propbane to be out of the Arke Iren. lib. 3. cap. 3. Hier. epist ad Dam. Aug. in psal cont part Don. not to gather but to seatter not to be of Christ but of Antichrist to be branches cut off from the byne and members denided from the body that in the next life the gate of heauen shall be shut against them the like For the which I reserre me to the 14. and 15. Section of this treatise Wherunto shall be added more anone when by occasion of these friuolous motions and illusions which made the Bishop to forsake his religion we come to propound some of those solid and substantiall motiues which are sufficient to induce any man that is not willfully obstinate to become a Gatholike And for the present because he seemeth to set downe the mayne ground of his peruorsion or conuersion as you please to tearme it in those words especially where he saith That reading the Fathers and perusing the Councells and ancient customes of the Church with great labour and busy diligence for so many yeares togeather he plainly saw at the length that the doctrine of those Churches being very many in number which Rome hath made her aduersaryes do little or nothing differ from the ancient doctrine of the pure Church the discussion hereof will also fall out to be very fit for our present purpose wherin you shall heare the Fathers vtterly to condemne the Religion now commonly professed in England and the Protestants themselues not only to reiect the Fathers but also most spitefully to inueigh most grieuously to censure one the other For that man whome neither the Authority of the Fathers nor the testy-monyes of his owne Doctors can moue or persuade neither if one should be sent from the dead toaffright him would be thereby conuerted Wherefore that you may as yet more fully perceiue the vanity and impudency of this man in affirming that all the Fathers are directly for him albeit he proue nothing I will take the paynes to shew you by some generall arguments that the Fathers do manifestly make against him First therfore you must know that the Catholikes prefesse the generall Consent of the Fathers or the doctrine of a few not contradicted by the rest to be a rule of faith and that all men are bound vpon payne of damnation to belieue it whose authority as the Protestants will not receiue so the Catholikes would not admit in such absolute manner if they were not fully perswaded that their religion were all one with the faith of the Pathers In confirmation wherof some industrious and zealous men amongst vs haue made certayne bookes of common places vnder the titles of the poynts in Controuersy betwixt vs and them wherin they hade recorded the sayings of the Fathers in approbation of our doctrine And therfore they call them the Confessions of the auncient Fathers So haue you the confession of S. Augustine in one volume of S. Hierome in another So likewise of S. Basil S. Bernard and others which it is impossible for any Protestant to see but he must needs confesse that the Fathers were all Papists and that they haue said so much in the proofe and defence of our opinions as all that we can bring is but taken from them And if the Bishop had but made the signe of the Crosse to driue away the Diuell that blynded him before he had turned ouer the Fathers workes he must needs haue seen euen by their titles and the argument of there seuerall treatises how much they make against him S. Basil S. Gregory Nazianzen S. Chrysostome haue written most excellent Sermons of the Lent and of other dayes to be fasted vpon payne of great sinne by the custome commaundement of the Catholike Church S. Basil S. Chrysostome S. Hierome and S. Augustine haue written bookes of the institute and rule of Monkes and of their vertues S. Chrysostome in particuler wrote a booke against the disgracers of Monasticall life And S. Augustine againe hath written three bookes of Free-will wherunto Luther opposing himselfe wrote a booke de seruo arbitrio of slauish will S. Augustine wrote also a whole booke of the Care of the dead and a long Chapter besides other sermons of Miracles wrought at the memories monuments of Martyrs Optatus whome S. Augustine compareth with S. Ambrose and S. Cyprian confuted the Donatists out of the Catholike Communion reprehended their wickednes out of the decree of Pope Melchiades refuted their heresy out of the succession of the Roman Bishops made knowne their madnes in contaminating chrisme the holy Eucharist abhorred their sacriledge in breaking down of Altars whereupon sayth he the mēbots of Christ were born and in polluting Chalices which he affirmeth to haue held the bloud of Christ S. Athanasius wrote a curious booke in the prayse of S. Antony the Aegiptian Eremit and in an epistle which he wrote in the name of the whole Synod of Alexandria whereof he was the Patriarch he appealed to the iudgment of the Apostolicall sea and of S. Peter Prudentius euery where in his Hymnes at the ashes bones of Martyrs adoreth the king of Martyrs S. Hierome hath written against Vigilantius in defence of reliques and honour due to Saints He hath written also against Iouinian for the state and vowes of virginity S. Ambrose did honour his Patrons S. Geruasius and S. Protasius with a most famous solemnity whose fact it pleased God to commend with more then one prodigy And therefore to omit the rest if it were not manifest by the Bishops leanesse how much he hath consumed his body with his ten yeares study of the Fathers and Councells by these contrary deuises which he sayth he hath found in them a man might wel imagine that he had neuer seene them Amongst other bookes of Controuersy very learned and profitable set forth in our English tongue by the direction of Gods holy spirit wherewith so many haue been conuerted to the Catholike faith there is no one that I would rather commend to the reading of a iudicious Protestant then the booke intituled the Protestants Apology for the Roman Chruch In which authour I cannot tell whether I should more cōmend the substance of the matter or the labour or the method or the breuity or the perspicuity or the fidelity or in fine the modesty of the manner wherewith it is written wherein you in particuler of the Innes of Court haue a speciall interest For as in the beginning it is in tytled to the King so in the end it is recōmended to the examination and consure of the learned Sages of our Cōmon law wherein you shall find three Chapters amongst the rest which do especially make for our present purpose The first folio 74. sequentibus where he sheweth by the confession of the Protestants themselues that the Catholike Roman Religion which is now professed in very many the most important matters in Controuersy betwene you and vs was
so the charity of this man is no lesse to be obserued and admired in calling the Pope his most holy Father and the Bishops vnited with him his most blessed Brethren giuing them thereby his kisse of peace whom before through all his booke he had sould to the Protestants for blind guydes teaching innumerable errours for corrupters of Gods word tyrants oppressors of the Church Babylonians and the like Which termes albeit no lesse falsely then impiously they are applyed by him to the Pope and his Bishops whether you respect the former wherein he should shew his loue or the later wherein he expresseth his hatred vnto them yet because as it appeareth by his owne words he describeth therein his owne spirituall kindred it cannot be denyed but that he is ready to acknowledge if need were the author of lyes himselfe for his holy Father and his wickedest children for his most blessed Brethren Wherefore considering his zeale wherof he boasteth so much to be so large and the armes of his charity to be so far extended from East to West as to imbrace the fellowship of Babylon which is the Citty of the Diuell it is manifest that he excludeth neither Turks nor Iufidells from his Communion And therefore me thinks that as no good Protestant can be much delighted with it so euery good Christian should abhorre and detest it The second poynt to be noted in his conclusion is this that he rather ordereth commaundeth then aduiseth the Pope to restore peace and charity to all those Churches that professe to receiue the essentiall Creeds of Fayth By which he must needs meane the three Creeds of the Apostles of the Councel of Nice against Arius and of the Councell of Constantinople against Macedonius and therefore supposeth all other poynts of Cōtrouersy not contayned in those Creeds to be matters indifferent not sufficiently defyned and not to be beleeued as articles of Fayth Which is such a monstrous opinion as doth euidētly shew him to be of no Religion at all and therefore I maruell how he could be suffered to publish such wicked doctrine in England For if the Pope must haue peace and communion with all those that receiue the Creeds alone howsoeuer they please to vnderstand them thereof it will follow that all Councells which haue beene celebrated since the making of those Creeds haue beene the authors of Schisme and dissention in condemning later Heresyes and that albeit a man should deny al Sacramēts yea and al Scripture at this day yet according to this Antichristian doctrine it should be Schisme to refuse him or to accompt him no good Christian for the same And how easy a matter is it not beleeuing the Scripture to contemne the Creeds or rather how impossible contemning the one to beleeue the other This therefore may be another signe to be added vnto those which I haue touched before that the Bishop being fallen frō the Church is fallen likewise to Neutrality in Religion may be a cause of greater mischiefe and of greater dishonour to our Countrey then they that feed him haue yet discouered in him I cannot omit his incredible ignorance which he discouereth where among other poynts of idle Counsell which he pleaseth to bestow vpon the Pope and the rest of the Bishops of the Catholike Church himselfe being so wyse as to admit no Counsell at all neither from them nor any other he telleth them that he will haue them belieue for certaine that Schisme in the Church is a greater euell then Heresy it selfe Wherin it is to be admyred how he could presume to teach the whole Church such a notable falshood with such arrogant temerity as heere he doth For as he that hath no faith can haue no charity so Heresy that destroyeth Faith bringeth also schisme with it which is opposed to Charity So that albeit there may be schisme in the Church without heresy as faith may remayne without charity yet charity without faith or heresy without schisme there cannot be And therefore all Deuines haue euer held that heresy is far the greater mischiefe which bereaueth a man of all supernatural vertue and maketh him worse then an Infidell The rest of his conclusion is much of the same nature wherein no lesse insolently then ignorantly he taketh vpon him to schoole and to catechize the Pope all his Prelates prescribing vnto them what they ought to belieue and with what tearmes and conditions they may giue him satisfaction make their peace and concord with him Whereunto I thinke no better answere can be giuen in the Popes behalfe then that which S. Cyprian made to Florentius Pupianus of whom we haue spoken before for no man can be thought of so fit as S. Cyprian to rebuke his Pryde whom a little before vnder the colour of much respect he so much abused And in his arrogant and insolent behauiour towards the Pope he doth so perfectly resemble the presumptuous demenour of Pupianus towards S. Cyprian Cyp. ep 65. as that the one seemeth to haue been but the figure of the other the words therefore of S. Cyprian are these that follow What swelling Pryde is this what arrogancy of hart what inflation of mynd to call vnto the trybunall of thy Iudgment the Priests that is to say the Bishops and those that are set ouer thee that vnlesse we can purge ourselues to thee and be absolued by thy sentence now for so many yeares for more then a thousand the Fraternity must be condemned to haue had no Bishop the people no Prelate the flock no Pastour the Church no Gouernour Christ no Antistes and God no Priest Let Pupianus or Marcus Antonius be pleased to help vs let him giue his sentence and be contented to make good the iudgment of God of Christ that so great a number of faythfull people ranged vnder vs may not be thought to haue departed without hope of saluation and that so many Nations of new beleeuers be not accompted to haue receiued from vs no grace at all of the spirit of God that the Communion and reconcilement giuen by vs to so many that haue repented be not dissolued and taken from them by the authority of thy decree vouchsafe at length to grant our request giue vs thy fauourable sentence confirme vs in our place by thy iudiciall authority that God and his Christ may giue thee thanks that by thee their Prelate is restored to their Alter againe and their Rector to the gouernement of their people Truly me thinks these words of S. Cyprian being so applyable to your Bishop as they are should make any man that seemeth to respect him euen to blush and to be ashamed for him And as concerning his Vertue of peace and concord S. Cyprian in the same place doth answer him so fitly as if he had penned the same directly for Marcus Antonius vnder the name of Florentius Pupianus For the which cause it being no way seemly for me to adde any thing
was publiquely professed because a great part of the Gentills were not then conuerted not only their bookes and writings were tolerated but their religion it selfe although it were most grosse Idolatry was permitted Besides in England the Catholikes being many wise and learned do not cease by alledging most pregnant proofes important reasons and authenticall testimonyes to mayntaine the truth of their cause and to draw others to imbrace their doctrine In which regard it standeth the Protestants vpon and especially the Ministers to read their bookes thereby to defend themselues and others as well as they can from the force of the Catholike arguments brought against them And for the same cause in France and in Germany and in all other Countreyes where many religions are allowed the Catholike Students and other secular men are vsually permitted to read all kind of bookes the better therby to refute their errours Which this good Bishop thought good to conceale for his owne aduantage But in those other Catholike Countreys which were neuer yet infected with Heresy and where there is no occasion to impugne it there it importeth that the Pastours be very vigilant to keep it out For Heresy being once gotten in it crepeth like a canker and at last breaketh out like a raging fire and burneth so dreadfully that whole Cittyes and Kingdomes and Nations haue been consumed with it in a very short space as may appeare in Greece in Asia in Africa other Countreys And therfore in all ages not only the Fathers Doctours and Prelates but also Men Women and Children of the Catholike Church haue euer concurred with all speed and with might and mayne to quench and ex inguish the least sparke therof By which meanes it is wonderfull to consider in how short a tyme the bookes and writings of all the ancient Heretikes in former ages haue been consumed and abolished by the zeale of Catholikes In so much as of so many millions of their Volumes there is not at this day one left remayning But this good man the Bishop is of another mynd who if it were possible would dig those authours out of hell againe to see whether they were truely cited by chose that wrote against them And for the present he would permit without any occasion such mens workes to be familiarly read whom the Apostle forbiddeth to be saluted Our mother Eue out of a vayne curiosity conferring with the serpent whome she might thinke to be an Angell Gen. 3.2 fell into Heresy but this man out of a curiosity more then monstrous Ioan. 10.3.5 would perswade the sheep of Christ to heare the voyce of a stranger and to conferre with that serpent whome they know and confesse to be the Diuell Wherfore this spirit of his being so contrary to the spirit of the Church to the spirit of the Apostle to the spirit of Christ himselfe and in fine contrary to the light of reason in the Gouernement both of Church and Common Wealth you may easily indge from whence it commeth and to what end it tendeth Whereby you will also coniecture what vnion and coniunction may be of the East and of the West of the North and South with the desire whereof this good Bishop is so much tormented For it can be nothing els but a horrible confusion of them all and the vtter ouerthrow of Christian Religion as we shall see hereafter In the meane tyme that you may the better perceiue his naturall and inborne desire of vnity wherewith his poore hart is so much tormented he wil make it knowne himselfe you vnto by the effects thereof For presently after he tells you that he deuided himself from the vnion of that Society wherunto he was vowed and separated himselfe from the body of that order whereof he was a member like a branch from his vyne from the which being once cut of it was likely he could be good for nothing but to be cast into the fire The great comendations he giueth of his owne learned laborious life whiles he was in Religion I can hardly belieue For writing this booke as he doth to no other end but only to blaze his owne prayses you need not doubt but that euery where he speaketh the most of himselfe or more then the most And supposing it to be true it amounteth God he knoweth but to a very small matter especially being done for humane prayse wherewith he payeth himselfe insteed of others that should reward him for it It may be that in respect of his proud and vnquiet spirit his Superiours were inforced to proue him in many things to see what good they might make of him But in the end it should seeme by his going forth which was like to be vpon some discontentment that they found him fit for nothing The Order of the Society of Iesus may fittly be compared to the sea that casteth forth the dead bodyes or to a vessell of new wine which purgeth all the trash and corrupt matter that is mingled with it and therefore they easily permit such as be not fit for them to depart from them least by staying amongst them being stopt vp close like corruption togeather with the pure wine they should breake the vessell it selfe wherein they are inclosed And albeit for this cause it be more easy for such as are ill disposed to quit themselues of the Society then for any other Religious men to be freed frō other Orders yet the dreadfull iudgments of God haue beene so many and so wonderfull vpon those that haue wrought themselues out of their Company that an honest and a pious mind should be more terrified therewith then with the prisons and fetters of other Orders Whereby also God himselfe hath made manifest to the world that the dispensation which is somtime giuen to those that are dismissed the Society doth acquit them of their vowes according to the cause of their departure which if it be good and sufficient it taketh away the whole obligation but if it be not as I feare me this mans was not they are not discharged before God and their conscience but they remayne still in the laps and in the state of Apostasy from their Religion But you will say he wanted not sufficient cause to depart for he that desireth to be made a Bishop desireth a good worke and this man went forth to be made a Bishop To which I answere that the worke of a Bishop is good but not the desire to be made a Bishop Chry. hom 3. in oper imperf hō 3. in Matt. To desire Primacy in the Church according to S. Chrysostome is neither iust nor profitable And Primacy sayth he desireth those that desire it not and abhorreth those that desire it And the reason is because the worke of a Bishop is a calling of such perfection and such dignity also danger ioyned with it that whosoeuer he be that thinketh himselfe so sufficient for it and so worthy of it as to sue and
Church according to the Scriptures must needs haue been one chiefe cause of those swarmes of Athiests in Protestant Countreyes whereof their principall writers do so much complayne Whereat I wonder nothing at all For to what end did our Sauiour come into the world but only to espouse his Church in Faith To what end did he instruct her with his preaching redeeme her with his death and Passion and sanctify her with his holy Spirit augment and confirme her with the labours of his Apostles and with the bloud of so many millions of Martyrs but only to make her such a glorious Kingdome euen vpon earth according to all the former Prophesies so constant so stronge so imoueable that she should vphold the glory of his name against Princes and Potentats against Kings and Emperours against Schismaticks Heretikes and wicked Christians and against all the force of the world and on the Diuell himselfe that would seeke withall his arts and engines to suppresse it Wherefore if our Sauiour be the true Messias whose Name was foretold to be Deusfortis Emmanuel Esa 9 6. Esa 7.15 the strong God God with vs and who according to his owne speach came into the world to bynd the strong man which is to say the Diuell that held all the world in peaceful captiuity before his comming then it must needs follow that the Kingdome which he erected shall stand for euer Matt. 16.18 and that the Gates of hâ—ll shall not preuaile against it But on the contrary side if it were true which the Protestants affirme that his Church hath erred ceasing to be the true Church or which is all one that his Kingdome was destroyed and that there came one after him stronger then himselfe that is to say the Diuell who did bynd his body whereof he was the head defiled his Spouse bereaued him of this Kingdome Matt. 12.20 and tooke his vessells and riches from him then of necessity it must be granted either that the former Prophesies of him were not true and that the Scripture is false or els that our Sauiour was not the true Messias who contrary to the Prophets and to his owne promises and protestations to maintayne his Church for euer hath suffered it to perish and therfore was not able to defend it This argument therefore of the largnes glory contynuance visibility and inuincible constancy of the Church is of great force to induce any man whatsoeuer whether he haue the Name or not so much as the Name of a ChristiaÌ„ to become a Catholike For the Scriptures euen as they are in the hands of our enemyes the Iewes â—iâ—t full of the Prophesies of those excellent perfectioÌ„s of the Kingdom of Christ which according to the present tymes and according to the historyes of all former ages we shewe to haue been performed since the death of Christ in the Catholike Church that was planted by himselfe and propagated by his holy spirit which according to his promise was giuen to his Apostles and their successours after them to remayne with them for euer And if it be manifest that this world in respect of the beauty and perfection therof Rom. 1. is the worke of Gods hand condemning all those that do not acknowledge him to be the Creatour of it much more manifest is it Eph. 5.27 that this glorious Kingdome and Church is the worke of God wherein he sheweth the riches of his power of his wisedome and of his infynit goodnes condemning all those that will not acknowledge it and subiect themselues to the gouerment therof SECTION XXIIII Foure other particuler motiues of the Conuersion of Nations of the Miracles of the Martyrdoms and of the vnion of the members of the Catholike Church are briefly propounded VNDER these generall tearmes of Holy Catholike Church are comprised many other partiticuler gifts and graces which being all supernaturall and diuine ech of them is a sufficient motiue to perswade any mans coÌ„science that the Catholike Church is the only blessed of God and the elected spouse of Christ our Sauiour Whereof being entred into this matter of Motiues I thinke good to giue instance in some few remitting you for the rest to other Catholike authours who haue treated more largely of this matter Diuers therfore haue been induced to belieue that the Catholike Fayth is the only true Religion by obseruing that all Nations and Countreys which at any tyme professed the Name of Christ haue been conuerted by Catholikes alone And in this last age since the Protestant religion began they haue reduced and subiected very many Kingdomes vnto the yoke of Christ whereof Philippus Nicolaus Coment de reg Christil 1. pag. 315. p. 52. Sym. Lyth in respons altera ad alteram Gretseri Apol. p. 331. Tertul. de praescrip c. 42. a Protestant numbreth more then 20. In so much as another Protestant in his answere to Gretser the Iesuit sayth The Iesuits within the space of a few yeares c. haue filled Asia Affrick and America with their Idols Whereas in the meane tyme the Protestants haue only sowne tares among the wheat atteÌ„ding as Tertullian sayd of the Heretikes of his tyme not to conuert the heathen but to peruert those that were before conuerted And although they haue sundry tymes attempted to conuert some heathen with hope to possesse their Countreys yet no King or Kingdome or Countrey or Prouince Sarauia in defension tract de diuersis gradibus Ministrorum pag. 309. was euer conuerted by them And Beza sayth plainly that the Protestants may leaue such peregrinatious to those locusts that belieue the Name Iesus Which conuersions of so many sauage and barbarous Nations by the words of a few poore men with a little broken language to imbrace a Religion so far aboue the reach of Nature and in respect of the austerity therof so contrary to flesh bloud and especially to their former intemperate liues and brutish customes as it shewath Gods promises by the Prophets to be dayly fullfilled in them and proueth our Church thereby to be the Church of Christ So it is most euident that their conuerters were supernaturally assisted by the strength of Gods Arme which is sufficient to perswade any indifferent man that the doctrine they preach can be no other then the true Ghospell reuealed by Christ to his owne Apostles Which also is a manifest token that the grounds of Christianity and of our Catholike doctrine are the very same And that the Protestants for want of them can neuer conuert any Heathen Nation to Christian religion denying as they do the grounds therof which are the same with the grounds of the Catholike doctrine Secondly therefore many haue submitted themselues to the obedience of the Catholike Church by consideratioÌ„ of those notorious miracles which in all ages haue beene wrought therin being such marks of truth as no man can deny them to be the seales of God and the signes of his owne hand If I should
be not altogeather improbable that he feared poyson and punyards as he sayth and it may very well be that he had deserued no better of some priuat Citizens in the place wher he liued yet it is more likely that herein he would only shew his Rhetorike thereby to draw the Pope into suspition and enuy And that he feareth no other poyson but the fire nor any other knife but the sword of the hangman which I must needs say setting all other causes apart he well deserueth for these monstrous slaunders and foule imputations alone wherwith he chargeth so worthy a Prince as the Pope and a Seat so reuerend and sacred as the Church of Rome Where he sayth That now adayes the controuersies of the Church are not cōmitted to the deciding of Deuines or Councells but for the defence of Rome from Rome to Parricides villaines and murtherers who knoweth not that all the poynts in Controuersy at this day were for many yeares togeather disputed and discussed in the Councell of Trent and that the learned Deuines of the Church of Rome haue defended thēselues most gloriously as well by their excellent writings as constant sufferings wherof you need not go far to seeke examples Not striking others treacherously as this wolf pretendeth but being strucken vniustly not giuing blowes but receauing blow after blow not murthering others but willingly suffering themselues to be murthered not seeking other mens liues but giuing their owne liues for the testimony of their cause and for the saluation of the soules of others The Bishop being thus couragiously resolued to run away with most extreme feare to be stayed or taken he telleth you of a great conflict betweene himselfe on the one party and his hand-maid Agar with her Sonne Ismaell on the other viz. betweene the flesh and the spirit Of what colour the spirit was I make no question but what flesh he meaneth whether his own or some other bodys that tempted him to stay I cannot so easily resolue For his own flesh stood in feare of torture and torment as you haue heard and was already cloathed with the infamy of heresy that was bruted in him and therefore by al reason should take part with his spirit that did so vehemently perswade him to run away But the flesh that heere he bringeth into combat putteth him in hope of ease of pleasure preferment and in feare of the infamy that might meet him in his iourney Besides it moueth a doubt vnto him whether he were wiser then other innumerable Bishops that stayed behind him which his owne flesh could neuer haue done For he knew that he made no question of the matter and therfore he neuer admitted any of them to counsell as he confessed before nor heere doth he vouchsafe any answere at all to that needlesse obiection On the other side considering how like his flesh is to the flesh of Agar Gen. 16.4 that despised her Mistresse and being therefore corrected by her fed from her vntill at length not only her selfe but also her son Ismaell were both cast forth into the desert as this man despised the Pope his Maister being reprehended for it ran quite away in the end was thrown forth out of the family of Christ into the desert of heresy and infidelity I say all this considered me thinks by Agar he should meane no other flesh but his owne But whose flesh soeuer this Agar was I haue reason to thinke that when he came to you he carryed her sonne Ismaell with him into England As concerning the spirit which pleaded as he sayth against the flesh did so much sollicit his hasty departure vnlesse himselfe had written it I should not haue thought that with any reason I could haue accused the Diuell to haue beene the authour of it For what should any spirit need to pray him go that was already vpon running and nothing els but a chayne could hold him But now I see that his old acquaintance not content with his readynes did push and driue him healong on that as before he had cast him out of his order so at this tyme he was at hand to cast him forth out of the Catholike Church This spirit he calleth Diuine and sayth that with vehement impulsion it did not permit him to make any longer delay And that he followed the same as Abraham followed the voyce of God Gen. 22.10 Alas poore man if he be of any religion whereof I haue great cause to doubt for the causes aforesayd he is not the first that trusting to his owne iudgment and confiding himselfe in the pleasing phansy of a priuate spirit insteed of God hath adored the Diuell by whose meanes also he further saith going from Venice towards England he hopeth that his fame or good name of what forme and beauty soeuer it be shal be preserued from all blemish euen in the hands of the Barbarous Which new Name of Barbarous for any thing that I can see you must be contented to receiue at the hands of your new God father instead of a better blessing And surely albeit some insolent Italians haue not spared to lay this rude imputation vpon other Nations yet this Dalmatian being scarsely an Italian himselfe and going to liue among them and to be mayntained by them both in discretion and ciuility should haue affoarded them some better title As touching the preseruation of his fame whereof he speaketh with great zeale and no little feare as it seemeth both heere and in other places of his booke I cannot so easily coniecture what it is he would haue or what it is he feareth For to be reputed an Heretike in Italy in respect of his departure thence and his going into England is a thing farre off and being of his mynd and where he is a man would thinke he should rather glory therein then be ashamed thereof Wherefore it is very probable that there is some great matter in the straw which is not yet discouered that either he feareth the workes he left behind him will come after him thither and claime him for their Father or els he is troubled with such passions still as will quickly discredit him if prouision be not made that his infirmityes may either be cured or well couered And to this purpose perchance he insinuateth the reward of Abraham whose beautifull wife was preserued from reproach in the hands of Pharao and the saying of S. Ambrose that neither Countrey nor Parents nor wife nor children ought to withdraw vs from the execution of Gods will For God saith he giueth all things to vs which words I would haue you marke and is able to preserue that which he giueth Whereby it may be that his modesty would giue you to vnderstand that either he hath a wife already which I will not say or that he would haue one which is more likely for the preseruation of his same amongst you Which if it be so he need not to haue
at the least no lesse vncertayne then the thing he proueth euen to himself as euery Reader may easily perceiue And therfore to perswade his friends that he himselfe at the least is well perswaded of it he should haue declared what rules of Scripture they were that he obserued which perchance would haue troubled him more then his great booke with the 10. hornes which was no lesse then 10. whole yeares a making But this man hauing lost his credit at home and being new come into a strange Countrey taketh vp all vpon trust without pawne or surety which is another point wherein he also resembleth Monsignor fate voi And in the end withall his borrowing like vnto his predecessour he may chance though in another kind to be well beaten for his labour And now I might here dispute how improbable the story is which he telleth and how grosse the inuention which he seeketh to put vpon you That hauing no knowledge of your doctrine either by Speach or Reading any of your bookes he should fall iust vpon your Parlamentall Religion For first both Geneua and Saxony were in his way and supposing that the English Angells might haue more power with him then the poore Guardian spirits of those other Countryes Secondly I might obiect his vehement suspition wherof he speaketh pag. 8. That Catholike Authours did not faithfully deliuer the opinions of the Protestants against whom they wrote Which if it be true no man can tell how possibly he should know what points they held either in England or in any other Countrey against the Church of Rome Wherof it would follow that at his comming from Venice he could only be perswaded that the Romane Religion was false and that all other were sufficiently true and that therevpon he resolued to carry his sheres with him and to cut out his Religion according to the fashion of the Countrey where he came In the meane time forsaking his former fayth which though neuer so white his owne pride and malice against the Pope made him thinke to be black and bedecking himselfe with the party-coloured feathers of all other moderne Religions to be the better welcome in all places Pag. 15. we shall plucke him anone like Esops crow and shew him to be naked without any religion at all as you will see heereafter But for the present letting his strange conuersion passe for a Protestant Myracle that which I lay hold on at this tyme and whereupon I must insist a little before I go any further is the first part of his Argument wherein he calleth God and his conscience to witnesse That the persuasion of no mortall man of any sort came euer to his eaves which might moue him to this determination That no man at any time did euer inuite him to it That he vsed the counsell of none at all nor euer conferred or spake with any man about it Pag. 4. That he neuer read any Protestant booke And that if any Roman Prelate detested such bookes he detested them aboue measure For if this be true then say I that hereof it wil euidently follow that he was deluded by the Diuell and was not directed by the spirit of God as he pretendeth And so without any more ado as our Sauiour sayd of the wicked seruant Out of his owne mouth you may condemne him For the first part of his argument ouerthroweth not only the second but also the principall conclusion of his whole booke and sheweth that the alteration he hath made could not proceed from God Which now I will proue vnto you by three arguments very plaine and in my opinion most conuincing SECTION I. The Bishop his first Reason turned against himselfe And from thence are deduced three arguments which do plainly proue that he was deluded by the Diuell BVT first you must note that being in Venice if he had listed to conferre he could not haue wanted sufficient meanes and choice of men with whome he might haue treated most securely For besids al Catholike Deuines with whome he might haue dealt in Confession and vnder the seale of secresy there were others inough of his owne hayre both Italians and strangers and some also of our owne Nation Qui se putant aliquid esse by whose acquaintance also he might haue procured bookes of al your Authours out of Germany France and England And perchance in those declining parts vnder the State of Venice there be too many of such bookes already Supposing therfore which cannot be denied that he might easily haue gotten both men and bookes if he would as they say but haue wished for them out of his owne mouth against himselfe and against the spirit that brought him thither I reason thus The spirit of God is the spirit of wisdome in which respect Goodnes in Scripture is tearmed the Wisdome of God as Vice on the contrary is called Folly And therfore such as are gouerned by the spirit of God Prou. 8.12 are gouerned by wisdome and by the rules of wisdome set down in Scripture But Wisdom dwelleth in Counsell according whereunto it was prophesied of our Sauiour who is the wisdom of his Father Esa 9.6 that his name should be called Admirable Counsellour Esa 11.2 and that the Spirit of Counsell should rest vpon him with which agreeth that which he sayd where two or three be gathered togeather in my name I am there in the midst of them Matth. 18.20 And who knoweth not that one of the principall gifts of his Holy Spirit is called Donum Consilij Which is nothing els but a certaine effect of his grace in the harts of al his children wherby they are aptly disposed to receiue spirituall aduice and wholesom counsell Whereof it followeth that the Bishop who so much despised all kind of counsell in this his probation of spirit could not be gouerned by the spirit of God nor by the rules of wisedome set downe in Scripture For further profe wherof you may remember how in the bookes of Wisdom there is nothing more recōmended vnto vs Prou. 2.12 then to order our affayres by counsell Counsell shall keep thee that thou mayst be deliuered from the euill way and from the man that speaketh peruersly That is to say from the way of perdition and from the Diuell from whom the Bishop admitting no counsell had no meanes to be deliuered Againe Eccles 38.27 Confer thy buysines with thy friend My Sonne do nothing without counsell and of thy doing thou shalt neuer repent thee Which the Bishop in this weighty busines of his soule not forseeing may be sure that the scourge of repentance will follow after him Prou. 15.22 Againe Where there is no counsell there is distraction or dissipation of thoughts But where there are many Counsellours cogitations are confirmed Now the thoughts of the Bishop in this case wanting Counsellours to confirme them could therefore tend to no other end but only to that dissipation diuision which
and were preferred to Ecclesiasticall dignity could be allowed to read any such authours Thirdly he sayth that from the first yeare of his Clergy he had nourished in himselfe an inborne desire of the vnion of al Christian Churches inquyring what might be the cause of their Schisme which did excruciate and torment his mynd and doth still consume and wast him as you may perceiue by looking vpon him with such grief and sorrow as is wonderfull Fourthly telling you vnder hand pag. 11. That leauing the Society of Iesus where he had read Mathematickes Rethoricke Logicke and Philosophy preached often done them other domesticall seruice for the which they were very sory to leaue him he sayth Fiftly page 11. and 12. That being made a Bishop and falling to read bookes of printted Sermons Quadragesimalls and others for the exercise of his Episcopall function in preaching he found great abuse of Scripture in them apocriphall and ridiculous examples inuentions of Auarice and Ambition not without superstition wherewith the people were deluded Sixtly he sayth pag. 13. That in reading the Fathers he obserued that his maisters had taught him many thinges against them and that the Ecclesiasticall discipline of our tyme did differ very much from the auncient practise therof These considerations I haue called dispositions which somewhat prepared his mynd to make mutation of Religion because as he saith they made him to see as it were a farre off that matters went not well and because all this while he did not fully consent but made some kind of resistance vnto them Wherein before we passe any further not to confound you with too much matter togeather let vs consider whether that which he hath brought be of any moment to perswade his Reader that his new beleefe proceded from God And to begin with his vehement suspition which was the first seed from whence his vocation sprung wherein and in the other three assertions which follow I wil be content to do him that courtesy which he refused to shew vnto his Maisters and to suppose he cyteth the booke of his conscience aright though none but himselfe can looke into it it appeareth euidently thereby that this new seed of suspition was nothing els but the worst kind of cockle which our enemy and his the Father of Heresy is wont to sow vpon the good Corne of Christ For suspition is nothing els but an opinion of euill without any iust or sufficient ground as the Rhetoritians S. Thom. 2.2 q. 60. art 3.4 Philosophers and Deuines define it And therefore it alwayes importeth some fault and some iniury done to the party who is thereby wronged because vniustly suspected whereof I maruell how your learned Bishop could be ignorant Wherefore to suspect and concerue an ill opinion of so many as he did in a matter of such importance without any reason or sufficient cause was a sinne and that a great one especially in him who at that tyme thought himselfe bound in conscience to belieue entirely the whole doctrine of the Church of Rome For if to doubt of any article of Faith without inclyning to either side be an act of Heresy as all Deuines do affirme then much more to suspect which is to inclyne and to giue some consent to any motion contrary to the very ground of Faith must needs be Heresy But you will say the Bishop made resistance thereunto and therefore he did not sinne against his conscience To which I answere If when the thought therof came first to his mynd he did repell it that then in that case it neuer grew to be any suspition but if once it came to be suspition as he affirmeth it was then hauing cōceiued an opinion of so great euil vpon sleight occasion or rather no occasion at all it cannot be denyed but that he sinned in admitting the same though he might do well afterward in changing his mynd and in opposing himselfe against it And therefore this suspition being so great a sinne it could not be inspired into him from God Almighty So as it can no way be denyed but that this first motion arising in the Bishops mynd against the Catholike Religion was the bad seed sowne by the Diuell which sprung vp out of his owne Malice Pryde Leuity and Inconstancy from whence neither a good tree nor good fruite can be expected For as you know Paruus error in principio magnus in fine and if the light it selfe wherewith he began to worke be darkenes then the works themselues that proceded from it must needs be the workes of extreme darkenes Let vs now proceed to the increase of this his strong and vehement suspition as he tearmeth it occasioned as he saith by the strict prohibition of such books as are cōtrary to the Roman doctrine Which likewise we shall find that as it begun without reason so was it augmented vpon a very false and friuolous reason and as it sprung out of pryde and leuity so was it fed and nourished with pryde and curiosity And therefore the new strength or force which it receiued could not proceed from the spirit of God For supposing as all Catholikes do and as he then did that such kind of bookes are full fraught with the poyson of Heresy which is the most damnable vice of all other it standeth with great reason that they should in no case admit such dangerous warres amongst them for such bookes being once admitted they easily passe from maisters and learned men to the hands not only of Schollers but also of other simple people who not knowing what they are but feeding of all the bread that comes from the Baker and of all the dishes that are set before them insteed of wholesome meat should fall vpon poyson for whose soules their negligent pastors should answere to God at the day of Iudgment For I pray you if some vnquiet and ambitious spirit in other Countreys should make clayme to the Crowne of England and call in question the Kings title though neuer so cleere with vs do you thinke that the Pleas and Processe of such a man should be remitted to the reading of euery yong student or Counsellour at Law in the Ins of Court especially if this Claymer or Pretender had got some Lawyers to be of his side and had made a party which followed him and sought to set footing in England Much more is it necessary for those that haue the gouerment of soules to be iealous of their safty to be vigilant for the preseruation of peace amongst them But you will say vnto me why then are Catholike Latin writers permitted to be read by our ministers and others here in England to which I answere that the case is farre different For first England was neuer yet fully Protestant the Catholike number remayning still very great and therefore the state of England in this respect might do well to follow the example of the primitiue Church wherein after that the Christian Religion
respect S. Augustine said Aug. l. de pasto c. 13. as you haue heard that S. Peter receiued his authority in the person of the Church that is to say present and to come for himselfe and his successors And in the same sense he teacheth els where that all good Pastors are in one Pastor And S. Cyprian affirmed as I haue alleadged Cyp. ep 4◠55. that in the Church there is one God one Christ one Chayre founded vpon Peter one Priest one Iudge for the tyme in the place of Christ. Which is also confirmed by the words of our Sauiour where he sayth There should be one sheepfold and one Pastour Ioan. 10.16 For as we gather thereof that the fold must alwayes be one so also the Pastour thereof being One who was S. Peter must alwayes remayne One in his successors and our Sauiour would thereby signify that the vnity of the fold depended of the vnity of that one Pastor to whom he meant to giue the charge and to commend the feeding of it Which also the Fathers demonstrate to be most necessary for the auoyding and extinguishing of Schismes and Heresyes in the Church of God as you haue seene before And some of the Protestants themselues as Whitgift Protestant Apology vbi supra Melancthon Luther and others do willingly confesse it and especially Doctour Couell who affirmeth that the Church should be in far worse case then the meanest common Wealth nay almost then a den of theeues without it I cannot omit his reason which is also the common reason of the Catholikes That if this Superiority were necessary amongst the Apostles much more was it necessary among other Bishops after their decease neither will I omit that it belonged vnto the charge and Pastorall Office of S. Peter to prouide that the sheep of Christ after his death might not be scattered and deuided for the want of one common and vniuersall Pastour Wherfore by this it is euident that the Pastorall function of S. Peter was to remayne in the Church of God And therefore it descended to the Bishop of Rome his only successour which is a most strong argument in it selfe may serue vs withall for a good step or degree to the rest of the proofes that follow SECTION X. The Supremacy of the Pope and his succession to S. Peter is proued by the titles of his supreme dignity in the ancient Fathers and by the foure first generall Councells VVHEREIN we will begin with those titles appellations which haue byn giuen by the Councells and ancient Fathers to the Bishops of Rome being the same that were giuen to S. Peter alone with many others equiualēt therunto For as in the Cōmonwealth none can haue the title of Cesar but he that succedeth vnto Cesar so also in the Church if the Pope inherite the same titles that were proper to S. Peter in respect of his supreme dignity it must needs be graunted that he succedeth likewise in the place of the same dignity to S. Peter First therefore he is called the head of the Church Chalcedon act 1 which title the whole Councell of Chalcedon for example being one of the foure first and receiued in England by act of Parliament gaue to S. Leo Bishop of Rome in their Epistle to him where also the Church of Rome is called the head of all Churches Secondly Epist ad Dam. S. Hierome calleth Pope Damasus the foundation and Rock of the Church and said that he knew the Church to be buylt vpon him S. Augustine likewise tearmeth the sea of Rome the Rock of the Church Thirdly S. Ambrose intitleth Pope Siricius the Pastour of the flock of our Lord. Fourthly Epist 81. ad Cyril he is tearmed the Apostolicall man his seat the Apostolicall Seat his Office Apostleship and his dignity Apostolicall sanctity as you may easily obserue in the authorityes that follow which words without any other addition of place or person cannot be giuen to any but to him alone For the like supreame authority and Iurisdiction vnto his ouer the whole Church hauing been granted only to the Apostles and after there decease being deriued from S. Peter the Prince of the Apostles vnto the Pope alone in these two respects the excellency of his vniuersall authority descending from the Prince of the Apostles is properly called Apostolicall which tearme by it selfe alone without limitation cannot therefor be giuen to any other Fiftly in the Councell of Chalcedon he was intitled the vniuersall Archbishop and Patriarch of great Rome which stile albeit S. Gregory refused in the sense as it was vsed by Iohn Bishop of Constantinople and that to abate his pryde S. Gregory began to write himselfe neither Patriarch nor Bishop but Seruus seruorum Dei yet he admitted the Councell of Chalcedon Ioan Diac. in eius vita l. 2. cap. 1. in the particuler vse of this tearme signifying that the Pope was Bishop of the vniuersall Church as also many of S. Gregoryes Predecessours had intitled themselues before him Sixthly Greg. l. 4. epist 32. Bern. l. 2. de consid S. Bernard among others called the Pope the Vicar of Christ Stephen Archbishop of Carthage writing to Pope Damasus in the name of three Affrican Councells directeth his Epistle To the most Blessed Lord aduanced with Apostolicall dignity Apostolico culmine sublimato the holy Father of Fathers Damasus Pope and chiefe Bishop of all Prelates Lastly to be short the word Pope without any addition is giuen only to the Pope In which sense we read in the Chalcedon Councell The most blessed and Apostolicall Man the Pope giueth vs this in charge where also he is called Act. 16. Pope of the vniuersall Church And in the Breuiary of Liberatus we read that none is Pope ouer the Church of the whole world but only the Roman Bishop Thirdly the succession of the Pope to S. Peter and the supreame authority of the Roman Church in regard thereof is proued by the Councells wherof a long treatise might be made but for breuityes sake because the Protestants seeme to respect and reuerence with S Gregory the great the foure first generall Councells as the foure Euangelists and that they are also receiued by act of Parliament anno 10. of Queene Elizabeth I will alleadge no other but those and out of them so much alone as may be sufficient to establish the Popes Supremacy and to let you see That if the Catholikes might be admitted to any kind of iust and equall try all how easily it were for them to claime Toleration to iustify the Religion euen by the statutes at the cōmon Law which are now in force in England The sixt Canon therefore of the first Councell of Nice beginneth in this manner The Roman Church hath alwayes had Primacy and lot the ancient custome contynue in Aegypt or Lybia and Pentapolis that the Bishop of Alexandria haue power ouer them all wherof the reasō followeth quoniam
day I take to be some part of those innumerable heresyes whereof he accuseth the Sea of Rome to be euery day an authour for otherwise that monstrous Hyperbole of his could haue no proportion and within the number of those other very many Churches which heere he sayth that Rome hath vniustly made her aduersaries must be contayned not only those of the West which are but two or three notoriously knowne but also the other of the East that is to say the Grecians and Arians at the least if the Turkes and Iewes do not also come in to make vp the reckoning of so great a number The fury of Heresy being now ouerblowne wherewith it entred first into our miserable Countrey and the Kingdome hauing been a long tyme setled in a reposed kind of gouernemēt many strangers of good iudgment and well affected to our Nation do wonder to see that it receiueth with tryumph all kind of Fugitiues and Apostata Fryars that come running thither of what life or what religion soeuer they be so long as they professe themselues enemyes to the Church of Rome which many wise men our friends who are lookers on esteeme and affirme to be no lesse dishonorable then dangerous to any well ordered and well gouerned society And in very deed what reputation I pray you can it giue vnto you in the eye of your Neighbour Countreys to see the scumme and vomit of other Nations and their Religious Orders to be so much esteemed and magnifyed among you or what conceit can they make either of your zeale in religion or wisedome in gouernement that open your armes to euery Sectary and your pulpits to euery renegate pretending to preach although his conuersation his intention his priuate opinions or the cause of his comming be neuer so much vnknowne vnto you And at this tyme I pray God it proue not too true that in the shape of a Bishop you haue receiued a most venomous and pestiferous serpent into your bosome For albert as yet he doth not shew his head by discouering his opinions in all the particuler poynts of Christian Religion making demonstration of malice against the Pope alone yet in the windings turnings of this little booke as I haue shewed and especially in destroying all iurisdiction in arrogating to his owne iudgment aboue measure and in challenging liberty to abound in his owne sense he discouereth a most fearefull and deformed body For if this which he pretendeth may be permitted to himselfe and others there is no poynt of Religion which will not presently be called in question euery thing wil be made a quodlibet as the Academikes in Philosophy so you also in Diuinity must hold all things probable and problematicall whereof it will shortly follow that as all the wisedome of the Academy was summed in this one sentence Hoc tantùm scio quòd nihil scio so the Religion of England wil be wholy reduced to this one article hoc tantùm credo quòd nihil credo And the danger hereof is the greater at this tyme because as I vnderstand it is an opinion growing into fashion among you that a man may be saued in any Religion so he belieue in Christ and I haue seene one of your principall Doctours cyted D. Morton in his treatise of the kingdome of Israel pag. 94. who durst to publish in prynt that an Arian might be saued because albeit he deny the Deumity of Christ yet he confesseth Christ to be the true Messies which your Doctour thinketh sufficient for saluation From whence euery man being permitted to abound in his owne sense as the Bishop would haue it your selfe may iudge how easy a matter it is to passe a little further and to thinke that it may suffice to hold that Christ was a great Prophet as the Turkes do or that it is indifferent to belieue whether he be come or no which disposeth to Iudaisme or that a morall life may be sufficient to saue vs in any Religion which is playne Gentility And if this be the vnion of the East and West and of the North and South which the Bishop so much desireth to establish in his Ecclesiasticall Common Wealth I am sure that none but the Diuell can be the head therof and to satisfy the mans ambition if it were to do him good I should be contented for my part that he himselfe should be made the Vicar But thus you see how such as once fall from the Catholike Church which is the body do easily contemne the head thereof who is Christ himselfe and come to loose not only their dewine faith which none can haue but they that belieue the true Church but also to renounce their morall beliefe and former persuasion of that truth of Christianity wherin they were bred which hitherto God be thanked hath been constantly mayntained in our Countrey SECTION XVII The substance of the Bishops 10. bookes being thus confuted the mayne poynt of this other Booke which he maketh the ground of his Conuersion That the doctrine of the Protestants differeth little or nothing from the doctrine of the ancient Fathers is disproued by sundry generall reasons and by the Fathers themselues codemning the Protestants opinions for no lesse then Heresies FOR this important consideration and to meete with the danger of Neutrality in Religion so fast increasing in our Countrey as I fynd it most easy so I thinke it most necessary in these desperate tymes to make some cōfutation of these idle dreams and sottish illusions of the Diuell by shewing plainly out of the rule of Fayth and according to the ground of naturall reason that no man can be saued without the perfect loue of God which requyreth perfect obedience both of the vnderstanding in beleeuing the Catholike Church whome God hath appoynted to teach vs and also of the will in keping Gods Precepts and Commaundements Which indeed were a medicyne most appropriate to the diseases of the tyme and a hatchet layd to that root from whence the Bishops tree is already sprung and which spreadeth a pace in the harts not only of the idle youth which I feare but also of those that take themselues to be the wisest men in our Countrey But because I am loath to be ouer troublesome at this tyme and that this Treatise requyreth some hast which growing in my hand from a letter to a booke should haue been dispatched long since not only to giue iust contentment to your selfe expecting my answere to your letter but also to satisfy others who hauing hard the Bishops tale keep one eare open all this while to heare the reply of the contrary party I will reserue the handling of this matter for a fresher pen and for this tyme I will coment my selfe with those authorityes which I haue a leady produced out of the Fathers pronouncing such as are not vnited with the Pope it be confounded with the succession of his seat built vpon the premise of our Saniour to be
differeth little or nothing from the pure doctrine of Christ But Luther his disciples teach that all Sacramentaries or such as deny Christ to be taken with the mouth in the blessed Sacrament are Heretikes alienated from the Church of God who driue away and kill the sheep of Chritt that their errour Ioan. Schutz in 50. Cans in praefat Tigurni in prafat Apol. Tig. tract 3. cont supremam Luth. confes p. 61. is a blasphemous defence of many horrible heresyes an abnegation of the power and truth of Christ and a preparation to Nestorianisme Arianisme and Turcisme That their breast is insathanized supersathanized persathanized that their mouth is oueruled by Sathan being infused perfused and transfused into the same Therefore it differeth little or nothing from the pure doctrine of Christ to hold the Bishop and is fellowes who are Sacramentaryes to be heretiks alienated from God deceiuers and killers of the sheep of Christ c. Secondly I argue in this manner Caluin in admonit vlt. ad Westfalū cont Hesshusiā according to the doctrine of Caluin which differeth nothing from the purity of the Ghospell Such as refuse to condimne the opinions of Luther are malepers wicked furious heretikes and slaues of the Diuell But the Bishop doth not condemne the opinion of Luther therefore according to that doctrine which differeth nothing from the purity of the Ghospell the Bishop is a malepert wicked furious heretike c. Thirdly in the behalfe of the Puritans I argue thus The doctrine of the Puritans according to the Bishop differeth nothing from the purity of the Ghospell But the Puritans affirme (e) Dangerous positions l. 2. c. 9. 11. that the Protestants put no difference betwixt truth and falseshood Christ and Antichrist God and the Diuell that their Clergy are an Antichristian swynish rabble and the enemyes of the Ghospell Therefore it differeth nothing from the purity of the Ghospell to affirme that the Bishop being a Protestant putteth no difference betwixt truth and falshood Christ and Antichrist God and the Diuell c. To be short Bernard Minister of VVorsop in his book of the Separists Schisme p. 71. in the behalfe of the Brownists his other yonger brethren I argue thus The Brownists according to the Bishop do not dissent from the purity of the Ghospel But the Brownists affirme that the Ministers of the Church of England are Aegiptian inchanters lymms of the Diuell Sycophants Angels of hell an Antichristian Clergy Therfore it differeth little or nothing from the purity of the Ghospell to affirme that the Bishop being now a Minister of the Church of England is an Aegiptian inchanter a limme of the Diuell a Sicophant c. Lastly in the behalfe of the Protestants against the Puritans I argue thus The Protestants doctrine according to the Bishop differeth little or nothing from the purity of the Ghospell But the Protestants affirme Ormerode dis ouery of Puritan Papisme dial 1. f. 5. that the Puritans who are the Bishops brothers in Christ and make one Church with him haue ioyned themselues with the Pharisies Apostolikes Aerians Pepuzians Petrobusians Floriniās Cerinthians Nazarens Begardines Ebionists Catabaptides Euthusiests Donatists Iouinians and Catharists Therfore the Bishop is a Pharisy Aerian c. Neither are these the dissentions of priuate men alone whose quarells the Bishop hath vndertaken Protest Apology pag. 505. but of whole bodyes Countreys and Societyes who haue mutually opposed themselues with such rage and fury as that they not only condemned but also banished ech other for heretiks from their seuerall Dominions prohibiting bookes making articles of Inquisition examining imprisoning entring into open armes one against another the Lutherans in particuler vsing cruelty euen to the dead corps of the Caluinists The Church of England hath decreed as you know that Whosoeuer shall affirme any of the 39. Articles agreed vpon in the yeare of our Lord 1562. to be in any part erroneous or such as may not with a good conscience be subscribed vnto is ipso facto excommunicated and not to be restored but after repentance and publike reuocation of his wicked errour whereunto it is euident that the Lutherans will neuer subscribe Luth. tom 7. Witēb f. 382. Luth. de coena Domini Tom. 2. Germ. fol. 174. their Father Luther hauing layd a curse vpon all Charity and Concord with the Sacramentaryes for euer and euer to all eternity And a little before his death he protested that hauing now one of his feet in the graue he would carry this testimony and glory to the Trybunall of God That he did contemne and eschew the Sacramentayes with all his hart and that he would not haue any familiarity with them neither by letters nor by words nor deeds accordingly as the Lord had commounded And Eccard a Lutheran sayth it is manifest Eccard in fasciculo Cont. in praefat ad Ducē Sax. that the diuinity of the Lutherans Caluinists can neuer be reconciled and that none but a most light Epicure can affirme that the differences betwene them are but light For sayth he they are most weighty and concerne the foundation both of Churth fayth Schlussch l. 2. Theol. Caluinist art 8. And Schlusselburge hath the like with others The like may be sayd of the Puritans in Genena France Flaunders and other places who do all oppose themselues against the Supremacy of the King in spirituall matters and against the Episcopall Hierarchy of the Clergy of Englād Whom also the Puritans of England haue intituled the Reformed Church and prepose them to the Parliament for example of imitation Two of the chiefe articles of the Scottish Puritās be these first Bishops Archbishops haue no authority their very names he antichristian and diabolicall Secondly it is Heresy for any Prince to call himselfe head of the Church T. C. reply p. 144. but he may be excommunicated and deposed by his Ministers Thomas Cartwright sayth that the English Puritans are bound to defend their doctrine with losse of as many liues as they haue hayres on their heads And that Princes must submit their Scepters and throwe downe thir Crownet and licke the dust of their feet Our English Puritans in their admonition to the Parliament Admonit tract 2.3 complaine that there is no right religion nor so much as the outward face of a Church rightly reformed in England That the titles of Bishops were deuised by Antichrist plainely forbiden in Gods word And at last they conclude desiring God to confound all them who will not allowe of their admonitions and holy Eldership That say they his peace may be vpon Israel Tract 23. and his sauing health vpon this Nation So that you see into what straytes this Protheus is brought Into what forme of religion soeuer he shift himselfe of those which he defendeth Lutheran Protestant Caluinist or Puritant he is euery where taken reuiled reiected and condomned Wherefore that from hence forward
you may know this man to be one of those of whom S. Paul speaketh who taking vpon them to be Doctours of the Law do not vnderstand neither what they speake nor of what they affirme Let vs suppose it were true that his eyes were opened as he saith and that he saw manifestly and clerely in the Fathers Canons and Councells those so many Churches whome Rome hath made her aduersaryes do differ little or nothing from the ancient and pare doctrine of the pure Church What other thing I pray you did he see with his eyes broad open so plainly but only this that he is alienated from the Church of God a deceiuer and a killer of the sheep of Christs a blasphemous defender of many horrible Heresyes a disposer to Arianisme and Turcisme insathanized and 〈…〉 c. according to the purity of the Lutheran Ghospell That he is amalepert wicked furious herecike and a slane of the Diuell in defenthing Luther according to the purity of Caluins doctrine That he putteth no difference betwene truth and falshould Christ and Antichrist God and the Diuell but it one of the Antichristian Swyntsh rabble according to the purity of the Puritants themselues And lastly that he is excommunicated and guilty of a wicked errour according to the purity of the Protestants for defending most impurely that all these Sects togeather do differ little or nothing from the purity of the Ghospell SECTION XX. The conclusion of this Tract cōcerning the Bishops motiues by occasion wherof the nature of a motiue is declared and the first Catholike motiue of the holynes and sanctity of Catholike doctrine is propounded AND this much concerning the Bishops Motiues and the formall Reasons of his conuersion which I haue shewed that being in themselues not only strang but also incredible he neither goeth about to proue in this place nor can possibly proue them in his other bookes hereafter because in them he doth not descend to those particuler points which are in Controuersy betwene vs as is manifest by the titles of his bookes themselues And this one Controuersy alone of the Popes Supremacy according to the doctrine of the ancient Church I which is the substance of all the bookes he promiseth is found as I haue shewed to he most extreme against him and that which he maketh the ground thereof hath been also discouered to be a most absurd and most pernicious position as much contrary to the authority of your Bishops and to the Puritan Eldership and to the title of his owne booke as to the Popes Supremacy and if all were true which he pretendeth to proue in his Common wealth it might shew perhaps the Catholike Religion to be false but yours to be the right it could not proue I haue also made it euident vnto you that the Bishops motiues as they are heere set downe in his little booke are as monstrous vntruths as can be deuised and albeit he may saue them from broad lyes perchance vnder the title of some rhetoricall figure whereof he hath been a Maister yet too much of one thing is good for nothing and he cannot deny but that it is a great disgrace euen to the Art of lying to vse this one figure of manifest vntruth so often By this also that hath beene sayd concerning this matter you will further perceiue the Bishop being a man so deeply learned and after ten yeares study hauing produced such reasons as these for the proofe of your Religion how hard or rather how impossible it is for any man whatsoeuer to giue any sound or good reason for it Wherin also by the way it wil be worthy your knowledge to consider that such reasons as may induce a man to be of any Religion are of two sorts For either they proue euery point of Religion in particuler to be true or els they open and declare the euidence of certaine generall principles which being once receiued draw after them the consent of the mind to all those thinges in speciall which are taught or practised in that Religion Vnto the first kind do belong all those books which treat of particuler Controuersyes as of the Masse of prayer for the dead of prayer to Saints Purgatory and the like which indeed to a man that hath but little will or little leasure to read is a wearisome course and tedious way to tryall Vnto the other doth belong those shorter discourses which some haue tearmed motiues and for the Catholike party may be seen in such as haue handled the notes of the Church in Canipian his ten Reasons in the booke of the Three Conuersions of England in Bristow and others Whereunto besides that they must be generall reasons as I haue shewed two things againe are necessary The one that the truth of them be more euident then the truth of other particulers which depend vpon them The other that they induce almen Heathens or Christiās of what belief soeuer they be to change opinion and to submit their iugdments to the obedience of that Religion for which they are produced This being seene if you please but to examine a little all those Protestants books which haue been published in this kind you shall not find any one argument in them which may be called a generall reason or an vniuersall motiue for the truth of your Religion but either they are no lesse obscure then the Religion it selfe as that the word of God is truly preached and the Sacraments rightly administred amongst you or most improbable as that the Protestants haue beene alwayes the most visible Congregation of all other Christian Churches or that your religion accordeth with the doctrine of the ancient Fathers as here the Bishop pretendeth or el they concerne some particuler point in Controuersy and commonly are not only most improbable as that the Masse is Idolatry that the Pope is Antichrist and the like but also most palbably false as that we hope to be saued without the merits of Christ that we worship stockes and stones that for nication is a veniall sinne such other iniuries of like nature as it pleaseth your vnlearned Ministers for want of knowledge or of better matter to lay vpon vs. Whereas on the other side euery Catholike whether learned or vnlearned wise or simple is able to giue you such a reason of his fayth as may be sufficient to moue any indifferent mind of what belief soeuer to like and imbrace it For Almighty God not inforcing man against his wil but drawing him according to his Nature and demaunding a reasonable obedience of him hath ordayned in the sweetnes of his prouidence that all Christians should make profession of some principall motiues of their fayth wherein many others are vertually conrayned saying in their Creed I beleeue the holy Church Catholike Not only to moue others therby but also more and more to confirme themselues in their beliefe For albeit matter of diuine fayth be infinitly aboue the knowledge of naturall reason which
more eminent then any other For she is the seat of glory our sanctifycation And our Sauiour also prouiding an Answere against such doubts of little ones that might be led away from the manifestation of the clarity of the Church sayth A Citty placed vpon a hill cannot be hid for to this end the seat of glory our sanctify cation is so exalted that no eare be giuen to them who would draw others away to certayne remnants or peeces of religions saying Behold heere is Christ behold there for by such speaches behold heere behold there they shew but some parts whereas that Citty standeth vpon a hill what hill but that which according to the Prophet Daniel grew and was made a great mountayne Then (e) cont CresconiuÌ„ l. 1. c. 33. we hold and belieue the truth of Scripture when we do that which is pleasing to the vniuersall Church whome the Scripture recoÌ„mendeth vnto vs whosoeuer is affrayd to be deceiued by the obscurity of this question of not rebaptising Heretikes whereof in Scripture there is no example let him informe himselfe therein of that Church whom whithout any ambiguity the Scripture doth demonstrate But if thou doubt whether the Scripture commend that Church vnto thee which is dilated ouer all Nations with most copious numerosity I will load thee with many most manifest testimonyes out of the same authority (f) Epist. 161. Because we see the Church of God which is called Catholicke dissused through the world me thinkes we should not doubt of the most euident fullfilling of the whole Prophesy therof If (g) De â—nitat Eccl. the Church of Christ be described by the diuine and most certaine testimonyes of Canonicall Scripture to be in al Nations whatsoeuer they say Heretikes whatsoeuer they bring let vs not beleeue them In many Nations where the Church is they are not where they are the Church is which is euery where How (h) Ep. 48. do we trust to haue receiued Christ manifested in Scriptures if from thence we haue not receiued the Church which is also manifested therein As he shall be accursed who sayth that Christ hath not suffered nor risen againe the third day because we haue learned in the Euangelicall truth that Christ ought to suffer and the third day to rise againe from the dead So likewise he shall be accursed who shall teach a Church beside the coÌ„munion of all Nations because it followeth in the same place of truth that pennance and forgiuenes of sinnes shall be preached in his name to al Nations The (i) In psal 30. Con. 2. Prophets haue spoken more obscurely of Christ then of the Church I thinke the reason was because they saw in spirit that men would make partyes against the Church and not striuing so much about Christ would rayse vp great contentions about the Church Therefore that was more plainly foretold and more openly prophesied concerning which the greater strife and contention was after to insue We (k) Ep. 48. indeauour to demonstrate by this name Catholike that the Church is in all Nations according to the promisses of God and so many and manifest or aâ—les of the truth it selfe Who (l) De vnitat Eccles is so deafe who it so beside himselfe who is so blind-mynded as to speake against those most euident tests monyes alleadging in my places for the vniuersality of the Church but he that knoweth not what he speaketh By (m) Quaest Euang. l. 1. quaest 38. the East and by the West our Lord would signify the whole world through the which his Church was to be diffused c. aptly he teaâ—â—…eth the Church lightning which is wont to come forth with brightnes froÌ„ the clouds Therfore the authority of the Church being cleerly and manifestly established he admonisheth all that would beleeue in him not to beleeue Schismatickes and Heretiks That which he sayth his comming should be known from the East to the West is against those who are named to be in some part of the world and say that Christ is with them that which he sayth his comming shall be knowne like vnto lightning is against those that gather secretly and are hidden as it were in secret places and in the desart for the name of lightning doth appertaine to the manifestation and clarity of the Church There (n) cont ep Parm. cap. 5. is no security or assurance of vnity vnlesse according to the promises of God the Church declared to be placed vpon a mountayne cannot be hid Behold (o) In epist IoaÌ„ tract 1. thou hast the Church ouer all the world do not follow false iustifyers true distroyers be in that hill which hath filled the world They 〈…〉 stumble at this mountayne and when you bid them ascend they say there is no mountain and they sooner breake their foreheads against it then seeke to haue their dwelling in it How (p) In psal 47. great is the hill whereupon we should pray to be heard of God so great sayth he as that it filleth the world Vpon (q) In psal 44. that mountaine which hath filled the face of the earth there let him adore that will receaue there let him aske that will be heard there let him confesse that will be forgiuen In (r) Epist. 165. thy seed all Nations shal be blessed wherfore trusting to these promises if an Angell from heauen should say vnto thee leaue the Christianity of the whole world and follow the part of Donatus thou shouldest hold him accursed because he would separate thee from the whole and thrust thee into a part aliene thee from the promises of God Taking (s) In psal 56. a part and loosing the whole they will not communicate with the whole world Oh hereticall madnes thou dost beleeue with me that which thou seest not that which thou seest thou denyest Thou beleeuest with me that Christ is exalted aboue the heauens which we do not see and thou denyest his glory to be ouer all the earth which we see The (t) De vnitat Eccles cap. 2. Church is one whom our Ancestors named Catholike that they might shew out of the very Name how she is euery where (u) de vera relig c. 7. We must keep the Christian Religion and Communion with that Church which is Catholike and which is called Catholike not only by her owne but also by all her enemyes For whether they will or no the heretikes themselues when they speake not with their owne but with strangers they call the Catholike Church by no other name but Catholike For they cannot be vnderstood vnlesse they distingnish her by that name whereby she is knowne of all the world (x) In psal 57. Let not certayne flouds my brethren trouble you which are called torrents their water runs away it makes a noyse for a while and will quickly cease they cannot long contunue Many Heresyes are already dead and gone they ran in their brooks
confesseth That he also was a long tyme very much troubled with these cogitations Melancthon also spared not say Melāclhon Cōc theol part 1. p. 249. Mirror for Martinists pag. 24. The same hath And. Duditius vbi supra Castal in his preface to his Latin Bible Geor. Ma. orat de cōfusio dog Bull. Firmam part 1. cap. 1. Powell grounds of the new religiō part 2. cap. 1. Perks ep dedic before bis Apology That nothing did so much terrify others from the Ghospell as their own discord was wont to complaine with others that they knew whome they should auoyd meaning the Papists but whome they might follow they did not vnderstand This that learned Sebastianus Castalio tooke for a signe that the Protestants being thus deuided were stil drowned inextreme darknes and most grosse ignorance This sayth Georgius Maior a principall Lutheran did so much tempt and trouble the minds of the simple as they altogeather doubted where to find the truth and whether any true Church of God were remayning in the world This vehement and implacable dissention sayth Bullinger maketh many as it were in despayre to giue out that from hence forward they will beleeue nothing exclayming What credit should we giue to that fayth which is distracted into so many factions Many thereby sayth M. Powell do not call vpon God but fly from God many fall into an Epicurean contention of Religion and are oppressed with despaire These contentions sayth M. Perks are no small preparatiues to Atheisme c. in so much as many are brought to their wits end not knowing what to do Amidst all which miseryes and mischiefs the Papists insult and triumph to see those that professe themselues brethren Relatiō of Rel sect 45.6 Whitaker defensio tract 3. c. 6. p. 278. to be at such deadly iarres amongst themselues Syr Edwyn Sands affirmeth that the contentiōs of Protestants tend maynly to the increase of Atheisme within Mahometisme abroad And D. Whitaker complayneth that the Church of England is replenished with Atheists whome no doubt since his tyme are much increased This therfore is a vehement perswasion to draw any man from the Protestant Religion and on the contrary side men of iudgment that behold so many sundry Nations and people so different or rather so opposite in many other respects of clymate language complexion lawes and customs vnder so many seuerall Kings and Gouernours alwayes in warres more or lesse one against the other to conspyre in the vnity of one Fayth for so many ages togeather subiecting thēselues voluntarily to one head who hath no temporall force to cōpell them and beleeuing so many things aboue the reach of human vnderstanding so contrary to flesh and bloud and to the vehement motions of mans peruerted Nature must needs confesse acknowledge that it is a supernaturall worke and a most miraculous effect of the Spirit of God who is the God of peace and not of contention SECTION XXV Of the authority of the Catholike Church in generall THE last generall argument which I intend to propound for the euidence and truth of the Christian and which is al one of our Catholike religion shall be the great authority of the Catholike Church to the end it may serue as well for a further explication and confirmation as also for a full conclusion of all the former motiues For the capacity of the best vnderstandings amongst vs miserable men being but small and shallow and there being a greater difference betweene man and man in the parts of the mynd then in the sharpnes of sense or strength of body and the mynd of man being of it owne nature but like a fayre table or a lease of white paper which at the first contayneth nothing and by little and little receiueth the pictures or the writings for the which it was ordayned more or lesse better or worse according to the skill and industry of the Paynter or Writer and the aptnes of the matter and the goodnes of the instruments wherewith they worke Hence it is that as Nature inclineth the poore to depend of the rich and the weake to defend thēselues by those that are strong and the blind or bad sighted to be guided and directed in discerning by those that are endued with more perfect sense so by the same law and voyce of Nature all men are taught and obliged to rest their minds and to rely their vnderstandings vpon the authority of those that are generally most approued for their vertue and wisdome aboue the rest and alwayse ceteris paribus other circumstances being equall the fewer in number to yeild submit themselues to the iudgment and opinion of the greater party And so in all speculatiue sciences where our end is nothing els but the delightfull aspect fayr sight of truth the authority of Maisters and skillfull men in those facultyes is necessarily required for our direction to teach vs which way we ought to bend and whereupon to sixe the eye of our vnderstanding to shew how to proceed from poynt to poynt and to giue vs the print of those markes whereby we may best discouer the forme of that truth which we seeke to find or labour to conceiue or comprehend And if the sight of our wit be so short as that we cānot perfectly discerne the same yet it is better to see with another mans eye or as it were by the candle of another then altogeather either to be ignorant of it or els which is far worse to be deceiued therein And as this is true in science so in those arts and facultyes where our end is the doing or the attayning of something which is necessary or profitable for mans life the benefit of authority is much more apparent For in extremity of sicknes or in law matters of great importance or in deliberations about the preseruation or gouernement of Commonwealths to contemne the direction of Phisitians the aduice of Lawyers and the counsell of men experienced in matter of State or not to admit therof in some cases nor to suffer our selues to be oueruled thereby albeit it seeme neuer so much contrary to the sense or imagination of our owne priuate iudgment were to be esteemed rather obstinate madnes then any other errour within the degree of human weaknes But especially the necessity and vtility of the approbation of other mens assertions either of all or of such as are wise and honest appeareth in those things which we can neuer know or make vse of but from the report of others As for example historyes of former ages Relations of the present state and condition of forrayne Countreys or constant reports of such things as were sayd or done in our absence or as S. Augustine noteth that we are the sonnes of such Parents borne in this Countrey or that which is the beginning and foundation of all permanent societyes and the like In which respect this kind of knowledge is properly called beliefe
because our iudgment giueth consent thereunto not being moued by any inward experimentall light of our owne reason but only by giuing credit vnto others which as you see being as it were not only the other hand or Canonicall eye of reason but also the Schole-maister thereunto is of such necessity that neither the state of Church and Cōmon Wealth nor the life of man can stand without it Wherefore as in all questions and Controuersyes it is a generall rule and a receiued Maxime that the iudgment of all men or of the most or among the most of the best and wysest ought alwayes to be followed so especially it must needs haue place in the Schoole of Christ the Learning whereof being as it is not only one kind of belief and therefore wholy depending of authority but also such a practicall science as concerneth a matter of no lesse moment then our eternall felicity and endlesse misery And consequently if wisedome will that in sicknes we should follow the directions of all Phisitians or of the most and best learned reiecting such desperate medicynes as a few vnskilfull Empericks or Quacksaluers as they tearme them should propound vnto vs. Or as in matter of law or State busines of great consequence all reason commandeth vs to preferre the iudgment of the most auncient Sages and grauest Counsellours especially being many in number before the instigations of a few Pettyfoggers or yong ambitious heads that aspyre to be Politicks so in the case of the eternall damnation or saluation of our soules it stands vs more vpon most exactly to obserue the former principle as well in relying our selues vpon the doctrine and authority of the most the best and the wisest Deuines as in flying the new deuices of a few disorderly factious and infamous vpstarts that seeke to with draw vs from them First therefore that the truth of Catholike Religion is recommended vnto vs by the testimony of the most is euident in it selfe The Catholike Church possessing so many Countreyes not only in Europe but also in Asia Africa and America both East and West as the Protestants themselues auouch and there being no other Sect of Religion wherein so many do so constantly agree togeather not only the Pagans and Infidells as is notoriously knowne but also the Heretikes being infinitly deuyded among themselues as I haue shewed And that if you respect honesty vertue and good life the Catholikes are also the best is likewise confessed by their enemyes themselues as hath been declared and setting all other considerations apart there being so many Orders and great Religious bodyes among them following the Counsells of Christ in renouncing the riches the pleasures and the pryde and ambition of the world which are the only occasions of sinne submitting themselues to the direction of those who by long practise and tradition and prayer and their owne exact obedience haue learned how to commaund with sweetnes how to defend their Ghostly children from their spirituall enemyes and how to conduct them to the highest perfection of all Christian vertues in which course of spirituall life as S. Bernard sayth very notably he that will be his owne Maister shall haue a foole to his Scholler to conclude their whole life being spent in nothing els but in assisting the Sacrifice of the Church in hearing and reading the word of God in pryuate and publike prayer in mortification of their senses and naturall desires and in other deuout exercises of religious obedience of which sort alone there being many hundred thousands in the Catholike Church besides other innumerable secular people that imitate the liues of Religious persons it must needs be granted that in all human reason so great a number of the like deuout and holy people consecrated to the pure seruice of God cannot be found by the hundreth part in all the rest of the world that is not Catholike being put togeather And lastly that the Catholikes excell especially speaking of the Clergy the rest of the world in all kind of learning knowledge and wisedome both human and diuine may sufficiently appeare by the meanes they haue to attaine thereunto before others by the effects therof in their workes and writings For first as concerning the meanes and helps which God hath prouided for them to arriue to the perfection of knowledge as all the world in respect of Christendome is nothing els but barbarisme so amongst those that beare the name of Christians if any Countreyes excell the rest in quicknes of wit maturity of iudgment and capacity of great vnderstanding they are those that still remayne vntaynted and vntouched from the Schismes and Heresies of this present tyme. And besides this knowne aduantage of naturall tallents the manner and constant course of study amongst them is such as that to speake for examples sake of the Iesuites alone doubtles a meane vnderstanding may sooner attayne to be an excellent learned man by their education then an excellēt wit may come to any mediocrity by the slacke disorderly course of teaching which is held in England or in any other Countrey that is not Catholike Which Syr Francis Bacon in one of his bookes doth acknowledg in great part and your selfe will easily beleeue by their manner of study in Philosophy and Deuinity alone which heer I will briefly set downe vnto you First therefore all their Schollers in these sciences do write for an houre in the forenone and another houre after dinner two seuerall Lectures which their Maisters do dictate vnto them repeating their wordes so leasurely that they need not loose one word of their Maisters readings In this manner they continue in hearing their Philosophy 3. yeares togeather vnder one the same Maister The first yeare is appropriated to Logicke the second to Phisickes and the third to the Metaphisicks of Aristotle In which manner all the questions of moment profit as they depend of one another so likewise they are methodically orderly deliuered vnto them togeather with the explication of the Text and meaning of Aristotle where it importeth The Lecture being ended and they being deuyded into many classes vnder so many seuerall repetitors or moderators appointed to heare them they repeat for halfe an houre their precedent lessons and dispute vpon them one against the other in the Schoole before they departe their Maister being present And afterward they returne to make the like repetitions and disputations for an houre togeather more exactly then before at a certaine tyme prefixed euery day in their seuerall Colledges and Academyes and other places of priuate meetings which tyme being put togeather maketh 4. houres The rest of the day is imployed in study and prayer sauing that in the yeare of Phisickes they bestow halfe an houre euery day vpon Mathematickes and in the yeare of Metaphisickes vpon morall Philosophy which is read vnto them by other Maisters As euery day they dispute of the Lectures giuen them the dayes before so also euery