Christs own time it is evideÌ„t out of the Scrip ture that the highest spiritual dignity going by y Ioh. 11. 51. yeeres Annas Caiphas other vnworthy meÌ„ of that rabble did enioy it VpoÌ„ the birth of Iesus they were not glad who should most have reioyced in it but al Ierusalem was z Math. 2. 3. troubled at it And how they persisted afterward till Christ did manifest himselfe fully may be guessed by diverse circuÌ„stances which the EvaÌ„gelists do meÌ„tion after his birth But wheÌ„ he came first into the world of whom do we find speech made but of some shep-heards in the field of Simeon an old maÌ„ of Anna a most aged womaÌ„ both ready to goe into their graves of Ioseph Mary Zacharias Elizabeth and very fewe other And of these some might be soone dead other lived out of the way at Beth-lehem or Nazareth or in Aegypt the shepheards were in the fields about their trade but where there was the apparaÌ„cy of a visible coÌ„gregatioÌ„ caÌ„ hardly be imagined WheÌ„ our Saviour had selected out his Apostles they then were termed by the name of a Flock but yet by their master they were called but a a Luc. 12. 32. little flocke where the Rhemists do confesse that b Rhemens ibi in the beginning it was little indeed At the death of Christ wheÌ„ his body hanged on the Crosse for our sakes his disciples were c Math. 26. 56. all fled no man daring to shew himselfe d Ioh. 19. 25. Nic. Cleman de mater CoÌ„cil Mary Iohn a few womeÌ„ were al the faithful that now appeared vpoÌ„ earth And afterward while the Apostles their followers walked very privately or were asseÌ„bled in a e Act. 1. 13. chaÌ„ber the Priests Scribes Pharisies were they who â—uffled it in the streets bore the sway in the TeÌ„ple so that if a weak body had enquired for the church he might rather have bin directed to theÌ„ who had the law the altars al sacred things in their custody then to any other When f Act. 8. 1. SteeveÌ„ had beene stoned and for feare of the persecution which was at Hierusalem the disciples were all scattered besides the Apostles it may well be presumed that for a time they which remained in the citty where SteeveÌ„ had lost his life did not walke very opeÌ„ly Truth it is that after these things the Church was better setled and the truth was more spread but yet never was there any such priviledge bestowed vpon it but that in the daies of persecutioÌ„ or some grievous Apostasie the faithful might be brought to a smal visibility 15 Our Saviours words intend so much when alluding to the time of his second appearaÌ„ce to iudge the quicke the dead he asketh g Luk 18. 8. Neverthelesse when the sonne of man commeth shall hee finde faith on the earth as meaning that very little should then be to be found in comparison of the flowds and Ocean of iniquity which every where should abound But God to the end that he might not haue vs ignoraÌ„t but warned before hand into what straights the Church should be brought informeth vs by Saint Paul that the Lord shall not come except there first be an h 2. Thes. 2. 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostasie or revolt or falling away wherein Antichrist with great pride and disdaine should shew himselfe This is solemnely spoken of by the Apostle by al both old new intreating of it is observed to signifie some matter of great note that is to say some maine declining from somewhat Many of our Papists fearing to touch this soare which can in no case turne them to good would haue this interpreted to note nothing else but the slipping of divers regions countries froÌ„ their subiection to the Romane Empire But Gregory Martin and the other Rhemists being overcome with the evidence of truth are heere a litle more honest then ordinary and speake to other purpose Indeede they cannot tell how it will be taken at other Papists hands that contrary to the custome of their fellows in a matter of such moment they should giue way vnto vs and therefore they doe vse these words in way of excuse be i Rhemens in 2. Thes. 2 3. it spoken vnder the correction of Gods church al learned Catholikes But to the point concerning the Apostasie they deliver this It is very like that this great defection and revolt shall not be only from the Romane Empire but specially from the Romane church and withall from most pointes of Christian Religion In the margent it is and from most articles of the Catholike faith Here they would haue vs take the Romish beleefe for the Christian Religion Catholike faith but that deserveth a long pause We rather obserue out of them that this revolt is in matter of faith and not onely from the Empire then which glosse nothing can be truer Well then if there must be so egregious an Apostasie it wil follow that Antichrist so dominering as by the Apostle he is described will not be negligent so to represse the publike service of God that it shall not carry any liuely head or countenance where he hath to doe So that certainely our Rhemists yeelding to this exposition doe in substance confesse so much as that the apparencie of Gods congregation in the time of the great defection must bee mightely eclipsed Now the Lord to the end that he might establish his faithfull and arme them to expect this paucity of beleevers and inconspicuousnes of his Church and yet not be discouraged for that which should be past present or to come and againe that there might be no doubt in a matter of this moment letteth vs farther know that the k Apoc. 12. 6 womaÌ„ fled into the wildernes where shee hath a place prepared of God It is not doubted of betweene the Romanists vs but that this woman doth represeÌ„t the church concerning whom being in the wildernes it doth manifestly follow that for the time of her aboad there which the Almightie had decreed shee should not be discerned that is by her enemies who did and would chase her not withstanding it be not to be doubted but shee knew where her selfe was If the Romanist therefore and persecuting Adversary did not ever see the professors of the Gospel it was no wonder the woman was to remaine in the wildernes apart hid from them The evidence of which matter is such that as Master l In praefat super Apocalyps Foxe observeth for feare of divers things in the Revelation of S. Iohn wherof this may worthily be one scant any Popish writer for many yeares togither durst adventure to comment any thing vpon the Apocalyps vntill our Rhemists being desirous to shame the Pope themselues with all who are wise adventured to set penne to paper Having then a purpose to set foorth
〈◊〉 and we cannot tell how many kinds and theâ—… 〈◊〉 will bâ—… 〈◊〉 and pretend 〈◊〉 draâ—… their doâ—… from you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thâ—… Apostâ—… Sâ—… 〈◊〉 hearing thâ—… would not have bin aâ—…shed at al but would have signified that there was 〈◊〉 â—…ght way which was chalked out in the writings of the old 〈◊〉 Testâ—… 〈◊〉 bâ—…ing walked in woâ—…d bâ—…ng men vnto life thâ—…â—…st 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 byâ—… 〈◊〉 which 〈◊〉 had opeâ—… 〈◊〉 being 〈◊〉 to draw some thither vnto their owne 〈◊〉 But if you will looke lower to the fourth age after Christ 〈◊〉 shall finde that youâ—… obiection might moâ—…â—…ly have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Geâ—…es in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 you many strifes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I should choose what I should preferre Everyone such I say the truth 〈◊〉 I should beleeve I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 since I am 〈◊〉 of the Scriptures and they on both sides doe pretend the same Yet his Conclusion is that 〈◊〉 of the Scripture and such necessary consequences as are drawne from thence the iudgement what is truth is to 〈◊〉 had But what small vnity was there among the Christians when he wrote this Or when Saint Austen mencioned more then b De haeresib ad quod vult Deum fourescore heresyes which had arisen in the Church all whom but for tediousnesse I would retire from him as also one of Epiphanius and Theodoret that the Reader might see that we need not to be frighted with the pretended shew of your 55. Now might not such a one as that Symmachus was who vnder the Emperour Valentinian in the time of S t Ambrose made so earnest effectualla c Ambros. Epist speech that Ethnicisiue might be restored in Rome and altars might be permitted to their Paimme Gods Iupiter Mercury Apollo Iâ—…o and the rest have disputed in the same manner against the Christian faith as you now do reason VVhile vvee retained the service of our formerly knowne Maiores minores Dij vvee agreed vpon that vvorship which every God should have wee knew their Temples their altars their sacrifices their Priests their feasts times and seasons vvee had vnity in our heartes and sweete harmony in our speeches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which you have â—…hed among vs we see nothing 〈◊〉 to which we may cleave for howe should we be resolved what is to be embraced when you cannot agree among yourselves what is the 〈◊〉 and right way And the difâ—… is not that some go to the 〈◊〉 hand 〈◊〉 the other 〈◊〉 a maÌ„ had 〈◊〉 many hands 〈◊〉 d Plutarch de multitud aâ—…corum Brâ—… 〈◊〉 which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dâ—…ed hands was imagined to have there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some be wanting who with 〈◊〉 dis-ioined 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 would 〈◊〉 to every one of them If Symmachus had spoke thus as heâ—… 〈◊〉 not behinde hand to vtter other 〈◊〉 sheâ—… available 〈◊〉 his purpose St. Ambrose who answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obiections â—…d 〈◊〉 have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this 〈◊〉 would 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I 〈◊〉 â—…Lineâ—… and the same individed truth should be hemmed about with many different doctrines of Heresie T. HILL AND what divisions you have there in England you may in some sort know who doe as I thinke now and then heare Preachers of different doctrine What combats your Bishops Councellours and moderate sort of Protestants have to defend their Parlimentary Religion and the Queenes Proceedings as they terme it against Puritans Brownists other such like good fellowes that by shew of Scriptures impugne it you cannot but knowe and see with your eyes Neither can it bee answered that the Sects heere rehearsed differ one from another onely in matters of small moment for they differ and disagree in waighty points of our salvation as might heere easily be declared but that it would not benefite this mine intended brevity so to doe G. ABBOT 8 WHen you have put on your spectacles to see have picked your eares to heare you and all your confederates can neither iustly see nor heare Gods name be blessed therfore that either at this time or at the divulging of this your treatise there be or were any differences of opinion in England concerning the faith Our Preachers do not differ or teach diverse doctrines in any of their Sermons VVe have for our rule the olde and new Testament the e Articul Relig. in Synodo 1562. Confession of our Church in the Articles of Religion set out by the warraÌ„t of the Scripture alone and to these as to the Analogy of faith we do cleave and there is no graduate in our Vniversities and much lesse Preachers and Pastours in our churches but subscribe thervnto And if heeretofore there have bin some fewe Brownists mis-ledde by a man who afterward was sory for his own over-sight the name of them now as I thinke is not to bee heard of among vs. And such as you cal Puritans did never differ froÌ„ the rest in any point of substance but about circumstances and ceremonies as cappe surplesse and such like and about the manner of Ecclesiasticall regiment even as your secular Priests lately did not thinke fitte to bee ruled by your Arch-priest and his Assistants and yet Garnet your Provincial and Persons the Rectour of your English Seminary at Rome and the Pope himselfe whether by any surreptitious Breve or no doe you looke did thinke fitte to have them so ordered But never were the CouÌ„sellours of Estate nor the Bishops of this kingdome so disquieted with those dis agreements as the Court of Rome the Cardinals there have beene with your gaâ—…les in England in as much as the bruit of these differences heere went but to the Bishop of the Dioces or the High CoÌ„mission at LoÌ„don but your broiles brabbles have passed the Sea crossed Fraunce traversed the Alpes have never ceased ruÌ„ning till they have rapped at the gate of f Appellaâ—… 〈◊〉 Clement 8. Clemens Octavâ—… What the issue of theÌ„ farther wil be time must discover but of this we are assured that to your great discontentment and to the end that we might all the better observe you in our late Soveraignes daies of most happy memorie the fatherly wisedome of our châ—…stest Church governours and the moderate temper of other men being not so farre of from seemely conformity as heeretofore did to the ioy of all good men reasonablie well cure that wound and salve that sore and so the shame was taken away from Israel And had not this beene yet if your brevity which is but a shuffling colour to make shewe of some things which are not had beene turned into one yeeres or seaven yeeres longity you could not have shewed that in substantiall points of faith there was variaÌ„ce among vs. And therfore for that matter you do wel to do as you
worthy men were so affected in al their teachings and therefore as also for their admirable learning iudgment they made choise of them before all the great Clerkes which were in Europe And that those who called them hither were not deceived in them the excellent monuments which they have lest in writing behinde them doe testifie to the world T. HILL THIS vnity of Catholikes and discord of Protestants most manifestly sheweth that as the Apostles were they for whom our Saviour prayed to his father was heard of him Holy father keepe them in thy name whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we also be one Iohn seaventeene so they of the Catholike Romane Religion be they for whom in the words following he prayed was heard Not for them doe I aske only but also for them which shal beleeve by their preaching in mee that all may bee one as thou father in me and I in thee that also they in vs may be one and heereof it necessarily followeth that they be of the true Church for that none but they observe and keepe the Unity which he obtained â—…or them of his heavenly Father G. ABBOT 10 THese texts did your maister q Motiv 27. Bristow cite this argument in expresse words did he frame to your handes gentle M. Doctor you might have done wel to have added some our place more of your owne reading But to answere you both togither this maketh nothing against vs for we ioyne in coÌ„sent for all material points of the substaÌ„ce of salvation not only with our selves but with all the faithfull and rightly beleeving which have bin in the world with the Patriarkes the Prophets the Apostles the Fathers of the Primitive Church and the Martyrs neither can you or the greatest Goliah of your side ever proove the contrary Touch any article of our doctrine or any conclusion which wee maintaine and wee will make it good against you Staphilus r Apolog. 〈◊〉 Staphil himselfe could cite it as the saying of Smideline that among the Lutherans and Zuinglians there is no variance of any waight or force touching any articles of our saith of Christian Religion This tale therefore of discord do you tell to your bleare-eyed followers who cannot discerne colours All right beleevers are satisfied for this matter But on the other side the agreement which is among you is but a conspiracie against Christs honour even such a combination as was betweene s Mat. 16. 57 Luk. 23. 12. Herode and Pilate Annas and Caiphas the Scribes Pharisees Priests people to bring our blessed Saviour to the crosse Your consent is not in God nor in his sonne Iesus but to robbe them both of their glory to bestowe it on your I doll at Rome You agree to keepe your Congregations in ignorance to proclaime your kitchin-warming Purgatory to set your Masses Pardons at sale to picke mens s Sparing discovery of Iesuites purses by your Iesuitical exercise to leade theÌ„ as bond slaues to hell this is it wherin you consent So that as one did once read Vanity for Unity in the Psalme Behold how good ioyfull a thing it is brethren Ps. 133. 1. to dwell togither in Vanity so your vnity is vanity your coÌ„sent is cousenning tobe guile God al good Christians so farre forth as you may The title of this your present Chapter might better have bin Vanity Cousenning theÌ„ Vnity Consent for you coÌ„spire to do evil eveÌ„ to betray the soules of meÌ„ redeemed with the blood of the everlasting covenant The text of Ieremy would well fit this your combination u Ier. 11. 9. A conspiracy is found among the meÌ„ of Iudah among the inhabitants of Ierusalem They are turned backe to the iniquity of their fore-fathers which refused to heare my words and they went after other Gods to serve them thus the house of Israel the house of Iudah have brokeÌ„ my covenaÌ„t which I made with their fathers T. HILL AND surely it cannot proceede but from the Holy Ghost that all Sacredwriters of the Catholike Romane Church although being Aug. lib 18. de civitat dei Cap 41. men of diverse Nations Times and Languages yet have so wonderfully consented agreed among theÌ„selves as we see they have done G. ABBOT 11 YOV would make your sily disciples beleeve that this propositioÌ„ of yours so fraÌ„dulently propounded is confirmed by S t. Austen whose words in the place quoted in your margeÌ„t are as much to your purpose as if a man being at Barwike should take S t. Michaels mounte in his way to goe see Powles church at LoÌ„don If you had but looked the title of that Chapter in Austen it would have told you that the authour doth there speake of the agreement of the Canonicall Scriptures amonge themselves And if you had read the Chapter you might have found the drifte to bee that whereas all the olde Philosophers in their opinions and writings dissented eche from other the pen-men of the Scriptures being the Secretaries of the Holy Ghost did not vary at all His words are these u Lib. 18. cap 41 de â—…v Dei To coÌ„clude our Authors in whom not without a cause the Canon of the Holy Scriptures is set bouÌ„ded God forbid that they should dissint among theÌ„selves in any respect Now wil you be so blasphemous as to ioyne your broken and barbarous writers your Schoole-men Dunces Friers with these Oracles of God for if you do not meane by your sacred writers of the Catholike Romane Church your Divines and teachers of the Popes rotten ReligioÌ„ you speake not to your owne purpose you abuse your Reader with aequivocation and your wordes as most Idle do proove nothing at all But doe your writers indeed of such diverse Nations Times and Languages so wonderfully consent as you speake of Belike you haue reade but a fewe of them or else you would see that many of their tales do hange togither as their x Matth. 26. 60. wordes did who came to witnes against Christ. I suppose you have heard of a certaine booke called the Sentences of Peter Lombard Now I pray you good Sir is there no where in the margent there Hic magister non tenetur Looke in the end of him as he was y Ex officina lacob Du-puâ—…s printed at Paris in the yeare 1573. there you may finde that the facultie of Divines at Paris have condemned for errours sixe and twenty severall doctrines avouched in the workes of that maister of the Sentences in the first booke foure in the second foure in the third three in the fourth fifteene Of these one was that brute beasts doe not receive the very body of Christ although it seemeth that they doe when they devour the Hoste after consecration And is it not to bee supposed that the Scholers of this great Clerk did follow their Rabbi in maintaining the
you would haue laid freely at them Dare you strangers and captiues and boyes and vpstart companions set your selfe against a million of wise men Princes and Counselours They should haue had your voice to haue gone to the fiery Furnace Doe you not pity your selfe when you reason in this fashion Among them that be wise pendenda sunt suffragiapetius quà m numeraÌ„da voices are to be weighed rather then to be numbred I can say no more vnto you but that when this is your best Divinity Lorde haue mercy vpon you Saint Austen would haue tolde you for o Epist. 19. all these and aboue all these we haue the Apostle Paule T. HILL NEither may the Protestants now at length glory in their great number as some of them haue done for that their Religion is there in England and in Scotland and some thereof in â—…aland and in the Lowe Countries and in some partes of Germany and a few of them in Fraunce Apol. Eccl. Anglic. for they never yet passed into Asia nor into Africa nor into Greece nor into many places of Europe much lesse into the Indies But indeede if you rightly scanne their doctrine you shall finde that your Religion ProtestaÌ„tine of England is no where in the world else and that English service contained in your booke of Common praier is vnknowne and condemned of all other Nations and people vnder the cope of Heaven So that in very deed the doctrine of your Protestantes is taught or received no vvhere but in England and the Puritant Doctrine of Scotlande the contrariety therof duely considered is no where but in Scotlande the Lutherane Doctrine taught in Denmarke is no where but in Denmarke and in a few places of Germany the Libertine doctrine taught in the Low Countries is no â—…here but in the Low Countries and the like may be said of other sectes G. ABBOT 26 YOV are mis enformed that the Protestants doe glorie in their great number they know that truth is truth be iâ—… in more or few As for M. Iewell whose Apologie you quote in your margent hee hath no such matter Onely where as it is obiected that our Religion overturneth kingdoms and governmentes hee answereth there vnto that there p Apol. Eccl. Anglican doe remaiue in their place and ancient dignitie the Kings of England Denmarke Sweden the Dukes of Saâ—…cony the Cunties Palatine c. This is to answere to an obiection by giving many instances to the contrary and not to glory of any multitude And if any other of our Church do note in breefe that the Gospell hath taken roote in some large nations that is to stop the mouth of the clamorous adversary and to satisfie the weake as also not least of all to praise God who so spreadeth the beames of his compassion but it is not to boast vainely as you ignorantly imagine Yet who doubteth but a good Christian may ioy in his hart exceedingly and thankfully expresse it in his tongue that many who sate in darkenesse may now behold the light and the sheepefold of Christ is more and more filled But if we would be too forward you will plucke vs backe againe Although it be say you in some places of Europe yet in some other it is not As who should say your Popery is generall in all Where I pray you in Greece is your Papistry It is not in Asia and Africa and much lesse in the Indies The East Indies are part of Asia if you could think vpon it By what means your Idolatry came into those Countries I haue shewed before and how plentifully there it is If we would talke idly as you for the most part doe we might say that in every place where the Marchants of Holland trade and haue people residing our religion is accepted But since the English Merchants haue companies houses in Russia in Constantinople in Aleppo in Alexandria sometimes in Barbary in Zacynthus in Venice and Legorne we might say after the fashion of your boasting that our religion is in those parts But we desire to make no more of things then indeede they are Yet we tell you for those remote provinces that as now one hundred and twenty yeeres agone they knewe not one whit of your faith so it may please God before one hundred and twenty yeeres more bee passed if it so seeme good to his most sacred wisedome to plant the truth which we reach in the East Westerne world especially if a passage by the North ende of America or that by Asia beyond Ob may bee opened vvherein our q M. Hacluiâ—… vnges Nation hath much adventured and speng good summes of treasure vvhich also the Hollanders haue done But the issue of this whole matter must bee leste to the divine providence which is to bee magnified therefore if hee adde this blessing to his Church And if he deny it either there or in any other place we must not be caried too farre with griefe or pitty since it doth not please him who is the father of mercie to condescend vnto it Nowe vvhereas you avouch that our doctrine is onelye in England I knovve not vvhither I shoulde put that in your ignoraunces or rather in your malicious cavils Truth it is our common prayer booke is vsed onelye by those who are of Englishe allegeaunce but is there anie pointe of doctrine in it vvherevnto other Churches reformed in Europe doe not condescend The Catechisme of the Councell of Trent doth differ in words from the Catechisme of Canisius and both of them from that of M. Vaux yet you would thinke it a wronge if anye man should tell you that they disagree in pointes of doctrine So the service of the reformed Congregations in Europe as in England Scotland Fraunce Switzerland in the dominion of the Palsgraue in the Regiments and free cities of Germany which are of the Pallsgraues confession as also in a good parte of the low Countries is the same in all pointes of moment not differing one intâ—… their Professions are the same There is no question among these in anie one pointe of religion The Ecclesiasticall policy being different as in some places by Bishops in some other wâ—…thout them doth not alter ought of faith The Apostles in that they were Apostles had a kinde of governement vvhich the Church had not afterward in the very same particular In the auncient Church some cities and Countreyes vvere immediately ruled by a Patriarke Grande Metropolitane some other by an inferiour Bishoppe vvho was subiected to the greater yet they all might agree in the faith The cheefe at Rome immediately is the Pope at Millaine for spirituall thinges the Arch-bishoppe in some places bee but Suffragaines in some other Iurisdictions a Deane or Priour by Privilege hath almost Papall auctoritie vvhich also in times past vvas in the Chauncellours or Vice-chauncellours of our English Vniversities some fewe thinges beeing excepted and reserved Yet will you say that these doe differ in
will take paines to reade the Lives of the Saints as they are set downe by the foreinamed Authours Such trimme men are your miracle-workers and therefore your miracles must needes also be of an excellent sute T. HILL AND therefore I say vnto you out of Saint Austen I am bound and tyed in the Catholike Church by the band chaine August devtil cred c. 〈◊〉 l coÌ„t Epâ—…sund cap. 4 of miracles And I am bolde considering and most stedfastly beleeuing these insinite glorious miracles of all times ages in the Catholike Romane Church to crye out to Almighty God with Richard de S. Victore lib. de trin cap. 2. Lord if it be not true which we beleive thou hast deceived vs for these have bin confirmed in vs by such signes wonders as could not be wrought but by thee But on the contrarie parte never any Protestant could worke any miracle at all but assâ—…ying to make some shew thereof to make their Doctrine the more probable to their followers felte the iust revengement of God who turned all to their shame confusion as he did by Simon Magus by Cyrola the Patriarke of the Arrians as witnesseth Grego Turon Egesippus lib. 3 de excid hieroâ—…ol cap. 2 lib. 2. hist. Fran. cap. 3. by the Donatists Optatus lib. 2. contr Parmen 〈◊〉 our dates by Luther endevouring to dispossesse a wench and by Calvin going about to delude his disciples as you may read in Hierom Bolsec in vit Calvin cap. 13. And therfore they are most foolish Vid Staph in abs relp and miserably inconsiderate who beleeve these newe fellowes not being able to quicken a flea and leave the doctrine of the Catholike Church confirmed with innumerable miracles G. ABBOT 9 IN the texte you cite one saying out of Saint Austen but in the margent you quote two The 〈◊〉 former place doth only mention that the truth of Christian religion De vtilitat credend cap. 17. is coÌ„firmed by miracles But you therin abuse your Reader notably For he speaketh of miracles past that in Christs time and not of any which were to come or like to coÌ„tinue in the church The words to which hee alludeth are more plaine in the chapter next before going where in a larger sort he haÌ„dleth that argumeÌ„t Such x Cap 16 things were doÌ„e at that time wherin God in a trâ—… maÌ„ did appeere as much as was sufficient for men The sicke were healed the lepers vvere cleansed going was restored to the lame sight to the blind hearing to the deafe And there is speech of no other matter And to no other purpose is the second place where the words are not which you cite His saying is thus that there bee diverse thinges which doe keepe him in the bosome of the Church y Contr. Ep. fundament cap 4 The consent of people and nations doth holde mee there doth hold me an authority which was begon with miracles nourished by hope euer â—…ased by charity confirmed by antiquity Doth this make for you as you thinke or against you The authority of the Church was begon with miracles It is true meaning of the time of Christ and his Apostles but he doth not saye it was continued and must be continued vnto the worldes end much lesse doth he affirme that it must be as a necessary argumeÌ„t of truth So you haue gained much by these two places even as you haue done by the whole ranke of your woÌ„ders wherof such as appertaine to you that is the late LegeÌ„dary inventioÌ„s are many indeed but not infinite are so far from being glorious that they are plainely coÌ„temptible ridiculous fit for your vn-Catholike Romane struÌ„pet whose throne must be supported with lies and variety of falshoods In being therfore â—…old you may be more bold theÌ„ you haue thanke for your labour but do not saye that you most stedfastly beleeve for you bestow too good a word vpon your selfe In such stuffe as this is z Palingen in Geminis Quifacilis credit facilis quoque fallitur He who lightly beleeveth is easily deceived You are strongly conceited you haue a boisteous imagination froÌ„ which the sooner you fly the safer you wil stand The a De Trin. lib. 1 cap. 2 words of Richard de S. Victore are not spoken of your fabulous and instly questionable wonders but of such signes as gaue evidence to the first preaching of the Gospell were wrought by Christ and his disciples which were so true so strange as that they could be wrought by none but by the power of God and therefore we may beleeve the doctrine both of the Trinity and other matters which they confirmed and not be deceived at all Yet this addeth no credit to your forgeries illusions neither convinceth that now we are to depeÌ„d on miracles That we do not take on vs to be able to work any we do most willingly acknowledg We know that those daies are past although God do not so restraine himselfe but that the praiers of his servants interceding he sometimes suffereth strange things to be done But we caÌ„not presume vpoÌ„ it since we haue no warrant for it out of the word of God And who is there I pray you in the whole Hierarchy of your Papacy who dare professedly assume that gifte vnto him Dareth your Pope the ministerial head of al your holines dare your Cardinals your Bishops your Friers your Priestes Long agone the b Decretal lib. 5. tit 35. cap. 3. Templars in Livonia did enforce the poore people to this that if any of theÌ„ were accused of any crime to purge themselues they shold go bare-footed over certaine redde hot irons if they were burnt at all then they were helde for guilty But some newly coÌ„verted to the faith coÌ„plained of this to the Pope Honorius the 3. he inhibited that any more such triall should be made calling it a thing forbidden a greevance that wherin God was tempted The like may be said of any who presuÌ„ptuously should professe to atteÌ„pt any strange miraculous matter it is but a tempting of God even by the iudgmeÌ„t of c Isa 7 12. Ahaz nowe long agone who beeing but an evil man yet was so faire tightly instructed Yet that good hypocrite your S. Dominicke going to dispute against the d Ioh. Bâ—…isseul contr Spond Albingenses preteÌ„ding that he would proue theÌ„ heretikes did bid theÌ„ write their reasons cast theÌ„ in the fire if saith he they will not burne then we wil beleeue you As if the holy Bible were not truth if beeing cast into the flame it would burne to ashes You can tell vs tales of your men doing else-where great wonders but you should doe well to sende vs some of your miracle-mongers hither that we may iudge of their iugling You mutter much of an holy annointed Priest that he by exorcizing can cast out Devils but we wonder that these
many therfore were attainted and accordingly received punishment If they should be well examined the Visions which are fathered on Philippus Nerius of whom I spake before and who not 〈◊〉 many 〈◊〉 An 1595. yeares since dyed at Rome would proue to be of this quality Divers of his friends g Eius vitae l 1 An 1556 dying are said to appeare vnto him he saw their soules immediatly passing into the kingdome of heaven Nay h An 1559 Christ himselfe was seene of him And as he saw Visions for other so other saw some for him whence we may learne that false laddes neede no other brokers then themselues This Philip and his fellowes had pretended to go into India to convert soules but one i An 1557 Augustinus Ghettinus a Monke and confederate of his saw Iohn the Evangelist in a Vision who told him that Rome must be Philips Indies that he was chosen to dresse Gods vineyard there Thus they packed togither that their credit might be saved and yet they might sleep at home in a whole skinne also Since that time Father Weston alias Edmundes the Iesuite and his fellowes the Priestes haue made great vse of Visions in England especially by the meanes of one Richarde Mainy who since by confession on his k A declaration of Popish Impostures Confes. ofâ—… Mainy oth hath discovered all to be but an impure and most cousening iuggling devise It was long beleeved touching him that he saw a glistering light come from the thumbs and fore fingers of the Priests at sundry times which was devised to make the world beleeue that those thuÌ„bs and fingers were most holy matters being annointed with holy oyle when they were made Priests In a traunce of his he said he was in Purgatory and reported many strang things thereof Also he foresawe that from that time till Good-Fryday he should haue Visions every Sunday and this with like frawde was accomplished sometimes it being prophecied that Papists should sustaine great persecutions in England and sometimes it beeing related that Christ with great multitudes of Angels or the Virgin Marie with traines of blessed Virgins were present in the Chamber and then downe the staÌ„ders by must on their knees to worship theÌ„ pray to theÌ„ One part of Mainies fore-sightes was that on the Good-friday he should dye but when that day came he was warned that it must be otherwise so indeed the deade maÌ„ is aliue yet hath disclosed the whol devise Yet the shamelesse Iesuite aboue named wrote a whole quire of paper concerning these Visions of his and many a silie Papist both be hither and beyond the seas haue beene bobbed with the strang reports of these counterfeit RevelatioÌ„s perhaps have beleeved them as they would do their Creed Many examples more in this kind might be produced which may teach men not to be too credulous in these coÌ„ceits which evermore originally come vpon the report of one person for he it is who must tell his owne dreame or Vision and easie it is for some reporters themselues to be deluded by the Devill as easie for some other to delude as many as wil giue credite vnto them Then since both Divinity and humanity doe shew this to be a matter most suspecte let Papistes accept this for a weake reason of their vnsound beleife wee for our partes will haue nothing to doe with it 9 And yet it is not amisse before the shutting vp of this Chap. to obserue that they are alwaies beateÌ„ with their own rodde For if we may attribute any thing to those whoÌ„ in the last ages they hold for the greatest Prophets most autheÌ„tical seers of VisioÌ„s Popery is al naught For we scaÌ„t find any who in a general speech is reported to haue had that gifte but a great parte of his other talke hath bin against the Papacy Clergy therof l Catalog â—…estium veâ—…at lib 15 Hildegardis was by many held to be a Prophetisse and she did not only taxe the lewde life of the Romish Priests but their neglect of Ecclesiastical duty their horrible destroying of the Church of God Among other words she hath these TheÌ„ the meter of the Apostolike honor shal be devided because no religioÌ„ shal be fouÌ„d in the Apostolicalorder for that cause shal they lightly esteeme the dignity of that name shal set vp vnto theÌ„selues other meÌ„ Arch-Bishops so that the keeper of the see Apostolik at that time by the diminishing of his honour shal scant haue Rome a few things adioyning vnder his miter About the same time also which is more theÌ„ 400. yeeres agone lived m Ibideâ—… Mechâ—…hildis reputed al so for a Prophetisse And she speaking of coÌ„tentioÌ„s which shold be in Germany for religioÌ„ addeth that theÌ„ the church of Rome should wholy apostate opeÌ„ly froÌ„ the faith of Christ that there should remaine in Germany a poore afflicted company who should serve God religiously purely There was also one n Ibidem Elizabeth a maiden attendant on Hildegardis who is recorded to have such predictions invectiues against the Romanists The Prophecies of Ioachimus Abbas Anselmus termed Episcopus Marsicanus are lately o An. 1589 put out at Venice by Paschalinus Regiselmus there is the Pope still pictured in his triple crowne and he hath part nay seemeth to be the cheefe in al the iniquity there intended Brigit who lived about the yeere 1370. is by our Papistes helde for a famous Prophetisse and by the Pope she is Canonized for a Saint In her p Catalogs lib. 18. Revelations she calleth the Pope a killer of soules the disperser tearer of the sheepe of Iesus Christ. Shee saith that hee is more abhominable then the Iewes more cruel then Iudas more vuiâ—…st then Pelate worse and viler then Lucifer himselfe That the seate of the Pope shall be drowned in the deepe like a heavy stone That those who sit with him shall be burned in fire of brimstone which is not to be quenched Thus did shee and many other scowre the Church of Rome which as it seemeth Doctour Hill knevve vvell inough and therfore suppressed the names of these least he shold be thought to mention those who flattered the Popedome Savanorola by the confession of vnpartiall Iudges was a man who fore-prophecied many things He fore-tolde the comming of Charles the 8. the FreÌ„ch King into Italie how there he should prevaile Philippus q De bello NeapolitaÌ„ lib. 3. Comineus spake with him in person at such time as the Venetians had thought with their armye to haue entercepted Charles returning home-ward with no great forces And Comineus saith of hi that hiÌ„self coÌ„miÌ„g new froÌ„ the heÌ„ch army yet was by him informed of many thiÌ„gs there doÌ„e Savanorola knowing theÌ„ better beiÌ„g abseÌ„t theÌ„ he did who was preseÌ„t And he told Comineus that albeit Charles his master were hardly laid to by
ACADEMIA OXONIENSIS THE REASONS VVHICH DOCTOVR HILL HATH BROVGHT FOR THE vpholding of Papistry which is falselie termed the Catholike Religion Vnmasked and shewed to be very weake and vpon examination most insufficient for that purpose By GEORGE ABBOT Doctor of Divinity Deane of the Cathedrall Church in VVinchester The first Part. Joh. 9. 4. The night commeth when no man can worke Jer. 51. 6. Flee out of the middes of Babylon and deliver every man his soule bee not destroyed in her iniquitie AT OXFORD Printed by JOSEPH BARNES are to be sold in Paules Church-yarde at the signe of the Crowne by Simon VVaterson 1604. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE Thomas Baron of Buckhurst Knight of the Honorable Order of the Garter L. High Treasurer of England one of the LL of his Maiesties most Honorable Privy Councell and Chauncellour of the Vniversitie of Oxford my very especiall good Lord. RIGHT Honorable it is not vnknowne vnto your Lordship that in the dayes of our late most blessed Soveraigne of famous memory some vnnaturall Englishe who as Fugitives had departed their Countrey did maliciously and slaunderously write against our stare Ecclesiasticall and Civil and oftentimes against those who governed both the one the other And albeit the pretence whereof they did make shew to the world was only the restoring of the Romane Religion yet men of deeper iudgmeÌ„t could not be ignorant that they had a purpose to prepare their credulous Scholers for a day of alteration otherwise and in the meane while to make them discontented with the present times which they ceased not to lade with al calumniations and wicked imputations whatsoever Amongst this number was and is a certaine audacious person vvho termeth himselfe Doctour Hill and being a man of no more then a competent learning but yet of a very bolde spirit hath traced the steps of other his felowes which went before him For he principally maketh shew to yeelde Reasons why Popery should be the true faith of Christ and for that purpose heapeth vp a many of weake and worne-out Arguments but toward the middle of his booke falleth into other points as if this Kingdome our Countrey were a sinke of wickednesse beyond all the nations of the earth and therefore detestable to God and good men In respect of which vnsufferable defamations it was helde most fit that this Treatise should receive an Aunswere but especially for the pointes of Papistrie broched and vrged therein which may beguile the harts of the simple or such who are not indifferently affected Having therefore at the intreaty of others vvho wishe the flourishing of true godlinesse traveiled some-vvhat in this Argument for the better setling of such as will take paines to reade or heare it now remaineth that I should recoÌ„mend the protection therof to your Honorable Lordship to whoÌ„ of right duty it appertaineth For as heere-tofore so alwaies I must acknowledge that whatsoever my poore labours can effect is due vnto your Lordship as to a special maintainer of true ReligioÌ„ a lover of our CouÌ„try a Protectour of our Vniversity an vp-holder of learning vnto me a most Honorable Patrone Almighty God evermore blesse and encrease your Honour to the good of his Church to the service of the Kings most gracious Maiestie to the great benefite of this Common-wealth From Vniversity College in Oxford Ianuar. 4. 1604. Your Lordships Chaplein much bounden GEORGE ABBOT To D. Hill as a briefe answere to his two letters prefixed before his booke AS he is not to be commended for skill at his weapon who frameth vnto himselfe a man of straw and then at his pleasure doth pricke or strike him so you are not in too high a degree to be thought well of for your knowledge in Divinity who in the entrance of your petty worke do forge vnto your selfe an Epistle put out in the name of other where-vnto you may say or not say what best fitteth your owne humour You who can be Fitz-Williams in steede of Hill are capeable of such a quality in composing of your former letter you cannot much dissemble it when you pretende your friends the two Citizens that write vnto you to be first so learned as out of a Bud. ex Cicer. Budaeus or Tully to call you Opinator vehemens and secondly so zealous as to seeke to reclaime you from your course and yet you bring them in making no mention of Christian perswasion drawn from Divinity or the word of God but only multiplying vpoÌ„ you worldly reasons of Countrey and Parents and friends preferment and other such like matters Such of our people as are grounded in Religion can readily yeeld some account b 1. Pet. 3. 15 of the hope that is in them but such as withall do make show of learning may be presumed in a matter of this nature would intersert somwhat which might savour of spirituall contemplation especially their letter being sent to one of that minde wherof throughout this treatise you shew your selfe to be But this devise of your owne seemed vnto you the most cleanly shifte that by such a c Fighting with a shaddow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you might haue some colour to divulge your rotteÌ„ ReasoÌ„s yet taking heed too that you vrge not your selfe over-hard least you might bee deemed more vnwise then some of your Popish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…selues a voluntary pennance vvill not lash themselues sorer then agreeth vvith their ovvne fancy In your Answere to this imaginary Letter you woulde haue your Reader conceiue in you a most firme resolutioÌ„ to persevere in Papistry since no Parents are so deare vnto you as the father of all fathers Which iudgment of yours were to be prized at a high rate if it were certaine and vn-questionable that you did walke aright For there is nothing in the world like the pleasing of that eâ—…e which d Psa 121. 4. Chrysâ—…m 23 〈◊〉 Gâ—…n neither slumbereth nor sleepeth and as S. Hierome could say e â—…pist 8. Tom. 9. It is better to blush before sinners vpon earth then before the holy Angels in heaven But if you mistake your walke and runne in the way of falshood in steede of the path of truth so depriue your selfe first of the company of your earthly Parents and then of the comfortable presence of that father which fitteth in heaven you resolue amisse and the issues of your race are the issues of death so that the fruit of your persistance or pertinacy rather is no lesse then truly miserable f Mat. 15. 2. When the Pharisies stood stifly for the Tradition of the Elders S. g Act 22. 4. Paule was so vehement for his old opinions that hee persecuted the way of Christ vnto the death When S. h August de mâ—…us Eccl Cath 1. 18. Austen for nine yeares space could not be reclaimed from Manicheisme they thought they had done well and verily beleeved that those their courses were
the Catholike Church in other rites and doctrines Cochleus m Lib. 7. nameth no such condition Nay to shew that simply and directly it was yeelded vnto them he reporteth that the Legates of the Councell of Basile did thus expound that which was concluded in the Bohemians behalfe n Lib. 8. The Councell doth permitte the Eucharist vnder both kindes not tolerating it only as a thing evil as to the Iewes was permitted a bill of divorce but so that by the auctority of Christ his Church it is lawful profitable to the worthie receivers Where is it likely that vnlesse the Bohemians now after Husses death had bin a stroÌ„g party the Antichristian rabble would have yeelded to their importunitie so directlie against the Canon of the nexte precedent Councel Indeed the o Ibidem Emperour Sigismund did afterward take a course to lessen their nuÌ„ber when he sent many of them into Hungary against the Turks that there they might either conquering winne to him victories or being conquered themselues so be destroyed and perish Hee who list to see more concerning the multitude of these Professours let him but looke on p Hist. Bohâ—… ca 35. cap 50. Epist. 130. diverse places in the works of Aeneas Sylvius who was afterward Pope by the name of Pius 2. he shall finde him reporting of his own knowledge as travailing himselfe into Bohemia that they were many and very earnest also in their Religion 20 If here it should bee replyed that these perhaps were base people and of the vulgar who thus followed Iohn Hus but men of learning knowledge or persons of authority they had none to ioine with them the course of the story will easily cleere the same shew that they had both learned Pastours great Magistrats who beleeved as they beleeved stood wholy with theÌ„ Of what literature Hâ—… himselfe was is evident by his works yet remaining by his personal withstanding the whole CouÌ„cel of Constance And what learning what eloquence what memory all admirable were in Hierome of Prage as also with what singular patience he tooke his death is most significantly delivered in an q Ad Leonardum 〈◊〉 Epistle of Poggius who as an eie-witnes beheld him seemed to bee much affected with the singular partes of the man Which noble testimony of that worthy Poggius is acknowledged by r Lib 3. Cochleus While these two lived there were diverse s Lib 2. priests s Lib. 1. preachers which agreed in their Doctrine in their Sermons reproved the Popish Cleargy for their Simony keeping of Concubâ—… avarice riot secular-like pride But after the death of those two famous servaÌ„ts of God their t Lib. 4. followers got to them a Bishop who was Suffragane to the Arch-bishop of Prage and by him they put into holy Orders as many Clerkes as they would Which the Arch-bishop tooke so il that he suspended his Suffragane But it was not long before that u Lib. 5. CoÌ„radus the Arch-bishop himselfe became a Hussite also as the Author calleth him Vnder this Conradus as president of the assembly these Hussites held a CouÌ„cel at Prage in the year 1421. there they compiled a CoÌ„fessioÌ„ of their faith This Cause did the said Archbishop many Barons of Bohemia afterward stifly mainetaine and complained against the Emperor SigismuÌ„d for offring wrong to those of their Religion u Ibidem Alexander also the Duke of Lituania did giue these Hushtes aide which moved Pope Martin the 5 to write vnto him in this sort Know that thou couldst not giue thy faith to heretikes which are the â—…ors of the holy faith that thou dost sin deadly of thou shalt keepe it because there cannot bee any fellowship of a beleever with an insidel Thus did the vertuous Pope write In x Lib. 8. processe of time there grew a parley betweene Sigismund the Emperour the Bohemians There among the Compacts this was one that the Bishops should promote to holy Orders the Bohemians even Hussites which were of the Universitie of Prage And they might well deserue to be reputed Vniversity meÌ„ for Cochleus himselfe witnesseth that the Priests of the Thaborits were skilled in argâ—…g exercised in the holy Scripture y Lib. 10. Rokizana one of theÌ„ did vndertake to dispute with Capistranus a great learned Papist By that time that the yeare 1453. was come Aeneas Sylvius doth complaine that the kingdome of Bohemia was wholy z Lib. 11. governed by heretiks Now all the Nobility all the CoÌ„minalty is subiect to an heretike That was one George or Gyrziko Governor of the kingdome of Bohemia vnder king Ladâ—…slaus But when Ladâ—…slaus was dead this a Lib. 12. George himselfe was by the Nobles and the People chosen King of that country And continuing the auncient profession of his Religion about the yeare 1458 those of Uratislavia and Silesia doe refuse to obey him as being an heretike Notwithstanding Pope Pius the 2. then intending warres against tho Turke did by all meanes perswade theÌ„ that they should yeeld obedience to him This George saith the Authour was borne and brought vp in the heresie of the Hussites Now when Pope Pius did interpose himselfe as a mediatour betweene this King and his Subiects George did require of the Pope that he might keepe the Compacts agreed vpon at Basill in behalfe of the Bohemians And when b Ibidem Pius vvoulde not yeeld there-vnto the king calleth togither the Estates of his kingdome and protesteth that he would liue die in those Compacts so did also the Nobles which were Hussits This was done at Prage in the yeare 1462. This resolutenesse of his caused that Pope to tolerate many things in him but Paul 2. who succeeded in that See of Rome did excommunicate that king and set vp a Croisado against him Also he gaue to Matthias the king of Hungary the title of king of Bohemia c Apud Platin Onuphrius in the life of Paulus 2 saith that the Pope did excommunicate him depriue him of his kingdome Indeed for seaven years this George and Mathias did warre for it and Mathias got from him Moravia and Silesia and a good part of the kingdome of Bohemia Vratislavia also and some other Provinces and citties did put themselues in subiection of Mathias Yet did not George deale hardly with the Papists which were at Prage but in his greatest extremity did vse both the advise and aide of many Nobles of the Popish beleefe At length after the continuance of warre for seaven years d Cochl lib. 12. Mathias coÌ„cludeth a peace with king George both against the will of the Pope and the Emperour And then this king was coÌ„tent to aske of the Pope an absolution from the excommunication some Princes being mediatours for him in that respect But before the Agents could returne from Rome the king died in the yeare
being stripped starke naked first and then murthered and fortie poore women being burned in a barne I may adde vnto these many worthy men heere and there dispersed where-of all cryed out against the Church of Rome and desired a Reformation and many of them appreheÌ„ded and delivered to other the true meaneâ—… of Iustification which is the nearest point of Salvation The s Lucas Oâ—…iand l. 〈◊〉 c. 8. Authour of the sixteenth Centurie nameth about the yeare one thousand fiue hundred and somewhat after but yet before Luther Baptista Mâ—…ntuanus and Franciscus Pâ—…cus Earle of Miraâ—…dula both which much inveighed against the Cleargy and their whole practise Also one Doctour Kâ—…serspergius another called Iohannes Hâ—…lten a thirde named Doctour Andreas Proles and Savaâ—…orola all groaning vnder the burthen of those times The Oration of t Oratio ad Leonem 10 Picus in the Councell of Laterane is extant where besides his most bitter taxing of the filthy behaviour of the Cleargy he vseth these words Pietie is almost suâ—…ke into superstition How Mantuâ—… doth every where pay the Romanists may appeare to those who read his works But one place of him I will u Calamitâ—… cum 3. name Petrique domus polluta fluente Marcescit luxu nulla hic arcana revelo Non ignota loquor liceat vulgata referre Sic vrbes populique ferunt ea fama per omnem Iam vetus Europam mores exirpat honestos Sanctus ager scurris venerabilis ara cyaedis Servit honorandae Divûm Ganymedibus ades Quid muramur opes recidivaque surgere tectat Thuris odoratâ—… globulos cinnama vendit Mollis Arabs Tyrij vestes venalia nobis Temple sacerdotes altaria sacra corona Ignis thura preces coelum est venale Deusque Some of them I English thus Priests land now Iesters vile doth serue The Aultars bawds maintaine Of holy Churches of the Gods lewde Ganymeds make their gaine Why do we woder that their wealth and houses falne doe 〈◊〉 Sweete franckincense and cinnamon are the onely marchandise Of the Arabian and but cloathes the Tyrians vse to sell But with vs Churches Aultars Priests yeelde mony very well Things hallowed crownes fire franckincense the praiers which we make Yea heaven yea God are saleable if we may mony take The opinions of Savanarola against Popery are many for them howsoever it be otherwise u â—…uicciard Lib. 3. coloured he was burnt In the matter of free Iustification he is x In psa 51. cleere And the same is written also of y Catalog test verit lib. 19. Tritâ—…ius another learned man who lived at that time How in England Christ had in al these times professours of the truth I shall haue occasion to shew anon when I come to speake of Iohn Wiclef 23 In the meane while I shall not do amisse to mention some other who were betweene the daies of Iohn Hus and Martin Luther A special oppugner of the Papacy was that learned Laurentius Valla a Patritius of Rome and Canon of Saint Iohn of Laterane there He wrote a treatise of purpose against the z Contra 〈◊〉 donationeÌ„ forged Donation of Constantine He pronounceth of his owne experience that the Pope himselfe doth make warre against peaceable people soweth discorde betweene Citties and Princes The Pope doth both thirst after other mens riches and swalloweth vp his owne Hee maketh gaine of not onely the Common-wealth but the state Ecclesiasticall and the holie Ghost The later Popes doe seeme to labour this that looke how much the auncient Popes were wise and holy so much they will bee wicked foolish He lived about the yeare 1420. for the freenesse of his speech and penne was by the Pope driven into exile About the same time lived Arch-deacon Nicolaus de 〈◊〉 who rebuked a De Annatis non sol vendis many things in the Ecclesiasticall state and spake excellently in the matter of Generall Councels and their circumstances as b Ration 9. hereafter may be declared Petrus de Aliaco Cardinall of Cambray gaue a tract to the Councel of Constance touching the c De Reformatione Ecclâ—… reformation of the Church There doth he reprooue many notable abuses of the Romanists and giveth advice how to redresse theÌ„ d Cap. 3. There should not be multiplyed saith he such variety of Images and pictures in the Churches There should not be so many holy-daies There should not so many new Saints be Canonized Apocryphall writings should not be read in the Churches on holy-daies e Cap. 4. Such â—…umerositie and variety of Religious persons is not expedieÌ„t There are so many orders of begging Friers that their state is burdensome to men hurtfull to hospitals and to the poore Few doe now studie ' Divinity for the abuse of the Church of Rome which hath despised Divines All now turne to the Lawe and to Artes of gaine He saith that it was then a proverbe The Church is come to that estate that it is not worthy to be ruled but by Reprobats He hath very much more and in the end concludeth that f Cap. 6. As there were seaven thousand who had not bowed to Baal so it is to he hoped that there be some which desire the reformation of the Church Imagin whither this Cardinall if he had founde some company to haue ioyned with him would not haue said much more About that time lived Leonardus Aretinus whose little booke g In hypocritas libellus Against Hypocrites is worth the reading So is the h Oratio ad cleium Coloniensem Oration of Antonius Cornelius Lynnichanus laying open the lewde lubricity of Priests in his daies So doth he detect many abuses and errours who wrote the i DeceÌ„ gravamina Ger maniae Tenne Grievances of Germany but those who compiled the hundred Grievances of the Germaine Nation doe discover many more Finally he who list to see farther that God even in those dead daies had diverse servants who by more then a glimce did see the truth desired yet more plentifully to be instructed in Religion let him read the k Lib. 19. Catalogus testium veritatis lately set out and there hee shall finde divers whom I haue not named 24 By this time I trust it is manifest how false a slaunder that of the Papists is that before the daies of Martin Luther there was never any man of our ReligioÌ„ Till the time of the Councel of Constance this case is cleared And beyond that it is as easie to shew that Iohn Hus and Hierome of Prage had their immediate antecessours in witnessing the faith of Christ. For they vvere instructed and much helped by the bookes of Iohn VViclef an English man and therefore saith Platina as l In Ioh. 24. sectatours of Wiclef they were condemned in the Councell of Constance Aeneas Sylvius sheweth the means how those Bohemians came to know the doctrine of Wiclef he saith thus m Histo
rule all and they had the custody of all libraries to ransacke at their pleasure or to put in and pull out and they had power to search poore mens houses and to destroy what was thought fit by them to be destroyed But God who would not haue his truth vtterly burned or buried in ashes suffered a remaÌ„nt to remaine yea that in England albeit Polydore Virgil with an Italian tricke of his owne did there consume and destroy many worthy ancient monuments 33 By this time I may well suppose that some vehement Papist having read over this long Chapter is even ready to svvell with his belly full of exceptions against these things heere saide And first he wil begin say that we rake to gither as the Ancesters and fore-runners of our faith such as were notorious Heretikes as Wiclef or Hus or the Waldenses men condemned by Popes or general Councels And Heretikes as m Ration 10 Campian telleth vs are the dregges and the bellowes and the fâ—…well of hell These as our Papists commonly say are already fire-brands of hel and frying there in the flames It is no rare matter with the Synagogue of Rome to pronouÌ„ce such sentences as these are Our Rhemists by their Consistorial or Imperial decree haue defined that Calvine Verone are not only Heretiks but n In Rom. 11 33. Reprobats for writing so as they haue done touching the Article of Predestination Yea they cal M. Beza a Reprobate also although he were not only then aliue but yet is so howsoever the Iesuites some o An. 1598. vide Epist. Bezâ—… ad Stuckium few years since did by a most ridiculous Pamphlet or other newes spreade it in Fraunce and Italy that he was dead and dying had recanted his Religion and was turned to the Romish faith which also Geneva did by his example It is no newes with Iesuites to lie and therefore Master Beza must beare vvith them and so had hee neede to doe with the Rhemistes also vvho got hastyly into Gods chaire there concluded him to be a Reprobate But indeede those good Christians before named of whom many lost their liues for the maintenance of Gods truth were heretiks in such a manner as Christ was saide to bee p Mat. 26. 65 a blasphemer who indeede vvas both called so and condemned to bee such a one by a Councell of the High-Priestes Scribes and Rulers of the Synagoge VVe doe not beleeue that all those are Heretikes vvhom you Papistes will so call or accounte for you giue vs that name vvhich maugre your malice you shall never bee able to prove against vs. They are truely Orthodoxe and right Catholikes who teach nothing but that whereof they have evident vvarrant out of the vvorde of GOD. And this vvee have as hath beene ofte shewed by men of our side and in that question we are ready at all times to iumpe with you for any parte or all the doctrine vvhich vvee professe VVith Saint Paule therefore vvee say that q Act. 24 14. after the vvaie that you call Heresie sâ—… vvorshippe vvee the GOD of our Fathers The same vvhich you maliciously and presumptuously tearme Schisme and Heresie is that vvherevpon vnder our blessed Saviour vvee rest our soules and by the confession thereof vve hope to bee saved in the day of the generall iudgment Doe not you therefore take that for graunted vvhich is so highly questioned betweene vs and you but rather if you can prove our profession to bee hereticall By GODS grace we shall not shrinke at any of your biggest obiections 34 Yea but say you farther the vvriters vvich make mention of these your predecessours doe brande them with the holding of some most grosse and damnable doctrine vvhich you your selves vvill not avouch My answere is that wee our selves doe easilie beleeve so much For did malice I pray you ever say vvell The r Act. 16. 20. cap. 17 7. 2. Cor. 12. 16 Apostles were at more times and in more places then one charged with many accusations which yet in truth were but caluÌ„niations The old ChristiaÌ„s in the Primitive Church were slandered to vse incestuous company each with other like Oedipus and to eate vp mans flesh as at the banket of Thyestes yea their owne s Euâ—…b Eccl. Hist. lib. 4. 7. 〈◊〉 5. 1. servantes for feare were induced to lay such matters to their charge t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 20. Theodor Eccl. Hist I 1. 30. Athanasius was accused to have cut of ones hand and a harlot to his face woulde have calumniated him to have committed fornication with her This practise vvas never more liberally frequented then by the enemies of the Gospell in the late daies of Popery You may remember what I cited before out of Du Haillaâ—… concerning matters fâ—…lsly obiected to the Albingeâ—…ses There is extant an u In fasciâ—…ul â—…um expâ—…nd Excusatory Oration of the VValdenses wherin they say that for that their faith which they were ready to iustifie they vvere condemned iudged captivated and afflicted And aftervvard that they vvere called Heretikes But in their Confess Waldensiu Confession they have it directly Of these criminations vvhereof vvee are blamed oftentimes vvee are nothing at all guiltie The Pope and his Chapleins were fell and furious against them because they did bite so neere and therefore to disgrace them both in present and to posteritie they helde it fit that by speech preaching and writing it should be divulgated that they taught monstrous blasphemies that by that meanes the credulous people might be preiudicate and so not onely frighted from harkening to them but be much the readier to ioyne in the prosecutioÌ„ of theÌ„ to prison to death But what they indeed held is declared before When x Cochl Histor. Hussit lib. 2. Iohn Hus was at the Councell of Constance he did openly call God to vvitnesse that hee did neither preach nor teach those thinges which his adversaries did obiect against him neither that they ever did come into his minde Neither is it to bee marveiled that they did lade his scholers vvith the like false accusations when their malice vvas such toward them as that they burnt many y Lib. 8. thousandes of them in barnes vvhich vvas done by the trechery of one Mainardus In other places the Romanists have still helde the same course of slaundering vvhich caused the Protestants to professe in the Diet at Augusta z Sleidan Commentar lib. 8. that diverse opinions vvere falselie reported vp and dovvne vvhich vvrongfullie vvere fathered vpon them And that thâ—se were not onely estranged from the holie Scriptures but that they vvere abhorrent even from common sence And is it not probable that long since when much darkenesse did cover the face of the earth and fewe had grace to perceive their doings and fewer had authoritie to question their doctrine the Pope-holie Clergy vvhich hated the true Gospellers vvith all their heartes vvould pay them vvith
hominem and so Tremelius out of the Syriake A viro haretico And the ordinary English hath it even as the Rhemists put it without varying a title in the whole verse A maÌ„ that is an heretike after the first and second admonition avoide another English Reiect him that is an heretike after once or twise admonition And I thinke it be not to be found but where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in the Greeke we put it p Act. 24. 14. 1. Cor. 11. 19. Gal. 5. 20. 2. Pet. 2. 1. heresie And if at any time there hath beene put for an heretike an author of sectes it hath beene to no other purpose but to expresse the nature of the word to make it plaine to the people what is meant by an heretike that is an inventor or a follower of some strange sector opinion in Religion to which peculiar vse the Ecclesiastical writers haue applyed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from a more generall vnderstanding amongst all the olde Grecians Here it may be noted once againe that you Papists make no conscience in charging vs with any thing whatsoever that maketh for your purpose For if it bee in our bookes as cleere as the Sunne to the contrary yet your people must not looke into our writings so to disproue your falshoode that is inhibited vnto them Whereby it appeareth that you not only do your best to send your ghostly children to hell but the glory of it is they must goe thither blindfolded At this bâ—…ck you now haue them T. HILL AS for their owne name vvhereby they tearme themselues Protestantes which name they take from certaine Lutherans in Germany who first named themselues so differing and dis-agreeing altogither from the Protestants in doctrine it is newe and never hearde of before in the world and of the same quality and condition that the name Zwinglians is of And therefore I conclude with the saying of Saint Hierome If any where thou heare them which are said to be of Christ to be Advers Lucif Chryso in Act Hom. 33. Iust. in Tryph. tearmed not of our Lord Iesus Christ but of some other as Marcionites Valentinians Hil-brethren or Field-brethren bee thou sure that they are not the Church of Christ but the Synagogue of Antichrist G. ABBOT I tolde you before that absolutely we challendge no name but Christians which is full out as ancient as the time of the q Act. 11 26. Apostles but Zwinglians you in your malice tearme vs as also Protestants with a contempt Yet this latter appellation was not begunne by you but arose vpon an accident at Spires in Germany There in a r An. 1529. Diet the Duke Electour of Saxony the Marques of Brandeburge the Lantgraue and some other Princes and Citties of the Empire did make solemnely in writing a s Sleidan Hist lib. 6. Protestation against a â—…ecree or Edict made in preiudice of the reformed Religion wherevpon for distinction sake in coÌ„mon speech the name of Protestants which is the Prosters was given vnto theÌ„ By your former rule this cannot be an evill name since it is not taken froÌ„ any man or from the author of a sect but it arose from an action there first thought necessary to be done with those circuÌ„stances Whence it may be no marveile if that title arising from that action were never heard of in that meaning before And since that time those who are ready to vse the like Protestation vpon the like cause or doe approue of that their wise and Christian course there do not refuse to be called as they were in some sense not simply for some respects not absolutely but most of all for difference sake from you against whoÌ„ the Protestation is to be made Yea and custome having so prevailed we do in writing speaking promiscuously vse the word Protestants as we do Religiosi or Reformata Religionis homines or EvaÌ„gelici not boasting in these titles as you doe to be called Papists but only admitting of theÌ„ for customes sake to make a distinction between vs you both tearming our selues Christians Now that we altogither disagree in doctrine froÌ„ the Protestants in Germany is not so much ignoraÌ„ce in you to avouch as malice For you know seÌ„sibly feele it that we right-wel agree with theÌ„ they with vs in displaying of Antichrist his IndulgeÌ„ces his Pilgrimages his Orders of ReligioÌ„s in oppugning the Tridentine Councell which is the new-erected Capitol of Popery in that excelleÌ„t Article of IustificatioÌ„ by faith only and in breefe in all matters of moment saving the point of Consubstantiation in the Eucharist which yet also thousands in Germany doe deny and whereof I shal haue occasion to speake farther s Ration 〈◊〉 afterward But the hatred which you do equally beare vn to theÌ„ vnto vs for the same respects doth shew that we ioine in serving the same Christ discovering the same Antichrist Your coÌ„clusioÌ„ theÌ„ which you draw out of S. Hierome maketh nothing against vs nether doth ought that you intimate out of In. Martyr or Chrysost. They speake of heretiks who take both their name doctrine froÌ„ men alone nothing at all from God whereas first we are Patients and not Agentes when the name of any man is set vpon vs this is not by our selues delighted in And secondlye our doctrine is not from any creature but onlye from Iesus Christ and his word to whom we cleave and sticke as to a rocke and regard none who bringeth any thinge contrarie therevnto And so for this boute I leave D. Hill putting him notwithstanding in minde that he is so studious a sectatour and so faithfull a scholer of M Bristow that without varying a letter he citeth the place of Hierome word for word as his maister doth when Montenses and Campitas might for his credit sake and to have had a little variety beene as well translated Hill-men or Field-persons as after that sorte that he doth put them But there Hierome as it is most probable alludeth to the Montanists whom with a kinde of ierke he calleth not Montanists but Montenses for their loose life rather Campitas as being fitter to tumble in the fields then to shew themselves on the mountaines which also is collected by a learned t Marius Victor in Annotat. super Hieronim man vpon that place 7 HOwsoever some other simple flourishes are here made by M. Doctor yet the substance of his second Reason is this that the Romanists are called the Catholikes therfore they are the true Church which Argument is no better then a very vaine ridiculous thing For who doth not know that evil persons have good names as 〈◊〉 Adoni-zâ—…dek the king of Hierusalem 〈◊〉 Ios. 10. 1. who was an Idolater a TyraÌ„t had a name signifying the Lord of iustice or the iustice of the Lord one who was a grievous persecutour of the
meaning that of Saint Austen may be The Christiā faith i De moribus Eccles. Cathol lib. 1. 18. is not any where but in the Catholike discipline or instruction vnto which sence vse ordinary custome hath now brought the word Even so they are most farre from it For while they strive about the name they have lost the thing they keepe the shel but have parted with the kernel while they lay hould on the Candle-sticke some other is runne away with the light Their case is like that of the kings souldiours of k Socrat. l. 7. 20. Persia who keeping the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Immortales were wel proved to be otherwise whē by the Roman armies they were distressed slaine shewed to be mortal Let thē lay aside these verbal titulary gloses make plaine out of the Scripture that they maintaine the same faith which Christ and his Apostles taught then they do somewhat But they are fallen from it yea from the sound profession which was in the daies of the Fathers Doctors of the Primitive Church therfore that which was true of their times is not communicable now to Popery No not that of Saint Austen whervpon they have a maine desire to fastē The l De vera Religione cap 7. Christian Religiō is to be held by vs the cōmunion of that Church which is Catholike and is named Catholike not onely of her owne friends but also of all her enimies For wil or nil the very Heretikes favourers of schismes when they speake not with their owne but with strangers they cal the Catholik church nothing els but the Catholike church For they cannot be vnderstood vnlesse they distinguish her by that name wherby she is called of al the world This was spoken of the whole nūber of Christians in the world which embraced the right faith not of the Romane Church onely And those who nowe are devoted vnto Rome doe as much differ from the puritie and integrity of their olde predecessours as Babylon doth differ from Sion Then in oppositiō to Heretikes which were but in corners and fewe places the faith which either Rome or any right Christian citty helde might be called Catholike but nowe that which the Pope maintaineth may it selfe bee reckoned no better then Hereticall perfidiousnes which the farther it is spred the worse it is with Gods flocke 9 To set them therfore straight by bringing thē from such vizards painted shewes to the matter it is not any name wherevnto men are directed for finding out the truth but m Ioh. 5. 39. Search the Scriptures saith Christ for in them you thinke to have eternall life and they are they which testifie of mee And as they testifie of Christ so do they also of his Spouse as we find in diverse of the ancient Fathers Cyprian saith n De Lapsis Hee is not ioyned to the Church vvho is separated frō the Gospell He who beareth the name of Origene on the Canticles o Homil. 3. A good purpose and the beleeving of right opinions doth make a soul to be in the house of the Church But S t. Chrysostome or the Auctor of the Imperfect worke vpon S t. Matthew doth yet speake more plainely p Homil. 49. He who will know what is or which is the true Church of Christ whēce should he know it but only by the Scriptures The Lord therfore knowing that in the last daies there vvould bee so great confusion of things doth therfore command that the Christians which are in Christianity being willing to receive the firmenes of a true faith should flie to no other thing but to the Scriptures Otherwise if they looke to other things they shall be scandalized and perish not vnderstanding vvhich is the true Church By which our Romanists may see that it is not a naked name nor any other matter of all that vncertaine rabble which the writer of this Pamphlet heereafter subioyneth that can bee our direction which is the Church or where is the truth but only the holy Scriptures And as Chrysostome hath q Homil. 33. in Act. If any agree to thē he is a Christian if any fight against them hee is farre from this rule The word of the Lord is the sure foundation he who buildeth on any thing besides this setteth his house but vpon the r Mat. 7. 26. sand and while he thinketh that he standeth for the Faith and for the Church he is enemie to both as those were to whom Leo sometimes Bishop of Rome wrote thus s Leo Epist. 83 ad Episcopos Palestinos you thinke that you deale for the faith and you goe against the faith You are armed in the name of the Church and you fight aganist the Church Let him who will farther be satisfied in this point reade what a learned man hath written vpon this Argument that s Ioh. Rainold Thes. 5. The Church of Rome is neither the Catholiks Church nor a sound member of the Catholike Church and if he bee not obdurate hee shall never neede to doubt farther in that behalfe t In praefat De triplici hominis officio UUeston a most vaine-glorious but shalowe fellow at Doway hath vaunted that if he had leysure he would beate that servant of God to dust I feare he wil never have leysure to grapple with him vnlesse it be heere and there to skulke out at some hole or corner and runne backe againe I meane heere and there snatch a saying of his falsely alleaged vnconscionably perverted as already he hath done But if hee bee the man that hee pretendeth to bee and I may request any thing of him let him first begin directly to answere the Thesis before named and we shall by his cariage therein iudge what is his true strength I woulde have VVeston fall about this worke for it is of too high a pitch for my good Doctour Hill THE THIRD REASON Vnitie and Consent T. HILL THe Catholike Romane Religion being received by so many Nations in Africa Asia Europa and in this last age in both the Indies hath notwithstanding such variety of wits such diversitie of māners such multitude of tōgues lāguages such distāce of places such nūbers of matters to be beleeved yet ever kept Vnity Concord in such peaceable consonāt māner as never any one in Englādor Irelād which are the vttermost parte of the VVest-world dissented or disagreed in anie point of doctrine cōcerning faith frō him which lived in the vtmost partes of the East But whosoever they be or in what place or Region soever they remaine in al the world if they be Catholikes or Papists if you wil cal thē so they all have one Faith one Beleefe one Service one number of Sacraments one Obedience one Iudgement in all with other like points of Vnion and Vnity which maketh a geuer all Vniformity also in the peace
manifest that all 〈◊〉 which ever beleeved in Christ were first converted to his 〈◊〉 by such 〈◊〉 either 〈◊〉 precisely sent or 〈◊〉 the least wise had their authority from the 〈◊〉 which lived in the time in which they were conâ—…rted 〈◊〉 thing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set dowâ—… in the History of the first convâ—…rsion of every countrey as no Protestâ—… vvere 〈◊〉 â—…ver so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 G. ABBOT 1 TO deale favourably with you and not to answere you as in this place you deserue is there any man of tolerable learning or any whit seene in the Ecclesiasticall story who doeth not heere thinke that you want some body who may not only exagitate you but excoâ—…te you also when as if you were become some Aquaviva or General of the Iesuits you so and aciously giue downe such generall propositions not onely farre from truth but much estraunged from the very shewe and semblance thereof I do lesse pity you because the farther I goe the more I perceiue you to be a sworne servant to Antichrist therfore there is nothing which may advance your masters credit but you aâ—… devoted to him must say it do it But in my very bowels I pity take compassioÌ„ of divers my bewitched couÌ„treymen sily women and young fondlings who receiving from you such stuffe so boldly asse verantly averred haue not the skill to discover you nor the grace to repaire vnto such as may lay open the Ambuscadoes and snares which you haue prepared for them Where there needeth no other proofe to descry this your dealing then to obserue that in this your so potent and puissant challenge you cite not one author you name not one particular you single not out the Pope you point not out the countrey you assigne not the preachers by whom it is done you mention not the time nor yeeld vs any reason wherefore you do say it but only this that you doe say it Wherein you over-lash beyond the most that ever wrote on your side for other assumed somewhat but you throw at all and losing haue nothing to pay The Iesuites whom afterward you commende in this Chapter doe not vse to extenuate their holy Fathers commendation but to set it as high as may be and a Controv. cap. 2. 〈◊〉 Wats Quodl 8. 4. Costerus among theÌ„ being one who had a 〈◊〉 deale more reading and learning and iudgment theÌ„ you seeme to haue pretermitting as he telleth vs the Churches of the East and of the South saith it is certaine that Germany and Fraunce were first converted by such as Peter sent And afterward he would bring in the kingdoms of England Scotland as brought to the faith by the successours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peter in the see of Rome and to those he addeth Africa meaning as 〈◊〉 should seeme some paâ—… thereof lying neere to Italy for hee himselfe alloâ—…h Aethiopia to Saint Matthew and Aegypt Libia the Africanes there about to Simon and Saint Marke the Evangelist But the conversion of Spaine he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S t. Iames of Thracia and Scythia Europâ—…â—…o Saint 〈◊〉 oâ—… Scythia Asiatica to Philip of Armenia and the hither part of India to Bartholomew of Parthia Media Persia 〈◊〉 the Brachâ—…ane Bactrians vnto Thomas as also the farther part of India which is yet beleeved in that couÌ„trey as b Osor. degest Eman. lib. 3. Maff Hist. Iudic. lib 2. appeareth by such as haue written the navigations of the Portingales into those partes And at these things are witnessed by some of the old writers so c Eccl Hist. lib. 3. 1. Eusebius hath this farther that Asia fel to Iohn the Evangelist meaning Asia the lesser or Natolis but that Peter as it seemeth did preach the word to the Iewes who were d 1. Pet. 1. 1. dispersed in Pontus Galâ—…tia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Asia 2 Thus in the time of the Apostles the greatest parte of the known world had heard of the faith of Christ in some good measure embraced it that being verified that e Rom. 10. 1â—… their sound that is the Apostles went out through all the earth and their wordes into the ends of the world and Christs Prophecie being fulfilled that f Mat. 24. 14 the Gospell of the kingdome should be preached through alâ—… 〈◊〉 world for a â—…nes vnto all nations and then should the end come which was done before the destruction of Hierusalem that g Vers 34. generatâ—… beeing not yet passed which lived in Christs time And this is so vndoubted a truth that Costerus saith The h Controv. cap 2. Catholike Church as first was propagated by the Apostles themselues almost through all knowne countreyes Now all this while there was no Pope and if it should bee obiected as no other shift there is in the world and that is but a simple one that Peter as Pope sent the rest of the Apostles some to this place some to that I require one text oâ—… scripture to bee shewed or one monument of antiquity to be produced which maye confirme so much It is not vnlikelye but that the Apostles in some assembly at Hierusalem did consent what regions each of them should betake themselues vnto but that any one did appoint to the rest their charges we no where find Nay plaine it is that Peter himselfe had his portion assigned him to preach to the i Gal. 2. 7. Iewes as Paule had to preach to the Gentiles which was the greater charge And whither this were appropriated to him by God as the text seemeth well to encline or whither by the consent also of the Apostles Paule had his Commission in the same manner which he so little thinketh inferiour to the others that he k Ibidem nameth it before Peters and standeth vpon l ver 8. 9. tearmes of equality in power and fellowship in action But that I may force the authour of this libell to say Penne thou writest vntruth Samaria received Christ by the preaching of m Act. 8. 5. 14. Philip before that Peter knew of it and the n 27. Eunuch of Aethiopia on the way was in like sort brought to religion by the same Philip and he went home immediately and planted the faith in his Countrey as o Eccl Hist. Lib. 2. 1. Eusebius sheweth which was done without Peters privity for a good space after that hee made doubt whither the Gentiles might haue the worde opened to them vntill that by a vision q Act. 10. 10. from heaven that scruple was removed And I pray you was there nothing done by Saint Paul whose authority was immediate from r Galat. 〈◊〉 1 God not froÌ„ man he beeing not set on worke from other but receiving his commission from Iesus Christ himselfe The history of whose labours in turning men to Christ although Saint Luke doth particularly relate in the Actes of the Apostles yet for brevity sake we will looke to one place only of his owne
testimony and he saith that s Rom. 15. 19 from Hierusalem rounde about vnto Illyricum he caused the Gospell of Christ to abound And to take away all pretence of obiection he addeth that he preached the Gospell where s vers 20. Christ was not named least hee shoulde haue built on another mans foundation If these things be so plaine as no Christian can doubt of them blush and blush againe at such desperate audaciousnesse as maketh no conscience egregiously to faine T. HILL TRue it is that Heretikes have corrupted such as were Catholikes before but that they ever converted any Heathen Nation to Christianity can never bee shewed I know very well that Iohn Calvine to get glorie sent certaine of his Ministers into nevve-founde landes but I never coulde heare that any of them converted so much as one sily vvoman to their Gospell in those partes The trueth is their agreement in doctrine vvas so greate that one destroying anothers buildings they became laughing flockes to the Heathens and so vvere glad to depart with shame G. ABBOT 3 THAT Heretikes haue corrupted such as were weaklings or discontented persons is true and may well bee exemplified in your broode perverting diverse credulous and indiscreete folkes from their obedience to God and their Princes but they are not sounde Catholikes or vvell setled and grounded in the faith who will listen to you or any seducer And if there bee any heathen nation vvhich hath hearde of the name Christ by you and your polluted Christianity it is most certaine that it hath bin by Heretikes the servauntes and attendantes of the whore of Babylon beeing a hundred waies infected with heresie and the vvhole body of Popery where it differeth from vs being nothing else but a masse of abhominable heresie But vvhere-as you say that Calvine sent some of his Ministers into the nevve-founde lande if you vnderstoode your selfe in this which like a Parret you speake from other men and know not what it meaneth the t Io. Leriuâ—… in navigat in Brasil ca. 1 2 6. viage into Brasile in the yeare one thousand fiue hundred fifty fiue was the original worke of Villagagno a Knight of Malta who pretending himselfe to be religious seeing the persecution which at that time was vsed in France against Gods children vnder K. Henry the second gaue out in words that hee would search out a place in the newe-found VVesterne vvorld whither persecuted Christians might flie out of Fraunce Spaine and other countries And for this purpose hee had ayde of Chaâ—…llion that worthy Admirall of Fraunce who was afterward slâ—…ine at the u An. 1572. Massacre in Paris And whereas by his letter Uillagagno had made request to the Church of Geneva to send with him or vnto him diverse Ministers of the Gospell they at his entreary condescended therevnto and some went who as especially they desired to prepare a place for their afflicted country-men whereof at that time many were burnt for Religion so their next intendment was to vse their best meanes to convert the Barbarians vnto the faith of CHRIST And when diverse of the Ministerie leaving their countrie kinred and that estate which they had in Fraunce were come thither with those resolutions they never dissented in the least pointe of theâ—… doctrine But Uillagagno like a notable Hypocrite togither with a Popish Priest of his one Cointas who had before abiured Popery there as also the Generall voluntarilie had done relapsed to their vomite evill entreated their Ministers by all meanes that they could devise set the companie vpon a mutinie and forced such as lost not their lives there to returne to their country when they had scant spente one yeare in those partes and that full of vexation by reason of their Conductours perfidious falshood This was the reason wherefore that viage sorted to small purpose and not the discorde of the Ministers And this wicked practise did arise from the Cardinall of Lorraine who either in secret before the departure of Uillagagno or afterward by letters drewe him to Apostate from his faith â—…s Lerius who was there in presence and reporteth the specials of all that viage and their Generals vsage there doth amply remember And that this was the true cause of their returne wee neede not appeale to any of our men fince Costerus the Iesuite will tell it thus u The Calvinistes not many yeares agone Controver cap 2. did attempt to bring in their errours to the people of India and Peru but by the â—…ide of CHRIST and by the industrie of the Catholikes they were excluded Indeede the Cardinall of Lorraine be stirred himselfe in that businesse being so bitter an enimy to the Gospell of CHRIST that hee could not endure that the Frenchmen should have it at home or abroade least belike multitudes of them should have left their countrie and built Colonies elsewhere So he cared not what losse or dishonour the kingdome of Fraunce had so there might be no Sanctuary or refuge for those whome hee reputed heretikes dealing as honestly and faithfully therein as Steven Gardiner while hee lived and afterwardes other of the Cleargie did with Caleis in Queene Maries time which towne they vnderstanding to be the receptacle of many good Christians fled out of England for their conscience were so averse from regarding repayring and supplying it that the French discrying the weakenesse thereof by attempting it both sodeinely and subtilely afterward pursuing their enterprise fearcely did get it from the English Such was the blessed minde of that Machiavellian Cardinall whome GOD x Commentar Relig. Reip. in Gal. Lib. 13. remembred at the last suffering him by a colde which he had taken by going barefoote and whipping himselfe for his lascivious sinnes to grow first into a fever and then into a madnesse which sent him raving and foolishly speaking to receive his iudgement The Queene mother as ashamed that Ahitophel shoulde proove Nabal caused it to bee reported about the Courte that the man went to GOD in most sweete meditations but the other was so evident that every bodye laughed at the simplicitie of their devise who would have that covered which the Lorde had shewed of purpose that every ones y 1. Sam 3. 11. eares who heard of it might tingle T. HILL BVT who knoweth not that the Catholikes as they have converted all to Christianity that ever were Christians so in this age they have brought infinite numbers to the Christian faith in the East VVest Indies by the meanes and labours of the most happy and holy fathers of the holie Order of S t. Frauncis of S. Dominicke and of the blessed Society of Iesus which blessed Religious men in our owne Country there of England onely in regard of their sacred function are executed as Traitors And have not these I pray you their authority from Rome G. ABBOT 4 THE vanitie and vnwisenesse of this asseveration I haue plentifully shewed before
loose companions and sensuall men as you fondly doe here intimate neither ever did they become bad spectacles to the world but ledde their liues in study in preaching and writing which may well appeare by such volumes of their workes as having beene laide on the Popes backe haue broken many ribs of him that they never will be able to close againe Their learning their industry their faithfulnesse their vertuous conversation every way might bee a glasse and mirrour to your Cardinals and Bishops and all your Romish Cleargy where for the most parte ignoraunce and idlenesse and wantonnesse doth abound And what marvaile can it be that men so fore-ordained by the secret providence of the Almightye to doe such noble service in the campe of the everlasting Lord and to ransake the wals of Babylon should vpon the apprehension of Gods pleasure therein make speede to come forth of spirituall Gomorrha and lay aside their superstitious and Frierly weede which was the livery of him who was mortall enemy to their Master Christ Iesus if k Gen. 39 12 Ioseph were praise-worthy for leaving his owne garment behinde him rather then to yeeld to any lewd action which might concerne manners how are they to be honoured for leaving the Divels cloath wheÌ„ they might not enioy it vnlesse they did prostitute both body soule to idolatrous abominatioÌ„ And whereas here you bestow your remembrance on Peter Mattyrs vvife how blessed was shee living and howe happy is her soule nowe that shee shoulde in such sort bee exagitated for Christ his sake Shee was neither flaps nor fustelugs but a woman indeed of body reasonably corpulent but of most matron-like modesty for the which shee was much reverenced by the most shee was of singular patience of excellent artes and qualities and among other things for her recreation she delighted to cut pluÌ„mestones into curious faces and countenances of which exceeding artificially done I once had one with a womans visage and heade attire on the one side and a Bishop with his miter on the other which was the elegant worke of her hands By diverse yet living in Oxford this good woman is remembred and commended as for her other vertues so for her liberality to the poore which by Master l In Histor. Eccl. Sub Maria Reg. Foxe writing how shee was entreated after her death is rightly mentioned For loue of true religion and the company of her husband shee left her owne countrey to come into England in K. Edwards daies and so good was her fame here that when the Papists in Q. Maries time being able to get nothing against her beeing dead were yet desirous to wreske their teene vpon her integrity they would needes rage vpon the bones of her a woman and a stranger and tooke them out of her graue from Christian buriall and buryed them in a doung-hill Pascitur in vivis livor post fata quiescit Envy doth vse on living folkes to gnawe But bee they dead shee doth her selfe with-draw Yet this was their Romish charity and Popish humanity which one wondring at did recommende the remembraunce of it to these verses Foemineum sexum Romani semper amarunt Proijciunt corpus cur muliebre foras Hoc si in quaras facilis responsio danda oft Corpor a non curant mortua viva petunt The Popish crow haue evermore the female sexe embraced How is it that a womans corse they haue from graue displaced Thus if you aske right readily mine answere may be this Their bodies deade they care not for liue ones they clip and kisse T. HILL ANd surely I am greatly confirmed in the Catholike religion beholding the Heavenly manner vsed by the professours thereof in gayning souls to Almighty God for that I see them neither to spare goods 〈◊〉 labours â—…o nor their owne liues so that they may wâ—… people to Heaven Gregory the thirteenth Pope of that name in these our daies spent all the reveâ—…wes of the Popedome in founding Seâ—…ies and Colledges iâ—… diverse Lâ—…des and Provinces thereby to restore the Catholiks religion G. ABBOT 9 IT is not this which coÌ„firmeth you in Popery but your discontented humour your passionate credulity and most of all want of the grace of God who leaving you to your selfe because you tooke delight in humane inventions now suffreth you to striue to proue some body in keeping vp the rotten ruinous temple of Antichrist For there is nothing named by you here which should be forcible as to detaine you in your perversnes since if those actes which you pretend were graÌ„ted you yet they are matters common with mis-creants the Turks yearly sparing no cost nor forbearing to adventure their liues in HuÌ„gary that they may repell the forces of the Christians farther propagate their Mahometane profession And the maÌ„ner which your men vse is not heaveÌ„ly but earthly since their care is more to bring in all whom they may gaine to the Bishop of Rome or the king of Spaine then to the â—…old of Iesus Christ. But this your asseveration you exemplifie first in Gregory the 13. who in the founding of Seminaties and Colledges in divers landes spent all the revenewe of the Popedome I haue tolde you before of your generall speeches without sence reason and probability Were you great Treasurer or Maister of the Fisco in those daies that you either knew his receipts or his expences How did his Holynesse maintaine his estate his family his souldiours his gard his gallies those huge suÌ„mes wherat great CoÌ„manders are everie day How did he send abroad his spies and mainetaine discorde among Christian Princes Did not his purse walke thinke you And since his own revenew was spent as you say did he borrow or go to best be trust for al the rest A sober man would be ashamed to thinke that such a speech should come froÌ„ a Doctour of Divinity What was it his rent for a m Papirius Masson in vita Greg. 13 house in Bonony which was left him by Boâ—…-Compagnon his father that bore al the rest of his charges he much helped his poore â—…inred as his brothers sonne whoÌ„ he made a Cardinal Philip his sisters son others this so pleÌ„tifully as that the author of the story in some words is constrained to Apologize him for it And if it should be thought that the most of their prefermeÌ„ts were in spiritual livings yet what say you for his base sonne no newes that with the Popes Iames Boâ—…-CoÌ„pagnon whoÌ„ he would cal n Ibidem his son according to the flesh He made him Marquesse of Vineola not far FroÌ„ ferrara general of all his forces as wel horse as foote he maried him to a daughter of the house of the Comtes of Saint Flora he bought the towne Sora for him and got the King of Spaine to intitle him Duke thereof he purchased for him Arpmum the country of old Cicerâ—… lefte him much wealth besides And I pray you
accident hee bee compelled to flye into forraine Countreyes hee maye not travaile excepte his prettye parâ—…ll goeth vvith him but such a one to goe simplye and as they saye bona fide to convert others vvas yet never 〈◊〉 G. ABROT 13 You wil tell vs anone that the children of this y Luk. 16 18 world are wiser in their generatioÌ„ then the childreÌ„ of light And this wee knew before as also that you are more diligent to doe evill then many of vs are to doe good But the Protestants haue a vocation and keepe themselues in their watches where God hath placed every one of them and doe not stirre from it but when as by the godly Magistrate they are imployed They are not assured that to leaue their owne charge and leade a Circumcellian life without speciall appointment is acceptable vnto God Antiochus indeede being striken by Gods hande is reported to professe that he z 2. Maâ—…hab 9. 17. would become a â—…ew himselfe goe through all the worlde that was inhabited and preach the power of God But wee propose not to our selues the example of Antiochus But the Apostles did so And had they not a a Matth. 28. 19. commission so to doeâ—… Yet might they not goe till they had that Commission and sometimes they were restrained by the spirit of the Lorde from b Act. 16. 6. 7 such and such places Yea and the calling of the Apostles is ceased Doe you read that Saint Ambrose or Saint Austen or the old fathers in the Primitiue Church did take any such course And whereas Gregory sent some into England it was vpon a speciall occasion c Eccle. hist. lib 1. 23. Bede saith that Gregory was warned there-vnto by an instinct from God Indeede it is probable that d Cap 26. Berta wife to King Edilbert then of Kent had secretly a finger in that busines for shee being of the French nation was a Christian woman before and would not condescend to be marryed to Edilbert but on condition that shee might without impeachment retaine her religion and a Bishop which shee brought with her for that purpose It may wel be supposed that her French friends being nere to Italy or her selfe might sollicite that affaire But whereas you say that never any of our faith did leaue his pleasures at home adventure abroade the Proverbe Mâ—…dacom opâ—…rtet esse memorem Alyar had neede of a good memorie hath seized vpon you for in this very Chapter you mention the sending of Ministers abroade by the advise of Iohn Calvine which was amonge the e Lerij Navigat in Brasil Tâ—…pinambaliij in Brasilia such a iourney every way considered as never Frier or Iesuite vndertooke a more dangerous as is evident by the extreme famine endured in their returne besides the vexation and perils sustained there And if French-men had beene planted in f Expeditio in FloridaÌ„ Florida there had of likely-hood gone many more But there the purpose of many FreÌ„ch was to have resided had not the murtherours and massacring cruelty of the Spanyards hindered it they contrary to their owne word and honor cutting the throats of all whoÌ„ they could lay hould vpoÌ„ Yea if it had pleased God to have prospered our English g See Hacluits viages Colonies in Virginia there would not haue bin waÌ„ting meÌ„ of the Ministery to have adveÌ„tured speÌ„t their lives there so it may be said for any other place where God shall dispose the heartes of our Prince couÌ„try to thinke fit that they probablie may honour the Almighty And wheras you speake of charges to advauÌ„ce true ReligioÌ„ you needed to have gone no farther then to your owne late Soveraigne who with the assistaÌ„ce of her peoples purses did for the true plaÌ„ting of the service of God spend more treasure in IrelaÌ„d alone that without any assuraÌ„ce or likly-hood of recoÌ„peÌ„ce againe which the SpaÌ„yard ever stood vpoÌ„ in his Indies theÌ„ al your late Popes Popish Princes haue done in seÌ„ding abroad their AgeÌ„s And had it not bin Gods glory alone the honorable mind of a ChristiaÌ„ Queene who desired to blesse not to spill that which was coÌ„mitted vnto her her Highnes might with lesse charge daunger and trouble have desolated the country of the auncient inhabitants and peopled it with English beginning with the Sea-coastes and going forward into the In-land wherof your Catholike Kinges of Spaine would peradventure have made no bones as is evident by their proceedings in America but a true regard of Christianity and a minde to deale regally in that as in all other matters induced her Maiestie to waste an inestimable deale of goulde and silver besides the losse of men and all this to bring that rough and vntractable people into the sheepefolde of Christ Iesus if possibly that might be And albeit the times and present occasions were such that by necessitie the expence of her Highnesse was rather imployed vpon Souldiours theÌ„ on Seminaries Colledges yet the resolutioÌ„ of her as of a most ChristiaÌ„ Princesse was illustrious that way wheÌ„ beyond the consultations and advises of all her Graces most noble Progenitours yea beyond the opinion of Stephen Gardiner himselfe as L. Chancellour and a Privy councellour howsoever as a Bishop he was otherwise minded shee was pleased to graunt vnto that nation that at Dubline they should have an Vniversity where one Colledge long since was erected before this time more might have beene but for the warres And if all this had bin done by her Maiesties charge yet howe small would that have beene in comparison of those masses of treasure which in warlike service have beene within these fewe yeares expended 14 Your scoffe of Prety Parnel and many such more we must beare But if it bee true that never any Protestant went about such a worke as the planting of the faith how do you knowe that they would not goe without their wives in their company your tale is tyed togither with points But is it such a sinne that men going from their countrey even about the Lords busines should take those with theÌ„ whoÌ„ God hath ioined as their perpetual yokfelowes to coÌ„fort each other in sicknes in health It was wont to be that h Marc. 10. 9 what God had coupled togither no maÌ„ sâ—… seperate Wold you have vsed this speech against i 1. Cor. 9. 5. S t. Peter the brethreÌ„ of the Lord the rest of the Apostles that they could not goe vp and downe to preach the word spread the faith without their prety Parnels And yet you know or may know if you be not grossely ignoraÌ„t that these led women about with them in their ordinary ministratioÌ„ And is it not more probable that these were wives of their own theÌ„ any other wemeÌ„ k Libr. de Monogamia TertulliaÌ„ indeede is of opinion that they were not their wives but ministra other
of one that so they might live in an Anarchy or tumultuous cōfused State but it was their vnspeakeable comfort that since the blessed God had takē vnto him her who was their most gracious Lady he had another in store whō they might serve in peace follow in warre frō the bottome of their harts pray for in both So hath the word of God seasoned the harts of old yong amōg v◅ with true subiectiō Christian obsequiousnes to the higher power Now for Germany when was it in the Electours other Princes more flourishing thē of late Whē were the governmēts of the Pals-grave Duke of Saxony Laurgrave of Hasse others of the religiō more in riches or setled trāquillity thē now And if the Empire it selfe be weakened the strength therof be pulled on the knees that is not the fault of the Gospell there professed for that errour was longe since runne into by o Ha◅lan Histo◅ l. 15. Charles King of Bohemia and Emperour who to get the Empire to his sonne released to the Electours and Princes the tributes other revenewes Imperiall And when they had once tasted the sweetnes therof they would never part with it againe Scotland was never more prosperous in deeper peace surer trafficke thē it is at this day And if heretofore there have bin any tumultuous it was the fault of some humorous persons and not of Religion as may appeare by the cōparing of that time with this when neverthelesse now the same doctrine is there professed The Cantons of Suitzerland the Protestants about thē do all well maintaine their States governments And the Vnited Provinces doe make a prety shift to keepe that which they had it wholy seemeth to be in such a cōplete order that the King of Spaine knoweth not wel what to make of it Then certainly al States and kingdomes be not quite destroyed by vs but those countries which harbour the Gospell live in as good reputatiō as other their poore neighbours do by them 18 But somewhat els there is in it The low Coūtries have shoken of the yoke of the Spanyards service Some of them indeede have but so many of their p Apolog. Prin◅p Aur◅ Vid◅◅ter lib 1 Dino◅h lib. 1. Apologies and other Defences published to the Christian world shew that it was not hastely vnadvisedly done They have let it be vnderstood that the Duke of Burgūdies government over them was not so absolute as the power of other cōfining Princes is over their Subiects That there is a very great reciprocal duty of his parte toward them even by the Positive Orders of their coūtry That their first submission of themselues to their Dukes then being French and afterward to the house of Austria was ever on that cōdition sworne vnto that the◅ Privileges should be kept Among them those which are the liberties of Brabant are the cheefe Now as these Hollanders say for thēselves whē King Philip the 2. tooke that harsh coūsaile to govern thē by Strāgers to over-rūne thē by his Spaniards to brīg in the Inquisitiō to behead their Nobles burn vp their people to erect new Bishopricks for a bloudy purpose in a word without ◅bling or cōsul◅g the Stats to alter by the sword the whol face of those Provinces they sēt oft to the Court in Spaine they vsed ◅nfinite supplications which would not be heard intercessions of neighbour Princes many pawses and sta◅es hopes at last being driven by extreme necessitie they proceeded farther even proclaiming that he had lost the Interest which formerly he had over them Nothing made them so averse as their vnderstanding by a q Meterr lib 2 letter intercepted that there was a proiect in the King to vse diverse of their Nobles well at first and afterward to destroy thē This letter was writen from Fran◅cus Alava Embassadour for the K. in Fraunce to the Lady Governes the Duchesse of Parma But when all this is said your Papists were every way Actours in this as farre as any other they did ioyne with the rest and were most forward for the maintenance of their Privileges And this so farre appeared that they iointly would have submitted all to r Meter l 12 Henry the 3. of Fraūce a Prince of the Romish religiō which in very deede formerly they had done to s Lib 10 Mounsieur the Duke of Alansō choosing him to be their Duke of Brabāt when he gave no other signification but in his faith to be Popish Yea the case of these Low-coūtry-mē seemed to mē of al sortes so iust reasonable that first s Lib 8 Mathias and afterward t Libr 17 Ernestus Archdukes both of Austria both kins-mē of bloud to King Philip both of the Romane faith did come personally into those parts and were Governours of the forces of those vnited Provinces which in the eies of every indifferēt mā doth leaue a strōg impressiō that the dealing of the Spanyard was more discōmēdable toward thē thē theirs was toward hī And I do verily beleeve that if matters were now fresh to begin the King Catholike who now is his very wise sage councel would be wel advised before that they would vndertake any courses so apparātly offensiue to the whol body of that people Notwithstādīg I do leave this whol questiō of the Low-coūtries to the vnderstāding cōsideration of the wise to that which time shal farther discover The rising of the u Sleidan Comment Lib 4 5 Cōmōs in Germany was not caused by Religiō for those of greatest fame who professed the religiō as Luther namely did disswade them from it and wrote against them but it was such a mutiny as sometimes Subiectes make in other Nations and the like whereof of late the olde u Peda de historias King of Spaine had in Arragon and so had England in the daies of Kinge Richard the second by Iacke Stravve VVat Tiler and other such noble companions and another such in the raigne of King Edward the sixt Of such insurrections vvhat opinion vvee have may partely bee seene by that treatise of Sir Iohn Cheeke The true subiect to the Rebell partly by our preachings writings since We dislike it we detest it we condemne it we pronounce it to be Rebelliō In the stirres which were in Scotland there is no doubt but there were many errour◅ on both sides If the ambition of some whither in Parliamēt or otherwise or the disorderly tumult of some multitudes did sway to farre let thē be are their owne blame But this did not overthrow the kingdom no we know that it stādeth to this day in great glory albeit perhaps that be not wholy to be ascribed vnto thē who in their chāges did as much looke to seeming ciuil pollicy as to the veritable approovable rules of religiō We doe not hold it to be the power or pleasure of
he who first meÌ„tioned the match is the 〈◊〉 father of lies so coÌ„sequently may promise that which is not in him to Iohan. 8. 44. perform you gladly would chaleÌ„ge the coÌ„pleting of the bargain that your master vnder SathaÌ„ may have so large a kingdome And that you may the better prove it as that cuÌ„ning deceiver alleaged mis-alleaged the c Luk. 4 10 Scripture it selfe so you doe to your Auditours yea so strictly you do follow him that wheras he cited what he had to say out of a Psal. of David you also begin in that sorte labouring to evict a false CoÌ„clusioÌ„ froÌ„ a right true PropositioÌ„ That the Church of the Messias must be throughout al Nations David you say foretelleth you cite vs for that purpose a verse of the 18. Psal. as you reade it after the Septuagint of the 19. as we more truly account it out of the Hebrew d Psal 19. 4 Thâ—… 〈◊〉 is gone forth through all the earth their words into the â—…ds of the world which seÌ„teÌ„ce whosoever coÌ„sulteth that text shal se properly originally to meane the course of the heaveÌ„s which being in coÌ„tinuall motion being whirled about the CeÌ„teâ—… the earth do testify to all nations that there is a supreme power guiding governing the whole world And this doctrine to wit that from the ordering of the Creatures the being of a God may be collected S. Paule doth also teach But that saying of David the same e Cap 10. 18 Apostle as f Rom 1. 20. you suppose extendeth farther to the doctrine of the Apostles Preachers Verily the words also cited by S. Paule do caâ—… the same sence for the Creatures no otherwise if you naturally literally do take theÌ„ then I may truly say that you caÌ„not g Bellar de verb. Dei lib 3. cap 3 invincibly demonstratively inferre that out of them which you desire NotwithstaÌ„ding because S. Paule per spiritum Apostolicum by the Apostolike spirit which was in him which is not to bee fouÌ„d but in the compilers of the New Testament might adde alter explicate apply places of the olde Testament to that which the words did not literally cary at the first because our Saviour Christ himself did so being ful of that spirit which spake by the Prophets because also some of the olde 〈◊〉 fathers alluding heerevnto have not properly but by allusion referred this Chrysost in Mat 24â—… August Epist 80. Scripture to the preaching of the Apostles wee will not stande with you but accept it for the generality as you here wold haue it as it is to some such purpose formerly alleaged by mee It is therefore condescended vnto that immediately almost after Christs asceÌ„sion the Gospel was divulged East West North South in very many countries but whither in every particular Nation vnder heaven we dare not say since all is in the Scripture taken for a great part as h Math 3 5 then went out to Iohn Hierusalem alludâ—… all the region round about Iordon which is to say very many inhabitants of those places and they persons of all qualities And else-where i Luk. 2 1 all the world being a most general speech yet is so restrained that it must imply no more then so much therof as was subiect to the Romanes Which was much at that time but farre from the whole earth It is also truth that in another Psalme the Roial Prophet vnder SalomoÌ„s person who was a figure of Christ doth foretell that the k Psam 72 10 11 Kings of Thâ—… fit of the Heâ—… shall bring presents the Kings of Sheba Seba shall bring gifts â—…ea all Kings shall worship him all nations shall serve him inteÌ„ding the Messias But will any man so take this according to the letter that there should never be King not Agrippa not Domitian not Sapores but should be ChristiaÌ„s al natioÌ„s at al times should entertaine the faith This extent must be so coÌ„sidered that at one time or another before the day of iudgement Christ Iesus should bee preached in some part of all â—…uine regions here and there Kings and Queenes whcÌ„ God should be pleased to call theÌ„ should submit their scepters vnto the Lord of heaven But you might well perceive that these thinges are spoken by an Anâ—… he sit betweene the lewish Church which was restrained within the compasse of one lande and so coÌ„tinued for many ages and the Church vnder the New TestameÌ„t which should at one time or another be variously diffused through all general places of the world And what else do those two texts out of the Revelation insinuate vnto vs but that Christians should be picked from many nations people farre otherwise theÌ„ while the lewish Synagogue did flourish but you will not I trust inferre that all nations at all times or all people of all Nations should belong to the true sheepe-folde but there may be ebbes and flowes the Church in the l Apoc. 12. 6. wildernesse at the time appointed m 2. Thes. 〈◊〉 3. Apostasy revolting n Luk. 18 8 faith cant to be found among men since there is nothing fore-tolde by the Spirite of God but must have his accomplishment And therefore since we are warned of both there must be an age of paucity as well as of plenty a waning of the Moone as well as a full or waxing But what vrge you heere-vpon T. HILL THese thinges with many such like on Holy write are no wise verified in â—…y Relegion vnder Heaven but onely to the Romane Catholike Church for that 〈◊〉 but it as every man knoweth hath had any large sâ—…pe to account vpon in any age And it hath bin for these thousand yeeres at the â—…east throughout both the Hemispheres in such forte that the Sâ—…nne stretcheth not his bâ—…s further then it doth and hath done yea there is 〈◊〉 nor people nor climate in the world which hath not heard of and 〈◊〉 some measure received the Catholicke Romane Religion G. ABBOT 2. IF you take Religion heere for the true service of God we deny Popery to be Religion If you take it for devotion in what sence soever then vvhat say you to the Saracâ—…nsfaith which for many hundreds of yeere while it possessed so much of Asia as Persia with Media Arabia with the countrie adioyning besides what is added within these 300. yeares by the raigns of the OttomaÌ„â— in Africa al the Northren part froÌ„ Aegypt to Marocco alonge the Mediterrane Sea and in Europe some thing as the kingdome of Granado in Spaine and diverse times more then that there was nothing inferiour for circuite of land to the boundes of the whole Westerne Church wherin only the Pope dominered And shal Mahumetisme herevpoÌ„ be coÌ„cluded to be that faith which must save mens solus But good Sir when the Primitiue Church did
reach so wide for diverse hundreds of yeeres without any maine corruption when the truth afterward though eclipsed yet was not extinguished in the Easterne Indian Africane Churches as also in very many poore men in West o See the answere to the 1. Reason Europe throughout the worst ages when nowe of late it is spreade so wide againe these thinges doe plentifully satisfie all the speeches afore named Rome by theÌ„ shal have no more possessioÌ„ of piety theÌ„ a grosse harlot hath of honesty You would gladly draw all Prophecies to you and appropriate them to your selves whereas those fewe excepted which living amonge you loathed your abuses you had have the least part of Gods congregation to be found with you And heere gentle Doctour according to your custome not your mouth but your pen doth exceedingly runne over while you speake things incredible improbable impossible and your Geography is iust as sound as your Divinity Hath your Romanishe beleefe for a thousand yeeres togither beene as largely difused as the beames of the Sunne Before I goe farther I vvoulde gladlye knovve whether you can blush at all or no Heere your dreaming doth farre exceed the doating of Hannibals Phormio You must have a face of brasse on when you doe but come foorth to make good the least parte of this proposition Cosmographers nowe divide the worlde into the olde knovvne Countries and into the nevve founde Landes And first doe you thinke that in the Landes lately discovered vvhich in quantitie are more then one halfe of the vvorlde the Sunne did not shevve his beâ—â—â—s till vvithin these sixe-score yeeres And can you bringe any mo 〈…〉 or presumption in the vvorlde that euer Christian man did knovve them or they knevve anie Christian man but especially that they heard of your Bishop of Rome till Christopherus Columbus did discover them in the yeare of our p Poâ—… Martyr Decad. 〈◊〉 Benzo Novâ—…orb Histor. 〈◊〉 1. 6. Lorde 1492 And if you cannot do this much lesse wil you evince that they accepted of his faith for a thousand yeares togither And as for the South CoÌ„tinent that was discryed but about or since the time of finding of America As for the olde knovvne worlde that consisteth in Africa and Asia and Europa in every part of all which the Sunne shineth some times in the yeare yea even to the very Pole as the rules of Astronomie vvhich it seemeth you never vnderstood vvill tell you Vntill that of late the Portingales attempting q Osor. de gest Emanucl lib. 1. to goe to Calecut found the Cape of Bâ—…na 〈◊〉 and since that time have straggingly gotte heere a towne and there a petye Castle vppon the Sea coast all vvhich vvas but a little before the going out of Columbus vvhat vvas there within the whole compasse of Africa vvhich knewe ought of the Romishe doctrine vnlesse peradventure you will name r â—…dem Septa and a towne or two in Barbarye where some Portingales before that time did dwell or else perhappes that it was possible that some Merchants of Europe might goe to Alexandria in Aegypte for wares and there while they resided keepe their owne superstition But the country it selfe was vnder the Saracent either Sultanes or Turkes for seaven or eight hundred yeares And as you spedde in Africa so did you in Asia the whole compasse of that huge region taking no notice of your Pope of his Idolatry For the Christians which were there were either of no dependance vppon Europe I speake for the greater parte of these last thousand yeares or were of the Greek Church The only thing which can be pretended is that s Malmisb in Gulielm a. lib. 4 GirusaleÌ„me del Tasso Godfrey of Bullion and other Christians of the Westerne pâ—…s did for a time conquere and keepe thr holy land which is scant the hundreth porte of Asia and this was holde but by the sword and that but for s Hâ—…veden â—…rt 〈◊〉 in Henrie 〈◊〉 fourescore seaven yeares but long before that time so since againe the Saracens ever had it What shame is there the in this maÌ„ who so asseverantly protesteth such grosse falshoods At the world theÌ„ in a miner is shrunke into our Europe there againe is cut of the Eastern Grâ—… church who could never be brought to ioine with the Pope of Rome no not at the t Platina in Eugan 4. Councel of Florence when Italie had thought to have intangled them in her net And all the dominion of the Muscovite which could not be caught by the baite of u Possevin de vebus Muscovit Possevinus Besides the Northren parts of Scythia Europaea nowe inhabited by some of the Tartars So that setting aside religion and common honesty among men if you had but a competâ—… wit you would never so audaciously haue pronouÌ„ced of this matter Yet I make you the largest allowance vvhich in any probability you can crave 3 But since your hand is in you will not so give it over There is no tongue nor people nor climate in the world which hath not hearde of and in some measure received the Catholike Romane religion Should you not heere be answered rather 〈◊〉 â—…stibus then with words VVhat saye you to the South Continent which is so huge a country that if the firme land do hould vnto the Pole as it commonly is received and beleeved it very neere equaleth all Asia Africa and Europâ—… And vvhat part in all that world is throughly discovered as yet by any Christian and I doe not capitulate with you touching all of it but what part at all is there of the same that hath received the faith of â—…ome How much is there in Peru yea of the maritime partes of Brasile and downe towardâ—… the straightes of Magellanus hovve much is there in the inlande as that Terra Patagoâ—… or of Giâ—…es yea hovve much toward the North from thence is there all vvhich remaineth yet in the possession of meere Infidels who neither have beene yet subiected to the heavy yoke of the Spanyards nor have once tasted of their religion Indeede for Hispania Nova and vp as high as Mâ—…xice the Spanishe have incroched very much into their handes but if vvee looke higher into the Northren and colder partes of America which are not so fitte for the breeding of golde the sâ—…m bâ—…m of Spaine what huge countries be there of incomparable bignesse which have nothing of Christianity in them Looke either on the farther side as men passe through the South Sea in that u Hacklan the viage of S F Dr Nova Albion touched on by Sir Frauncis-Drake and all the parts adiacent or on the neerer fide by the North sea in Florida Virginia Norimbega Estotilant with all whatsoever is within the straightes togither with the maine Mediterrane countries being more then the kings of Englande and France with divers other Princes of Europe haue vnder all their dominion
Peter that was according to atradition much received among the Anciēt but for the māner therof much differed vpō by all Besides Prosper lived in the daies of Pope Leo the first with In vita Leonis Mapni whō he was very familiar with u In vita Prosp. Aquitan whō he was at Rome receiving many favours from Leo and therefore might more easily incline to the opinion of that Pope who began to arrogate too much to his See and to magnify it so farre as that his Successours but especially x Lib. 3. Epist. 76. Gregory woulde not stande to it This doth often appeare in the vvorkes of Leo but I vvill cite by name one place whence Prosper might have the prose of that which heeturned into verse Speaking vnto Rome as concerning Peter Paule hee saith thus y Leo Serm. 1. in Nativit Petr. Pauli These are they who brought thee to this glory that thou shouldest be a holy natiō a chose people a citie of Priests Kinges and that by the holie seate of Saint Peter thou beeing made the head of the worlde shouldst more largely rule by divine religion then by earthly dominion Whē Prosper heard this from Leo as an Orator he might set it a strain higher as a Poet who in his amplification would leaue out no word which might grace the place whō hee would honour And then he could not see the inconvenience that afterward did arise by too much magnifying that Episcopal or Patriarchical city And these things are especially to bee remēbred if you would vrge his words to that purpose which in this place principally cōcerneth you that is to say that the faith was spread over al the world Truth it is that much of the world ioyned in the same beliefe with the Clergy city of Rome from thence as being one of the Imperiall residences they had great light many also repaired to the Bishops there as being for a long time eminent persons in respect of their holines of life but if we wil speak exactly neither did they take their religiō from thence more then frō Hierusalē Alexandria Antioch neither did I wil not say the fai◅h of Rome but that faith which vvas in Rome as wel as in other places possesse the whol world For first the z Loco cita◅o words of Leo himselfe do signifie the Christian Religion to be no farther spread over the earth then the Roman Empire had bin or little more we know that albeit vnder that Empire was much of the old knowne world yet there was also a very greate deale which never came vnder their subiection And secondly even at that time being about 450. years after Christ neither by the Apostles nor by their successours had the Gospel bin mēcioned in many parts of the old world which is it that seemeth here to ly on you to proue And for this we neede no better testimony then his whom before you cited S. Austen I meane who was an old mā living when Prosper was younge Besides I wil choose no other place but one of those whom yourselfe cite which being throughly scanned by the Reader will evidently shew that you D Hill do take vp your wares at trust Or else had you looked and knowne the place your selfe you would never haue cited that which so expresly confirmeth the point by mee taught and over-turneth your assertion of the Gospell being spreade in all countries of the world taking countries and Nations particularly and specially and strictly as you doe in your discourse 7 Saint a Epist 78 Austen then being asked by Hesychius concerning the n◅enesse of the day of iudgment had in a former Epistle given reasons out of the holy Scriptures why that time was not likely to be very shortly and among other that was one that the b Mat. 24. 14 Gospel of the kingdome had not yet bin preached throughout the whol world Hesychius is not yet throughly satisfied thervpon S. Austen so advertised setteth to him againe in a second Epistle and farther prosecuting that point of the faith not yet received every where he vttereth these words c Epistol 80. Whereas your Reverence doth thinke that this is already done by the Apostles themselues I haue proved by certaine arguments that it is not so For there are with vs that is to say in Africa innumerable barbarous nations among whom that the Gospell is not yet preached we may everie daie read◅ learne by those who are brought captiues from thence are now mingled with the servants of the Romanes Then he addeth that some of the African people being lately subiected to the Romanes had given their names to Christ But those more inward who are vnder no power of the Romanes are not at al possessed with the Christiā religion in any of theirs Yet he saith it was not to be doubted but that more and more woulde come in that the Prophecies of the Scripture might bee fulfilled But that the Western part of the world had the Church thē already Afterward looke in what natiōs therfore the Church yet is not it must be not that atwhich shal be there must beleeue for al natiōs are promised but not all men of all nations And yet againe Howe then was this preaching fulfilled by the Apostles in as much as yet there be nations which is vnto vs most assured in whom it lately began and in whom not as yet it is begun to be fulfilled Hee sheweth that it was and must be performed in the Apostles and their successours to the end of the world And to that purpose hee expoundeth that speech d Psal. 19. 4. Their sound is gone out into all lands by the future tense as well as by the time past He shutteth it vp thus It is fructifying and growing in all the world although the Gospell did not yet possesse the whole but hee did say that it did fructifie in the whole world increase that so he might signifie how farre it should come by fructifying and increasing Novve who doeth not see that the same which this vvorthy Father said in his time of innumerable nations in Africa not yet called to the faith might then many hundreds of years afterwarde yea in some till our time be verified of the Northren partes of Europe and of the North and East countries of Asia to say nothing of all the new-discovered lands toward the North South West of which before I haue spoken And this togither with Hieroms owne words before mentioned Or else we see shortly to be fulfilled In Mat. 24 doeth shew that the speeches of the auncient Fathers aboue named are not strictly and precisely to be taken but that all is to be vnderstoode for much and many and for all the generall coasts lying to the East and West and North and South not including each speciall And so consequently such a multitude of authorities is but very idly
loathed their in human cruelty that thousands of women great with child either destroied theÌ„selues or the childreÌ„ in their bellies that they might not bring into the world any creatures to be slaues to so vile outragious persons In the meane while they go on with rebellion against Columbus their governour who for recompeÌ„ce of his honest service was by some of theÌ„ tumulting thrust out of his coÌ„maÌ„ding charge sent bound into Spaine to the dislike of the K. Q. they fel to murther one another they speÌ„t their time in dieing swearing cuâ—…sing blaspheming God in rapes violeÌ„t deflourings of the wiues daughters of the Americanes in al such incogitable execrable vilainy as if they had bin Divels and infernall spirites let loose and sent from hell to the desolation of those countries 12 These matters grew so horrible that the Captaines who were more civil coÌ„plained of it first to K. Ferdinandus afterward to Charles the 5. Emperor K. of Spaine the poore Friers that had bin there ran with open mouth to divers of the Popes desiring their mediation and that for Christianities sake it might be amêded The writers as b Decad. 3. 8. 5. 9. 〈◊〉 4. Benzo li. 1. 25. Pet. Martyr of Millaine Benzo Bartholomeus de Casa other haue never done in reproving it crying out vpon it All this while heere is scant any speech of baptizing any or bringing theÌ„ to Christ that which was done was only by the Friers it being hastily administred without al souÌ„d vnderstaÌ„ding of the misteries of salvatioÌ„ did so litle prevaile in truth with the ignoraÌ„t Infidels that they oftentimes c Benzo l. 1 c. 13. reviled the God of the ChristiaÌ„s affirming that he must needs be a wicked God which kept such naughty servants therevpon renounced reneaged their Christianity So that the Spanyards should bee so far froÌ„ making any boast by themselues or their friends that they haue there converted soules that if there do remaine any sparke of grace in them as in charity we hope there doth they may iustly feare that the everlasting destruction there of innumerable soules will be laid to their charge and the bloud of them will be required at their handes either by some severe punishment on them or their posterity in this worlde or by the coÌ„demnation in another world of the souls of as many as haue bin gilty thervnto haue dyed without repeÌ„taunce Wheras at the first with their Christian behavior maÌ„like vsage they might haue won many froÌ„ their GeÌ„tilisme if they had not infected theÌ„ with AntichristiaÌ„ superstitioÌ„ they might haue bin means to help theÌ„ to heaveÌ„s what store of those Ethnicks ofspring is left in those parts which the Spaniards do posses may be gathred froÌ„ a proportioÌ„ takeÌ„ out of Hispaniola which is one of the biggest Ilands be hither America Benzo a great traveiler was there and spent much time in those partes Heare then what he saith d Nova novi orbis historia l. 25 By the intolerable cruelty of the Spanyardes it is brought to passe in Hispaniola that of two millions of the Indians that is twenty hundred thousand persons by whom that Iland was inhabited some being slaiue by their owne handes and some beeeing killed and wasted by the cruelty of the Spâ—…yardes and the bitternesse of their workes there are scant remaining at this day a hundred and fifty The words are somwhat obscure in the close whither he meaneth a hundred and fifty persons or a hundred and fifty thousand although I rather take it to be the former I finde also elsewhere by a e AdditaÌ„ 9. partis Americâ—… pag. 44 travailer mentioned that in one city of those Westerne parts the name wherof is Imperiall there were before the comming of the Christians thither three hundred thousand Indians inhabiting of whoÌ„ about 20. armed Spanyards by such devises as they had did kil 2. hundred thousand And what is since become of the rest we may iudge If these should be thought to be partial harken to the Iesuit who coÌ„piled the book called Nona pars America This then is his relation The principall cause wherfore Nova Hispania is very much vn inhabited is this that very few escaped Lib. 3. 22. wheÌ„ it at first was possessed by the Spanyards Our M. Watson speaketh as plaine as the best g Quod. 8. 6 The treatise of that worthy Bishop Bartholomeus Cusaus a Spantards borne dedicated to the last king of Spaine hath laide the Spanish proceedings amongst the West Indians so plainely out in their colours how many millions of men womeÌ„ childreÌ„ they haue there murthred that with such inhumane barbarensues much more theÌ„ Phalerical cruelty as vntil they do repent theÌ„ are become a new generatioÌ„ all kingdomes countries in the world are to pray at the least to bee delivered froÌ„ theÌ„ By al which it is plain that the now dwellers in those parts of America which are said to be ChristiaÌ„ are few others but Spaniards who taking thither their wiues daughters are much multiplied within these hundred years the men making no spare to beget children any way after the Spanish fashion But as touching the naturals of the Country first there are few left among them Secondly those who be there being in truth no better theÌ„ vassals slaues drudges to the Spanyards come on slowly to be baptised And thirdly they who for feare or fashion come doe in hart hate them their religion lacke but opportunity to revolt h Quod. 5. 4 froÌ„ theÌ„ And this is the propagating of the faith which they haue made in the West Indies Looke what they haue there Spanish so much haue they Popish In the vpper part of Peru they haue somwhat in the like sort as before I haue shewed but down toward Magellanes straights as also in Brasile which properly belongeth to the Portingales they haue only here there a castle or little towne standing on the sea coast but in the In-land they haue very litle And in these Castles looke what devotion their owne people haue that is papisticall but the men of those parts meddle not with them more then they must needes and vvith their religion not at all 13 And for the East Indies thus the matter staÌ„deth The couÌ„try of the Portingales being but dry and barren the people more then well could be maintained thervpoÌ„ i Osor. de gest Emanuel lib. 1. Henry their king who dyed in the yeare 1460 was willing to imploy some of his meÌ„ to discover by Sea the West side of Afrike down toward the South And having done somewhat that way the next king succeeding him but one that is to say Iohn the son of Alphonsus proceeded yet farther opened even to the Promontory or Cape by him called Caput Bonae Spei King Emanuel the Great Portingale who succeeded Iohn did seÌ„d
care is to instruct their pretended coÌ„verts in those far distant regions may well be coÌ„ceived by that which they informe to their own countrymen living there-about who are much more furnished with wicked devises leading them the ready high way to daÌ„nation then with ought which belongeth to true Christianity For example sake within these three or four yeares s Ibid. p. 75. some HollaÌ„ders passing the South sea came neere to the Iland Manilla where certaine Spaniards then inhabiting would needs entertaine them with an eager fight at sea Divers of these warriours entring the Hollanders ship were slaine among theÌ„ there were fiue found who had about them certain boxes of silver Which being opened there were in theÌ„ little rowles or schedules beset with charmes or diabolicall consecrations whereby they supposed themselues safe froÌ„ all weapons For saith the Author they are oftentimes instructed by their Priests concerning suchingâ—…ing trickes whereby it commeth to passe that by their divelish superstitions such as haue sworne faith to the Pope in these places are much more defiled then very they who line in the middle of Rome or Spaine With what acornes are these Nuoves Christianes fedde when in these remote regions Spanyards theÌ„selues are dieted with such husks This is the propagation of Christianity whereof you speake the abusing and profaning of the Sacrament of Baptisme by communicating it to them whose best profession is ignorance superstition idolatry wilfull obstinacy against the truth if it should be reveiled vnto them T. HILL ANd to name somewhat more in particular some Countries in which it is happily received of many of not vniversally of all but yet in many lands it is received of the greatest part of the inhabitants in Goa in Malabar in Cochin in Bazain in ColaÌ„ in Tana in DamaÌ„ in Ciaul in Coran in Salsetta in Pescaria in Manar in TravaÌ„cor in Cogiro in Bugen in Cicungo in Cicugne in Oian in Gomotto in Gensura in Xichi in Ormuz in Ternate in Momoia in Ambonio in Macazar in Cerignano in Siligan in Butuan in PimiliraÌ„ in Camigu in Supa in Stan in Bacian in Solar in Malacca in Tidor in Selebi and in the Ilands of S. Thomazo S. Domingo Madera in al those innumerable Islands which the king of Spaine there possesseth So that the Catholike Romane religion hath had and hath yet a far greater sway in the world then any othar religion ever had or hath G. ABBOT 15 Our Papists do imagine that they haue to do with none but fools therfore they think to serue theÌ„ therafter They beleeue that if we heare a few great words lustily buÌ„basted we wil stoope saile 〈◊〉 sently come in as ships vnder a Castle for fear of a peale of ordinance Such a devise was that when to credit Abdisu the Patriarke before named and in him the Popes prerogatiue s Gentill in exam Concil Tâ—…deÌ„t Sess 21. they gaue strange formidable names to the Bishopricks Arch-bishopricks fained to be vnder him as Sirava Hancava Meschiara Chiarucbia Cuchia Durra Goa Salamas Baumar Schiabathan Vastan Calicuth Macâ—…hazin Carangol and other such braue appellations which being like coniuring words when any one should heare he durst not for one daies space come with in forty foote of the stake Is not this somewhat like that of the bragging souldiour t Plautus in Milite glorioso in campis Gurgustidonijs Vbi Bombomachides Cluninstaredysarchides Erat Imperator summus Neptune nepos I tel you D. Hil such devises as this of yours is but for children when out of some Portingale merchants remembrances or from the Index of some writer or some such other mocke matter you tel vs what towns or angels of the maine or what litle Ilands the Portingales haue theÌ„selues in the East Indies â—…or some of the Iesuits haue gone thither or some pedlers haue bin in the markets there A towne with you is a city a city a couÌ„try a skirt of some li. tle province is a land or a kingdome an Ilande like Garnesey or Gersey is a matter as much as Sicely or great Britaine one in the quality of a gentlemaÌ„ is a Prince a pety coÌ„mander like a meane West-Indian Cacike is a potent king or Emperour You begin with Goa as if it were some huge region wheras it is but a u Maffcus Hist. Indic li. 4. city appointed indeed by Albuquercius to be the Impettall chaÌ„ber for the dominion of the Portingales in the East Indies It standeth on the hither side of India some thing North froÌ„ Calicut on the Westerne side of that great Promontory which is neerest of al India to Ormus and to the Persian bay or Gulfe u Idem lib. 1 Osor. lib. 2. Malabar is the general name of the CouÌ„try toward the bottome of the Promontory before meÌ„cioned the chiefe city wherof is Calecut x Maf lib 1. Cochin is the city of a poore Prince by Calecut y Li. 9. Bazain a towne of Cambaia 5 or 6. daies iourny Nothward froÌ„ Goa z Lib. 2. Coian a city distant froÌ„ Cochin 24. leagues toward the South a Lib. 9. Tana or Tanaba a litle towne nere Bazain b Lib. 11. Daman another town nere it being on the coast of CaÌ„baia c Lib. 4. Ciual or Chanla a city fast by those last spokeÌ„ of d Lib. 14. CoraÌ„ is the temple of Maâ—…met at Ormus but you mean e Lib. 2. Coromandel in India where it is said that S. Thomas the Apostle did long agoe preach f Lib 11. Salsetta is a little Iland lying neere Bazain It should seeme that there is more then one of theÌ„ g Lib 3. 12 Pescaria or Piscaria is a little sea coast about the bottome of Malaca lyeth more toward the East h Lib. 12. Manar a little Iland nere therevnto i Lib. 12. TravaÌ„cor a small kingdome on the west side of the lowest part of Malaca Of Cogiro Bugen vnlesse you meane k Lib. 12. Bunge a pety kingdome in Iapan Cicungo Cieâ—…gne I finde no mention euhere there be no such places or they be so base that no good Auâ—…hour doth mention them or els you haue mis-written them l Lib. 3. Oia or Oian is a meane city neere Melinde in Africke Your Gomotto perhaps is put for m Lib. 12. Goto or Gotum a small Ilande nere Iapan So I take your Gensura to bee and the rather because it is put nexte Xichâ—… or n Ibidem Xichâ—…cum one of the three chiefe parts of Iapan o Lib. 3. Ormuz we know to be an iland and city neere the entrance into the gulfe of Persia. p Lib. 5. Ternate is one of the fiue Molucco Ilands and so is q Lib. 10. Tidor also which anone followeth Momoia is a towne in a little Ile called Morum Ambonio or rather r Lib. 5. Amboinus is a small I le neere the Moluccos So it
it Afterwards it grew faster but the Greeke Church did balaÌ„ce it Mahomatise did emulate it GeÌ„tilisme did infinitly exceed it in the West true religioÌ„ had faut ours in theÌ„selues many but coÌ„pared with the Antichristian troupe but few now of late the vizard of her holines is pulled of a maine part of Chri stendoÌ„e do see that it is but a painted e 2. King 9. 30. Iezabel That some where it is tolerated we deny not but it may be where the f 2. Sa. 3 39. sons of Zarvia are too stronge for David or for other speciall reasons best known to the governours but of all likelyhood it is where the embracers of it haue learned to be so temperate as not to complot for desolatioÌ„ of those countries where they are tolerated vpoÌ„ a hope that those who are now perverted by errour may be converted to truth But our Princes haue learned to walk in the waies of g 2. King 18 Hezekiah Iosiah know that they are not coÌ„meÌ„ded by the holy Ghost who suffred the high places to stand in their dominions That EnglaÌ„d while she followeth the prescript of the God of wisdoÌ„ should think that she doth more wisely theÌ„ some other who are druÌ„keÌ„ with the harlots inchantments is no greater a fault theÌ„ that of Davids was who could say By h Psal 119 98 99 100. thy coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„ts thou hast 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vviser thâ—… 〈◊〉 enimies And I have bad 〈◊〉 vnderstanding thâ—…n all my teachers And againe I vnderstand more then the auncient because I kept thy precepts The same obiection which you make was made longe agone by the proude Scribes and Pharisees that they thought one way and the simple i Ioh. 7 48 4â—… accursed people were of another minde For our Elders wee shall haue time to come to you toward the ende of this Chapter And what you saye of all the learned men of Christendome for so many ages togither is a Popish bragge for as before I have shevved there were men of singular learning vvho savve the horrible abuses of the Synagogue of Rome and mourning in their soules to behoulde them wrote against them taught against them prayed against them and many vtterly seperated themselues from the k Numer â—…6 â—…26 tentes of Core and Dathan labouring to keepe their conscience vndefiled although for so doing they endured contempt and torture and imprisonment losse of life Your owne bookes beare witnesse of them as formerly I haue shewed T. HILL AND I pray you tell me if an hearbâ—… should be presented to you to 〈◊〉 that all learned Phisitions for a thousand yeâ—…res togither haue iudged to her 〈◊〉 and onely some one or tvvo of later yeeres haue begun to teach the contrarie vvithout actuall experience whether it be so or no but onely by discourse and now argumentes of their owne braine vvould you abstaine to eate it or no Or if an action shoulde bee offered you there in England vvhich by all olde Lawyers iudgment of former times hath beene taken for highe treason Ipso facto and consequentlie losse of life and laudes though some nevver Lavvyers vvere of contrarie opinion that now it is not vvould you not looke tvvise before you did leape except you vvere out of your vvittes But in this other case although all auncient Divines and Doctours for about a thousand yeeres togither haue taught the Catholike Romane religioâ—… â—…ee true indeeds and onelye Fâ—…iar Luther a loose Apostata and Sir Iohn Calvinâ—… a seare-backe Priest for Sodoâ—…ye haue begunne in our dayes to teach the contrarie for feare of being punished by the Magistrates of the saide Catholike religion for vvicked and badde life yee vvill the Protestantes 〈◊〉 ouâ—… and cast at all and vvill hazard Heâ—… and all Etornity of tormentes thereon depending UUho vvill deny this to bee head-long and hare-braine dealing Surely this Vniversall consent of Christendome against two or three so 〈◊〉 â—…hours of novelties are more then sufficient to induce any 〈◊〉 of reason to looke about him and to consider vvhat hee doth and whether he may adventure his soule vppon such inequalitie of testimonies as this is betvveen tvvo or three Novellantes and twenty millions of holy and grave auncients no doubt 〈◊〉 West minster hall this difference of witnesses would 〈◊〉 vvith aâ—… equall and discreete Iudge or 〈◊〉 G. ABBOT 22 SImilitudes are familiar but if you had ever reade any thing touching the Principles of Rhetorike they are of no force at all where men haue to doe with a renitent Auditour of which sorte per adventure you may take vs bee But as learned Physitians as any who gaine saide it founde this that you speake of to bee Mithridate and an Antidote or especiall preservatiue against poyson And nowe there bee more then one or two who have studied this point and that not only for the Theorike but for the Practike also and their argumentes are not newe but fetched from the Patriarkes and Prophets and Apostles Our Physitians haue observed that rule of the l Diod. Siâ—… Antiquit lib 2 3 Aegyptians who in all their cures looked to their booke and by that they did heale or pronounce incurable Yours lefte the booke and thereby as they destroyed their patientes so it is to bee feared that after the manner of the Aegyptian Lavve they lost their owne liues for their labour And that which you mention concerning Lawyers is iust of the same quality for verie great Lawyers did differ about this title in question and then it appeered that those of our side did looke to the law-giver and had recourse to his words wheras your meÌ„ locked vp the booke and professed that they could say by heart so much as was expedient But there their memorie did faile them Novve as the former vvere out so such as came after and beleeved their blinde maisters vvere more out then their predecessours The Romish Dictatour tooke the advantage by this and finding that his best profitte was to bee his owne â—…arver and make lawes for himselfe added what hee would and intrepreted as hee list and if hee would goe astray wherevnto hee was most ready his pety-foggers must not question it but they must admire him and adore him since this stoode as an Oracle that if the m Gratianâ—… part 1. Distinct 40. Si Papa Pope should leade innumerable soules to hell with him hee must not bee capitulated with neither might the question bee once asked Domine cur siâ—… facis there was store of such Lawyers vvhen CHRIST came into the worlde but they had a n Luc. 11. 46. VVo by him denounced against them And yet when our Saviour turned all their constitutions vpside-dovvne and gaue newe interpretations of the Lawe one might before the people have vsed the same argument which is heere made All the great Clerkes the Scribes and Pharisees for so many ages haue taught you one way and this man teacheth you another
religion or retaine not the same doctrine Even so it is touching the beleefe of the Protestantes in England of those which you in spite call Puritaines in Scotland and of them whome you tearme maliciously Libertines in Holland and Zeland They teach no other libertie then what the r Galat. 5. 1. Apostle teacheth and biddeth vs to stande fast in it For the shewing of your skill I entreate you to let your scholers heare one pointe of moment or materiall vvherein all those Churches which before I named doe differ Speake it out if you can tell what Touching the Lutheranes in Denmarke and many places of Germany I haue toulde you before that in one pointe of the Eucharist they disagree from the rest of the Churches which the LORD in time may sende to bee reconciled and wee pray vnto him for the same But your comfort vppon that discorde is small For as Anthonie sometimes Kinge of Navatre and father to the most Christian Kinge of Fraunce now raigning s Commentaâ—… Relig. Reip. in Gall. lib. saide to the Embassadour of the Kinge of Denmarke exhorting the reformed French to bee of Luthers doctrine There bee fortie points wherein Luther and Calvine doe differ from the Pope and in nine and thirty of them they agree betweene themselues and in that single one they dissent Their followers therefore should do well to ioyne in the greater number against the Pope till they had ruinated him and vvhen his heart is broken they should fall to compound that last single difference God in his good time may graunt this to bee done although in the meane while hee doe exercise his spouse asseemeth good to himselfe T. HILL LAstly I doe bore consider with my selfe if I should refuse the Catholike Romans religion so vniversally taught ' received and professed throughout all the world so many ages togither and embrace any of these new sillie sects adventuring my soule there-vpon what all my progenitours auncesters of they were here againe and sawe mee die so would say vnto mee I gesse they woulde vse such speeches as thâ—se vvhat doest then condemne all our iudgementes and doings Doest thou maligne that Religion which we so highly esteemed and sought to advance Doest then sende vs all to hell and damnation Wilt thou iudge thy selfe vviser and more in Gods favour then any of vs were And many such like speeches I thinke they would vse G. ABBOT 27 I doubte not but in this Reason you haue borrowed of your neighbours as well as you did in others before although it be not my hap to trace you heere as formerly I haue done But the reckoning vp of those your places in the Easterne parts of the world are by me certainly held not to be your own which I conceiue by the complexion of all the rest of your book For your phrases and appellations bestowed on Luther and Calvin Father Persons is your schoole-master But because you are devoted vnto blinde Bristowes Motiues if you haue beene sparingly with him in all this Chapter before yet heere you conclude with s Motiv 36. him about our Predecessours VVhere you might haue remeÌ„bred that to speake properly neither our auncesters shall iudge vs neither shall we iudge our auncesters but Iesus Christ shall iudge both and hee will not take for good payment that which we follow by imitation of our parents but what wee doe or haue done after his owne commandements How often in the Scripture are men blamed for walking in the waies of t 1. King 15 34. cap. 16. 19. 26. Ieroboam of other their Auncesters How often do the u Psa 106. 6 Dan. 9. 6. 16 godly confesse and deplore their fathers sinnes before God What precepts be there to that purpose as that Salomons wife vvho representeth the spouse of Christ should u Psal 45 â—…1 forgot her owne people and her fathers house What a praise is it to x a Kinâ—… 8â—… 〈◊〉 Hezekiah to y Cap. 21 24 Iosiah and divers other that having idolatrous parents they did rather looke to their father which is in heaven then to flesh and bloud vpon earth If this instruction of yours should haue gone for currant the Iewes should scant haue received the doctrine of Christ but the Gentiles without all question shoulde haue kept them to Iupiter to Apollo to Aesculapius because if they had done otherwise they had condemned the way of their forefathers By this rule our auncesters heere in Englande should not haue received baptisme and the Indians and Iaponians whome you say so fast without booke should haue worshipped their old Idoles The complaint which you here make in the person of our predecessours was made before by Symmachus to the Emperour Valentinian in the daies of Saint Ambrose speaking thus in the name of the city Rome z Ambro Epist lib 5 Most noble Princes you fathers of the Countrey reverence yet my yeares vnto which my rootes of devotion haue brought me I will vse my ceremonies which I received from my grandfathers for I repent not my selfe of them I will liue after mine 〈◊〉 fashion for I am free But Saint a Ibidem Ambrose comming afterward to answere all these obiections teacheth that there is one who in matters of religion is rather to be beleeued then all the world besides Concerning God whom should I rather beleeue then God himselfe But of this argument I may haue occasion to speake more at large 28 Onely now thus much I adde that if any of our parents offended God and dyed in damnable ignorance who woulde say that for their sakes and company we should thrust our selues into hell ' If any of them were right they will not grudge that wee should haue more light opened vnto vs then they in their time saw even as those holy Iewes vnder the law fore-seeing what would be vnder the Messias envyed not to the Apostles and other of that age the more perfect liuely knowledge of Christ. But leaving the definition and determining sentence of all vnto the Lords secret iudgement into which we must not ofter to prease or intrude we do hope that many of those who lived in the time of darkenesse had that mercy shewed vnto them that their soules doe rest in peace Such is Saint Cyprians opinion in the like case b De sacrâ—…mento dominici caliâ—… Epist 68 And see most deare brother if any of our Predecessours either ignorantly or simply did not obserue and holde this which the Lorde taught vs to doe by his owne example and ministery by the favour of the Lorde there may bee pardon given to his simplicitie If any of them did holde the foundation concerning their being iustified by the bloud of Christ alone and besides that did repent of all their errours knowne and vnknown committed by ignorance or wilfulnesse we feare not but that the same God who gaue vnto them some measure of knowledge and would require of theÌ„
that sect ◅hich is ours so that it is apparant that it is augmented even by the helpe of God which is the selfe-same reason that is here vrged for the Papacy But Vives doth make answere The multitude doth not argue goodnesse There were more Gentiles i◅ time past And what can be more true then that in times past even frō the beginning of the world there were more Ethnickes then are Saracens since the daies of Mahomet or true Christians since Christs time So Hierome Savanarola who was a learned man of an excellent spirit as appeareth by his workes howsoever the Romanists afterward tooke his life away from him in his booke s Lib. 4. c. 7. De Triumpho Crucis beeing opposed by a Mahumetane that Mahomets profession is truth because so many doe follow it he answereth first that men are inforced by the sworde so to doe and secondly that if multitude should beare the palme away then the devils religion were the best of all other because he hath possessed incomparablie more then either Christ or Mahomet Such a Reason as this is doth the writer of this Pamphlet heere bring for his Romish doctrine which if it prove any thing is most substantiall fo Sathan the great Antichrists graunde maister For there is not any portion of the habitable world but the Devil hath his crew in it In enquiring thē for verity we should attende what the solide rule of perfection that is Gods Sacred word doth lay out before vs and not what the hugest multitude directed by humane fancy shal prescribe vnto vs. t Exod. 23. 2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evill The most walke the worst way Sapiendum est cum paucis A wise man as Seneca telleth vs u Lib. in sapientem non cadere iniuriam cap 14. doth not goe that way which the people goeth but as the Planets doe goe a contrary course to the world so he goeth against the opinion of them all Thus wee must doe in Divinity not looke howe many saye but on what ground it is spoken If many agree in that which prooveth to be iust we are to ioy that many give consent to that which is right but the truth is it which must trie them and not they inforce a truth Sounde religion is not the worse when it is but in a fewe and the multitude which doe hould it or the wide spreading thereof cannot make the false to be otherwise THE SIXTE REASON Miracles T. HILL TRUE Miracles were never wrought but by them who were of true religion for that they are done only by the power of God Now it is so manifest that there hath bin almost an infinite number of miracles wrought by those who were of the Catholike Romane Religion and never any by them who were not of that Church-since Christes time as he who shall deny it may be proved no lesse impudent shamelesse thē he vvho shall deny that ever there vvas any Masse saide in times past in England or that ever there were any warres betweene Turkes and Christians or that there be any such countries as the East and UUest Indies which thing if a man should deny would be not of all men bee deemed not onely impudent but madde drunken or a foole And surely the one is no lesse knowne by all approved writers and eie-witnesses than the other For as in the Gospell and in the Actes the holy Scriptures witnesse that miracles were wrought by Christ and his Apostles so doe most approved authours of everie age vntill this daye testifie and record the continuaunce of the working thereof in the Catholike Romane Church the which Authours for the most part were eie-witnesses of the saide miracles as for example G. ABBOT 1 WHen you first beganne this pety tract of yours you vndertooke to doe a miracle and that a strange one too for it were a miracle of all miracles to proove the rotten ragges of Popery to bee sounde and therfore we wonder not that in this your processe you speake of miracles But according to your fashion at your first setting out you stumble for wee may well hold those to be true miracles which are really and verily done although it be to an evil purpose And such as these are wrought by them who are farre of from true religion as by the Devill and by some of his instruments indeed not without Gods permissiō although speaking properly it is not by his immediate power The sorcerers of Pharaodid a Exod 7 1◅ 22 cap. 8. 7 three severall times shew wonders before their maister by turning roddes into serpēts water into blould by producing frogges A false b Deut. 13 1 Prophet or dreamer of dreames may giue a signe or a wōder the signe or wonder may come to passe S. Austen directly c De civit Dei l 10. 16. affirmeth that amōg the old Romans their aūcestors there were miracles verily dōe by the power of the devil as that the pe◅ates or litle images brought frō Troy did off thēselues go frō place to place that Tarquine with a ◅asour did cut a whetstōe in sunder d Liv. lib 1 Livy reporteth it to be done by Accius Mavius the Augur at the cōmandemēt of Tarquine And when among so many probable credible writers strang things are related to have bin done amōg the Ethnickes but most of al among the Romans as the raining of stones bloud the like yea as e Tom 2◅ lib. 4. c 13 Freculphus saith very wooll in Artho◅se vnder Valentinian the Emperour to whom is this to be attributed but to the grand enimy of mākind which the same Freculphus doth not dissēble whē in another f Tom. 1 l 5. cap. 5 place he delivereth it that by the naughtines of the devils it was brought about that a river did flow with bloud the heavē did make a shew to be on fire and such like And this is the opiniō of Bozius a special man of your side g Lib 2 contr Machiavel who telleth vs that Livye reporteth that it hath rained stones bloud flesh Whervpon he saith we beleeue that these wōders in time past were so frequent because devils did procure cause thē whē such things did fall out publike supplicatiōs were made general sacrifices wherby the devils thēselues were worshipped Then real miracles may be wrought by such as be not of true religiō vnles that Sathan may be this religious man no differēce is there for this matter before since Christs time as wil be seene anōe by example of Antichrist And if it should be excepted that diverse of these already specified may bee saide not to be true because they are done to an evil end that is to deceive beguile your late Popish miracles are liable to the same exception being whē they are at their best to winne mē not to Christ but to Antichrist 2 The
some of theÌ„ being to be presupposed to be ordinarily intelligent in EnglaÌ„d where a ielousy is iustly had of their impostures to play acte exploit so lewde fraudulent and wicked a Pageant and thinke that they may not only go currant away with it heere but that the fame of this busines bruted els-where should serve theÌ„ beyond the Seas for Catholike purposes and bee a meanes to holde vp the reputation of the Antichristian Papacy If our seduced Romanistes vvoulde not close their eyes they might see vppon what trashe their religion is builte and that their leaders care not howe they bee abused and ledde by the nose so that their owne proiectes and intâ—…ndments be affected 18 To draw then toward an end of this point Popish wonders for the most part we precisely hould to be lies others of theÌ„ if they be done to be no better in respect of their end but delusions and meanes to deceive men by bringing them into errour And coÌ„cerning those that are really done first we maintain that they do not prove that the doers of theÌ„ are Gods servaÌ„ts For eveÌ„ in Bede himselfe who was such a magnifier of miracles I do find that one s Eccle. hisâ—… lib. 3. 25. Vilfridus could say thus CoÌ„cerning your father ColuÌ„ba his followers whose sanctity you say you imitate follow his rule precepts even confirmed by signes from heaveÌ„ I can answere that at the day of iudgment many saying to the Lord that in his name they have prophecied and cast out Devils done many wonders the Lord shall aunswere I knovve you not vvhich aunswere of Vilfridus beeing grounded on the vvordes of CHRIST is of infallible verity Secondlie we saye that miracles done doe not confirme that the doctrine of those vvho doe them is verity since that for the convincing of the Devill God hath suffered heretikes to do wonders not to ratifie their errours but to confirme other of his truth VVhich may aptly be applyed to the reports of miracles shewed by the Iesuits in the Indies if so be that any of them be true For s Con. ca. 2 Costerus one of their own companions most appositely informeth vs thus They doe saie that some of the Novatians in times past did miracles but it vvas in testimonte of the Catholike faith amonge the Gentiles not in vvitnesse of their errour as hee vvho did cast out Divels in Christes name in the ninth of Luke Then the doctrine of wonder-doers may be false as the persons of miracle-workers may be reprobates To Prophecie saith Saint t De simpli praelatoruÌ„ Cyprian and to cast out Devils and to doe greate wonders on the earth is a high and admirable matter Yet he doth not attaine the kingdome of heaven vvhosoever is founde in all these vnlesse hee doe goe in the observation of a tust and right vvay Thirdely vve teach that it is no argument of falsehoode in faith not to bee able to doe vvonders since the time of them is ceased and vvhen they were at the best they had in them no enforcement to make men beleeue the trueth For as 〈◊〉 Chrysostome saith Amonge the Iewes also miracles were shewed 〈◊〉 Inpsa 45. neither by them vvas there any profite brought to their salvation For as the beames of the Sunne are not sufficient vnlesse the 〈◊〉 also bee pure and sounde so neither heere also doe onelie miracles suffice And so Saint u â—…e duplici martyrio Cyprian Hâ—…vve manie incureable diseases deathe Lorde heale with a word to how many blinde men did hee giue sight c. And yet few beleevedon him hee heard In Beelzebub hee casteth out Devils Afterward it was so even with the same Iewes they in the time of x Soct li. 3. 17. Iulian the Apostata going about to reedifie the temple at Hierusalem and God shewing three straunge vvonders against it but yet they woulde not come to Christianitye Not long after that y Lib 7 4 a Iew comming to be a Christian was miraculously healed of a disease and yet the rest of his nation would not receiue Christ. Then the ende of them novve is to little purpose the execution of them common to the wicked vvith the godlie the practise permitted to Antichrist and his followers no such perpetuall marke-set on those that bee Orthodoxe and therefore wee striue not for them but knovve that God hath lefte a surer vvaye to vvinne men from errour and to try who are in the trueth and that is his worde and the operation of his sacred spirite But yet vvee are not so blinde but to see nor so vnthankfull but to acknovvledge that the Lorde hath for the advauncement of the Gospell vvhich vve preache done marveilous thinges In vvhich sorte vvee accounte the large spreading of the trueth by the meanes of Luther his vvonderfull preservation all his dayes notwithstanding his enemies so many so mighty so malicious his dying quietly z Sleid. l. 16 in his bed in such peace of body and minde and in that honourable accompte as that even then vvhen hee dyed hee vvas chosen an arbitratour to decide controversies betweene the noble Countyes of Mansfeld VVee thinke that it vvas marveilous that vvhen such a 〈◊〉 massacre was made of the Protestantes in Fraunce in the yeere 1572 there shoulde remaine 〈◊〉 CommeÌ„t relig reiptn Gal. lib 10. so many still as haue propagated so renoumed a Church as they haue at this day That such plenty of b Lib 12 fish should bee cast vp dayly by the sea at the seege of Rochel vvhereby as by Manna from heaven the people vvere for so many months releeved and the very day that the enemies campe brake vp the comming of the fish ceased VVhat may vvee think that so small and maligned a Citty as Geneva is shoulde be so long helde against the invasions and infinite plots of the Duke of Savoy and other vvho desire the ruine desolation of it What of the Netherlanders that after so many thousande Spanyardes and Italians buryed in their coastes so many millions of Indian gold silver spent in their country such frawd such force they should stand rich and glorious at land and at sea in better case of themselues then ever they vvere Lastlye vvhat may bee imagined of the life and raigne of our late blessed Soveraigne who after so many daungers comming to the Crowne and that in so many difficulties of subiectes at home and forraine Princes abroade yea and of the Divell every where did professe to maintaine the truth of God to deface superstitioÌ„ And in this beginning she with vniformity coÌ„tinued yeelding her land as a Sanctuary to al in the world groning for liberty of true religion florishing in wealth honor estimation every way admired by al the Monarkes whither the same of her did come and leaving matter for such a story as no Prince hath lefte the like This Queene after the defeating of the
full stuffed with them who want gold and silver yet cannot for beare but they will be craking T. HILL ANd for the maintaining thereof they are not compelled to deny certaine parts of Gods holy Booke as the Protestants and their Prede Aug. lib. 28 con faust c 2. de vtil cred cap. 3. cessours heretikes haue beene inforced to doe The Manichees for that their heresies were so manifestly confuted by the Gospell of Saint Matthew and by the Actes of the Apostles as they sould coine no answere nor other shift they denyed them to be Scripture The Ebionites because the Epistles of Saint Paule disproved most plainely Circumcision which they maintained denyed them to be Scripture Luther reiected the Epistle of S. Iames because it was so plaine against the doctrine of only faith His of-spring refused the Bookes of Tobias of Ecclesiasticus of the Machabees and of some others because in them is plainely taught the Doctrine of the custody of Angels of Free-will of Praier for the Faithfull Soules departed and of Praier to Saints all which they deny and therefore must they needs deny those parts of the holy Bible G. ABBOT 2 YOu charge vs with denying of some partes of Gods holy booke as not making for vs and certainely we shoulde repute our selues men impious and irreligious if wee tooke any thing away from that which is so absolute that it may well bee compared to a Circle where if any thing be added it maketh a balke if any thing be subtracted it maketh a bracke We do right wel know that he who taketh away ought frō the word of the everlasting God the Lord shal take away his g Apoc. 22. 19. portion out of the booke of life for the speech may be applied to the whole Scripture as wel as to S. Iohns Revelation But we wil you to remēber the other part of the holy Ghosts divisiō that God shal adde the h Vers. 18. plagues writen in that booke to him who addeth ought to the book of the Lord. Whē therfore you labour to establish that for authētical which is not inspired frō the holy Ghost but a matter seperat seiunct you may iustly fear least you incurre that peril which you would post of to vs. What heretiks haue done against the Divine volume we dislike and detest as wel as you We condemne it in the i August de vtilit credend cap. 2 3 Manichees that they accepted not the old Testament that they questioned the Gospell of Saint Matthew as not being that which S. Matthew wrote because it manifestlie shewed that Christ was born a mā which they denied that they extenuated the authority of the Acts of the Apost as being much corrupted For this their-sacrilegious attēpt we cēsure thē as deep ly cōdēne thē as much as you do The like mind we do cary of the k Euse Eccl. Hist l 3 21 Ebionits whose opiniōs sprūg vp in the time of the Evāg S. Iohn they wold gladly haue retained circūcisiō stil as being a necessary duty of the Lawe that which Christ his Apostles had received in their own persōs And because S. Pauls Epistles had so directly oppugned this their cōceit as also had shewed the whole ceremonial law to be extīguished they would clean haue expūged thē out of the Canō We repute these for evil heretiks we accept of al the bookes of the old Testamēt which can be proved to be the Testamēt we questiō nothīg of the New Only as you wold not like if vnto the new Testamēt the Gospell of Nicodemus or Hermes his Apocriphal Pastor shold be sewed so we cānot endure that those tracts should be reputed part of the Hebrews Canō which the Iews never knew These 2. Periods of the Manichees Ebionits as also the 2. next touchīg Luther his of-sprīg you haue trāslated word for word out of Cāpiās first Reasō And if there had bin in you grace an indifferēt mīd you might also haue seene this slāder cōcerning Luther l Gul. Wh◅taken Resp. ad Ration Campiani◅ answered But your meaning is to be wilfully blind There is nothing more false then thar Luther reiected the Epistle of Iames. He acknowledged it as Scripture cited it as he did other books And how shāfully was Cāpian put to his plūges whē havīg Luthers works laid before him being bidde turne to that place where Luther so depressed vilefied that Epistle he could find no such thīg but said it was so in a copy of Luthers works which was at Prage in the Emperours Library And if any had sought it there then the booke had beene removed to some other place as the m Munsten Cosmogr l 2 tree which Aeneas Silvius saith was sought in diverse coūtries still missed that tree I meane whose leaues fallīg into the river were turned into Barnacles You might do wel in behalfe of Campian to shew some one of Luthers followers in Germany Dēmarke or else-where who is so opposite to S. Iames his Epistle for those whom some cal the Rigidi Lutherani do sinke nothing which he held Since thē both they we al who professe the reformed Religion do accoūt it Canonical it is but an idle speculation to make that obiection And why should Luther fly that booke as crossing the doctrine of only faith since all other who maintaine that doctrin do accept of that Epi. also S. Iames doth not thwart that which S. Paul had taught for the spirit of God is not cōtrary to it self if there be any difficulty in one n Iac 2 24 single text of that Epistle it is to be explicated out of other places which are more cleere opē S. Paule thē in his Epistles to the Romans Galathiās hath so manifested that point of Iustificatiō by faith alone that he who without preiudice wil read the text shal never need any Cōmentary It is so plaine that diverse Papists looking into that laying aside false and perverted glosses haue embraced that doctrine o Sleidan l 21 Vergerius who intēded to write against Luther in that Argumēt was by traversing of it caught himselfe Nay Ferus and Albertus Pighius who otherwise is a grosse Papist haue subscribed vnto it And wheras our Papists obiect that S. Paul saying that a mā is iustified without the workes of the law doth meane nothing else but the ceremonial law that is lōg since refuted resolved by S. p Aug de spirit liter cap 14 Austē otherwise The same father also doth notably shewe that there is no contrariety betvveene the tvvo q In 83 quaest c. 76. Apostles for that when S. Iames doth say that a man is iustified by works he doth no more crosse S. Paule then the same Apostle doth crosse himselfe r Rom. 2. 13. saying The hearers of the Lavve are not righteous before God but the doers of the Law shall
assured that we haue none but those which are right in the whole and in the parts For Actes of Councels haue bin much falsified as it is alleadged in the sixt Generall Councell holden at Constantinople t Action 14 that some had falsified the Actes of the fifth Generall Councel holden in the same place as was apparantly deprehended How those in Afrike did cōplaine of the Popes forsting in somewhat to the first Nicene Synode I haue shewed before and how the Councell sent to Nice it selfe to see the Originall But in the same manner hath the Pope complained that other haue also falsified the Actes of the same Councell For Felix Bishop of Rome himselfe hath made this Decree u In Decretis felicis Papae In Concilijs Let the persons of the accusers be without all suspicion because by reason of the molestations offered by evill men this was defined in the Nicene Councell by all although by the falshoode of lewde persons these and many other things are blotted out We then had neede to take heede that wee do not beleeue those things as certaine which of themselues are so vncertaine Let Papists doe it if they wil. Lastly before I shut vp this Chapter it is not amisse to know that it is not for the ancient Synods that the Romanists doe striue but for those which lately were helde wherein their Pope bore much sway and their Popery was established by fragments For out of the old Councels both Provinciall and Vniversall there are many matters contrary to their definitions As in the thirde Councel at Carthage there is much spoken concerning the children of Priests which sheweth that Priests then were ordinarily marryed And there it is that the Pope should not be called the Prince of Priests or chiefe Priest In the Elibertine Councell is a flat decree against Images in Churches It u Canon 36 pleaseth vs that pictures should not be in the Churches least that which is worshipped or adored should be painted on wals In the fifth x In epistol felicis Councell at Constantinople by an Epistle of Pope Felix to Zeno it is shewed that the Church is built on the confession of Peter not on his person or place In the ninth Councel of y Canon 1. Toledo if a Metropolitane defraude the Church complaint thereof is to be made to the king which sheweth that Princes then had to do with persons and causes Ecclesiasticall Very many more such instances may be brought how the old Councels knew nothing of that hart of Popery which since hath growne vp by the connivence of some Princes the weaknes of other and the notable cunning of Antichrist And for times now long agone the extravagancie and transcendencie of the Roman Bishops power is no where knowne For in the Nicene z Canon 6 Councell the Bishop of Alexandria in his Province and the Patriarke of Antioch in his haue as much iurisdiction as the Pope hath in his In the a Isidor in praefat Cōcil Ephesin Ephesine Synode Cyrill of Alexandria was president and not the Bishoppe of Rome and there it is saide that b In epistol ad Nestoriū Peter and Iohn were each to other of equall dignitie because they were Apostles and holie disciples which overthroweth the Primacie of the Romane Bishoppe deriving his prerogatiue only from Peters preeminence And in the Councell of c Canon 1. Chalcedon all is confirmed which was decreed before in other Synodes Thus the Pope and Papists should gaine much by sending vs to looke into the most ancient Councels THE TENTH REASON Fathers T. HILL THE Catholike Romane religion is most plainely taught by all the ancient Fathers of the first second thirde fourth fift and sixt hundred yeares after Christ and hath beene ever vvithout all controversie taught of the Fathers of everie age since vntill this day That religion did Diony sius Areopagita S. Paule his scholer so manifestly teach as Causaeus a French Protestant called him for his labour a doating old Causaeus Dial. 5. 11. In capt Babilonica man much like as his father Luther had said before him that Areopagita his workes were like to dreames and most pernicious The same faith vvas taught of Saint Ignatius Clemens Iustinus Tertullian Cyprian Irenaeus and in one vvord all the anncient Fathers not one excepted G. ABBOT WHen Thomas Pilcher sometimes an vnworthy fellow of a Colledge in Oxford but afterward an vnlearned Priest of the Seminary after pardon once given him for his life and beeing exiled from his Countrey returned againe into Englande to pervert the subiectes of her late Maiestie he vvas by arrest of lawe to be brought to execution vvhere as I haue heard being remembred by an intelligent person that he should bee well advised what the right or wronge of the cause was for which hee did suffer his reply was that if hee were in an errour then Irenaeus and Iustine Martyr Tertullian and Origene Lactantius Hilary Chrysostome Ambrose Hierome Austen Gregorie Bearnarde and all other the olde Fathers of the Primitiue Church vvere mightily deceived for what he held they taught The silye man had much adoe to learne the names of all these but for reading any of them or for knowing what they vvrote there bee many yet living who dare safely giue their word that he good man was never troubled with it This is the very case of the greatest part of you Papists you wil speak without the book and make good little of that which you say but yet for lacke of chalenging facing it out you will loose nothing of antiquity And among al your copes-mates as one that knoweth least and therfore dareth to say most you lay about you here for al al againe You are now come to your selfe revested with your olde spirite and therefore wee will looke for a legion of Vniversals at your handes The vn-Catholike Romane Religion it is Papistry which you meane is not onely taught or plainly taught but most plainelie taughte not by some but by all the ancient Fathers of the first sixe ages after Christ and hath beene not sometimes but ever not doubtingly but without all controversie taught of the Fathers of each age vntill this day If you had a fore-heade lefte and knevve vvhat you did saye vvhich I thinke you doe not but onely take vp this speech on the word of other men you would blush a whole yeare togither at this your owne absurdity and by that time woulde this rubour bee so setled in your face that it would never out For that I may plucke you a little backe by the sleeue doth Saint Augustine and Orosius Fulgentius and Bernard where they of purpose handle the argument teach as you do teach cōcerning the freenesse of Gods grace every way and touching free will a In pref 1. 5 Bibli Sāct Sixtus Senensis shall condemne you who reiecteth Saint Augustines doctrine in that behalfe Doe Lactantius and
wages due for their worke Ex malis moribus bonae nascuntur leges Ill manners breede good lawes And if England alone have received such bad measure from vnnatural bredde English who can blame the Magistrates and law-makers of England if by speciall ordinances they provide for the safety of that charge which is committed to them which cannot be but by cutting off such malefactours When other kingdomes have beene so much burnte they wil dreade the fire when other nations have beene so bitten they will beware of dogges teeth What other countries would doe if there were cause you may gesse by Fraunce which standing yet on termes of Popery have removed the Iesuites so that if they wil come there it is on hazard of their life I will sette downe the wordes as they bee in the Decree of the Parliament of Paris against theÌ„ that no man may doubt in that case n Iesuits Ca â—…h lib 3. cap. 18. The Court doth ordains that the Priests and Students of the College of Claiâ—…mont and all other calling themselues of that Society of Iesus as corrupters of youth and disturbers of the common quiet enemies of the King and State shall avoide within three daies after the publication of this present sentence out of Paris and other Cities and places where their Colleges are fifteen dates after out of the Realme vpon paine wheresoever they shall be found the said terme expired to be punished at guilty and culpable of the crime of high Treason And afterward It forbiddeth all the Kinges subiects to send any scholers to the Colleges of the said Society being out of the Realme there to bee instructed vpon the like paine to incurre the crime of high o This decree was made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…mb 〈◊〉 treason Thus the Papists of Fraunce deale with the Iesuits who are the bringers vp brethren and cousin germaines of our Seminarians If they keepe them out of FrauÌ„ce they are not touched or reached after and so heere it is with the Idolatrous massing Priestes sent from the Pope of Rome who loueth vs vnmeasurablie and from the dominions of the Kinge of Spaine or those who depend vpon him We neede them not we send not for them and therefore if they come it is vpon their owne perill 20 Yet because this proceeding seemeth to you to be so hard in your bookes in England elsewhere published you so exclaime of the rigorousnes of our kingdome in this behalfe I will a little remeÌ„ber you what milder meÌ„ of your own Seminaries have published in this matter acknowledging that iustly by bookes enterprises the State hath bin exasperated against you I confesse that they lay al the blame on the Iesuits Iesuited but those we caÌ„ hardly distinguish froÌ„ meÌ„ otherwise minded And if we could it were to smal purpose since the followers of the Arch-priest are al Iesuited as M. Persons saith they are p Apolog. cap 8 300. to 10. of the other Since theÌ„ the sway sweepe goeth the other way for the adverse part we have no warrant but that they may leave their best goodnes wheÌ„ theÌ„selves wil which Watson Clerke have lately ex emplified it is best to let the lawe stand against all leaving the forbearance of stricte execution to the wisedome of those in authority who incline to mercy vvhere it is fit to bee extended One q A C in his 2 letter pag. 42 who although he be not a Priest yet was brought vp in the Seminary saith thus At the Queenes comming in many of vs were too soone turned so Iesuitish and Spanish to the attempting of disloyall plots against her State person that shee was driven to trust wholy to her Protestants holding vs all suspect And r Ibid. p 29 againe The Iesuites outrage Princes as murthering the last FreÌ„ch King had done our deare Soveraigne sundry times if Gods hand had not beene the stronger Another s Reply to the Apology cap 17 telleth vs that in the Colledges erected by the meanes of Parsons Priests other have bin induced to subscribe to forreine titles yea to come in person against their own couÌ„try He who answereth the manifestatioÌ„ supposed to be the writing of PersoÌ„s acknowledgeth that D. s Fol. 35. SauÌ„ders his works De visibili Monarchia De schismate Anglic coÌ„tain so many errevereÌ„t speeches the divulging of such odius matters against her M r. her noble â—…genitours as the vntruths of some the incertainty of others coÌ„siderd could not but irritat the most ChristiaÌ„ Catholik patieÌ„t Prince in the world A t Fol 3â—… litle before he telleth vs Neither for ought I se doth the State wake shew of persecutioÌ„ quoad vitaÌ„ et neceÌ„ for matter meerely of religion and conscience but vpon pretence of treason or atteÌ„pts against her Maiesties person or state or at the least vpoÌ„ the feare therof But yet more directly he proceedeth u Fol. 31. 32 I would but aske Fa. Persons because I know him to be a great Statist this one question whither in his conscience he did thinke there be anie Prince in the world be he never so Catholike that should haue within his dominions a kinde of people amongst whom divers times he should discover matters of treason and practises against his person and state whither he would permit those kinde of people to liue within his dominions if he could be otherwise rid of them whither he would not make straight lawes and execute them severely against such offendours yea and all of that companie and qualitie rather then he would remaine in anie danger of such secret practises and plots I thinke Fa. Persons will not for shame denie this Then the fault is not in the Prince and State for being cautious but in the Romanists for being pragmaticall in dangerous atteÌ„pts I will ioine to these the testimony of M. Watson who is copious in this point He saith that the u In the pre face to the Quodlibers Seminaries at first made the Iesuits cause attempts intentes practises and proceedings their owne in every thing their plots and practises they seemed at first to defende or at least to winke at Hence they were intangled by penall laws iustly made against them equally as against the Iesuits In another x Quod. 8. 9 place thus At the affliction of Catholikes in England hath beene in very deede extraordinary and many an innocente man lost his life so also hath the cause thereof beene extraordinary and so farre beyonde the accustomed occasions of persecutioÌ„ giveÌ„ to any Prince in ChristeÌ„dome or monarchy that is or ever was in the world to this hower as rather it is to be wondered at all things duely considered that any one Catholike is left on liue in Englande then that our persecution hath beene so great for name one nation I know none can vnder heaven where the subiects especially if they were
Catholikes ever sought the death of their Soveraigne though of a different religion from thē the conquest of their natiue land the subversion of the state the depopulation of the weale publike the alteration and change of all lawes customes and orders and in few the vtter devastation desolation and destruction of all the ancient inhabitants of their land c. Now if this may be saide of the laity of the English Papists what censure may bee given of the Priests the vrgers and instigatours of all these things He speaketh elsewhere more particularly of the Seminary Priests y Quod. 9. 4 Howe can they expect any favor when they are taken none can deny that their comming over is to increase the number of Catholikes and that Fa. Persons raigneth and hath the whole direction at this day for all the missions that are for England How then alas how may her Maiestie and the state conclude against them What lawes can bee too extreame to keepe them out of the land Or if they will needes come in what severity for the execution of lawes against them can bee more then sufficient Into what gulfe are we plunged Nay into what an obloquy are we plunged Nay into what an obliquie must the Catholike Church of Rome grow in that the execution of Priesthood and treason are now so linked together by the Iesuits in England as we cannot exhort any to the Catholike faith but dogmatizando in so doing we draw him in effect to rebellion You see that this writer doth not sumble nor doubly budgen but delivereth his opiniō roundly And if any one should except that these be the assertions of private and single men hee may see a treatise put out by ioint consent of divers Seculars and written of purpose to cleere the proceedings of the State in England from bloudy cruelty or vn-advised rigorousnes in cutting of such rotten members You may iudge the contentes thereof by the Title which is this z Edit An. 1601. Important considerations which ought to mooue all true and sounde Catholikes who are not wholy Iesuited to acknowledge without all equivocations ambiguities or shiftings that the proceedings of her Maiestie and of the State with them since the beginning of her Highnesse raigne haue beene both milde and mercifull By this time if there bee any wit or sence left in you you may put vp your pipes for complaining of the hard vsage of Priests sent hither from the Seminaries I haue beene the more large in this argument partly to stop your clamorous mouth and partelye to satisfie weake persons either on our or your side and not least of all to free the honorable Parliamentes and Magistrates taking order against such venimous vermine from the forged imputations and scandalous defamations in this particular laid against them by name of him a Supposed to bee D. Worthington who falsly reporteth the suffering of sixteene pretended martyrs in one yeere that is the yeere of Iubily 1600. Now I follow your steps againe where I left 21. When you fall to daring you shewe your selfe but a simple man There is one by whose helpe David did dare leape b Psa. 18. 29 34. over a wall and to attempt with his armes to breake a bow of brasse by whose protection in a righteous cause that England which by a diminution you call litle doth dare to stand against the strongest enemy that it hath What should hinder it good Sir to cut of lewde persons wherewithall God is well pleased when the late Queene thereof at her entrance to the Crowne did not feare all the Potentates in the world nor the backwardnesse of many of her owne subiectes nor the combining almost of all her owne Cleargy but that in the name of God and in the vndanted confidence of his maintaining of his owne truth shee did spread the banner of the Gospell and without discouragement did persist in that resolution till the day of her death the English fugitiues and the Irish Male-contents yea the Pope and Spaniard contriving to the vttermost to impeach it Why shoulde not this our country dare to doe well when by the singular favour of God blessing his true religion in it it hath beene able to repel that invincible Navy to sacke many of the kings townes in the West Indies to batter his Groine in Galitia to march with ensigne displayed almost an hundred miles in the heart of his countrey to knocke at his gates of Lisbone to sinke his fleete at Cales and to burne that towne at pleasure the Spanyards looking on scant offering to strike one blow The time hath beene that this England which is such a little more in your eie hath sent c Holinshed in Rich. 1 Edw. 3. Hen. 5. 6. a mightie army as farre as to Palestina hath had two kings prisoners in it at once and two of her owne Kinges crowned in Paris And hee is blind who seeth not that at this time it hath decayed no part of her ancient valure or worth Then do you never feare but it may dare to execute such companions of yours as will heere disturbe the peace of the Church Common-wealth Now that it grieveth your pretty heart that you haue not your will among vs I doe verily beleeue and do not you thinke that wolues beares doe much grieue that they cannot come at the sheep-folds but the shepheards will meets with them As our d Luk. 23. 28 Saviour somtime said to the women of Hierusalem that they should not weep for him but for themselues and their children so wee may bid you not to grieue for the evil case of England but to be sory weep for your sinnes and most malicious blindnesse that God without his more future mercy should giue you over to a reprobate sence so as to fly truth and to hate it to barke against the light to cary vndutifull thoughts to your Superiours and vn-natural to your countrey where the Lord be praised for it there is nothing vnhappy vnlesse it bee that it hath hatched into the world such vipers such monsters who care not what become of her so that Sathā may be king Antichrist may be general How your brethrē are persecuted with plenty ease aboūdance not lōg since I told you The wiser sort of thē cannot but acknowledge as evē now you heard that no Prince vnder the heavē being so zealous in Gods cause having sustained such indignities at the hands of many of that factiō as our late most Christiā Queen had done would haue proceeded with that mildnes For the māner of your speech you are now returned to your old custome again Here is nothing but all'all How al the world hath embraced your profession I haue shewed you before The ancienter part of the Primitiue Church knew almost nothing of it the latter part of the first 600. years had some weeds cōming vp in it but the good corn over-topped