styl that parcel but most vvanted it and manifest it is that the Ievves nether in our time keepe so honorably the translation of the 70. in their sinagoges much lesse did they keâ—pe it in S. Iustines daies vvhen as appeareth by the vvhole discours and manifest vvordes of this author in this same place they much more detested it The third a ligno is vvanting in al greeke and hebrevv bibles is only reserued in our ecclesiastical Breuiarie certaine Doctors as Tertullian Lactantius Cassiodorus and S. Austin vvho notvvithstanding so readeth it as though it vvere the common reading in the churches of Africa in his time and maketh no mention of any other reading vvhere those vvords should be leaft out And from S. Hieroms time vntil our daies very probable it is that these errors and corruptions haue multiplied not only for the general and particular reasons already touched but for this especially that whereas since that time the Iewes obstinacie barbarousnes impietie and ignorance in their owne tonge hath much increased the Christians notwithstanding haue not had any great occasion to handle much or exercise that language therefore haue had smaler regard to bookes written therein without which as first of al they perfectly receaued the Christian faith and planted it in these partes of Christendome so without it haue they as perfectly continued in the same and now enlarged it euen to the extreme corners of the world and without the which they haue for these thousaÌ„d yers liued most christiaÌ„ly as Saintes christianly as Saintes finished their teÌ„poral liues after liued with Christ for euer And now touching M. W. question demaunding how the Church hath faithfully conserued the bookes of scriptures who thus findeth fault with the hebrew bibles as corrupt I answere as before that the Church hath most faithfully conserued the scriptures albeit not in this or that tonge which the wanton curiositie of euery fantastical heretike coueteth We haue the true word and gospel of Christ though perhaps we haue not ten words in that laÌ„guage which our Sauiour spake And then why may we not haue the law the prophetes though there were neuer an hebrew bible in the vvorld Againe vnreasonably demaundeth he of our church for hebrevv bibles vncorrupt vvhich perhaps neuer had any such and neuer vndertooke to keepe the vvord of God in that language more then in Arabike or Syriake no more then she vndertooke to keepe S. Matthevves Gospel in hebrevv or S. Paules epistle to the hebrevves But if she deliuer faithfully to the Christians that vvhich she receaued of Christ and his Apostles touching al parts of Christian faith and religion be it vvritten or vnvvritten in one language or other she performeth that vvhich Christ committed to her charge and vvhich is sufficient for the saluation of euery Christian and vvhereby she proueth her selfe to be the House and Church of the liuing God the sure Piller and ground of truth the Spovvse of Christ and faythful mother of al Christians M. D. Whitgift thinketh it vntolerable that the English ministers should appoint vvhat maner of apparel is coÌ„uenient for them selues to vveare vvhat ceremonies or rites should be vsed in their poore Seruice He by many arguments taketh from them al authoritie in such matter vvil haue the vvhole Ministerie altogether to depend be directed by the superior magistrates the Quene and the Lordes of her CouÌ„cel Then hovv much more vntolerable is it that some one or other single minister should appoint the vniuersal Church gouernours thereof in what maner and fashion the word of God must be kept in what language as it were in what kind of paper or parchement he wil haue it written As if some busye headed felow in a coÌ„mon welth not contented to be ruled preserued by his Prince in true religion iustice and quiet possessioÌ„ of his owne should farther take vpon him to prescribe vvhat maner priestes hovv qualified and in vvhat Vniuersitie brought vp should preach vnto him the vvord of God minister the sacraments vvhat sort of men should exequute vnto him iustice and examine his cases of law by what capitaynes of vvhat byrth countrie and experience by vvhat kind of defence open force or secret policie fight by sea or rather land strength of horsmen or footemen he vvil be mainteined in peace and quietnes And vvhat meaneth he to require for pure bibles in any language of our Church vvhich he holdeth for Antichristian and the prelates thereof and al other Catholikes for members of Antichrist For vvhiles he thus thinketh vvhat soeuer bibles hebrevv or not hebrevv Greeke or Arabike vve offer him he can by reason yelde no more credite vnto them then to our latin no more then to our traditions or any other thing proceeding from vvarrant and credite of such professed enemies of Christ as vvel and learnedly proueth S. Austin in his booke de vtilitate credendi Much more agreable to reason ChristiaÌ„ diuinitie is it for him and his to resort to their ovvne church of elect predestinate or hovv so euer he list to terme them vvhich hath so florished these many hundred yeres by vvitnes of their ecclesiastical stories by report of M. Fox in his Actes and monumentes Let him resort to the brethren of Lions to VVycleffe and the VVycleffisâ—es to Robert Rigges Iohn Puruey Henry Crompe Iohn of Chlum Iohn Scut William Havvlam Richard VVich Iohn Hus alias Iohn Goose the Hussites and Thaborites of Bohemia and such other vvho as they tel vs vvere glorious pillers doctors and maintainers of their church and Protestant-gospel and like glistering starres shined in the face of the ChristiaÌ„ world And that I tye him not to particular meÌ„ or one only prouince of Bohemia in many other prouinces and kingdomes of the world hath their church continued as most confidently writeth D. VVhitgift against T. C. who framing an argument against the Archbishops authoritie draweÌ„ from this supposition VVhat if the vvhole church be in one prouince or in one realme vvhich hath bene and is not vnpossible to be againe M. D. VVhit answereth it thus To your supposition if the vvhole church c. I say that if the skie fal you may catch larkes as the common prouerbe is making it as vnpossible a case to haue the church of Christ in one only kingdom as it is vnpossible for the skie to fal And presently in the same page Do you not knovv that the church of Christ is dispersed thorough the vvhole vvorld and can not novv after Christs ascension be shut vp in one kingdome much lesse in one prouince except you vvil become Donatistes He that is not vvilfully blinde may see in to vvhat straightes you are driueÌ„ vvhen you are constrained to vse such impossibilities for reasons And M. VV. in this booke telleth vs that there neuer wanted mightie
which they receaued of Apostles VVe repose no such confidence in the fathers vvritings that vve take any certaine profe of our religion from them because vve place all our faith and religion not in humane but in diuine authoritie If therefore thou bring vs vvhat some one father hath thought or vvhat the fathers vniuersally al together haue deliuered the same except it be approued by testimonies of scriptures it auaileth nothing it gaineth nothing it conuinceth nothing For the fathers are such vvitnesses as they also haue neede of the scriptures to be their vvitnesses If deceaued by error they geue forth their testimonie disagreing from scriptures albeit they may be pardoned erring for vvant of vvisedome vve can not be pardoned if because they erred vve also vvil erre vvith them The fathers for the most part thought that Antichrist should be but one man but in that as in many other things they erred ether because they yelded to much to the common opinion concerning Antichrist ether because they vveighed not the scriptures so diligently as they ought c. In these his vvordes Christian reader thou maist see the very image principal part of Antichrist For preferring him self before the vniuersal primitiue Church of al the fathers then vvriting and expounding the scriptures teaching Antichrist to be one man According to the faith receaued of the Apostles he manifestly preferreth him self before the holy Ghost the ruler and dirâ—ctor of the Apostles and that Apostolical Church according to Christes most assured infallible promise vvhat is this els but to extolle him selfe aboue God Super omne quod dicitur Deus vvhich is one of the special markes of Antichrist And yet this Antichristian arrogancy in treading vnder his feete al fathers al churches al antiquitie is the very maine grouÌ„de of al the rest of his answeres As for example M.D. Sanders second demonstration is this The Church of Rome can not possibly be the Seate of Antichrist because it is that Seate vvhich hath most faithfully kept diligently enlarged the faith of Christ against al Antichristes This he proueth by S Ignatius S. Policarpus S. Ireneus Tertullian Origen SS Cyprian Athanasius Ambrose Hierom Optatus Austin Ciril Prosper Gregory c. by al good and learned vvriters that florished vvithin the first six hundred yeres That it coÌ„tinued the same faith and departed not from it in any point the last nyne hundred yeres he proueth by S. Isidorus by Theodorus by S. Beda Regino S. Lanfrancus Rupertus S. Bernard the general Councels of Laterane of Lions of Vienna of Constance of Florence the most sufficient authoritie that caÌ„ be alleaged in the vvorld Now vvhat is M.VV. ansvvere to this The fathers of the first six hundred yeres he graunteth to haue spoken truely for so much as al this vvhile that Church was very pure excellent and maintained inuiolably the faith deliuered by the Apostles S. Peter and S. Paule and briefly vvas of al other Churches most notable and florishing omnium ecclesiarum praestantissima florentissimaquè But touching the later nyne hundred yeres he maketh so great a difference as betvvene the hovvse of God and a den of theeues betvvene a liue man and a dead carcas Thus he speaketh Although the auncient Romane Church receaued Christ most of al and those that vvere in the societie of the Romane Church defended the Christian faith most valiantly yet these prayses appertaine nothing to the present Romane Church vvhich refuseth Christ him selfe furiously assaulteth the Christian faith I am vides Sandere tuae demeÌ„strationi securim esse inflictam quando a prima ecclesia Romana quae fuit optima et purissima tuam hanc distinguo c. Novv thou seest M. Sanders thy demonstration knocked on the head vvith a hatchet vvhereas from the first Romane church vvhich vvas best and purest I distinguish this thy Romane church vvhich a man may truly caâ— the synagoge of Satan Now this being in deede the very hatchet of his ansvvere as he calleth it and vvhereby he choppeth of the necke of D. Sanders demonstration and vvhich therefore it principally standeth him in hand to proue let the reader consider if he bring any probabilitie any argument storie father Councel authoritie any kind of reason other then his ovvne naked and peeuish asseueration Only he varieth as boyes in grammar scholes that his assertion by many pretie phrases as that Rome is degenerated into a bastard faith that our Popes are altogether vnlike to the auncient Popes that novv there is an other forme of faith in Rome an other religion that our Popes possesse the same place vvith those auncient but haue lost their faith many hundred yeres since that in the Romane church novv nothing remayneth of old Rome besides the name that of old soueraine vvas the authoritie of the Romane Sea amongst al people both for the goodlynes of the citie and puritie of religion and constancie of the men but novv none of these thinges remayneth c. Thus in euery page welnye he affirmeth sayth telleth vs againe againe that thus it is departed and thus it is degenerated and thus it hath altered the faith and is become the synagoge of Antichrist Against vvhich ridiculous and childish babling vvhen his aduersary obiecteth those Confessors Martirs Historiographers Sayntes that liued since S. Gregories time together vvith the general Councels the very flovver of Christianitie he vvith one railing blast turneth them al a side sayng he admitteth them not because they al more or lesse receaued the marke of the beast Aske him a reason why he so rayleth consider what authoritie he opposeth against these reason thou findest none authoritie thou findest none Only as kings and princes ratifie their edictes and Proclamations with their owne only name Teste meipso so this man confirmeth his answeres with the sole authoritie of Guilielmus VVhitakerus which being put in the fronte of euery answere is in deede the very pith and effect of al the answeres folowing And therefore whereas he saith If vve shal receaue for vvitnesses al those men 〈◊〉 to Antichrist vve shal neuer haue end of contending I say if it may be lawful for euery heretike thus to deare with such wodden or leaâ—en hatchers to cut of the synewes of such strong and forcible demonstrations thus so answeare reason with rayling and graue authoritie with Luciferlike arrogancy if the Trinâ—tariaÌ„s Lutherans Anabaptistes or ArriaÌ„s may haue like libertie to auoyde the whole army of Christes Catholike Church Arrianisme wil neuer be rooted out Lutheranisme wil neuer haue end the Anabaptistes and Trinitarians can not possibly be maystred the worst of these being able to say for him selfe at the least as much as doth the Zuinglian in defence of his Zuinglianisme And this is the verie forme fashion maner and substance of his
apostasie from Christ these later hundred yeres vpon which as I haue said dependeth the verie substance of this his booke is an absurditie in Christian religion so foule monstruous and abominable that it can not be defended of any man except he first of al deny the very incarnation of Christ his preaching his death and passion his eternal kingdome priesthod the sending of the holy Ghost the entier summe of all whatsoeuer hath bene written by the Apostles or foretold by the prophetes For to what end was Christes incarnation but to ioyne him selfe vnto a Church from which he would neuer be separated To what end was his preaching but to erect and instruct such a Church To what end his death and passion but to redeeme sanctifie such a Church leaue vnto it an euerlasting remedie to blot out her sinnes and offences How is he an eternal king who hath not an eternal people obeyng him and obseruing his lawes how an eternal priest whose priesthod and sacrifice for so many hundred yeres was applied to none auailed for none and to what puâ—pose was the holy Ghost sent but to remayne vvith the church for euer and leade her into al truth And vvhat is the summe of the gospels but a declaration that Christ by him self by the holy Ghost by his Apostles founded such a church in vvhich his wil should euermore be openly preached his sacramentes rightly euermore ministred true faith and religion alvvaies preserued a certain vvay for conuerting infidels to the faith for coÌ„futing errors and heresies be continued and al true ChristiaÌ„s maintained by lawful pastâ—rs in vnitie of his true faith against al blastes of vaine doctrine euen vntil his coming to the general iudgement Finally that such a citie and common welth it should be so coÌ„stant so stroÌ„g so vnmoueable that it should vpholde the glorie and name of Christ â— gainst Princes against Potentates against Kings and Emperours against al the force of the world the deuil though they al with might and mayne applyed their whole power to the suppressing and rooting out of it And the self same is the effect of al the auncient Prophetes that the preachers of Christes catholike church should neuer cease day nor night to preach the truth that howsoeuer darknes couered al other nations yet the light there of should neuer be extinguished that the spirite of God and truth of doctrine should neuer depart from it but remayne in it froÌ„ one generation to an other euen for euer that it should neuer be brought in to a narow roume as was the synagoge of the Iewes but should be diffunded thorough al prouiÌ„ces of the earth that the course of heauen of the sunne of day and night should rather faile then priests and preachers of the new testament that albeit other monarchies had an end were altered as the Assyrians the Persians the Macedonians the Romanes yet this should neuer suffer any such a teration but should stand vnchangeâ—ble for euer Wherefore to affirme that this Church hath failed is to affirme that Christ his Apostles Prophetes are al liers that what soeuer is written in the old and new testameÌ„t is all vaine and fabulous For touchâ—ng the straunge deuise of an inuisible church which some of them haue of late imagined it is nothing els but a mere poetical fansie a fansie vvhich consisteth only vpoÌ„ their ovvne vvord and credite for profe vvhereof they neuer yet brought any scripture couÌ„cel father doctor chronicler or writer nor euer shal be able a fansie by which any sect neuer so horrible may defend them selues to be a Church as wel as they a fansie framed and patched together of mere contrarieties and contradictions a fantastical opinioÌ„ which being long since abandoned of the learned protestants in other countries as most vvicked and pestileÌ„t is novv I knovv not vpon vvhat miserie and necessitie receaued of our English Diuines VVhensoeuer vve thinke of the church saith Melanchthon let vs beholde the company of such men as are gathered together vvhich is the visible church nether let vs dreame that the elect of God are to be found in any other place then in this visible societie For nether vvil God be called vpon or acknovvledged othervvise then he hath reuealed him self nether hath he reuealed him self els vvhere saue only in the visible church in vvhich only the voice of the gospel soundeth Nether let vs imagine of any other inuisible church but let vs knovv that the voice of the gospel must sound openly amongst men according as it is vvritten Psal 18 Their sound is gone forth in to al the earth Let vs knovv that the ministery of the gospel must be publike and haue publike assemblies as it is sayd Ephes 4. Let vs ioyne our selues to this company let vs be citizens and members of this visible congregation as vve are commaunded in the 25. and 83. Psalme VVhich places and other the like speake not of Platoes Idea but of a visible church c. And in sundry other places refelling this mad fansie he euer concludeth Necesse est fateri esse visibilem Ecclesiam de qua filius Dei c. It is of necessitie that vve confesse a visible church whereof the sonne of God saith Matth. 18 Dic ecclesiae Tel the church vvhereof Paule saith 1. Cor. 4 VVe are made a spectacle to the vvhole vvorld to angels and to men VVhat a spectacle I beseech you is that vvhich is not seene and whereunto tendeth this monstruous speach vvhich denieth the visible church Delet omnia testimonia antiquitatis abolet iudicia facit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infinitam illam Cyclopum politiaÌ„ in qua◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vt est apud Euripidem It abolisheth al testimonies of antiquitie it taketh avvay al iudgementes it causeth an endles confusion and induceth a common vvelth of vnruly ruffians or Atheists vvherein no one careth for an other And Caluin interpreteth the article of our creede Credo Ecclesiam CatholicaÌ„ of the Catholike visible Church saith furthermore that the knowledge therof is so necessary that there is no hope of life by grace in this world except we be conceaued brought forth nourished aâ—d ruled by her so long as we liue Adde quod extra eius gremium nullae est spâ—randa peccatoruÌ„ remissio neque vlla salus teste Iesai c. 37. vers 32. Ioel. ca. 2. v. 32. Ezechiel ca. 13. v. 9. psal 106. v. 4. Adde here vnto that out of the lap of this visible church no pardon of synnes is to be hoped for nor any saluation as vvitnesse Isaie Ioel Ezechiel and the Prophete Dauid And OecolaÌ„padius writing vpoÌ„ the Prophete Isaie and those wordes ca. 2. Fluent ad eum omnes gentes Create is the dignitie saith he of the Christian church aboue the synagoge of the Ievves in that it shal
Christians and Catholikes who could ether perceaue what I meant or who would not iudge that I did them great iniury in making them to write against Christians which none do but Iewes Turkes or against Catholikes vvhich none do but heretikes and Apostataes And marueil it is that the name of Protestātes is novv grovven into so great dislike vvhich hitherto hath bene so magnified in bookes pulpits and ordinarie phrase of talke and vvhich M. Fox in his huge volume of Actes and Monumentes alvvayes vseth as most proper to their gospel maketh it opposite sometimes to Papistes somtimes to Catholikes which he vseth for one But the truth is those that professe the English faith and religion ether haue no name at al to be knovven by but the common name of heretikes vvhich is to general and vvould be to odious or their most propre name is Zuinglians or Sacramentaries For to cal them Catholikes and Christians besides that it is false and ridiculous and may vvith like probabilitie be chalenged of euery other kind of secte Lutheran Brentian Arrian Puritan besides that their greatest vvriters mocke and scorne at the name Catholike as Popish and superstitious besides this I say it expresseth not that particular religion in vvhich they differre from the rest of the Christian vvorld for vvhich vve vvrite against them and for vvhich the Lutheranes oppose thē selues against them and vvhich by their name ought specially to be signified The name of Protestantes which commonly they vsurpe is wrongfully chalenged of them as which duely only belongeth to the Lutheranes who for opposing them selues against the decrees of the Empyre Emperour touching Catholike religion and protesting that they would stand in defence of their owne according to the Confession exhibited at Auspurg were first for their so doing and protesting named Protestantes as much to say as men that stood and protested against the Catholike faith for their priuate in such sort as hath bene noted From which Confession of theirs as likewise from al other communion those of the English religion vvere by the name of Zuinglians expresly excluded And briefly that no other name can be duely applied vnto them besides the name of Zuinglians by this reason it may playnely appeare When they brake from the rest of the Christian vvorld vvhich they say vvas couered vvith palpable darkenes and betooke them selues to that light of the gospel vvhereof novv they so much brag and boast vvho vvas their maister ringleader and Apostle therein but Huldericus Zuinglius So much they vvrite most euidently in the Apologie of their English church In the middest of that darknes say they those most excellent men Martin Luther and Hulderike Zuinglius sent from God to illuminate the vvhole vvorld first came to the Gospel Missi à Deo ad illustrandum terrarum orbem primū accesserunt ad Euangelium Now whereas them selues al other name those gospellers which folow Luthers sense and interpretation by the name of Lutherans they vvho prefer Zuinglius before Luther and professe them selues to haue receaued the light of the Gospel from him hovv should they be called but Zuinglians not only for like reason vvhich hath bene vsed in al times and ages from the first beginning of the primitiue Church vvhere the Secte-maisters haue geuen appellation to their after-commers as in Marcion Valentinus Carpocrates Nouatus the rest but much more and especially because them selues chalenge him for their maister in their particular faith and religion And therefore it can not be avoided but as Luthers scholers are called Lutherans so Zuinglius disciples ought of like right to be called Zuinglians And to end this quarel our aduersaries them selues who haue written of these matters shal serue to quite vs of al fault M. Fox in his storie when soeuer he speaketh of that sect vvhich him self best-liked ordinarily calleth them sometime Protestants sometime Hussites sometime at large men forward in promoting the proceedings of the gospel sometime more briefly Gospellers And writing precisely of the diuision betvvene Luther and Zuinglius he saith VVith Luther in the opinion of the Sacrament consented the Saxons vvith the other side of Zuinglius vvent the Heluetians and as time did grow so the diuision of these opinions increased in sides and spread in farther realmes and countries the one part being called of Luther Lutherans the other hauing the name of Sacramentaries So in Sleidan vve haue very common the name of Zuinglians and Sacramentaries as likewise he calleth the other part Lutherans and their religion Lutheranisme and euen so they termed them selues It were tedious to iustifie this out of Luther Zuinglius especially al historigraphers of our age And in truth it is much like as if a man should light a candle at noone-tide Wherefore in this we must desyre our aduersaries to beare with vs if we speake not only as al Catholikes but as al Protestants as Luther as Sleidan as M. Fox as generally al writers in their bookes and volumes are accustomed to speake and as the world of thē hath learned and as the aduersaries them selues by al reason induce vs to speake and as of necessitie we must speake if we wil speake and be vnderstoode Touching any other fault I shal be ready ether to defēd it or to correct it to correct it if it be noted against me iustly to defend it if it be obiected vndeseruedly this I protest not only in words as cōmonly do al Protestantes but in simplicitie of truth as meaning to performe the same And therefore willingly I submit what so euer I haue written to the iudgment of al Catholikes symply and with out exception to whom iudgment of these matters appertaineth to the iudgment of al Protestants euen of M. W. him selfe so far furth as he shal geue censure of it and refel it by the written word of God expounded according to the analogie of faith A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS Chap. I. Of Luthers contemning S. Iames his Epistle and calling it stramineam Pag. 1. Chap. II. Of the Canonical scriptures and that the English cleargie in accepting some and refusing others are lead by no learning or diuinitie but by mere opinion fantasie Pa. 19. Chap. III. How M.W. defendeth Luther preferring his priuate iudgement before al auncient fathers and Doctors Pag. 42. Chap. IIII. Of priesthod and the sacrifice continued after Christ in the state of the new testament and that it derogateth nothing from Christ Pa. 56. Chap. V. Of Penance and the value of good workes touching iustificatiō and life eternal Pag. 82. Chap. VI. How vnreasonably M.W. behaueth him self in reprouing and approuing the auncient fathers for their doctrine touching good workes Pag. 114. Chap. VII Of M. Iewels challenge renewed by M. W. and the vanitie and falshod thereof Pag. 129. Chap. VIII Of Beza corruptly trāslating a place of scripture Act. 3. and of the real presence Pag. 169.
hebrue nor yet the hebrue bible true by which she might once againe mende and correct the latin And here let the reader waigh whether we thinking of the Church as we doe thinking of Christes promise and the assistance of the holy Ghost as christian faith teacheth vs whereby we are most assuredly perswaded that she neuer erreth nor euer can erre damnably whether we I say haue not great reason to support our opinion which here we defend Caluin in his Institutions recounting certaine causes why the auncient writers speake so reuerently and yeld so much to the Romane church amongst other putteth this for one That vvhereas the churches of the East part and of Greece as also of Africa vvereful of tumultes and dissensions amonge them selues the Romane church vvas more quits then other and lesse troublesome For as the vvesterne people are lesse sharp quick of vvit then they of Asia and Africa so much lesse desyrous are they of nouelties This therefore added very much authoritie to the Romane church that in those doubtful times she vvas not so vnquiet as vvere the other and the doctrine once deliuered to her she held and retayned more fast then did all the rest This grace of constancy in the faith and truth once receaued when as the aduersaries yeld to the Romane church and reproue the Oriental and greeke church for lightnes inconstancie mutabilitie in the same kind we who beleeue the same grace of god to haue stil remained haue iust occasion to thinke that she was as tenax as constant in preseruing the truth of the bibles as of other parts of religiō wherein by Caluines verdite she excelled al churches vnder the sunne And if the greeke churches then in that prime flower were so mutable and incōstant and so far inferior to the latin in this respect especiallie of holding fast matters of religion once deliuered vnto them with what iudgement or conscience can we magnifie the later ages of those Greekes who much more haue deflected from the Catholike Apostolike faith haue more decayed in learning vertue and al good qualities haue degenerated almost in to a barbarisme and are now fallen in to such miserie ignorance and slauery as euerie man seeth much lesse can we mention in this comparison the Iewes Synagog who hauing the maledictiō of god vpō them as many times our Sauiour foretold in the gospel are not only quite destitute of the graces of god but also for the most part seeme altogether void of the giftes of nature of vvit iudgement policie and ordinarie humane discourse But al this vvil M.W. say is but coniecture and as probablie he disputeth against it for the contrarie part that in the hebrue and greeke there is no corruption For if it be so that the Ievves and heretikes haue laboured so much herein vvho can doubt but they haue attempted this especially in these places and sentences of scriptures vvhich the Church of Christ most vsed for confirmation of her faith and religion There are most euident testimonies of scriptures by vvhich the Ievves and all heretikes are refuted tel vs vvhat in them haue those men peruerted but that they remaine vnto vs safe and sound Neuer vvould other Ievv or heretike corrupt the scriptures except he thought that might be to him some vvaie commodious for the mainteining of his monstruous opinions VVherefore seing those places are safe by vvhich the Ievves are refelled and the heretikes of al times are killed this must needes seeme a fained tale vncredible and false vvhich you bring that the fountaines are corrupted To satisfie M.W. longing who would so faine know wherein the Iewes or heretikes haue falsified the bibles I wil seuerally geue him examples some sithence S. Hieroms tyme and some before and acknovvledged by S. Hierom him self from whom M. W. taketh most in commendation of the hebrue fountaines And that those fountaines are somewhat infected and degenerated from that puritie which they had in S. Hieroms time and before I proue by euident reason manifest experimentes plaine confessions of our more learned aduersaries First touching the hebrue S. Hierom read and translated according to the ordinarie reading and pointing of his time Esaie 9. Puer datus est nobis et filius natus est nobis et vocabitur nomen eius admirabilis consiliarius Deus fortis pater futuri saeculi princeps pacis A child is geuen to vs and a Sonne is borne to vs and he shalbe called Admirable a Counseller God Strong Father of the vvorld to come Prince of peace And in his commentarie expressing euerie word he maketh no doubt of any other reading Forsake the latin and go to your Iewes and their hebrue fountaines now and what find you pro thesaur◠carbones Thus. Puer datus est nobis et filius natus est nobis et vocabit nomen eius qui est admirabilis consiliarius deus fortis et pater aeternitatis vel futuri seculi principem pacis VVhereby is taken from Christ as principal a testimonie of his diuinitie as any we find in the old testament And whence cōmeth this alteratiō but from the iniquitie of the Iewes who haue altered the passiue vocabitur into the actiue vocabit geuē other pointes then were vsed or read in S. Hieromes time And this Luther confesseth manifestly Totus hic textus miserè sceleratè saith he a Iudaeis est crucifixus c. This vvhole text is miserably and vilanouslly crucified depraued and corrupted by the Ievves For as the child him self vvas crucified of them so by the same men both this place and his scripture or scripture appertayning to him is daily crucified The prophete attributeth six names to the child and sonne the Ievves reade the first fiue in the nominatiue case the sixt in the accusatiue and they al expound it of Ezechias vnder whom God gaue that great victorie against Sēnacherib And in the same place The text seemeth to haue bene corrupted by those that put to the points The letters vvhether ye reade them vvith pointes or vvithout pointes are alone and the grammer doth beare it vvel but the Ievves most pestilent men oft tymes corrupte sentences of the prophetes by their pointes distinctions But let it suffice vs that the Chaldee interpreter and the 70. thinke as vve do Thus Luther condemning of vile corruption on your pure originals geuing withal this general rule that the Iewes most pestilent men haue no conscience in that foule abusing and altering and crucifying the scriptures no more then they had in crucifying Christ and that therefore he preferreth the Septuaginta and Chaldee interpreter before al the hebrew copies VVhich reason touching Luther and the Protestantes is nothing at al. For the Chaldee interpreter is no more the hebrevv original then is Luthers translation And the translatiō of the 70. which is now extant besides that it is ful of diuersitie
no man geue any credit to the fair speaches and crakings of the Zuinglians For most certaine it is that they lye and lye agayne VVherefore Christian reader to leaue M.VV. and returne to thee and so make an ende if thou be in iudgement Catholike I know thou findest not nor euer shalt finde reason to make thee a Protestant of any sect and least of al after the English fashion And if thou feele in thy self any such temptation consider aduisedly but this only why thou shouldest encline to be of that side more then to be Lutheran a Puritan an Anabaptist a Trinitarian and so furth and thou shal neuer finde any probable cause why thou shouldest not as wel become any of these as a Caluinist or Zuinglian And vniuersally to make thee detest all Sectes if thou haue some feare of God and regard of the iudgement to come waygh only that which the very nature of our religion this treatise offereth to thy consideration and thou shalt easely find abundant reason why to reiect forsake them al. Consider the infinite difference betwene the Catholike pleading reasoning and disputing and their perpetual wrangling brawling and rayling VVe geue thee to stay thy selfe in our time vnitie of faith in al Christiā prouinces Churches wel gouerned and in due obedience florishing commō welthes quietly maintayning the doctrine which of their fathers they receaued They geue thee infinite varietie and difference of religions disordered cōgregations the sheepe controling their pastors and scholers presuming to teach their maisters And in the ciuil common-welth disobedience against the magistrate contempt of princely authoritie spoile ruine of churches of palaces of al things sacred and profane In the former ages we shewe thee consent and agreement in the religion which we professe Bishops Churches Princes Prouinces Peoples al realmes Christened ioyning in the same They tel thee of inuisible churches imagined congregations Mathematical deuises in the ayre as it were Minotautes and Hippocentaures sometimes chalenging to them selues the company of Berēgarius VVicleff Hus the like sometimes refusing them as heretikes and running per saltum vnto the Apostolical age or the first 3.4 or 5. hundred yeres after Christ condemning al the church folowing of superstition and Papistrie and sometimes yea commonly condemning those former ages no lesse then the later VVhen we treate of scriptures vve geue them vnto thee syncerely and perfitely vvithout any cutting or paring avvay of this or that booke or this and that peece of such a booke al expounded vniformely by excellent Saintes by most learned Doctors by general Councels by the most approued practise of the Catholike church in al antiquitie They geue thee scriptures so peecemele and patchedly that they cut of at the least the third part of them sometimes sentences sometimes peeces of chapters sometimes chapters commonly entier bookes And as for the exposition of them contemning al Saintes Doctors Councels of antiquitie al Doctors Fathers and Martyrs of their owne Congregations they reduce the final scope and determination of al to This is my opinion this is my iudgment and the Doctors may not take avvay from vs our liberty to iudge of them c. Consider this intolerable wilfulnes wherevnto they are now growen and the more they shew them selues to abhorre from al reason stay or moderation the more oughtest thou to obhorre from them Consider with thy selfe that neuer the founder of any common welth as Solon of Athenes or Minos of Creta was so brutish or voyd of common sense as to leaue his common welth so disordered that there should be no iudges to end controuersies no gouernours to keepe the people in peace and tranquillitie but that euery man should liue according to his lust and liking Then how much more abominable is it for vs to imagine that Christ Iesus the eternal wisedom of God should frame a larger common welth then euer was vnder the Sunne dispersed thorough al quarters corners of the world and yet for order quietnes should leaue the same worse policed then was euer the least citie or borough towne whereof we reade in any story For so much as he bound euery one of his subiectes not only to liue wel and in charitie one with an other but also vnder payne of eternal damnation he bound them al to beleeue a like and to haue the selfe same faith vnchangeably in al places times and ages touching a number of articles and yet leaft no order whereby to procure any such vnitie nay rather tooke order to driue thē into diuers innumerable faithes appointing so many supreme heads of churches as there vvere soueraine kinges princes dukes rulers in seueral kingdomes countryes prouinces and cities appointing a booke of the gospels vvhereby they should be gouerned but leauing the exposition of the same at randon in the discretion or rather fansie of euery preacher and minister Recal to memorie that which their owne principall writers and maisters teach thee who deny not but that they leade thee an other way then any of thy forefathers wēt for these thousand yeres Againe they deny not but they geue thee a faith far differing from the faith which the more auncient fathers folowed in the first fiue hūdred yeres Then whereas they praise vnto thee for most diuine and Apostolical men of later memorie those who within these 80 yeres haue restored as they cal it the gospel by those mē also thou art earnestly dehorted from the Sacramentarie faith as a faith wicked blasphemous and damnable Furthermore remember that a long time they vsed to reteyne at least the name and countenance of the written word of the Gospel of the scriptures that those were altogether for them whatsoeuer became of the Fathers Councels and Doctors But now that hold also haue they geuen ouer cōfessing thereby the scriptures to be as plainly against thē as the rest And with what conscience or reason can any man folow such blind guydes as these are who professe them selfes to folow none but to be at plaine defiance with all Fathers and Churches of this later thousand yeres with al Fathers and Churches of the other fiue hundred yeres and with the sacred scriptures and Gospel of Christ it self whom for these other reasons their owne doctors maisters and brethren condemne as heretikes most wicked and sacrilegious God indue thee with his spirite and send thee of his grace that thou maist take the right way and folow it that thou maist renounce al sectes heresies and become a true member of Christes Catholike Church without which there is no sanctification of the holy Ghost no remission of sinnes and consequently no hope of the fauour of God no hope of life eternal LAVS DEO A GENERAL TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL THINGES conteyned in this booke A ACADEMIKES a sect of Protestants page 279. their beleefe pa. 280. Antinomi a secte
Whitg Trac 2. p. 112 The aunciâ—t fathers pillorie doctors New Euangelistes Apostles doctors of their owne church denyed a D Whitg defens c. Tract 4 c â—â— p. 230. Vide ibid. pa. 217. Vbi supra Tract 2. c. 4. pag. 111. So far as we â—an esteeme Ibi. Tract 3. ca. 7. pa. 201. When as in my opinion A great fal in diuinitie from the authoritie of Saintes to the authoritie of these Maisters Ibid. pa. 291 Ibid. Tract 9 pag. 522. Ibi. Tract 1. pag. 67. Vbi supra Tract 10. c 6. pag 549. It is to obserued that protestants seldome abyde 35 yeres in one opinioÌ„ Martyrs of their owne faith and gospel denyed D. VVhitg Tract 21. c. 1. pag. 710. Martyrs may not take froÌ„ any protestant his libertie to be supreme iudge Whole churches of their owne religion denied Ibi. Tract 9. ca. 1. pa. 481. Al protestaÌ„t churches be they neuer so contrary are assured of the truth Ibid cap. 2. pag. 491. Ib. Tract 20. pag. 704. a Orthod coÌ„fess Eccles Tigur fol. 105.106.107 b Cal. admonitio tertia ad Westpha p. 114. Zuin. tom 2 in Exegesi ad Luth. fo 327 c Histo de la vie de Calu. c. chap. 12. d Calu. vbi supra pag. 5. e Collo Altemburgense fol. 404. Nouum Antichristi dominium Redolent Papatum Ibi. fol. 535. f Apud D.W. Tract 18. pa. 685. g Ibi. Tract 11. pag. 559. Ibi. pag. 560. In stede of one true lawful Pope the protestants haue many tirannical popes The protestants can neuer haue any general Councel The protestants maner of answering reducing al to their owne singular arbiterment An apt comparison declaring that the protestaÌ„ts nether haue nether can haue any stay in their religion The protestants of our age in bold denyal of al things far exceede the heretikes of auncient time a Aug. de vtil cred ca. 17. contra epis Fundament ca. 4 contra Crescon li 4. cap. 61. alibi passim b August de pec orig li. 2. cap. 7.8.9 epist 90.92.95.106.157 vide Possid in vita Aug. lib. 1. ca. 18. c Aug. epist 165.166 Psal contra partem Donati Tom. 7. in principio d Aug. coÌ„tra â—ulian lib. 3 c. 1. con Donatist lib. 4. cap. 7. e Aug. cont epis Funda ca. 4 Trac 32. in loan f See Beza in praef test noui an 1565. dicat princ Condensi and Musculus in praefatio Io corum communium The protestants at defiaÌ„ce with the name Catholike Colloq Altemb in res ad excusat corrup fol. 154. The protestants admit not the very scriptures See after cha 13. 14. Ciprian epist 55. Aug. de vtilit cred cap. 17. How the protestants fel to cal the Pope Antichrist 2. Thess 2. 1. Iohn 2. v. 18. Ibi. 5. v. 2.3 The forme and maner of M. W. answering Pag. 2. Al the fathers vniuersally folowing ther in the tradition of the Apostles say that Antichrist is one certaine man pag. 21. They al erre 〈◊〉 so sayng Patrâ—â— etiaÌ„ simul vniuersi Al the fathers waÌ„ted wit and learning in comparison of the protestants A special marke of Anchrist 2. Thess 2. v. 4. Pag. 25. The second demonstration that the successioÌ„ of Popes can not be Antichrist The aÌ„swere pa. 35.36.37 38.39.40.42.43 Marke this wel A veritie manifest confessed pag. 4â— pag. 32 pag. 33. A falsitie euident which neuer was neuer wil be proued Beggerly stuffe pag. 34. pag. 35. pag. 3â— pag. 37. pag. 38. pag. 40. Reason Rayling pag. 44. Ibid. pa. 44. If other kinds of protestants vse the like libertie no heresie can euer be repressed The third demonstration Ibid. pag. 54. Matth. 16. Luc. 22. See the annotations in the new Test vpon these places Pag. 61.62 Pag. 54. pag. 6â— The impossibilitie of M. W. paradox that the Pope is Antichrist pag. 66. A wonderful chaunge vpon the sudden in al the ChristiaÌ„ world and yet more wonderful that no man should note it That the Romane Church of the later thowsand yeres hath not chaunged the faith which she had the first fiue huÌ„dred Before pag. 47. Chap. 4.7.10.11 Cal. insti li. 4. c. 18. ¶ 18. Omnes reges terrae populos à summo vsque ad nouissimum â—â—â—briauit To affirme with the protestants that the vniuersal church hath failed is to deny Christs incarnation and al scripture Ose 2. v. 19.20 Eph. 5. f. g. IoaÌ„ 17. v. 19. Eph. 2. v. 14. c. Ps 2. v. 6. 1 Tim. 6. v. 15. Hebr. 7. Act. 2. IôaÌ„ 24. v. 16. Mat. ca. 28 v. 20. Marc. 4. v. 32 1. Cor. 11 v. 26. Mat. 5 v 14.15 1. Tim. 3. v. 15 Luc. 24. v. 47 Act 15. 2. Timoth. 3 v. 9. Ephes 4. b c Mat. 10. v. 17 Mat. 16 v 18. Apoc. 20. v. 9. Esa 62 v. 6. Esa 60 v. 2.3 Ibid. v. 20. c. 62. v 4. c. 59. vers 21. Ibi. c 60. a b ca 2. v 2. Psal 2. v. 8. psal 71. v. 8.11.17 Ierem 33 c. d. e. psal 88. v. 34.35 c. Daniel 2. v. 44. Tower disputations the second day The inuisible church a poetical fansie Melanch in locis com c. de Ecclesia aedit 1561. The scripture knoweth no church but the visible Idem in praefat lib. Corpus doctrinae Christianae in Ecclesiis Saxon. Misnicis principis electorâ—s Saxon. impress Lipsiae anno 1561. Vide eundeÌ„ in Repetit Confes August offerendae Sinodoâ— Tridentinae anno 51. ca. de ecclesia Et in resp ad impios articulos Bauaricae Inquisitio quest 3. The protestants inuisible church Calv. institut lib. 4. ca. 1. ¶ 2. No saluatioÌ„ out â—f the visible church Ibid. ¶ 4. OecolaÌ„p in Isa c. 2. v. 2. Idem in Ieremiam ca. 33. v. 29. Kinges and Priestes neuer fayle in the church Illyr glossa in Math. ca. 1. v. 1. Some such stories of the Protestantes church what state it had 600. or 700 yeres agoe were worth the seing BreÌ„t in Luc. c. 17. hom 19 Lauath in Ezechiel ca. 20. v. 39.40 Luth. Tom. 4 in Isa ca. 9. c. 52. 53. 60. Bul. in Apo. Concio 62. 87. Notable forgetfulnes and contradiction See after pa. 177.178 After pa. 349.350 Cal libel de necessit reformandae ecclesiae To say that the church hath fayled is to make Christ a lyer and deceauer ab an 1544. ad 1556. Yere 1559. The storie of Dauid George set forth by them of Basile If Christ had bene the true Messias his church had neuer fayled Castalios discourse that Christ is not the true Messias The light of the church shal neuer be extinguished Quò magis libros sacros considero eo minus hactenus praestitum video vtcumque illa oracula intelligas An argumeÌ„t worthy to be consydered Caluin in Daniel ca. 2. v. 44. Lut. To. 7. li. de Iudaeis c. The Protestants vnder pretence of more puritie driue men to Iudaisme and Turkery Esa 49. per tot ca. 2. v. 3.4 Esa 54. v.
then our auncieÌ„t Note this Few faultes are fouÌ„d by any protestants in our old translation which by other Protestants are not iustsied Bulling decad 5. serm 5. Bez. in praefatio noui testamenti an 1556. Supra Our old translation better then any of the protestants Beza The Councel of TreÌ„t The later translatioÌ„s of heretiks as likewise al other their procedings are worse then the former according to S. Pauls prophecie proficieÌ„tes in peius 2. Timo. c. 3. v. 13. In approuing our old translation we are warranted by the Protestants theÌ„ selues Pa. 17.18 M. W argumeÌ„t against the old traÌ„slation The answere 1. Cor. 15. v. 53.54 Beza in Luc. ca. 20. v. 28. Beza praeferreth our latin translation before al greeke examples Ibi. c. 7. v. 31 Testament of the yere 1577 1579. and 1580. the Scottish great bible of the yere 1579. S. Hieroms translatioÌ„s more auteÌ„tical then the reading of many docâ—ora Beza in praefat nouâ— testamen an 1565. S. Chrys iustifieth our latin reading Chrysost in 1. Cor. ho. 15 S. Ambrose vntruly cited Ambros in 1. Cor. 15. Beda in 1. Cor. ca 15. pag. 18. pag. 20. Benedictus Arâ—as Montanus a Catholike priest Bible-beaters Neuer since Christes tyme were there such manglers defacers corrupters of the bible as are the protestaÌ„tes of our age See example before pag. 288 The protestaÌ„ts lay the way open for any man to deny the scripture at his pleasure Hier. prefat in Iudith M. Charke hath a deeper insight in scripture then al the bishops fathers of the great Nicene Councel Whit. coÌ„tra Camp pa. 17 Light reasoÌ„s to disauthorize receaued parts of scripture Before pag. 364. S. Hier. ad Edibiam quaest 3. Beza in IoaÌ„ ca. 6.18 19 Luc. 22. The protestates bible is no more a bible then a headles maÌ„ is a man Castalio in praefat ad Edouardum sextum Angliae regem A true confession of a principal protestant The protestate church drowned in grosse ignorance A sure proofe thereof The protestaÌ„ts voyde of the spirite of God and al truth Their light of the gospel is the night of the gospel The end of their religion is Atheisme eeuery maÌ„ to beleeue what he listeth Vbi supra Marke this plaine confession approued by so manifest reason against their common vaunting of the cleare light of the gospel Scripture applied to proue Atheisme 1. Mach. 4. Num. 15. Act. 5. Rom. 14. Mat. 7. D. Whitg defen tract 3. c. 6. pa. 178 The protestants maner of preaching the right way to Atheisme See the preface Impossible to do good with any kind of heretike so long as he may haue libertie to flee to diuers translations and interpretations Antinomi a sect of protestants Sleid. li. 12. anno 1538. fol. 199. The true coÌ„clusion of only faith iustifying The protestaÌ„ts maner of aÌ„swering the Catholikes Al fathers Councels contemned Concil Trident sess 6. cap. 9. See before chap. 3. in the praeface S. Iames refused Before c. 1. Caluin Beza in coÌ„mentar ad Hebr. in argumento ca. 2. v. 3. Cent. 1. li. 2. c. 4. col 328. S. Paules epistle to the hebrewes reiected Iew. defeÌ„ce of the Apolog par 4. c. 19.20 ¶ 1. 2. Pet. 1. v. 10 S. Peters second epistle may be denyed The fourth dayes conference see before cha 2. A place of S. Peter refused â—â—cause it waÌ„teth in many greeke priâ—â—es Luth tom 5. in 2 Pet. ca. 1. fol. 487. Testamentâ— of the yeres 1577.1570.1580 the Scottish bible Vergerius dialog 1. de Ofio â—0 27 1. Pet. ca. 1. v. 22. Ibid. v. 17. Luther tom 5. in 1. Petri ca. 1. fo 451. Illyricus Tâ—gurine translation Yere 1561. S. Peter notably corrupted in the later protestants translations against freewil good workes Testament of the yere 1556 1565 yere 1579. yere 1561. yere 1579. S. Peters words cleane inuerted Cone Trid. sess 6. ca. 4. â—hisi 1. v. 28 Sophistical quarelling Beza annot in illum locum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Testament of the yeres 1577. 1579. 1580. 1561. â—ood works the cause of our saluatioÌ„ Theod. in Philip. ca. 1. Before ca. 5. pa. 98 in sequentib Luc. 7. v. 47. Beza transl anno 1565. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quoniaÌ„ because The yeres 1579. 1580. a 1553. b 1547. c 1536. 1540 1543. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christs words clean inuerted Beza in Luc. 7. vers 47. Intolerable pride malice in abusing the scripture to helpe only only fayth The sense of Christs words according to the auncieÌ„t fathers Chrys hom 6. in Mat. Sinnes purged by workes of penance claritie Greg. hom 33. in EuaÌ„g Ambros in Luc. lib. 6. c. 7. de mulicre peccatrice Aug. hom 23. inter 50. An example of singular notorious wrangling Good grouÌ„des to expound and correct scripture vpon Musculus in locis coÌ„munibus ca. de Iustificat num 5. Luc. 7. v. 47. Yet S. Luke tooke it otherwise dilexit Note the wonderful tearing and renting of this short sentence No spirite but the spirite of SataÌ„ could teach the protestants this desperate maner of interpretation Protestant shiftes to auoide scripture when it is plaine against theÌ„ Zuing. to 4. in Luc. 7. Propre expositions dilexit id est credidit works that is faith the sunne that is the moone vertul de praescripti num 5. The agreement betwene the protestants of our time and auncieÌ„t heretikes touching their behauiour about scriptures Not possible to do good with an heretike hauing this liberty to discourse The hebrew tonge open to infinite cauillinge and so vnfie to bind a coÌ„tentious heretike Hebrew words haue great diuersitie of significations Psal 54. v. 21. Marlorate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence coÌ„meth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 59. v. 6. The yere 1577. 1579. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A hard difficulty what masters we must folow touching the true signification of the hebrew words Humf. lib. 2. de rat int pa. 219.320 The protestaÌ„ts folowing the Iewish Rabbines translate wickedly Dictionariâ— Munsteri printed at Basile the yere 1564. Munster in praef bibli tom 1. Humf. vbi sup pa. 225. Before chap. 12. Bez. in praef Test noui ann 1565. principi Cond dicaâ—i Molinae in a. Luc. Christs incarnation of the virgin can not be proued by scripture according to the protestantes maner of expounding it Mat. 1. v. 23. Before pag. 286.287 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See Munst in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecolamp in Esa ca. 7. Translation Iudaical Antichristian Luth. tom 2 ad Amsdorf de Eras fol. 485. Iren. lib. 3. cap. 24. vide Euseb li. 5. ca. 8 Epiph. haer 30. Iustin in dialog eum Triphoâ—e The hebrew and greeke knowledge much aduaunced by Catholikes A man must haue a setled faith before he come to coÌ„ferre greeke and hebrew els shal he neuer haue any faith Vide Aug. de Gen. ad lit lib. 1. ca. 21. tract 18. in Ioan. Hier. ep 138 Marcellae
c. 2 â—ed in Luc. cap. 5. Act. 4. v. 37. 2. Pet. 3. v. 3. Psal 1. Heretikes generally geuen to scorning mocking Vide Brentium contra Bullinger de mansionibus in caelo anno 1561. fol. 22.23.35 Carlile in his booke that Christ descended not in to hel fol. 35 36 37 38 96 97 98. Sleid. li. 17. pa. 311. 4. Reg. 4. v. 37. Luc. 8. v. 47. Luc. 7. v. 38. Act. 8. v. 27. Pilgrimage to holy places Phil. 2. v. â—0 D. Whit. defens tract 21. c. 7. pa. 743. M.W. taketh parte with Iewes and Infidels against Christians Why Christians do honour at the name of Iesus The Protestantes vse more deuotion and yelde more reuerence to the pictur of a dog and a lyon then to the name image or crosse of Christ. The Protestants wil haue no reuerence done at the name of Iesus How Catholikes honour the name of Iesus and other things pertaining to him Wherevnto the Protestants tenâ—t by such ridiculous coÌ„clusions Heb. 1. v. 1. Ibi. c 11. v. 1. Rom. 8. v. 24 The true nature of Christian faith Marc. 12. Mat. 22. 1. Cor. 15. How S. Paul proueth the resurrection Cor. 15. How one part or article of faith is applied to the confirmation of an other Before pa. 177.178 Whitg defeÌ„ce against M. Car. Trac 3. c. 6. ¶ 4. The English writers teach the way to scorne al Christian religion M. Iewel thoroughout his first booke against â— Harding Pag. 2â— Pag. 114. Annot. in Mat. cap. 10. v. 22. The antiquitie of the Protestants church Haddon in fine epist contra Osoriâ—â—â— Aug. de nupt et con cupis lib â— cap. 31. Luth. to 7. defens verboruÌ„ coenae fol. 400. Debacchari The Zuinglians notable lyers The pitiful shiftes of our aduersaries Pag. 23. Hebr. 7. v 17. The first blasphemy The answere Lye vpoÌ„ lye S. Paules epistle to the hebrewes reiected by the protestants Before pag. 414. 1. Cor. 3. v. 12 Bible of the yere 1579. in the preface of this epistle How Christ is a priest for euer Christs eternal priesthod consisteth in the perpetual sacrifice of his body bloud in the Church The protestants cauilling vpon particles against Melchisedecks sacrifice priesthod directly against the Apostle Christs eternal priesthod and sacrifice in the Church is proued out of the fathers Heretikes very blynd in the scripture though they crake much of their deepe insight in them Tit. 3. v. â— Rom. 1. v. 28 Luc. 8. v. 10. 2. Thess 2. v 11. See the Anotations in cap. 5. v. 11. 7. v. 11.12 c. 9.12.15.25 c. 10. v. 2. Multiplication of lyes 7. v. 4.11.23.9 v 12.15.10 v. 2.4.5.11 No time to talke of the Sacrifice of the church wheÌ„ the Sacrifice of the crosse is not first beleeued The auncient fathers speake more plainely of the church Sacrifice then doth S. Paule without any derogation to S. Paule Act. 2. v. 22. Ioan. c. 12.13 14.15.16.17 The councel of Nice expressed the consubstantialitie of Christ with his father more plainely then any Euangelist M.W. last obiection Answered Answered by him self before pag. 17. Answered by M. Iewel Iewel in his Replie art 1 ¶ 5. in M. W. translation pag. 9. Answered by Illyricus Illyric ad Heb. c. 7. v. â— Who euer saw such foly pride and partialitie Mat. 7. v. 3. The second and last blasphemie pag. 24. Rom. 6. v. 23 The principal of these Sorbonists after S. Paule is S. Austin Life euerlasting a stipend and yet grace Aug. epist 105. How eternal life is of grace yet the reward of iustice Let M W. marke this True it is Al the Prophetes Euangelists Apostles were Sorbonists by M. W. iudgment a Prou. 11. v. 18. c. 24. v. 12 Sap. 5.16 ca. 10.17 Ecclesia 16.12 c. 51.38 b Psal 61.12 c Esa 40.10 c. 62.11 d Ierem. 31.16 e 1. Peter 1.17 f 2. Ioan. 8. Apoc. 2.23 c. 22.12 g Rom. 2.6 1. Cor. 3.8 2. Cor. 5.10 2. Thess 1. v. 6.7 h Mat. 5.12 c. 6.1 c. 10.41 c. 16.27 c. 20.8 c. 25. Sorbone a famous College in Paris Shameful ignorance See before pag. 99.100 c. M. W. hath vndertaken hard matters to defend Chap. 1. Chap. 10. Chap. 5. M Iewels chalenge Chap. 7. The proceeding of our aduersaries Many of theÌ„ are proceeded thus far already See the prface pa. 65.66 c 2. Cor. 4. Hieron ad TheophiluÌ„ contra errores Ioannis Hieros Nicep li. 8. cap. 42. Mar. 2. v. 11. See before chap. 11. pag 31.32 If Luther be saâ—ed al they of English religion are damned See before chap. 3. Aug. epi. 56. 2. Pet. 2. v. 28 The ZuingliaÌ„s proue al thing by boasting Luther defens verborum caenae fol. 405. Ibi. fol. 381.382 Ibid. fo 394 406. No more reason to be a Zuinglian then a Lutheran or Arrian â—nfinite difâ—â—rence beâ—wene the Catholike â—ause and â—he proteâ—tantes Church of â—he tyme present Church of the tyme past Scriptures Preface pa. 35.36 Iudgment Neuer was there any common welth worse ordered theÌ„ the Church of Christ by the Protestants diuinitie No ground of the English religion See chap. 7. pag. 165. Chap. 4. pa. 69.70 c. c. 6. p. 121.122 Chap. 3. pag. 45. Chap. 1. 2.
A REFVTATION OF SVNDRY REPREHENSIONS CAVILS AND FALSE sleightes by which M. Whitaker laboureth to deface the late English translation and Catholike annotations of the new Testament and the booke of Discouery of heretical corruptions By WILLIAM RAINOLDS Student of Diuinitie in the English Colledge at Rhemes 2 Timoth. 3. v. 8 9. As Iannes and Mambres resisted Moyses so these also resist the truth men corrupted in minde reprobate concerning the fayth But they shal prosper no further For their folly shal be manifest to al as theirs also vvas Veni vide Come and see Iohn 1. v. 46. Printed at PARIS the yere 1583. THE PREFACE TO THE READER BEING appointed by those vnder whose gouernement I haue put my selfe and to whose direction I haue willingly committed whatsoeuer facultie or abilitie is in me for the benefite of our countrie and reducing to the fold of Christs Catholike church the soules of our poore countrymen so miserably seduced appointed I say by such my Superiors to examine and answere M. W. booke of Antichrist first principally so far forth as touched this Seminarie that is the Translation of the new Testament lately published with the Annotatiōs thereof and M. Martins Discouerie of their heretical corruptions next and afterward the other argument concerning Antichrist I confesse my self to haue bene so loth to take the matter in hand as ether my duetie and obedience suffered or the loue and charitie of my countrymen and brethren permitted One reason was because I sawe many in this societie for good zeale and forwardnes as willing and for ripe knowledge in diuinitie more able to vndertake and dispatch a greater matter then that An other reason was because I thought I could not without some iniurie done to Catholikes dispute against that sauage barbarous paradox making sometime the order successiō of Popes to be Antichrist as M. VV. doth in one page sometime the whole Catholike and vniuersal Church vvhereof the Pope is head to be Antichrist as he affirmeth within 5. lines after ether of which in the iudgment of any Catholike is as notorious and palpable a lie as any of Lucians True Histories So that as if a man would with sage reasons go about to disproue some of those toies which he reporteth As that his ship being taken vp with a strong wind caried in the ayre seuen dayes seuen nights thē arriued at an Iland in the middest of the ayre where he saw a terrible battayle fought and many a thousand slayne and yet the field whereon both camps pitched was nothing els but the web or weauing of spiders which is not to be marueiled at spiders being as big there as prety Ilandes are with vs here that afterward he came to a land where mē tooke their eyes out of their heads at night time or otherwise whē they meāt not to vse them put them vp in cases at other conueniēt seasons they tooke them out thence put them on againe such like stuffe of riuers of wine seas of milke and Ilands of cheese c. as if I say a mā would go about with sober reasons to refute these reports he should thereby note his auditory of smale wit discretion who needed helpe to find out such incredible fables the very like is to be deemed of this idle inuention concerning Antichrist in the iudgment of al Catholikes Lucians fables being no more false vnreasonable and vnprobable against nature and philosophie then this deuise is peeuish lying absurd vncredible and vnpossible against Christian faith and diuinitie A greater reason was for that I vtterly abhorred in the middest of my course of studies and better exercises to spend any good houres ether in reading or refuting heretical bookes which neuer edifie to vertue deuotion and saluation but distract mens mindes from the meditation of al such religious spiritual and heauenly exercise and fil their heads only with contentions disputes and brawles of wordes Pugnis verborum as the Apostle calleth them the end where of as Tertullian of old noted is commonly no other but to wearie our selues offend the readers and exasperate the aduersarie whose proud spirite of contempt and contradiction is lightly incorrigible And of this I make the more sure reckening if at this present I write ought against our English aduersaries because by certaine experience of things past I see assuredly what must be looked for in time to come For as they passe other common heretikes in pride arrogancie and good opinion of them selues and the same ioyned with intolerable ignorance euen in the first principles of our religion so for this reason they bluntly dash into any kind of absurditie be it neuer so foule and blasphemous As that the image of Christ is as very an Idol as the image of Venus or Iupiter that S. Peter vvas neuer at Rome that Christ is not begottē of the substāce of his father that he is not god of god the father but god of him selfe that he was a Priest and offered sacrifice to his father according to his diuinitie vvherevnto may be added that The succession of popes is Antichrist or if that like you not then that The vniuersal Church is Antichrist such strange articles in our religion that Christian men ought rathet to stop their eares and shut vp their eyes from hearing them or reading them then expect any ansvver or refutation of them And vvho vvould not be greued to put pen to paper whē he knoweth he shal be troubled vvith multiplicatiō of such vnreasonable assertions of such old rotten execrable heresies such propositions as euery Christian man naturally doth abhor al aūcient stories monuments vniuersally vvithout exception reiect and refel al aūcient churches and coūcels since the time of Arrius vvith one vniforme consent haue accursed cōdemned But the chiefe and maine cause why I most of al lothed this maner of writing vvas because I find in our aduersaries doctrine no kind of stay or assurance no maner of certaintie or stedfastnes their vvhole faith being like Maie flovvers for some few monethes or yeres florishing and in estimation vvhich vvithin a short space after wythereth avvay is of them selues neglected changed and forsaken And thē vvhereas to dispute seriously of any matter requireth some certaine groūdes fountaines or heads of disputation vvherevnto euery man of learning ought to stand as we see in al other sciences of Logike Philosophie Law any kind of learning humane or diuine these men haue quite remoued and abolished al such and haue brought the whole course of their diuinitie to an idle lose vaine fantastical kynd of talking consisting most in denial of principles of religion where he is counted best diuine that can maintaine talke longest he is counted to beare the bel away that most arrogantly can preferre him self before al other be they few or many old or new
one substance vvith the father Yet M.W. defending the Autotheisme of Caluin and affirming Christ to be begotten not of his fathers substance but of his person and to be God of him selfe not God of God besides the abominable heresie vvhich in so sayng he maintaineth he also manifestly gainsaith the publike confession vvhich in their Communion booke they seeme to holde In Germany it is lawful for the Lutheranes to take armes and wage battayle and bid defiance and renounce al obedieÌ„ce to the Emperour likewise for the Gewes in Flanders the Hugonots in France against their seueral princes and the principal diuines yea Luther him self that Elias Apostle and Euangelist after long deliberation wel liked that the Protestants should in warlike maner bande them selues against the Emperour and those that died in such warres were of the chiefe preachers accounted for Saintes and martirs And it was resolued by al the states Ecclesiastical and Temporal of the Lutheran religioÌ„ against Charles the Emperour that Quia religioni molitur exitium atque libertati causam praebet cur ipsum oppugnemus bona conscientia CuÌ„ enim in eum casum res deuenit licet resistere sicut sacris prophanis historiis demonstrari potest Becaue the Emperour intendeth the ouerthrovv of religion and libertie he geueth vs cause to vvarre against him vvith safe conscience For vvhen the matter coÌ„meth to that issue it is lavvful to resist as it may be proued both by sacred and prophane stories And Beza in his epistle to the Quenes maiestie holdeth those FreÌ„ch Protestants who died in warre against their king for Saints Martirs vvho by their bloud consecrated happely to God the first foundation of Christian religion vvhich vvas then to be restored in Fraunce And vvhat preacher vvas there in England of any name vvho in publike sermons commended not their cause as iust agreable to al lavves humane and diuine and therefore in al respectes allovvable Likevvise M. Fox doth extolle and magnifie the most barbarous and Turkish factes committed by the BohemiaÌ„ heretikes rebelling against their Prince for the gospel and religion of Iohn Husse For whereas the Emperour Sigismund being then in Germanie had said That he vvould shortly come into Bohemia and rule the kingdome after the same order as his father Charles had done before him the Hussites or Protestantes I vse M. Foxes ovvne vvordes vnderstanding thereby that their sect and religion should be vtterly banished vvhich vvas not begonne during the raigne of the said Charles they rebelled out of hand which rebellioÌ„ in his whole storie he much coÌ„mendeth So that the Lutheranes of Germany mâ—y lawfully take armes against their Emperour for defense of Lutheranisme and the Caluinistes of FraÌ„ce may warre against their King to bring into that realme the religion of Caluine and the Hussites of Bohemâ—a may rebelle against their soueraine Prince for the religion of Iohn Husse and Hierom of Prage far more differing from the Protestante then from the Catholike and by like right and reason euery other sect may do the like for furthering increasing their seueral faithes and religions And yet in England inâ—ocent men who neuer in fact attempted ought and neuer in word approued any such disloyaltie against the Princes estate being draweÌ„ by craftie circumuention to say that in certaine cases as if the Prince should fal to professioÌ„ of Arrianisme Turcisme or Atheisme the subâ—ecte might vvithdravv his obedience vvere therevpon defamed for heynous traytours and the same imagined supposal published at the time of their death as a matter deseruing most extreme punishment In Quene Maries time the English Protestants retired to Geneua set out sundry bookes wherein by manifold textes of scripture both of the old testament the new they excluded womeÌ„ froÌ„ al regiment Princely iurisdiction euen in matters temporal which they accounted called monstruous vnnatural against the law of God and man and therefore in no wise to be suffered Yet al this notwithstanding the next yere folowing the same men found it agreable to al scripture and al lawes that a woman might haue supreme authoritie not only in matters temporal and ciuil but also in spiritual and ecclesiastical and by terrible punishmeÌ„t euen of extreme and exquisite death were content to bynde the subiectes generally to this point of beleefe yet with this distinction that the Nobilitie and Barons of the realme should be exempted from the same as though they might haue a faith dâ—uers from others of the same realme or one and the selfe same faith might be necessarie and not necessarie true and false enlarged and restrained according to the diuers degrees of nobilitie and coÌ„munaltie Briefly concerning the whole forme of their ecclesiastical Seruice in the first Communion booke it is thus appointed that The minister at the time of the Communion and at al other times in his ministratioÌ„ shal vse such ornamentes in the church as vvere in vse by authoritie of Parlament in the second yere of the reigne of King Edvvard the sixt I appeale now to the knowledge of euery man how wel that acte of Parlament is obserued through out the realme in how many Cathedral or parish churches those ornamentes are reserued whether euery priuate minister by his owne authoritie in the time of his ministration disdaine not such ornamentes vsing only such apparel as is most vulgar prophane I omit other particular differences of feastes of holy daies of crossing in baptisme of communicating the sicke c. in which their continual alteration is wel knowen by their dayly practise and their verie Communion bookes printed in diuers yeres Only I wish the reader of his owne wisedom and consideration to marke the general chaunges which from time to time our realme hath fallen into since this schisme first began there In the later yeres of king Henry the eight we were touchâ—ng many pointes Catholikes as the Parlament holdâ—n the yere 1540 doth testifie wherein by authoritie of Parlament these articles were accorded and agreed vpon That there is the real presence of Christes natural body and bloud in the most blessed sacrament vnder the formes of bread and vâ—yne That the Communion in both kindes is not necessarie ad salutem by the lavv of God to al persons That priestes after the order of priesthod by the lavv of God may not marry That vovves of chastitie or vvydovvhead made to God aduisedly ought to be obserued by the lavv of God That priuate Masses are to be continued and admitted in the kinges English church congregation as vvhereby good christian people do receaue both many and goodly consolations and benefites and it is agreable also to Gods lavv That auricular Confession is expedient and necessary to be retained and continued vsed and frequented in the church of God In the same Parlament and
by the same authoritie Euery man sayng publishing preaching teaching affirming declaring disputing arguing or holding opinion against the first of these articles is adiudged a manifest heretike c. misbeleuers in the other are with great rigor corrected and reformed This was the state of religion left by king Henry after whose death in the time of his sonne vpon very â—ight occasion was quite disanulled al this that the father had by parlament Actes and statutes so carefully established For streight vpon his fathers funerals king Edward saith M. Fox being but a child of nine or ten yere by the instinct of his vncle the Lord protector and Cranmer by consent of parlament did first abolish these six articles and then set forth a second booke of Reformation and after that a third as the religion had dayly more encrease more perfite then the first vnder the title and authoritie of his name After which sort the Zuinglian religion being placed with much dissension and alteration held out for the time of that Prince and was of the next with like authoritie of ParlameÌ„t reiected abolished But being restored againe in the beginning of the Q. Maiesties reigne from that tyme hetherto how the body of the realme hath more and more degenerated from that Zuinglianisme to Puritanisme which as D. Whitg wel proueth is the very next degree to Anabaptisme what infinite numbers in euery shyre as their owne writers record are ioyned to tâ—e Familie of loue which is a mere abnegation of Christianitie what swarmes of Atheistes haue sprung vp with which as D. Whig telleth vs their English congregation is râ—plenished this I leaue to the knowledge remembrance experience and eye sight of the discrete reader If I should note the varietie and difference betwene our Protestantes and the Protestantes of other nations as of Germany Polonia Zuitzerland and France I should neuer make an end because most true it is there is no one article of faith ether touching the blessed Trinitie Christes incarnation and passion resurrection ascensioÌ„ touching the person of the holy Ghost or touching his office there is no one sacrament as the Eucharist Baptisme Forgeuenes of sinnes in penance confession of sinnes to a priest Holy orders there is no one rite or ceremonie ether touching gouernement or diâ—cipline of the church wherein they disagree not These few examples which I haue brought conteining matters of such weight That princes are heads of the church and are not that baptisme remitteth sinnes and remitteth not that priuate baptisme is lawful and vnlawful Confirmation allowed and disallowed Christs descending into hel graunted and denied that he is God of his father and yet is God of him self that al kinds of Religions may for their conscience sake take armes against their prince yet Catholikes may not in any case or for any cause make supposal of such a matter that women are barred by the law of God from exercising authority ouer men euen in matters ciuil and agâ—ine that women by the law of God haue supremacy ouer the cleargy bishops and archbishops eueÌ„ in matters most diuine spiritual that copes and such like ornamentes are to be vsed in church seruice and are to be abolished and burned as monumentes of Idolatrie that by like authoritie of parlaments diuers and contrary faithes are confirmed and ratified These few examples I say al appearing manifestly in the practise and behauiour of one litle Iland and in the compasse of a few yeres al notoriously to be seene in perusing a few english bookes and writers declare sufficiently how true that is which D. Whiteg affâ—rmeth of the Puritans and we find as true in all sortes of Protestants that commonly such as once diuide them selues from the Church fal from errour to errour vvithout stâ—y they declare sufficiently how true that is which I affirme â—â—at these meÌ„ haue no certaintie or stabiliâ—ie of faith therfore hard it is foâ— vs to know what to refâ—â— or dispute aâ—aâ—nst whereas we find such continuâ—l chaunge and varietie Yet al this notwithstanding albeit they haue one faith for Germany an other for Engâ—and and in England one for the South an other for the North one for the fathers reigne an other for the sonnes one for the brother an other for the sister and vnder the â—ame Prince one for the beginning of her reigne an other for the time ensuing one for the nobilitie an other for the commonaltie one for the publike church another for their priuate houses one in their CoÌ„munion booke an other in their seueral writinges although they haue Annuas and menstruas sides as S. Hilary and S. Basil said of the Arrians euery yere and somtimes euery moneth a new faith yet gladly could we deuoure the paine to finde out and learne such their yerely monethly faithes that by refelling them we might saue those christian sowles which through the same monethly dayly and hourely perish euerlastingly had we not a far greater dâ—fficultie in learning out what maner of argumentes are of force and allowable amongst them for refuâ—ing of the same Among Catholikes in al scholes and Vniuersities in al bookes writings argumentes drawen from the scriptures of God from the Traditions of the Apostles from the Authoritie of the Catholike Church of general Councels of the auncient Doctors fathers of the supreme Pastors of the Church geuing sentence definitiue in any controuersie these al and singular are of such weight and estimation that ech one coÌ„uinceth the aduersarie part and no Catholike dare euer resist or oppose him self if he heare the voice and sentence of any one of al these and besides these other argumentes in diuinitie we can not possâ—bly deuise any Vse any of al these in disputation with the Protestant he careth not for them nether wil be bound to them farther then it liketh his owne lust and fansie Approue the Inuocation helpe of Angels by the authoritie of Tobias the free wil of man by the booke of Ecclesiasticus they answere Litle care vve for the example of Raphael the Angel mentioned in Tobie nether acknovvledge vve those seueÌ„ Angels vvhereof he speaketh As litle accompt make I of the place of Ecclesiasticus nether vvil I beleeue the freedom of mans vvil though he affirme it a hundred times And as for the Traditions of the Apostles besides the written word it is their very profession to contemne them and who is there of them al that euer wrote any booke of câ—mmon places who hath not a large treatise particularly against them Alleage against theÌ„ general Councels they answere If this be a sufficient profe to say such a CouÌ„cel decreed so such a doctor said so there is almost nothing so true but I can impugne nothing so false but I can make true and vvel assured I am that by theâ—r meanes the principal groundes of our faith may be
shaken Alleage the auncient fathers not one or other but al together affirming one and the self same thing they answere If you argue from the vvitnesse of men be they neuer so learned and auncient vve yelde no more to their vvordes in cause of faith and religion then vve perceaue to be agreable to scripture Nether thinke you your self to haue proued any thing although you bring against vs the vvhole consent and svvarme of fathers except that vvhich they say be iustified not by the voice of men but of God himself And it is their common maner as to make smale accompt of any author that is against them so least of al of the old auncient fathers whom some of them are not ashamed in most despiteful sort to cal Pillorie doctors But this their behauiour towards the auncient fathers and Doctors that be of our Church may seeme in the iudgement of many to stand with reason For why may it be said should they be bound to our Austins HieroÌ„s and Cyprians more then we wil be bound to their Luthers Caluins and Melanchthons At the least then say we they ought to be ruled by doctors of their owne such as they cal and honour for Apostles Euaâ—geâ—istes of their new church and beleefe Yet when the authoritie of such is pressed against them it weigheth no deeper then of those other whom they cal pillorie doctors For how freely contemne they Martin Luther how freely reiect they Hulderike Zuinglius VVe receaue M. Caluin saith T.C. and vveigh of him as of the notablest instrument that the lord hath stâ—rred vp for the purging of his churches and restoring of the playne and sincere interpretation of the scriptures vvhich hath bene since the Apostles time And yet vve do not so reade his workes that vve beleeue any thing to be true because he saith it but so far as vve caÌ„ esteeme that that vvhich he saith doth agree vvith the Canonical scriptures The very self same answere geueth the contrary part wheÌ„ the same mans iudgement is obiected against him I reuerence M. Caluin saith D.W. as a singular man and a vvorthy instrument in Christes church But I am not so vvholy addicted vnto him that I vvil contemne other mens iudgmentes in diuers points not fully agreing vvith him c. vvhen as in my opinion they come neerer to the true meaning and sense of scripture then he doth And because the course of this new diuinitie is now brought to rest most of al on the credit of these reuereÌ„d fathers and doctors and in steede of the auncient forme of alleaging T. us saith S. Chrysostom thus S. Augustin thus S. Basil the fashion is now to alleage Thus saith M. Caâ—uin thus M. Bucer thus M. Bullinger therefore thorough varietie somewhat to avoyde tediousnes and not greue to much the eares of their auditors by flat denyal diuers wayes and reasons haue they to passe ouer when they please the authoritie of such their owne doctors and maisters One way and the same very playne is to refuse them because they were men As for example If you presse me vvith M. Martyrs and M. Bucers authoritie I first say they vvere men and therefore though othervvise very vvatchful yet such as slept somtymes A second way is because they had some other error as M. Bucer you say allovveth priuate baptisme and consequently the baptisme by vvomen It may be that as M. Bucer although othervvise very learned hath other grosse absurdities so he may haue that A third because some other doctor of as good credite and estimation is of a contratie opinion as M. Musculus a learned man is of your iudgement and M. Caluin as learned as he and diuers other are of that iudgment that I haue alleaged This is no great profe on your side nor reprofe of ours A fourth and the same most sure is to chalenge the libertie of the gospel and therefore not to admitte their verdict but at pleasure as Touching M. Bucers M. Bullingers Illyricus allovvance of holy daies if they allovv them in such sort as M. Doctor vrgeth then that good leaue vvhich they geue the Churches to dissent from theÌ„ in that point I do take it graunted vnto me being one of the same church Although as touching M. Bullinger it is to be obserued that since the time he wrote so there are aboue 35 yeres since vvhich time although he hold stal that the feastes dedicated vnto the lord as of the Natiuitie Easter and Pentecost may be kept yet he denieth flatly that it is lavvful to keepe holy the dayes of the Apostles If these serue not the turne a man would thinke their martyrs those who were so ful of the spirite that they willingly shead their bloud and suffered death by fier for confâ—irmation of their faith these mens testimonie should be irrefragable for iustifying of those pointes especially for which they lost their liues But nether want they their old ordinary meanes to shift of the authoritie of these martyrs were they neuer so glorious For although they vvere excellent personages say they yet their knovvledge vvas in part and although they brought many thinges to light yet they being sent out in the morning or euer the sunne of the gospel vvas risen so high might ouersee many thinges vvhich those that are not so sharpe of sight as they vvere may see c. And if they had died for this or that article yet the authoritie of their martyrdome could not take avvay from vs this libertye that vve haue to enquire of the cause of their death Martyrs may not be said to seale their errors vvith their bloud or vvith the glory of their martirdome preiudice those which vvrite or speake against their errors For this is to oppose the bloud of men to the bloud of the sonne of God What remayneth now for the last cast but the maiestie not of one or other doctor or of a few martyrs but of great and ample reformed churches as of France of Germany of Zurike or Geneuâ— yet euen these also passe with like maner of answere And they haue as general a rule to reiect such as they haue the poorest doctor that commeth in their way As for exaple when other reformed churches are brought to reforme the disorders of the English church To vvhich reformed church saith the ansvverer vvil you haue the church of England framed or vvhy should not other reformed churches as vvel frame them selues vnto vs For vve are as vvel assured of our doctrine and haue as good groundes reasons for our doing as they haue except you vvil bring in a nevv Rome appoint vs an other head church and create a nevv Pope by vvhom vve must be in al thinges directed And againe I haue told you and novv I tel you againe that there is no cause vvhy this church of England
be most populous and of al nations sundry shal ioyne them selues vnto it abundantly VVherefore let the Ievves be ashamed vvhich thinke them selues alone to be the sonnes of Abraham Avvay with the Montanistes vvhich say that they alone haue receaued the holy Ghost Confounded be the Donatistes c. hovv much should vve vvithdravv and take from the church catholike if vve beleeued these men And againe vpon Ieremie God here speaketh of the eternitie of Christes kingdome and svveareth that as his league is stedfast with the sunne and moone vvith sommer and vvynter vvith day and night so also he vvil performe that vvhich he promised to Christ that he shal haue kinges and priestes and that for euer and that not a fevv but as the starres of heauen and the sand of the sea both for their dignitie and puritie and also for their multitude The like wordes he hath and confirmeth the same by sundry places of scripture in Isai ca. 64 v 13. Daniel ca. 2. v. 44. Zachar ca. 2. v. 1.2.3 et ca. 7. v. 13.14.15 et ca. 12. v. 6.7 And Illyricus gathereth very wel out of the first chap. of S. Matth. that the true church in the middest of al persecutâ—oÌ„s destructions of cities CoÌ„mon welthes and peoples is not only preserued miraculously by gods special ayde protection but also Ostendit ista series saith he ecclesiam et religionem veraÌ„ habere certas historias suae originis et progressus This genealogie proueth that the true church and religion hath assured historyes of her beginning and encrease I passe ouer very many places of these and other learned Protestantes Brentius Lauatherus Luther Bullinger who in their Commentaries vpon the scriptures refel this sauage opinion of our english Protestants by infinite and the same very euident places of scripture And wonder it were if any thing were wonderful in men forsaken of God and geuen ouer to their ovvne sense hovv these men do not perceaue yea and feele the most sensible contradiction which disputing of this question and of Christes real presence in the sacrament they runne into For here they charge vs that we take from Christ the truth of his body and deny his incarnation because we say it is inuisible and not circumscribed with a certaine place which they say are proprieties so essential to humane nature that the very glorified body of our Sauiour remayneth not a body if it wante them Of this argument M. VV. insulteth and triumpheth in this booke Hoc argumentum saith he to M Martin impetus tuos non pertimescit This argument feareth not your forces Yet talking of the Church militant which consisteth of a number of bodies by nature mortal by essential proprietie visible and bound to a certaine place by Christes ordinance dispersed thorough al quarters of the world this Church they say was a true church and yet inuisible consisted of Emperours Priests nations and peoples and yet circumscribed with no certaine place appearing in no certaine citie prouince or kingdome so tying most ethnically the glorious celestial deified and supernatural body of Christ to the base rules of corruptible philosophie from which they exempt the mortal bodies of men which by the law of God and nature are subiect therevnto But to returne to the fal of the vniuersal Church vpoÌ„ the ruines whereof M.W. booke in particular this new congregation in general is buylt and standeth the issue of that doctrine is no other nether possibly can be but a flat abnegation of Christ Christianitie as the writings of our aduersaries ioyned with their practise declare abundantly to al those who lyst to open their eyes and take a litle paines to learne that which so deepely it importeth them to know And to this purpose notable is the storie of Dauid George the Hollander who being expelled from the low countries for the Sacramentarie heresie and for the same cause honorably receaued and intertained by them of Basile being then of the same religion and many yeres wel esteemed of in that citie after proceeded so far in the gospel that he tooke to him self the name and office of Christ and accompted our Sauiour for a seducer and deceauer and secretly drew many to his opinion For which cause three yeres after his death the rulers of that Citie tooke the body out of his graue and burned it and withal set out the whole storie of his life fayth and death and the rest appertaining to his condemnation and their owne defence This man by what reason principally was he lead into that Turkish madnes forsooth his cheefe reason was this as in the same booke appeareth If that Christ had bene the true Christ then the Church erected by him should haue continued for euer But now we see and it is manifest that the Romish bishop that Antichrist hath surpressed and ouerthrowen many hundred yeres since the church which that Christ erected Hereof it foloweth that he was not the true Messias but a lying maister and a false prophet And Sebastianus Castalio in the preface of his bible dedicated to king Edward what doth he els but closely deny Christ to be the true Messias when vpon this very ground of the churches fal he thus discourseth First he laieth for a foundation the excellencies and prerogatiues of the church which should be established by the Messias as her quietnes and vnitie in religion described by Michaeas cap. 4. That the earth should be so replenished vvith the knovvledge of our Lord as the sea is vvith vvaters Esai 11. And againe cap. 60. VVhereas thou were forsaken enuied and vnfrequented I vvil make the saith God to arise into an euerlasting height so as thou shalt sucke the milke of other nations and the brestes of princes and thou shalt knovv that I thy God am thy sauiour and defender Thy sunne shal no more go dovvne nor thy moone leese her light for our lord shal be thy light which euer shal coÌ„tinue After this sort much more he hath touching the churches happy estate and continuance as before hath bene noted Then looking to the effect and accomplishment of these promises according to Protestantes learning and iudgement he protesteth expressely that this excellencie and felicitie promised to the church of Christians by the coÌ„ming of Messias the more he considereth the scriptures the lesse he findeth the same as yet to haue bene performed howsoeuer a man vnderstand those places alleaged Whereof he frameth this argument Equidem aut haec sutura esse fateÌ„dum est aut iam fuisse aut deus accusandus mendacit Quod si quis fuisse dicet quaeram ex eo quaÌ„do fuerint Si dicet Apostolorum tempore quaeram cur nec vndiquaque perfecta fuerit et tam cito exâ—leuerit dei cognitio ac pietas quae et aeterna et marinis vndis abundantior fuerat promissa Truly vve must confesse ether
Stinckfâ—ldius and their scholer vvhether they be at Zuruke or in vvhat place else soeuer vnder the sâ—nne Thus Luther If you know this Maister Whitaker as you wil seeme to be ignorant of nothing what maketh you so busily to defend Luthers barbarous and proude vauntes as though he were such a piller without whom your church could not stande But belyke it is sufficient that he was an Apostata frier as were the founders of your gospel that he with you agreed in rayling at the Pope and Sea of Rome and so for his agreeing with you in these smaler toyes you care not for his disagreeing from you in those weightie matters Wel be it as you liste and perhaps you haue more reason then I perceaue otherwise you shall neuer be able to iustifie this demeanure in the sight of any man endued with common sence Let vs heare how conningly you cure this stinking sore for nothing stinketh more before the face of God and man then a poore contemptible wretch so Lucifer-lyke to prefer him selfe before inumerable excellent learned and glorious Saintes of God What distinction haue you to saue Luthers honestie Forsooth this In certaine cases Luther might more esteeme of his ovvne iudgement then of Austine Ciprian or a thousand Churches For if that vvhich Luther taught vvere agreable to Gods vvord then Luthers iudgment vvas to be preferred before the contrarie iudgment of al men and Churches Here M. VV. thinketh he hath spoken much to the purpose and therefore aduaunceth him selfe alofte Scripturam Lutherus protulit cuinullus mortalis resistit quaeque tandem Pontificiis decretis pesteÌ„ atque exitium afferet Luther brought vvith him scripture vvhich no mortall man can vvithstand and vvhich at length shall be the bane and distruction of the Popish decrees That I may the better conceaue this distinction and ether yelde to it if it stand with reason or discouer the vanitie of it if it fal out to be but a peeuish battologie of wordes as I trowe it will proue let me require a playner explication of that parte Luther might vvell prefer his iudgment before a thousand Austines Ciprianes and Churches if he spake vvith scripture Is this the meaning that in case and controuersie of religion if a thousand Ciprians that is all the Fathers teach vs one thing and bringe scriptures for them and one father Luther teach vs the contrarie and bringe scriptures for him may Luther in this case preferre his owne iudgement before al those Fathers if so as the speach it selfe is so monstrous execrable as the deuil him selfe can not open his mouth into more horrible pride so what heresie what Apostasie what Atheisme in the church can euer be coÌ„trouled if this rule be made currante why shoud Arrius yelde to the Councel of Nice Nestorius to the Councel of Ephesus Macedonius to the CouÌ„cel of Constantinople seinge they brought scriptures for them and by this rule ought to haue preferred their priuate iudgment before those byshops as Luther his offpringe doe theirs before the Councel of Trente or will he say that if perhaps a thousand Austines and Churches teache some doctrine without the writteÌ„ worde of God that is citing no text for it Luther against the same bring the written worde that is some texte of the scripture after his seÌ„se in this case he may better esteeme of himselfe then of al the rest But first he can neuer geue instance that ether the auncient fathers did so in their tymes or that we do so now for howsoeuer in the Councels of Nice of Ephesus of Chalcedon the byshops stoode much vppoÌ„ the traditioÌ„ of their elders ea que sunt patrum teneantur say they sic credere à sanctis patribus edocti sumus let vs hold fast the fayth and decrees of our fathers thus to beleeue vve haue bene taught by our holye fathers yet they waÌ„ted not scriptures as nether did the fathers in the Councel of Trent nor we at this day in our controuersies with the protestantes And if those auncient fathers had alleaged no direct euident place against Arrius Nestorius Eutyches yet notwithstanding the Christian people were bound to beleeue them grounding them selues only vpoÌ„ the Catholike vniuersal fayth of the churches which were before them as they did in the question of our B. Ladies perpetual virginitie And albeit the heretike brought some clauses of scripture for the coÌ„trary part yet ought al faithful men to yeld no more credit thereto theÌ„ to the deuil when he alleaged scripture against our sauiour because as the deuil so al heretikes may vse scripture against the true sense and meaning thereof the vniuersal church caÌ„ neuer teach or beleeue so as by Christ him self we are assured And this case in effect coÌ„meth to one issue with the former for geue this scope to an heretike that all the Bishops Churches Fathers may erre he alone if he can alleage a text may therefore rightly contemne al other in respecte of him selfe as euery Sectmaister doth and hath done where is the Churches quietnes what order is there for coÌ„tinuance of fayth to what ende was the comminge of Christ to what vse the sendinge of the holy Ghost Or perhaps M. W. wil say posito per impossibile that all the Churches fathers teach against scripture Luther alone teache with scripture then lo Luther maye thinke him selfe a better man then they all and this is true this I graunte as in like maner I confesse that if the heauen shoulde falle we knowe what woulde folow And yet of these two suppositions the Spirit of God putteth the later to be more possible that the course of heauen shal soner alter then the Catholike Churche of the new TestameÌ„te fal frome Christe to Apostasie But it may be M.VV. wil say I scanne his wordes to narrowlie his meaning is plaine that whereas Luther bringeth scriptures against vs that is against all the Austines and Ciprianes of the Catholike Church all the Byshops now liuinge he maye well truste his owne iudgmente if this be the meaning yet stil al commeth to one ende and whie may Luther so do more then Caluine whie Caluine more then Muncerus whie a ZwingliaÌ„ more then a Puritane Anabaptiste or Trinitarian Or what assurance hath he more then those other But if Luthers iudgment bringinge scriptures with him be so forcible against vs may not we trow you Lutherize a litle after your example and say the same against you As for example Luther hath made a booke entituled defensio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verborum coenae accipite comedite hoc est corpus meum contra fanaticos SacramentarioruÌ„ spiritus In that booke not very longe or large yet contayninge more substaÌ„ce then some whole volumes of his do his principal conclusion risinge vpon this texte of scripture and grounded vpon many texts of scripture beside is that he and his vvill
downe in forme by M.W. the Minor is the conclusion of the last argumēt and so proued sufficiently alreadie then I hope the Conclusion will stand wherefore leauinge this matter for M. W. to scanne and to recorde with him selfe who is that Baal founder of the priesthode of the new testament now may we vew with better iudgment how substantially he answereth S. Austines place de Ciuitate dei where S. Austine doth distinguishe betweene all Christians vvho are vnproperly called priestes because of their mistical Chrisme and vnitie vvith Christe others qui proprie iam vocantur in ecclesia sacerdotes episcopi that properlie are novv called in the Church priestes and byshops and properlie such are they by M. W. definition which properly offer sacrifice M.W. āswereth that the name priest vvas of olde tyme after a more peculiar sorte applied to the pastors and ministers that handled the vvorde and sacramentes but there vvas an abuse in so speakinge then you agree not with S. Austine who teacheth that propriè in proprietie of speach they were so called who if they had then to execute no other priestly function then haue now the Englishe ministers as M. W. supposeth or wolde pretend I graunte the worde prieste could not be applied to them but as abusiuely as if one woulde cal a ciuil magistrate by that name or one of the Quenes Readers in the Vniuersities For preachinge of the worde ministringe of some one or other sacramente although in the Catholike Church it be done by priestes yet properlie that is not the reason why they are called by that name but the true reason is that which M.W. rendereth quia propriè offerunt sacrificia because properly they offer sacrifice Now that S. Austine meante of priestes in this sort that himselfe was such a prieste to passe ouer many pregnante and euidente places in him for breuities sake I refer you to the knowen story of his mothers death Where she firste of al in her death-bed requesteth that her sonne vvould remember her at the altar of God When after her death the corps beinge brought into the Churche and placed beside the graue before the tyme of burial prayers were sayd the sacrifice of our price and redemption offered for her when afterwarde S. Austine in his moste deuoute zelous praier made to God for her reckneth this to her singuler commendacion that at her departure she tooke no care for costlie maner of burial or sumptuous monumente but only desired to be remembred at thy altar ô Lorde from vvhence she knew vvas dispensed that holy sacrifice vvhereby vvas blotted out the handvvrittinge vvhich vvas againste vs vvhereby triumphe vvas obtained against Satan our eternal enemie straight waies inspire saith he ô Lorde my God inspire to thy seruants my brethren that vvho-soeuer of them shal reade this may haue remembrance at thy altar of Patricius and Monica my father and mother But againste this M.W. hath an obiection as common plaine to them that know oughte in diuinitie as Dunstable hye way answered before hāde abundantlie in the annotacions of the the new testamente Heb. ca. 7. v. 12. 17.23 his argument is I say there are no priestes of the new testamēt that offer sacrifice after Christ who is the eternal priest according to the order of Melchisedec obtaineth sacerdotiū 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an eternal priesthod he hath made an end of al sacrifices takē away the succession of priestes cōmitted his church to be ruled by pastors and doctors for euer To beginne with the laste where you ende if Christ abolished all priesthod and left his Church to be gouerned for euer by pastors and doctors which were no priestes had this appointemēt and ordinance of his effect yea or no if no beware what yow say for litle differ you from a Iew a man of Mahomets religion and weake is your faith in Christes godhead if you thinke that in so manie places of scripture he appointed such a regimente for his Church which after his departure neuer tooke effect if yea then shew vs where or when was his Church so gouerned was it a hūdred yeares ago before Frier Luther first of all in our memorie induced this kinde of gouernment you must needes say no. Ascend we then 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and ten ages vntil S. Gregories time was it al this while gouerned by such pastors as you describe I wene as yet you wil say sure I am you should say no. For those pastors were styll priestes and that in proper sense as appeareth by al stories Suche were our first Apostles the conuerters of our nation those excellent men SS Augustine Paulinus Laurentius Melitus Iustus c. sacred by the Pope of Rome or other lawfull Bishops in obediēce of the Sea of Rome offering sacrifice liuing and dying as priestes as by the goodlie storie of Venerable Bede our coūtryman you may euerie where learne Such pastors and priests they were by whom and vnder whose regiment our Churches were first builded and the ecclesiastical state of our realme ordered as now vnder the regiment of them that cal thē selues pastors no priestes and are in deede no more the one then the other all is pulled downe and ouerthrowen And if in anie other countrie of Christendome the churches had any other regiment such as you pretēd now in England of pastors no priestes shew vs your bookes and we wil beleeue you But you wil say from S. Gregorie vpward all was smooth and iumpe as it is now in the English congregation Suppose that to be true how in the meane seasō can you iustifie your owne saing that Christ delyuered his Church to be gouerned for euer by suche maner of pastors Cā Christes decree be made frustrate for so many ages Can mans iniquitye as you in your Apologie commonlie but most bluntlie obiect stoppe the course of Christes omnipotent and eternal prouidence know you not how copiouslie S. Augustine hath confuted this self same slaūderous obiectiō in your forefathers the Donatistes But passe we on come we to the first fathers of the primitiue Churche were they lay ministers after the maner of the English congregation that is pastors no priestes how dare or can you say so seing in S. Austine manifestlie you see a sacrificing priesthod seing your self acknowledge Sainte Hierome to haue bene a priest of the Romane Church which neuer yet approued any such ministery as you haue inuented seing your greate Rabbine and synke of iniquitie Iohn Bale calleth S. Leo the great and first of that name in plaine termes an idolater for this cause seing your chiefe capitayne Apostle Caluine and after him P. Martir and before him Huldericke Zuinglius affirme in generall of the fathers in the primitiue Church that for maintenāce of the vnbloudy sacrifice they forced abused the
a refuter of errors make this a light one had you any part ether of the spirite of S. Paule S. Cipriā S. Austine or such Saintes of the Catholike Church or some zeale and sense of your owne Gospel and religion how could this euer haue slipt out of your penne to cal them most holy who by your doctrine were as far from al true holynes as euer was Scribe or Pharisee to cal thē most holy who had not in them the first stepp or degree where holines beginneth for whereas to holines first of al and principally is required faith in the death and passion of Christ then zeale and feruour in good woorkes to cal a man holy without the first is to commend for strenght and valor a man that hath neuer a sound ioynt or to praise for eloquence such a one whose tongue is cutt out of his head In the number of Christians professors of Christianity there haue bene from the beginning many that haue liued very hard seuere lyues that haue bestowed their goods amōge the poore that after many labours and trauails rare workes of extraordinarie zeale haue at lenght suffered death for the testimony of Christ And this oftentimes chaūced in the primitiue Church within the tyme of the first persecutions before Constantinus Magnus yet if such men liued and died schismatikes that is not beleeuing rightly in the church did euer any true Christian holde them for good holie If I spake vvith the tongue of men and angels saith the Apostle and knevv al mysteries and could moue mountaines if I bestovved al my goods vpon the poore and my bodie to the fier for the testimonie of Christ yet wanting the charitie of my brethren being without ecclesiasticall vnitie it profiteth me nothing wherevpon S. Ciprian They cānot dvvell vvith God that be not in vnitie vvith the Church though they burne amidst the flames being deliuered to the fier or cast to vvild beastes so yeld their lyues yet that shal not be to them a crovvne of faith but a punyshment of infidelitie such a one may be slaine he can not be crovvned he professeth him self such a Christiā as the deuil many times pretendeth him self to be Christ For as S. Austine saith vvhosoeuer is separated from this Catholike Church though he thinke him self to liue verie commendablie yet by reason of this only offence that he is deuided from the vnitie of Christ in his Catholike Churche he shal not haue life eternal but the vvrath of God remaineth vpon him And is al this true of men Christians by profession beleeuing rightly in euerie other article of faith onely erring in a secondarie point against the visible church and is it not much more true when the error runneth so grossly against the first and chief and capital article of Christianitie and that proper and peculier part whēce Christianitie hath his name the death and passion of our sauiour the verie hart life and soule of our religion can a fault against the bodie so pollute and contaminate a man that he becometh with al his supposed holines an infidell vvicked prophane an enemy of God and a damnable creature and can such sacriledge against the head be so light and contemptible that the offender remaineth notwithstanding faithfull a good Christiā and most holie S. Paule in the beginning when the law of Moyses was not yet quite abolished nor the gospel so vniuersallie and clearlie published said of the Galatians who would haue ioyned the law with the gospell O ye sensles Galatians vvho hath bevvitched you not to obey the truth Beholde I Paule tell you that if you be circumcided Christ shal profite you nothing and though an Angel of heauen teach you so that is preach you workes wherebie you should be withdrawen from Christ anathema be he that is the curse of God light vpon him how thē may a Christian that ether loueth or feareth Christ thus extenuate the fathers error being by M. W. declaration in substance the self same by reason of circumstance farre more haynous the light of the gospel spread more larglie the truth of doctrine more deepely rooted the law more vndoubtedlie abolished and euerie part of Christian religion more clearly acknowledged and professed wherefore in this I take M. Whit. inexcusablie rather for a Pagane then for a Christian when he saith The fathers by their penitentiall vvorkes derogated from Christ and thrusting them selues into his roome ascribed to their ovvne inuentions the satisfying of Gods vvrath and remission of their sinnes and yet for al this calleth them sanctissimas most holy whereas this being true they were the most impious and detestable men that euer the sunne saw Luther in his booke aduersusfalsò nominatum ordinem episcoporum describing his iustifiing faith writeth thus although wickedly yet agreablie to his owne doctrine and the common doctrine of the protestants Marke me saith he vvhat is Christian faith Christian faith is to beleeue that by no vvorkes but by onlie faith in Christ as thy mediatour and by mercy in him geuen thee freely thou art iustified and saued Gal. 1. so as a man despaire of all his ovvne strength vvorkes and endeuours and depende altogether of an other mans merites and an other mans iustice Iudaical faith is to entend to be iustified to blot out thy sinnes and be saued by thy ovvne strength and merites Rom. 10. by this Christ is cast avvay To like effect he writeth in his second commentarie vpon the Galatians expounding these wordes his qui natura non sunt dii seruiebatis ye serued them vvhich by nature vvere not gods vpon these words he maketh this question and thus solueth it is it all one in S. Paule to depart from the promise to the lavv from faith to vvorkes and to serue gods vvhich by nature are not gods I ansvvere vvhosoeuer falleth from the article of iustification he becommeth ignorant of God and is an idolater And therefore it is al one vvhether he returne to the lavv or to the vvorshipping of idols al is one vvhether he be a monke a Turke a Ievv or Anabaptist for this article once taken avvay there remaineth nothing but mere error hipocrisie impietie idolatrie although in shevv there appeare excellent truth vvorship of God holines c. Yea speaking expresly of the auncient fathers and in respect of this special matter he most wickedly but most plainly adiudgeth them to hell fier for their wicked faith in this verie cause I speake not saith he against the papistes for their life but for their faith because they vvil not come to God by only faith but by faith and vvorkes and therfore if the fathers those old papistes liued now I would speake vnto thē as I do to these new papistes thus stand his wordes Si illa facies veteris papatus c. if that face and forme of old papistrie stoode novv if that discipline vvere
diminish the vertue force of his bloud Who euer heard such stuffe now doubtles I thinke ye wrote this in a dreame or if ye wrote it wakinge and aduisedly then are you proceeded from a common Protestant and a Puritane become a Familiane or mere Libertine though I can easely be induced to beleeue that this is the end and so wil proue of your commoÌ„ solifidian iustification that for a man to bewaile his sinnes to watch to fast to pray to geue almes shal be deemed papistical and derogatorie to Christ and therefore in al respectes quite abandoned Yea your self proue this by as sound an argument as any you haue to proue the Pope Antichrist for thus you dispute in your academical oration Anno 1582. Quid Christo integrum relinquunt sâ— est Christus noster sacerdos et sunt huius sacer dotii duae partes altera vt sese pro nobis in vnicum perpetuúmque sacrificium offerat altera vt preces pro nobis faciat quid est quod pontificii Christum quotidie offeruÌ„e c. vvhat leaue the papistes entier to Christ if Christ be our priest and of this priesthode there are tvvo partes one that for vs he offer him self an only and perpetual sacrifice the other that he pray for vs vvhy then do the papistes offer Christ daylie by which profound demonstration as you make vs Antichristes for hearing or saing masse so you make your self if you be a minister and your fellow-ministers as very Antichristes for preaching sermons or saing Communion for in them I thinke you do not always rayle at the Pope and Catholikes but sometimes pray though to smale purpose TheÌ„ whereas there be tvvo partes of Christes priesthode to sacrifice pray they that pray be iniurious to his priesthode and robbe Christ of that which by your diuinitie is proper to his person and office of mediation and so if we be Antichristes for doing the first needes must you and your comministers be Antichristes for doing the second and in deede one is as true as the other To auoid which mischeefe what way is there but ether to allow both and so to returne to the Church which to do our Lord send you grace or with sacrifice to abandon prayer also and all other workes of charitie which without question as I haue said is the meaning and extreame scope of that paradox we are iustified by onlie faith that is by onlie fansie and imagination for that being so what neede or vse is there of fasting prayer and such superfluous vnnecessarie works iniurious to Christ and derogatorie to his priesthode and without which you are most assured of eternal life by the omnipoteÌ„t power of your only faith CHAP. VII Of M. Ievvels challenge renevved by M.VV. and the vanitie and falshode thereof HAVING so wel acquited your selfe against the auncient fathers in the matter of penaÌ„ce in the coÌ„clusion thereof vpon smal occasion you renew M. Iewels old challenge verie fearcely prouoke M. Martin to oppugne it if he dare thus you say Touching the principall partes of religion most true it is that I haue vvritten that the same faith is taught and preached in our Churches that is ZuingliaÌ„ not Lutherane vvhich the most auncient fathers held nether feare I to renevv that challenge of the most learned M. Ievvel vvhich you haue mentioned if you daere take it They are in number 27 articles vvherein consisteth the cheefest force of papistrie of all these articles choose vvhich you vvil I protest my selfe your aduersarie in the cause so long as I liue To perfourme so much as you say though of your abilitie I doubt greatly yet of your good wil I doubte not a whit for I see you sticke at nothing nether care what you say or vnsay deny or affirme be it right be it wronge true of false nothing commeth amisse and many tymes you shew this skill within the compasse of one page And to go about to proue to one who after so long tyme and so many euident and inuincible proofes of a matter historical which of it selfe was amoÌ„g sober men neuer doubted of I meane S. Peters being at Rome and founding the Church there yet now denyeth the same to one that had read in D. SaÌ„ders the same confirmed by al maner testimonies whereby such a matter may be coÌ„firmed by those that theÌ„ liued froÌ„ tyme to tyme ensued by Papias S. Ihon the EuaÌ„gelists scholer by Hegesippus by Caius by Dionisius bishop of Corinth by S. Ireneus by Tertullian by S. Ciprian al these most auncient and liuing not long after for S. Ciprian the yongest is almost of 1400. yeares antiquitie by S. Athanasius S. Hierome S. Optatus S. Ambrose S. Chrysostome S. Epiphanius S. Leo the greate S. Augustine S. Gregorie by Eusebius Lactantius Dorotheus Orosius Maximus Taurinensis Sulpitius Seuerus Prosper Theodoretus Gregorius Turonensis these al sauing S. Gregory the great and Turonensis beinge within the first â—00 yeares some of them also grounding them selues vppon the verie wordes of scripture as Papias Tertullian Eusebius and S. Hierome the question also being a matter of storie and fact which can not possiblie be knoweÌ„ but by the narration of such writers as then liued and receaued it from their elders so that herein M.W. hath not that libertie to cauil by comparinge together phrases expounding literal speaches by mystical Allegories as in the sacrament and other controuersies of religion their maner is the thinge also vntil our age being neuer denied by any writer of credit or estimation and in our age confessed and proued by protestaÌ„tes them selues of greatest learning and knowledg to go aboute I say to proue that Christ is really in the B. Sacrament a matter more hard and intricate to a man who knoweth this of S. Peter a thing most plaine euident and yet after al this and much more saith notwithstanding obstinatlie that Peter vvas at Rome and there vvith Paule laid the foundation of that church no papist could euer yet shevv proue to me it seemeth labour as madly imploied vt si quis asellum in campo doceat parenteÌ„ currerefraenis or if to Anaxagoras affirming stoutlie that the snow is blacke one would with sage reasons labour to perswade that the snow is white and perhaps it is not greater stupiditie how shal I cal it vnsensiblenes in him to auouch the first then it were follye in an other to labour about proofe of the second Wherefore leauing that thing to M. Martin him self as being fitter for a dead man to handle then a liuing especially hauing to deale against you M. W. who in this point seeme as dead and sensles as he I wil for the readers instruction speake a litle of M. Iewels challenge which you so magnifie which albeit it hath bene examined sufficientlie and so as no one thinge in my opinion hath brought ether more shame to
the author or hinderance to your Gospel though at the first for a while it astonished many as a thing bearing great countenance of learning vntil in tyme by learned men the visard was pulled from it yet seing you proclaime it agayne so couragiously I wil in few wordes touch the substance and meaning of it It conteyneth in effect 2. or 3. heretical articles which M. Iewel dilated and parted into a great number as it were some poore rag cut out into many shriddes partly of pride and brauery to win among the simple an opinion of learning partly of spite and malice against the Catholike church which he sought specially to disgrace and which by nothing could be disgraced more then if she held and mayntened 27. articles the highest misteries and greatest keyes of her religion as he termeth them without any authoritie example clause or sentence of ether scripture father Councel or writer that liued within the first 600. yeres of the primitiue church The insolent vanitie of which bragge to my seeming is much like to that which T. Quintius the Romane Consul noted in the Embassadors of King Antiochus who comming into Grece to perswade that people to take part with Antiochus against the Romanes they magnifyinge the force of Antiochus their maister aduaunced infinitly the great hoastes which he would bringe and terrified the simple Grecians with straunge names of men neuer heard of before he wil bringe sayd they into the field Dahas Mâ—dos and Eâ—imaeos and Cadusios and touching his nauie so great as no porte of Grece is able to receaue the one parte thereof is guided by Sidonians and Tyrians the other by Aradians and Sideâ—ians of Pamphilia nations that haue no peere in the world for skilfulnes in war by sea Here vnto T. Quintius replying this king quoth he by these his embassadors vaunteth of clowdes of horsemen and footemen and couereth the seas with his nauie but al the matter is verie like to a feast which once mine host at Chalcis made me of whom being enterteyned at a certen tyme when I marueyled at so great prouision and demaunded how so suddenly he came by such varietie and store of venison he not so glorious as these men smiling answered that al was but the art of his cooke and dyuers dressinge of the same thinge for otherwise touching the substance of the feast tota illa varietas et species ferinae carnis er at ex sue mansueto facta al that varietie and shevv of venison vvas made of a tame sovv so it is of these straÌ„ge and terrible names Dahae Medi Aradians and Sidonians for al these are but Syâ—ians touching any valour that is in them more fit to make slaues then souldiers The selfe same may be trewly verified of M. Iewels so many and so great articles for al that straunge varietie and multiplication of particulars is made but as it were ex mansueto sue of two or three heretical propositions thorough his skil in that kind of varying so drawen forth and minced that it mustereth in the eye of the ignorant as though it had great store of new matter for grauÌ„ting to him one and the same no general but a particular heresie that the Zuinglian opinion is true touching the Sacrament that there is no real presence which is his fift article thereof foloweth directlie the 6. that the body of Christ is not in a 1000 places the 8. that no diuine honor is due to it the 10. that bread and vvine remaine as vvel after consecration as before the first and 13. that there could not be any priuate or many priuate masses sayd whereas there was no masse at al. the 17. that Christ could not possiblie be offered in sacrifice whereas there was not any such sacrifice nor the substaÌ„ce thereof in rerum natura the 21. that Christian men could not cal that lord or God which was nothing but bread wine and so forth many other which a man of meane skil may see to be as plainlye included in that one as manie lesse numbers are included in a greater or many partes and qualities are necessarily consequent to a perfect bodie as on the coÌ„trarie side put the Catholike opinion to be true which he denieth in the tenth article then al or most of the same articles folow as clearly vz. Article 5 That the body of Christ is really substantially c. in the sacrameÌ„t Article 6 That Christes body is may be in a thousand places or moe at once Article 8 That diuine honor is due vnto it Article 22 That a man may cal it his Lord and God c. and likewise many of the rest So that in deed that glorious challenge is altogether such as if MarcioÌ„ in auncieÌ„t tyme or some of your brethren who in this point seeme as verie heretikes as he should haue prouoked the Catholikes to defend S. Lukes Gospel after this sorte If any learned man of my aduersaries or if al the learned men aliue be able to proue that S. Lukes Gospel is canonical scripture Or that the first chapter is canonical scripture Or that the second chapter is canonical scripture Or that the third chapter is canonical scripture Or that the storie of Marie Magdalene cap. 7. is canonical scripture Or the tale of Lazarus and the riche man cap. 16. Or that wicked doctrine touching the real presence in the 22. chapter c. I am content to yeld and subscribe For as here one article agreed on draweth the rest one denied denieth the rest so is it in the deuise of M. Iewel therefore as Marcion the more particulars he had vttered if he had run into as many ORS as there be chap. or stories or verses in S. Luke which wel he might haue done by M. Iewels example the farther he had run in that vayne the more notably he had layd open to the world his owne ambitious itching folie pride and arrogancy the verie selfe same is to be deemed of this conceyte of M. Iewel touching the far greater number of his articles Three he hath of weight and more principal then al the rest the primacie of the Sea Apostolike the real presence and the sacrifice vnto these 3. let vs applie his challenge and see now he is gone how wel you can supplie the office of his champion to maynteyne it O Gregorie saith he O Austine O Hierom O Chrisostome O Leo O Dionise O Anacletus O Xistus O Paule O Christo if vve be deceaued you have deceaued vs. you taught vs these heresies thus ye ordered the holy CoÌ„munion in your time the same vve receaued at your handes c. None of our aduersaries that staÌ„d against vs are able or euer shalbe able to proue against vs any one of al these pointes ether by scripture or by the example of the primitiue Churche or by the old Doctors or by the auncient general Councels and if any man aliue be
and it is no reason that any one should take to him selfe that vvhich by equal right agreeth to al. This being the true meaning of such places and this being verie often times geuen by S. Gregorie him selfe saepe et in multis epistolis you see how iustly we accuse both M. Iewel you of wilfulnes and blindnes how iustly we obiect vnto you a verbal and talkatiue diuinitie who could not or would not see that is which so commonly repeted againe and againe in so many epistles But maketh S. Gregorie ether in this word or in al his words or workes ought against the primacie of that church This writer proceedeth on thus Verumtamen ex aliis constat c. notvvithstanding by other places it is euident that Gregorie thought that the charge and principalitie of the vvhole church vvas committed to Peter by the voice of our Lord. And thus much he vvrote plainely almost vvord for vvord lib. 4. epistola 32. to the emperour Maurice and confirmed it by testimonie of scripture It is manifest saith Gregorie to al men that knovv the gospel that by the voice of our Lord the care of the vvhole church vvas cōmitted to holy S. Peter Prince of al the Apostles For to him it is said feede my sheepe Iohn 21. To him it is said I haue prayed for the that thy faith fayle not Luc. 22. To him it is said thou art Peter and vpon this rock I vvil build my church c. Mat. 16. Behold he receaueth the keys of the kingdom of heauen povver to bind and loose is geuen to him to him is committed the charge principalite of the vvhole church And yet for this cause Gregorie thought not that Peter vvas the forerunner of Antichrist Thus he prouing both by scripture by reason that S. Gregorie though he disliked and condemned that proude name of vniuersal bishop both in him selfe and others as doth also Pope Gregorie the 13. at this day yet he nether disliked nor condemned the supreme charge and gouernment of the church for Antichristian which him selfe exercised nether could he so do except he first cōdemned for Antichristian S. Peter the Apostle who receaued it and Christ our Sauiour who gaue it So tha◠M. Iew. hath hetherto shewed smal wit learning faith or honestie in making these mē S. Gregorie Leo Xistus Anacletus his maisters in that heresie against the supremacie who haue not only no one word or sillable against it but contrariwise haue whole and long epistles chapters discourses examples and factes arguments reasons scriptures to proue it And here the reader may gesse how like I were to cloy him with abundance and store if I would in like sort go thorough with the other articles which I might do as wel and with as great aduantage But I wil not cast more water into the sea and therefore nether wil prosequute in this order the other two questions but only touch them in a word and so proceede to other matter As here against the Pope so against the real presence for the zuinglian imagination M. Iewel likewise chalengeth al the fathers vnto him namely those aboue rehearsed S. Gregorie S. Leo c. and besides S. Austin S. Hierom and S. Chrisostome then which I thinke he could not haue picked out amongst al the fathers more heauy and deadly enemies to him touching any parte of his false faith and those two partes of the real presence and sacrifice especially For was there euer besides this wicked man any Luther or Bucer or who so euer was worse then other so desperate in lying that would say S. Gregorie was a minister and ministred the holy communion as now is the fashion in England when his bookes in so many places shew him to haue bene a prieste and a prieste to celebrate masse and not to minister communion vnto whom other protestants commonly attribute the framing of the masse because of two or three rites which he ordeined therein Whom for this cause Theodorus Bibliāder scornfully nameth patriarcham caeremoniarum the Patriarch of ceremonies Melanchthō that he horribly prophaned the Communiō allovving by publike authoritie the sacrifice of Christes body and bloud not only for the liuing but also for the dead Flacius Illyricus that by miracle he cōuerted a faithles vvoman vvho beleeued not that the body of Christ vvas substancially in tbe Sacrament ex Paulo Diacono lib. 2. cap. 41.42 and that euery vvhere be doth inculcate sacrifices and masse and by diuers miracles confirmeth the same against whom Petrus Paulus Vergerius for authoritie place and estimation as great a Protestant as any in our dayes hath written a whole booke entituled de nugis fabulis Papae Gregorii primi and finally to passe by many others when your owne English writers protest him to haue bene a perfite and absolute Papist that therefore your first Apostles and Euangelistes in bringing in this your Gospel did directly oppose them selues vnto him and rooted out that which he and his Legate our Apostle S. Austin had planted Gregorie the first saith your Chronicler Iohn Bale the yere of our lord 596. sent Austine the monke to plante in our churches his Romane religion But Latimer is much more vvorthie to be called our Apostle then Austine For Austine brought nothing but mans traditions masse Crosses litanies c. vvhereas Latimer vvith the hooke of truth cut of those superstitions vvhich he had planted and cast them out of the Lords vineyard And doth not M. Horne the late called bishop of Winchester in playne termes reuile this glorious Apostle and name him most ethnically a blinde bussard because he was ignorant of your Alcoran and knew nothing els and therefore induced our forefathers to no other Gospel then to the auncient Gospel of Christ and religion Catholike And doth the other S. Austin make more for you in this point of your vnbeleefe then doth this later S. Austin or S. Gregorie I know you alleage him much more but with what honestie I had rather you should heare of your owne father Luther then of me In my iudgement saith Luther after the Apostles the church hath not had a better doctor then vvas S. Austin And that holie man hovv filthilie hovv spitefullie is he mangled and disfigured by the Sacramentaries that he may become a defender patrone of their venemous blasphemous and erroneous heresie Verely as much as in me lieth so long as I haue breath in my body I vvil vvithstand them and protest that they do him iniury vvhich thing any man may do vvith an assured and confident mynde because the Sacramentaries only pul teare his vvords into their ovvne sense prouing their applicatiō by no reason but only by vayne boasting of their most certaine truth And concerning the rest of the fathers whereas M. Iewel affirmeth that they all taught as he did against the real presence Luther contrarywise
question Elizeus might haue and had no doubt his minde in heauen with Elias by your commentarie and sense far greater was the facte of Elias then that of Christ For the cloke was a far better and more liuely figure of Elias then youre bread and wine is of Christ By it Elizeus receaued greate grace strength as writeth S. Chrisostome as by the which he fought agaynst the deuill and vanquished him That your bread should geue any grace it is agaynst your whole doctrine and Zuinglius laboureth to proue it at large in sundrie places callinge it papisticall to say that any sacrament euen baptisme doth aliquid momenti conferre ad sanctificationem aut remissionem peccatorum profite any iote to sanctifie or take avvay synne Elizeus by that cloke wrought straunge miracles so did you by your figuratiue bread neuer nor neuer shall so longe as the worlde standeth Briefly whereas Elizeus cloke cariynge with it such vertue and power was a thing surmounting the abilitie and reach of man and could not be done but by the omnipotencie of god your bread being nothing but a signe or banner as it were a may-pole or token of a tauerne by Zuinglius his owne confession the king of Fraunce or Spaine can make ten thousande as good And the truth is they can make much better because theirs do no harme wheras yours leade men the hye way to damnatioÌ„ Wherefore youre answere to this place of S. Chrisostome is to to fond and childish And hereby we may haue a gesse how substanciallye you are like to deale with the next which is taken out of the same father I must needes write it doune somewhat at large for the readers better vnderstanding of vs both It is in his thirde booke de sacerdotio where he setteth forth the high estate of the priestes of the new Testament and that acte wherein priesthode especiallye consisteth that is the sacrifice thus he writeth This priesthode it selfe is exercised in earth but is to be referred to the order and revv of thinges celestiall and that for good reason because no mortall man no angell no archangell no creature but the holy Ghost him self framed this order Terrible vvere the thinges dreadfull vvhich vvere before the tyme of grace in the lavv of Moyses as vvere the litle bells pomegranats pretious stones in the breast of the prieste the mitre golden plate sancta sanctorum c. But if a man consider these thinges vvhich the tyme of grace hath brought to vs he vvil iudge all those thinges vvhich I called terrible and dreadfull to be but light and though glorious yet not comparable vvith the glorie of the nevv testament as S. Paule saith This being laide before as it were a preface or preparatiue to that which foloweth he then coÌ„meth to that place out of which M. W. culleth certaine wordes For sayth he vvhen thou seest our Lord sacrificed and the prieste earnestlie intent to the sacrifice and pouring out his prayers and the people about him imparted and made red vvith that pretious bloud thinkest thou thy self to conuerse amongest mortall men and remaine on the earth And immediatly ô miraculum ô Dei benignitatem ô miracle ô singular goodnes of God he that sitteth vvith his father aboue at the self same moment of tyme is handled vvith all mens handes and deliuereth him self to those that vvill receaue and imbrace him and this is done playnlie in the sight of all men vvithout any deceate or illusion Of this place M. Martin inferreth that M.W. reasoning Christ is in heauen ergo not in the Sacramet is wicked refuted by the old fathers But M.W. replyeth no. And I vvil geue you your ansvvere sayth he out of the same place for here Chrysostome affirmeth that vve see our Lord sacrificed in the supper and the people imparted and made red vvith the bloud and that this is done in the open sight of all that are presente But vvho seeth ether our Lord truâ—y sacrificed or one droppe of bloud vvith vvhich the people are made red so as all see it as Chrisostome vvriteth Therefore as vve see Christ sacrificed and the people embrued vvith his bloud so vve receaue him in our handes In these vvordes Chrysostome vvould both amplifie the dignitie of priestes vnto vvhom Christ gaue povver to minister the Sacrament of his bodie and bloud and make the people afrayde that they vvhich come to this supper should bring vvith them godlie and religious myndes as though they should take Christ him selfe in their handes The substance of the answere is this Chrysostome in the same place sayth we see Christ offered which in truth is not so but by a figuratiue speach therefore when he saith Christ is in heauen and in the Sacrament it is not simplie true but by like phrase and figure But whereunto then tende al these great wordes and perswasions of this father to honour the priests office and make the people afrayed and were there priestes in the church in those days No. but by priestes you must vnderstand mâ—nisters and then a simili by the sacrifice he speaketh of that is the masse you must vnderstand the CommunioÌ„ that is by Catholike relâ—gion you must vnderstande heresie and by light darkâ—es But I wil go thorough the branches of this answere in order First whereas you make that a thing most assured and certaine that no man seeth Christ offered except you meane in your English supper you are greatly deceaued For in the church Catholike we see Christ offered and that not in phrase of speach only as the protestaÌ„ts may be said to do iniurie to Christ when they abuse his image but in veritie and truth of doctrine And S. Chrysostome with the rest of the fathers neuer thought or spake otherwise How oft hath S. Chrisostome quâ—d summo honore dignum est id tibi â—n terra â—stendam That vvhich deserueth most honor that vvil I shevv thee on earth and in the same place The royal body of Christ is in heaueÌ„ vvhich novv in earth is set before thee to be seene I shevv vnto thee not angels not archangels not heauens not heauen of heauens but I shevv thee the verie Lord him selfe of al these Perceauest thou not hovv not only thou seest in earth and touchest but receauest also the soueraine and principall thing that is And in the same place This body vvhich thou seest on the altar the vvise men adored in the manger But it were tedious to note out such places which are common in euery booke This rather I would wishe M. W. to vnderstand that where it hath pleased God in certaine creatures to exhibite his presence after a more special and singular sort there in a more special and singular maner truely we may ought to beleeue that we see our Lord. God is by essence power and operation present in euerie creature yet in seing a
sanctus in omnibus operibus suis Which verse in hebrew should haue begun with that letter which of al the alphabete only misseth So as most certaine it is that the hebrew is faultie And thus to end this matter of the hebrew fountaines originals I wil gather that which I haue said in to a fevv conclusions vvithal ansvvere M.VV. allegations The first is that this opinion of the Protestants detracting so much from the latin bibles and yelding so much to the hebrevv is Iudaical iniurious to the Church to the holy Ghost and state of the nevv testameÌ„t as vvhereby they professe to thinke more religioÌ„ care of Gods word to haue bene resident in the Iewish synagoge theÌ„ in al the Kingdomes Princes Pastors Prouinces of Christianitie for these thovvsaÌ„d yeres The second that albeit S. Hierom in his tyme so soone after the great persecutions the Church being troubled vvith that most busye terrible and potent heresie of the Arrians against the diuinitie of Christ and the holy Ghost vvhen as yet the Canon it selfe comprehending the sacred bookes of scriptures by general authoritie vvas not confirmed and receaued vvheÌ„ as saith S. Austin there vvas inâ—umerable varietie of latin traÌ„slations Qui ex hebraeâ— lingua scripturas in graecam verterunt numerari possunt latini autem interpretes nullo modo and they infinitely differing among them selues as in the same place he noteth when for these causes there vvas not nor vvel could be any one vniforme translation approued although at this tyme S. Hierom might iustly appeale from them al to the hebrew as in coÌ„parison being most pure incorrupt yet nether then were the hebrew copies simpliciter faultles as hath bene shevved by playne examples and demonstrations by the very ProtestaÌ„te bibles and by confession of the best learnedst among them and S. Hâ—erom though M. W. seeme to ground him self most vpoÌ„ him acknovvledgeth so much For examining tvvo places of Deuteronomie vrged by the Apostle S. Paule in his epistles both differing in that point vvhich he most presseth froÌ„ the hebrew bibles extant in S. Hieroms daies he resolueth in fine that the hebrew vvas corrupted othervvise then the Apostle read it The one place is Scriptum est Maledictus omnis qui pendet in ligno It is vvritten Cursed is euerie one that hangeth on tree in vvhich short place compared vvith the original in Deuteronomie there is somevvhat to much and somevvhat to litle To much because here is omnis euery one and in ligno on tree which are not now found in the Hebrew though both in the Greeke of the Septuaginta To litle because there is in the hebrew Elohim which wanteth in S. Paule maledictus Deo or Dei cursed of God is euerie one so hanged S. Hierom answereth thus My iudgement herein is this ether that the old bookes of the Hebrevves had othervvise then they haue novv or that the Apostle put the sense of the scripture not the vvordes or vvhich I rather suppose after the passion of Christ both in the Hebrevv and in our bookes the name of God vvas added by some maÌ„ that he might make vs more infamous vvho beleeue in Christ accursed of God The other place is this Scriptum est Maledictus omnis qui noÌ„ permanserit in omnibus quae scripta sunâ— in libro legis vt faciat ea Cursed is euerie one that abideth not in al thinges vvhich are vvritten in the booke of the lavv to do them Where the Apostles argument hanging principally vpon the two wordes omnis and in omnibus euerie one and in al thinges both which are in the Septuaginta 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nether in the hebrew he thus answereth the matter I am vncertayne vvhether the Septuaginta added omnis homo and in omnibus or vvhether it vvere so in the old hebrevv and aftervvard put out by the Ievves Thus tâ— suppose I am moued for this reason because the vvordes omnis and in omnibus al and in al as necessary to proue that they be al accuâ—sed vvho are of the vvorkes of the lavv the Apostle skilful in the hebrevv tonge and mâ—st cunning in the lavv vvould neuer haue so sett dovvne had it not bene so in the hebrevv VVherefore I perusing the hebrevv volumes of the Samaritanes found there vvritten the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as much to say as omnis siue omnibus al or in al and so that to agree vvith the Septuaginta In vayne therefore haue the Ievves razed that out lest they should seeme to be accursed vvhereas the more auncient examples of an other nation testifie that it vvas vvritten so Thus S. Hierom. Thirdly this I gather that since S. Hieroms time much more haue the hebrew bookes bene corrupted and that not in smale indâ—fferent matters which might better be borne but in very hye pointes touching the diuinitie and humanitie of our Sauiour touching his passion and the redemption of the world And therefore when S. Hierom speaking of the puritie of the bibles before his birth is applied to iustifie the copies written so many ages after his death and so consequently to iustifie al their new English FleÌ„mish and Germane interpretations made according to some hebrew copies as they pretend this is as iust as Germanes lippes according to our english prouerbe whose hartes mindes religions we see to differre infinitely This is to answere of chalke when the question is proposed of cheese Next this we see that the condition of the hebrew tonge is such that errors are very soone coÌ„mitted therein by reasoÌ„ of smale points of distinctioÌ„s of letters so nighly resembling one an other Wherevnto ioyne we the malice of the Rabbines their hatred of the Christians and Christian religion whom Luther confesseth to be as very crucifiers of the word of Christ especially such places as most appertaine to him as they were of Christ him selfe and that they employe their studie herevnto And if we consider withal how in time of the law thorough their default they lost whole bookes volumes of their diuine Prophetes we shal fynde smal reason to moue vs to beleeue that since Christ they should become so holy and deuout watchful circumspect as M.VV. by commending their fountaines and originals would make them Finally al this hath bene declared not only by plaine reasons factes examples demonstrations but also by plaine confession of those whom our aduersaries principally reuerence and honour and in this matter were most skilful by Munster by Pellicane by Sebastianus Castalio by Luther and such others And hereof may the reader easely learne an answer to that questioÌ„ which many frame as a matter of intricate difficultie wheÌ„ these corruptions should come in to the hebrew bibles whether before Christs time or betwene that and S. Hieroms or from S. Hieroms time to vs. Not the first say they because
glosse vpon the three first Euangelistes set forth the yere 1549. and 1554. but novv of late the Geneuians especially Theodorus Beza haue acknovvleged and mended this error how it is mended I know not but sure I am in the text of any greeke copie I could neuer yet for it and Beza in his mending doth shew so notable a tricke of an Anabaptist as may be In the annotations of his testament he writeth of this peece wel and christianly thus Exte 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of thee so I found it vvritten in some bookes of the old edition and in the booke of Complutum and in many places of Epiphanius And Athanasius in hâ—s epistle to Epictetus bishop of Corinth shevveth that so vve must reade For thus vvriteth he The Angel said not simply that vvhich shalbe be borne in thee but of thee that vve should beleeue that vvhich vvas borne by nature to haue bene formed of her By which reasons he proueth that to be the true reading in the greeke the latin testaments generally concurring therewith But how now ameÌ„deth he his testameÌ„t thus whereas before it was in the margent of some greeke testameÌ„ts as appeareth by the print of Iohn Crispine the yere 1553. he leaft it cleane out both of text and margent of the greeke testaments which after this were printed in Geneua as appeareth in the two prints of the testameÌ„t set forth by Beza him self the yere 1565. in greeke and latin and the greeke testament printed after that by Henricus Stephanus the yere 1576. so that the other true reading remaineth only in the latin which against an Anabaptist or any other Protestant making no accompt of the latin farther then it agreeth with the greeke is nothing worth And therefore the english bible of the yere 1561. in this point drawing towards Anabaptisme as also the bible printed the yere 1577. leaueth it cleane out An other error of like qualitie though not of like quantitie and greatnes is in the 36. verse ca. 17. of S. Luke vvhich as the same man sayth vvanteth in Euthimius an auncient greeke vvriter in Theophilact and in al the copies printed at Basile and in the translation of Zuricke and in the bibles printed at Geneua nether Erasmus nor Sanctes Pagninus nor Bucer nor Bullinger nor Brentius nor Caluin reade it sed habetur in meis antiquis et in vulgari aeditione but it is in my old bibles and in the vulgar edition Hereof it riseth that Erasmus in sundrie places would leaue out verses because they were not in his greeke copies Beza contrariewise would put them in because he found them in his For example Of that senteÌ„ce Mar. 11. v. 26. Quòd si vos nâ—n dimis ritis nec pater vester qui in caelis est dimittet vobis peccata vestra Erasmus writeth that in the greatest number of greeke testaments this verse is not read neether in Theophilacte Nos tameÌ„ in plarisque vetustis exemplaribus reperimus atque adâ—â— in Theophilacto Romano saith Beza yet I found it in most of the auncient copies in The ephilact printed at Rome A smâ—le student with meane diligence may enlarge this by verie many examples the greeke testaments of our time for the greater multitude coÌ„ming through the handes of heretical printers specially in the beginning of this tragical heresie ministreth great store varietie of cutting of and leauing out and such like false practises But the last and principal reason why we prefer our latin translator before al other is this which I shal now speake of Flacius Illyricus finding fault with the church which was about 400. yeres after Christ in S. Ambrose and S. Chrysostoms time for ignorance in the hebrew tong treating of this matter how the testament should be faithfully translated Vnus saith he popularis meus Hieronymus linguarum egregiè peritus fuit c. Only my countryman Hierom vvas maruelous cunning in the toÌ„gs he indeuoured to illustrate the scriptures both by his translations and commentaries But he in deede being ignorant of mans sickenes Christ the phisition and vvanting the keye vvhich openeth the scripture that is the difference betvvene the lavv and the gospel being also destitute of Christ vvho openeth the dore he did litle good The like defect vvas in Lyra not loÌ„g before our time vvhereas othervvise he tooke great paines to setforth and expound the holy bible Out of which censure this I gather not how arrogantly and impiously these men despise and contemne the principal doctors and Primitiue church but that al skil knowledge of tonges serueth not to make a man interprete the testament as he ought except withal he be of sounde religion towardes God indued with his grace and spirite voide of partialitie and affection and with single sincere minde coueteth to expresse the sense and meaning of the holy Ghost If by these rules we examine and scanne our old interpreter we shal manifestly finde that he is to be preferred both before al the interpreters of our time whosoeuer is counted best yea put theÌ„ al together as also before the greeke testaments which now are currant For that his knowledge was sufficient in the greeke tonge and therefore erred not for want off kil the thing it self speaketh and it is confessed by al his and our aduersaries Pellicane Beza Castalio Molineus as shal appeare hereafter That he had good stoare of greeke copies those truer and perfecter then we haue commonly now Beza likewise in plaine termes confesseth his words are cited before he geueth this general rule of him that amongst the old greeke examples which he vsed to the furnishing of his new testament two he had which he calleth The second the eight vvhich lightly neuer disagreed from our vulgar translation Vpon the first of S. Marke he vvriteth thus In prophetis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so vve found it vvritteÌ„ in al our greeke bookes sauing the second the eight in vvhich vve reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Isai the prophete and so did the old interpreter translate the place And that it should be so is proued most clearely by the Syriake bible S. Hier. S. Austin S. Epiphan S. Chrysost specially defending this place against Porphitie Againe in S. Luke Eiectis for as omnibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the old interpreter reade not this yet vve found it in al our old bookes excepting the secoÌ„d and eight quorum mirificus est cum vulgata editione consensus Betvveene vvhich and the vulgar edition there is a vvounderful consent But because al this serueth not in this diuine vvorke except the minde be rightly guided and voide from al passions in this parte principally our interpreter by al reason must needes be iudged soueraine and excellent because liuing so longe before the names of Papists and Protestants vvere knovveÌ„ he could not vnequally bend to one
Paris Louane and other catholike Vniuersities And if there be any fault in our english translation it is this that this parcel was not added in the margeÌ„t as it was in the latin which we folowed Wherefore this proueth no corruption but rather great fidelitie in our latin testament that it agreeth with S. Hierom consequently the greeke examples which he interpreted with S. Ambrose S. Austin S. Bede Haymo S. Anselmus and the rest of the latin writers which in a matter not doubtful and otherwise in no respect preiudicial to any veritie of Christian profession are of that authoritie that Beza him self in this case would not disallow our doing and M.VV. him self also in iustifying his english translations for pure and perfit doth consequently approue and iustifie ours so anâ—wereth â—im self in this obiection for the later clause before noted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the lord said they haue added to their english testaments after Beza vpon the only authorite of our latin against al the auncient greeke albeit now it is thrust in to the coÌ„mon greeke prints of Geneua Basile Zuricke therefore he should not be offeÌ„ded if we attribute so much to our testament who professe to honour it seing he his felowes do as much who professe a perpetual hatred against it And this I trust may suffice for these few words to quitte our testament of any faulte considering that first they coÌ„cerne not any controuersie theÌ„ that the sense of it is in worde and deed fully euideÌ„tly coÌ„prised in the same place againe if we preferred our latin before al greeke we do no more then doth Beza then doth M.W. then do al the English and Scottish congregations in their owne pure and immaculate bibles Last of al our reading is coÌ„firmed not only by al the later ages of the church these seuen or eight hundred yeres as by S. Anselmus Haimo S. Bede and others nether only by the more auncieÌ„t latin fathers S. Austin S. Ambrose S. Hierom but also it was according to the greeke copies which S. HieroÌ„ had the same agreing in substaÌ„ce with S. Chrysostome no doubt many other and therfâ—re hath sufficieÌ„t ground to defend it self although vve confesse the other reading to be vsed of many fathâ—rs which vve therefore mislike not yet rashâ—y presume not to thrust it in to our text And this is the only fault and yet al the faultes vvhich M.VV. findeth in our latin testament The rest he supplieth vvith a lustie bragge that there are at the least Six hundred other vvherein against the faith of al the greekes and their perpetual coÌ„sent the errors of the latin traÌ„slatioÌ„ are retained of vs. Of which reckning I dare at first without any farther stay strike out fiue huÌ„dred yet the suÌ„me vvhich remaineth is sufficieÌ„t to conuince him of a maine lye But for a farther refutation he turneth vs ouer to Benedictus Arias Montanus a good priest one that serueth in the Catholike Kinges court and submitteth al his labours to the iudgmeÌ„t censure of the Vniuersitie of Loâ—ane and therefore very vnlike it is that ether he vvil bestovv so vnfruitefully his labours as to vvrite against the Sacred TrideÌ„tine CouÌ„cel or that that Vniuersitie vvil approue his endeuours if he should so heretically employ theÌ„ whatsoeuer shal become of him hereafter in his hebrew bibles alreadie set forth we see that in the places before noted he altereth not the latin according to the hebrew but letteth it stand as autentical VVhat speake I of him a catholike man and a priest whereas your selues though otherwise most obstinate and stonie harted against the truth yet dare not alter it according to the hebrew but leaue it as you found it in our bibles And therefore why you cal vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bible-beaters I wonder and muse what brainsicke conceite you haue therein or what reason moueth you thus to raile Because we defend the sinceritie of our bibles against your peeuish and vnlearned and fantastical and contemptible talking for what one tolerable argument bring you because we defend the inheritance left vs by our forefathers because we prefer the Church Spouse of Christ before the sinagoge of the Iewes because at their wicked appointment vve vvil not raze out so many places touching our Sauiours honour and the truth of our religion is this the cause why your wisedome termeth vs Bible-beaters Nay let the reader consider and the world iudge whether sith Christs time or before Christs time there were euer any beaters and circumciders and gelders and manglers and defacers and corrupters of those holy bookes comparable to you and your sect Who haue rent out of the bible so many partes which our auncient fathers deliuered vs and we hold fast as sacred and canonical Who haue reiected out of the old testament so many entier books as I haue noted in the beginning the prophecie of Baruch the storie of Iudith of Tobias of Hester of the Machabees and Ecclesiasticus who in the new testament haue cut out S. Paules epistle to the hebrews S. Iames one of S. Peters two of S. Iohns S. Iude and the Apocalips and the whole gospel of S. Luke who in those other which you pretend to keepe haue lopt of great peeces so many as pleased your arrogant and heretical spirit peeces of S. Iohns gospel peeces of the prophete Ieremie peeces of the prophete Daniel peeces of the booke of Cronicles or ParalipomenoÌ„ besides many lesser parcels pared away both in the epistles and gospels and al the rest by your traÌ„slations miserably corrupted Who by the same reason authoritie by which you iudge and condemne these bookes geue like authoritie libertie to euerie phantastical minister to contemne and condemne the rest For thinke you a lying reason may not be found against the gospel of S. Iohn as wel as against the gospel of S. Luke Or may not a man pretend as good arguments of humane spirit to be in the second epistle to the Corinthians or to Philemon as in that of S. Iames or to the hebrewes Or may M. VVilliam Charke oppose him selfe against the vniuersal Church of Christ by the mouth of those most holy and Apostolical fathers gathered together in the great CouÌ„cel of Nice acknowledging for Canonical the booke of Iudith and may not any other minister of like qualitie and learning do so by like example Because the booke of Tobie maketh expressely for the patronage of angels may you say disdainfully VVe passe not for that Raphael mentioned in Tobie nether acknovvledge vve those seuen angels vvhereof he maketh mention Al that differeth much from Canonical scriptures which is reported of that Raphael and sauoureth of I knovv not vvhat superstition Nether vvil I beleeue free vvil although the booke of Ecclesiasticus affirme it a hundred times c. and may not a
that she vvil in short time leaue this zeale in preaching the Catholike religion and thereby that your congregatiō shal gather strength and stabilitie and vvise men vvil fal in good liking thereof then your ignorance is great vvho knovv nether the nature of our Catholike Church religiō nor of your ovvne heretical faith and congregation Not of ours because you may learne or remember that from Christs time hitherto nether by persecuting Emperours nor by vndermining heretikes othervvise qualified thē are the Lutherās or Zuinglians of these days it vvas or could euer be subuerted but rather the more it vvas assaulted the better irresisted the more it vvas gainsaid the more it florished vvhē suttle heretikes vpō temporal fauour vvere most insolent then she most excellently did defende her self Examples you haue of the times of S. Augustine against Pelagius the Manichees S. Hierō against Iovinian and Vigilantius Lanfrancus against Berengarius and al the Primitiue church against Constantius Valēs and Arrius Ignorant you are of your ovvne faith and gospel because you may remember that nether had it euer any stay or stabilitie since it vvas first begotten nether can it haue so longe as it endureth the very pillers vvhich vnder proppe it being such rottē matter as of it self quickly corrupteth falleth in to dust For when in king Henries raigne it first set foote in our realme vpon occasions which I am content to passe ouer though M. Fox to the euerlasting shame both of such a gospel and such gospellers haue recorded them and committed them to eternal memorie hovv variable a state it had your elders know he much complaineth Euē as the kinge vvas ruled saith he gaue care sometime to one sometime to an other so one vvhile religion vvent forvvard at an other season as much backvvard againe sometime cleane altered and chaūged for a season as they could preuaile vvhich vvere about the kinge So long as Q. Anne liued the gospel had indifferent good successe And not only Queenes but very meane gētlemen and doctors of phisicke were then able to craze your gospel and set it backward or forward as pleased them For so much also is recorded in M. Foxes storie in the ende of king Henries life Thus writeth he So long as Quene Anne L. Cromvvel B. Cranmer M. Denny D. Buts vvith such like vvere about the King and could preuayle vvith him vvhat organe of Christes glorie did more good in the church thē he Againe vvhen sinister vvicked counsel had gotten once the foote in thrusting truth veritie out of the princes eares hovv much as religion and al good things vvent forvvard before so much on the contrary side al reuolted backvvard againe And this gospel as M. Fox calleth it which King Henrie left established as he thought most assuredly by Acte of Parlament in his sonne King Edwards daies went cleane vpside doune In Q. Maries daies came a new alteration vnder the Q. Maiestie that now is an other cleane contrarie And at this present finde you not a general murmuring euen amongst the Protestants against the Communion booke and state of religion which in the beginning of hir Maiesties raigne was brought in If the Catholikes said nothing haue you not the Puritans most eagerly detesting your faith and were it not for the Princes sword like to dispossesse you of chayrs and churches And what stabilitie can that gospel haue which altogether dependeth of the good allovvance of the Prince and her councel in Parlament which we know within these fiftie yeres so often to gaine said one an other And if it should please God to turne the Quenes hart to the catholike faith for which we incessantly pray vvere not the face of your religiō streightvvaies altered turned quite vpside downe must nor the inferiour partes of the body turne and frame them selues according to the head would not the same statutes which now are vniustly executed vpon Catholikes without alteration of any one word be much more iustly executed vpon the Ministers Superintendents if so be they called her Maiesty Scismatike or Heretike Wherefore litle reason haue you to imagine that wisemen wil fall in liking of your new deuised fansie which as it altogether dependeth vpon the Fauour of Court and Courtiers so for this very reason must needes euer remaine as chaungeable as the Court and Courtly beneuolence is And your father Luther who best knew the nature of his children and qualitie of your religion geueth such a sentence of it as I doubt not at this present is allowed of al the wisest of our Realme and much confirmed by your maner of writing The arguments and reasonings of the sacramentaries saith he are such vaine vvordes vvithout witte that I can not maruaile sufficiently hovv learned men can be moued vvith such lyes truly they do their matters vvith so fearful a conscience that they seeme to vvish they had neuer taken them in hand Equidē opinor si eis esset potestas de integro cōsulēdi quòd nūquam inciperent Verily I suppose if they vvere to consulte of the matter a fresh they vvould neuer begin their sacramētarie heresie And I verely suppose if the wise gouernours of our Realme who now may see the issue of your gospel what wickednes and iniquitie in lyfe confusion and Atheisme in faith contempt of God and man it hath brought with it if they were now to consult of the matter a fresh I beleeue verily with your father Martin Luther that amongst al heresies of name at this time currant in the Christiā world they would least of al haue admitted yours as being the most grosse most licentious and most vnprobable of al others But come we to the particular faultes historical committed by vs. Things alvvays accompted false or suspected vve set forth as most true articles of the Romane religiō as that the vvise mē vvhich came from the East vvere 3 kinges and had such names That S. Iohn Baptist vvas father of monkes That a stone vvith vvhich Steuen vvas stoned to death is reserued at Ancona c. Before I come to make āswere I wish the reader to carie in remembrance first the greatnes of his accusation against vs That neuer any thing came forth in print More contaminate then these annotations That vve haue shevved herein great desperatenes and importunitie That things alvvays accōpted false or suspected vve affirme as most true articles of the Romane religion c. Then what we promised in these ānotations Touching which in the preface of the new testament thus we write In these annotations vve shevv the studious reader the Apostolike tradition the expositions of the holy fathers the decrees of the Catholike church and most auncient Councels vvhich meanes vvho so euer trusteth not for the sense of holy scriptures but had rather folovv his priuate iudgment or the arrogant spirit of these Sectaries he shal
the mysterie and their incredulitie or feeblenesse to vvhom he vvrote yet it is euident in the iudgment of al the learned fathers vvithout exception that euer vvrote either vpon this epistle or vpon the 14 of Genesis or the psalme 109 or by occasion haue treated of the sacrifice of the altar that the eternitie and proper act of Christs priesthod and consequently the immutability of the nevv lavv consisteth in the perpetual offering of Christes body and bloud in the Church VVhich thing is so vvel knovven to the aduersaries of Christs Church Priesthod so graunted that they be forced impudently to cauill vpon certaine Hebrevv particles that Melchisedec did not offer in bread and vvine yea and vvhen that vvill not serue plainely to deny him to haue bene a priest vvhich is to giue checkemate to the Apostle and to ouerthrovv al his discourse Thus vvhiles these vvicked men pretend to defend Christes only priesthod they in deede abolish as much as in them lieth the vvhole order office and state of his eternal lavv priesthod Arnobius saith By the mysterie of bread and vvine he vvas made a Priest for euer And againe The eternal memorie by vvhich he gaue the soode of his body to them that feare him in psal 109.110 Lactantius In the Church he must needes haue his eternal priesthod according to the order of Melchisedec Li. 14. Institut S. Hierom ep 126. to Euagrius Aarons priesthod had an end but Melchisedecks that is Christes the Churches is perpetual both for the time past and to come S. Chrysostom therefore calleth the Churches sacrifice Hostiam inconsumptibilem An host or sacrifice that can not be consumed ho. 17 in 9 Hebr. S. Cyprian Hostiam qua sublata nulla esset futura religio An host vvhich being taken avvay there could bene religion de coena Domini nu 2. Emissenus Perpetuam oblationem perpetuò currentem redemptionem A perpetual oblation and a redemption that runneth or continueth euerlastingly ho. 5 de Pasch And our Sauiour expresseth so much in the very institution of the B. Sacrament of his body and bloud specially vvheÌ„ he calleth the later kind The nevv Testament in his bloud signifying that as the old lavv vvas established in the bloud of beastes so the nevv vvhich is his eternal Testament should be dedicated and perpetual in his ovvne bloud not only as it vvas shed on the Crosse but as geuen in the chalice And therefore into this sacrifice of the altar saith S. Augustine li. de Ciuit. 17. c. 20. S. Leo ser 8 de Passione and the rest vvere the old sacrifices to be translated See S. Cyprian ep 63 ad Cecil nu 2. S. Ambrose de Sacram. li. 5. c. 4. S. Augustine in psal 33 Conc. 2. and li. 17. de Ciuit. c. 17. S. Hierom ep 17. c. 2. ep 126. Epiph. haer 55. Theodoret. in psalm 109. Damascene li. 4. c. 14. Finally if any of the fathers or al the fathers had either vvisedom grace or intelligence of Gods vvord and mysteries this is the truth If nothing vvil serue our aduersares Christ Iesus confound them and defend his eternal Priesthod and state of his nevv Testament established in the same In vvhich vvords of ours if thou marke wel and conferre them with his thou shalt find that in this short paragraph he hath povvred out together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fovvle and stinking heape of lyes errors ignorances and contradictions to him selfe and his brethren For first vvhere say vve that Of al those things vvhich are proposed by the Apostle it folovveth not that Christs priesthod is eternal say vve not the cleane contrarie when vve auouch that Al the fathers gather not of them selues or their ovvne vvittes but of this deepe and diuine discourse of the Apostle the eternitie of his priesthod Is this to vvrite flatly that of al the things proposed by the Apostle it folovveth not that Christs priesthod is eternal when we write flatly that not one or other but al the fathers teach that eternitie grouÌ„ding them selues vpon this discourse of S. Paule and hovv could they ground them selues vpon S. Paules discourse if no such thing vvere to be fouÌ„d there This perhaps he might haue gathered and vve vvould haue graunted that this deduction can hardly or neuer be perceaued of a Luther of a Beza of a Stancarus or such other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 damned in their owne iudgement vvhom for punishment of their Apostasie from Christ his Church God hath geuen vp into a reprobate sense Vt videntes non videant et audientes non intelligant sed credant mendacio That seing they see not and hearing vnderstand not but beleeue lyes because they would not beleeue hold fast the truth when they had it but to a S. Ambrose to a S. Chrysostom S. Primasius S. Beda or any other directed by the spirit of God these things which are proposed by the Apostle ministred sufficient matter to find out the eternitie of Christs priesthod as by their commentaries vpon these very places we learne For albeit expresse mention of the Sacrifice of the Church be not here made for reason geuen in the annotation and by the Apostle him selfe cap. 5. v. 11. yet the truth there of is inuincibly concluded out of this very disputation and that so pregnantly that vvho soeuer denieth the Churches Sacrifice he consequently denieth al the Apostles drift argument he denieth the vvhole state of the old and nevv TestameÌ„t This therefore is the first maine and capital lye and in vvhich he inueigheth not against vs alone but also against al the Fathers without exception Arnobius Lactantius S. Cyprian S. Ambrose S. Hierom S. Austin and the rest named in the annotation From this lye he draweth out 4 other as that we say The Apostle proueth not that vvhich he meant that we prefer the Fathers before the Apostle that we find fault vvith him and finally repreheÌ„d the holy Ghost Al which is nothing els but lye vpon lye no one of which is or euer was in word or sense vttered or in thought or cogitation coÌ„ceaued of vs. No saith M. VVhitaker make you not the oblation of bread and wine a principal part of Christs eternal priesthod we do so with al the Fathers of Christs Church Yet the Apostle maketh no expresse mention thereof VVe graunt Then he proueth not that which he intended This is a lying and ignorant conclusion lying because the Apostle proueth most abundantly his purpose by sundry other meanes though he vrge not that point ignorant because you knovv not what the Apostle would conclude or wherevnto he applieth his argumeÌ„t which being deliuered most euidently in sundrie places of the 7. 9 10. chapter and repeated againe and againe I wil not hâ—re make a new tâ—eatise thereof Thus much the reader that knoweth a litle diuinitie may coÌ„sider of him selfe that whereas the Apostle
418. They leaue corrupte the greeke 420. vsq ad 427. They interprete at pleasure greeke latin and euerie tong els 429.430 their straunge interpretations of scripture pa. 324.382.429.430.424 of fathers 217. Their maner of arguing 225. of one figuratiue speach they conclude as many as they list ibi et 226. The foly thereof 226.251.252 The agrement betwene the Protestants of our time and old heretikes pa. 430.431 they are most desyrous of noueltie 455.456.457 they mocke at the Prophetes and sundry writers of scripture 458. their preaching a verie mockery of scripture 458.459 they proceede to infidelitie pa. 2.3 559.560 et pref pa. 21.22 they make thēselues supreme iudges of scripture al other authoritie pa. 54 pref p. 19 20. c. they are obstinate in what soeuer absurditie they once take 237. they honour the Iewes more thē S. Paul 325 326. or the Church of Christ 353. like to the Iewes in malice against the Sea of Rome 329.330.331 they vse more reuerence to the images of beastes thē of Christ 514.515 Be they neuer so cōtrarie they are all assured of the truth pref 32. The Protestants allow all Sectes to rebelle for their seueral heresies pref pag. 16.17 R The Rabbines of the Ievves not to be folowed in the sense of the hebrue wordes pa. 434. the Protestants translating after them translate wickedly 434.435 They corrupt the text of scripture by mispoynting it 314.315 Power to Remitte sinnes geuen to the English ministers by act of Parlament pa. 79.80 M. Iewels chalenge touching the real presence artic 5. answered pa. 182. vsque ad 196 the Zuinglians most vsual and popular argument against it 178. answered at large 179. c. the first heretikes of the English church approued it 182. Many things in scripture as vncredible as that 183.184.186 the Zuinglians argument against the sacrament is the roote of Paganisme 184.185.193.199 It ioynerh them to the Anabaptistes Ebionites Nestorians 185.187 It is reiected by the auncient Fathers 188.198.199 Condemned by the Lutherans 189.190 answered at large by Luther 191.192 he supposeth it to proceede rather from Turkes then Christians 194.195 In the sacramēt al humane philosophical reason must yelde to faith p. 188.189.190.192.198.199.201.202 Scriptures and fathers for the real presence S. Luke 235.236 Ieremie 342.343 S. Chrisostom S. Leo. 238. S. Ciril 200. Heretikes for the real presence Melanchthon 190. Westphalus 190.191 Luther 221. Caluin 223. The ground of the Sacramentarie diuinitie p. 191. The Sacramentaries infidels 193. Infidels their forefathers in mocking Christians for their beleefe in the sacrament 222. how they deale with the fathers 193.194 no one father euer was of their religiō 167. See more in Supper The sacrament a figure ioyned with the veritie pa. 223.224 The Romane Church constant in holding fast the doctrine once deliuered pa. 300.301 pure for six hundred yeres after Christ in pref pa. 47. It can not be proued that she euer changed her faith ibid. 47.48.49.55.56 S Christ sacrificed at his last supper pa. 62. the sacrifice of the Church deduced thence 62.63 sacrifice offered by S. Austin for the dead 66. sacrifice for the dead and in the honour of Saints was vsual in the primitiue church 70.71 Christ a priest in respect of the churches sacrifice 530.531.532 In the church we see Christ sacrificed 217 218.219.220 True sacrifice in the church 214.215.229.230 Melchisedechs sacrifice See Melchisedech M. Ievvels chalenge touching the sacrifice artic 17. ansvvered by the chiefe protestants pa. 70.71.72 Saintes heare our praiers pa. 500.501 Sundry bookes partes of scripture denied by the protestants pa. 26. vsque ad 32. et 401.402 they refusing the authoritie of the church beleeue not the scripture 33.34.35.36 they open the vvay for euery man to deny vvhat he listeth 402.403 A part of S. Iohns gospel doubted of 364. S. Peters second epistle 441.415 the epistle to the Hebrues denied ibidem See S. Iames. S. Luke scripture made ridiculous vvhē it commeth to profane handeling 498. somevvhat is the vvord of God besides scripture 36.37 Scripture corrupted by heretikes in fauour of their heresies 176.177 in Genes against the sacrifice pag. 59.60 in S. Peter against freevvil and good vvorkes 416 417. Christs vvordes in S. Luke notably corrupted for the same purpose 420.421.422 Esai translated detestably agaistn Christs incarnation 439. S. Peter corrupted to make God the author of sinne 451.452.453.455 S. Paul against Christs diuinitie 315. Act. 3. against the real presence 174.179.180 against the immortalitie of the soule 273.274 scripture falsly interpreted by heretikes is the vvord of the Deuil 180.50 The protestāts by their exāple make the text of scripture very vncertaine pa. 241.242.243 one yere canonical the next yere not 366. It is not to be altered vpon one doctors reading 244.245 the partialitie of heretikes choosing precisely one or other reading because it best serueth their heresie 246.247.248.249 they apply scripture to proue any thing be it neuer so vnreasonable 255. to proue Atheisme 408.409 Bookes of scripture faithfully kept by the church though the hebrue text be false 346.347 heretikes may not prescribe the church in what tonge to keepe them 347.348 Stancarus iudgement of the principal Protestant writers pa. 96.97 The Septuaginta interpreters condemned by Luther pa. 305. The Zuinglians true opinion of their Supper p. 209. it differeth nothing from common breakfasts 209.210.211.213 it is no more the body of Christ then a paynted scutchion is king of France 210. only bread 210.214.222 the Supper of the Sacramentaries hath no vse of Christs wordes 257. their arguments against the words of Christ in S. Luke foretold answered by Luther 258.259 T Tradition of the Church necessary pa. 36. S. Hierom author of the common Translation of the nevv Testament vsed in the Church p. 294.295 by appointemēt of Pope Damasus 294. it is approued by the Councel of Trent 281.389 It agreeth with the auncient greeke 372.373 commended for synceritie by the Protestant writers 374.375 defended by them preferred before al nevv 383.387.388.389 preferred before the greeke 393. not to be corrected by the reading of some doctor 394.395 M.W. argument against the same 391.392 the answere 392.393 c. English translations of the nevv Testament al approued by M.W. pa. 262. his wickednes therein 263.264 Such translations leade men to Atheisme 271. are condemned by the learned Protestants 271.272.273.274.275.436 for Hel they trāslate Graue most wickedly 272. thereby mouing men to thinke that the soule is mortal 273.274 A briefe sūme of damnable faultes cōmitted by those translators 278.279 English Translations made in schisme al naught 385. English Translations leaue the hebrue 312. differ notably one from an other 321. Protestante Translations of the new Testament all partial in fauour of their peculiar heresies pag. 365. Luthers condemned by Zuinglius 376.377.378 Al Zuinglian translations condemned by Luther 378.379 that of Basile condemned by Beza 379. item Castalios 380. Caluins corrupteth the text 381. Bezaes most variable and
new or serious disputatiō touching this vsing or abusing of wordes when by what authoritie and how far such mutation is necessarie or allowable Only resting my self vpon the Protestants common and vulgar kind of disputing that is vpon the first and original deriuation and signification of Ecclesiastical words I wil by manifest and plaine examples taken from their vse and practise shew how absurd and vnreasonable their dealing is in this behalfe Vpon this ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say you is wel translated image and hereupon because we geue reuerence to images which reuerence is wel expressed by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the distinction betwene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is nothing saith M. D. Humfrey and he refuteth it at large in his booke of M. Iuels life the rest of the protestants of that secte commonly are of the same iudgement therefore we are condēned of you iustly as Idololatrae Idolaters for geuing honour reuerēce to sacred images which in greeke are called Idols Let vs note now whether this Idolatrie turne not on your owne head Honor not you the Quene in her images in her cloth chayre of estate in her maces in her seales and letters in keeping holie her Natiuitie Assumption to the crowne I somewhat disaduantage my selfe for perhaps this in deede draweth neere to true Idolatrie But let it passe with the rest The Protestantes geue honour to the images of the Quene Images and idols are al one ergo the Protestantes are idolaters Or more briefelie and plainelie thus Euerie prince in his realme is an image of the true god that is and idol of the true god Ergo the Protestantes in that they worship serue their princes worship serue idols and so by M.W. iudgment are Idolaters Againe church you saie is vvel expressed by congregation What is congregatiō in greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvhich being a vvord made English by custome as vvel as congregation it can not be any error to vse that in place of congregation and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in greeke is superintendent or ouerseer in English both these translations are vsed iustified by your English bibles Novv if your knovvledge be so good in the English as I take it you can not be ignorant that an ouerseer is as properlie and vsuallie expressed in our language by this word surueyer which commeth directly from supra videre to ouersee And vvhat of al this Forsooth that it is no error vvhen vve talke of the byshops of the English church or congregation to vvhom you dedicated your latin translation of M. Ievvel if vve say you dedicated it to the most reuerend surueyers of the English synagoge Euangelium the gospel in greeke you wot vvel vvhat it signifieth good nevves or tidinges and testamentum in hebrevv and greeke is in English and latin couenant foedus as Beza commōly trāslateth it inscribing both his Testaments the greater and lesser printed the yeare 1565 Iesu Christi nouum Testamentum siue foedus as properly a bible is nothing els but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a booke for it is the selfe same vvord If so then vvhen one commeth to you and bringeth you good nevves and tidings that a benefice is befallen yovv yovv may say he bringeth you the gospel of a benefice or vvhen your farmer receaueth of you a lease vvith a nevv couenant he receaueth a lease vvith a nevv testament and Lucians Dialogues because they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore they are a bible almost as good as yours But in one example to shevv hovv voyde of sense vnderstanding yovv proue your selfe in this discourse by like reason in euery respect as you can iustifie the aforesaid vvordes you may and must iustifie the translation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvashing as wel as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thankesgeuing the vse of Baal for dominus lord for it signifieth so precisely in the hebrevv whence commeth Baalzebub the idol of Accaron called in contempt yet according to the true original and primitiue signification of the vvord dominus muscae lord of a flye 4. Reg. 1. And vvhat signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diabolus in greeke vvord for vvord calumniator a slaunderer And angeli 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 messēgers as you translate it Heb. 1. v. 7. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vvynde translated likewise so by yow Ioan. 3. v. 8. and Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the anointed both in greeke and hebrew vsed so by yow in sundrie places of the bible These being all alike so as you can not find any exception to disproue any sillable and so al approued by your English translations which now you loue more then euer you did because they are found to be without al fault let vs suppose in our grandfathers time some Catholike priest or Byshop in our realme to haue exhorted his people to charitie deuotion reformation of their liues Suppose he spake vnto them in this sorte I that am your priest bishop placed in this church by the holy Ghost for the feeding of your sovvles do denounce vnto you in the name of Christ our Lord that except you with more deuotion come to receaue the B. Sacrament and performe better your promise made to God in baptisme you shal be bodie and sovvle condemned to hell your portion shal be with the deuils I say with Beelzebub and his angels The meaning of this euery Christian doth know and no doubt it might and I thinke would moue a Christian audience Let vs now after your translations turne the same into the phrase and stile of the new gospel and see how it wil sound Let vs suppose some of your youthful ministers or superintēdēts to make the same exhortatiō Thē thus must it rūne I that am your elder or surueyer and superintendent placed in this synagoge by the holy vvynd for the feeding of your carcasses do denounce vnto you in the name of the Anointed our Baal that except yow with more deuotion come to receaue the thankesgeuing and performe better your promise made to God in vvashing you shal be condemned bodie and carcas to the graue with the slaunderers I say with the Lord of a flye and his messengers How deepely this would sinke into the hartes of your Euangelical auditorie let their owne conscience be iudge But touching you if you continue as you here begin and say al this goeth wel there is no fault in it I appeale to common sense whether you haue not as litle wit and capacitie as euer man that bare the name of a Christian Diuine I say consequently that hereof it foloweth you haue no shame nor modestie For vvhat Christian had he ether of these would not at the first warning reuoke or moderate so grosse filthie absurdity whereby must needes folow the contempt and plaine euacuation of the whole Church of the sacramēts
of religion of Christ for if the eucharist be rightly expressed by thankesgeuing baptâ—sme by vvashing c. then when a man with thankesgeuing hath bene at a good breakefast he hath bene at the eucharist and when one of your ministers goeth to be vvasshed trimmed at the barbers he goeth to baptisme But what spend I words in such vanitie Shortly thus I say he that can swalow downe such Camels as these and auouch such translations to be faultles and vnworthy of reprehensioÌ„ forthwith condeÌ„neth the late translation set forth in this Colledg as the most corrupt that euer vvas made sithence the vvorld vvas created for so he speaketh against which him self with al his search and prying obiecteth only tvvo faultes and the same not in the thing nether but both of theÌ„ rising of his ether malice or ignorance vvhether this mans face and forhead be made of commoÌ„ matter and not rather of some harder mettal such as the Prophete Esay describeth frons aerea frons tua I leaue to the wisdome of the discreete reader Then that he is a very Atheist and Sadducee bringing in doubt the immortalitie of the sowle resurrectioÌ„ of the body this also is as cleere and manifest For if this be admitted that vvhen we reade in the latin greeke that the sovvle goeth to hell the English without staggering may turne it as the true meaning and sense that the carcas or life or sovvle is put in the graue and M. W. as principal professor in diuinitie by supreme censure confirme such translation where shal we haue warrant to proue the immortalitie of the sowle the last iudgement the place of hel the eternal paines thereof See Christian reader for thy owne sake this corruption in the Discouerie where thou shalt find the causes mouing the heretikes thus to do And this fault is so palpable and monstruous that the very heretikes them selues I say his owne maisters and brethren yea those of his owne Vniuersitie perhaps acquaintance find fault with his pure and faultles bibles and flatly pronounce that they leade men the high way to verie Atheisme worse then Gentilitie or the schole of Epicure Castalio in his notes vpon the Testament against Beza after many reasons alleaged concludeth that vvhereas in our common Creed Christ is said to haue bene first buried and then to haue gone dovvne to hell here manifestlie hel and the graue are distinguished vvherefore it vvere far better in such hard and obscure places religiously to speake as becommeth an interpreter of the holy Ghost then vvhiles vve vvil seeme to knovv al thing to shut vp the vvay to the truer sense if perhaps aftervvards vve aspire to more knovvledge And Flacius Illyricus by diligent comparing of the partes wordes of the text refelling at large al Bezaes foolish and blind argumentes setteth this downe as a more assured veritie Non est dubium quin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sheol sepulchrum infernus hic pro ipsissimo loco aeterni exitii ponatur There is no question but the hebrevv vvord Sheol here signifieth the verie place of hel But what neede I to go so far as Germanie for authoritie whereas there are of your owne Vniuersities D. Humfrey for Oxford an other for Cambridge of which the one refuteth learnedly your impietie the other inueigheth eagerly against your passing impudency in this behalf though the partie whom I meane in any other thing seeme as far gone as you Reade M. Carliles Disputation which publikely he mainteined in your Vniuersitie and printed this last yere directly against the Apostolike Creede against Christs descending in to hel and see whether he proueth not that of yow which I saie In one place thus he writeth Iob c. 33. v. 22. it is said than man dravveth neere to the graue and his life to the dead The English bibles haue The sovvle dravveth to the graue and life to the buriers vvhat a translation is this to saye that a mans sovvle dravveth to the graue do our sovvles go to the graue can a sovvle corrupt do not al that go to the graue putrifie why should they translate the text thus Thus he whereof it foloweth that our English translators in steede of hel geuing vs the graue placing our Sauiours sowle there teach that it did corrupt and perish Yet M. W. saith al is wel this is no fault although by this his owne doctors verdite they say teach that our Sauiours sowle perished euerlastingly Againe Dauid psal 30. geueth god thankes for his health vvhich he had recouered and therefore saith O lord I thanke thee that thou hast deliuered me from the graue And this place also haue they in their English translations hitherto corrupted depraued the sense obscured the truth deceaued the ignorant and supplanted the simple for it is Sheol vvhich they translate hel The Geneua bible hath thus Thovv hast brought vp my sovvle out of the graue And the greatest bible Thovv hast raised my sovvle vp from the graue VVhat a translation is this to say that the sovvle is inclosed in the graue and buried vvith the body vvhich is an impietie to imagine One place more I vvil note out of the same vvriter Ps 86. vvheÌ„ Dauid vvas in great daunger of death by Saul and deliuered he geueth god thankes vvho had deliuered him from present death and from the graue The Geneua bible translateth it thus Thovv hast deliuered my sovvle froÌ„ the lovvest graue vvherein they offend For nether can the immortal sovvle of man be inclosed in a graue nether a spiritual thing in a corporal place The greatest bible translateth it thus Thovv hast deliuered my sovvle from the lovvest part of hel VVhereon they ground a detestable error that they should thinke that Dauid a man of perfect faith of singular vertues and such a one as vvas vvritten in the booke of life should imagine that he ether should or could go to hell Much more hath he against your bibles vvhich you so loue as being perfect and immaculate and by verie many plaine demonstrations proueth them to be so filthelie corrupted as they rather resemble Mahomets Alcoran then the vvord of the holie Ghost and these fevv to say the truth proue it sufficiently Wherefore vpon these faults and many other such common in the greatest bible and the bible printed at Geneua he inferreth against your translations and translators vvith great vehemencie more then M. Martin euer vsed that in many places they detort the scriptures from the right sense they shevv them selues to loue darkenes more then light falsehode more then truth Novv tovvching particulars I thinke it needeles to stand vpoÌ„ euerie word so coÌ„fidentlie allovved by M.W. Because M. Mart. shevveth by good reason the vvickednes of the heretikes in the deuising of them his reasons staÌ„d as yet vnanswered Yet because M.W. simple maÌ„ thinketh
Populus positus in tenebris Illyricus Populus qui agebat in tenebris Castalio Populus in tenebris degens c. So that if in ether of our latin testaments be any error one folowing precisely the hebrew of the prophete the other the greeke of the Euangeliste how much greater is their fault which folow nether of both But not to spend time in so vaine a cauâ—l the truth is reader we folovved as I haue said the coÌ„mon best corrected printes vvhich haue this in the text the other in the margent And therfore in this also note thou to vvhat beggerly shiftes this man is driueÌ„ who to make some shevv of talking is glad to snatche at such shadovves to imagine faultes to seyne lyes and the some nothing vvorth if they were graunted And these faultes in number of obiecting tvvo for any color pretence or shevv one in truth veritie none are al those prophane horrible outragious and desperate corruptions committed in our testameÌ„t for which he boldly pronounceth as from his chayer of estate that this 5000 yeres from the first creation of the vvorld he might haue added or 50000 yeres before there was neuer set forth a new testament in any language so ful of outragious faultes so much to the contempt and irrision of Gods vvorde vvherein the desperatnes of the papists so much appeared c. A man might say Medici mediam pertundite venam or minister vnto him some phisicke for surely he seemeth not to be very vvel in his vvittes CHAP. XVI A defence of such faultes as are found in the annotations of the nevv testament FROM the translation which he impugneth by such stroÌ„g arguments as novv hath bene shewed he proceedeth to the annotations which he refelleth vvith like learning and vvisedome And first he beginneth as before vvith a like inuectiue in these vvords Nihil illis annotationibus contaminatius vnquam in lucem prodiit c. Nothing vvas euer published a brode more corrupt then those annotations Truely as heretofore I haue euer hated the Romane religion euen vvith al my hart so sone as I could iudge of it so novv I confesse that I am induced by these mens desperatnes and importunitie to abhorre it much more Hovv much or hovv litle he abhorreth our religion vvere it not for regarde of his ovvne soule it is not much material For except he haue better learning in store then he hath vttered yet I trust his great hatred against it wil not do it any great harme And these are but vvords And as he vpon this pretended occasioÌ„ conceiueth so euil of our faith if he meane as he speketh so I knovv many vvho hauing bene brought vp not in Catholike religion as he vvas in heresie but in heresie vvith him continuing a long time in the same and louing it vvith al their hart comming to better iudgmeÌ„t through the grace of God vpon consideration of such lying writers as he most honoreth M. Iewel M. Horne c. haue bene so altered that they haue detested his gospel euen to hel gates of which number I confesse my self to be one But this kinde of asseueration is common to both sides This rather is worth the examining whether we haue ministred him sufficient occasion to fall in to so deepe hatred of the Catholike faith or they rather haue geueÌ„ vs iust cause in like maner to abhorre their new gospel This in some parte wil appeare by M W. discourse against these Annotations Thus he proceedeth I doubt not but vvhen this beate of the Papistes is somevvhat cooled vvise men vvil daily more and more dislike that religion For vvhen they vnderstand such things as of old vvere alvvaies accompted false or at least suspected the same novv to be set forth of these men as most true articles of the Romane religion vvhen they consider vvith them selues hovv miserably these men abuse the holy scriptures to most absurd interpretations it can not othervvise bee but that they vvil disallovv the vvhole cause of the Papists vvhich they see to be supported vvith such trifles and tales VVhen they heare the vvise men vvhich came from the East to vvorship Christ to be called three kinges vvhose names are Gaspar Melchior Baltasar That Iohn Baptist vvas a monke and father of monkes That vvhen S. Steuin vvas stoned to death a stone rebounded backe from his elbovv vvhich novv is kept at Aâ—cona in Italie That Elias the Thesbite is expected to come before the later day Vnto three heads he reduceth al the faults vvhich he findeth in the Annotations To errors committed in matters historical to faults committed in framing arguments and to certaine blasphemies as he calleth them vttered against S. Paul The first parte is comprised in these vvords which here thou seest The second and third shal folovv in order To ansvvere al that he saith pointe by pointe vvhat he meaneth by aestus poÌ„tificius Heate of the Papists vvhich he hopeth vvil be cooled I knovv not vvel If he meane the zeale of good Priests vvho to reclaime some from damnation venture their liues in England although he vvith his felovv ministers take a readie vvay to coole their heate by their strauÌ„ge maner of disputing I meane by thrusting in euery Syllogisme a conclusion of treason from Sacrament Masse Confession Reconciliation Church inferring â—go you are traitours and so enflaming the ciuil magistrate to ansvvere by hanging them vvhom they cannot ansvvere by learning yet our lord be praised this maner of their dealing though it be bloodie and of them assumed against the preaching of their first apostles and martyrs euen of necessitie because othervvise they see their gospel can not stand yet I say our lord be praised experience sheweth that it cooleth none but enflameth many Ignem veni mittere in terram saith our Sauiour et quid volo nisi vt ardeat howsoeuer our lord shal deale hereafter with our Countrie whether he wil abandoÌ„ it to Apostasie as he hath Asia and Africa or reduce it to the vnitie of his church which he of his infinite mercie graunt thus much assure your self M. W. that this kinde of heate wil neuer be cooled in your daies The plot is laid the charges are cast and the matter is begonne and we see and feele that Christ hath powred his blessing vpon it abundantly If you meane the heate of vvriting bookes vvith vvhich notvvithstaÌ„ding you are not much troubled the vvay to coole that heate is ether to aÌ„svvere them more substantially then hitherto you haue or els not to ansvvere them at al. For so long as you set forth such stuffe as you for your part and your late vvriters of like qualitie allovv vs your selues blovve the coales and make matter to kindle the fier that if men vvould be silent children may find sufficient argument to proue you heretikes If you imagine that our church is so vnconstant