritans They wil call no man their father I tell you vpon earth as they be taught by their onely Maister Christe for there is but one father which is in heauen for the rest the more we looke vpon thē the better wee knowe them by the face and confesse them to bee the Ghostly children of you false Catholikes they bee so like you you bee the first yee say and the auncientest But the great Dragon syr that old Serpent called the Deuil and Satan as the holie Ghost speaketh is elder and before you againe You bee the more in number The serpents seede is greatly multiplyed but the womās seede I doubte not shal matche you wel ynough not shee that is the woman herself as your 〈◊〉 translation to commonly corrupt lewdly translateth the wordes and so ouerthrowes the true sense Of the battaile victorie and this whole matter reade the Reuelation of S. Iohn namely the 12. and 13. Chap. c. In Catholikes and Sectaries wee see the Ghostly fathers and their children Goe no higher to Grandsire and great Grandsire stay your wisedome I aduise you for opening your Pedegrue to much Onely as you Catholikes haue begotten bred vp Sectaries so I pray you at this time tell vs of whome ye begate them That is let vs learne who was their mother nurse whose breasts they suckt and vnder whome so vntoward impes were brought vp To saue your honesties and to make all alike father mother children Babylon or Rome in one word I thinke will serue all if not helpe me and teach me better I speake as your Doctours teach mee Howe beneficiall you Catholikes are to Protestantes or Gospellers amongest others your hot burning charitie where they stande to your curtesie sheweth and the bloodie daies here in Christes Martyres c. did sufficientlie expresse The more beneficiall you are to all the rest that are Sectaries the worse yee deserue of this Churche You plaine in another place of lawlesse proceeding and crie out of Riot heere you say you deliuered the Realme to them that 〈◊〉 it They tooke it not then by violence nor against your willes they did you no wrong Howe this Realme hath been conserued by Catholike religion 〈◊〉 thousand yeeres and more that should you haue shewed made plaine your wordes carry an ambiguitie Poperie once and your religion as it is professed and exercised at this day is not wee tell you so olde Againe Christians as wee professe our selues to bee holding of Christe and builte vpon the Prophets and Apostles c. Fetch the antiquitie of their religion not from a thousand yeeres agoe as you pretende to doe but from a very long tune before your 1000. yeeres and so may iustlier then yours hee called the olde religion This Realme hath from time to time been conserued by Gods mercifull and fatherly prouidence and blessing by wise and vertuous Princes and their good and wholesome lawes not by your blinde superstition rather then religion Gods Churche and true Christians sometime moe sometime fewer not in this Realme but throughout the whole worlde haue receiued and conserued Christes religion heere now professed and by mee more shortly described these fifteene hundred yeeres and more that I may goe somewhat aboue your thousande yeeres euen since the Ascension of the Lorde Iesus though after a diuers manner sometime and most commonly shrouded vnder the crosse sometime otherwise according to the dispensation and wisdome of the immortal God It is wisedome safetie for you not to goe
I say in a masking Masse in a crucifixe Medall agnus Det and such other images yee call them lay mens bookes in a seely payre of beads so you speake your selfe and such other reliques then woulde I surely haue all men consider well the dayly exercises of our Religion which is Catechising and instructing of youth and the ruder sort in y e Articles of the beliefe the tenne cōmandements the Lord his prayer and other the principles of christian religion preaching and hearing preached God his holy woorde ministring and receiuing the Sacramentes of Baptisme and y e Lord his supper according to Christ his holy institution in the Gospel prayers to God for necessities and thankesgiuing for benefites with confession of sinnes and of our faith also and singing of Psalmes c. These are the vsuall and ordinarie exercises and the principal of our religion in our dayly meetings kept among Englishe men in the Englishe tongue Nowe let these be compared with your exercises that you set vs heere downe and with the other ceremonies of your Catholique Romane Churche and their Latine seruice at this day and then let iudgement hardly bee giuen whether of the two bee more to God his glorye the Churches that is God his peoples edification to heauenwarde and as God his religion best grounded on his holy worde as comformable thereto and so consequently to be receiued and imbraced with all thankfulnesse to God and our soueraigne I am perswaded M. Howlet that as in your motiues for alteration in so bad and corrupt a religion as yours is you moue very litle her Maiesties resolute and setled conscience on better groundes then yours for all your cunning and sugred speeches so this well weighed and rightly your friendes reasons and your glosing will gaine as litle to your side I can not followe particularly all your impudent 〈◊〉 slāders without vsing to much vnseemely tearms in geuing you that you deserue I will but touche so much as I shall thinke requisite the things that seeme needefull vnto me for the readers satisfaction and admonition I cannot let passe that ye say heere we were borne baptized bred vp c. in the Catholike Religion still ambiguitie of speeche but I guesse at your meaning you meane your selfe and your fellowes I suppose for we renounce and vtterly denie with thankes to God that wee or any of vs were baptised in Popishe or in any man his religion Wee were baptised In the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost in the name of Christ and into Christian religion and therefore is Baptisme called Christening and Christendome not Popening and Popedome I will not calculate your age M. Howlet and yet it may bee you were borne and bred vp in the time of the Gospel and profession of this religion many of your side I am sure were yet shal not neede to be rebaptised as though yee had been baptised in heretical religion by your opinion You were baptised wee hope In the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghoste for euery Popishe Priests forme in baptising wee haue not to answere looke you vnto it We finde in your owne decrees among other your corruptions of Gods holy orders his Institution recorded euen in the ministring of this sacrament of Baptisme in the Latine tongue that a Priest in Pope Zacharies time baptised a childe in too too barbarous vnto ward and vile a forme as is set downe in the margine Therefore not without cause bid I you looke to your Priestes and their doings afore time One may iudge there bee many holy things euill fauouredly 〈◊〉 vp among you I haue tolde you the order of Baptizing in our Churches for the circumstance of tyme when it is no great matter in this case looke to the substance Antichrist with all his corruptions and mischief coulde neuer ouerthrow the forme substance of Baptisme hithertoo not in the tyme of Poperie Let your Antichrist take his corruptions y t is his religiō Let vs thāke God for the substance of our Baptisme that wee neede not be Baptised againe reserued by God for vs and vnto vs in spight of Antichriste and the diuell in all ages To God greatly yea wholly To these wee are nothing beholding for the same and as litle or lesse for the corruptions they mingled therewith What ye meane when ye say we were borne in the Catholike religion is somewhat darke in a thing is diuersly taken consulte with your M. Aristot. we were borne and you too in iniquitie dead in trespasses and sinnes and are by nature the children of wrath aswell as others Thus speake the Scriptures If you meane as I thinke yee doe that wee were borne your selfe and all and Baptised in the tyme of Poperye wee graunt it But in or into Popishe religion wee denie it It is one thynge to bee Baptised in a Popishe tyme and another in Popishe religion keepe the woordes wherewith we were baptised In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost This is neyther Poperie nor Popishe religion Here vpon wee say your argument and your fellowes is taken from Sophistrie and is a Sophisticall and brabbling quarrell You may easily finde the fallacion Thus falleth the Bulwarke alone and of it selfe or is taken very easily that yee imagine impregnaable till it bee tryed or assaulted wee see and heare well inough what accompt yee make of this argument abroade to deceiue the simple Distinguishe whiche is not harde to bee done Betweene God and the Diuell Christe and Antichriste Poperie and True Religion Gods holy word and mens Inuentions Let eche one haue that is proper to him and it And this argument of being Baptised in the Catholike Romane religion as these men speake that is Popishe religion as wee truely speake will easily bee answered Her Maiesties clemencie that yee talke of and great mercie as it hangeth not on your commendation as needing the same so both it and the cares wherewith you disquiet her peaceable and quiet estate and perce her tender heart so much as in you lieth should make your hearts to bleed in your bellies rather then hers if they were not harder then flint neuer praise your loue to her Maiestie you are litle beholding to your neighbours that neede to praise your selues for no body els can Say not to excuse your peruerse wilfulnesse that ye are not able to remooue the cause because it is your conscience iudgment in religiō You haue framed your selues a conscience ye may as well remoue it Ye haue freewill 〈◊〉 yee say on both sides Yee could freely enough fall arise as freely I pray you by reforming your conscience and iudgement Lie not still in your owne myre and say yee bee perplexed because some of your doctours talke and teache perplixetie that men are sometime brought into whiche is but a foolishe opinion We will
Pope as it was Himself also to plaine of that matter by his Embassadour in the Councell at Lions to represse the Popes Legate in this land 〈◊〉 were the Popes exactions here then What demeanour of Pope and popelinges was that towardes King Henrie the second before to take his Crowne from his head and so villanously to vse him in maintenance and defence of a villanous traitours cause as is reported I doe but occasion the Reader to consider of the hurly burlies of this false Catholike Churche and religion What was that demeanour to excommunicate King John to discharge his subiects of the oth of allegeance to stirre vp warre against him and at lengthto bereaue the King both of kingdome and life after hee had giuen his wicked definitiue sentence that hee shoulde bee deposed from his estate and had enioyned the execution thereof to y t French King for remissiō of his sinnes tohaue for his rewarde the kingdome of Englande he and his successours for euer Hee called this king Iohn his Vassall or tenant for y t after the Pope by his Legate 〈◊〉 phus had taken the Kinges Crowne into his hande once the good King coulde no other wise after inioy it but that hee must acknowledge that hee and his heires must receiue the same from the Pope This dealing of Pope Innocentius against King John may not bee thought strange for that in a solemne Councell helde vnder him at Rome we finde it decreed that if a Temporall Lorde being admonished by the Church doeneglect to purge his lande from heresie wee knowe what they called heresie then he shoulde bee excommunicated by the Metropolitane and the other Bishops of his Prouince and if he refused to make satisfaction within a yeere it shoulde bee signified to the Pope that hee from thence foorth shoulde pronounce his Subiectes to be free from keeping or yeelding fidelitie to such a temporall Lorde should expose his land to be inuaded by Catholik es To come nearer home and to speake of that most mightie Prince of famous memorie King Henrie the eight within mans remembrance what demeanour and proceeding was vsed in cursing excommunicating and suche like styrre keeping to disturbe that victorious King of Englande and the State of the whole Realme For our liege Ladie and dread Soueraigne most high and noble Queene Elizabeth what and howe many thinges haue beene attempted and howe many wayes also and yet still are the thing is freshe and common the rebellions so late in memorie the dayly practises and attemptes by Gods Prouidence so reuealed and met withal as I think yee can haue no face to stande in the deniall though your Epistle blushe not Shortly to say What Englishman soeuer borne in this Realme shall denie the superioritie or refuse to submit him selfe vpon the grounde of his faith giuen to the Pope of his Popish or Romane religion vnder the power authoritie and ciuill gouernement of our dread Soueraigne and Iawfull Queene Elizabeth as Gods Lieuetenant or chiefe minister be he Apostle Euangelist Prophet or whosoeuer and howsoeuer els yee list to call him in resisting the order and ordinance of G O D hee is to bee reputed of all men Gods enimie and no good Christian but a very naughtie man in so doing c. But suche are your English Romane or hot Catholikes as her Maiestie and the State chargeth you and all the worlde seeth and you your selues dissemble not in allowing your Popes Bulles and other writinges therevppon grounded agreeable thereto and in your ouuert and open dealinges whereof may easily bee gathered what maner of men yee are to be reputed towards God and the world although I hope well in God that there bee not many such heere in England Yf because you bee disputers yee aske Scholasticall argumentes and yet if one argue with you out of the scriptures you make little account thereof thinking the bare Scriptures so can yee speake too sclender stuffe to conuince you withall Therefore grounding vpon your owne doctrine which is of more waight with you and vppon the lawe of this Realme which decideth cases of Treason here I purpose God before to prooue some what further this way Albeit I must suppose that you bee not ignoraunt of the pointes of your owne doctrine and that true hearted Englishmen knowe the Soueraigntie of our Prince and Queene and so their duties towardes her Maiestie taught them first in Gods worde and afterwarde expressed heere further by the lawes of this Realme in Acts of Parliament c Yet hauing layed the one and the other as the foundation of the arguments that I minde to make you Let mee so much as shalbee necessarie heereunto note in summe the the wordes of your doctrine and our lawe and then from both see if I can frame some fewe Scholasticall arguments that yee may thereby perceiue that it is not hard for him that list y t way to exercise himselfe to bring many substantial argumēts against you in this case of doctrin demeanour of disobedience and Treason towards superiours Thus is it written in your popish decrees and thence taken and repeated by your D. Thomas in his summe where he treateth of subiects discharge frō the gouernemēt of their princes and from their othe and fidelitie towardes them Wee holding the statutes of our holy predecessours by Apostolique authoritie doe absolue them from their bonde which are bound by fidelitie or othe to them that be excommunicated and by all meanes forbid that they keepe not fidelitie to them till suche time as they come to satisfaction Now adde to this your Popes late traiterous Bulles in her Maiestics case and this Realmes wher with you are but too wel acquainted forget not your owne profession and doing at this day And so let the perpetuall doctrine of your supreme pastour and his supreme authoritie acknowledged receiued and in practise followed by you bee for one parte the grounde and proofe of the Arguments that I shall propounde vnto you Or if you 〈◊〉 furder let N. Saunders a principall piller of your Popish English Synagogue beyonde Sea speake particularly for all Of whose speache in this case I haue giuen you a taste before out of his visible Monarchie On the other part let those that bee presently of that state heere to go no furder of speake on the other side and reporte vs whether you hot Catholikes bee traitours c or no Fume not fret not at my wordes nor at any other priuate mans but examine y e matter your owne cōscience herein And because yee talke of the renting of your Catholike hearts at these wordes and the like which being double may with murmuring and grudging possible bee vexed to litle purpose and sone rent a sunder Therefore for your good this way here Gods counsaile rather by the holy Prophet Rent your heartes and not your clothes and turne to the Lorde your
your pleasures without good warrant or ground and so may be reduced to cōformitie prescribed by superiours Your owne S. Thomas in his summe saith Q. 79. art 13. that conscience is no speciall facultie or power of the soule because it may bee laide away which the other cannot but bee that as it wil be A corrupt conscience such as yours is may and ought to bee laide away The reasons in your treatise as in place we finde deale little or nothing to proue the contrary to this I tell you or deale as you doe very hollowly being grounded altogether vpon supposition which not grounded on Gods truth in matters of Religion is a rotten post for conscience to leane vpon Trye your consciences in religion by right iudgemēt and good vnderstanding taken out of Gods booke runne not vpon false suppositions and we shalbe soone at an ende I still maruell M. Howlet how you can exempt your cōsciences from 〈◊〉 and so from her 〈◊〉 that before condemned these sentences as errours That the consciences of the faithfull are exempted from the power of all men that Chistians are fre and exempted from all Princes lawes as touching their consciences c. For you admit this exposition of the former sentence in saying that Caluin and Luther holde therein one doctrine whereof I haue spokē in his place The matter is that your Secondary faith and alleageance sworne vnto her Highnesse as to the sub stitute of God thus yee speake is at the Popes pleasure broken and nowe discharged of that faith by his warrant and the same bestowed vpon him and such as hee wyll appoint without good warrant from God or her Maiestie In the meane while we will take as graunted by you this Maxime or supposition That conscience dependeth of iudgement vnderstanding and not of affect will albeit in your case this wholy raignethin you therefore seemeth not be conscience But because pretended conscience is the grounde of these mens whole matter and the only shift of excuse that both M Howlet and his authour haue to cloke their disobedience withal let mee be bold with thee gentle Reader somewhat at large to vnfolde some parte of their Popish 〈◊〉 in this case of conscience which that I may the better doe I will first set downe some of both their wordes agreeing in this point together Then examining in generall the popish doctrine whereon they grounde themselues without all Scripture yea contrary to Scripture common reason and hon estie also as the same is deliuered vnto vs in their bookes by the principall 〈◊〉 of their religion I will shewe howe godlesly and howe hollowly they may be found to speake write and thinke in the whole enough in my opinion to bring their religion into vtter 〈◊〉 detestation and hatred for broching vs such abhominable abhominations Afterwarde God willing returning to M. Howlets wordes againe and comparing them with the doctrine of the Scripture will I so much as I shall thinke needefull answere the same particularly Thus writeth M. Howlet of this matter heere at large 12 Now because as the Philosopher saith that is onely good vnto euery man which ech mans vnderstanding tel leth him to be good vnto the which the Scripture and 〈◊〉 agree when they say that wee shall bee iudged at the last day according to the testimonie of our conscience 〈◊〉 followeth that what soeuer wee doe contrary to our iudgement and conscience is according to the Apostle damnable Because wee decerne it to bee euill and yet doe it So that howe good soeuer the action in it selfe were as for example if a Gentile shoulde for feare say or sweare that there were a Messias yet vnto the doer it should be a damnable sinne because it seemed naught in his iudgement and conscience and therefore to him it shall bee so accounted at the last day Which thing hath made all good men from time to time to stande very scrupulously in defence of their conscience and not to commit any thinge against the sentence and approbation of the same All Princes also Potentates of the woorlde haue abstained from the beginning for the very same consideration from enforcing men to Actes against their consciences especially in religion as the histories both before Christe and since doo declare And amongest the very Turkes at this day no man is compelled to doe any act of their religion except he renonuce first his owne And in the Indies and other farre partes of the worlde where infinite Infidels are vnder the gouernemente of Christian Princes it was neuer yet practised nor euer thought lawfull by the Catholike Churche that suche men shoulde bee inforced to any one acte of our religion And the reason is for that if the doing of such actes shoulde 〈◊〉 sinne vnto the doers because they doe them against their conscience then muste needes the inforcement of suche Actes be muche more greeuous and damnable sinne to the inforcers Mary notwithstanding this when a man hath receiued once the Christian Catholike religion and will by new deuises and singularitie corrupte the same by running out and makinge dissention in Christe his bodie as all Heretikes doe then for the conseruation of vnitie in the Church and sor restraint of this mans furye and pride the Churche hath alwayes from the beginning allowed that the Ciuill Magistrate shoulde recalle suche a fellowe by temporall punishment to the vnitie of the whole bodie againe as all the holy Fathers write to bee most necessarie especially suche as hadde most to doe with suche men as Cyprian Ierome Optatus Augustine Leo Gregorie and Bernarde And Saint Austin in diuers places recalleth backe againe his opinion whiche hee sometimes helde to the contrary So that wee keeping still our olde religion and hauing not gone out from the Protestantes but they from vs wee cannot bee enforced by any iustice to doe any acte of their religion HEnce yee gather y t because ye alleadge your conscience in this cause of yours Therfore neither may ye do there against vnder paine of damnatiō neither be enforced to doe otherwise then you doe vnder like paine to the enforcers and because yee sawe you shoulde be excepted vpon two wayes yee prouide answere for the same first If it bee alleadged against you as is by vs very truly alleadged that the thing yee are called vnto is godly honest and good and seemely to bee yeelded vnto and therefore no reason you shoulde in this case bee left to your pretended conscience to followe that whiche is euill but that you shoulde giue ouer and take a newe course Yee affirme howe good soeuer the action in it selfe bee whervnto yee are called yet the yeelding is damnable sinne to the doer because it seemeth naught in his iudgement and conscience and therefore to him it shall bee so accounted at the last day So he must bee left to his
doctrine and demeamour where is that now here you demaunde a safe conduct before you will come into your Princes power and presence A token of an euill conscience What haue you done man that you are so afraide of her Maiestie that you dare not come home into your natiue Countrey to your naturall Prince and Mother as yee pretende in speech without good warrant for your safetie This is a strange and vnwonted kinde of dealing of good and honest subiectes with their Soueraignes and Princes Her Maiestie is vpright shee will doe you no wrong shee is compassionable and mercifull also you confesse it why doe you not put your selfe into her gracious 〈◊〉 handes Is this a louing and dutifull childes dealing with his naturall Mother Is this your Catholike obedience in deede towards our Queene and Prince when shee commandeth you to come home who when you list your selues can not by any prohibition bee keept hence Here here M. Howlet commeth in fitly the tryall of conscience you talked of afore Here commeth in the place of scripture for you to cōsider of y t I take you cited out of S. Iohn before Yf our hearte condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things Here in summe commeth in the doctrine of Obedience to Princes for conscience sake as to God himselfe c. That you before said your Mother the Catholike Church together with the Apostle teacheth her children If you bee a naturall child and not a bastarde shewe your selfe nowe and heare when you are called For a childe honoureth Father and Mother where is this honour reuerence loue duetie c. All is to seeke you minde not to come before her Maiestie but vpon sure grounde once You can prouide for one I perceiue to keepe your selfe out of gunne shot you will bee a right Thraso and set your selfe behinde rather then bee in the front or forewarde when there is any danger to your person you will abide no brunt by your will you loue to talke of the matter but it shall bee a loofe and with condition What I say Be not too cowardely and too fearefull doe somewhat like to that yee talke Some deale answere your hie wordes else all the worlde will crye shame on you that so instantly craue disputation as a Suter for it and then will not vouchsafe to come to it but vppon further warraunt from your Prince Her Maiestie hath pardoned as great faultes as you haue committed Bee sorie in deede for former offence and put your selfe at least into her mercifull handes to whom you so smoothely write I pray God I spend not woordes vpon you in vain I am in doubt it is no parte of your meaning openly to come home except you may haue proclamation or letters patēts or some such stay for your safetie This is y e testimony terrour of an euil conscience you must for your safety haue her maiesties safe conduct in as ample manner as it was offered to those of our side by the councel of Trent A high point wherein there is great reason and wisdome sure that the Pope and Popish Bishops beeing strangers and our mortall enemies who not themselues only breake all faith and promise but teach and persuade princes and all other to doe the like with those of contrary religion whō they call heretikes that these men I say should haue as great credit with englishmen in her maiesties dominions as her selfe who is our naturall and most honorable louing Princesse and Queene shal haue with her english subiects wher at can you blush M. Howlet y t dare thus impudently write to our dread soueraigne Me thinketh it should haue made penne ynck paper and al to haue blushed if there had been any blushing in them we refused to accept that offer frō the Pope his councell of Trent Great reason M. Howlet answered why a good while since But you will not refuse her maiesties warrant for your saftie I am ashamed though you be not of your ouergrosse cōparison Is the case alike you say you would haue her maiesties onely worde set downe vnto you in no ampler maner then the Councell of Trent made the safe conduct to your aduersaries Those that you call your aduersaries to whome your Popes bull or safe conduct as you call it was directed by name or with whom it had principally to deale were protestant or Gospelling Kinges Princes states or publike persons commonly if any of that profession rather then priuate and obscure persons such as you and we are who without leaue of superiours coulde not go thither namely out of England It is sayde your Popes safe conducte was that the libertie of comming to that councell pertained but to them onely of our men that would repent and return to the boosome of your churche whereof hee that in english list to see more let him reade the Defence of the Apologie wil you now accept her maiesties offer in like maner on this churches behalfe ye say you desire it in no ampler maner than the counsel of Trent made the safe conduct to your aduersaries Whether it were the councels safe conduct the Popes Legates or the Pope of Romes himself who summoned the councell or which of the 3. Popes it was vnder whom that councell was Al is one Hee was and needes must be the iudge in the Councell who is the aduersarie parte and hath himselfe to answeare and yet the Lawe is that he that is cheefe in iurisdiction ought not to geue iudgement to or for himselfe Lastly sir vppon whose safe conduct soeuer our side had come to Trent Councell they had beene required either to haue yelded when they had come and conformed themselues or to haue been excom municated accursed and condemned for their labour Tell vs whether you list to come hether on like condition Thus writeth Harding your owne man of going to the Councel of Trent In deede sayth he had ye gon thither your heresies had beene confuted your selues required to yeeld and to conforme you to the Catholik church or else you had beene Anathematized accursed condemned For that was the foundation and condition of the safe conduct which was neuer willingly graunted as seemeth but extorted by the Germanes importunitie the fathers of 〈◊〉 Councell hoping as they pretended their recouerie and returne to their Catholike religion wherein they were deceiued And this safe conduct was first graunted not by the Councell vnder Pope Paule the third but vnder Iulius the third his successour after many sessions and yeeres passed too as seemeth and repeated by the Councel vnder Pius the fourth many yeeres after againe Now that the foundation and purport and meaning of this safe conduct that M. Howlet here mencioneth may appeare and be the better knowne to the Reader I set downe these words following as they were propounded in the first session vnder Pius the fourth immediatly before the safe conduct graunted to the
a course in one parte that you quite leaue out the two other I wot not well howe it will agree with the Rhetorike Schooles about you nor what libertie you Orators nowe a dayes take to your selues and therefore I will leaue it sauing that mee thinkes your friende M. Howlet who is most like to bee the Poste or Messenger ye talke of might haue forborne the printing of an vnperfect worke or haue beene better aduised then to haue Dedicated the same at least to such a Personage as is her Maiestie But we might stay well enough for the other two partes this point to confirme or obstinate and poyson rather her Maicsties subiectes was so necessarie that it was to bee hastened This was the Resolution of your wise heades Yee are a Societie I must suppose all is done by consent Besides I see M. Howlet in his Epistle Dedicatorie to her Maiestie hath entred into the seconde parte of his fellowes Diuision as the same is reported vnto vs in the excuse that is made in the latter ende of the booke for though he haue omitted to treat of Instant and feruent Prayer to Almightie God very necessarie for all Christians and namely for him and his felowes that they may doe better then they doe he taketh vpō him bolde recourse vnto the Queenes Maiestie for tolleration in their corrupte religion and he is busie with his Authours Motiues c. which is the seconde promised parte It had beene better he had been more occupied in that hee hath left out of this seconde part of the Diuision and to haue exhorted his Catholiks to obediēce to her maiesty our most dread soueraine This had beene a very necessarie point in deede for such of his secte as are here giuen to sedition and rebellion among vs. Once while it is sayde that the Authour meaneth to this pointe to exhorte many mischiefes by that ūde there while are among vs wrought God amende them or cut them more short I will not charge M. Howlet heere with iniurie doyng in preuenting his fellowe because it is likely all is done by compact agreement among them It may seeme as thinges fall out that all this excuse of omitting the two latter partes is but a flourishe and the promise but a meere pretence If health and leasure shall permit he promiseth to finishe the rest but I am hardely perswaded that his health and leasure will in these dayes serue him to perfourme so good an office being so directly contrarie to the profession of their Popish religion seeing especially it hath lost so good a place as to haue gone first or to haue been the foundation of the Supplication to her Maiestie A great oportunitie and occasion lost But least I seeme to dispayre of them I pray God this peece of true obedience to her Maiestie may bee thought of and wrote of by these hot Catholikes But y t it may bee done with better conscience more stedfastnes then hee that in Latin wrote of true obediēce in her maiesties fathers dayes the most famous renoumed prince of blessed memory K. Henrye the eight or he y t set the preface before it who both of thē when time afterwarde serued shamelessy reuoked that they had done and returning to their vomite most cruelly persecuted Gods people their brethrē for in y t matter y t they had before professed them selues and published to the worlde they shewed themselues without all conscience time seruers onely c. If to seeke to disturbe and molest by Rebellion their Lords and Princes be the custome of Heretikes and Sectaries of our time then with vs are the Papistes such here who followe that trade with her Maiestie and this State right If Subiectes bee bounde patiently to beare and to obey howe hardely so euer their Princes shall deale with them vnder payne of deadly sinne and damnation as these men in fayre wordes will seeme to professe howe cōmes it then to passe they take vp the sword against their our noble Queene Elizabeth Again if English men owe true obedience to her Maiestie for consciēce sake euen as to God himself why do not papistes render it then If it appertaine not to subiectes to iudge whether their Princes rule well or not as they say why iudge they the whole matter so violently against her Maiestie Why do other iustifie the same by wryting yea why procure they their Popes most traiterous bulles to be published and sent ouer hither why come they not home and liue like quiet Subiectes words are winde all is but words wind Let thē declame as lōg as loudlie as they will hardly wil they be euer able to wash away this blot Now come I to the authours necessarie supposition as he calleth it and the two sortes of Catholikes that hee nameth where he deuideth badly still for he telleth vs There are to sortes of Catholikes in England And when he hath done maketh vs three before he come to his Reasons One sorte for the iustifiyng of whom he wrote his Treatise Another sorte for the reforming of whom hee wrote the same And the third sort of very bad Catholikes whom he accounteth damned men in this life So where he telleth vs there are here two sorts of Catholikes we finde three as we find but one parte of his treatise where he promised three this is scholasticall and Orator like with these men Let vs heare what he sayth But first of all is to be noted that my reasons to the end they may conuince are to be supposed to proceede from a catholike minde that is from a man which in his conscience is throughly petsuaded that onely the catholike Romane religion is trueth and that all other newe doctrines and religions are false religions as all newe Gods are false Gods c. First your supposition is ambiguous doubtfull and captious by reason you do not plainely and particularly enough expresse in the first part what the Catholike Romane religion is which you say is onely trueth when you oppose all other doctrines and religions which you say are false to the Romane religion you call them newe So as some man might thinke ye talked in the first parte of y e true christian religion groūded vpon the doctrine of the prophets and Apostles and comprised in the canonicall Scriptures of Gods holy Byble which indeede is the onely Truth and the old religion And this is the very same her maiestie and we her subiects heere professe in the church of england and is elsewhere professed by those that are termed Gospellers Protestants c whom you yet account and call heretikes and their religion A newe doctrine and religion Wee call this our religion not in captious and doubtefull terme the Catholike Romane religion or which we might with as muche right as you do the Catholike English religion but simply and plainly of the Authours Gods and Christs true religion Or if you wil insteede of
altogether refuse to cōforme themselues to the exercises of religion heere and to take the othe of alleageance to her Maiestie their Soueraigne and ours vnder God c. Now Sir I take it that these are three sorts of Catholikes Neuerthelesse make them for your pleasure but two sortes in other order thus One sort of false Catholikes as in deede yee all and euery mothers childe of you Rome byrdes be none other Let the second sort be true Catholikes but not in your sense that is hot papists Then againe of your false Catholikes make two sortes one no Christians and therefore much lesse Catholikes as you speak though you say they be Catholikes in another place The other sort of false Catholikes that remaine for whom you pretende that your treatise was made yee call them elswhere colde Catholikes Schismatike Catholikes heathen men Publicanes c. and suche as yee abhorre for their onely going to the Protestants Churches For your selues y t are hot Catholikes take your place among the false Catholiks where you like best a place among true Catholikes can you neither finde your selues nor 〈◊〉 afoord you except ye alter your profession Heere is much adoe about Catholikes a great stirre some true som false som hot some cold some schismatique some Heathen and Publicanes some imbraced some abhord c. and yet all Catholikes Wee poore Protestantes may be glad we are out of your handes when you play such Pageants among your own mē taking a generall view of your Catholikes here amongest vs in Englande and deuiding and seuering the same with your Catholik and diuine iudgement at first chop ye send the most of them quicke to Hell without all hope of recouery At next hacke yee cut of a many branches if not the very stocke and body and leaue but a branche and that a weake branche of that tree in this soyle God be praysed therefore Only they true Catholikes y t do not nor will not come to church heere amongest vs nor acknowledge the Queenes Supremacie c. Are all other catholikes heere led with fancie Are they schismatikes or damned in hell Speake out alowde and be plaine So yee say I am in some respect glad ye so say of your catholikes here amongst vs not y t I wishe thē dānatiō which ye threat or yet their hurt any way but y e I hope wel it wil make some of them better aduised Doe one sort of your catholikes heere sinne against the holy Ghost Are they to bee accounted damned in this life no Christians c. A harde iudgement against those of your owne religion a pitifull case sure but not with you who iudge them to blaspheme against y e holy Ghost y t willingly breake your holy Canons presume to speake against thē or willingly agree to them that so will doe And in deede to say the truth of them if there be any such as you here describe they are very naughtie men in deepely dissembling with God their soueraigne the Church but yet not so bad as ye make thē no dāned persons without all hope of recouerie whiles they liue not sinners against the holy ghost for all this if thinking on their miserable case they will vnfeignedly returne not to you and your religion which leaue them no hope but to God by heartie repentance for deeply dissembling with him and the worlde You reiect them quite acknowledge them to be no true catholikes but schismatikes excommunicate persons c. This haue they gotten by liking and professing all this while your Popish religion when you once shew your selues to fall out with them a poore recompence at your handes You haue amongst you the keyes of heauen hell and Purgatorie ye can when yee list sende all men whether you list quicke and dead but yee sende men too fast to hell to be charitable especially those of your own sect and profession Neuerthelesse if God haue giuen them eares to heare we say first to you for some excuse or defence of such as being aforetime of your sect and religion howeuer you knew them in those dayes yet we take them to bee changed men now to haue learned foorth another and better lesson in Christes schoole and as charitie woulde wee iudge the best of them and generally to speake wee thinke they allowe of Christes religion here professed In summe that their saying professing and doing agree till they manifestly shew the contrary You sir that can see farre in a milstone are priuie to mens cōsciences it is y e seate where Antichriste challengeth to sit You tell vs here what men iudge in their consciences we cannot go so farre we leaue that to God themselues You y t know well by experience belike your catholike religion to be full of hypocrisie and dissimulation to yeelde Hypocrites iudge according to your spirite and the fruites of your religion but wee tell you we iudge them to 〈◊〉 been in a new and better schole els wee wishe them at least to betake themselues to better maisters then to such as iudging so hardely deale thus cruelly with them If they haue by confession tolde you their conscience in eare shrift yet are you 〈◊〉 to vtter the same Next if that will not serue for that you presume to knowe those of your side better then wee doe we bid them remaining in opinion such as you tell vs looke for that in deede in the end vnlesse they repent and that heartily which you here threaten them euen hell fire with hypocrites A iust recompence for suche religion and doyng but not in respect that they haunt our Church assemblies thogh but for not rightly 〈◊〉 the same to Gods glory their owne comfort and edifiyng and the benefite of other for not changing their fansie and foolish opinion which you call Catholike religion conscience for continuing in this cleare light of the Gospel obstinate in their ignorance and superstitions for their wilfull refusing of Gods mercifull calling c. which calling of God if vpon this aduise they yeelde vnto accordingly we assure them by the warrant of Gods worde of Gods mercie and fauour in Christ. In the meane while we obserue here that amongst you that will needes bee called Catholikes there bee by your owne confession diuers Sectes that ye neede not so hotly condemne vs your aduersaries and our Religion because there be Sectes among vs and diuers opinions whereof your selues and your Religion is no cleerer nay it is not harde to finde more diuersitie of opinions among you by your owne confessions then among those that professe the Gospel euen here M. Howlet wryting in his Epistle to her Maiestie of the diuers knowne religions in Englande at this day reduceth them to foure heades with their professours to wit Catholiks Protestants Puritans Houshoulders of Loue c. By Catholikes hee meaneth such as are of your side Housholders of Loue are well known neyther to belong to the profession
the holy Ghost his set vs downe by that chosen vessell the blessed Apostle who prayeth Christians to walke worthy their calling whereunto they are called with all humblenes of minde meeknes with long suffering supporting one another in loue endeuouring to keepe the vnitie of the Spirite in the bonde of peace There is one bodie and one spirit c. looke the place To discerne and distinguishe therefore thinges aright here needeth the Spirite of the Lorde the spirite of wisedome vnderstanding the spirite of counsaile and strength the spirite of knowledge and of the feare of the Lorde that may make vs prudent in the feare of the Lord c. whereof the Prophet sayth It shoulde rest vpon Christ who receyued the fame for the behoofe of his Churche and vs to be guided by Wee haue receiued sayth Saint Paule not the spirite of the worlde but the spirite which is of God that we may know the things which are giuē vs of God And the Anoynting which yee receiued of him dwelleth in you saith Saint Iohn and Yee neede not that any man teach you but as the same anoynting teacheth you of all things it is true and is not lying and as it taught you yee shall abide in him Agayne our Sauiour Christ It is written in the Prophetes And they shal be all taught of God A good and sure Schoolemaister is this Spirit of truth to lead vs into all trueth to bring into our remembrance whatsoeuer Christ hath tolde vs and to redresse and direct our wayes according to God his holy woorde which is the truth God only vouchsafe to 〈◊〉 our eares and to touche our heartes continually to heare beleeue and obey this truth Thus much in respect of some certaine for their better satisfiyng if it may be This matter beside the scriptures which may and ought to suffise hath 〈◊〉 and is diducted at large by some writers both olde and new as they are called where the same for them that list may be seen namely Augustine in his writings aforetime against the Donatists and such like wadeth herein very godly and wisely in my opinion and such godly men in our time also as write against Anabaptistes and y e like that are infected herein that I neede not to adde there vnto And besides I doe but here touch the same by the way as a caueat to preuent or cut of cauill and quarrelling if it may be hauing rather to occupie meselfe in answering the 〈◊〉 sarie at this time as one that what reason or answere soeuer other may be thought to haue and to make he surely his fellow Romanists haue very litle or none as who may be thought to haue beene in the orders of this Churche sufficiently if not too muche respected and borne with nowe aboue these twentie yeeres whiche may serue with all the worlde to our 〈◊〉 and the States 〈◊〉 here towardes these men And that a through and full reformation of the Church need not be forborne in respect of them I woulde this great and necessarie matter might as easily be obtayned which our sinnes onely let as it is not harde to answere what euer those fellowes can nowe alleadge for them selues Unto the examination therefore of this mans particular Reasons for refusall of comming to Church I nowe turne my selfe THE first Reason why I being a Catholike in minde may not goe to the Churches or seruice of the contrary Religion is because I perswading my selfe their doctrine to be false doctrine and consequently venemous vnto the hearer I may not venture my soule to bee infected with the same So that the firste proposition or grounde of this first reason to make it in forme of argument is this No man that perswadeth himselfe the doctrine nowe professed and taught in the Church of Englande is false and venemous to the hearer may venture his soule to be infected therewith But euery Romane Catholike is a man that perswadeth him selfe the doctrine nowe professed and taught in the Church of England is false doctrine and venemous to the hearer Therefore no Romane Catholike may venture his soule to be infected therewith First Sir such Catholikes as are of contrary opinion vnto you herein for whose sake you wrote this discourse must you suppose will denie one of your two propositions finde shifts to auoyde all your proofes which will not bee harde to bee done for those of your religion But let them shift with you as they and you can agree I am no patrone of theirs I will speake and answere to the matter Therefore to this first Argument or Reason I answere that it is vayne and naught because it is grounded vpon opinion fancie and ones perswading of him selfe and doing after his perswasion and not vpon the matter and truth Nowe these two matters be diuers and doe differ much I perswade my selfe that such a thing is thus or so And such a thing in deed is thus or so The reason why because one may be and to often is deceiued in perswading himself of things otherwise then they be But the truth is alwaies one and 〈◊〉 not according to our perswasion neither 〈◊〉 thereon What if one perswade himselfe y t he is a Prince or haue a bag of money is he so or hath he it euer the more or euer the sooner for that neuer a whit sure Or if one perswade himself there is a snake in his bed shall he not sleepe neere it or if your fellow perswade himself you go about to deceiue him shall hee not trust you Surely our doing or not doing of thinges euen appertayning to this lyfe to haue the same well done must not depende vpon our own perswasion which is very changeable and vncertayne but our perswasion to doe any thing must depende rather vpon the trueth and goodnesse of the matter that wee minde to doe Otherwise one perswading him selfe that euery man hee shall meete will kil him may not venture to goe abroad about his 〈◊〉 nor come in the companie of any man perswading himselfe that what euer hee eate or drinke poysoneth him hee may not venture to eate nor drinke for being 〈◊〉 And so within a while die like a foole and be guiltie of his owne death because hee will not lay away his owne 〈◊〉 perswasion In religion and matters of 〈◊〉 is this argument much more 〈◊〉 vaine as y t which hath 〈◊〉 and doeth from Gods truth and is the mother and nurse of all superstition and 〈◊〉 So as if this disputer or reasoner will needes grounde this argument or reason vpon his perswasion yet must he giue seaue to 〈◊〉 the grounde of his perswasion whether it bee good or bad true or false And not say as he doth elsewhére that he will not dispute thereof but howe euer that bee the perswasion may not be done against be it true be it false First rather let him prooue the goodnes truth therof
such commoditie reaped as is there to bee had it be answered among the rest bee the ende of the commaundement of the exaction and of the going to church what haue you to say there against Yf the Cōmissioners deale not onely equally but very mildely and courteously without too farre racking mens consciences and hoping that in exercises of religion and matters apperteining to God men will not play the hypocrites but haue farder respect then to make it an eye seruice outwardly to satisfie and please the worlde and knowing that comming to church they shall heare and finde better matter of instruction and so learne their dutie towardes G O D and their Prince they moue suche as by you are peruerted to come to churche what cause haue you or they to make such Tragicall adoe vpon this vpright and fauourable proceeding To playne of the seueritie and suche cruell extremitie of this State as neuer was hearde of in England before c. This confession of your owne mouth greatly condemneth you As you finde your owne religion to be but hypocrisie so imagine you of the religion here professed but amisse For her Maiestie and the lawes seeke not to make men hypocrites they delight in no such their meaning is to haue men religious to God warde and thereto tende their commaundements in this behalfe c. If you make going to churche heere to bee a renouncing of Popery and of your pretended catholike religion as you say it is we graunte and we wish as many as goe to church to leaue halting on both sides or dissembling to cast away that corrupt religion and all superstition out of their heartes to take a newe and better course and to testifie by that meanes and all other as they may their religious and honest minds to Godwarde the worlde which is so farre of that wee thinke too bee hurtfull vnto them as wee iudge it a singular benefits if they can consider thereof accordingly Where on the contrary part we iudge their not going to church or their going with another minde then wee haue expressed not only to bee to themselues dangerously hurtful and to others but impious also and wicked before God The other and seconde proofe yee take from those of your owne side that are heere indurance which being many in number and of long time suffering imprisonment for this onely thing as yee say doe make abstaining from church to bee a proper and peculiar signe of a true Catholike For what doth make a thing to be a proper and peculiar signe but the iudgement and opinion of men Heereto you adioyne your example of the Tauerne bushe to be the signe of wine wee answere the similitude is vnapt and vnlikely that is taken from signes and tokens of ciuill thinges appertaining to the vse of this life which are in mens power and will to dispose and order at their pleasure where it is otherwise in cases of Gods true religion for therein men haue not that libertie but must take the holy signes thereof from the holy God But you adde also your former example brought with you out of Italie of a Iewes yellowe Bonnet and ye fetche vs a thirde out of Turkie for to knowe a Turke and his profession by his yellowe Torbant which and all the like are vnseemely and vnfitt to match in this case with the true religion of Iesus Christ. Let then the worlde or men in ciuill and outwarde matters of this life make their representations and signes as they will let the like serue if yee will among the Iewes the Turkes In fidels Papistes Whose religion is pleasurable a will worship and consisting for the most part in ceremonies and deuises inuented by men Let them deuise and haue their proper and peculiar signes markes cognisances and badges to bee knowne by let vs abstaine from the same Let vs content our selues with those that we haue receiued from the Authour of our Religion Let vs religiously frequent and vse the same When our Sauiour Christ asketh whence the Baptisme of Iohn was whether from heauen or from men He noteth fitly the diuerse fountaines and beginning of signes in religiō The example of wearing a garlande in the Primitiue Church wherewith out of Tertulian yee amplifie the matter perteyneth as litle to the purpose as the rest For it was heathenishly wickedly made by the heathen a signe to distinguish them by and to represent their heathenish religion to the dammage of Christians and true Christian religion marke that wee speake still of publike religious signes not of other in outwarde ciuill thinges and for mens particular vses wherein men haue more libertie then in Gods religion and seruice prophane or ciuill matters wee here deale not with That such thinges haue beene and are from time to time done by the diuell and wicked men in wicked religion is not harde to be founde and that true Christians haue to abstaine from such markes and proper signes of superstitious and naughtie religion as for example frō your Popish ceremonies at this day may well and fitly bee prooued hereby and farder can ye not stretche it vnlesse ye coulde proue the haunting of holye Churche assemblies here first and principally to proceede from men or from the diuell Which you shall neuer be able to doe God himselfe being the Authour and the same being sufficiently grounded in his holie worde Make you and your compagnions of going to Churche here what you will and of abstayning there from We make thereof as God and his worde doe and no more If for your contempt of God her Maiestie and her wholsome lawes made for the abolishing of superstition and idolatrie ye suffer any thing Thanke your selues that so oppose your selues Blame 〈◊〉 God her Maiestie nor the State here therefore If for this onely thing your men suffer that they goe not to Church then suffer they not belike for defence of the Popes supremacie nor other pointes of Poperie if they doe then is it not for abstayning from Church onely which in deede is but a late taken vp scrupulositie among the moste of you yet let all marke and obserue that ye here affirme and giue vs that the onely thing Papistes suffer for here in Englande is for not going to Churche or abstaining therefrom A worthy cause to stande with the Prince and State in if all be well weighed The vanitie of the three next Reasons of Schisme participation and dissimulation do I nothing doubt but that euery Christian can easily espie and answere the same That therefore which hath been sayde before being well weighed I shall neede the lesse to tarrie thereupon If this discourser coulde as easily proue it to be Schisme to haunt our Churches vs to be Heretikes and those hollowe hearted that hauing afore time in the dayes of ignoraunce been of their Popish religion nowe haunt our Churches which wee yet hope well they doe of synceritie of heart If I say hee coulde as easily
englād Liuing to a mās own cōsciēce by leauing him selfe 〈◊〉 conscience Popish Vbi 〈◊〉 ibi mā dandi 〈◊〉 caeteros manet 〈◊〉 di nece 〈◊〉 In the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The hearing of Masse how well worth a hūdred Markes Erranti 〈◊〉 medicina 〈◊〉 Cic. Aristotel Salus 〈◊〉 sita est in 〈◊〉 * In nomine Patria Filia spiritua sancta De Consecrat Dist. 4. 〈◊〉 Baptizote Psal. 51. Ephe. 2. Looke better to your abrenun cio say yee Credo say ye 〈◊〉 lo say 〈◊〉 General cros ses of Catholikes Particular extremities As M. Dimmocke was by M. Couper As young Maistrisse Tomson was by M. Elmer Iohn Field in his epistle dedicatorie of Phillip of Morneis booke to the Earle of Leycester Arist. li. l. Rhetor. 2. Pet. 2. 10. Iude. vers 8. 1. Cor. 10. 18 Prouer 23. 2 Prouer. 25. 6 The Catholique fayth teacheth obedience more then other religions Con. Const. Sess. 8. Cocleus Lib. 1. 3. Hist. Huss Wicklif li. 4. trial cal 3. In Bulla Le on 10. in asser art ibi damnat Cocleus in vita Luth. Sur. in hist. huius anni Lib. 4. inst cap. 10. Lib. 3. insti cap. 19. Goodman Gilbye Rom. 13. Vide om Doct. 2. 2. quest 90. de Leg 22 Aug. in ps 70. Crysost Ambro. in cap. 13. ad Rom. The first precher The seconde preacher A waightie motiue Prou. 30. verse 21. 22. ☞ Extra decretal de censibus cap. 2 omnis anima Extra de Maioritat obedient Tit. 1. tit 33 ca. 6. solite Vide D. 〈◊〉 q. 2. 2. a. q. 90. om doct ibid. 〈◊〉 Balaam 〈◊〉 significātur 2. 9. 7. Nos Vide M. Hardings 〈◊〉 to M. Iuel Art 4. Diuis 22. De Anna Caiapba Vide Hot. lib. 2. contra 〈◊〉 Hard. confulat Apolo par 6 cap. 6. 〈◊〉 3. 1. 2. Q 96 Art 4. in fine 2. 2. Q. 104. 〈◊〉 6. 2. 2. Q 12. Art 2. Vide causa 15. Q 6. cap Nos sanctorum in cap. 〈◊〉 c 〈◊〉 26. 24. 25. 26. N. Saunders opion and dealing He calleth Moron the protector of England hee was the Popes Legate chiefe President of the 〈◊〉 Councel of Trent N. Sander in Epist Ad Cardin. Moron Lib. 7. De visib Monarch Eccles. Fol. 732. ante a fol. 688. ad fol. 712 ' c. Sand. in Epist dedicat praefixa lib. De visib 〈◊〉 Pope 〈◊〉 5. De visib 〈◊〉 Eccl. lib. 2. cap. 4. fol. 98. 79. Ibid. fol. 83. I thinke hee would say that the king proceed not in dooing wickedly De visib 〈◊〉 Lib. 7. fol. 730. 732. c. What had the pope to do with this Realme More busie than he had thankes for his labour What Legats talke you of and who stopt them A 〈◊〉 medicine of the Pope of Rome to depriue princes of their king domes to discharge subiects of obedience Lyke Pope Lyke 〈◊〉 More pompe solemnitie in the Pope then good diuinity or honestie The ground and cause of the insurrectiō in the north truely described Godly treason with great reason Iure publico For omnia 〈◊〉 bee in scrinio pectoris Papae Wel bould Tur pin wel guest Heere is a right true confessiō of a Romain catholike or Popish fayth Treason a confession of Catholike religion Grosse abuse of Gods holy scriptures A Fable of a 〈◊〉 myracle Still a Popish traiterous cōfession of a Popish faith A popish myracle to confirme Popish religiō it needes it greatly They are 〈◊〉 gone you may begin Placebo and 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 for their 〈◊〉 Somma Summarum 1 A new popish Antichristian Gospel Looke Math. 24. 24. 2. Thes. 2. 9. 10. c. 2 Lieng miracles wonders to confirme the same 3 A strāge trayterous confessiō of a Popish catholike faith 4 A bead roll of Popish confessors Martyrs al traitors and rebels Rom. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An. 1094. 1240. 1215. Thomas 〈◊〉 1211. Hee that list to see heereof more particularly besides the Actes Monum ētes and our English Chronicles and stories let him looke on the Apologie of the Church of Eng land the 6. part and last chapter and M. Iewels defence thereof Concil lateran sub Inno. 3. cap. 3 de 〈◊〉 The places are quoted before in your decrees D. Thomas caus 15. q. 〈◊〉 cap. Iuratos vt supra decretal 〈◊〉 de hereticis ad abolendam Vide 〈◊〉 extra in ca. cum non ab homine Felin de rescript cap. Rodolpbus Demaioritate obedientia vnam sanctam glos ibidem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13. Anno. xxiii Reginae 〈◊〉 An act to retain the Queenes Maiesties subiects in their due obedience Cap. I. As the Apology of the Church of England Articles set forth by 〈◊〉 authoritie Homilies c. Wickliffe in his Trialogue Fol. 68. pag. 2. 〈◊〉 8. Sessione 11. Ioan. 23. Gregori 12. Benedict 13 Martin 5. Remember the story of the 〈◊〉 Howlet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lib. 7. De Concil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 539. 538. Tom. 4. Conciliorum Bulla Apostolica Leonis 〈◊〉 aduersus 〈◊〉 Primae lutberi baereses Galat. 3. 28. Ab eo quod 〈◊〉 est secundum Quid ad id quod est simpli citer A non causart 〈◊〉 c. called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 17. 25. 26. 2. 2. q. 104. * Seruitus qua bomo bomini subiicitur ad corpus pertinet now ad animam 〈◊〉 libera manet paulo ante ex 〈◊〉 in 3. de beneficiis Errat 〈◊〉 quis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in totū bominē descēdere pars enim melior excepta est Corpora obnoxia sunt ascripta Dominis Mens quidem est sui iuris ideo in his quoe pertinent ad interiorem motü voluntatis homo non tenetur homi ni obedire sed solum Deo c. Thom. A Vio Caietan Cardin. in summa D. Thom. 2. 2. Q. 104. super art 6. Defence of the Apology 4. part chap. 5. Diuis 1. c Esai 33. 22. Iam. 4. 12. Math. 22. 2. Mat. 10. 28. Luk. 12. 4. 5. 1. Cor. 7. 23. Gal. 5. 1. Gal. 3. 28. Colo. 3. 11. In the wordes is there that which in the schooles is called A fallation of the Accent 2. 2. Q. 104. Art 5. 6. c. Rom. 13. 5. Rom. 13. 1. c. Still a fallaciō from that which Aristotle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to that which he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. Cap. 19. sect 14. c. Defence of the Apologie I part Cap. 4. Diuis 1 c. The Alderman of Stamford the Comburgesses and the Recorder of the towne ministers and other of the countrey such as I haue 〈◊〉 Math. 6. Mat. 11. 16. 17. 18. 19. Luke 7. 35. Mark 2. 27. Iohn Story in the first Parlament of Queene Elizabeth This is reported euen by N. Saunders in Sto ries life devisibili Monarchia eccles Iere. 13. 23. Lewes 11. Pulcbrū est 〈◊〉 deludere Hyantes It is a pretie sporte to mocke the gaping Chaugh Ari st lib. 1. Rhe.
her Maiestie taken from the Authours person and the matter cunningly to get thereby good will to prepare and stirre vp attention which together with the amplifications of your pretended extremities and the like necessitie of complaint you are brought vnto your exaggerations on the one side and extenuations on the other with such ornaments and floures to mooue pitie if they were true and in a good and iust cause might for their pretie handeling delight haue some vse sauing they bee somewhat too open As schoole furniture to moue with they may be kept for the exercise of youth or to sporte and refreshe mens mindes withall This floorishing greatly beseemeth not the profession and persons of Diuines In a word to say euery thing considered there is no cause why you should haue troubled her Maiestie with such paltrie whereof let the Christian Reader after examination iudge The Authours dutifull respect euery way and M. Howlets too to her Highnesse her honourable Lordes of the Councell and the whole state of her noble Realme might without vaunt haue been left to haue been iudged by her Maiesties wisedome and theirs and to haue had cōmendation by other whē it should haue been found better then it is These men seeke by all meanes wayes they can to disioyne her Maiestie from her lawes and the Ministers thereof from her loyall subiects to they go about to withdrawe with themselues other her subiects from obedience to God and her Maiestie and when this dealing is by order of lawe but somewhat crossed then is outcrie and complaint of tyrannie and crueltie greater then euer hath beene hearde of in England before or is in any prince in Christendome or than is vsed among the Turkes at this day This comparison is not M. Howlet ashamed to make and therein agreeth with his authour This is great dutifulnesse sure Like is the modestie and humilitie of both your spirites sauing that if there be any difference M. Howlets in a diuers kinde of writing sheweth it selfe to bee more shamelesse as through the whole too much appeareth dealing especially with the Queenes most excellent Maiestie Hee may not thinke the Oratours rule that an Epistle biusheth not wil serue his turne heere it is out of place to excuse thereby impudent vntruthes and slaunders In perusing this writing let the Christian Reader still iudge whether M. Howlet bee not a sectarie if this be a note of a sectaries spirits proceeding as he here tels vs what modestie and humblenesse of spirite may this bee called in the Authour of this treatise who is so highly in this respect commended heere by M. Howlet When not contented through his whole discourse to compare and liken the profession and professours of the Gospell to the Heretikes both olde and newe hee chargeth Gods seruice heere nowe vsed with falshood and blasphemie also and pronoūceth vs to bee condemned yet aliue but no maruell when hee chargeth some Catholikes at this day in England of his owne Religion to sinne euen now against the holy Ghoste and damneth the same in Hell being yet quicke on the earth c. I giue the Reader but a tast of this Luciferian spirite till wee may come further into the examination of things M. Howlet excuseth this with zeale and the writers opinion in religion a hot too immoderate a zeale destitute of knowledge It may well be called his discoursers opinion in religiō which carrieth w t it neither religion nor conscience Such zeale might haue regarded better and spared the Princes eares and might haue been forborne in our Soueraignes presence What want of duetifull respect soeuer it carry towarde other You take your selfe by the nose while you think to charge vs to bee sectaries for the vntemperate spirite of sectaries resteth in none more than in the hot sect of your puritane Jesuits and such as you are who taking vnto you mens names and orders to be called Religious men by declare your selues to be sectaries in Christes Churche whereas wee for our Religion holde of God Christ and the holy Scriptures which al agree and goe one way We deuide not Christ neither are wee Franciscans Augustines Iacopines no Scotistes Thomistes c. Nor yet Lutheranes Caluinistes c. which names you odiously put vppon vs and wee condemne and refuse the same These be names of sects I leaue the further consideration heereof to the discreete reader and proceede It is to great a bragge made of M. Howlet when in praysing his writers priuate opinion in religion hee saith It hath bene from time to time the common receaued religion of vniuersal Christendome This should haue been prooued or let alone more modestie of speeche euen heere woulde haue better beseemed til trial might haue beene taken thereof but he telleth vs but what seemeth to himself in praysing his fellowe Wee say it is a great vntrueth if he and his discourse bee of one opinion in religion and as easily as it is spoken so easily may it bee reiected though as one of the principles of their Catholique Religion they would haue all men suppose it But wee can suppose no suche grosse absurdities in this cleere light of the Gospell nor admit the same Besides there bee a great many Catholiques as they call them at this day in Christendome that bee not of that opinion in Religion that this discourse setteth vs downe in his lettre and treatise as they that lift to reade may vnderstand yea euen those for whome this treatise was made dissent from the Authours opinion in Religion as hee himselfe confesseth so as this writers zeale and opinion 〈◊〉 hardly be counted The common receiued religion of vniuetsall Christendome There bee also as this man speaketh good Catholiques and bad Catholiques true Catholiques and false Catholiques colde Catholiques and hot Catholiques And if among protestantes M. Howlet can make these termes hot and colde c. to seuer religion as for his vauntage hee doth in the next section of his epistle let his Authours description and confession be iudge of the men and their profession there mentioned called Protestantes and Puritanes which his authour sayth are the hotter sort of protestants then let them giue vs leaue also to say their hot and cold Catholikes c. be of diuers religions and by their own rule let vs call that colder sort or the false and the worser by the common name of Catholikes y e hotter sort of Catholikes let vs cal Puri tanes because they are precise in y e religiō shew thēselues vnspotted seruants and irreprehensible as this discourser spaketh M. Howlet talketh of speaking and writing in defēce of their religiō how māfully it shall be done as long as there is either head or hād remaining loosein the worlde but let thē leaue fire faggot and their blooddy lawes and they shall be written and talked with well ynough I doubte not yea
natural Mothers borne soueraigne Princes wisedome bearing and abiding her gentle correction with a rod for your demerites and insolencies Is not this to take the rod out of her hand nay the 〈◊〉 and authoritie quite from her to ease your selues if ye can To be playne if the Popes vnholinesse be your father If you be his children Seeke your mother where ye can finde her her Maiestie is none of your Mother yee are not her natural subiects and children If ye bee her Maiesties children subiects renounce with her that vnholly father y t most diuelishly seeketh her Maiesties ouerthrow y e destructiō of this noble realme and all the faithfull subiectes therein Commit your selues vnto God her Maiesties holy gouernment Sticke not to sweare obediēce to your mother against Pope Turke and all forraine power whatsoeuer If you sticke at this wil needs cleaue to this Antichrist your father following the Pope and his becke her Maiestie is so farre off from being your mother or accounting you her naturall subiectes and children that Shee and the State here denounce you with him her their woorst enemies ye wot what they he in plaine English and hath she not good cause if his doings yours be considered yours euery body of the meanest sort heare knoweth his though first done in a corner yet hath been published to all the world I thinke you will call it worse then a bill of diuorcement frō mother Church here I meane your Popes excommunicatiō great curse with such like stuffe may not her Maiestie iustly cōplaine w t that heauēly Prophet gods holy anointed king Dauid and in resepect of your Popes bellowing Bulles say Many yong Buls haue compassed me mighty Bulles of Bashan haue closed me about They gape vpon mee with their mouthes as a ramping and roaring Lion c. Your greatest hope is in this father in his deuilishe bulles and in your blooddy stepmother the Popish Church and Sea of Rome who are liuely described by S. Iohn in his Reuelatiō God we dout not shall disapoint you of your hope as heretofore and her Maiestie by her lawful authoritie shall I trust frō time to time be able to represse all vnlawfull seditious rebellious attēpts God of his goodnes indue her Royal minde and more more with goodly wisedome and courage accordingly and long preserue her Maiestie against her enemies y e shee may be an old mother in Israel Practises of prelates other popelings haue long enough been knowē they are no changelings such consciences they haue The subiects yee speake of must either renoūce God yee say or susteine intollerable molestations A harde Dilemma or straight that you are brought into But you know M. Howlet the solution of y t argument by finding out a meane betweene those two extremities Wherefore mende your iudgement and that you pretend and call conscience as right religion woulde and all is holpen rather you renounce God and being obstinate will buie it with troubles then by any godly meanes be remooued from that Diuelishe persuasion All her Matesties trauell hath been and is with mildnesse and gentlenesse to bring her Subects to God by such meanes as hee hath appointed in his worde To this ende labour the Preachers To this end tend her Maiesties wholesome lawes whereof yee so plaine as seconde meanes and helpes which haue beene a great while executed with great fauour towarde those of your side And yet this is the thankes yee giue as they had beene most extreemely laide vpon you which is false It is possible her Maiestie seeth her lenitie abused as in deede hope to escape punishment is a traine and baite alluring to doe amisse And being too much prouoked she is inforced to change her course and in a maner her nature and against violent and disorderly dealings to oppose iust violence and punishment by the sworde wherwith God hath armed her royall Maiestie You talke of conscience as though yee indured for it You doe her Maiestie and the honourable estate great wrong it is false yee say Tell vs where and howe you grounde your conscience that try all may bee taken whether it bee conscience in deede or but a pretence and words All haue not conscience that say so your conscience is not well and rightly grounded if you haue any heerein There is yee know a good conscience and a bad Ignorance the mother of your superstitious deuotion 〈◊〉 and obstinacie are the greatest enimies that conscience hath and quite ouerthrow y e same A good conscience is that keepeth vs in God with him which must be alwaies directed by God his holy worde The Apostle ioyneth Faith and a good conscience together which he saith Some haue put away and as concerning faith haue made ship wracke Wordes make not a good conscience there bee more circumstances required in it then so Is not this conscience you speake of it that set them a worke in the North against her Maiestie when it was Is it not it that doth the like in Irelande haled in by those of the Popes Seminaries Iesuites and such like Summa Summarum Is not this the Popes conscience expressed in his bull that hee sent hither to discharge English subiectes of their bounden duetie towardes our liege Lady most dread soueraigne Noble Queene Elizabeth our most lawfull naturall and godly Prince whom God God I saie long preserue from such helllike consciences Uerily this is the conscience you must all bee ruled by when it pleaseth your vnholie father Naughtie fruites of a noghtie conscience Your conscience M. Howlet and your fellowes too was better 〈◊〉 you liuid here as duetiful subiects to her Maiestie before your reconciliation to the Pope You haue made an euill change for the worse if you can consider it well After this preamble M. Howlet you begin to disclose and laie downe at large to her Maiestie your griefes and grieuous afflictions in particular whereof the first is that the Catholike religion as ye terme it that is whiche wee here call the Popish religion hath great wrong in that it and the professors thereof are no more fauoured What fauour woulde you haue ye clayme that of dutie that yee neuer deserued it woulde goe harde with you Catholikes if you had that you deserue but you are before hande so as if there were a great deale more seueritie vsed then nowe is towarde those of your side yet were it hardly quit with you as beneficiall as you wold seeme to be to Gospellers amōg other afore time But God forbid the Church of God should followe you in crueltie and sucking of blood You loue to reuenge to quite as you speake else where It is the diuinity you haue learned out of your Philosophers and out of Aristotles Rhetorique Againe your other proceedings by your owne confession here procure rather disfauour thē fauour in being so beneficiall to them that you accompt
Heretikes and sectaries as you here report What fauour I praie you deserueth it at y t Queene of Englands hands if this bee true to haue filled her realme with 〈◊〉 and sectaries You plaine next of the good and wholsome lawes here made against poperie and of the execution thereof great cause I trowe if that were true ye falsly and sclanderously say more too Hereto you adioine for proofe certaine particular matters auowing the Loyaltie and obedience of you Catholikes towardes ciuill Princes and sharplie yea leawdlie by sclander charging other w t disobedience This is the some of that you write for the most part in eight of your next leaues A worthie matter to be treated of before her Maiestie when all is well waied But I must somewhat examine there is no remedie what you say a part and in order First you compare diuers religiōs together and shewe that poperie fareth hardely and the woorst Hardly sure can there be founde a worse religion and more contrarie to the sincere Gospell of Christ here professed or that so much troubleth the good and quiet estate of Christs Church in this lande and Realme and therefore needeth most looking too 3 THere are at this day in this your Maiesties Realme foure knowne religions and the professours thereof distinct both in name spirite and doctrine that is to say the Catholikes the Protestants the Puritanes and the housholders of loue Besides all other petie sects newly borne and yet groueling on the ground Of these foure sortes of men as the Catholikes are the first the auncientest the more in number and the most beneficiall to all the rest hauing begotten and bred vp the other and deliuered to them this Realme conserned by Catholike religion these thousand yeres and more so did they alwaies hope to receiue more fauour then the rest or at leastwise equall tolleration with other religions disalowed by the state But God knoweth it hath fallen out quite contrary For other religions haue been permitted to put out their heades to growe to aduaunce themselues in common speech to mount to pulpits with litle or no controulement But the Catholik religion hath been so beaten in with the terrour of lawes and the rigorous execution of the same as the very suspition thereof hath not escaped vnpunished FIrst let mee aske M. Howlet where you were when you wrote thus to her Maiestie you say in the beginning of these wordes in this your Maiesties Realme and in the latter ende againe this Realme Were you at Doway printing your book or occupied in Londō or els where in England about it the booke possible might be sēt to Doway or you bee printing it there another time shift it ouer I pray you Heere your wordes importe you were in Englande when you wrote this preface elsewhere in the same preface they import you were beyond Sea Alyar had neede haue a good memory sauing that you Catholiks can worke wonders and by coniuring make one and the same humane body to bee in many and diuers places at one time A man might make a doubt of this question but let y t passe When you would perticularly reckō vp y e seueral knowne religiōs not all approued nor allowed nay all disallowed condemned sauing that only one which is Iesus Christes but being onely in this Realme ye bring them into foure heads as for the petie sects that you are so priuie of as birds of your own hatching till they be fledge and come abroad that we may knowe them we can say little But your Popish religion M. Howlet were lesse vnhappie and both we the world should be lesse troubled with you nowe a daies if to speake but of religious men besides seculer priests among regulars it had but foure distinct religions and orders of beggerly fryers euery one stoutly standing against other in defence of his Patron and order of religion These be to to many and yet is the worlde troubled with a great many moe for besids the great swarines of these Locustes there be I wot not how many sectes or religions crept in so as the Popes them selues haue bin faine to restraine frō rashnes in instituting mo or newe religions for bringing in confusion And yet obserue gentle reader that the Pope hath authoritie to institute newe 〈◊〉 and none without his authoritie may doe the same obserue also that there be in Poperie old religions and newe religions c. It were 〈◊〉 long to speake of Canonists Schoolemen Thomists Scotistes and such other and the seuerall different opinions they holde but in the late dayes of Poperie here were there not sir as many religions and moe to besides your owne sectes Arrians Anabaptistes Libertines c. Though none in effect were persecuted but the poore Protestantes as ye call them These mens peculiar heresies in examinatiōs were commonly neuer touched peruse the recordes of these there was little or no accompt made in those dayes of ignorance and darkenes while men slept the enemy was busie in sowing his tares As you 〈◊〉 giue here names of sects to bring these times into hatred so all ambiguitie spitefulnes laid aside first take to your selues your religion some fitter name for true Catholiks we btterly denie you to be All are not Catholiks that take the name of Catholikes for so should the Arrians and other herettques in their time haue been Catholikes true Catholikes heretiques sectaries as antiquitie reporteth Under the name of Protestants ye comprehende all those y t forsaking the Pope Popish religion haue betaken thēselues to Christ and his holy Gospel grounding their religion vpō Gods word his heauenly truth comprised in the Canonical scriptures of the old newe Testament written by the Prophets Apostles and thereuppon are called in these tyntes Gospellers a fitter naine than that you call them by Protestants Of which religion and number wee acknowledge our selues to bee and thanke God for the same Cathari or Puritan heretiques I knowe none heere God bee thanked but I ghesse whome you meane Your Authour 〈◊〉 the whotter sorte of Protestants are called Puritans Nowe supposing their religion that you call the Protestants to bee the trueth of God as it is indeede and that you that will bee called Catholikes like not but condemne colde Catholikes as badde ones and require zeale and feruentnesse I pray you tel vs euen in your consciēce if Protestants bee to bee allowed whether sorte of 〈◊〉 are to be liked the whotter or the colder yet such still that ye abuse not your self as with their zeale carry ioine godly knowledge It is good to bee zealous in a good thing alwaies saith the holy Ghost And you wot what is said to them of Laodicea in the Reuelat. for that they were luke warme neither cold nor whot that they shoulde bee spued out We hope that if you whot Catholikes wil allow any Protestāts y e poore
aboue a thousand yeres but to descende for since that time Antichrist and his corruptions haue growen apace in the Churche shewed themselues and preuailed much God so punishing mens ingratitude But if yee ascende from a thousande yeeres if ye list to the beginning of the world and let Gods booke bee iudge wee shut out Aristotle your Philosophers and prophane men in this case you will finde 〈◊〉 vantage not in Auncientnesse though without trueth that were no great matter yet you will stil be found to come after behind giue vs leaue to say as he in old time said christ is my ātiquity Thus if you 〈◊〉 of y e old true religion thus must ye think thus must ye do Thus for trial we wish you to do ioining gods booke euer with antiquitie And so Let that that is first be true let that that is afterward brought in be false As one speaketh Gods holy word is afore al is aboue al 〈◊〉 than al that yee alledge or can do for proufe of your religion carying any good shew with it this is y e touchstone y t we woulde haue our religiō your religiō al religiōs in the world tried by It is a lowd lie a vile slander to reporte crie in her Maiesties eares y t such 〈◊〉 fauour is here shewed on y e one side as that other religiōs thā Christs haue been 〈◊〉 to put out their heads to grow to aduance themselues in cómon speech to moūt to pulpits without controulmét such extremitie on the other side that the verie suspicion of your religion hath not escaped vnpunished by terror of Lawes rigorous execution therof For one part those of your side and godles men among vs by raising slanders haue done what they can from time to time as you do to bring diuers godly men into discredite haue but to much preuailed with some though God hath alwaies giuen 〈◊〉 to the truth cleered innocencie What y t smart of some the whilest hath beene you dissemble euery body knoweth best where their shoe pincheth them I write not An Apologie nowe nor take not vpon mee to enter into euerie mans particular cause to maintaine or defend y t same much lesse to diffame accuse our Lawes and the executiō therof by her Maiesties Ministers I owe more reuerence to the state than so to do I only shew the vanitie of your reporte you can for your vantage finde out tel her Maiestie in this epistle of one whom Newgate possessed long time for his fantastical opinions as you 〈◊〉 speake wherfore soeuer the matter were in deed you vtter your choler nay your malice spight you cannot finde out one of your owne side so brainesicke that euen nowe writing an Apology on your behalfs taketh vpon him by expresse tearmes to confute her Maiesties late proclamations c. You cānot finde one so brainesicke that euen now being obstinately giuen to poperie 〈◊〉 one of his owne fellowes in his heate or rage rather Againe syr may you not remember if it please you of executiō done by fire vpō some in London abroade not long since for heresie which were no Papists nor of your Catholike religion as you define deuide things Was this litle or no controlement Litle surely or none in your opinion so long as it is not vpon your selues But what tragedies make you vs of fleabitings vpon any of your side which yet deserue worst both of church and cōmon wealth Ye thinke to winne by exclamatiō outcry Neuer was there any of your side yet that in her Maiesties daies and happy raigne euer suffred death or was executed for this religiō nor any other that I know for but these few I haue named yet this is y t string ye heere so much harpe on this is your argument that your religiō hath found lesse fauor tolleratiō thā any other newer sect or religiō whatsoeuer yea that the tempest hath been so terrible your persecution so vniuersal as the like was neuer felt nor heard of in England before c 4 THe lawe made by Protestants prohibiting the practise of other religions besides their owne allotteth out the same punishment to all them that doe any way vary from the publike communion booke or otherwise say seruice then is appointed there as it doth to the Catholikes for hearing or saying of a masse And although the worlde knoweth that the order set downe in that booke bee commonly broken by euery Minister at his pleasure and obserued almost no where yet small punishment hath euer insued thereof But for hearing of a Masse were it neuer so secrete or vttered by neuer so weake meanes what imprisoning what arraigning what condemning hath there beene The examples are lamentable and many fresh in memory and in diuers families will be to all posteritie miserable 5 To this nowe ifwee adde the extreeme penalties layde vpon the practise of certaine particulars in the Chatholike religion as imprisonment perpetuall losse of goods and landes and life also for refusall of an othe against my religion death for reconciling my selfe to God by my ghostly father death for giuing the supreame pastor supreame authoritie in causes of the Church death for bringing in a Crucifix in remembrance of the crucified death for bringing in a seely payre of beades a medall or an Agnus Dei in deuotion of the Lambe that tooke away my sinnes whiche penalties haue not beene layd vpon the practise of other religions your Maiestie shall easily finde to bee true so much as I haue saide which is that the Catholike religion where in wee were borne baptized and breede vp our forefathers liued died most holyly in the same hath founde lesse fauour and tolleration then any other newer sect or religion what soeuer 6 And albeit the worlde doth know howe that the great mercie and clemencie of your Maiestie hath stayed oftentimes and restrained these penalties from their execution from the ouerthrowing of diuers men whom otherwise they might and woulde haue oppressed yet notwithstanding as I haue said there want not very pitifull exāples abroad which woulde moue greatly and make to bleede that Princely and compassionable heart of your highnesse if their miseries in particular were knowen to the same especially it being in such subiectes as loued and doe loue most tenderly your Maiestie for such a cause as lieth not in them to remoue that is for their conscience and iudgement in religion ANd because to verifie your infamous lie and sclander in this behalfe you adioyne hereafter particular examples of two learned Bishoppes that are principall dealers in the high Commission for Ecclesiasticall causes vnder her Maiestie thoughe they need not my cleering to her Maiestie and the state that put them in trust yet to open your impudent vanitie and to satisfie such as be not to muche affectionate to your side for the
authoritie in causes of the Churche that without checke of our Soueraigne yea with her Maiesties good lyking wee doubte not we heere maintaine and defende the same by the scriptures and ouerthrowe your proude Prelates vsurpation thereby Yee shoulde therefore haue done that heere dealing with her 〈◊〉 at least which you and your Author going by supposition lightly neuer doe to wit haue shewed who this supreme Pastour is and haue proued the Pope to bee hee In the meane whyle as we graunt the supreme chiefe Pastor in Christ his Church supreme and chiefe authoritie in causes of the same so insteede of your Romame Pope wee ascribe that title and office to Jesus Christe alone by the warrant of GOD his ho-spirite and word which call him Archpastor or chiefe and Supreme Pastour and finde not that title imparted in the newe Testament to any in Churche Ministerie much lesse to the Pope of Rome If you nowe finde as good warrant for your Pope in God his booke lay it vs downe and wee wil yeelde But that neither haue you hitherto done neither yet shall yee be able to doe wrangle as long and as much as yee will your best daies are past For the rest wee reporte vs to any indifferent bodie whether it bee more to God his glorie and beseeming God his people the Churche to holde with the Scriptures that Iesus Christe alone the sonne of God is the Arche and chiefe Shepheard or without warrant of Scripture to giue the same to the Pope Nowe Syr and when the Lawes of this Realme giue to the Princes heere their Soueraigntie and require the subiects to acknowledge the same in this Church and Realme and the Kinges and Queenes from time to time challenge and accept the same neither doe the one professe to giue nor the other to take Gods place or Christes from them nor yet so much as to incroch vpō the Church ministerie in taking authoritie to Preache administer Sacraments and execute other Church Ministeries functions yea by meanes of your malicious interpretation the contrary is protested but according to dutie from God to maintaine and see those thinges doone by Pastours and suche as to whome those charges likewise from God do appertaine not admitting therewhilest which is your griefe the immunities that the Popes aforetime haue giuen Cleargie men in exempting them from the ciuil authoritie and iurisdiction What haue faithfull subiects heerein to repine at What haue they to plaine of Yeelde with vs vnto it and yee shall finde wee haue all great cause to praise God for her Maiestie and for ciuill authoritie wee denie then that any forraigne Prince and Potentate Ecclesiasticall or Ciuil if yee will is aboue her Maiestie and her people in these her dominions in any manner of causes or haue to deale here but vnder her by her leaue liking And to God his glory our cōforts haue we still w t all thākfulnes to obserue that her Maiestie doeth not sit in mens consciences nor professe to make lawes to binde the same as your supreme pastour doth but leaueth cōscience to God Christ his spirite and worde to be ruled and framed thereby without further pressing the same then the expresse woordè of God doth in so much that for her Maiesties owne respect in matters 〈◊〉 vnto her soule and conscience she yeeldeth her selfe obediently to heare receyue and obey as euery other christian the voice of God and Christ speaking vnto her in y e holy scriptures by true pastours and other ministers meere Church gouernours leauing to them there seuerall charges whole without diminishing any part therof as reason is Nowe sir if the Pope and Popelings namely her Maiesties natural borne subiects especially by their vnnatural styrres to the danger of her Royall person and the state of the Church and Realme haue caused any lawes to be made that be preiudiciall to their attempts let them thanke themselues and leaue their busie and perillous practises neyther pretend conscience where no good consciēce cā be nor thinke y t the Prince hath to giue ouer her Royal prerogatiues or to altar the state for their pleasure this is the very state of this matter If this can not call you home nor content you we say further that the supreme pastour yee haue made choise of for it is not hard to guesse at your meaning though your wordes be doubtfull is a woolfe or woorse then a wolfe To giue your Pope supreme authority in this Church besides that it is treason against her Maiestie and the state it is to commit the poore lambes to no better then the rauening wolues keeping Howe many good lambes hee and his whelpes deuoured here in a very fewe yeeres when he had last to doe with this sheepefolde the memory and smart is yet freshe and before 〈◊〉 eyes The more haue we to praise God for our dread soueraigne y e in tender care of God his sheepe and lambs and her maiesties shee hath eased our neckes and shoulders of that yoke and hell like bondage Besides this M. Howlet where you giue to the Pope as supreame Pastour supreame authoritie in causes of the Churche yee had neede to explayne this some what playner for your owne religions sake and those of your side as whether the Pope bee aboue the Counsell or the Counsell aboue the Pope Also what ye call Churche causes and whether yee denie his supremacie aboue Emperours Kinges and so foorth in other then Churche causes or yee subiecte him to them Whether as Peter his Successour yee giue him all Peter his Patrimonie and priueleges c. and so because as one Pope sayeth and your Cannon lawe approoueth Christ committed to blessed Peter no where in deede the right both of worldly and heauenly Empire will yee abridge that or no What should I speake of your Reliques yee may say of all as yee doe of one a seely paire of beades seely and single stuffe surely Why make yee such accompt of this seely ware that is but tromperie and trashe cast such baggage from you and there is an ende of all troubles for that Yee talke of the Catholike religion and of your owne religion saying my religion Lieth the Catholike religion and yours in these pointes in deede M. Howlet yee heere name will yee needes lie in perpetuall prison leese goods landes and life for the same After by eareshrift to your Ghostly father yee bee discharged of lawfull and duetifull obedience to our Soueraigne as vice gerent in God his place to whom yee owe obedience for conscience sake as to God him selfe whose roome she possesseth as the substitute and Angel of God thus speake ye some tymes to yeelde the same to a Priest and proude prelate to a forrainer and forerunner to Antichrist if not himselfe rather to the Pope of Rome that hath nothing to doe with Englishe subiectes after this inuerted and peruerted othe and bowe You call it your reconciliation Lieth your religion
that the crime of Disloyaltie is obiected vnto you c. Heereuppon you puffe and fume or woulde seeme to bee angry yee amplifie the matter yee apeale yee protest yee bestirre you euery way heere is praeda Mysorum expounded and set out with dogge Rhetorike and much adoe The thing might haue been 〈◊〉 taken and vttered with more 〈◊〉 and modestie and your deedes if yee had any might better cleere you with wyse men than wordes will Your iudgement of the man in this passion and in your owne case will hardly bee esteemed This vpbrayding of imprisonment this charging with phantasticall opinions and shewing none and saying that the man with whome yee are 〈◊〉 can deuise any newe Religion at any time vppon 〈◊〉 weekes warning giuen him grounded but vppon this if men reporte truely This vncharitable and naughty dealing I say may sauour of immoderat choler and heate but of litle trueth or honest modestie you would scarsely be content to bee so vsed your selfe Though it bee no parte of the matter to stande in defence of particular men and their 〈◊〉 neither take I great delight in that course yet if that be the partie ye quote in your margine M. Howlet I answere not by reporte and heare say as you too lightly doe but vppon better knowledge that it is very vntrue a slaunder that you reporte of his deuising of any newe Religion vppon a weekes warning c. And that hee hath beene knowen neuer to haue altered his iudgement in Religion since hee first entred the profession thereof and at this day also thankes bee to God keepeth the true paterne of the wholesome doctrine of saluation and constantly trauaileth for the mainteynance of the Fayth against you and such other as fallen into Heresie impugne the same It maketh no great matter what you reporte of him or such other when almost yee can say well of no good man the worse hee heareth of you in this case the better wil hee bee liked among the godly Touching the matter I would your deedes M. Howlet and your fellowes did not plainely confirme and approoue that hee writeth if you bee so stifly addicted vnto Popishe heresie as yee seeme to professe and so obstinate in refusing by othe to acknowledge her Maiesties Soueraigntie giuen of GOD and by lawe propounded to her subiects heere Thinke not that it is this man his singular opinion in wryting and printing but the common opinion heere of the best that in the case you are ye be enemies to God her Royall Maiestie and the State that worse tearmes also may beseeme you your deserts wel ynough Bee not angrie therefore at this your to much stirring will but increase the opinion of you Haue you beene all this while in laying downe your griefes in disclosing your miseries and vnfolding at large nowe your pittifull afflicted case and such intollerable molestations as you cannot beare brought into such extremitie as neuer was hearde of in Englande before And is all come to this that the geuing out publikely in print of these woordes that al Papists are enemies to GOD and her Royall Maiestie is aboue all things the most grieuous iniurious and intollerable Is this the deepest wounde and the greatest hurte yee haue Is this such extremitie as was neuer hearde of in England before Alas seely mouse that appeareth after the mountaines great trauaile I woulde when your side commaunded wee had beene persecuted but by tongue and penne Is that bloody persecutiō forgotten nowe these 〈◊〉 man but wordes and in your owne estimation but the wordes and opinion of a straunge brainsicke fellowe holding phantastical opinions and vyle in the reputation of the worlde what neede you bee so much moued thereat Yee are of a noble courage file not your handes vppon euery one yee meete I see M. Howlet your choise and meaning heerein cunningly to seeke to treade vpon the hedge where it is lowest you are commonly in extremities either with the greatest or the least you can hardly keepe the golden measure and meane in any thing This renteth your Catholique hartes forsooth which are priuey of your owne trueth and duetifull affection towardes her highnesse estate and personne woulde to God that that is so priuey to your selues vnknowen to others her Maiestie at least to whome it appertaineth might bee made priuey to in deede by your submissions to her authoritie renouncing all foreigne power I woulde yee woulde haue made her Maiestie priuey before yee ran away made your selues slaues to that Beast of Rome I woulde before you had thus dealt with her Subiectes and Printed your booke without her leaue and against her minde you would haue made her Maiestie priuey of y e matter I would you would yet now at the lēgth returne home vpō her Maiesties commandement and intimation giuen vnto you of her pleasure and doe as some of your fellowes companie doe repent and stande to her Maiesties mercy Ye need not be ashamed nor afrayde you shal haue examples here before your eyes of honester men I feare than some of you will prooue except you doe the lyke This is good sooth and trueth and the duetifull and bounden affection of subiects this is good plaine English dealing man without Romish farded 〈◊〉 or deepe Italian fetches if yee bee so desirous to cleere your selues as yee pretende yeelde to this motion in time Otherwise your Rhetorique is but colde it perswadeth not all that you say or can say for your selues hath been is considered it is hardly worth the hearing Hee that prayseth him selfe is not allowed but hee whome the Lorde prayseth How if her Maiestie reply relie as you speake vpon her iust interest how if shee say ye plaine more than ye neede or haue cause for if this mans wordes be the worst is done vnto you that you make much adoe of a litle or nothing in comparison howe if her Maiestie tell you where the trueth of the matter is to bee tryed in deedes and good euidence words are in vaine and preuaile not howe if therefore shee 〈◊〉 you leaue flourishing that is a vaine praysing and vaunting your Loyaltie in glorious wordes set out with colors of petre Rhetorique 〈◊〉 you for her satisfaction and assurance goe to the matter and by taking the othe of submission testifie and approoue your obedience and shame your aduersaries that way Let another man praise thee saith the wise man and not thyne owne mouth a stranger and not thyne owne lippes Namely wee are bidden there Not to boaste our selues before the King You keepe no measure 〈◊〉 M. Howlet And in refusing conformitie to take the othe of obedience and to goe to Church vpon the reasons of the treatise folowing Ye maintaine a very corrupt conscience if it may beare the name of conscience which is so ill staied If words may be receiued your pay verely is good if deeds bee required your money is not currant That
is a great blocke in your waye that you can neuer prayse your duetifulnesse to her Maiestie but you must euer with all craue pardon for your vndutifulnesse in the greatest matters as you here doe for not leauing Pope and Poperie and conforming your selues to religion c. And yet yee doe the same cunningly and vnder couerte of conscience forsooth grounded on the reasons that are in the treatise which must stande in steade of al satisfaction to her Maiestie where-of in place God willing wee shall see I am sorie I am enforced to followe and examine your wordes I woulde there had been some grounded matter for I am afraide as I wearie my selfe so doe I some wise and discreete readers but I must craue pardon in respecte of other that are more simple and rude who it were pitte shoulde be by glosing seduced or deceiued 8 ANd that the Catholike religion in generall for I medle with no mans particular fact is vniustly touched by any sect of our time for teaching disobedience or rebellion against their princes it may appeare plainely by the different doctrine which eche part deliuereth vnto his followers First Iohn Wikliffe one of their progenitours teacheth That a Prince if he rule euil or fall into mortal sinne is no lōger Prince but that his subiectes may ryse against him punish him at their pleasures Secōdly Mar. Luther following the same steppes teacheth That Chistians are free and exempted from all Princes lawes Whereof followed immediatly that famous rebellion of the countrey men againste their Lordes in Germanye in the yeere 1525. and in the same two hundred thousande slaine in one day Thirdly Iohn 〈◊〉 not dissenting from the rest teacheth That princes lawes binde not subiectes to obedience in conscience but onely for externall and temporal respect Wherof enseweth that if by any occasion this externall feare for the which only the subiect obeyeth be taken away as when he were able to make his partie so strong as he feared not his Prince then he should not sinne in rebelling against him And in another place holding plainely the doctrine of Luther he sayth That the consciences of the faythfull are exempted from the power of all men by reason of the liberty geuen them by Christ. Lastly the writing against the regiment of women in Queene Maries time for that the gouernment then liked them not all men can remember Which errours all the Catholike Church vtterly condemneth teaching her children together with the Apostle true obedience to their Princes for Conscience sake euen as vnto God him selfe whose roome they doe possesse and to whom they are bounde vnder the paine of mortall sinne eternal damnation patiently to obey how hardly so euer they deale with them in their gouernment otherwise By the which your Maiestie may perceyue howe falsly the Catholike religion is charged by her enemies of the contrary crime 9 Besides this if your Highnesse wisedome shall but enter into a litle consideration of the demeanour of Catholikes and of other of newer religions towardes their Princes this day in Europe it shall easyly appeare whiche of them are of the quieter spirites and milder in obedience I will not make mention of greater matters but onely to quite this aforesaide Puritane which so falsely hath infamed vs I will set downe here certaine propositions gathered out of two sermons of two of his preachers by a minister present there in Stamforde at the generall fast this last Sommer Which fast being prohibited with the preachings at the same by the expresse letters of the Lorde Superintendent of Lincolne bearing date the 5. of September to the Alderman and Comburgeses of the said Towne the preachers would not obey but stepping vp into the pulpit vttered as followeth 1. In such actions as may further the publique fast flesh and blood must not be called to counsell to doe the Lordes commaundement but they must be vndertakē without such warrant 2. The religion that Ionas preached did not as ours now doth depend and hange vpon Actes of Parliament For we when we go about such actions as God is to be glorified in 〈◊〉 first inquire whether there be any acte of Parliament to warrant our doings or no. 3 It is the manner of her officers and Counsellers now 〈◊〉 dayes to reforme matters by acts of Parliament and by pollices and not by Ionas his preachings 4 Her Counsellers neuer inquire what newes at Poules sermō but what reports are abroad that if any disliking thing should come to the Kings 〈◊〉 they might stop it from thence 1. He is of no spirite that will not promote that whiche God commandeth though all Edictes be contrary for we must not obey fleshe and blood 2. They that are ruled by the Edictes of men will change their religion with the Prince and they are of no conscience though they be neuer so much grounded in diuinitie 3. What if nether the Queene Counsell nor Bishoppe haue been present at the Fast nor allowed thereof yet wee ought to vndertake it Put case it is not in the Queenes chappel what then 4. This fast hath been hindred by certaine prophane carnall wretches 10 Here loe your Maiestie may see with what temperate spirite these men doe proceed and what they would teach and doe if they shoulde be contraried in great matters seeing they boult out suche doctrine against their Magistrats for crossing their appetites in so small a matter as is a litle phantastical age of fasting sodainely come vpon them for a desire they haue to heare themselues speake ten or twelue houres together after their continuall railing against fasting for these twentie one yeeres past But this is their spirite to rushe into euery thing with inordinate violence and to like of nothing that order and obedience layeth down vnto them The which your Maiesties great wisedome considering together with the quiet and modest proceedings of the Catholike part shall I doubt not easily perceiue what daunger it were to permit muche to such kinde of spirites and to bereaue this your Realme of so important a stay as Catholikes are in euery of your countreys against the perilous innouations of these and the like men whose finall ende is as their doctrine declareth to haue no gouernour or ruler at all 11 And this may bee one great Motiue vnto your Maiestie in respect of the safetie quietnes of your whole 〈◊〉 to extende some more mercye and fauour to your trustie and afflicted subiectes the Catholikes Who as they were moste ready at the beginning according to their bounden dueties to place your highnesse in that Royall roome wherein nowe by the fauour of God you stande So are they and will bee alwayes in like sorte ready with the vttermost droppe of their blood to defende the same in all safetie peace and quietnesse vnto the ende In consideration of which goodwil and seruice they can not
peter or Peters successour binde vpon earth bee also bounde in heauen whensoeuer Peters successor of right and equitie commaunde any king eyther to leaue his Royall dignitie which hee so affected vniustly holdeth or to stoppe and hinder another king by all the meanes hee can which hindereth a faythful people from eternal life least hee perishe in doing wickedly that king is also bounde in heauen that is before God and his Angels to obay the chief Pontifical bishops decree except hee will haue his sinnes holden not forgiuen before God c. Heere is in general tearmes your Catholike doctrine truly set downe by Saūders who sent I trowe frō y e Pope tooke a long iourney into Ireland where of late it is 〈◊〉 hee was and still is to stirre vppe lyke a Capitaine and incourage the Trayterous hearts that he might meete with and to see this doctrine of Pope holines reuerently obayed and put in practise so farre as hee might against this state for the which purpose serued also your late flocking hether in sholes from beyonde Sea much about the same tyme and your more publishing of sedicious libelles than a good while before As lykewyse in the yeere 1569. Nicholas Morton an Englishe rennegate Priest the Popes Penitentiary at Rome was sent sayth Saunders by the Pope into England where hee deserued ywis to 〈◊〉 crackt a rope to stirre vp the Nobilitie against our Soueraigne to doe such other most vile offices c. Whose counsaile they that folowed in the North felt the iust rewarde smarte of rebels for their rebellion as the Romishe Irlanders did in folowing Saunders and his fellowes coūsailes of late Here the Popish obedience your Catholike Religion teacheth practiseth commeth in fitly and hath his proper place Now that this Popish merchants opiniō meaning towards her Maiestie this state in particular may be y e better knowē out of his general doctrine before deliuered Let vs heare yet furder himself in this one place only no more speake therof When the Apostolique sea sawe that Elizabeth was fallen from the Churche and that the whole Realme of England was therby become Schismatical it sent once or twise Legates into England to recal that nation backe againe to their duetie but there was not so much as a way open for those Legates to enter into the Island so farre were they of from obtayning any thing which being thus after ten yeeres amendement looked for and now almost despaired of Pius the 5. the chief bishop turning to that only medicine which could bee applyed to so great a disease In the yeere of our Lorde 1569. hee sent into England the reuerende priest Nicholas Morton an Englishe man a Doctor of Diuinitie one of his Penitentiary priests solemnely by Apostolique authoritie to declare to certaine noble and Catholike mē that Elizabeth which then gouerned was an Heretique and for that cause was by the very lawe fallen from al superioritie and power which shee then vsed ouer Catholikes and that she might lawfully be taken of them as an heathen Publican that they were not hēceforth bound to obay her lawes or commandements By which solemne declaration many noble men were brought so farre that they prouided not onely for themselues but tooke vpon thē also to deliuer their brethrē frō the tyrānie of heretikes May not we here iustlier charge M Howlets Catholike Religion his Pope his Bul. N. Morton Saunders their doctrine with teaching practising rebellion than he doth Luther and his doctrine Your floures of Rhetorique M. Howlet will hardly washe this geere away reade marke and iudge of the whole vprightly Now they hoped saith Saunders that al Catholikes woulde w t all their force haue assisted so godly a purpose But althogh the matter fel out otherwise than they looked for either because all Catholikes did not yet well knowe that Elizabeth was by publike Lawe declared to bee an heretike or else because God had decreed more sharply to punish so great a defection of that kingdome yet not withstanding those noble mens counsels or enterprises were to be commended which wanted not their sure and happy successe for although they coulde not bring al their brethrens soules out of the pit of Schisme yet both they thēselues did notably confesse the Catholike religiō many of them did giue their liues for their brethren But very fewe noble men by your leaue those taken rather through Gods prouidence by force than willingly yeelding themselues which is the highest degree of loue to doe as traytors the rest rid thēselues frō the bondage both of heresie sin into that libertie wherewith Christ hath freed vs y t they are become Satans sins slaues al the dayes of their life In old time S. Bernard had exhorted the Christians to goe to Ierusalem and yet was not the East Churche deliuered by that voyage but they rather which went about to deliuer their brethren from the yoke of the Saracenes died themselues a glorious death Nowe after he hath rehearsed at large a Munkishe myracle out of Godfry a Munke to shewe that that voyage to Hierusalem was approued of God Antichristes newe Gospel must and needeth to be confirmed by new myracles Thus he speaketh of the rebelles in the 〈◊〉 against her Maiestie and the State Who nowe but hee that is ignorant of Gods counselles whereof belike this good fellowe is very priuie dare say that that confession of faith proceeded not from God which certaine Noble men of Englande made in armes He meaneth the late Earles of Westmerland Northumberlande and their adherentes Surely that must needes bee counted a myracle saith hee that being almost fiue hundred of them which tooke armes for the fayth so reporteth hee of the Northren traytours which taken by the heretikes and put to death so calleth he the State and her Maiesties ministers of iustice there None of them was foūd which either forsooke the Catholike faith or accused the Authors of that warre of any fault They were very innocent and blamelesse sure vnder pretence of their popishe faith and religion to take the sword in hand against their dread soueraigne and ours they must be so supposed though this be iu deede most lewde in the highest degree And this man either was among them and verie priuie to euery one of their deathes or els which is most likely hee tooke thē report at their friendes mouthes and his at seconde or thirde hande at least But many of them being a litle before reconciled to the vnitie of the Church were well apayed and greatly reioysed in themselues that they shoulde depart this life before they shoulde with newe wickednesse defile the peace hee meaneth their reconcilement to the Romishe Church newely receiued and they wished not to liue any longer in that kingdome which nowe a good while had ceassed to liue in Christe
It had been better you had been hanged with them All of them at their death praied that the restitution of the Catholike fayth begun might be happily atchieued They reioyced by this tale in their owne miserie and wee in Gods blessing and the happinesse of our countrey deliuered and eased of such traitours So both sides were pleased and all was well Let Saunders himselfe nowe in Irelande doe the like and his complices and if it like him it shall not offende vs. But I thinke he they wil rather trust to a payre of heeles when they haue kindled the fire of rebellion if they see thinges prosper not as N. Morton and the Captaynes in that rebellion lefte the people when they had thrust them ouer the 〈◊〉 in rebelliō This is their manhood for all their great bragges A note of an euill conscience and an euill cause God sende vs better and more resolute Captaines in defence of Gods truth our Prince and Countrey He hath done it Thankes be to his Maiesties therefore I thinke the poore people of the North that were then seduced by N. Morton and induced by other that ran away and left them in the bryars when they had brought them into rebellion be sufficiently warned to take heede of suche mates a good while againe I pray God they be And he vouchsafe to giue all good subiectes grace to be warned thereby After he hath thus set vs downe a popishe Gospell and doctrine confirmed by like myracle or lying wonders c. Told vs also of a right confession of the Popish Catholike faith and religion indeede high Treason and rebellion and so was punished He reckeneth vp neere halfe a hundred by name of the most famous traitors rebels that were in the North popish confessors Martires must we needs repute thē as he doth c. I forbeare to enter any further in laying abroade the dirtie mire that this filthy varlet made a priest at Rome it selfe forsooth hath cast vs from him in his foresayde serpentine booke woorthylie Dedicated to Pope Pius 5. Hee may bee called Impius well ynough for his dealing towardes her Maiestie and this State about that verye tyme euen as his Successor since this very Pope lately also and still dealeth They can now a dayes treade in no other steppes M. Howlet commendeth the nuyete and modest proceedinges of the Catholique parte But hee that shall obserue the vnquiete and vnmodest wryting and proceeding but of this one Englishe Romane Catholike of his whiche is a chiefe Ryngleader among them shall easily in him learne by the stampe and marke to knowe an vncatholik or rather to vse M. Howlets phrase a Popish catholike and Sectarye euen As a Lyon is knowne by his Clawes so liuely sheweth hee hym selfe in his colours It seemeth they haue of late taken a newe course in wrytinge differing from the common sorte of their predecessors afore tyme for their writinges nowe a dayes besids the mingling of poyson and diuilishe doctrine of Poperie are farced full of sedition and treason as which seemeth to be their principall intent and purpose where vnto they driue in their traiterous bookes whiche they set abroade and bryng hither among vs. All lightly drawe in one line all agree in one and with the Pope and his wicked Bulles iumpe as the fitte foundation and meete matter to staie and feede all trecherye and Treason on Wee must needes haue recourse to some mens wrytings and bookes at least to shewe that they of M. Howlets secte and religion teach disobedience and rebellion against their Princes In some men likewise must we needs note demeanour behauiour else can we not perfourme that which hee so greatly heere prouoketh vs vnto Againe M. Howlet doth the like in charging aforehand the professors and profession of our Religion particularly and by name I trust therefore I shall bee borne with in taking the like course heere whereas otherwise I protest I had rather in silence haue passed ouer this matter then to haue entred so farre and in particulars The thing thogh abominable lothsom to all godly minds and to be 〈◊〉 and spit at of all faithfull subiectes in this Realme is yet too too notorious I omitte here Bristowes seditious motiues approued by Doctor Allen forsooth and such other Traiterous bookes all agreeing in one The answeres made vnto them by Godly and learned men may be seene of them that liste to vnderstande more hereof Let it suffice for doctrine by this taste out of their Popishe writers to haue shewed howe shamelesly M. Howlet heere entreth this common place of his Catholikes teaching obedience to their Princes and their quiet and modest proceedings and that to and before her Maiestie whom of all other Christian Princes at this day they most vilainouslye and spitefully deale with all setting downe in bookes thus expresly their doctrine and minde cleane contrarye to that they will here seeme to affirme Yet before I leaue this place of doctrine I wishe the reader among other the testimonies M. Howlet out of the old fathers quoteth here in the margin of his booke diligently to note and obserue Chrysostoms wordes in this very place that he sendeth vs vnto whereunto agree the wordes of Theophylact. a later writer of their side also vpō these words Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers c. Although thou be an Apostle saith Chrysost. although thou be an Euangelist although a Prophet or whatsoeuer thou be els for this subiectiō ouerthroweth not religion godlines c. Why thē should not your Pope himselfe be subiect to the Magistrate ciuill powre He is belike none of the children of the Catholike Church or els the Catholike Church teacheth not all her children without exception true obedience with the Cpistle c. Which you yet affirme by this fathers testimonie that you bring vs foorth We holde to this doctrine of Saint Paul Let euery soule c. And of Saint Peter also who calleth the king the Highest and it is well and truly thus explayned by Chrysostome without exempting any and in this point do you and wee disagree you see whome wee followe Now let vs come to see somewhat more of your Popishe demeanour towardes Princes The practise of Prelates and Popelinges and their whole studie and life at this day is almost nothing els but a putting in vre ofseditious doctrine and so hardly can the one be seuered from the other I will yet shortly touch two or three home matters of former times besides that I haue said leauing forraigne dealings abrod with Emperors kings of other countries c. What but naughtie demeanour of the Pope made King Williā in his time alleadge y t no Archebishop nor Bishop of his Reahne should haue respect to the Court of Rome or to the Pope what but that mooued the Emperour to reprooue King Henry the thirde for suffering his Countrie to bee so impudently impouerished by the
God for hee is gracious and mercifull flowe to anger and of great kindnesse Nowe these are the wordes of the Acte of Parliament that is not yet dissolued in the last Session holden at Westminster from the xvi day of January last past vntill the xviii of Marche following I leaue the former Statutes and lawes Be it declared and enacted by the authoritie of this present Parliament that all persons whatsoeuer which haue or shall haue or shall pretend to haue power or shall by any waies or meanes put in practise to absolue persuade or withdrawe any of the Queenes Maiesties subiectes or any within her Highnesse Realmes and dominions from their naturall obedience to her Maiestie or to withdraw them for that intent from the religion now by her highnesse authoritie established within her Highnesse Dominions to the Romish religion or to mooue them or any of them to promise any obedience to any pretended autoritie of the Sea of Rome or of any other prince State or Potentate to bee had or vsed within her Dominions or shall doe any oucrt Act to that intent or purpose and euery of them shalbe to all intents adiudged to bee traitours being thereof lawefully conuicted shall haue iudgement suffer forfaite as in case of high treason And if any person shall after the ende of this Session of Parliament by any meanes bee willingly absolued or withdrawne as aforesaid or willingly be reconciled or shall promise any obedience to any such pretended authoritie Prince State and Potentate as is aforesaide that then euery such person their procurers and counsellers there unto being thereof lawfully conuicted shall bee taken tryed and iudged and shall suffer forfaire as in cases of high treason Heereupon may one hardly and heauily as me thinketh reason against you is this case of treason And if I may bee so bold as to deale with so great Clarkes thus after my rude maner make I my blunt arguments Whosoeuer at this day by profession hold y t our dread soueraigne Queene Elizabeth is an excommunicate person and the present state hereticall or schismaticall and so to be abhord are reputed traitours and so ought too be taken But all English Romanistes that call themselues Catholikes are such that is at this day by profession hold that our dread soueraigne Queene Elizabeth is an excommunicate person and the present state hereticall or schismaticall and so to be abhord Ergo. All English Romanists that cal themselues Catholikes are reputed traitours so ought to be taken No religion that approoueth the Popes authoritie doctrine practise in excommunicating and depriuing of Kings Queenes c of their estate whom he calleth heretikes is vniustly touched by vs English men to teache disobedience and rebellion against their Princes But all Catholike Romane religion approoueth the Popes authoritie doctrine and practise in excommunicating and depriuing of Kings Queenes c. of their estate whom he calleth heretikes Ergo No Catholike Romane religion is vniustly touched by vs English men to teach disobedience and rebellion against their Princes Al persons that by writing or otherwise persuade any within her Maiesties Realmes and Dominions from the religiō now by her Highnes authoritie established to the Romish religion thereby withdrawing them from their obedience to her Maiestie to yeeld the same to the Sea of Rome are by the law heere reputed traitours But you M. Howlet your authour N. Mortone N. Saunders Allen Bristowe with other like doe so that is by writing or otherwise persuade within her Maiesties Realmes and Dominions from the religion nowe by her highnes authoritie established to the Romishe religion thereby withdrawing them from their obedience to her Maiestie to yeeld the same to the Sea of Rome Ergo M Howlet your authour N. Saunders Allen Bristow with other like are by the lawe heere reputed traitours No religion that condemneth Queene Elizabeth our Soueraigne of heresie so foorth to the great preiudice of her royall estate and person and so the common hurt of vs all is vniustly touched for disobedience or rebelliō against her maiestie But your pretended Catholike religion condemneth Queene Elizabeth our Soueraigne of heresie so forth to the great preiudice of her royall estate and person so the common hurt of vs all Ergo Your pretended Catholike religion is not vniustly touched for disobedience and rebellion against her Maiestie If these arguments in zeale defence of our soueraigne and the state presse you or be thought sharpe to touche the quicke thanke your selfe that by entring your commō places odious cōparisons forcibly drawe the same from vs. Once the Syllogismes or arguments be scholasticall y t is good perfect enough in the perfectest moodes perfectest figure You heare now the opinion y t is of you heere not of one man or spightfully vttered but commonly too well grounded for you to deale with either repent craue pardon come home and liue like dutifull Subiects y t such violent arguments proceede no further which with all my heart I wish you to doe or els if you like that best prouide answere to solute such like arguments which will be very harde for you to doe I will say no more heerein but a parls Dilemma or streight are your Romane Catholikes brought into if you bee argued against in the pointes of doctrine and demeanour for obedience to our dread Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth out of your owne Popish schole doctrine and practise of old at this present and out of the lawes of this Realme nowe in force and withall bee put to make a direct answere thereunto Presse vs no further in the matter if you bee wise rather take heede that by your doctrine and demeanour towardes her Maiestie and the State yee bee not brought within the compasse of the lawe and there an ende But that cannot bee vnlesse you alter the course you haue of late taken and still doe or the whole state for your pleasures only bee altered I wishe and desire for your owne sake M. Howlet though I know you not that you bee not of the opinion and vsage of suche Catholikes as I haue set downe that yee take heede thereof or leaue the same in some time that yee may bee 〈◊〉 taken in the number of good dutifull subiects you your author w t others So as y t which I haue spokē vpō supposition onely of your agreement with the rest of your fellowes at Rome Rhemes c. and namely N. Saunders may not bee vnderstanded of your owne persons but of those and suche Catholikes onely as seditiously from beyonde Sea write and accordingly practise against her Maiestie and the State heere further woulde I not haue my woordes stretched to touche any particular person vnlesse his owne Conscience tell him hee agree with them or her Maiestie the State and his owne doinges finde him culpable This may serue to checke the great and waightie Motiues that you heere
make mention of and suche as your Authour or you seeme to promise shall followe and to shewe that the proceedings of your Catholike part bee not so quiet modest as is in wordes to her Maiestie heere pretended neither they such important a stay in euery of her Maiesties Countries as is heere iollily bragged Though vppon occasion I haue beene rounde in this matter and it may seeme sharpe that I here vtter yet let the matter bee well wayed and I shall not bee founde I trust to haue exceeded the bounds of truth and charitie I protest that I meane not to excite or stirre vp my Soueraigne to any crueltie or the State or any of authoritie heere though on the other side I bee so farre of from disliking of iustice and execution of wholesome lawes that though the same turne to the hurt and mischiefe of some yet I like that better then that an inconuenience should grow to the publike state Let mē looke to themselues but that it is not requisite or needefull nor my part to deale in prescribing nor yet in aduising the wisedome of those that rule this State I am so farre of from hastening any particular mans vndoing that I wold wishe which I am assured is without mee thought of and sought that all meanes might bee vsed to the recalling of men home conferrence and other before execution especially of death And is it not so I doe but preuent the aduersaries cauill and shewe my purpose and meaning I neede not nor list not to wade any further heerein The particular rebellions in the North Irelande and such other sturs from time to time by your Catholike part as to well knowne to all men I here omit Further to diduct and come now to answere that which is obiected in this behalfe to vs by the aduersarie whiche generally consisteth as the former in doctrine and demeanour For our doctrine of Magistrats obedience as we professe no other then that which is set vs foorth and plainly layed vs down in the holy scriptures So I marueile agayne that M. Howlet beyng an Englishe man leaueth out those publique testimonies and wrytinges of our 〈◊〉 in this matter whiche to the viewe of the worlde are published by this Church both in Latine and Englishe to expresse their iudgement herein and chargeth our doctrine with particular mens bookes and teachings of late yeres to bring hatred and displeasure or spitefully to wrecke and reuenge himself vpon some one man if he can doe no more where of though some be aliue yet others are dead so can not answere for thēselues but their books must be their clering to all y t world If the godly doctrine we professe here had bin by you read with a single heart before rash iudgemēt wel weighed as in y e bookes aforesaid is declared you would haue forborne I take it these words y t our final end is as our doctrine declareth To haue no gouernour or ruler at all Whence you tooke this doctrine you y t are so ful of quotatiōs here quote vs nothing And we tell you plainly y t things deuised by your brame or picked out of your fingers ends be none of our doctrine wee say it is a great and vntrue slander ye charge this Church with Her Maiestie though diuers times disturbed in her State by you false Catholiks hath raigned in a Gospelling time nowe aboue twenty yeres as chiefe gouernor by y t doctrine of y t Gospel ruler ouer y t professors thereof in much honor great quiet highly to Gods glory her Maiesties singular cōmendation y t exceeding comfort of all true harted englishe mē her Maiesties natural most bonden subiects and many moe yeres may shee raigne we dayly do beseech y t almighty to y t promoting of Christs holy Gospel y t benefit of his Church her own comfort honor Though it be to y t regret renting of all popish Catholike hearts in Christendome To charge our doctrine about Magistates w tall you set vs down three or foure sentēces takē out of three worthie men Christes faithfull souldiers and seruantes in their time The first is M. John Wickliffe one of our progenitours say you one of the singular instrumentes that it pleased God in his time to vse for the aduauncement of his Gospel say we and so rare a one that hee might iustly bee counted among the rest a bright starre shining and giuing light to a great many to their inestimable comfort he opened long since such a wicket as greatly profited the postetitie in Gods matters The seconde whom you alleadge is Doctor Martin Luther whose rare and excellent giftes euery way mightily both astonished the highest of your side in state Ecclesiastical and 〈◊〉 and no lesse furthered and profited Gods cause and encouraged all the godly by his godly and learned writings and otherwise The thirde is that odde and incomparable man of our time The reuerende Father and most painefull and faithfull Pastor and Teacher in Christes Church M John Caluin Whom thogh your heart swelt you can not discredite among Gods seruantes nor iustly staine his trauailes and writings left among vs for the benefite of Gods Church so hath it pleased his maiestie to blesse this good mans labours The Diuell I confesse as in other hath beene very busie in his instruments to deface and disgrace this excellent man diuers wayes but euer their mischiefes returned vpon their owne pates and they euen as many as haue risen and bent thēselues against him haue had the foyle to their shame Although wee highly prayse God for these men and for his great gifts in them as in others giuing them likewise their due cōmēdation as reasō is yet would I y t you M. Howlet and your fellowes shoulde knowe we make none of them nor them all our Pope to depende of them and their authoritie ne yet the Authours of our religion as you do the man of sinne at Rome But we reserue this priuiledge to Jesus Christ alone w tout being addicted to any mans doctrine or writings for faith and religion further then he shal teach vs by canonicall scriptures All these men are dead gone ye might haue let them rest in peace w tout slanderously charging them if it had so pleased you M. Howlet But it shall not be amisse to enter into particular examination of that ye say first therefore let vs see what it is yee charge M. Wickliffe withall and howe you doe it Iohn Wickliffe say you one of their progenitors teacheth that a Prince if he rule euill or fal into mortal sinne is no longer prince but that his subiects may rise against him and punish him at their pleasures If Wyckliffe should haue holden any errour the times wherein he liued considered it were not greatly to be marueyled at God rather is highly to be praysed that in so corrupt and blinde times he sawe and helde the truth in
are with you and to many such Praeda Mysorum it is your owne Prouerbe taken out of Aristotles Rethoricke and Rethorically amplified and handeled speaking against this man that yee will now needes quite but this man that you reuenge your selfe vpon First telleth you those Preachers you talke of were none of his he sendeth out none Next that hee is not bounde to answere for them though in so 〈◊〉 a cause that be not harde to bee doone This might M. Howlet easily thinke considering that euill will is not giuen to say well That her Maiestie and all other that shoulde reade that he setteth foorth in printe woulde hardly beleeue amongest so many vntruthes this report of his proceeding from such a reuenging stomack as seeketh therby to quite his enimie which doctrine he taketh out of Philosophie and from his Maister Aristotles Rethoricke rather then from good diuinitie and the Scriptures yet it may agree with his Catholike religion well enough Againe hee might thinke the grounde and truth of the matter woulde bee looked into which is not hard heere to bee doone Next he alledgeth a Minister to be his Authour in the report of this matter but that is for his vantage he nameth him not neither thinke I he can name any such hee were too notorious an hypocrite and false brother so lewdly to belie and betray his brethren Neuerthelesse that is possible for among Christes Apostles there was a Iudas This dealing might haue much impayred his credite with you sauing that you lye in awaite to trappe the innocent with all godly and honest men that list to vnderstand heereof if there were any such man Whereof giue vs leaue to doubt till we heare more hee will be abhorde for his double dealing you for your impudent reporting of so manifest a sclander Did the Minister tell you the matter himself Or did some other that hearde it of him or some bodie els tell it you from him You were not we must suppose at the exercise your selfe Take heede of too light crediting reports M. Howlet and especially of reporting them againe and that to her Maiestie and of putting them 〈◊〉 in print too the viewe of the worlde that is your foundation and entrie Proceeding yee obiect disobedience to the Preachers that woulde not obey the Bishops letters prohibiting the fast at Stamforde There are but too many such as you be that by sinister informations and sclaunders goe about to hinder godly and holy attempts fishing out some thing whereby to stay y t same by all meanes they can But God be praysed such false and light reportes such naughtie dealings haue turned and doe commonly turne to the beginners shames and to Gods glory the more and his peoples good and comfort as in deede this did for though this godly exercise were a time stayed by misreportes yet at length was it taken in hande with the good countenance and liking of authoritie whereof you and such might learne to giue ouer such rustie cankered practises and to take a new and better course if ye had any grace It fareth now adayes gentle Reader in the building of Gods spirituall house and Citie which is his Church here vpon earth euen as it did in old time which conformitie and likelihood may serue greatly to our instruction admonition and comfort when at Gods appointment the house and temple of God and the Citie Ierusalem were to be reedified God stirring vp for that purpose King Cyrus and Darius preparing the heartes of other of his people to further and aduaunce that worke as we may see in the holy stories of Ezra and Nehemiah the thing 〈◊〉 well begun was greatly hindred somtime by colourable vndermining after a politik maner by false accusation making cōplaint euē to the king somtime by conspiracie open force violence yet notwithstāding all preparatiōs and subtill deuises cōming to naught the work though with much a do by gods meruellous prouidence went lustily luckely forward and was at y e last happily finished There was on the one better side though lesser weaker in the sight of man Zerubbabell Ieshua Ezra Nehemiah y t prophets Haggai Zechariah c. as chiefmen amōg the people of God w t their band cōpany There were on y t other side Rheū Shimshai Tatnay Sanballat Tobiah Geshem their cōpaniōs in Samaria the people beyond the riuer mighty enuious Cheeneth Arabians Ammonites Ashdodims other w t Shemaiah Noadiah c. false Prophets hirelings and hypocrites many great ones The kings with whome both parties had to deale being Heathen men were somtime no maruell against the matter especially being stirred vp by the malice of the aduersaries to this building their often and many complaints handeled with great cunning pollicie which more troubled and hurt the seruants of God and hindred their godly proceeding as hypocrites alwaies doe than any open violence but which was to be maruelled at euen those Heathen kings were sometime fauourable forward and with the matter Gods prouidence and blessing so ordering the whole worke till it were atchieued as namely wee see vnder the good kinges Cyrus and Darius Now to leaue the state of the Churche in other Realmes by Gods maruellous goodnes we haue at this day raysed vp vnto vs for one a principall parte not a heathen king or a Cyrus Darius To fauor set forward y t building of gods house among vs but a Christian Soueraigne Prince herselfe professing y t Gospell of Christ Iesus who doth not stand by looke on y t builders but bending her royal authoritie and wisdom to y t defence maintenance of y e truth repressing of error falshood so moderateth the whole that she greatly encourageth all gods people her obedient subiects terrifieth the aduersaries her maiesties Counsellers the Nobilitie the spirituall Pastours the other officers Ministers of y t lawes are likewise professors setters forward of this busines in their degree calling to the great cōfort of the common people those of the lower sort whereupon the aduersaries how many and how mightie soeuer they be may be the lesse able to doe hurt Yet to waken vs to keep vs frō securitie we shal not lacke neither haue we to maruel therat or be discouraged enimies as lōg saith M. Howlet as ther is either head or hand remaining loose in the world We shal not lacke hypocrites false accusers conspirers violent dealers seditious persons c. we shall not lacke stinging Hornets like the Horonites Ammonites Arabians we shall not lack a Rehum a Shimshai a Tatnai a Tobiah a Schemaiah c. that in a rout will vndermine and oppose themselues to the Gospell But God bee thanked we neede little feare them hauing that mightie God so mightily standing on our side and blessing vs with such a Soueraigne and state as he doth Wherefore let vs now M. Howlet be
yet furder cōcerning naughtie men andtheir pretended naughtie consciences as they speake not to be flattered or borne w t in dealing naughtily the doctrine and practise of our Sauiour Christ is notable for vs to followe as is expressed in the Euangelistes For our Sauiour Christ themaccuseth and taketh vp the Scribes and Pharisees very short who woulde seeme to make conscience of the traditions of the Elders defendeth or excuseth his disciples in breaking thereof and regardeth not the offence taken at his doctrine and doing therein by the Pharisees reade the place and marke the whole Nowe for the Conscience of the faithfull we holde with the holy Ghost that it is purged by the blood of Christe from dead workes to serue the liuing God and the hearts are purified by fayth c. And that phrase of the holy Apostle myconscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost and the like woulde diligently bee obserued of Christians not to seuer in them selues the testimonie of conscience from that heauenly testimonte of Gods spirite as in deede not a conscience but a good conscience is required of vs by God Herevppon say I to these men and to their like and to all such euill consciences of Infidelles and other as they bryng vs in that wherevpon so euer they gounde their pretended Consciences and what course soeuer they bee entred into for religion and spiritual exercises in gods seruice that as this doctrine of the scriptures is sound true and safe so theirs is hollowe vntrue and the thing is not godly nor good Great is the iudgement of God amonge them that perish because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued Therefore to send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes that all they might be damned which beleeue not the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnes Ye did run wel saith s. Paul to the Galat. who did let you that you did not obey the truth It is not the persuasion of him that calleth you A little leauen doth leauen the whole lumpe I haue trust in you through the Lord that you wilbe none otherwise minded but hee that troubleth you shall beare his condemnation whosoeuer he be c. I woulde to God the very first wordes of this Apostolike sentence might bee verified in all that call themselues Romane Catholikes and continued still in vs and that with the Apostle in the last sentence wee might trust well of them as wee are assured the midle part may too truly bee applyed vnto M. howlets persuasion such like Where they holde both M. Howlet and his Authour this generall doctrine howe good soeuer the action in it selfe be or how true soeuer y t thing y t is affirmed be as for example in case of religion c that which is done affirmed by a Iew an Infidell or such like yet if it be otherwise thought of in his sight or if it be agaiust his vnderstanding iudgement and conscience as they speake the doer affirmer inforcer thereto shalbe damned for committing a deadly haynous and greeuous sinne ` This as it is deducted seemeth to me a strang Paradoxe in diuinitie groūded gentle Reader possible on some mans diuelish wisdome reason but surely vpon a very false and dangerous Catholike principle of Popery sauouring altogether of y e stinking puddle of that diuelish religion yea of the Diuell of Hel himselfe the father and authour of that religion which thus I represent vnto thee out of the writings of the greatest doctours of that side And yet sauing that they haue opened this filthie caue or styrred the 〈◊〉 for the diuelishe wickednesse filthinesse thereof would I haue spared thy Christian eares but that necessitie and the indignitie of the matter to vtter their shame and villanie wherwith they staine both heauen earth enforceth seeing the matter is thus farre brought to speake thereof There be two cases of conscience or conclusions of their Popishe writers the one of an erroneous or naughtie conscience and the bond thereof the other of perplexitie wherinto men as into a straight are driuen by this doctrine and religiō whilest of necessitie they must do euill cannot choose whereupon M. Howlet and his Authour grounde their Paradoxe or strange opinion of which the one dependeth on the other And both vpon that sentence of Gratian in his golden decree All that is done against conscience buildeth to hell fire which being well expounded might stande though but by the Popish doctrine for som to abstain from euill be it neuer so villanous to doe good be it neuer so precious is or may be against conscience in them or against their erroneous lying conscience this position is theirs and vtterly false Therefore for some say they to abstaine from euill bee it neuer so villanous to doe good be it neuer so precious buildeth to hel fire Againe the lawe of nature may bee dispensed with if two euils so presse as of necessitie y t one must bee chosen for such cases their perplexitie maketh c. Popery can intangle and snare mens consciences it can trouble disquiet yea prouide a slaughter house for them relieue and quiet them it cannot Though it be not so hard to enter this perplexed Labyrinth or Maze as to get out of it againe when one is once entred so deepe are the quiddities I tel you and the questions greatly doubtful the examples also many and straunge that in this case are brought to holde men occupied with all yet get out or helpe other therein as I may by Gods goodnesse I will enter by the Angelicall doctour D. Thomas whose doctrine and Commentaries haue the allowance of the highest and greatest of that side as a truth falling from heauen confirmed also by heauenly visions as approued aboue Upon the Epistle to the Romanes and the fourteenth Chapter whiche place M. Howlet and his fellowe woulde seeme to grounde vppon and to whose writinges herein wee are sent the willinglier doe I propounde him thus writteth D. Thomas vnder questions propounding after his manner his subtile doctrine by obiecting answering and resoluing It may be doubted sayth hee whether if a man haue an erronious or naughtie conscience that he beleeue that y t which is mortall sinne is necessarie to saluation whether such a conscience binde him So as if he doe against the same he commit damnable sinne He resolueth not onely vpon the Epistle to the Romanes but also in his Summe or common Places and elswhere that an erroneous or lying conscience in thinges of themselues simply euill bindeth a man so that hee that doth against it highly displeaseth God or as they speake sinneth mortally or deadly or to vse our mens wordes it is to the doer and enforcer a damnable sinne or horrible mortall sinne the one and the other shalbe damned therefore Herevpon riseth y t second doubt or question of perplexitie in this case whereinto
ryot and complaine of the wrong and desire still that the matter may come to lawfull pleading And euen nowe os late since our new persecution beganne wee haue made vnto them diuers offers with great oddes not pretending thereby any recouery of our losses for that wee suppose to bee vnpossible but onely for the iustifiyng of our cause whereupon the honour of God dependeth and wherein wee knowe wee can not bee vanquished THus you amplifie iolilie w t similitude example your long possession as ye say of the Catholicke Church here in England our ryot also and violent intrusion vniust as you pretende which you call Law lesse proceeding You will by processe seeme to call vs afresh into the kings Bench when wee appeare your action will beare no lawefull plea against vs you accuse vs hotly M. Howlet but as good an Attorney or proctor and solicitor or man of lawe and counsellor as you are taken to bee in the Popes cause you shewe and proue nothing against vs in Gods or the Princes court we thanke God Ye suppose altogether for you say by our aduersaries confession that is for one part But wee say you say as yee are wont that is vntruly for your Church and religion as they bee at this day are not of a thousande yeeres antiquitie Some part of your corruptions may be so old we denie it not some part againe are of later time And heresies we tell you out of Tertullian doth not Newnesse so much argue as Truth whatsoeuer sauoureth against the truth that shall bee heresie euen olde Custome saith hee Againe your Iesuites a newe order of Religion instituted about fortie yeeres agoe or such such a thing seeme amōg vs at this day to be your greatest pillers and staies in this your new and strange proceeding and wee here can scarcely yet well tell what their religion is nor where it is grounded so lately though suddēly come they among vs but vpon an obscure fellowe your Pope Paul the thirde you tel vs is their foundation And in deed your Popish religion is such a confused Chaos and heape or a hotche potche that wee can not tell certainly what to make of it nor where to fetche a proper and full summe of the Popishe doctrine at this day and a confession of your fayth For leauing the Scriptures to bee the rule of your fayth and coyning vs still so many newe Articles vnder the name of vnwritten verities traditions the Churche c. Which the first and auncient Apostolique Church was ignoraunt of and referring vs for all to your Popes brest To bee playne we can finde no footing You take a similitude from a wise noble man and quiet possession of his Baronie many ages Bee as wise as yee may bee yet a similitude and example of a meaner and a more base and vile person than a Noble man of a Barne M. Howlet rather than a Baronie might fitlier serue to compare so corrupt a Church and rotten religion withall as is Poperie and the Popish Church But wee muste take suche as you offer vs. Your Prelates of the Cleargie that rule the Church are Lordes euen ouer Gods heritage they are Barons they must needes haue a Baronie No maruell therefore though in respect of thē and their vsing of the Churche yee liken it to a Baronie of a Noble man that hath many ages helde the same in quiet possession Or if you speake of the whole Catholike Churche in respect of the vnholy holinesse of the Pope of Romes fatherhood the matter is brought to a higher degree then a Noble man he is called our Lord God the Pope For quiet possession in deede I graunt yee helde that yee had in possession very quietly made as sure as you coulde not to bee vnquieted in your Palaces But a stronger thanks be to god came vpon you your god Prince to I meane the Pope Satan ouercame you took away your armour wherein you trusted c. For the vnfitnesse of your similitude I tell you first that if you liken your selues to a Noble man you must then liken the true Church to anothers and not to the Noble mans owne Baronie for that wee holde agreeable to the Scriptures that the Churche so likened can bee called no mans but Gods or Christs Baronie onely In title of lande Sir c. where prescription of time beareth great sway many ages of quiet possession be a great stay to Noble mens Baronies or others holdes especially where euidence and writinges by sundrie casualities may bee missing In religion that I may giue a further taste of your vnlikelie likelyhood and vnproper example the case is nothing like For authoritie of religion is not to bee esteemed by time saith one That which is true is not too late And y t good father again saith y e heathē say That that is first cannot be false As though antiquitie old custome may preiudice the truth But M. Howlet in going no higher for the age of your religion thē a 1000. yeeres and talking to vs of quiet possessiō of many ages since that time wee answere you first that our religion was aboue 500. yeere olde before yours came into the worlde or your Pope were hatcht supposing you kept quiet possession as you pretende nowe a 1000. yeeres For wee fetche ours from Christe and his Apostles who had lawfull possession of the Baronie yee talke of aboue halfe a 1000. yeeres before you came to possession thereof And if you will marke well those halfe thousande yeres before were the beter and more free from forgerie and corruption and therefore woulde bee more regarded But nowe I pray you tell vs how you entred into possessiō of y e Catholike Churche a thousande yeeres agoe For by inheritance once we denie that it came vnto you or by discent If there may be any lawfull conueighance thought of the best 〈◊〉 I see yee can with any probabilitie alleadge for the possession that your Cleargie euer had of this Baronie meaning thereby the true Church of Christe was that they helde the same but as Tenaunts and that tenants at will too standing vpon their good behauiour to continue or to bee cast out The Noble man himselfe the only Lorde and Baron that I may so speake of this Baronie is aliue his Baronie only may the true Church bee called If you meane that in this similitude neither yours nor any mortall mans besides Howeuer therefore you haue holden the Catholike Churche that way you haue beene but too long vniust possessors and so lost you nothing that was your owne when vppon misbehauiour you were by Gods lawfull Minister our dreead Soueraigne therein thrust out of possession of this true Church here as you were once before within mans remembrance about xl yeeres since So then this Baronie the Church heere is now the second time to Gods glory and our inestimable benefite lawefully taken from you
Rome and Romane which be particular wordes restraining the word Catholike wee are content to call it with your fellowe M. Howlet in his EPISTLE DEDICATORIE the Christian Catholike Religion or the holy catholike and Apostolike Religion of the first Instrumentes and Planters thereof as wee see set vs downe in their writinges or such like speech for the knowledge distinction and triall of our religion we refuse not We are not wedded to one forme of words in that that may be diuersely expressed as in time and with time tearmes and speeches that for a time serue men varie but we woulde auoide cloudie ambiguitie in speech if this I haue now spoken of be the true religion ye receiue embrace and beeleeue we doe so with you and you with vs that is wee agree But vnderstand withall that hereby we ouerthrowe all Poperie and Popish religion as we doe Anabaptistrie and all other false religions whatsoeuer deuised and erected by men not warranted by Gods holy written worde call ye the same Romane Italian Germane French Spanish English Scottish or what else you will where and of whome soeuer it be professed all is one either it is that I haue here shortly described or els it is false and naught The true and Christian catholike religion is not tyed to any certaine place person or time but belongeth indifferently to all the Faithful in al ages and in all places eyther therfore tel vs whether you meane by the catho like Romane religion that Religion which the faithful people dwelling at Rome helde in the time of the Apostles To whom S. Paule the Apostle of vs Gentiles and so of the Romanes wrote the epistle extant and entituled to the Romanes as he did diuers other to particular churches of y e Gentiles as y t thē was hauing yet beleeuing Iewes among them Or if you take it other wise make y e religiō you meane first agree with that religion which those Romanes then helde and were instructed in which was all one with that of the Ephesians Phillipians Thessalonians and other Churches planted by the Apostles and with ours now or ours rather is one with theirs the which is expressed vnto vs in their writinges whereto we sticke and not to the places and people or persons that haue succeeded which all haue greatly swarued since frō y t they then were Or else if you like not to call your religion to this triall keepe your supposition to your selfe as false til you haue prooued the matter for we cannot to be plain w t you nor we may not receiue the Romane religion as it is at this day and hath beene now some hundreths of yeres for the Truth much lesse for y e only truth vnlesse we mind withal to quite abandō God his eternal Truth expressed vnto vs as his reuealed will that is in the canonicall Scriptures of the olde and newe Testament which is commonly called The holy byble as directly contrary to your Romane and Popish religion at this day as white is to black Truth to Falshood Christ to Antichrist God to the Diuell wherof let that booke be the iudge betweene vs. Looke whose religion that booke will iustifie looke whose it will condemne that doe we likewise iustifie or condemne by what name soeuer it be called what coulour or shewe soeuer bee set vppon it wee must bring it to that triall It is not the name of traditions It is not vnwritten verities It is not multitude c which be the props and pillers of your Romane church and religion that can call vs from the infallible written Truth of God howeuer therefore your glosed and false supposition maye satisfie your side or serue a glosed and false religion it cannot serue this church and state you may not looke to haue it by and by receiued of the Queenes most excellent maiestie of the honourable Lordes of her priuie counsaile and other the godly learned wise of englād You might think y t could not nor would not perswade so godly and honourable personages that is meeter for the ignorant sort and fooles you must lay a better foundatiō you must bring better euidence before your Reasons can conuince Suppositions shoulde be certaine principles and euident truthes not so manifest falshoode as this is to be receiued without proofe wee can not suppose at least we cannot knowe that is not I wishe therefore ye had trauailed in proouing this captious and false supposition that after your reasons might haue come the better to their effect end of cōuincing or we seen your feeble weakenes in your cause But that you were not able to perfourme you thought best to suppose and occupie your selfe in flourishing with shew of 〈◊〉 reasons groūded on false principles rather then forciblye to prooue or to reason soundly But Aristotle could haue tolde you that in Art of reasoning thus to doe is to make a Paralogisme or in plainer english to speake it is a kinde of iugling and of false and naughtie dealing Suppose not that the Romane religion as it is at this day is the onely old religion and all other newe The religion we professe is as truer so older than your newe Romane religion As Christ his Apostles and their writings are before those vpon whom and whose writings you would haue vs to depend It may bee in some kinde that your olde vesselles be not fit to receiue this newe 〈◊〉 If the vessels breake though the wine be spilt yet the vessels perish I counsaile you therefore to bring newe vessels and newe heartes that the newe wine beeing put into newe vessels both may be preserued rather then that you abhorre and reiect the newe wine because it agreeth not with your olde leaking vessels An olde ragged coate An olde rotten tree An old decayed house c. If you will needs sticke vpon old and newe are not the best and moste to bee commended you knowe Please not your selfe therefore so much in these tearmes But leaue them and goe to the matter Let Gods booke still I say be iudge betweene vs for the thinges you bring foorth and the thinges we bring and there an end Wee purpose and hope for religion to liue and dye with that booke For your Catholikes you say there are two sortes and yet if I can iudge ought yee make three first you tell vs of such as be so wicked and their case so damnable as yee minde not to intreate of them then you tell vs of another sort of Catholikes for whome this Treatise was made to reforme their persuasion builded as you say only vppon their owne fantasie Yee might as well haue vsed your owne phrase of Conscience if it had pleased you though indeede for abusing the good worde of conscience false persuasiō or fancy were euerie where fitter for you all in your profession Thirdly you make yet an other sort of catholikes besides these two and them you call the onely true Catholikes which
of our Religon and to better agree with Papistes and Poperie then with the Gospel of Christ. Puritans as it pleaseth you Papists to call some here are by you expounded in this Treatise to be the hotter sort of Protestants So that here be but two sortes of Protestants and this is the difference yee make Of Protestants some here are hotter and some are colder and yet neyther sinne against the holy Ghost Are these diuers in Religion Then I pray you make the like of you Catholikes as you will be called for some of you are hot some are colde some Puritan Catholikes of y t hotter and better sort as ye say Some other more conformable men as you here speake And so of colde Catholikes yee tell vs in another place of your booke Adde the contrary difference and ye shal find a sort of hot Catholikes too Or else if you wil make three sortes of Catholiks heere in Englande as you nowe expresse vs and so one sort more then you make of Protestants When you haue reconciled your selues in opinions Then will it bee time enough for you to talke of great diuision among vs here in Religion for some difference in opinion that is founde among vs which you count an insolluble argument of your side against vs and yet may easily you see bee turned on your owne heades Your three sortes of Catholikes that I say you here expresse thus doe I set downe taking the same from your owne woordes The Catholikes that are in this wryting iustified onely are suche as iudge all other Religions false erroneous and damnable besides their owne whiche they call the Catholike Roman religion This is one point common to al Catholiks true false one and other With all these iudge all perticipation with the religion here professed in deede worde or shewe by othe by sacramentes c. naught forbidden and vnlawfull Another or the seconde point not so common to all herevppon by no meanes will they admit or consent to communicate with the same This is the thirde and last point proper to true Catholiks as you call them M. Howlet the authour of this Treatise and such like bee of this first sort of Catholiks There are made another sort of Catholikes that are said to agree with these in the two first pointes disagreeing from them in the thirde onely And yet these that agree so well with them in opinion and dissent from them in doing onely and that as they speake for feare or some worldely respect the former Catholikes so abhorre and detest that they pronounce these yet aliue in God his prouidence dead and damned in hell They are priuie to their consciences they knowe who shal goe thither nay they sende at pleasure whome they liste they leaue these men without comforte or hope of pardon and esteeme them no Christians much lesse Catholikes so hee here pronounceth of them Of the thirde sorte I speake after in his place that agree with the first onely in one and the first of the three pointes disagreeing in the other two pointes These seconde Catholikes in the meane while aduise I thus Take heed to your selues all y t at this day liue in Englande and be in heart of the Romishe religion or haue to these your ghostly fathers by shrifte or other wise shewed your selues to bee such finding your selues in this seconde ranke of Catholikes prouide for your selues I counsell you it standeth you in hande once for you are shutte out of doores for euer from the communion of the Church of Rome in this life and are firebrandes appointed by Gods prouidence to hell in the worlde to come by definitiue sentence while yee yet liue here your Maister of whom you haue learned your religion and who best knoweth as seemeth your heartes and consciences and the nomber of you speaketh thus telling vs there bee very many such in Englande though we hardly beleeue him you must suppose whyle you holde you to that Religion that this is the Sentence of the Pope of Rome and so of the Catholique Churche and of GOD him selfe in heauen immutable and vnreuocable neuer to bee forgiuen neither in this worlde nor in the worlde to come This is true if God be not vntrue sayth this Catholike M. Alas poore men and women Consider in time into what extremitie and miserie yee are thrust by those whome yee holde of and whome ye haue taken all this while to be your good friendes I pittie your harde case I assure you It greeueth mee to heare tell of your eternall damnation in hell fire They talke of the case of perplexitie wherein men are sometime wrapped But here men are tumbled and wrapped in a harder case by this religion if harder may be for dispensation with them might serue where men be forced or by necessitie driuen to choose and doe euill as they can speake here is no hope of any they are alreadie paste all recouery in their determination GOD giue poore soules grace to consider this geare at the heart Leauing the maze of Poperie I will nowe endeuour to speake out of Gods booke some what better to your comfort good heartes that yee may see the difference betweene the Gospell aud Poperie our Religion and that bee it neuer so vnholie will needes bee called Catholique They vngodly and vncharitably 〈◊〉 you and driue you with maine force into dispaire for euer Salue it vp as they can we call you we comfort you we stretch out our armes to imbrace you God rather sending vs to preache the Gospell to cal sinners to repentance by vs as his instrumēts doth this for you but marke well howe to repentance I say and in y t Christ Iesu doth god and wee call you Be not deceiued in assuring you in Gods name as we are bounde of pardon for all the sinnes that ye haue euer heretofore committed frō the beginning We bring you no pardon frō Rome nor from the Pope of which you see your selues to be out of al hope by those your Ghostly fathers iudgement that were sent came hyther to reconcile true catholikes as they speake to the Pope you are none of them they tell you nowe the resolute truth with thē and their conscience If they speake otherwise hereafter neuer beleeue them that pretending conscience speake this without all conscience But wee tell you out of Gods word there is yet some hope and comfort for you so you will leaue that Popish religion and betake your selues to the profession of the Gospel of Christ turning from your sinnes and transgressions into the way of righteousnesse Hearken heare and beleeue vs we wil not speake vnto you our owne imaginations and fancies and call them our conscience and truth But we bring you the worde of the eternall God and his reuealed will and truth which is this that as he liueth he desireth not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way liue
all Church Ministerie and functions are heere exercised by meere lay men and yet in the meane while her Maiestie accounteth iustly it to be her office and duetie and to appertaine to a kingly authoritie according to the high dignitie of her royall throne and princely estate calling to moderate by al meanes to assist according to Gods holy worde and to see the same faithfully executed by euery particular in their degree which who so 〈◊〉 or deny her Maiestie prouoke Gods heauie wrath and displeasure and she we them selues vnwoorthy to liue much lesse to enioy so great blessinges vnder so gracious a Soueraigne She taketh only y t which is by Gods word due to Princes and Ciuill Magistrates shee will suffer no one besides her selfe to be the chiefe Gouernour in her dominions vnder God Christ and the worde call yee him Prince or Prelate shee requireth her subiectes first and principally to be Gods faithfull seruauntes in duely and reuerently keeping the exercises of true Christian religion euery one in their calling expressed in the two Cables of Gods holy commaundementes which by her authoritie giuen of God shee mainteyueth and like a godly Prynce purposeth still so to doe Next vnfaynedlye to acknowledge the Soueraigntie giuen to her Maiestie from God for all outwarde and Ciuill pollicie in her dominions This iustly may shee chalenge and more she requireth not and who is there that iustly can refuse or denie her Maiesty this Out of Gods booke rere religion confirme faith edifie conscience growe and profite dayly in godly knowledge and practise thereof In summe walke in single vprightnesse of heart with God and man and where this is the more seene there are the parties the better liked and commended by her Maiestie the State y t both God may bee the truelyer serued her Maiestie obeyed and others by good example in life and conuersation edified This is that I say briefly that the profession of religion here at this day in her Matestie the State and her people is no newe profession nor any other but such as is common with the Patriarches Prophetes Apostles and all Gods faythful people that haue liued in any age and is warranted by Gods holy worde written Nowe if in bending and contendyng hereto her Maiestie the State and people euery one in their place haue not thorowly and fully attayned to their purpose in reformation and practise hitherto yet is not the profession and purpose to be blamed yea their will and affection is much to be commended and they to be encouraged and stirred vp to growe dayly from good to better in these cold naughty daies while other seeing in so waightie and necessarie a matter many and great abuses sit still and either maintaine or winke thereat Prayer in this great worke is of all and aboue all to be adioyned and such helpe of Godly knowledge wisedome counsell and other giftes as God bestoweth on any woulde bee brought forth to the aduauncement of this heauenly worke euery one keeping his boundes and calling The foule and filthie dung hill of Poperie and superstition is not so soone voy ded our sinnes are the onely or the greatest impediment and let of the full finishing of this worke if there bee any thing wanting it is our heartie repentance and vnfayned turning to GOD with thankfull heartes expressed in wordes and deedes for the graces 〈◊〉 vpon vs. In the meane while where the profession I haue spokē of is and the worke taken in hande and entred as wee see here among vs I say there are none but very obstinate and wilfull men that will refuse to come to the publike Churche assemblies to heare the worde of God preached the Sacraments of Christe and publike prayers c. comfortablie administred which that I may in other wordes somewhat formally for our aduersaries pleasure expresse thus now I frame my reason None supposed to haue Gods feare before their eies to haue care of their owne saluation to haue respect to her Maiestie and their dutie towardes so vertuous and gracious a Soueraigne her godly wholsome lawes Againe to haue due and charitable consideration of the Church of God and their Christian brethrē and common honesty among men No such I say can or ought to refuse to come to church exercises vsed here amōg vs at this day But all persons of what state or condition soeuer they be liuing in Englande are supposed to be such that is to haue Gods feare before their eies to haue care of their owne saluation to haue respect to her Maiestie and their dutie towardes so vertuous and gracious a Soueraigne and her godly and wholesome lawes Againe to haue due and charitable consideration of the churche of God and their christian brethren and common honestie among men Wherefore no persons of what state and condition soeuer they ve liuing in Englande can or ought to refuse to come to Churche exercises vsed here amongst vs at this day The conclusion or the sequell of this argument and reason being so well grounded the aduersaries cannot nor will not I thinke denie me if they will let them turne mee to the proofe of the goodnesse thereof or of the fourme of any argument I haue made them The grounde of the first part of mine argument and the reason is because amongst other godly thinges as publike prayers prouision for the poore c. Here is professed and set foorth principally in Church assemblies the Ministerie or Preaching of Gods holy worde Gospel professed the obedient hearing and receyuing thereof with the administration of Christes Sacraments according to the rule of Gods booke which be notes exercises of Gods true and faithfull congregation whereunto euery true christian ought to associate and ioyne himselfe The seconde or middle part of my reason there is none I take it would be thought so wicked as to make question or doubt of Though the 〈◊〉 and flender dealing of our aduersarie in particularly seeking to find out faultes in our church exercise in his seuenth reason bee a sufficient cleering therof to him and his worde with those y t list aduisedly and with indifferency to weigh y e same when they see he 〈◊〉 chargeth it and 〈◊〉 it vntouched for ought he 〈◊〉 where 〈◊〉 we shall see God willing when 〈◊〉 come thither yet because I haue not to regarde the aduersarie only but some other also and among the rest suche especially as are sunple rude somwhat ignorant Therefore will I bee bold a little to wade here in the proofe of the particular partes of that peece of mine argument wherein may seeme any 〈◊〉 or to shew the head of the fountaine spring whēce the whole is deriued Marke well the argument namely the first part of it for some furder better proofe whereof I note this that followeth None that are supposed to haue Gods feare before their eyes will refuse to come to Churche heere Why so For
else must he heare from vs that whiche the Galatians 〈◊〉 themselues amisse sometimes 〈◊〉 from S. Paule This perswasion is not of him that calleth you c. Or to shewe the vanitie of the reason in an example of his owne alleadged here Let vs propounde that If dame Eue saith hee had not presumed to heare the serpent talke shee had not beene beguiled But if shee say I delighting in the tree forbidden to satisfie her eye and desire had not perswaded her selfe that the Serpentes talke had beene the trueth and so perswading her husbande also to leaue the truth of Gods worde to beleeue fansie and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lie brought him to obey her voice as shee did the Serpents they had not eaten of the fruite for bidden and so had not wrapped themselues and vs in miserie Then the neerer cause and Reason whereby both Adam and Eue were beguiled and the more proper that we neede not run farre off was the false perswasion they had and admitted vpon the Serpents talke against Gods expressed woorde and commandement whiche to make like your reason thus I 〈◊〉 Dame Eue perswading her selfe the tree was good for meate and to be desired to get knowledge and her husbande by her meanes the like might not venture to lacke lease so great a good benefite or might not venture 〈◊〉 do the contrary which shee he perswaded themselues was euill to them Adde you the rest if ye like to make this a good Reason for I answer you that it is very like to yours and all one in effect which is grounded likewise vpon 〈◊〉 and that a false vaine and dangerous 〈◊〉 contrary to the truth the scriptures phrase 〈◊〉 this case is good I am perswaded through the Lord c. In religion let vs learne to speake religiously with this religious Apostle c. Remember I pray you that I am the answerer and if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee can proue no better then thus I suppose ye knowe the order of the Schooles you may be 〈◊〉 answered for all the great bragges bee made of your dexteritie and skill in briefe scholasticall arguments Because you are such a Reasoner to conuince and so great bragges is made of this Treatise besides you say your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desire 〈◊〉 is onely to giue some 〈◊〉 to them in Englande especially to her Maiestie the right honourable her counsel the learned and wise in Englande c. I aske of you ouer and aboue that I haue sayde to M. Howlet your fellow when you will make this a good syllogisme or Reason you know what I meane to conuince or to satisfie any y t is of a contrary iudgemēt vnto you I say not her highnes her graue and honorable wise coūsellers which are not so easily led as you in your muses and studdes imagin but any meane learned man of a contrary religion vnlesse one will suppose and imagine your propositions to be principles as your 〈◊〉 doth so doubte of nothing ye say or let your proofe bee an asking of the principle which is Sophistrie and no good Logique Let your compagnions and fellowes tell you what they will or let this argument and reason serue those that are already perswaded in your false religion and so neede no Reasons to conuince them Summe bragge or crowe like a Cocke vpon your owne dunghill as much as ye will I that 〈◊〉 but a simple rude man not many a day of any Uniuersitie and so not comparable with the learned and freshe Uniuersitie disputers will yet boldely heere make you this offer that keeping your propositions if you make not an Elench or fallacion of this I may say the like in the rest that is a starke naughtie Reason or a badde Syllogisiue consisting onely of particulars or of foure termes as they speake c. Briefely if you make in good mode and figure to prooue and conuince by not faultie in matter or fourme or in both let me be the answerer and I will yeelde you the whole cause You heare a playne mans offer Buckle your selfe to it take the vantage but it wil make you sweat ere you come to the end or can perfourme it you must seeke a newe midle terme as they speake in Schooles and newe propositions to confirme and proue your 〈◊〉 or else 〈◊〉 with your owne fellowes onely and stay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supposition but howe euer they easily yeelde to false propositions and 〈◊〉 wee can not suppose falshod to bee Truth and 〈◊〉 falshod And sure then can not 〈◊〉 proceede in reasoning against vs to conclude that you woulde haue false propositions wee can not nor will not admit True will not serue your turne you knowe the Logique rule Truth can not proue falshod wee can defende easily enough against all Sophistrie in the worlde that the Crowe is blacke and not white And thankes bee vnto God for his vnspeakeable gyft as it is harde for you to proue Poperie to be the truth and Popishe religion to bee the true Catholique religion So is it on the other side easie for vs to mayntayne and cleare the truth and the profession of the Gospel against all your cauilling Reasons So as one might 〈◊〉 at your impudencie and with what faces you dare presume to make your great bragges and chalenges in these learned dayes But you are knowne well enough you dare doe what you 〈◊〉 to doe and pretend one thing and meane another I am the bolder at the entrance here to mention this that the reader may knowe what he shall 〈◊〉 if hee list to enter into examination of your 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 we see the foundation of your first Reason howe darkely it is layed vpon a false perswasion whereof if the reader list to heare farder what I say he must haue 〈◊〉 to that I haue written ther of against M. Howlet before and you all touching erronious conscience and the bonde thereof Though the foundation of this Reason thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it may bee seene that it can not 〈◊〉 yet let 〈◊〉 heare what this Reasoner sayth therof further Hauing 〈◊〉 himselfe our doctrine to bee false and consequently venemous to the hearer and so may not venture his soule to be infected He rendreth a reason to conuince and proue I trowe For saith hee as it is damnable for a man to kil himselfe and consequently deadly 〈◊〉 without iust cause to put his body in 〈◊〉 danger of death so is it much more offensiue to God to put my soule ten thousande times of more value then my body in danger to the deadly stroke of false 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Note this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He doth wel to set his marginal note to expresse his meaning we might else by his much more haue iudged it to haue beene a comparison and so taken from another place in Logique whereby thinges greater lesse or equall bee compared together But let that goe for the forme and kinde of
tender young children to be come Nouices in Monkeries Nunneries Before they knowe what the matter meaneth to vowe obedience single life wilfull pouertie c. to the vnspeakeable danger of their soules as they finde in processe of time when moe yeeres growe Doe you not knowe Syr that in our religion there is catechising and instruction in the principall pointes of christian religion both in Churches and houses for the auoiding of this danger of ignorance and superstition will the Pope of Rome or your Popish religion take vp that exercise of catechising and instructing publikely and priuately now vpon your admonition thinke you I hardly beleeue it There is much a doe here to persuade any of your side that it is necessary for their children seruants and so foorth and if they cannot themselues doe it to send them to the Pastours of the church to haue the same there for all her Maiesties and the States godly care and prouision in that behalfe and the continuall enquirie and calling vpon by those to whom that charge is committed Can you for your heart denie her Maiestie her due commendation for this her godly care ouer her people c. You content not your selfe with this first kinde of scandale because this hardly serueth you and yet herein is contained you confesse the proper signification of scandale Ye come to the seconde point of scandale in a thing of it selfe lawful Looke how much the scriptures which ye cite teaches vs so much we receiue your addition and application wee receiue not you giue vs an example of a Priestes haunting dishonest and suspected houses meaning honestly This is your addition though you giue much to your Priestes and more libertie then to laye people in these cases yet I tel you I thinke it an vnlawfull thing for a Priest to vse and haunt dishonest houses and not so lawfull as you vnder honest meaning doe here cloke it to bee you giue your Priests too large a scope to walke in or else yee thinke too well of them that they can hardely take hurt of any thing The scriptures you cite in the first Reason with many other make against this doyng of priestes in respect of God the matter and themselues and not of Scandale to other only as you here pretende hauing the licentious libertie you giue them they might easily washe away this blot of Scandale if there were no more yea they may lawfully by your doctrine doe more than this vpon their Ecclesiasticall Immunitie In the sayd second parte of your golden Decree Is it not noted set out furder in y e margin that a clarke embracing or taking a woman in his armes is presumed to doe well and that men should not be offended thereat but iudge the best Is it not sayd in your 〈◊〉 there If a clarke embrace or cull a woman it shall bee interpreted that hee doeth this to blesse her withall Is it not in an other place said by one of your men Although groping and kissing be occasions of naughtie behauiour in lay men yet in Clarkes it is otherwise for a Clarke is presumed to doe these thinges of charitie and good zeale c. Heere is expressed your honest meaning sir and shewed that many 〈◊〉 are lawfull for your priestes which caused that case to be noted vs in your glose and set out in the margin of your decrees in an other place also Wantonnes sumetime hath more right then chastitie and againe yet furder they say now that no priest is to bee deposed for fornication except he continue in it and that because our bodies are nowe frailer then they were in times past These such be now the Immunities of your Clergy men Of your third point of Scandale in respect of the enemie I saye you take so much as you thinke will serue your turne But you leaue out that which if it had beene added woulde haue answered the whole in this case for there is a Scandale in deede taken and not giuen whereby too many are offended at Iesus Christ his seruants their doctrine and well doing And so be there that bee offended at godlye sermons and at the going therto now a dayes c. But wee may not for the auoiding of this Scandale leaue so necessarie a point of our saluation as is the one and other Nowe as I haue elswhere noted our Sauiour Christ wee see regarded not the offence of the Pharisees in a matter as 〈◊〉 of lesse importance and wee 〈◊〉 not haue A better example to follow than his So he that 〈◊〉 by example exhortation c. wife children freendes seruan s and other to haunt Church exercises here vsed is so farre of from 〈◊〉 his soule or theirs as by abstaining or not doing hereof he incurreth that danger and by doing the same doth a seruice agreeable to God and but his duetie so answer I you for y e third also which falleth in 〈◊〉 y e first point Taking away your respect of worldly policie for which if any man haunt our church assemblies and not for religion and conscience sake he greatly offendeth God and his prince our Soueraigne vnder God abuseth himselfe and the Lawes is disliked of al the godly And herein you and we agree I trow for the general end of cōming to church assemblies For the seconde pointe of Scandale 〈◊〉 you 〈◊〉 comming to our Seruice or Prayers to bee first we gather and must suppose that if your Catholike offende that way by your owne doctrine his comming to our seruice is a thing of it selfe lawfull and of the owne nature not vncleane before God but in respect of the lookers on Otherwise hardly will your comparison and application proceed out of the 14. to the Romans and the 8. Chapter of the 1. to the Corinthians and how agreeth this with your whole discourse Againe where you say They that knowe him in wardly to be a Catholike will thinke him to sinne against his owne conscience c. We aske how any should knowe a man inwardely or his heart and conscience which is proper to God to knowe What man knoweth the thinges of a man but the spirite of man that is in him If you reply and say you knowe him by his owne wordes I answere that where his deedes be contrary that is no knowledge to iudge his religion by In hypocritical Catholike religion An hypocrite and double man doyng actes of contrary religion may bee and 〈◊〉 a Catholike in religion by his fayre speech and wordes contrary to that he doth and his example doe much with them that take him to bee of their religion still for his wordes sake yea and knowe him inwardly to bee a Catholike as you speake which is more In Christian and true religion contrary deedes waie downe wordes for all the fayre shew with true Christians So as but that you speake of your Catholikes and Catholike religion that is
oftē I wil leaue these three reasons of Schisme Participation with heresie and 〈◊〉 after I haue noted a worde or two there of more till these men can alleadge some sounde proofe that wee are that which they bee that is Schismatikes and Heretikes For Dissimulation as we loue plaine dealing and Christs Religion and the truth is ioyned with a godly simplicitie so hope we well that thase that come to Church aslemblies here doe the same with a single and vpright heart wee sitte not in their heartes and consciences we knowe not what is in them Which thing if they doe not they haue learned their dissimulation in Poperie and not in Christes schoole nor of y e profession of his Gospel Though I send not them quicke to hell with this discourser as I haue said yet surely are they to be reputed very bad folke so as hardly can there bee worse commonly among men especially in cases of religion let them examine themselues by the holy scriptures learne their duetie thence and repent in time else will they bee founde neyther true seruantes of God nor duetifull subiectes to her Maiestie in the ende nor yet good common wealth men God giue grace to consider hereof to shame the diuell wee eyther iudge them not or iudge the best and charitably of them I maruell not a litle at these words of yours in the latter ende of your Reason of Dissimulation many a thousand now in England being as throughly perswaded in heart of the trueth of the Catholike religion as the Apostles and other Christians at that time that is in the time of the Apostles were of theirs are cōtent not withstanding to heare digest admit and execute all or most parte of these thinges recited contrary to the sayde religion Here yee liken together the Apostles and olde Christians and many of your Catholikes nowe in Englande the Apostles and Christians religion then and your catholike religion nowe and you shewe these mens vsage to be vnlikely and diuerse in sticking to these two religions By the way heere I note that your Catholike religion and the Apostles and christians then bee two religions and diuerse else yee speake verye 〈◊〉 But let that goe howe can you or any in englande be as throughly perswaded in heart of your Catholike religion nowe which is false and not only net grounded on Gods worde but contrary thervnto as the Apostles and Christians in the primitiue Churche were of theirs which had God and the Scriptures for their grounde and warraunt Though a house buylded on the sande may haue a faire shewe yet in strength for want of a good foundation it can neuer be so strong as that which is buylt on a Rocke He that heareth Christes woordes and doeth the same is like a wise builder on a Rocke I wis he that heareth your Masse Mattens c. is farre off from that 〈◊〉 in blindenesse may be easily gathered thereby and a senselessenes whereof commeth no good but muche hurt As the contrary commeth by hearing Sermons and preaching of the Gospell Constancie and a good conscience is rather lost then retayned much lesse gayned or encreased by your blynd and superstitious religion You run to your olde starting hole of perswading your selues bee it ryght bee it wrong But to haue a true a sounde and a good setled perswasion for religion and matters of conscience it must be stayed in heauen it must be warranted by Gods holie worde and Scriptures whiche you for your religion are distitute of els can it not be I will 〈◊〉 say so thorough as the Apostles c. But in truth not good nor to bee trusted vnto Your seuenth reason is that our Gods seruice is naught and dishonorable to God and therefore must be abstained from Surely you say somewhat nowe if you coulde prooue that yee say this is the first the last and all the reasons that are worth the examining the foundation and grounde of all the rest Let vs see therefore how you goe about to prooue this point forsooth at the first entrie ye leaue of your proofe and fall a confuting of our reason before you prooue the matter One may perceiue it is easier with you in wordes to finde fault then in deede to mende it or iustly to shewe where and wherein the fault lyeth that other might mende the same The Scriptures lye in your way like a shrewd blocke yee thinke good therefore first to assay to remooue that and then to proceede in your purpose after Handeled Dratour like with your figure accordingly but florished at in deede rather then any thing els doone That wee haue the Bible and the Scriptures so familiar and so strong on our side that offendeth you that angreth you that hindreth your purpose greatly But we thanke God therfore highly Burne the Bibles and burne them againe fume and fret rage and doe what you can yet bidding battaile to God he will be founde stronger then you and yee shall not pruaile Alas poore scripture is that it so offendeth you it is the swoorde of the spirite It bringeth vs many yea infinite other necessary and vnspeakeable commodities we cannot forgoe it sir wee are vtterly vndoone if it be takē away from vs. I pray you giue vs leaue to haue it and to vse it Can you not prooue our church assemblies naught but you must impugne and disgrace the scriptures Must you needes beginn and make entrance there Happy for vs vnhappie for you A happie turne for vs that wee and our cause nor our God his seruice cannot be foiled but with the scriptures an vnhappie matche for you but euen to mislike with Gods booke What woulde you haue vs to commend our God his seruice with better then the Scriptures Wee that are Christians like that better then traditions and inuentions of men which you here talke of very cunningly quoting vs Augustine in the Margin as though hee in those places condemned Scriptures to contmende traditions which is neither so nor so as wee shall see after by examination thereof Take you therefore these traditions and leaue vs the scriptures so we may feede 〈◊〉 pure fine wheate eate your Cods huskes chaffe and what you will Ye are nowe in the matter in controuersie betwene vs we confesse It hath been the question betwene Papists and Protestants that is betweene you and vs full these threescore yeeres now together who shalbe y t iudge to decide y e matters in cōtrouersie betweene vs we say the holy Scriptures and woorde of God wee appeale to that you say no not the Scriptures by any meanes It is the Heretikes booke let the writinges on both partes be perused for proofe and try all heereof but let vs goe forwarde w t this reasoner If our seruice being full of scripture as yee say it bee no good argument that the same is therefore infallible good I pray you let vs know the good argumēt y e wil proue your
that cause that is for your abominable masse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take it your popish priestes and all and away with the same out of Christes church to the Diuell if yee will 〈◊〉 it first came amōg vs. Your doctors c. haue 〈◊〉 are so answered as I neede not stand therein vpon this occasion If yee take that or any other matter in hande yee cannot goe vnanswered God be thanked for his giftes I list not now to repeate that is and hath beene so often well and truely tolde you heerein The like to this I tell you of your popish and apish ceremonies Wee liue not in a ceremoniall time nor in a ceremoniall Churche to heape vp the number of them nowe Wee are content you be the fathers and fosterers of your superstitious and vnnecessary ceremonies of your seuen sacraments yea seuen hundred if you wil for your priest in his pontificalibus and massing apparell is compounded I trow of nothing if we will beleeue you but of misteries and so of sacraments all your religion is ceremoniall and mysticall but all of your owne deuising Wee as those that are called to worship God in spirite and truth that is after a more spirituall and heauenly maner inwardly in a seruice more agreeable to Gods nature then that which is shadowed by Ceremonies content our selues heerein with Gods wisedome desire to keepe sobrietie and following the rule of the Scriptures referre all heerin to order comelinesse and edification especially But not such as is fleshly and agreeable to fleshly men minds but suche as is correspondent and agreeable with the crucifides kingdome and the preaching of the Crosse. Our sacraments we confesse are not ashamed in this time of y t Gospell vnder Christ to cōfesse thē being in number most fewe in obseruation most easie and yet in signification most heauenly When you can prooue that ye heere only say that wee either haue not most fewe that is two Sacraments Baptisme and the Lordes Supper according to our Sauiour Christes holy institution or are bounde to haue moe you shall heare what wee haue further to answere and say vnto you If y t which haue beene alreadie saide content you not as it may doe any reasonable men that wilfully 〈◊〉 not themselues Our Communion can bee no Sacrament you say yet you cannot bee ignorant that the word and matter are taken out of the Scripture much lesse then can your priuate Sacrifice and Action that is secrete coniuring sole receauing c. bee a Sacrament Houseling and being houseled once a yeere which is a halfe receiuing of I wote not what not of a Sacramente sure where you haue left no Element is suche a prophanation and contempt of Christes Sacrament as hardly can there bee a greater Let not vs then among 〈◊〉 the Communion of the body and blood of Christe is celebrated monethly or quarterly at least of euery one bee called contemners of Christes Sacramentes and charged with Sacriledge and you Papistes bee let goe scotfree who in steede of ofte receiuing content your selues with gasing crouching kneeling c. The like I tell you of prayer for the dead of our prayers c. in the mother tongue You are alwayes so like your selfe as yee can hardely deceiue any that once knowe you or will knowe you THE eight Reason is grounded vpon the losse of the benefite of the Romish Catholik religion If they goe to Churche heere which is made a great matter a waightie Before wee enter into that is particularly saide heereof let vs examine this generall grounde Heere is no more alleadged for the Papistes refraining from our assemblies then may bee alleadged by the Iewe the Turke or any Heathen by the Arrian Anabaptist or any Heretike who in communicating with an other religion leeseth the benefite of his owne And therefore as we may answere the one so may wee doe the other that is that it is no losse at al to forgoe that which is not beneficiall to any but hurtfull to all yea as some losse is a gaine so is it a great gaine not only to forgoe so Diuelishe and poysonfull a religion but with all to gaine the truth by the profession of the Gospell How beneficiall soeuer a man haue esteemed and founde a 〈◊〉 and lying aforetime to bee yet hath he loste nothing thereby that leaueth that custome and vseth himselfe to the telling of the truth yea hee hath gayned greatly by that change To haue mens eyes opened by the ministerie and preaching of the Gospell that they may turne from darkenesse to light and from the power of Satan vnto God that they may receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Christ c is no losse but an incomparable gayne And this is your very case to the worlde warde more gaine and benefite many wayes by your voluntarie religion then by the sincere profession of the holy Gospell of Christe Iesus I graunt to the soule and Godwarde no profite but vnspeakeable hurt gotten by the profession of Poperie Where vpon I counsel all to leaue those filthy puddles of Poperie and to drinke of this pure fountayne of the water of life that is to leaue that god the Pope his lawe and traditions his idolatrous Religion and superstitions and to betake them selues to the true God of heauen to Iesus Christ his holy Scriptures and worde to be guided by contayned in the Byble and booke of God That which this discourser calleth a losse that let them count an inestimable benefite And what euer these men slander vs withall yet wee protest it before the eternall God that our meaning is not to drawe any from Poperie to any Religion deuised by men howe wise or mightie soeuer they bee but to the true Religion of Iesus Christ set vs downe in Gods booke Let them betake themselues to that let them professe the gospel of christ Iesus they shal go long enough vnblamed for their profession by vs let them answere their profession and liue according thereunto as is set downe in the same booke of GOD they shall please vs marueilously wel it is all wee require at their hands wee wil wishe peace vnto them and to the Israel of God Though then wee wishe men to depart frō that whoorishe Babylon of Rome though wee 〈◊〉 them saue them selues from this frowarde generation c. Yet wishe wee them well to marke whether we cal them we leaue them not at randon we call them not to followe our Religion framed at our pleasure much lesse call wee them to Atheisme but we call them from that vsurper and woolfe to Christ Jesus the Prince of Pastours our onely high Priest and the Byshop of our soules Reade the 1. Peter 2. if but onely the last verse of the Chapter and see whither and to whome S. Peter himselfe called men euen the Church Let his successour as he falsely pretendeth doe the like at least if he call
euill day I counsayle you And yet I meane not so much in this world as in that to come God giue vs all his grace Amen Imprinted at London at the three Cranes in the Vintree by Thomas Dawson for Toby Smyth dwelling in Paules Churchyarde at the signe of the Crane 1581. An appendix or addition for aunsweare to the Authors recapitulation in the ende of his Treatise BEfore you conclude vp this first parte of your discourse you gather for 〈◊〉 sake to the vnlearned foure conclusions takē out of y t you haue to fore said which being falsly supposed rather then duely proued might easily haue been heere omitted But it is to the vnlearned You may not bee gaine standed You wil haue no nay You wil not nowe dispute of the matter you say all must be supposed indeede the vnlearned vnstable are easeliest seduced and brought to wrest euen the Scriptures to their owne destruction as blessed Peter reporteth The godlier learned wise wil cal you know for sounde proofe of the matter you thinke to carrie all afore you vpon your owne credite it is no reason it may not be Going to Hereticall assemblies we graunt you is prohibited Christians by the lawe of nature of God and of his true Church not to be dispensed with by any mortall man but where when and how proue you that our Church assēblies be hereticall this would haue beene proued which you put off before you had beene so rash to haue without warrāt or ground pronounced it vnlawfull to haunt our Churche assemblies What it aduauntageth your side to suppose that which you cannot proue and lieth in controuersie betweene vs I wote not but easily may one perceiue that it sauoureth neyther of trueth nor of learning which you so confidently affirme Till you can conuince vs therefore of heresie our assemblies to be hereticall which while we may be hearde to make answere will neuer bee giue vs leaue to turne on your owne heades that which you charge vs with And forasmuch as our men haue prooued Papistes Heretikes and their Idolatrous assemblies heretical giue the Pastors and other godlie Learned leaue to admonish all the faithfull to abstayne therefrom as frō prohibited vnlawfull things where you especially haue nothing to doe or not to commād at least And seeing the case thus standeth nowe betweene these two religious that of the Protestantes and Papists In the meane while till you can more sufficiently then hitherto reproue our Church assemblies let vs craue at your hands to shewe that the whole act of going to Churche is as it is of you Papistes sayde to bee prohibited also Iure diuino naturali that is by the Lawe of GOD and nature For wee holde the contrary not by Supposition as you doe but by good warrant of God his woorde reason and experience to witte that to haunt Churche assemblies is a thing 〈◊〉 on GOD his Lawe Whether we respect the olde Testament or the newe and also on the Lawe of nature as not experience onelye taken from the Heathen and the example of them that haue amongest them any exercise of Religion but reason also sufficiently teache and not to haunt Churche meetinges on the other side or vttetly to abstayne therefrom is a contempt and vtter denying of all Religion If therfore you will needes busie your selfe where you haue no cause and little thanke of autoritye for your laboure shewe eyther your selfe more religious and fauourable in speaking for Churche meetinges or prooue more substantially then hitherto the faultes wherewith you charge the same heere amonge vs especially seeing all the worlde maye knowe and iudge that our meetinges in the excercise of Religion daylye are not onelye voyde of Idolatrye wherewith your meetinges are 〈◊〉 but tende also to the 〈◊〉 and comforte of our consciences vnto the good example of other in making publike confession of our sinnes and the Christian fayth in hearing GOD his holie woorde making publike prayers participating of the holye Sacraments c. which we take to be the principall endes and chiefest vses of Christian assemblies in steede of gasing crooching crossing pyping singing and other ceremoniall fashions in vse among you For the rest whether it bee impossible to bee so that your Pope shoulde offer too her Maiestye to confirme the Englishe seruice vppon condition to recouer his Supremacie heere in Englande whiche hee is farre from and GOD so keepe him still and whether his authoritie be aboue the Scriptures so as hee may dispense with thinges agaynst GOD his Lawe or no I leaue to the Authoures that first inuented such brabbles to occupie mens heades with all Onelye this in perusing of late I remember N. Saunders an Archepapiste among you English Romanists handeling this latter question of the Popes authoritie in dispensing against the woorde of God disputeth whether the Pope may not dispence agaynst the Apostle thus mynceth hee thinges and for his aduantage propoundeth this question and hee affirmeth as one put to his shiftes therein that the Pope may doe or suffer to bee doone sometime otherwise then the Apostle commaundeth and ordereth As for example where the Apostle commaundeth if any brother haue a wife that beleeueth not If she be content to dwell with him let him not forsake her The Pope may for some respect dispēce giue the man leaue to put a way such a wife cōtent desirous to dwell with her husband and further he may giue him leaue to marry an other contrary to the Apostles doctrine and cōmaundement With which he hath authoritie to dispense though the former wife haue committed no fault against her husband after their mariage And why not I pray you when hee hath done still doth and can doe greater thinges then this whereof I enter not now to entr eate vpon this occasion particularly nor to examine Saunders cauilles and meere shifts indeede and no better The Learned know this man of sinne well ynough and the excessiue authoritie he vsurpeth and chalengeth The vnlearned I thinke are sufficiently warned before Let all that are Godlie take heede of dealing with Pope or Papistes in mariage or otherwise In the seconde conclusion you bring no newe matter but turne vs ouer to the olde and therefore I also send the Reader to that I haue before particularly answeared In the thirde conclusion it greeueth you her Maiesties Subiectes bee and shoulde bee so obedient to her godlie commaundements and therefore where obedience for going to Churche is alleadged you call it a A vayne pretence As the holie Scriptures for the grounde of our G O D his seruice were a greate blocke lying in your way wherewith you were troubled before and therevppon trauelled to inuay agaynst the sacred Scriptures So now heere her Maiesties authoritie grounded on the Scriptures and ioyning therein with the Mynisters doctrine and exhortation to call her Subiectes to holie assemblies lyeth in your way agayne and combreth you greately