imagine to aske of your Maiestie any so great gift recompence or benefite in this worlde as shoulde be to them some fauourable tolleration with their consciences in religion the which consciences depending of iudegement and vnderstanding and not of affect and will can not be framed by them at their pleasures nor consequently reduced alwayes to such conformitie as is prescribed to them by their Superiours and yet this nothing deminisheth their duetifull loue towards the same Superiours seeing conscience as I haue said dependeth of iudgement and not of will BEcause you Catholiques are touched and that iustly with the crime of disobedience and rebellion towardes our soueraigne and that the whole fault hereof proceedeth from you that teache and leade the rest hereunto yee take some paines and seeke heere to cleare Poperie of that note but ill fauoredly and to little purpose for when you haue all sayd the matter is where it was you neither cleare your selues nor satisfie other you giue vs still faire wordes and make odious cōparisons besids the matter taking occasion in the most of this part to slander charge mē at home here and abroade aliue and dead one and other and still to vaunt and praise your selues and so make all things to serue your turne Herein spende you nowe sixe or seuen pages in this your Epistle to her Maiestie Whereof I must particularly speake some thing In the very entrye yee say yee medle with no mans particular fact but speake of the Catholik religion in generall So ye leaue vs a generall that can bee vndermined and ouerthrowne by no particulars Take away particulars and whereof will your generall consist Thus prouide you a salue for all the trecheries attempts taught and committed by any person of your side in any tyme So you salue vp the Popes bulles if you accompt him a man among other and his doing a particular facte So to make an ende yee salue vp all other libelles and writings made by any of those of your side what treason so euer they containe So yevantage your selfe greatly as ye weene and no lesse seeke you to disaduantage vs for what bryng you against vs and our religion in this case but particular mens writings and particular not factes but words of men Thus can you to charge in generall our religion both in doctrine and demeanour conclude without all reason A generall affirmatiue against vs by one or two particular examples but no particulars as I haue saide how contrary so euer they be in doctrine and behauiour to your Catholike religion in generall may ouerthrowe that you generally denie to fall into that religion Me thinketh you shoulde giue vs the same libertie ye take to your selues you medle you say with no mans particular fact and yet you will driue vs to answere for particulars 1 Your position hath two partes one to cleare your selues and your religion to wit you say that the Catholike religion in generall is vniustly touched by any secte of our time for teaching disobedience or rebellion against their Princes or as your note hath The Catholike faith teacheth obedience more then other religions This is for you I well wote not what you meane by your Catholike religion in generall nor howe you may vnderstande your note to bee some way true that your Catholike faith teacheth slauish obedience more then any other religion In that it maketh Emperours Kinges Potentates of the world and ciuil Magistrates so subiect to the Pope as to 〈◊〉 on their neckes to set them to holde his Stirrop his brydle to leade his Palfrey to kisse his foote c. Which al be but duties of obedience on their behalfes to set vp his creatures the Prelates of the Clergie to be Lordes ouer Gods Church whose seruantes they ought to bee As your very Pope also professeth himselfe to bee the seruant of the seruantes of God But as Salomon saith When a seruāt raigneth or is Lord it is one of the things of three or foure for the which the earth is moued can not susteine it selfe So this and such like slauishe obedience is nothing to the commendation of your Popishe religion which in too vile speeche and maner subiecteth into it those that yee call of the Laytte For obedience of subiectes to Princes it teacheth it so farre as may serue the turne of that religion and their ambitious mindes that I haue spoken of 2. The other part of your position here is to charge vs our religion to wit that the finall ende of our doctrine doing is to haue no gouernours or ruler at all that all heretiks and sectaries of our time such you call vs in euery coūtrey where they are contraried seeke to disturbe and molest by rebellion their Lordes and Princes teaching the same to be lawfull that they rushe into euerye thing with inordinate violence and like of nothing that order and obedience layeth downe vnto them whiche howe Clarkelike you proue wee shall God willing see in his place for first haue I to speake of you your faith doctrine religiō demeanor touching obediēce disobediēce w t is y t marke you shoote at or should be at least if ye rightly handled or perfourmed that yee take in hand Thus muft I stil put you in remēbrance of that where you shold proue and shewe that your faith and your religion that is the popishe faith and religion at this day is the Catholike fayth and religion as you terme it there you faile in your proofe It must needes bee supposed you are Catholikes and wee Heretikes and Sectaries because you say so without all proofe but the truth is farre otherwise False Catholikes or Catholikes in name may goe in opinion of men for Catholikes but true Catholikes shall they neuer be Leaue this equiuocation and ambiguitie of woordes and speeches and giue vs a sounder proofe then hitherto if ye haue it that Papistes bee true Catholiques and we Heretiks and Sectaries els giue vs leaue to beleeue that all ye say is not Gospell Our controuersie is not with the Catholik religion in general but with your Popish religion in particular The profession and fruites of your Popishe religion and disobedience to our Soueraigne the State and lawes here if we goe not without the compasse of these times will alwaies stoppe you from making a good argument to cleare your religion from rebellion namely when you deale with her Maiestie who is priuie of your whole doctrine and practise Yf you make a perfect argument eyther will one of your sentences be flatte false and so must be denied and you put to a harde prufe or els there is no remedy but ye must run for a poore helpe to an Elench and fallatiō which is a bad kind of reasoning You y t can not be reduced to conformitie prescribed by your Superiours Inducing you to your soules healthes to godlines to the cōmon good quiet of the countrey had not
vs but first God and next to God satissie her Maiestie our dread soueraigne and his who pretendeth not by her selfe nor her lawes to make any of her subiectes to be of her Religion but vs altogether with her selfe of Gods true certayne and most holie Religion Shee sitteth in no mans conscience as doth the Pope ywis in doing this shortely to say he shall shewe himselfe to bee a faythfull and good seruaunt to GOD and her Maiestie bearing a duetifull minde lyke a true subiect to her godly lawes in euery respecte a profitable member also shall hee shewe him selfe to bee in Church and common wealth and most of all which hee hath to consider of his owne friende all which benefites hee quite spoyleth himselfe of in following the course these men sette hym in who as blynde guydes conducte him in the darkenes by bywayes of traditions forefathers custome multitude good intentes and meaning as they call them and all without the light of Gods holy woorde or any good warrant Nowe as there are two partes of this booke the Epistle dedicatorie to her Maiestie and the treatise or reasons where vnto accordingly I haue to answere so for the matter the drift wherto this booke tendeth the manner of handling the whole generally to speake it so bewrayeth it selfe as the indifferent Reader may and will I doubt not easily espie out the treacherie Poyson to infect deadly couered and as it were sugured that is with faire wordes glosed and recōmended is the whole matter for what haue wee els to iugde of reasons not grounded on any art of reason and of persuasion without all foundation The whole that so great account is made of was a letter from a friend to a friende shuffled vp in hast as the writer confesseth Why then did not the same rest in the friends handes or in the writers custodie among other common letters and papers vnlesse those of wisedome and authoritie heere vppon knowledge sight and perusing it had beene called for and as other things that passe abrode it 〈◊〉 beene orderly allowed of if it should haue been found meet Forsooth madge Howlet and his fellowes opinion must rule heerein to make a Treatise and discourse thereof and at length to publish the same in print wherby besides the rest they may shewe what great reasons they stay their consciences vppon as they speake to the condemning of others yea of their own side that thinke not and do not as they doe and what weightie motiues also they haue to moue her Maiestie withall and what inuincible Scholasticall argumentes wee must looke for at these terrible fellowes handes Of all which that I may heere briefly and in summe giue a note I say if their store behinde bee no better then this they nowe sende vs for all their great bragges wee may turne them ouer to Sophisters and laddes in the Schooles to answere them so little neede wee surely feare their hie woordes and threates Well what opinion and liking so euer maister Howlet and his fellows haue of this worke of theirs and what fruite they may looke for it to bring foorth among suche as are wedded to 〈◊〉 therby inclinable to moue sedition and rebellion in this state which appeareth to bee their meaning what euer they pretende we once in considering thereof see their purpose and drift not to bee good for in going about to confirme and encourage suche to goe on forwarde in their deuilishe and stubborne opinion which abstaine from publique Church assembles here wherein to Gods glorie are vsed the preaching of Christes Gospell the administration of his sacramentes godly prayers ct And againe to refuse the othe of alleageance to her Maiestie alluring other to the like they drawe men as much as in them is from the ordinarie meanes whereby God beginneth aduaunceth and continueth faith and Religion in his they dishonour his Maiestie in swaruing from the rule of his holy woorde they pine away and slaye their owne soules and theirs that hearken vnto them Besides this offence to God and priuate hurt to thē selues and others they induce them further to disobey in the highest degree their gracious Soueraigne and ours and to break her wholsome lawes made for the aduauncement of Christes syncere Religion and the suppressing of Idolatrie and superstition and for the maintenance of her Royal estate and most lawfull dignitie among her subiectes they offend moreouer all the godly minded weake ones also by their euil exāple and dealing That I speak nothing of vtter enemies to the truth which can learne no good hereby Finally they seeke to make a schisme and to maintaine heresie in this holy Congregation and seditiously disturbing the peace and quiet here they make a way to a newe rebellion if it bee possible for them infecting other with the same opinion and obstinacie whiche are not hitherto so hot and forward or peruerse and frowarde in this matter These and such like things are sought to bee iustified maintained and defended by coloured reason and false perswasion and all vnder pretence of conscience in this booke They must be tollerated in these doings her Maiestie and the state must be satisfied therewith otherwise they playne of the state and publique authoritie here they deuise and inuent sclanders they chalenge and threate they bragge and vaunt they whine and repine and what not They are loth to let goe their holde and to leese all their labour being come so farre as from Rome the poore helpe of Italian and Romane souldiers which our English Italianated Romanistes had by suite procured from the Pope traiterously by force of late to inuade her Maiesties dominions thorough Gods prouidence nowe failyng and deceiuing their expectation these spirituall doues of the Pope I meane the Iesuites byrdes once of the Popes Seminaries and other such sollicitors and procters of Poperie as comming like postes from beyonde the seas flie here vp and down among vs applying them selues to the time haue thought good to holde another course till they may be able to make such head againe as in her Maiesties raigne they did first in Englande and afterwarde of late in Irelande For least those of their companie that are left after the suppressing of the rebelles among vs shoulde be dismaide and discouraged setting a good face on the matter they comfort them with such wordes and motiues as they may in so bad a matter and least when they can not openly in person goe abroade their well willers and friendes whereof they bragge of moe here then I trust they shall finde shoulde want their ayde in aduauncing the proude prelate of Rome and his religion against the eternall God of heauen and her Maiestie our naturall and dread soueraigne and Prince here vpon they print and cast abroad this and such like libels full of holownes and vauntes contayning litle or no other matter as such doe easily and at first fight perceiue which vntaught by them are none of their disciples
pretended consicence in very bad thinges Heereto yee bring so had yee neede yet all will not serue the examples of all Princes and Potentates of the worlde before Christe and since and of the very Turkes themselues and other Infidels To shewe that her Maiestie and the State deale more cruelly by Lawe heere with you then any other State bee they neuer so barbarous doe with their people and that this will bee damnable vnto them You are in great and high matters you had neede remember your selfe and you neede to haue beene beter acquainted with Kinges and Princes Estates their affaires then may be thought you be or els haue let this far fet stuff alone This geare beseemeth you your spirit wel M. Howlet and that to with her Maiestie her selfe doth it not Next if any testimonies and examples of practise bee alleadged against you of temporall punishment you turne them all ouer in saying such proceeding was against Heretikes onely which make dissention in Christ his bodie And although you prooue not the Papists to be out of that number but that they may iustly bee counted Heretikes as they bee in deede and therefore by your owne doctrine of the Princes and States that iustly so take them to be recalled and inforced by temporall punishment or restrained at the least yet to helpe your selfe as you may as though popery were the true and right Christian religion ye suppose that you haue no whit swarued from the truth but that we whom yee call Protestants haue gone from you set vp a newe religion as though we what shoulde I say wee her Maiestie the state professed or called you to any other than to Iesus Christe onely true and most auncient religion comprised and expressed in the holy scriptures or from that The end of all 〈◊〉 y t you must still doe as ye now do in abstayning from the Churche assemblies c. And by no iustice be inforced to the contrary For that if your 〈◊〉 conscience be persuaded herein ye may not doe against that though it be euill Nowe thus writeth M. Howlets authour heereof in the latter ende of the nienth reason of his treatise Neither sufficeth it to say Those suppositions are false that there are not such thinges committed against God at the Protestantes Churches and seruices for howsoeuer that bee whereof I dispute not nowe yet I being in my hearte of another religion must needs thinke not onely them but also all other religions what soeuer to commit same as I knowe they also thinke of mine 〈◊〉 how good and holy soeuer they were yea if they were angels yet shoulde I be condemned for going amongst them for that in my sight iudgement conscience by which only I must bee iudged they must needes seeme enimies to God being of the contrary religion By this it may appeare howe greeuously they sinne dayly in England and cause other to sinne with them whiche compell men by terrour to doe actes of religion against their consciences As to take othes receiue Sacraments goe to Churches the like which being done as I haue saide with repugnant consciences is horrible mortall sinne as hath byn alreadie prooued and consequently damnable both to the doers and inforcers ther of And again in the same ix reason speaking of the consciences of Infidels and Heretikes amongest many thinges hee thus writeth generally of all sortes of men If there bee no man either so foolish or impious in the world but must needes think that one only religion amongest Christians is true and all other false And if euery man which hath any religion and is resolued therin must needs presuppose this onely truth to bee in his own religion then it followeth necessarily that hee must likewise persuade him selfe that all other religions besides his owne are false and erronious and consequently all assemblies Conuenticles and publike Actes of the same to bee wicked damnable dishonourable to God contumelious to Christe and therefore to his conscience which thinketh so detestable And in another place before his reasons agreeing yet more fully plaine ly with M. How let Surely as I am now minded I woulde not for tenne thousand worldes compel a Iew to sweare that there were a blessed Trinitie For albeit the thinge bee neuer so true yet shoulde hee bee damned for swearing against his conscience and for compelling him to commit so haynous and greeuous a sinne c. I may heere charge these men that they speake of conscience very doubtfully and diuersly yea wickedly and dangerously in that they make no better distinction betweene truth and falshood good and bad a right and a wrong conscience or erronious as these men speake the resolution of God in men for their doinges and mens false persuasions reasons and resolution to common lower mens fansies and imaginations Conscience as the very worde importeth is a knowlege in vs with an addition or to speake plainer if I can it is an inward sense or feeling of god his iudgement cōcurring w t our knowledge Whereof ariseth this the testimonie of conscience or our conscience bearing vs witnesse c. Of which cōscience what force it hath to take away all excuse from men before God the Apostle disputeth Rom 2. If yee like not this I say yee shall finde that some of your owne writers take conscience doublie or two wayes sometime for that part or power of the minde that is alwayes contrary to vice and euill or alwayes accompaning that parte and then it is euer right Sometime is conscience taken for an applying of our knowledge to some action and so is it not a qualitie but an action And thus is it not alwayes good or right say they But for the purpose and matter wee haue in hand and for our instruction and guiding Besides that the very woorde and the Etymologie or discription thereof teacheth vs that conscience differeth from opinion immagination fancie vaine conceipt c. As beeing a more high and heauenly gift especiall when it is directed by God his holy worde and Spirite Wee haue further to marke the generall doctrine of the holy Ghoste set vs downe in the scriptures in vsing to our benefit or abusing to our hurt euen Gods good creatures and the note hee giueth of the force of conscience therin vnto the pure al things are pure but vnto them that are defiled vnbeleeuing is nothing pure But euen their mindes and consciences are defiled saith the Apostle and in particular he saith further That in the latter times some shall departe from the fayth and shall giue heede vnto spirites of errours and doctrines of diuelles which speake lies through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with an hot iron or be past feeling as hee saith elswhere And in an other place yet some hauing put away good conscience as concerning fayth haue made Shipwracke And
yet furder cōcerning naughtie men andtheir pretended naughtie consciences as they speake not to be flattered or borne w t in dealing naughtily the doctrine and practise of our Sauiour Christ is notable for vs to followe as is expressed in the Euangelistes For our Sauiour Christ themaccuseth and taketh vp the Scribes and Pharisees very short who woulde seeme to make conscience of the traditions of the Elders defendeth or excuseth his disciples in breaking thereof and regardeth not the offence taken at his doctrine and doing therein by the Pharisees reade the place and marke the whole Nowe for the Conscience of the faithfull we holde with the holy Ghost that it is purged by the blood of Christe from dead workes to serue the liuing God and the hearts are purified by fayth c. And that phrase of the holy Apostle myconscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost and the like woulde diligently bee obserued of Christians not to seuer in them selues the testimonie of conscience from that heauenly testimonte of Gods spirite as in deede not a conscience but a good conscience is required of vs by God Herevppon say I to these men and to their like and to all such euill consciences of Infidelles and other as they bryng vs in that wherevpon so euer they gounde their pretended Consciences and what course soeuer they bee entred into for religion and spiritual exercises in gods seruice that as this doctrine of the scriptures is sound true and safe so theirs is hollowe vntrue and the thing is not godly nor good Great is the iudgement of God amonge them that perish because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued Therefore to send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes that all they might be damned which beleeue not the truth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnes Ye did run wel saith s. Paul to the Galat. who did let you that you did not obey the truth It is not the persuasion of him that calleth you A little leauen doth leauen the whole lumpe I haue trust in you through the Lord that you wilbe none otherwise minded but hee that troubleth you shall beare his condemnation whosoeuer he be c. I woulde to God the very first wordes of this Apostolike sentence might bee verified in all that call themselues Romane Catholikes and continued still in vs and that with the Apostle in the last sentence wee might trust well of them as wee are assured the midle part may too truly bee applyed vnto M. howlets persuasion such like Where they holde both M. Howlet and his Authour this generall doctrine howe good soeuer the action in it selfe be or how true soeuer y t thing y t is affirmed be as for example in case of religion c that which is done affirmed by a Iew an Infidell or such like yet if it be otherwise thought of in his sight or if it be agaiust his vnderstanding iudgement and conscience as they speake the doer affirmer inforcer thereto shalbe damned for committing a deadly haynous and greeuous sinne ` This as it is deducted seemeth to me a strang Paradoxe in diuinitie groūded gentle Reader possible on some mans diuelish wisdome reason but surely vpon a very false and dangerous Catholike principle of Popery sauouring altogether of y e stinking puddle of that diuelish religion yea of the Diuell of Hel himselfe the father and authour of that religion which thus I represent vnto thee out of the writings of the greatest doctours of that side And yet sauing that they haue opened this filthie caue or styrred the 〈◊〉 for the diuelishe wickednesse filthinesse thereof would I haue spared thy Christian eares but that necessitie and the indignitie of the matter to vtter their shame and villanie wherwith they staine both heauen earth enforceth seeing the matter is thus farre brought to speake thereof There be two cases of conscience or conclusions of their Popishe writers the one of an erroneous or naughtie conscience and the bond thereof the other of perplexitie wherinto men as into a straight are driuen by this doctrine and religiō whilest of necessitie they must do euill cannot choose whereupon M. Howlet and his Authour grounde their Paradoxe or strange opinion of which the one dependeth on the other And both vpon that sentence of Gratian in his golden decree All that is done against conscience buildeth to hell fire which being well expounded might stande though but by the Popish doctrine for som to abstain from euill be it neuer so villanous to doe good be it neuer so precious is or may be against conscience in them or against their erroneous lying conscience this position is theirs and vtterly false Therefore for some say they to abstaine from euill bee it neuer so villanous to doe good be it neuer so precious buildeth to hel fire Againe the lawe of nature may bee dispensed with if two euils so presse as of necessitie y t one must bee chosen for such cases their perplexitie maketh c. Popery can intangle and snare mens consciences it can trouble disquiet yea prouide a slaughter house for them relieue and quiet them it cannot Though it be not so hard to enter this perplexed Labyrinth or Maze as to get out of it againe when one is once entred so deepe are the quiddities I tel you and the questions greatly doubtful the examples also many and straunge that in this case are brought to holde men occupied with all yet get out or helpe other therein as I may by Gods goodnesse I will enter by the Angelicall doctour D. Thomas whose doctrine and Commentaries haue the allowance of the highest and greatest of that side as a truth falling from heauen confirmed also by heauenly visions as approued aboue Upon the Epistle to the Romanes and the fourteenth Chapter whiche place M. Howlet and his fellowe woulde seeme to grounde vppon and to whose writinges herein wee are sent the willinglier doe I propounde him thus writteth D. Thomas vnder questions propounding after his manner his subtile doctrine by obiecting answering and resoluing It may be doubted sayth hee whether if a man haue an erronious or naughtie conscience that he beleeue that y t which is mortall sinne is necessarie to saluation whether such a conscience binde him So as if he doe against the same he commit damnable sinne He resolueth not onely vpon the Epistle to the Romanes but also in his Summe or common Places and elswhere that an erroneous or lying conscience in thinges of themselues simply euill bindeth a man so that hee that doth against it highly displeaseth God or as they speake sinneth mortally or deadly or to vse our mens wordes it is to the doer and enforcer a damnable sinne or horrible mortall sinne the one and the other shalbe damned therefore Herevpon riseth y t second doubt or question of perplexitie in this case whereinto
telleth expressely Yee may bee compelled to perfourme that ye haue promised and holde that yee haue once receiued And bringeth good testimonies against you out of Augustine You I say that haue been baptized into the fayth of Christ not of Rome nor the Popish church and hardely any one of you founde within this Realme or among you English Romanistes that being of age now leaue this Realme that haue not in the time of the profession of the Gospel here gone to Church and done other actes of our religion at one time or other in blessed king Edwards dayes now or both Againe yee know that your D. Thomas his manner in his summe commonly is after he hath obiected agaynst the truth to set on the contra ry side that he taketh to be the truth in this question after he hath out of other men obiected That Infidelles are by no meanes to be compelled to the fayth he addeth as it were of his own But of the cōtrarie side is y t which is sayd in the. 14. of Luke Goe out into the wayes and hedges compell them to come in that my house may bee filled But men enter into the house of God that is into the holy church by fayth Therefore some saith he are to be com pelled to the fayth This haue I set downe that you may see what vātage you haue by sending vs to your S. Thomas and your other doctours for indeed sir to shew you might here haue spared wel enough in your margin Omnes doct I could further alleadge to the contrary your subtil Doctor Iohn Scot who had great followers He holdeth herein that it were godly and well done If Infidels were compelled of their Princes with threats feare to faith religiō Euen against your D. Thomas that you here set vs downe You knowe or may knowe howe common a thing it is in your religion not in this Article onely to finde the Scotists against the Thomists Doctor against Doctor c. But I had rather vnfoulde my selfe and the reader out of these contradictions and braules of your Popishe wryters then sticke therein Her Maiestie besides that she simply and vtterly taketh not vpon her by force and violence to compell to fayth as though shee coulde giue and imprint the same in mens heartes though shee set forth maynteine and binde all her subiectes to outwarde meanes and exercises of religion as I haue sayde thereby shewing what shee wisheth and driueth vnto which shee also vseth her self neither sitteth shee in the conscience of any which is proper to your Pope his lawes and your religion besides that her Maiestie is free herein I say Shee moreouer vseth her selfe in this case so godly so wisely so vprightly and so moderately towards you that deserue so ill as if any faulte may iustly bee founde it is in this that some of you are not straightlier lookt vnto and more roundlier proceeded withall But her Maiestie is wise ynough Zizebutus a prince is commended in one of the councelles and in your owne Decrees and counted very religious in compelling to Christianitie This is that in summe I woulde say vnto you for answere in this matter For as much as there is no societie of people so barbarous lyghtly that liue without some outwarde exercise of Religion and God hath beautified and commended Ciuill Magistrates in kingdomes Common wealthes and Cities vnder the tytle of Gods and hath ordayned them as his Ministers for our good that we may receiue prayse frō autortie in doyng well and in doing otherwise stande in feare as who beareth not the swoorde in vayne for hee is the Minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth euill Againe forasmuch as this Image of God is in nothing more seene namely in publike persons those of Autoritie then in procuring promoting aduancing dayly of Gods honour and seruice by their power and by giuing shewing good exāple to others for which cause principally they are aduanced as on a mountain placed in Royall chaire that therefore I say those Christian Kings Queens whō God hath called to this honor to be Foster Fathers and Nurses to his Churche and people doe well and very acceptable seruice to GOD and are highly highly to bee commended and heartily and continually to bee prayed for of all for that the aduersarie on the other side is mightie and suttle not onely for ranging them selues to Gods holy and true Religion taken out of the sacred Scriptures and the outward exercises of the same but for inducing also by the wisedome and power giuen them of GOD all people and personnes subiect to them vnto the like by making good and wholsome lawes by encouragement and by feare according as the qualitie and circumstance of place tyme and person require without all tyranny and vsurpation of the roome and place of the most high God of heauen ouer mens consciences on the one side and yet without all loosenesse on the other side in omitting such oportunitie and meanes as God offereth for the benefite of the holye people the Saintes of the moste High I speake of these and of suche as are by office called to publique and high charge among them in Churche cōmon wealth euen christian Kings Queens c. Of whō thus it is prophecied The kingdome and dominion and the greatnes of the kingdome vnder the whole heauen shall be giuen to the holy people of the most high whose kingdome is an euerlasting kingdome and all powers shall serue and obey him This seemeth to bee spoken of Christ his kingdome and the time of the Gospel c. Nowe this consecrating of her selfe and her authoritie wholly to GOD and his seruice to the benefite of his Church is it and it alone which her Maiestie in this case of many yeeres hath stil doth to Gods glory her singular cōmendation put in executiō amōg vs her people growing I hope dayly from good to better And this is that also which no honest faithfull good man can iustly bee offended withall This haue I if not ouerthrowne in your opinion perhappes your bulwarkes yet sufficiently for this matter cleared the trueth I trust her Maiestie also and the state against your vniust quarrels and slanders 13 Nowe proceede I with your wordes Besides this say you as no wise Noble man after many Ages of quiet possession would suffer another to recouer his Barronie without shewinge of verie good euidence So wee in reason are not to bee blamed if wee 〈◊〉 helde the possession of the Catholike Churche in Englande for these thousand yeres by our aduer saries confession do stande with them yet and require some euidence before we consent to giue vp the same Hereto they haue shewed vs none but onely woordes and forgerie they entred into possession without tryall of the tytle they thrust vs out before sentence or proofe wee crye out of the
ryot and complaine of the wrong and desire still that the matter may come to lawfull pleading And euen nowe os late since our new persecution beganne wee haue made vnto them diuers offers with great oddes not pretending thereby any recouery of our losses for that wee suppose to bee vnpossible but onely for the iustifiyng of our cause whereupon the honour of God dependeth and wherein wee knowe wee can not bee vanquished THus you amplifie iolilie w t similitude example your long possession as ye say of the Catholicke Church here in England our ryot also and violent intrusion vniust as you pretende which you call Law lesse proceeding You will by processe seeme to call vs afresh into the kings Bench when wee appeare your action will beare no lawefull plea against vs you accuse vs hotly M. Howlet but as good an Attorney or proctor and solicitor or man of lawe and counsellor as you are taken to bee in the Popes cause you shewe and proue nothing against vs in Gods or the Princes court we thanke God Ye suppose altogether for you say by our aduersaries confession that is for one part But wee say you say as yee are wont that is vntruly for your Church and religion as they bee at this day are not of a thousande yeeres antiquitie Some part of your corruptions may be so old we denie it not some part againe are of later time And heresies we tell you out of Tertullian doth not Newnesse so much argue as Truth whatsoeuer sauoureth against the truth that shall bee heresie euen olde Custome saith hee Againe your Iesuites a newe order of Religion instituted about fortie yeeres agoe or such such a thing seeme amōg vs at this day to be your greatest pillers and staies in this your new and strange proceeding and wee here can scarcely yet well tell what their religion is nor where it is grounded so lately though suddēly come they among vs but vpon an obscure fellowe your Pope Paul the thirde you tel vs is their foundation And in deed your Popish religion is such a confused Chaos and heape or a hotche potche that wee can not tell certainly what to make of it nor where to fetche a proper and full summe of the Popishe doctrine at this day and a confession of your fayth For leauing the Scriptures to bee the rule of your fayth and coyning vs still so many newe Articles vnder the name of vnwritten verities traditions the Churche c. Which the first and auncient Apostolique Church was ignoraunt of and referring vs for all to your Popes brest To bee playne we can finde no footing You take a similitude from a wise noble man and quiet possession of his Baronie many ages Bee as wise as yee may bee yet a similitude and example of a meaner and a more base and vile person than a Noble man of a Barne M. Howlet rather than a Baronie might fitlier serue to compare so corrupt a Church and rotten religion withall as is Poperie and the Popish Church But wee muste take suche as you offer vs. Your Prelates of the Cleargie that rule the Church are Lordes euen ouer Gods heritage they are Barons they must needes haue a Baronie No maruell therefore though in respect of thē and their vsing of the Churche yee liken it to a Baronie of a Noble man that hath many ages helde the same in quiet possession Or if you speake of the whole Catholike Churche in respect of the vnholy holinesse of the Pope of Romes fatherhood the matter is brought to a higher degree then a Noble man he is called our Lord God the Pope For quiet possession in deede I graunt yee helde that yee had in possession very quietly made as sure as you coulde not to bee vnquieted in your Palaces But a stronger thanks be to god came vpon you your god Prince to I meane the Pope Satan ouercame you took away your armour wherein you trusted c. For the vnfitnesse of your similitude I tell you first that if you liken your selues to a Noble man you must then liken the true Church to anothers and not to the Noble mans owne Baronie for that wee holde agreeable to the Scriptures that the Churche so likened can bee called no mans but Gods or Christs Baronie onely In title of lande Sir c. where prescription of time beareth great sway many ages of quiet possession be a great stay to Noble mens Baronies or others holdes especially where euidence and writinges by sundrie casualities may bee missing In religion that I may giue a further taste of your vnlikelie likelyhood and vnproper example the case is nothing like For authoritie of religion is not to bee esteemed by time saith one That which is true is not too late And y t good father again saith y e heathē say That that is first cannot be false As though antiquitie old custome may preiudice the truth But M. Howlet in going no higher for the age of your religion thē a 1000. yeeres and talking to vs of quiet possessiō of many ages since that time wee answere you first that our religion was aboue 500. yeere olde before yours came into the worlde or your Pope were hatcht supposing you kept quiet possession as you pretende nowe a 1000. yeeres For wee fetche ours from Christe and his Apostles who had lawfull possession of the Baronie yee talke of aboue halfe a 1000. yeeres before you came to possession thereof And if you will marke well those halfe thousande yeres before were the beter and more free from forgerie and corruption and therefore woulde bee more regarded But nowe I pray you tell vs how you entred into possessiō of y e Catholike Churche a thousande yeeres agoe For by inheritance once we denie that it came vnto you or by discent If there may be any lawfull conueighance thought of the best 〈◊〉 I see yee can with any probabilitie alleadge for the possession that your Cleargie euer had of this Baronie meaning thereby the true Church of Christe was that they helde the same but as Tenaunts and that tenants at will too standing vpon their good behauiour to continue or to bee cast out The Noble man himselfe the only Lorde and Baron that I may so speake of this Baronie is aliue his Baronie only may the true Church bee called If you meane that in this similitude neither yours nor any mortall mans besides Howeuer therefore you haue holden the Catholike Churche that way you haue beene but too long vniust possessors and so lost you nothing that was your owne when vppon misbehauiour you were by Gods lawfull Minister our dreead Soueraigne therein thrust out of possession of this true Church here as you were once before within mans remembrance about xl yeeres since So then this Baronie the Church heere is now the second time to Gods glory and our inestimable benefite lawefully taken from you
a course in one parte that you quite leaue out the two other I wot not well howe it will agree with the Rhetorike Schooles about you nor what libertie you Orators nowe a dayes take to your selues and therefore I will leaue it sauing that mee thinkes your friende M. Howlet who is most like to bee the Poste or Messenger ye talke of might haue forborne the printing of an vnperfect worke or haue beene better aduised then to haue Dedicated the same at least to such a Personage as is her Maiestie But we might stay well enough for the other two partes this point to confirme or obstinate and poyson rather her Maicsties subiectes was so necessarie that it was to bee hastened This was the Resolution of your wise heades Yee are a Societie I must suppose all is done by consent Besides I see M. Howlet in his Epistle Dedicatorie to her Maiestie hath entred into the seconde parte of his fellowes Diuision as the same is reported vnto vs in the excuse that is made in the latter ende of the booke for though he haue omitted to treat of Instant and feruent Prayer to Almightie God very necessarie for all Christians and namely for him and his felowes that they may doe better then they doe he taketh vpō him bolde recourse vnto the Queenes Maiestie for tolleration in their corrupte religion and he is busie with his Authours Motiues c. which is the seconde promised parte It had beene better he had been more occupied in that hee hath left out of this seconde part of the Diuision and to haue exhorted his Catholiks to obediēce to her maiesty our most dread soueraine This had beene a very necessarie point in deede for such of his secte as are here giuen to sedition and rebellion among vs. Once while it is sayde that the Authour meaneth to this pointe to exhorte many mischiefes by that ūde there while are among vs wrought God amende them or cut them more short I will not charge M. Howlet heere with iniurie doyng in preuenting his fellowe because it is likely all is done by compact agreement among them It may seeme as thinges fall out that all this excuse of omitting the two latter partes is but a flourishe and the promise but a meere pretence If health and leasure shall permit he promiseth to finishe the rest but I am hardely perswaded that his health and leasure will in these dayes serue him to perfourme so good an office being so directly contrarie to the profession of their Popish religion seeing especially it hath lost so good a place as to haue gone first or to haue been the foundation of the Supplication to her Maiestie A great oportunitie and occasion lost But least I seeme to dispayre of them I pray God this peece of true obedience to her Maiestie may bee thought of and wrote of by these hot Catholikes But y t it may bee done with better conscience more stedfastnes then hee that in Latin wrote of true obediēce in her maiesties fathers dayes the most famous renoumed prince of blessed memory K. Henrye the eight or he y t set the preface before it who both of thē when time afterwarde serued shamelessy reuoked that they had done and returning to their vomite most cruelly persecuted Gods people their brethrē for in y t matter y t they had before professed them selues and published to the worlde they shewed themselues without all conscience time seruers onely c. If to seeke to disturbe and molest by Rebellion their Lords and Princes be the custome of Heretikes and Sectaries of our time then with vs are the Papistes such here who followe that trade with her Maiestie and this State right If Subiectes bee bounde patiently to beare and to obey howe hardely so euer their Princes shall deale with them vnder payne of deadly sinne and damnation as these men in fayre wordes will seeme to professe howe cōmes it then to passe they take vp the sword against their our noble Queene Elizabeth Again if English men owe true obedience to her Maiestie for consciēce sake euen as to God himself why do not papistes render it then If it appertaine not to subiectes to iudge whether their Princes rule well or not as they say why iudge they the whole matter so violently against her Maiestie Why do other iustifie the same by wryting yea why procure they their Popes most traiterous bulles to be published and sent ouer hither why come they not home and liue like quiet Subiectes words are winde all is but words wind Let thē declame as lōg as loudlie as they will hardly wil they be euer able to wash away this blot Now come I to the authours necessarie supposition as he calleth it and the two sortes of Catholikes that hee nameth where he deuideth badly still for he telleth vs There are to sortes of Catholikes in England And when he hath done maketh vs three before he come to his Reasons One sorte for the iustifiyng of whom he wrote his Treatise Another sorte for the reforming of whom hee wrote the same And the third sort of very bad Catholikes whom he accounteth damned men in this life So where he telleth vs there are here two sorts of Catholikes we finde three as we find but one parte of his treatise where he promised three this is scholasticall and Orator like with these men Let vs heare what he sayth But first of all is to be noted that my reasons to the end they may conuince are to be supposed to proceede from a catholike minde that is from a man which in his conscience is throughly petsuaded that onely the catholike Romane religion is trueth and that all other newe doctrines and religions are false religions as all newe Gods are false Gods c. First your supposition is ambiguous doubtfull and captious by reason you do not plainely and particularly enough expresse in the first part what the Catholike Romane religion is which you say is onely trueth when you oppose all other doctrines and religions which you say are false to the Romane religion you call them newe So as some man might thinke ye talked in the first parte of y e true christian religion groūded vpon the doctrine of the prophets and Apostles and comprised in the canonicall Scriptures of Gods holy Byble which indeede is the onely Truth and the old religion And this is the very same her maiestie and we her subiects heere professe in the church of england and is elsewhere professed by those that are termed Gospellers Protestants c whom you yet account and call heretikes and their religion A newe doctrine and religion Wee call this our religion not in captious and doubtefull terme the Catholike Romane religion or which we might with as muche right as you do the Catholike English religion but simply and plainly of the Authours Gods and Christs true religion Or if you wil insteede of
else must he heare from vs that whiche the Galatians 〈◊〉 themselues amisse sometimes 〈◊〉 from S. Paule This perswasion is not of him that calleth you c. Or to shewe the vanitie of the reason in an example of his owne alleadged here Let vs propounde that If dame Eue saith hee had not presumed to heare the serpent talke shee had not beene beguiled But if shee say I delighting in the tree forbidden to satisfie her eye and desire had not perswaded her selfe that the Serpentes talke had beene the trueth and so perswading her husbande also to leaue the truth of Gods worde to beleeue fansie and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lie brought him to obey her voice as shee did the Serpents they had not eaten of the fruite for bidden and so had not wrapped themselues and vs in miserie Then the neerer cause and Reason whereby both Adam and Eue were beguiled and the more proper that we neede not run farre off was the false perswasion they had and admitted vpon the Serpents talke against Gods expressed woorde and commandement whiche to make like your reason thus I 〈◊〉 Dame Eue perswading her selfe the tree was good for meate and to be desired to get knowledge and her husbande by her meanes the like might not venture to lacke lease so great a good benefite or might not venture 〈◊〉 do the contrary which shee he perswaded themselues was euill to them Adde you the rest if ye like to make this a good Reason for I answer you that it is very like to yours and all one in effect which is grounded likewise vpon 〈◊〉 and that a false vaine and dangerous 〈◊〉 contrary to the truth the scriptures phrase 〈◊〉 this case is good I am perswaded through the Lord c. In religion let vs learne to speake religiously with this religious Apostle c. Remember I pray you that I am the answerer and if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee can proue no better then thus I suppose ye knowe the order of the Schooles you may be 〈◊〉 answered for all the great bragges bee made of your dexteritie and skill in briefe scholasticall arguments Because you are such a Reasoner to conuince and so great bragges is made of this Treatise besides you say your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desire 〈◊〉 is onely to giue some 〈◊〉 to them in Englande especially to her Maiestie the right honourable her counsel the learned and wise in Englande c. I aske of you ouer and aboue that I haue sayde to M. Howlet your fellow when you will make this a good syllogisme or Reason you know what I meane to conuince or to satisfie any y t is of a contrary iudgemēt vnto you I say not her highnes her graue and honorable wise coūsellers which are not so easily led as you in your muses and studdes imagin but any meane learned man of a contrary religion vnlesse one will suppose and imagine your propositions to be principles as your 〈◊〉 doth so doubte of nothing ye say or let your proofe bee an asking of the principle which is Sophistrie and no good Logique Let your compagnions and fellowes tell you what they will or let this argument and reason serue those that are already perswaded in your false religion and so neede no Reasons to conuince them Summe bragge or crowe like a Cocke vpon your owne dunghill as much as ye will I that 〈◊〉 but a simple rude man not many a day of any Uniuersitie and so not comparable with the learned and freshe Uniuersitie disputers will yet boldely heere make you this offer that keeping your propositions if you make not an Elench or fallacion of this I may say the like in the rest that is a starke naughtie Reason or a badde Syllogisiue consisting onely of particulars or of foure termes as they speake c. Briefely if you make in good mode and figure to prooue and conuince by not faultie in matter or fourme or in both let me be the answerer and I will yeelde you the whole cause You heare a playne mans offer Buckle your selfe to it take the vantage but it wil make you sweat ere you come to the end or can perfourme it you must seeke a newe midle terme as they speake in Schooles and newe propositions to confirme and proue your 〈◊〉 or else 〈◊〉 with your owne fellowes onely and stay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supposition but howe euer they easily yeelde to false propositions and 〈◊〉 wee can not suppose falshod to bee Truth and 〈◊〉 falshod And sure then can not 〈◊〉 proceede in reasoning against vs to conclude that you woulde haue false propositions wee can not nor will not admit True will not serue your turne you knowe the Logique rule Truth can not proue falshod wee can defende easily enough against all Sophistrie in the worlde that the Crowe is blacke and not white And thankes bee vnto God for his vnspeakeable gyft as it is harde for you to proue Poperie to be the truth and Popishe religion to bee the true Catholique religion So is it on the other side easie for vs to mayntayne and cleare the truth and the profession of the Gospel against all your cauilling Reasons So as one might 〈◊〉 at your impudencie and with what faces you dare presume to make your great bragges and chalenges in these learned dayes But you are knowne well enough you dare doe what you 〈◊〉 to doe and pretend one thing and meane another I am the bolder at the entrance here to mention this that the reader may knowe what he shall 〈◊〉 if hee list to enter into examination of your 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 we see the foundation of your first Reason howe darkely it is layed vpon a false perswasion whereof if the reader list to heare farder what I say he must haue 〈◊〉 to that I haue written ther of against M. Howlet before and you all touching erronious conscience and the bonde thereof Though the foundation of this Reason thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it may bee seene that it can not 〈◊〉 yet let 〈◊〉 heare what this Reasoner sayth therof further Hauing 〈◊〉 himselfe our doctrine to bee false and consequently venemous to the hearer and so may not venture his soule to be infected He rendreth a reason to conuince and proue I trowe For saith hee as it is damnable for a man to kil himselfe and consequently deadly 〈◊〉 without iust cause to put his body in 〈◊〉 danger of death so is it much more offensiue to God to put my soule ten thousande times of more value then my body in danger to the deadly stroke of false 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Note this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He doth wel to set his marginal note to expresse his meaning we might else by his much more haue iudged it to haue beene a comparison and so taken from another place in Logique whereby thinges greater lesse or equall bee compared together But let that goe for the forme and kinde of
of hypocrisie and hypocrites whom that religion maketh such ye might haue spared to talke of this kinde of men here They that knowe him not you say as in deede no man doth furder then hee vttereth and sheweth him selfe must needes presume him to goe of conscience and as a fauourer of that Religion and so be brought to like the better of that religion and the worse of the Catholike by his example You say true This is and if not needes must bee all christian and honest mens opinion of him yea ours vnlesse he must be taken to bee the diuels childe and of his religion And then knowe you him inwardely to be a Catholike a true Christian or of Christes religion and that we follow we denie him to be ridde him from vs and take him to your heape for his religion if he bee suchy a one You say Anibrose did accuse Valentinian the Emperour for giuing a publike Scandale to the worlde because he did but permit certaine altars to the Gentiles saying that men woulde thinke that he priuily fauoured them Ye giue a good lesson to warne Princes that bee professours of the Gospell to take heede they permit Papistes to haue no altars to sacrifice vpon in their dominions for giuing the like offence And for you Romane Catholikes that sue for tolleration for the free exercise of your Romane religion may her Maiestie answere you by your own rule and Reason We thanke you sir for giuing vs still so good weapons to beate your selues withall This is your very case Nowe let the Reader applye and make his profite of the rest The thirde reason is this When and where going and not going to Churche is made a signe 〈◊〉 betwixt a Catholike and a 〈◊〉 then and there is it not lawefull for a Catholike to goe to the Protestants Churches But so is it heere nowe wherefore it is not lawefull c. The first part of this reason he explaneth by diuision of the wayes whereby the professour of any religion may be 〈◊〉 which he maketh there by wordes workes and signe hee setteth out the whole by example of the Iewe in Italie familiarly knowne by our English Romanistes among whom the Iewe liueth in free profession of his religion and therefore had neede to be distinguished from christians by some markes But among vs heere in Englande where there is no such faction and diuersitie of religion by order of lawe vnder our gracious Soueraigne Queene Elizabeth tollerated but all bounde to professe the true christian religion to Gods glory and her Maiesties singular commendation neither is there neither needeth there in this policie any such distinction deuised by mē to seuer betwene religion and religion that is betweene truth and falshood Protestants and Papistes we content our selues with the notes and markes to knowe the professours of christian religion in Englande which are set vs downe in the holy worde of God which also depende not on mens cpinions nor are at their pleasure variable but are stayed vpon a 〈◊〉 better groūd And therfore we returne thcse voluntarie marks signes to note religiō the professors therof by to you to Rome to Italie where volūtary religiō or superstitiō raigne gaine is thought to be godlines We thank God and her Maiestie for our freedom frō the same and that we may liue at home in England in good conscience and sincere professiō of Christes religion without needing to runne into Italy where there is suche danger to denie the christian faith as yee tell vs of Looke you English Italianates to that and other the like dangers that ye haue willingly cast your selues headlong into And thus much concerning your first deuise in this reason 〈◊〉 that where telling vs of a Iewe yee affirme that to keep the Saterday holy day is a work proper to Iudaisme And againe that 〈◊〉 a christian yeelde therein to vse the same he sinneth greeuously and in effect denieth his faith Due might demaunde whether you English Romanistes and such other Catholikes in Italie do 〈◊〉 beare to keepe holy euen any of your late Pope canonized Saints dayes falling on the Saterday for feare of conformitie with the Iewes in that behalfe I weene not Thē in an externall signe as a yeallow cap wearing on the head which is a matter of lesse importance bee not too harde wherein though I thinke not the whole waight of our religion to consist yet speak I not on the other side as though I liked conformitie of the professours of Christes religion to antichriste and his ministers in any tokens and marks of their religion whatsoeuer I speake heere nothing of your grosse prophane exāple of a Tauern bush in liken ng the same to holy signes of religiō which too prophanely in my iudgement yee byd the Reader marke hee may also marke that as yee make going to Churche to seuer vs from you and to distinguish our religion from yours which is knowne by not going to Churche or by abstaining from Church so the haunting of Churche assemblies argueth some religion to bee in our men and that they carry religious mindes and abstaining from Churche assemblies which ye make a proper and peculiar signe of a true catholike argueth as much religion as is in a Horse For the proofe of the seconde part of your reason that the going to Churche in Englande is an apparant signe of a schismatike and the not going of a catholike It is manifestly to be proved yee say but it is not so easily doone as saide for vnlesse we will presume going to the Protestants churches to be hereticall as you doe and say a Catholike must so doe which is starke false your proofe will not goe forwarde All is still grounded on your false supposition and on the double and doubtfull taking of the termes of catholike and schismatike Al is but hollow and double dealing and belongeth for those wordes to the fallation of equiuocation that yee may finde moe slights then one in your reasoning Must the Protestant be a schismatik and a Papist a catholike because you presume and thinke so presume and thinke otherwise and as the truth is or at least notwithstanding your presumption giue vs leaue to thinke and say the contrary as the truth enforceth vs. But let vs see howe by presumption you prooue going to Church to be a peculiar signe distinctiue betwixt religion and religion First yee prooue it by the commanndement and exaction thereof You take vpon you to make a Cōmentarie to expounde the proceedings heere You make your self priuie of her Maiesties meaning and the Sates you 〈◊〉 imagine no other ende that men are commaunded to come to churche but to shewe themselues conformable to the religion heere professed You might knowe Sir there be and may bee diuers ends of one thing Considering that God hath instituted church assemblies to the good and benefite of his people if to the end his Maiestie may be obeyed accordingly and
that cause that is for your abominable masse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take it your popish priestes and all and away with the same out of Christes church to the Diuell if yee will 〈◊〉 it first came amōg vs. Your doctors c. haue 〈◊〉 are so answered as I neede not stand therein vpon this occasion If yee take that or any other matter in hande yee cannot goe vnanswered God be thanked for his giftes I list not now to repeate that is and hath beene so often well and truely tolde you heerein The like to this I tell you of your popish and apish ceremonies Wee liue not in a ceremoniall time nor in a ceremoniall Churche to heape vp the number of them nowe Wee are content you be the fathers and fosterers of your superstitious and vnnecessary ceremonies of your seuen sacraments yea seuen hundred if you wil for your priest in his pontificalibus and massing apparell is compounded I trow of nothing if we will beleeue you but of misteries and so of sacraments all your religion is ceremoniall and mysticall but all of your owne deuising Wee as those that are called to worship God in spirite and truth that is after a more spirituall and heauenly maner inwardly in a seruice more agreeable to Gods nature then that which is shadowed by Ceremonies content our selues heerein with Gods wisedome desire to keepe sobrietie and following the rule of the Scriptures referre all heerin to order comelinesse and edification especially But not such as is fleshly and agreeable to fleshly men minds but suche as is correspondent and agreeable with the crucifides kingdome and the preaching of the Crosse. Our sacraments we confesse are not ashamed in this time of y t Gospell vnder Christ to cōfesse thē being in number most fewe in obseruation most easie and yet in signification most heauenly When you can prooue that ye heere only say that wee either haue not most fewe that is two Sacraments Baptisme and the Lordes Supper according to our Sauiour Christes holy institution or are bounde to haue moe you shall heare what wee haue further to answere and say vnto you If y t which haue beene alreadie saide content you not as it may doe any reasonable men that wilfully 〈◊〉 not themselues Our Communion can bee no Sacrament you say yet you cannot bee ignorant that the word and matter are taken out of the Scripture much lesse then can your priuate Sacrifice and Action that is secrete coniuring sole receauing c. bee a Sacrament Houseling and being houseled once a yeere which is a halfe receiuing of I wote not what not of a Sacramente sure where you haue left no Element is suche a prophanation and contempt of Christes Sacrament as hardly can there bee a greater Let not vs then among 〈◊〉 the Communion of the body and blood of Christe is celebrated monethly or quarterly at least of euery one bee called contemners of Christes Sacramentes and charged with Sacriledge and you Papistes bee let goe scotfree who in steede of ofte receiuing content your selues with gasing crouching kneeling c. The like I tell you of prayer for the dead of our prayers c. in the mother tongue You are alwayes so like your selfe as yee can hardely deceiue any that once knowe you or will knowe you THE eight Reason is grounded vpon the losse of the benefite of the Romish Catholik religion If they goe to Churche heere which is made a great matter a waightie Before wee enter into that is particularly saide heereof let vs examine this generall grounde Heere is no more alleadged for the Papistes refraining from our assemblies then may bee alleadged by the Iewe the Turke or any Heathen by the Arrian Anabaptist or any Heretike who in communicating with an other religion leeseth the benefite of his owne And therefore as we may answere the one so may wee doe the other that is that it is no losse at al to forgoe that which is not beneficiall to any but hurtfull to all yea as some losse is a gaine so is it a great gaine not only to forgoe so Diuelishe and poysonfull a religion but with all to gaine the truth by the profession of the Gospell How beneficiall soeuer a man haue esteemed and founde a 〈◊〉 and lying aforetime to bee yet hath he loste nothing thereby that leaueth that custome and vseth himselfe to the telling of the truth yea hee hath gayned greatly by that change To haue mens eyes opened by the ministerie and preaching of the Gospell that they may turne from darkenesse to light and from the power of Satan vnto God that they may receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Christ c is no losse but an incomparable gayne And this is your very case to the worlde warde more gaine and benefite many wayes by your voluntarie religion then by the sincere profession of the holy Gospell of Christe Iesus I graunt to the soule and Godwarde no profite but vnspeakeable hurt gotten by the profession of Poperie Where vpon I counsel all to leaue those filthy puddles of Poperie and to drinke of this pure fountayne of the water of life that is to leaue that god the Pope his lawe and traditions his idolatrous Religion and superstitions and to betake them selues to the true God of heauen to Iesus Christ his holy Scriptures and worde to be guided by contayned in the Byble and booke of God That which this discourser calleth a losse that let them count an inestimable benefite And what euer these men slander vs withall yet wee protest it before the eternall God that our meaning is not to drawe any from Poperie to any Religion deuised by men howe wise or mightie soeuer they bee but to the true Religion of Iesus Christ set vs downe in Gods booke Let them betake themselues to that let them professe the gospel of christ Iesus they shal go long enough vnblamed for their profession by vs let them answere their profession and liue according thereunto as is set downe in the same booke of GOD they shall please vs marueilously wel it is all wee require at their hands wee wil wishe peace vnto them and to the Israel of God Though then wee wishe men to depart frō that whoorishe Babylon of Rome though wee 〈◊〉 them saue them selues from this frowarde generation c. Yet wishe wee them well to marke whether we cal them we leaue them not at randon we call them not to followe our Religion framed at our pleasure much lesse call wee them to Atheisme but we call them from that vsurper and woolfe to Christ Jesus the Prince of Pastours our onely high Priest and the Byshop of our soules Reade the 1. Peter 2. if but onely the last verse of the Chapter and see whither and to whome S. Peter himselfe called men euen the Church Let his successour as he falsely pretendeth doe the like at least if he call
englād Liuing to a mās own cōsciēce by leauing him selfe 〈◊〉 conscience Popish Vbi 〈◊〉 ibi mā dandi 〈◊〉 caeteros manet 〈◊〉 di nece 〈◊〉 In the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The hearing of Masse how well worth a hūdred Markes Erranti 〈◊〉 medicina 〈◊〉 Cic. Aristotel Salus 〈◊〉 sita est in 〈◊〉 * In nomine Patria Filia spiritua sancta De Consecrat Dist. 4. 〈◊〉 Baptizote Psal. 51. Ephe. 2. Looke better to your abrenun cio say yee Credo say ye 〈◊〉 lo say 〈◊〉 General cros ses of Catholikes Particular extremities As M. Dimmocke was by M. Couper As young Maistrisse Tomson was by M. Elmer Iohn Field in his epistle dedicatorie of Phillip of Morneis booke to the Earle of Leycester Arist. li. l. Rhetor. 2. Pet. 2. 10. Iude. vers 8. 1. Cor. 10. 18 Prouer 23. 2 Prouer. 25. 6 The Catholique fayth teacheth obedience more then other religions Con. Const. Sess. 8. Cocleus Lib. 1. 3. Hist. Huss Wicklif li. 4. trial cal 3. In Bulla Le on 10. in asser art ibi damnat Cocleus in vita Luth. Sur. in hist. huius anni Lib. 4. inst cap. 10. Lib. 3. insti cap. 19. Goodman Gilbye Rom. 13. Vide om Doct. 2. 2. quest 90. de Leg 22 Aug. in ps 70. Crysost Ambro. in cap. 13. ad Rom. The first precher The seconde preacher A waightie motiue Prou. 30. verse 21. 22. ☞ Extra decretal de censibus cap. 2 omnis anima Extra de Maioritat obedient Tit. 1. tit 33 ca. 6. solite Vide D. 〈◊〉 q. 2. 2. a. q. 90. om doct ibid. 〈◊〉 Balaam 〈◊〉 significātur 2. 9. 7. Nos Vide M. Hardings 〈◊〉 to M. Iuel Art 4. Diuis 22. De Anna Caiapba Vide Hot. lib. 2. contra 〈◊〉 Hard. confulat Apolo par 6 cap. 6. 〈◊〉 3. 1. 2. Q 96 Art 4. in fine 2. 2. Q. 104. 〈◊〉 6. 2. 2. Q 12. Art 2. Vide causa 15. Q 6. cap Nos sanctorum in cap. 〈◊〉 c 〈◊〉 26. 24. 25. 26. N. Saunders opion and dealing He calleth Moron the protector of England hee was the Popes Legate chiefe President of the 〈◊〉 Councel of Trent N. Sander in Epist Ad Cardin. Moron Lib. 7. De visib Monarch Eccles. Fol. 732. ante a fol. 688. ad fol. 712 ' c. Sand. in Epist dedicat praefixa lib. De visib 〈◊〉 Pope 〈◊〉 5. De visib 〈◊〉 Eccl. lib. 2. cap. 4. fol. 98. 79. Ibid. fol. 83. I thinke hee would say that the king proceed not in dooing wickedly De visib 〈◊〉 Lib. 7. fol. 730. 732. c. What had the pope to do with this Realme More busie than he had thankes for his labour What Legats talke you of and who stopt them A 〈◊〉 medicine of the Pope of Rome to depriue princes of their king domes to discharge subiects of obedience Lyke Pope Lyke 〈◊〉 More pompe solemnitie in the Pope then good diuinity or honestie The ground and cause of the insurrectiō in the north truely described Godly treason with great reason Iure publico For omnia 〈◊〉 bee in scrinio pectoris Papae Wel bould Tur pin wel guest Heere is a right true confessiō of a Romain catholike or Popish fayth Treason a confession of Catholike religion Grosse abuse of Gods holy scriptures A Fable of a 〈◊〉 myracle Still a Popish traiterous cōfession of a Popish faith A popish myracle to confirme Popish religiō it needes it greatly They are 〈◊〉 gone you may begin Placebo and 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 for their 〈◊〉 Somma Summarum 1 A new popish Antichristian Gospel Looke Math. 24. 24. 2. Thes. 2. 9. 10. c. 2 Lieng miracles wonders to confirme the same 3 A strāge trayterous confessiō of a Popish catholike faith 4 A bead roll of Popish confessors Martyrs al traitors and rebels Rom. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An. 1094. 1240. 1215. Thomas 〈◊〉 1211. Hee that list to see heereof more particularly besides the Actes Monum ētes and our English Chronicles and stories let him looke on the Apologie of the Church of Eng land the 6. part and last chapter and M. Iewels defence thereof Concil lateran sub Inno. 3. cap. 3 de 〈◊〉 The places are quoted before in your decrees D. Thomas caus 15. q. 〈◊〉 cap. Iuratos vt supra decretal 〈◊〉 de hereticis ad abolendam Vide 〈◊〉 extra in ca. cum non ab homine Felin de rescript cap. Rodolpbus Demaioritate obedientia vnam sanctam glos ibidem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13. Anno. xxiii Reginae 〈◊〉 An act to retain the Queenes Maiesties subiects in their due obedience Cap. I. As the Apology of the Church of England Articles set forth by 〈◊〉 authoritie Homilies c. Wickliffe in his Trialogue Fol. 68. pag. 2. 〈◊〉 8. Sessione 11. Ioan. 23. Gregori 12. Benedict 13 Martin 5. Remember the story of the 〈◊〉 Howlet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lib. 7. De Concil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 539. 538. Tom. 4. Conciliorum Bulla Apostolica Leonis 〈◊〉 aduersus 〈◊〉 Primae lutberi baereses Galat. 3. 28. Ab eo quod 〈◊〉 est secundum Quid ad id quod est simpli citer A non causart 〈◊〉 c. called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 17. 25. 26. 2. 2. q. 104. * Seruitus qua bomo bomini subiicitur ad corpus pertinet now ad animam 〈◊〉 libera manet paulo ante ex 〈◊〉 in 3. de beneficiis Errat 〈◊〉 quis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in totū bominē descēdere pars enim melior excepta est Corpora obnoxia sunt ascripta Dominis Mens quidem est sui iuris ideo in his quoe pertinent ad interiorem motü voluntatis homo non tenetur homi ni obedire sed solum Deo c. Thom. A Vio Caietan Cardin. in summa D. Thom. 2. 2. Q. 104. super art 6. Defence of the Apology 4. part chap. 5. Diuis 1. c Esai 33. 22. Iam. 4. 12. Math. 22. 2. Mat. 10. 28. Luk. 12. 4. 5. 1. Cor. 7. 23. Gal. 5. 1. Gal. 3. 28. Colo. 3. 11. In the wordes is there that which in the schooles is called A fallation of the Accent 2. 2. Q. 104. Art 5. 6. c. Rom. 13. 5. Rom. 13. 1. c. Still a fallaciō from that which Aristotle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to that which he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. Cap. 19. sect 14. c. Defence of the Apologie I part Cap. 4. Diuis 1 c. The Alderman of Stamford the Comburgesses and the Recorder of the towne ministers and other of the countrey such as I haue 〈◊〉 Math. 6. Mat. 11. 16. 17. 18. 19. Luke 7. 35. Mark 2. 27. Iohn Story in the first Parlament of Queene Elizabeth This is reported euen by N. Saunders in Sto ries life devisibili Monarchia eccles Iere. 13. 23. Lewes 11. Pulcbrū est 〈◊〉 deludere Hyantes It is a pretie sporte to mocke the gaping Chaugh Ari st lib. 1. Rhe.
and easily inough entreated too as God bee thanked and her Maiestie their handes be tied nowe when they were loose they had shrewde argumentes suche as I euen nowe spake of and yet God to his glory and their shame gaue them that matched with them euen then receiued their argumentes and soluted them remaining themselues still by Gods power inuincible Since that time their religion hath gained but litle by speaking and wryting and I hope shall euery day lesse then other so mightie is the 〈◊〉 of trueth and preuayleth I see not why wee here may not make as great accoumpt of Christes Religion professed in this Church as you doe of your friendes priuate opinion and thinke and say as well of it and without bragge tell you 〈◊〉 religion hath been from time to time The common receiued religion of vniuersal Christendome so can 〈◊〉 so soone be abandoned for you and your fellowes 〈◊〉 and disliking c. We who set no newe religion abroch nor confesse acknowledge any other then the only true religion of 〈◊〉 Christ grounded on the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and taken thence may better auow proue our religiō then you can your friendsopiniō which vpō brag without proofe you so confidētly boast of The matter your Authour treateth of seemeth to you great waightie and important to Godward to her Maiestie and to many a thousand of her Maiesties best subiects This is the other and second cause of your dedication of this peece of worke to her Maiestie heere want no wordes to amplifie that withall which wanteth matter to vphold it and is nothing but wordes You tell vs what seemeth you both of your freende and the matter you can doe little if in wordes you cannot commend them both if that will serue the turne you haue saide your minde and giuen them your good word your opinion is not rested vpon the coloures of your Rethoricke carry shew but moue not One must trie prooue and looke into the thing as into the man also that you praise First we wishe the matter were important to Gods cause to her Maiesties soule estate and Realme and to the estate of her graces faithful subiects Then were it in deede a thing meete to be presented to such a Prince as is our dread Soueraigne and to come into her royall presence But al is cleane contrary there is as much as you can perfourme in this discourse to hurt hinder gods cause her Maiesties soule estate Realme to poyson and infect and thereby to alienate the mindes of y e good subiects of this land from their dutifull obedience to God their lawful and most louing dread Soueraigne ours if you could do more hurt we should be sure of it but we 〈◊〉 God against you for our defence whom we humbly beseech either to turne you or to preuent ouerthrow all your wicked deuises For particular proofe of things we referre it to triall vpon reading that both partes write in a worde denie heere still that you say and but say in wordes In this second sectiō of your Epistle you increase y e troubles too much y e you imagine to bee heere therein too vndutifully also vse your self towards our Soueraigne her lawes councellers ministers After you haue once menxioned it only you leaue quite out without prosecuting gods cause her maiesties soule estate realme which were your principall cōmendations of y e matter before you folow set out like an Oratour for your cōmoditie the pretended afflictiōs of your self other your friends y e papists heere This matter you amplifie heere you are carried with full wind saile as they speak What Such afflictiō extremitie of many a thousād of her graces most louing faithful duetiful subiects as neuer was hearde of before in England that for their consciēces Thus you too oftē cal Popish 〈◊〉 treason You write of a great matter nowe if it were true There is no doubt but you your fellowes giue this foorth in speeche wryting where euer you become that dare so boldly auouch it in printe before her Maiestie I remēber besides other what your seditious Sanders in an Epiftle before his visible Monarchie of the Churche reporteth of the crueltie of this his countrey as though there were some mafsacre or the shedding of many martyrs blood heere in her Maiesties most milde gouernement as I remember also his too vile lewde slanderous report in y e same booke for y t her Maiesty hath bin forced to execute some vile traitors for their too iust deserts which I here only touch by the way because I treat thereof at large els where You wold make the world beleeue that all your stirres here haue not risē of nothing as though you had had great occasion ministred for your seditious rebellious attempts frō time to time I blame you not in respect of your selues your epistle that can not blush but I blame you for sclandering her Maiestie the state realme you woulde make many thinke y t we are not our selues or very fooles y t can not see nor vnderstande of that at home whiche you by here say being so farre off can tell vs vpon report but fame and reporte you must remember goyng farre gaineth in cariage and euil will was neuer giuen to say well you woulde enduce other and her Maiestie also to thinke there were yet some bloody and butcherly Bishops like ye wote whome yet in her Realme vnknowen vnto her highnesse vnlesse to the great reioycing of her subiects heartes she went often and often among them both farre neere and had better intelligence of the estate of her whole Realme and all her subiects than you can giue her better opinion and liking also of the Ministers of her Maiesties lawes than you woulde she had massacres and hot burning execution haue bene and are the weapons of your side know the Authours and make much of the executioners You should remembre me thinketh in what you deale and with whome our soueraigne is merciful milde pitifull where she is not to much prouoked as swelt your harts you cannot denye nay you graunt it though it bee to your owne shames y t so farre so much prouoke her gētle nature but shee is you must vnderstande with other qualities godly wise and vpright way what that and the royall estate and dignitie of her crowne and authoritie require at her hands your conceiued griefs and necessitie shoulde not make you roue so farre without the compasse of the trueth as impudētly to suggest so manifest false things such Hyperboles that is excessiue speeches are scarsely currant and yet your writing is full of them Righteous lippes are the delight of Kings and the King loueth him that speaketh right things saith the wise man Surely M. Howlet if you marke your vsage thorowe your whole Epistle this way you may thinke
Heretikes and sectaries as you here report What fauour I praie you deserueth it at y t Queene of Englands hands if this bee true to haue filled her realme with 〈◊〉 and sectaries You plaine next of the good and wholsome lawes here made against poperie and of the execution thereof great cause I trowe if that were true ye falsly and sclanderously say more too Hereto you adioine for proofe certaine particular matters auowing the Loyaltie and obedience of you Catholikes towardes ciuill Princes and sharplie yea leawdlie by sclander charging other w t disobedience This is the some of that you write for the most part in eight of your next leaues A worthie matter to be treated of before her Maiestie when all is well waied But I must somewhat examine there is no remedie what you say a part and in order First you compare diuers religiōs together and shewe that poperie fareth hardely and the woorst Hardly sure can there be founde a worse religion and more contrarie to the sincere Gospell of Christ here professed or that so much troubleth the good and quiet estate of Christs Church in this lande and Realme and therefore needeth most looking too 3 THere are at this day in this your Maiesties Realme foure knowne religions and the professours thereof distinct both in name spirite and doctrine that is to say the Catholikes the Protestants the Puritanes and the housholders of loue Besides all other petie sects newly borne and yet groueling on the ground Of these foure sortes of men as the Catholikes are the first the auncientest the more in number and the most beneficiall to all the rest hauing begotten and bred vp the other and deliuered to them this Realme conserned by Catholike religion these thousand yeres and more so did they alwaies hope to receiue more fauour then the rest or at leastwise equall tolleration with other religions disalowed by the state But God knoweth it hath fallen out quite contrary For other religions haue been permitted to put out their heades to growe to aduaunce themselues in common speech to mount to pulpits with litle or no controulement But the Catholik religion hath been so beaten in with the terrour of lawes and the rigorous execution of the same as the very suspition thereof hath not escaped vnpunished FIrst let mee aske M. Howlet where you were when you wrote thus to her Maiestie you say in the beginning of these wordes in this your Maiesties Realme and in the latter ende againe this Realme Were you at Doway printing your book or occupied in Londō or els where in England about it the booke possible might be sēt to Doway or you bee printing it there another time shift it ouer I pray you Heere your wordes importe you were in Englande when you wrote this preface elsewhere in the same preface they import you were beyond Sea Alyar had neede haue a good memory sauing that you Catholiks can worke wonders and by coniuring make one and the same humane body to bee in many and diuers places at one time A man might make a doubt of this question but let y t passe When you would perticularly reckō vp y e seueral knowne religiōs not all approued nor allowed nay all disallowed condemned sauing that only one which is Iesus Christes but being onely in this Realme ye bring them into foure heads as for the petie sects that you are so priuie of as birds of your own hatching till they be fledge and come abroad that we may knowe them we can say little But your Popish religion M. Howlet were lesse vnhappie and both we the world should be lesse troubled with you nowe a daies if to speake but of religious men besides seculer priests among regulars it had but foure distinct religions and orders of beggerly fryers euery one stoutly standing against other in defence of his Patron and order of religion These be to to many and yet is the worlde troubled with a great many moe for besids the great swarines of these Locustes there be I wot not how many sectes or religions crept in so as the Popes them selues haue bin faine to restraine frō rashnes in instituting mo or newe religions for bringing in confusion And yet obserue gentle reader that the Pope hath authoritie to institute newe 〈◊〉 and none without his authoritie may doe the same obserue also that there be in Poperie old religions and newe religions c. It were 〈◊〉 long to speake of Canonists Schoolemen Thomists Scotistes and such other and the seuerall different opinions they holde but in the late dayes of Poperie here were there not sir as many religions and moe to besides your owne sectes Arrians Anabaptistes Libertines c. Though none in effect were persecuted but the poore Protestantes as ye call them These mens peculiar heresies in examinatiōs were commonly neuer touched peruse the recordes of these there was little or no accompt made in those dayes of ignorance and darkenes while men slept the enemy was busie in sowing his tares As you 〈◊〉 giue here names of sects to bring these times into hatred so all ambiguitie spitefulnes laid aside first take to your selues your religion some fitter name for true Catholiks we btterly denie you to be All are not Catholiks that take the name of Catholikes for so should the Arrians and other herettques in their time haue been Catholikes true Catholikes heretiques sectaries as antiquitie reporteth Under the name of Protestants ye comprehende all those y t forsaking the Pope Popish religion haue betaken thēselues to Christ and his holy Gospel grounding their religion vpō Gods word his heauenly truth comprised in the Canonical scriptures of the old newe Testament written by the Prophets Apostles and thereuppon are called in these tyntes Gospellers a fitter naine than that you call them by Protestants Of which religion and number wee acknowledge our selues to bee and thanke God for the same Cathari or Puritan heretiques I knowe none heere God bee thanked but I ghesse whome you meane Your Authour 〈◊〉 the whotter sorte of Protestants are called Puritans Nowe supposing their religion that you call the Protestants to bee the trueth of God as it is indeede and that you that will bee called Catholikes like not but condemne colde Catholikes as badde ones and require zeale and feruentnesse I pray you tel vs euen in your consciēce if Protestants bee to bee allowed whether sorte of 〈◊〉 are to be liked the whotter or the colder yet such still that ye abuse not your self as with their zeale carry ioine godly knowledge It is good to bee zealous in a good thing alwaies saith the holy Ghost And you wot what is said to them of Laodicea in the Reuelat. for that they were luke warme neither cold nor whot that they shoulde bee spued out We hope that if you whot Catholikes wil allow any Protestāts y e poore
I say in a masking Masse in a crucifixe Medall agnus Det and such other images yee call them lay mens bookes in a seely payre of beads so you speake your selfe and such other reliques then woulde I surely haue all men consider well the dayly exercises of our Religion which is Catechising and instructing of youth and the ruder sort in y e Articles of the beliefe the tenne cōmandements the Lord his prayer and other the principles of christian religion preaching and hearing preached God his holy woorde ministring and receiuing the Sacramentes of Baptisme and y e Lord his supper according to Christ his holy institution in the Gospel prayers to God for necessities and thankesgiuing for benefites with confession of sinnes and of our faith also and singing of Psalmes c. These are the vsuall and ordinarie exercises and the principal of our religion in our dayly meetings kept among Englishe men in the Englishe tongue Nowe let these be compared with your exercises that you set vs heere downe and with the other ceremonies of your Catholique Romane Churche and their Latine seruice at this day and then let iudgement hardly bee giuen whether of the two bee more to God his glorye the Churches that is God his peoples edification to heauenwarde and as God his religion best grounded on his holy worde as comformable thereto and so consequently to be receiued and imbraced with all thankfulnesse to God and our soueraigne I am perswaded M. Howlet that as in your motiues for alteration in so bad and corrupt a religion as yours is you moue very litle her Maiesties resolute and setled conscience on better groundes then yours for all your cunning and sugred speeches so this well weighed and rightly your friendes reasons and your glosing will gaine as litle to your side I can not followe particularly all your impudent 〈◊〉 slāders without vsing to much vnseemely tearms in geuing you that you deserue I will but touche so much as I shall thinke requisite the things that seeme needefull vnto me for the readers satisfaction and admonition I cannot let passe that ye say heere we were borne baptized bred vp c. in the Catholike Religion still ambiguitie of speeche but I guesse at your meaning you meane your selfe and your fellowes I suppose for we renounce and vtterly denie with thankes to God that wee or any of vs were baptised in Popishe or in any man his religion Wee were baptised In the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost in the name of Christ and into Christian religion and therefore is Baptisme called Christening and Christendome not Popening and Popedome I will not calculate your age M. Howlet and yet it may bee you were borne and bred vp in the time of the Gospel and profession of this religion many of your side I am sure were yet shal not neede to be rebaptised as though yee had been baptised in heretical religion by your opinion You were baptised wee hope In the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghoste for euery Popishe Priests forme in baptising wee haue not to answere looke you vnto it We finde in your owne decrees among other your corruptions of Gods holy orders his Institution recorded euen in the ministring of this sacrament of Baptisme in the Latine tongue that a Priest in Pope Zacharies time baptised a childe in too too barbarous vnto ward and vile a forme as is set downe in the margine Therefore not without cause bid I you looke to your Priestes and their doings afore time One may iudge there bee many holy things euill fauouredly 〈◊〉 vp among you I haue tolde you the order of Baptizing in our Churches for the circumstance of tyme when it is no great matter in this case looke to the substance Antichrist with all his corruptions and mischief coulde neuer ouerthrow the forme substance of Baptisme hithertoo not in the tyme of Poperie Let your Antichrist take his corruptions y t is his religiō Let vs thāke God for the substance of our Baptisme that wee neede not be Baptised againe reserued by God for vs and vnto vs in spight of Antichriste and the diuell in all ages To God greatly yea wholly To these wee are nothing beholding for the same and as litle or lesse for the corruptions they mingled therewith What ye meane when ye say we were borne in the Catholike religion is somewhat darke in a thing is diuersly taken consulte with your M. Aristot. we were borne and you too in iniquitie dead in trespasses and sinnes and are by nature the children of wrath aswell as others Thus speake the Scriptures If you meane as I thinke yee doe that wee were borne your selfe and all and Baptised in the tyme of Poperye wee graunt it But in or into Popishe religion wee denie it It is one thynge to bee Baptised in a Popishe tyme and another in Popishe religion keepe the woordes wherewith we were baptised In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost This is neyther Poperie nor Popishe religion Here vpon wee say your argument and your fellowes is taken from Sophistrie and is a Sophisticall and brabbling quarrell You may easily finde the fallacion Thus falleth the Bulwarke alone and of it selfe or is taken very easily that yee imagine impregnaable till it bee tryed or assaulted wee see and heare well inough what accompt yee make of this argument abroade to deceiue the simple Distinguishe whiche is not harde to bee done Betweene God and the Diuell Christe and Antichriste Poperie and True Religion Gods holy word and mens Inuentions Let eche one haue that is proper to him and it And this argument of being Baptised in the Catholike Romane religion as these men speake that is Popishe religion as wee truely speake will easily bee answered Her Maiesties clemencie that yee talke of and great mercie as it hangeth not on your commendation as needing the same so both it and the cares wherewith you disquiet her peaceable and quiet estate and perce her tender heart so much as in you lieth should make your hearts to bleed in your bellies rather then hers if they were not harder then flint neuer praise your loue to her Maiestie you are litle beholding to your neighbours that neede to praise your selues for no body els can Say not to excuse your peruerse wilfulnesse that ye are not able to remooue the cause because it is your conscience iudgment in religiō You haue framed your selues a conscience ye may as well remoue it Ye haue freewill 〈◊〉 yee say on both sides Yee could freely enough fall arise as freely I pray you by reforming your conscience and iudgement Lie not still in your owne myre and say yee bee perplexed because some of your doctours talke and teache perplixetie that men are sometime brought into whiche is but a foolishe opinion We will
pray to God yee may remoue it or come out of that diuelish conscience ye seeme nowe to pretende but this therewhilest we warne you of that yee take not the way by abstayning from holy Church assemblies where the proper meanes to winne you to God is to be had 7 BVt nowe these afflictions howe grieuous and heauie so euer they were yet were they hitherto more tollerable because they were not common nor fell not out vpon euery man and if there were any common crosse layde vpon them as there wanted not they bare it out with patience as their discredite in their countreyes who were borne to credite and countenaunce in the same distrustfull dealing with all of that religion notwithstanding their resolute redinesse to spende their liues in your Maiesties seruice and other the like afflictions which they shifted out with as they might But at this time present and for certaine monethes past the tempest hath beene so terrible vpon these kinde of men and their persecutions so vniuersall as the like was neuer felt nor feared before For besides the generall molestation and casting into geales both of men women and children of that religion throughout all partes of your Maiesties Realmes there are certayne perticulars reported here which make the matter more afflictiue As the disioyning of man and wife in sundrie prisons The compelling of such to die in prison whiche could not stande or goe in their owne houses The sending of Virgins to Bridewell for their consciences The racking and tormenting of diuers which was neuer heard of before in any countrey for religion And that which aboue all other things is most grieuous iniurious and intollerable is the giuing out publiquely that all Catholiques are enemies and traytours to your Royall Maiestie and this not onely to vtter in speach but also to let it passe in print to the vewe of the worlde and to the renting of Catholikes heartes which are priuie of their owne truth and duetifull affection towardes your highnesse estate and person This was written and put in print this Sommer past to a Noble man of your Maiesties priuie Counsell for the exciting of him to the persecution of all Catholikes by a strange braynesike fellowe whome Newegate possessed a long time for his phantastical opinions wherein he is so pregnant if men report truely as hee can deuise any newe religion vpon a weekes warning giuen him at any tyme. This fellowe affirmeth there that all Papistes as he termeth them are enemies to God and to your Royal Maiestie The which in his meaning toucheth so neere so manie thousande good subiectes in this Lande as I marueile that eyther his audacitie serued him to write it or M. Elmers officers woulde allowe to print it But it seemeth that Catholiques at this day are made according to the Philosophers prouerbe Praeda Mysorum That is laide open to euery mans iniurie a pray for euery one to bayte vpon and a common place for euery rayler to ruffle on and to rubbe his cankered tongue in their slaunder In all which great wrongs they haue no appeale but vnto God and to your Maiestie as Vicegerent in his place before whome they desire aboue all other things to cleare themselues from this greeuous obiected cryme of disloyaltie by protesting and calling the omnipotent knowledge of our great God and Sauiour to witnesse that they are deepely slaundered in this point and that they are as readie to spende their goodes landes liuings and life with all other worldly commodities whatsoeuer in the seruice of your Maiestie and their Countrey as their auncitours haue beene to your Noble progenitours before this and as duetifull subiects are bounde to doe vnto their Soueraigne Princesse and Queene only crauing pardon for not yeelding to such conformity in matters of religion as is demanded at their handes which they cannot do but by offence of their consciences indu ced by those reasons which more at large are declared in this Treatise following NOwe leauing the bragge you make of your resolute readinesse to spende your liues in her Maiesties seruice which as hitherto she hath not so God graunt shee neuer neede to proue your fidilitie and of your patience in your troubles dreamed of rather then founde proceede I M. Howlet to your newe persecutions and extremities as yee call them in deede to your shamelesse slaunders charging particular personnes before her highnesse whose chaste eares vnwonted to such impudencie you shold at least haue spared but yee make no accompt of that The other dealing beseemeth you well ynough whereupon making your entraunce vppon generalles still as true as the 〈◊〉 you talke of casting into Geales both of men women and children of your religion throughout all partes of her Maiesties Realmes Fye for shame are yee not ashamed tell trueth and expresse the cause wherfore or else peace Lying lippes are abhomination vnto the Lorde but they that deale truely are his delight Prou. 12. 22. Hee that dissembleth hatred with lying lippes and he that inuenteth slaunder is a foole c. Prouer. 10. 18. It is possible to bring some examples of imprisoning whipping and burning too of some children and infants of our mens in your kingdome besides women and men young and olde Let Bonner that dead is goe and other his mates Heere I remember what befell a woman in the Isle of Guernezey and her infant in the late dayes of persecution vnder Queene Marie howe both were cruelly burned the storie is to bee seene the people of the Countrey testifie of y t crueltie and the truth of the matter the deane and other that gaue the sentence aliue very lately and I thinke still and diuers of the executioners in her Maiesties dominions and out of prison too The profession of y e Gospel followeth not your Romaine Catholikes in thirsting after blood her Maiesties royall brest and her people and Realme except it bee a fewe that growe out of kinde are free from such barbarous and sauage crueltie Her Maiesties wil is it shoulde be so God be thanked therfore Leauing generals which yee plaine of but proue nothing yee come with like proofe that is none at al to particulars reported heere say you but by whome vpon what credit you say not of you and vpon your owne credit wholly At first clap you charge two not of the meanest bishops in this lande what dare not you doe to meaner personages but the best is you shewe what you are and what credit is to be giuen to you Your reports are lies and too shamelesse yeedeclare at pleasure in your Epistle of disioyning of man and wife in sundrie prisons c. What were your not disioynings in sundrie prisons but violent diuorcements of man and wife pronouncing the same without all warrant of God his worde to bee whoredome and worse then whoredome when it was Your hote burning if not both the maried couple yet one leauing the husband a
that the crime of Disloyaltie is obiected vnto you c. Heereuppon you puffe and fume or woulde seeme to bee angry yee amplifie the matter yee apeale yee protest yee bestirre you euery way heere is praeda Mysorum expounded and set out with dogge Rhetorike and much adoe The thing might haue been 〈◊〉 taken and vttered with more 〈◊〉 and modestie and your deedes if yee had any might better cleere you with wyse men than wordes will Your iudgement of the man in this passion and in your owne case will hardly bee esteemed This vpbrayding of imprisonment this charging with phantasticall opinions and shewing none and saying that the man with whome yee are 〈◊〉 can deuise any newe Religion at any time vppon 〈◊〉 weekes warning giuen him grounded but vppon this if men reporte truely This vncharitable and naughty dealing I say may sauour of immoderat choler and heate but of litle trueth or honest modestie you would scarsely be content to bee so vsed your selfe Though it bee no parte of the matter to stande in defence of particular men and their 〈◊〉 neither take I great delight in that course yet if that be the partie ye quote in your margine M. Howlet I answere not by reporte and heare say as you too lightly doe but vppon better knowledge that it is very vntrue a slaunder that you reporte of his deuising of any newe Religion vppon a weekes warning c. And that hee hath beene knowen neuer to haue altered his iudgement in Religion since hee first entred the profession thereof and at this day also thankes bee to God keepeth the true paterne of the wholesome doctrine of saluation and constantly trauaileth for the mainteynance of the Fayth against you and such other as fallen into Heresie impugne the same It maketh no great matter what you reporte of him or such other when almost yee can say well of no good man the worse hee heareth of you in this case the better wil hee bee liked among the godly Touching the matter I would your deedes M. Howlet and your fellowes did not plainely confirme and approoue that hee writeth if you bee so stifly addicted vnto Popishe heresie as yee seeme to professe and so obstinate in refusing by othe to acknowledge her Maiesties Soueraigntie giuen of GOD and by lawe propounded to her subiects heere Thinke not that it is this man his singular opinion in wryting and printing but the common opinion heere of the best that in the case you are ye be enemies to God her Royall Maiestie and the State that worse tearmes also may beseeme you your deserts wel ynough Bee not angrie therefore at this your to much stirring will but increase the opinion of you Haue you beene all this while in laying downe your griefes in disclosing your miseries and vnfolding at large nowe your pittifull afflicted case and such intollerable molestations as you cannot beare brought into such extremitie as neuer was hearde of in Englande before And is all come to this that the geuing out publikely in print of these woordes that al Papists are enemies to GOD and her Royall Maiestie is aboue all things the most grieuous iniurious and intollerable Is this the deepest wounde and the greatest hurte yee haue Is this such extremitie as was neuer hearde of in England before Alas seely mouse that appeareth after the mountaines great trauaile I woulde when your side commaunded wee had beene persecuted but by tongue and penne Is that bloody persecutiō forgotten nowe these 〈◊〉 man but wordes and in your owne estimation but the wordes and opinion of a straunge brainsicke fellowe holding phantastical opinions and vyle in the reputation of the worlde what neede you bee so much moued thereat Yee are of a noble courage file not your handes vppon euery one yee meete I see M. Howlet your choise and meaning heerein cunningly to seeke to treade vpon the hedge where it is lowest you are commonly in extremities either with the greatest or the least you can hardly keepe the golden measure and meane in any thing This renteth your Catholique hartes forsooth which are priuey of your owne trueth and duetifull affection towardes her highnesse estate and personne woulde to God that that is so priuey to your selues vnknowen to others her Maiestie at least to whome it appertaineth might bee made priuey to in deede by your submissions to her authoritie renouncing all foreigne power I woulde yee woulde haue made her Maiestie priuey before yee ran away made your selues slaues to that Beast of Rome I woulde before you had thus dealt with her Subiectes and Printed your booke without her leaue and against her minde you would haue made her Maiestie priuey of y e matter I would you would yet now at the lēgth returne home vpō her Maiesties commandement and intimation giuen vnto you of her pleasure and doe as some of your fellowes companie doe repent and stande to her Maiesties mercy Ye need not be ashamed nor afrayde you shal haue examples here before your eyes of honester men I feare than some of you will prooue except you doe the lyke This is good sooth and trueth and the duetifull and bounden affection of subiects this is good plaine English dealing man without Romish farded 〈◊〉 or deepe Italian fetches if yee bee so desirous to cleere your selues as yee pretende yeelde to this motion in time Otherwise your Rhetorique is but colde it perswadeth not all that you say or can say for your selues hath been is considered it is hardly worth the hearing Hee that prayseth him selfe is not allowed but hee whome the Lorde prayseth How if her Maiestie reply relie as you speake vpon her iust interest how if shee say ye plaine more than ye neede or haue cause for if this mans wordes be the worst is done vnto you that you make much adoe of a litle or nothing in comparison howe if her Maiestie tell you where the trueth of the matter is to bee tryed in deedes and good euidence words are in vaine and preuaile not howe if therefore shee 〈◊〉 you leaue flourishing that is a vaine praysing and vaunting your Loyaltie in glorious wordes set out with colors of petre Rhetorique 〈◊〉 you for her satisfaction and assurance goe to the matter and by taking the othe of submission testifie and approoue your obedience and shame your aduersaries that way Let another man praise thee saith the wise man and not thyne owne mouth a stranger and not thyne owne lippes Namely wee are bidden there Not to boaste our selues before the King You keepe no measure 〈◊〉 M. Howlet And in refusing conformitie to take the othe of obedience and to goe to Church vpon the reasons of the treatise folowing Ye maintaine a very corrupt conscience if it may beare the name of conscience which is so ill staied If words may be receiued your pay verely is good if deeds bee required your money is not currant That
Pope in his wicked Bulls hath at this day most wickedlie published and set abroade contayning a most diuelish Doctrine of Disobedience and a lyke practise what euer you nowe tel in faire wordes to flatter withall in opinion you agree with these woordes of D. Thom. and apply all to and against our noble Queene and this State as your practises too much prooue The wise man saieth Hee that hateth wil counterfaict with his lippes but in his heart he layeth vppe deceite Though hee speake fauourably beleeue him not for there are seuen abhominations in his heart Hatred may bee couered by deceit but the malice thereof shalbee discouered in the Congregation And that this that I tell you of is true among you hot Catholikes as you wil be called I wil at this tyme wade no farther in your S. Thomases summe nor in your Popes Decrees and other wryters of your side in former times But let me be bold as you doe obiect vnto vs the doctrine of one or two of our men so for all to set you downe y e words at least of one of your cōpaniōs or great pillers doctors rather of your present Popishe church that is fled from his Countrey Prince vs here to Rome and abroade there thence like a Popish Priest by practises wrytings seeking to stirre vp among other seditious rebellions and treasons against her Maiestie and this State which partly by wryting partly by posting betweene is according to Commission and trust performed by him so farre as hee may to the vttermost Saunders trauaile more laborious and 〈◊〉 then sounde Godly or wise in his huge peece of woorke of the visible Monarchy of the Church is against the present state of this Churche and Realme of Englande there needeth no other applier of the whole then himselfe I suppose all you hot Romaine Catholikes agree and bee all of one minde in this behalfe in the name of you all he speaketh for the rest especially seing their voices being asked they disagree not any I know for but 〈◊〉 y e same rather in their wryting In Saunders Epistle therefore To the most vnreuerend Cardinals Iohn Moron and twoo other before his visible Monarchie not only Iyingly and slaunderously chargeth he the godly lawes of this Realme with impietie tyrannie and that this I 〈◊〉 almost alone at this day in all Christendome plentifully yeeldeth foorth Martyrs so hee calleth the Traytours that haue been and a litle before the wryting heere of were executed heere for their trayterous attempts and other English Romaine Catholikes whereof in 〈◊〉 beaderoll hee reckeneth vs vp a rable But furthermore also 〈◊〉 stirreth vp the saide Cardinals as though it were very earnestly from hence sued for vnto them to trauaile by such meanes as they can to deliuer the people heere hee meaneth such as himselfe is from this so great and cruel tyrannie so hee calleth the most moderate and peaceable gouernement of her Maiestie whereunto also after congratulation and commendation for his former late dealing with this Realme her Maiestie and the State hee exciteth the vnholinesse of the Pope in his Epistle Dedicatory to him cōforting himself feeding other and namely his Pope with vaine hope this was about ten yeeres since that very shortly after the runnegate Catholikes and their fellowes shoulde bee restored to their Religion and places heere againe hee dreamed of a drie sommer Wee may easily gather howe and whence all the stirres here since arise and growe and what the drifte of al is If this bee not seditious doctrine and demeneanor rebellious and trayterous what is I pray you God lōg blesse and keepe her Maiestie among vs. Proceeding furder in his visible Monarchie thus mryteth he amōg other things It belongeth vetily to the Bishoppes especially both to pronounce the king himselfe an Heretike or an Apostata and also to declare that his subiects are afterward free from geuing him any obedience and that they ought to doe their endeuour that another bee out of hande put in his place Nowe if the subiects doe not looke to their office in this behalfe it longeth to the Pastors to prouide by any meanes they can that he that sitteth in the chaire of Pestilence raigne not in the Church of God this is the true obedience your Catholike Churche teacheth her children to yeelde to their Princes for conscience sake Is not saith Saunders the matter so c do not the Pastors watche for the soules as wel of kings as of those which obay kings It is their duetie therefore to omit nothing that they shall knowe to bee expedient for the soules health who seeth not that it is cleane contrarie to the soules health that hee should bee suffered to raigne ouer the Faithfull which is himself vnfaythful c Shal he then be worthie the name of a man that shal affirme that a wicked king ought not to be compelled to cleere and put himselfe out of his publique charge If at al surely hee must bee put out for Heresie How shal that controuersie be iudged without the resolution of the Doctors of the church c. Now Pastors Teachers of the churche can bee no Iudges of a king except the king be in that thing lesse and inferior vnto thē For neither hath an equal power ouer an equal nor an inferior ouer his superior We affirme therfore iustly that al Christian kings in matters appertayning to Fayth are so subiect to Bishops Priests that obstinately continuing in offending against Christian religion after one or two admonitions for the same cause they may ought by the sentence of the Bishops to be put from other tēporal gouernement which they haue ouer Christiās And yet againe after in the same chapter out of a great many I take but a fewe sentences Since therfore the wisedome of God hath not left his churche which is a Citie very well built defensed without a medicine for such a disease ne yet can any other medicine helpe than that may take away so euil a king from among the people and giue his kingdome to a better man Wee must beleeue that such power at least was graūted to the supreme pastour of the church hee commeth nowe from meaner Bishops to the Pope of Rome whome hee meaneth by that tytle in these words Feede my sheepe whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon earth shalbe bounde also in Heauen To foule and shamelesse 〈◊〉 of the holy woorde of God That the supreme Pastour may not onely excommunicate a wicked king but also free and set his subiectes at libertie frō all obedience vnto him For if so bee whatsoeuer Peter or Peters successour vppon earth loose bee also loosed in heauen then truely when rightly and orderly hee setteth faythful subiects at libertie from the obedience of a wicked king vppon earth the same subiects also are freed in heauen from the obedience of the same king Againe if whatsoeuer
peter or Peters successour binde vpon earth bee also bounde in heauen whensoeuer Peters successor of right and equitie commaunde any king eyther to leaue his Royall dignitie which hee so affected vniustly holdeth or to stoppe and hinder another king by all the meanes hee can which hindereth a faythful people from eternal life least hee perishe in doing wickedly that king is also bounde in heauen that is before God and his Angels to obay the chief Pontifical bishops decree except hee will haue his sinnes holden not forgiuen before God c. Heere is in general tearmes your Catholike doctrine truly set downe by Saūders who sent I trowe frō y e Pope tooke a long iourney into Ireland where of late it is 〈◊〉 hee was and still is to stirre vppe lyke a Capitaine and incourage the Trayterous hearts that he might meete with and to see this doctrine of Pope holines reuerently obayed and put in practise so farre as hee might against this state for the which purpose serued also your late flocking hether in sholes from beyonde Sea much about the same tyme and your more publishing of sedicious libelles than a good while before As lykewyse in the yeere 1569. Nicholas Morton an Englishe rennegate Priest the Popes Penitentiary at Rome was sent sayth Saunders by the Pope into England where hee deserued ywis to 〈◊〉 crackt a rope to stirre vp the Nobilitie against our Soueraigne to doe such other most vile offices c. Whose counsaile they that folowed in the North felt the iust rewarde smarte of rebels for their rebellion as the Romishe Irlanders did in folowing Saunders and his fellowes coūsailes of late Here the Popish obedience your Catholike Religion teacheth practiseth commeth in fitly and hath his proper place Now that this Popish merchants opiniō meaning towards her Maiestie this state in particular may be y e better knowē out of his general doctrine before deliuered Let vs heare yet furder himself in this one place only no more speake therof When the Apostolique sea sawe that Elizabeth was fallen from the Churche and that the whole Realme of England was therby become Schismatical it sent once or twise Legates into England to recal that nation backe againe to their duetie but there was not so much as a way open for those Legates to enter into the Island so farre were they of from obtayning any thing which being thus after ten yeeres amendement looked for and now almost despaired of Pius the 5. the chief bishop turning to that only medicine which could bee applyed to so great a disease In the yeere of our Lorde 1569. hee sent into England the reuerende priest Nicholas Morton an Englishe man a Doctor of Diuinitie one of his Penitentiary priests solemnely by Apostolique authoritie to declare to certaine noble and Catholike mē that Elizabeth which then gouerned was an Heretique and for that cause was by the very lawe fallen from al superioritie and power which shee then vsed ouer Catholikes and that she might lawfully be taken of them as an heathen Publican that they were not hēceforth bound to obay her lawes or commandements By which solemne declaration many noble men were brought so farre that they prouided not onely for themselues but tooke vpon thē also to deliuer their brethrē frō the tyrānie of heretikes May not we here iustlier charge M Howlets Catholike Religion his Pope his Bul. N. Morton Saunders their doctrine with teaching practising rebellion than he doth Luther and his doctrine Your floures of Rhetorique M. Howlet will hardly washe this geere away reade marke and iudge of the whole vprightly Now they hoped saith Saunders that al Catholikes woulde w t all their force haue assisted so godly a purpose But althogh the matter fel out otherwise than they looked for either because all Catholikes did not yet well knowe that Elizabeth was by publike Lawe declared to bee an heretike or else because God had decreed more sharply to punish so great a defection of that kingdome yet not withstanding those noble mens counsels or enterprises were to be commended which wanted not their sure and happy successe for although they coulde not bring al their brethrens soules out of the pit of Schisme yet both they thēselues did notably confesse the Catholike religiō many of them did giue their liues for their brethren But very fewe noble men by your leaue those taken rather through Gods prouidence by force than willingly yeelding themselues which is the highest degree of loue to doe as traytors the rest rid thēselues frō the bondage both of heresie sin into that libertie wherewith Christ hath freed vs y t they are become Satans sins slaues al the dayes of their life In old time S. Bernard had exhorted the Christians to goe to Ierusalem and yet was not the East Churche deliuered by that voyage but they rather which went about to deliuer their brethren from the yoke of the Saracenes died themselues a glorious death Nowe after he hath rehearsed at large a Munkishe myracle out of Godfry a Munke to shewe that that voyage to Hierusalem was approued of God Antichristes newe Gospel must and needeth to be confirmed by new myracles Thus he speaketh of the rebelles in the 〈◊〉 against her Maiestie and the State Who nowe but hee that is ignorant of Gods counselles whereof belike this good fellowe is very priuie dare say that that confession of faith proceeded not from God which certaine Noble men of Englande made in armes He meaneth the late Earles of Westmerland Northumberlande and their adherentes Surely that must needes bee counted a myracle saith hee that being almost fiue hundred of them which tooke armes for the fayth so reporteth hee of the Northren traytours which taken by the heretikes and put to death so calleth he the State and her Maiesties ministers of iustice there None of them was foūd which either forsooke the Catholike faith or accused the Authors of that warre of any fault They were very innocent and blamelesse sure vnder pretence of their popishe faith and religion to take the sword in hand against their dread soueraigne and ours they must be so supposed though this be iu deede most lewde in the highest degree And this man either was among them and verie priuie to euery one of their deathes or els which is most likely hee tooke thē report at their friendes mouthes and his at seconde or thirde hande at least But many of them being a litle before reconciled to the vnitie of the Church were well apayed and greatly reioysed in themselues that they shoulde depart this life before they shoulde with newe wickednesse defile the peace hee meaneth their reconcilement to the Romishe Church newely receiued and they wished not to liue any longer in that kingdome which nowe a good while had ceassed to liue in Christe
It had been better you had been hanged with them All of them at their death praied that the restitution of the Catholike fayth begun might be happily atchieued They reioyced by this tale in their owne miserie and wee in Gods blessing and the happinesse of our countrey deliuered and eased of such traitours So both sides were pleased and all was well Let Saunders himselfe nowe in Irelande doe the like and his complices and if it like him it shall not offende vs. But I thinke he they wil rather trust to a payre of heeles when they haue kindled the fire of rebellion if they see thinges prosper not as N. Morton and the Captaynes in that rebellion lefte the people when they had thrust them ouer the 〈◊〉 in rebelliō This is their manhood for all their great bragges A note of an euill conscience and an euill cause God sende vs better and more resolute Captaines in defence of Gods truth our Prince and Countrey He hath done it Thankes be to his Maiesties therefore I thinke the poore people of the North that were then seduced by N. Morton and induced by other that ran away and left them in the bryars when they had brought them into rebellion be sufficiently warned to take heede of suche mates a good while againe I pray God they be And he vouchsafe to giue all good subiectes grace to be warned thereby After he hath thus set vs downe a popishe Gospell and doctrine confirmed by like myracle or lying wonders c. Told vs also of a right confession of the Popish Catholike faith and religion indeede high Treason and rebellion and so was punished He reckeneth vp neere halfe a hundred by name of the most famous traitors rebels that were in the North popish confessors Martires must we needs repute thē as he doth c. I forbeare to enter any further in laying abroade the dirtie mire that this filthy varlet made a priest at Rome it selfe forsooth hath cast vs from him in his foresayde serpentine booke woorthylie Dedicated to Pope Pius 5. Hee may bee called Impius well ynough for his dealing towardes her Maiestie and this State about that verye tyme euen as his Successor since this very Pope lately also and still dealeth They can now a dayes treade in no other steppes M. Howlet commendeth the nuyete and modest proceedinges of the Catholique parte But hee that shall obserue the vnquiete and vnmodest wryting and proceeding but of this one Englishe Romane Catholike of his whiche is a chiefe Ryngleader among them shall easily in him learne by the stampe and marke to knowe an vncatholik or rather to vse M. Howlets phrase a Popish catholike and Sectarye euen As a Lyon is knowne by his Clawes so liuely sheweth hee hym selfe in his colours It seemeth they haue of late taken a newe course in wrytinge differing from the common sorte of their predecessors afore tyme for their writinges nowe a dayes besids the mingling of poyson and diuilishe doctrine of Poperie are farced full of sedition and treason as which seemeth to be their principall intent and purpose where vnto they driue in their traiterous bookes whiche they set abroade and bryng hither among vs. All lightly drawe in one line all agree in one and with the Pope and his wicked Bulles iumpe as the fitte foundation and meete matter to staie and feede all trecherye and Treason on Wee must needes haue recourse to some mens wrytings and bookes at least to shewe that they of M. Howlets secte and religion teach disobedience and rebellion against their Princes In some men likewise must we needs note demeanour behauiour else can we not perfourme that which hee so greatly heere prouoketh vs vnto Againe M. Howlet doth the like in charging aforehand the professors and profession of our Religion particularly and by name I trust therefore I shall bee borne with in taking the like course heere whereas otherwise I protest I had rather in silence haue passed ouer this matter then to haue entred so farre and in particulars The thing thogh abominable lothsom to all godly minds and to be 〈◊〉 and spit at of all faithfull subiectes in this Realme is yet too too notorious I omitte here Bristowes seditious motiues approued by Doctor Allen forsooth and such other Traiterous bookes all agreeing in one The answeres made vnto them by Godly and learned men may be seene of them that liste to vnderstande more hereof Let it suffice for doctrine by this taste out of their Popishe writers to haue shewed howe shamelesly M. Howlet heere entreth this common place of his Catholikes teaching obedience to their Princes and their quiet and modest proceedings and that to and before her Maiestie whom of all other Christian Princes at this day they most vilainouslye and spitefully deale with all setting downe in bookes thus expresly their doctrine and minde cleane contrarye to that they will here seeme to affirme Yet before I leaue this place of doctrine I wishe the reader among other the testimonies M. Howlet out of the old fathers quoteth here in the margin of his booke diligently to note and obserue Chrysostoms wordes in this very place that he sendeth vs vnto whereunto agree the wordes of Theophylact. a later writer of their side also vpō these words Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers c. Although thou be an Apostle saith Chrysost. although thou be an Euangelist although a Prophet or whatsoeuer thou be els for this subiectiō ouerthroweth not religion godlines c. Why thē should not your Pope himselfe be subiect to the Magistrate ciuill powre He is belike none of the children of the Catholike Church or els the Catholike Church teacheth not all her children without exception true obedience with the Cpistle c. Which you yet affirme by this fathers testimonie that you bring vs foorth We holde to this doctrine of Saint Paul Let euery soule c. And of Saint Peter also who calleth the king the Highest and it is well and truly thus explayned by Chrysostome without exempting any and in this point do you and wee disagree you see whome wee followe Now let vs come to see somewhat more of your Popishe demeanour towardes Princes The practise of Prelates and Popelinges and their whole studie and life at this day is almost nothing els but a putting in vre ofseditious doctrine and so hardly can the one be seuered from the other I will yet shortly touch two or three home matters of former times besides that I haue said leauing forraigne dealings abrod with Emperors kings of other countries c. What but naughtie demeanour of the Pope made King Williā in his time alleadge y t no Archebishop nor Bishop of his Reahne should haue respect to the Court of Rome or to the Pope what but that mooued the Emperour to reprooue King Henry the thirde for suffering his Countrie to bee so impudently impouerished by the
Pope as it was Himself also to plaine of that matter by his Embassadour in the Councell at Lions to represse the Popes Legate in this land 〈◊〉 were the Popes exactions here then What demeanour of Pope and popelinges was that towardes King Henrie the second before to take his Crowne from his head and so villanously to vse him in maintenance and defence of a villanous traitours cause as is reported I doe but occasion the Reader to consider of the hurly burlies of this false Catholike Churche and religion What was that demeanour to excommunicate King John to discharge his subiects of the oth of allegeance to stirre vp warre against him and at lengthto bereaue the King both of kingdome and life after hee had giuen his wicked definitiue sentence that hee shoulde bee deposed from his estate and had enioyned the execution thereof to y t French King for remissiō of his sinnes tohaue for his rewarde the kingdome of Englande he and his successours for euer Hee called this king Iohn his Vassall or tenant for y t after the Pope by his Legate 〈◊〉 phus had taken the Kinges Crowne into his hande once the good King coulde no other wise after inioy it but that hee must acknowledge that hee and his heires must receiue the same from the Pope This dealing of Pope Innocentius against King John may not bee thought strange for that in a solemne Councell helde vnder him at Rome we finde it decreed that if a Temporall Lorde being admonished by the Church doeneglect to purge his lande from heresie wee knowe what they called heresie then he shoulde bee excommunicated by the Metropolitane and the other Bishops of his Prouince and if he refused to make satisfaction within a yeere it shoulde bee signified to the Pope that hee from thence foorth shoulde pronounce his Subiectes to be free from keeping or yeelding fidelitie to such a temporall Lorde should expose his land to be inuaded by Catholik es To come nearer home and to speake of that most mightie Prince of famous memorie King Henrie the eight within mans remembrance what demeanour and proceeding was vsed in cursing excommunicating and suche like styrre keeping to disturbe that victorious King of Englande and the State of the whole Realme For our liege Ladie and dread Soueraigne most high and noble Queene Elizabeth what and howe many thinges haue beene attempted and howe many wayes also and yet still are the thing is freshe and common the rebellions so late in memorie the dayly practises and attemptes by Gods Prouidence so reuealed and met withal as I think yee can haue no face to stande in the deniall though your Epistle blushe not Shortly to say What Englishman soeuer borne in this Realme shall denie the superioritie or refuse to submit him selfe vpon the grounde of his faith giuen to the Pope of his Popish or Romane religion vnder the power authoritie and ciuill gouernement of our dread Soueraigne and Iawfull Queene Elizabeth as Gods Lieuetenant or chiefe minister be he Apostle Euangelist Prophet or whosoeuer and howsoeuer els yee list to call him in resisting the order and ordinance of G O D hee is to bee reputed of all men Gods enimie and no good Christian but a very naughtie man in so doing c. But suche are your English Romane or hot Catholikes as her Maiestie and the State chargeth you and all the worlde seeth and you your selues dissemble not in allowing your Popes Bulles and other writinges therevppon grounded agreeable thereto and in your ouuert and open dealinges whereof may easily bee gathered what maner of men yee are to be reputed towards God and the world although I hope well in God that there bee not many such heere in England Yf because you bee disputers yee aske Scholasticall argumentes and yet if one argue with you out of the scriptures you make little account thereof thinking the bare Scriptures so can yee speake too sclender stuffe to conuince you withall Therefore grounding vpon your owne doctrine which is of more waight with you and vppon the lawe of this Realme which decideth cases of Treason here I purpose God before to prooue some what further this way Albeit I must suppose that you bee not ignoraunt of the pointes of your owne doctrine and that true hearted Englishmen knowe the Soueraigntie of our Prince and Queene and so their duties towardes her Maiestie taught them first in Gods worde and afterwarde expressed heere further by the lawes of this Realme in Acts of Parliament c Yet hauing layed the one and the other as the foundation of the arguments that I minde to make you Let mee so much as shalbee necessarie heereunto note in summe the the wordes of your doctrine and our lawe and then from both see if I can frame some fewe Scholasticall arguments that yee may thereby perceiue that it is not hard for him that list y t way to exercise himselfe to bring many substantial argumēts against you in this case of doctrin demeanour of disobedience and Treason towards superiours Thus is it written in your popish decrees and thence taken and repeated by your D. Thomas in his summe where he treateth of subiects discharge frō the gouernemēt of their princes and from their othe and fidelitie towardes them Wee holding the statutes of our holy predecessours by Apostolique authoritie doe absolue them from their bonde which are bound by fidelitie or othe to them that be excommunicated and by all meanes forbid that they keepe not fidelitie to them till suche time as they come to satisfaction Now adde to this your Popes late traiterous Bulles in her Maiestics case and this Realmes wher with you are but too wel acquainted forget not your owne profession and doing at this day And so let the perpetuall doctrine of your supreme pastour and his supreme authoritie acknowledged receiued and in practise followed by you bee for one parte the grounde and proofe of the Arguments that I shall propounde vnto you Or if you 〈◊〉 furder let N. Saunders a principall piller of your Popish English Synagogue beyonde Sea speake particularly for all Of whose speache in this case I haue giuen you a taste before out of his visible Monarchie On the other part let those that bee presently of that state heere to go no furder of speake on the other side and reporte vs whether you hot Catholikes bee traitours c or no Fume not fret not at my wordes nor at any other priuate mans but examine y e matter your owne cōscience herein And because yee talke of the renting of your Catholike hearts at these wordes and the like which being double may with murmuring and grudging possible bee vexed to litle purpose and sone rent a sunder Therefore for your good this way here Gods counsaile rather by the holy Prophet Rent your heartes and not your clothes and turne to the Lorde your
make mention of and suche as your Authour or you seeme to promise shall followe and to shewe that the proceedings of your Catholike part bee not so quiet modest as is in wordes to her Maiestie heere pretended neither they such important a stay in euery of her Maiesties Countries as is heere iollily bragged Though vppon occasion I haue beene rounde in this matter and it may seeme sharpe that I here vtter yet let the matter bee well wayed and I shall not bee founde I trust to haue exceeded the bounds of truth and charitie I protest that I meane not to excite or stirre vp my Soueraigne to any crueltie or the State or any of authoritie heere though on the other side I bee so farre of from disliking of iustice and execution of wholesome lawes that though the same turne to the hurt and mischiefe of some yet I like that better then that an inconuenience should grow to the publike state Let mē looke to themselues but that it is not requisite or needefull nor my part to deale in prescribing nor yet in aduising the wisedome of those that rule this State I am so farre of from hastening any particular mans vndoing that I wold wishe which I am assured is without mee thought of and sought that all meanes might bee vsed to the recalling of men home conferrence and other before execution especially of death And is it not so I doe but preuent the aduersaries cauill and shewe my purpose and meaning I neede not nor list not to wade any further heerein The particular rebellions in the North Irelande and such other sturs from time to time by your Catholike part as to well knowne to all men I here omit Further to diduct and come now to answere that which is obiected in this behalfe to vs by the aduersarie whiche generally consisteth as the former in doctrine and demeanour For our doctrine of Magistrats obedience as we professe no other then that which is set vs foorth and plainly layed vs down in the holy scriptures So I marueile agayne that M. Howlet beyng an Englishe man leaueth out those publique testimonies and wrytinges of our 〈◊〉 in this matter whiche to the viewe of the worlde are published by this Church both in Latine and Englishe to expresse their iudgement herein and chargeth our doctrine with particular mens bookes and teachings of late yeres to bring hatred and displeasure or spitefully to wrecke and reuenge himself vpon some one man if he can doe no more where of though some be aliue yet others are dead so can not answere for thēselues but their books must be their clering to all y t world If the godly doctrine we professe here had bin by you read with a single heart before rash iudgemēt wel weighed as in y e bookes aforesaid is declared you would haue forborne I take it these words y t our final end is as our doctrine declareth To haue no gouernour or ruler at all Whence you tooke this doctrine you y t are so ful of quotatiōs here quote vs nothing And we tell you plainly y t things deuised by your brame or picked out of your fingers ends be none of our doctrine wee say it is a great and vntrue slander ye charge this Church with Her Maiestie though diuers times disturbed in her State by you false Catholiks hath raigned in a Gospelling time nowe aboue twenty yeres as chiefe gouernor by y t doctrine of y t Gospel ruler ouer y t professors thereof in much honor great quiet highly to Gods glory her Maiesties singular cōmendation y t exceeding comfort of all true harted englishe mē her Maiesties natural most bonden subiects and many moe yeres may shee raigne we dayly do beseech y t almighty to y t promoting of Christs holy Gospel y t benefit of his Church her own comfort honor Though it be to y t regret renting of all popish Catholike hearts in Christendome To charge our doctrine about Magistates w tall you set vs down three or foure sentēces takē out of three worthie men Christes faithfull souldiers and seruantes in their time The first is M. John Wickliffe one of our progenitours say you one of the singular instrumentes that it pleased God in his time to vse for the aduauncement of his Gospel say we and so rare a one that hee might iustly bee counted among the rest a bright starre shining and giuing light to a great many to their inestimable comfort he opened long since such a wicket as greatly profited the postetitie in Gods matters The seconde whom you alleadge is Doctor Martin Luther whose rare and excellent giftes euery way mightily both astonished the highest of your side in state Ecclesiastical and 〈◊〉 and no lesse furthered and profited Gods cause and encouraged all the godly by his godly and learned writings and otherwise The thirde is that odde and incomparable man of our time The reuerende Father and most painefull and faithfull Pastor and Teacher in Christes Church M John Caluin Whom thogh your heart swelt you can not discredite among Gods seruantes nor iustly staine his trauailes and writings left among vs for the benefite of Gods Church so hath it pleased his maiestie to blesse this good mans labours The Diuell I confesse as in other hath beene very busie in his instruments to deface and disgrace this excellent man diuers wayes but euer their mischiefes returned vpon their owne pates and they euen as many as haue risen and bent thēselues against him haue had the foyle to their shame Although wee highly prayse God for these men and for his great gifts in them as in others giuing them likewise their due cōmēdation as reasō is yet would I y t you M. Howlet and your fellowes shoulde knowe we make none of them nor them all our Pope to depende of them and their authoritie ne yet the Authours of our religion as you do the man of sinne at Rome But we reserue this priuiledge to Jesus Christ alone w tout being addicted to any mans doctrine or writings for faith and religion further then he shal teach vs by canonicall scriptures All these men are dead gone ye might haue let them rest in peace w tout slanderously charging them if it had so pleased you M. Howlet But it shall not be amisse to enter into particular examination of that ye say first therefore let vs see what it is yee charge M. Wickliffe withall and howe you doe it Iohn Wickliffe say you one of their progenitors teacheth that a Prince if he rule euill or fal into mortal sinne is no longer prince but that his subiects may rise against him and punish him at their pleasures If Wyckliffe should haue holden any errour the times wherein he liued considered it were not greatly to be marueyled at God rather is highly to be praysed that in so corrupt and blinde times he sawe and helde the truth in
are with you and to many such Praeda Mysorum it is your owne Prouerbe taken out of Aristotles Rethoricke and Rethorically amplified and handeled speaking against this man that yee will now needes quite but this man that you reuenge your selfe vpon First telleth you those Preachers you talke of were none of his he sendeth out none Next that hee is not bounde to answere for them though in so 〈◊〉 a cause that be not harde to bee doone This might M. Howlet easily thinke considering that euill will is not giuen to say well That her Maiestie and all other that shoulde reade that he setteth foorth in printe woulde hardly beleeue amongest so many vntruthes this report of his proceeding from such a reuenging stomack as seeketh therby to quite his enimie which doctrine he taketh out of Philosophie and from his Maister Aristotles Rethoricke rather then from good diuinitie and the Scriptures yet it may agree with his Catholike religion well enough Againe hee might thinke the grounde and truth of the matter woulde bee looked into which is not hard heere to bee doone Next he alledgeth a Minister to be his Authour in the report of this matter but that is for his vantage he nameth him not neither thinke I he can name any such hee were too notorious an hypocrite and false brother so lewdly to belie and betray his brethren Neuerthelesse that is possible for among Christes Apostles there was a Iudas This dealing might haue much impayred his credite with you sauing that you lye in awaite to trappe the innocent with all godly and honest men that list to vnderstand heereof if there were any such man Whereof giue vs leaue to doubt till we heare more hee will be abhorde for his double dealing you for your impudent reporting of so manifest a sclander Did the Minister tell you the matter himself Or did some other that hearde it of him or some bodie els tell it you from him You were not we must suppose at the exercise your selfe Take heede of too light crediting reports M. Howlet and especially of reporting them againe and that to her Maiestie and of putting them 〈◊〉 in print too the viewe of the worlde that is your foundation and entrie Proceeding yee obiect disobedience to the Preachers that woulde not obey the Bishops letters prohibiting the fast at Stamforde There are but too many such as you be that by sinister informations and sclaunders goe about to hinder godly and holy attempts fishing out some thing whereby to stay y t same by all meanes they can But God be praysed such false and light reportes such naughtie dealings haue turned and doe commonly turne to the beginners shames and to Gods glory the more and his peoples good and comfort as in deede this did for though this godly exercise were a time stayed by misreportes yet at length was it taken in hande with the good countenance and liking of authoritie whereof you and such might learne to giue ouer such rustie cankered practises and to take a new and better course if ye had any grace It fareth now adayes gentle Reader in the building of Gods spirituall house and Citie which is his Church here vpon earth euen as it did in old time which conformitie and likelihood may serue greatly to our instruction admonition and comfort when at Gods appointment the house and temple of God and the Citie Ierusalem were to be reedified God stirring vp for that purpose King Cyrus and Darius preparing the heartes of other of his people to further and aduaunce that worke as we may see in the holy stories of Ezra and Nehemiah the thing 〈◊〉 well begun was greatly hindred somtime by colourable vndermining after a politik maner by false accusation making cōplaint euē to the king somtime by conspiracie open force violence yet notwithstāding all preparatiōs and subtill deuises cōming to naught the work though with much a do by gods meruellous prouidence went lustily luckely forward and was at y e last happily finished There was on the one better side though lesser weaker in the sight of man Zerubbabell Ieshua Ezra Nehemiah y t prophets Haggai Zechariah c. as chiefmen amōg the people of God w t their band cōpany There were on y t other side Rheū Shimshai Tatnay Sanballat Tobiah Geshem their cōpaniōs in Samaria the people beyond the riuer mighty enuious Cheeneth Arabians Ammonites Ashdodims other w t Shemaiah Noadiah c. false Prophets hirelings and hypocrites many great ones The kings with whome both parties had to deale being Heathen men were somtime no maruell against the matter especially being stirred vp by the malice of the aduersaries to this building their often and many complaints handeled with great cunning pollicie which more troubled and hurt the seruants of God and hindred their godly proceeding as hypocrites alwaies doe than any open violence but which was to be maruelled at euen those Heathen kings were sometime fauourable forward and with the matter Gods prouidence and blessing so ordering the whole worke till it were atchieued as namely wee see vnder the good kinges Cyrus and Darius Now to leaue the state of the Churche in other Realmes by Gods maruellous goodnes we haue at this day raysed vp vnto vs for one a principall parte not a heathen king or a Cyrus Darius To fauor set forward y t building of gods house among vs but a Christian Soueraigne Prince herselfe professing y t Gospell of Christ Iesus who doth not stand by looke on y t builders but bending her royal authoritie and wisdom to y t defence maintenance of y e truth repressing of error falshood so moderateth the whole that she greatly encourageth all gods people her obedient subiects terrifieth the aduersaries her maiesties Counsellers the Nobilitie the spirituall Pastours the other officers Ministers of y t lawes are likewise professors setters forward of this busines in their degree calling to the great cōfort of the common people those of the lower sort whereupon the aduersaries how many and how mightie soeuer they be may be the lesse able to doe hurt Yet to waken vs to keep vs frō securitie we shal not lacke neither haue we to maruel therat or be discouraged enimies as lōg saith M. Howlet as ther is either head or hand remaining loose in the world We shal not lacke hypocrites false accusers conspirers violent dealers seditious persons c. we shall not lacke stinging Hornets like the Horonites Ammonites Arabians we shall not lack a Rehum a Shimshai a Tatnai a Tobiah a Schemaiah c. that in a rout will vndermine and oppose themselues to the Gospell But God bee thanked we neede little feare them hauing that mightie God so mightily standing on our side and blessing vs with such a Soueraigne and state as he doth Wherefore let vs now M. Howlet be
as God in this case as not sinning in following his erronious csōcience sinning if he do not according to the same is besides reasō warrāted of this man by y e M. of y e Sentences by Austin the common glose In the next article is demaunded agayne by M Holcot whether any man may merit by a false faith In this article hee answereth and saieth shortly that one may merite by a false faith in many cases It is a common case among the people he putteth many cases to proue his saying and that some taken out of the Scripture very clarkly you must suppose amonge other hee sayeth Put case that some olde wife heare her prelare a great matter I tell you preache some hereticall article whereof shee is not bounde to haue any faithe perticularlye I expresse his worde as well and as playnely as I can yet she for the obedience she beareth and good wyll to beleeue whatsoeuer the Church beleeueth agreeth willinglye to that he sayeth which is heresie thinking that the Church beleeveth it the case being thus wee must say sayth this Robert Holcot that this olde woman in beleeuing heresie doth merite or doo a meritorious woorke as they speake in Schooles because she beleeueth an errour which by no meanes can be imputed vnto her that that is to be beleeued which is condemned and therefore by implication she beleeueth the contrarie because she beleeueth that this is the true faith Nothing is true but that which the Churche beleeueth to be true And therefore because the implicate faith is true although the explicate be not true whereunto she is not bounde but she is deceiued by simplycitie therefore is there no daunger to her of error Not much vnlyke to this hath Peter Lumbarde the M. of y e Sentences a question answer which also is repeated with approbation by Gratian whiche possible gaue occasion to Holcot to moue and decide his If an heretique saith the M. shoulde vnder the name of Austin or Ambrose c. offer himselfe to some Catholique and call him to the following of his faith if he should agree into whose fayth shoulde he be sayd to haue consented Not into the Sect of her etikes but into the sounde vprightnes of the Catholike fayth which the heretike lyingly sayd he had Much more I trowe if a Catholike prelate propound heresie Here is heresie propounded by a Catholike teacher and by an heretike here is the same hearde receiued beleeued and consented vnto without danger heere is the partie excused naye defended to doe well and to merite or to doe a meritorious woorke What can be sayde more in commendation of the best woorkes that men can doe the best woorkes that men doe come in deed short of this degree In this diffuse and intricate disputatiō of Erroneous cōscience in matters of Fayth religiō and doings of men in the first table of Gods commandements mooued and resolued by questions and answers hast thou in these men a viewe gentle reader of some of the deepe misteries of the popish religion which what sounde matter of godly edification they containe I referre to thy godly 〈◊〉 and iudgement furder to examine and 〈◊〉 to examples in the Second Table wherein their veastly 〈◊〉 in this case of erronious cōscience is yet better and more easily seene in cloking excusing 〈◊〉 sinne Let vs take but the seuenth commandement onely Thou shalt not commit adulterie To note howe the breach thereof vnder y e pretence of error and conscience is 〈◊〉 which example is common and commeth often with these virginlike Friers Thus saith your Maister if a mā leauing in his coūtrey his wife going into a far countrey matrie another afterwarde repenting would leaue her affirming that he had another which is aliue and the Church suffer him not being ignorant of that he affirmeth Heere is demaunded whether in this seconde knot there bee marriage Surely it may bee said that it is not marriage and that the woman is excused of crime by ignorance but that the man hath committed adulterie It is wel thus much is cōfessed marke that wel But that since the time that being willing not able to returne to his first wife hee is compelled by the Discipline of the Churche to retaine and keepe this seconde woman hee beginneth to be excused mark this stuffe by obedience feare for this that he if this second woman require it lye with her of whome hee neuer ought to demaund the same And so haue wee to iudge of other like cases thus farre the Maister Heere where the parties conscience mooueth him to leaue sinne and euill and to doe well must he sinne and doe against his conscience beeing good ye see why how the authoritie of the Church the Popish discipline is great I tel you in perplexitie he may be dispensed withall If his conscience bee naught he may not do against it vnder paine of damnation Againe heere is whoredome confessed and yet marke howe the partie that committeth it is excused Thus is the mans conscience in perplexitie for the sinne of whoredome clarkly releeued in excusing his continuance therein But the Maister is some where holden some where not of all whiche though in this case wherein I shewe what hee holdeth it make no great matter if some followe as hugo or who yee will some followe not yet 〈◊〉 will they 〈◊〉 swere for him in another place wherein hee is holden and followed That a man lying with his wiues 〈◊〉 by ignorance is excused if shee come to his bed at vnawares it is called the ignorance of the person for hee tooke her for his wife and lay with her with an husbandly affection as with his wife It is made Jacobs case with Lea forsooth c. But with what conscience shall hee bee excused herein with the very same I trow that the maister the Councell and the Cannon law pronounceth him to bee excused y t 〈◊〉 with a naughtie and erroneous conscience as they speake For I am sure by a right conscience hee neuer shall bee excused before God from committing incest The Similes that they goe about to prooue this matter by there are euen like stuffe and the same wee haue hearde before The glose and the marrowe set downe more If a married wife bee lyen withall ignorantly there is no whooredome committed And againe whooredome is not committed without guile c And yet a little before If a womans husbande bee dead and shee beleeue hee be aliue if shee marry shee is giltie of whoordome though she haue not committed whooredome sayth the glose suche I tell you is the force of an erroneous and lying conscience vpon this excuse of Whoredome and the dentall y t it is any is grounded on that which Gratian elswhere telleth vs That if a blinde man beleeuing hee lyeth with his wife defile another woman hee is
shorter Be your selfe iudge herein M. Howlet If you tell vs your conscience in deed or let the world tel To whom you refer vs in comparing her maiestie our most dread soueraigne Queene Elizabeth and her peaceable and milde gouernment hauing beene so greatly disturbed and prouoked to the contrary and other princes and the former times that haue not been acquainted with the profession of the gospel And againe you say and truely that her maiesties noble mercifull disposition is knowne and renowmed through out the worlde The world you say doth know how that the great mercie and clemencie of her Maiestie hath staied oftentimes and restrained penalties from their execution and from the ouerthrowing of diuers men c. It doth so indeede and so doth it by experience of the sharpe executions done aforetime by your procurements and the ouerthrowe of diuers both men and families which feele the smarte at this day As you call your selues Catholikes and vs protestantes yea heretikes at pleasure so in like manner say you and say only your religion is the old so ours must be the newe religion wee are gone out from you and not you from vs. c. But leaue these enuiously deuised doubtfull and rackt tearmes of yours vs. c and haue recourse to the scriptures Let vs there and thence make our plea and then you shalbe founde to be that ye call vs we to be that you would so fain chalēg to your selues to beautifie your euil cause as it needeth Else let the word of God be iudge between vs and look who be found to haue swarued from the Prophets Apostles doctrine or 〈◊〉 haue gone and fallen from that and them let those be heretikes Spare not In the meane while in our iust defence let our denial suffice to answer the vniust 〈◊〉 and accusations bringing onely words without any proofe Concerning the comparison ye make of her 〈◊〉 this state with other princes and states not Christian onely but Turkes and Infidels your meaning and drifte therein may easily be espied It deserueth another answer than my words yet to clere herein both our soueraigne the state towardes the world I tolde you before that your case is not like to Turkes and Infidels Besides her maiestie and this state are not bounde to follow other Princes examples she being as free as they are in y e gouernmēt of her people whē doubt may be made First whether that be true you tell vs of Princes and their order of gouerning Infidels Haue you beene brought vp among the Turkes haue you trauailed into the Indies and farre partes of the worlde that you tell vs of to know this you report vs of the Infidelles c Know you of your selfe that this was neuer yet practised Or goe you by report onely I think you take it at other Next doubt may be made by Princes and states whether they you talke of vse those Infidels that be vnder their gouernement well and vprightly and whether euen in this point they doe well or no that being supposed which you affirme of them which thing they had neede and will vnderstand too before they 〈◊〉 bounde to follow their example in gouerning the people subiect vnto them This is reason and princes ouer other princes and states chalenge no such superioritie of prescribing in order of gouernment as you here too vnaduisedly doe Neyther are princes too curious to enquire examine and iudge how the rest order their subiectes in such cases but content themselues with ruling their own people in y e feare of God according to their owne dutie and Gods worde I adde yet further that whereas you alleadge It was neuer yet practised nor euer thought lawfull by the Catholike church that Infidelles should be enforced to any one act of our religion And running stil to your D. Thomas say vide D. Thomas c. I answer and say that Thomas his question is Whether Infidelles are to be compelled to fayth or to beleeue Which because it is aboue mans power to doe as beeing the gift of God or as he speaketh To receiue fayth pertaineth to the will and the will cannot be forced Therefore no mortall man may as seemeth take vpon him to force that which he cannot perfourme But your question is of perfourming any acte of Christian religion comming to Church the one that is faith is a heauenly inward gift and is in the hearte the other that is comming to church c. is an externall and outwarde acte and a profession of religion or an inducement and outward exercise and means to bring vs to fayth and to encrease and continue the same in vs. Now we say that the ciuill magistrate hath not onely authoritie frō God but is of dutie bound to maintain Gods honour and as a principall parte of his charge to see the cōmandements of the first Table of Gods lawe outwardly kept and perfourmed by al his subiectes without exception so much as he may punishing the trāsgressors also vnto which honour of God and first Table of his commandementes pertaine the actes and outward exercises of Gods true seruice and christian religion As then wee highlye praise G O D dayly for her maiestie in this behalfe and for the singuler care she hath ouer vs her poore subiectes to prouide vs of preaching and other meanes to bring vs to God and to furder vs in all godlines So doe wee tell you plainly that her Maiestie by authoritie may doth therein but her duetie enforce you to haunt Church Assēblies to heare the preaching of the Gospell c. Which bee the proper meanes to beginne encrease and continue faith and godlines in you and vs. Her part her care and charge it is to prouide and take heede nothing bee put vppon her people in Gods matters his seruice but y t which is warranted by his holy word which whilest her maiesty is occupied in you disturbe her Godly proceeding too much out of season time too vndutifully D. Thomas euē in his question of Infidelles sayth They are to be compelled yet of the faythfull if they haue power not to hinder Chtistes fayth or religion eyther by blasphemies and rayling or by naughtie persuasions or else by open persecution and violence c Marke well your D. Thomas his poyntes Now if Infidelles which were neuer Christened maye bee compelled in these thinges by your Thomas his iudgement much more maye you be restrained in your rages and violente and vnreasonable dealings punished for your disturbances and printing and spreading of seditious libels and bookes to the hinderance of the course of Christes Gospell amongest vs and the peruerting and poysoning of diuers especially such as are of the simpler sort and therfore easily seduced And this is not disagreeing from Thomas his wordes though you cannot abide to haue the same appli ed to you be it neuer so true in you This is your faulte D. Thomas
doctrine and demeamour where is that now here you demaunde a safe conduct before you will come into your Princes power and presence A token of an euill conscience What haue you done man that you are so afraide of her Maiestie that you dare not come home into your natiue Countrey to your naturall Prince and Mother as yee pretende in speech without good warrant for your safetie This is a strange and vnwonted kinde of dealing of good and honest subiectes with their Soueraignes and Princes Her Maiestie is vpright shee will doe you no wrong shee is compassionable and mercifull also you confesse it why doe you not put your selfe into her gracious 〈◊〉 handes Is this a louing and dutifull childes dealing with his naturall Mother Is this your Catholike obedience in deede towards our Queene and Prince when shee commandeth you to come home who when you list your selues can not by any prohibition bee keept hence Here here M. Howlet commeth in fitly the tryall of conscience you talked of afore Here commeth in the place of scripture for you to cōsider of y t I take you cited out of S. Iohn before Yf our hearte condemne vs God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things Here in summe commeth in the doctrine of Obedience to Princes for conscience sake as to God himselfe c. That you before said your Mother the Catholike Church together with the Apostle teacheth her children If you bee a naturall child and not a bastarde shewe your selfe nowe and heare when you are called For a childe honoureth Father and Mother where is this honour reuerence loue duetie c. All is to seeke you minde not to come before her Maiestie but vpon sure grounde once You can prouide for one I perceiue to keepe your selfe out of gunne shot you will bee a right Thraso and set your selfe behinde rather then bee in the front or forewarde when there is any danger to your person you will abide no brunt by your will you loue to talke of the matter but it shall bee a loofe and with condition What I say Be not too cowardely and too fearefull doe somewhat like to that yee talke Some deale answere your hie wordes else all the worlde will crye shame on you that so instantly craue disputation as a Suter for it and then will not vouchsafe to come to it but vppon further warraunt from your Prince Her Maiestie hath pardoned as great faultes as you haue committed Bee sorie in deede for former offence and put your selfe at least into her mercifull handes to whom you so smoothely write I pray God I spend not woordes vpon you in vain I am in doubt it is no parte of your meaning openly to come home except you may haue proclamation or letters patēts or some such stay for your safetie This is y e testimony terrour of an euil conscience you must for your safety haue her maiesties safe conduct in as ample manner as it was offered to those of our side by the councel of Trent A high point wherein there is great reason and wisdome sure that the Pope and Popish Bishops beeing strangers and our mortall enemies who not themselues only breake all faith and promise but teach and persuade princes and all other to doe the like with those of contrary religion whō they call heretikes that these men I say should haue as great credit with englishmen in her maiesties dominions as her selfe who is our naturall and most honorable louing Princesse and Queene shal haue with her english subiects wher at can you blush M. Howlet y t dare thus impudently write to our dread soueraigne Me thinketh it should haue made penne ynck paper and al to haue blushed if there had been any blushing in them we refused to accept that offer frō the Pope his councell of Trent Great reason M. Howlet answered why a good while since But you will not refuse her maiesties warrant for your saftie I am ashamed though you be not of your ouergrosse cōparison Is the case alike you say you would haue her maiesties onely worde set downe vnto you in no ampler maner then the Councell of Trent made the safe conduct to your aduersaries Those that you call your aduersaries to whome your Popes bull or safe conduct as you call it was directed by name or with whom it had principally to deale were protestant or Gospelling Kinges Princes states or publike persons commonly if any of that profession rather then priuate and obscure persons such as you and we are who without leaue of superiours coulde not go thither namely out of England It is sayde your Popes safe conducte was that the libertie of comming to that councell pertained but to them onely of our men that would repent and return to the boosome of your churche whereof hee that in english list to see more let him reade the Defence of the Apologie wil you now accept her maiesties offer in like maner on this churches behalfe ye say you desire it in no ampler maner than the counsel of Trent made the safe conduct to your aduersaries Whether it were the councels safe conduct the Popes Legates or the Pope of Romes himself who summoned the councell or which of the 3. Popes it was vnder whom that councell was Al is one Hee was and needes must be the iudge in the Councell who is the aduersarie parte and hath himselfe to answeare and yet the Lawe is that he that is cheefe in iurisdiction ought not to geue iudgement to or for himselfe Lastly sir vppon whose safe conduct soeuer our side had come to Trent Councell they had beene required either to haue yelded when they had come and conformed themselues or to haue been excom municated accursed and condemned for their labour Tell vs whether you list to come hether on like condition Thus writeth Harding your owne man of going to the Councel of Trent In deede sayth he had ye gon thither your heresies had beene confuted your selues required to yeeld and to conforme you to the Catholik church or else you had beene Anathematized accursed condemned For that was the foundation and condition of the safe conduct which was neuer willingly graunted as seemeth but extorted by the Germanes importunitie the fathers of 〈◊〉 Councell hoping as they pretended their recouerie and returne to their Catholike religion wherein they were deceiued And this safe conduct was first graunted not by the Councell vnder Pope Paule the third but vnder Iulius the third his successour after many sessions and yeeres passed too as seemeth and repeated by the Councel vnder Pius the fourth many yeeres after againe Now that the foundation and purport and meaning of this safe conduct that M. Howlet here mencioneth may appeare and be the better knowne to the Reader I set downe these words following as they were propounded in the first session vnder Pius the fourth immediatly before the safe conduct graunted to the
Rome and Romane which be particular wordes restraining the word Catholike wee are content to call it with your fellowe M. Howlet in his EPISTLE DEDICATORIE the Christian Catholike Religion or the holy catholike and Apostolike Religion of the first Instrumentes and Planters thereof as wee see set vs downe in their writinges or such like speech for the knowledge distinction and triall of our religion we refuse not We are not wedded to one forme of words in that that may be diuersely expressed as in time and with time tearmes and speeches that for a time serue men varie but we woulde auoide cloudie ambiguitie in speech if this I haue now spoken of be the true religion ye receiue embrace and beeleeue we doe so with you and you with vs that is wee agree But vnderstand withall that hereby we ouerthrowe all Poperie and Popish religion as we doe Anabaptistrie and all other false religions whatsoeuer deuised and erected by men not warranted by Gods holy written worde call ye the same Romane Italian Germane French Spanish English Scottish or what else you will where and of whome soeuer it be professed all is one either it is that I haue here shortly described or els it is false and naught The true and Christian catholike religion is not tyed to any certaine place person or time but belongeth indifferently to all the Faithful in al ages and in all places eyther therfore tel vs whether you meane by the catho like Romane religion that Religion which the faithful people dwelling at Rome helde in the time of the Apostles To whom S. Paule the Apostle of vs Gentiles and so of the Romanes wrote the epistle extant and entituled to the Romanes as he did diuers other to particular churches of y e Gentiles as y t thē was hauing yet beleeuing Iewes among them Or if you take it other wise make y e religiō you meane first agree with that religion which those Romanes then helde and were instructed in which was all one with that of the Ephesians Phillipians Thessalonians and other Churches planted by the Apostles and with ours now or ours rather is one with theirs the which is expressed vnto vs in their writinges whereto we sticke and not to the places and people or persons that haue succeeded which all haue greatly swarued since frō y t they then were Or else if you like not to call your religion to this triall keepe your supposition to your selfe as false til you haue prooued the matter for we cannot to be plain w t you nor we may not receiue the Romane religion as it is at this day and hath beene now some hundreths of yeres for the Truth much lesse for y e only truth vnlesse we mind withal to quite abandō God his eternal Truth expressed vnto vs as his reuealed will that is in the canonicall Scriptures of the olde and newe Testament which is commonly called The holy byble as directly contrary to your Romane and Popish religion at this day as white is to black Truth to Falshood Christ to Antichrist God to the Diuell wherof let that booke be the iudge betweene vs. Looke whose religion that booke will iustifie looke whose it will condemne that doe we likewise iustifie or condemne by what name soeuer it be called what coulour or shewe soeuer bee set vppon it wee must bring it to that triall It is not the name of traditions It is not vnwritten verities It is not multitude c which be the props and pillers of your Romane church and religion that can call vs from the infallible written Truth of God howeuer therefore your glosed and false supposition maye satisfie your side or serue a glosed and false religion it cannot serue this church and state you may not looke to haue it by and by receiued of the Queenes most excellent maiestie of the honourable Lordes of her priuie counsaile and other the godly learned wise of englād You might think y t could not nor would not perswade so godly and honourable personages that is meeter for the ignorant sort and fooles you must lay a better foundatiō you must bring better euidence before your Reasons can conuince Suppositions shoulde be certaine principles and euident truthes not so manifest falshoode as this is to be receiued without proofe wee can not suppose at least we cannot knowe that is not I wishe therefore ye had trauailed in proouing this captious and false supposition that after your reasons might haue come the better to their effect end of cōuincing or we seen your feeble weakenes in your cause But that you were not able to perfourme you thought best to suppose and occupie your selfe in flourishing with shew of 〈◊〉 reasons groūded on false principles rather then forciblye to prooue or to reason soundly But Aristotle could haue tolde you that in Art of reasoning thus to doe is to make a Paralogisme or in plainer english to speake it is a kinde of iugling and of false and naughtie dealing Suppose not that the Romane religion as it is at this day is the onely old religion and all other newe The religion we professe is as truer so older than your newe Romane religion As Christ his Apostles and their writings are before those vpon whom and whose writings you would haue vs to depend It may bee in some kinde that your olde vesselles be not fit to receiue this newe 〈◊〉 If the vessels breake though the wine be spilt yet the vessels perish I counsaile you therefore to bring newe vessels and newe heartes that the newe wine beeing put into newe vessels both may be preserued rather then that you abhorre and reiect the newe wine because it agreeth not with your olde leaking vessels An olde ragged coate An olde rotten tree An old decayed house c. If you will needs sticke vpon old and newe are not the best and moste to bee commended you knowe Please not your selfe therefore so much in these tearmes But leaue them and goe to the matter Let Gods booke still I say be iudge betweene vs for the thinges you bring foorth and the thinges we bring and there an end Wee purpose and hope for religion to liue and dye with that booke For your Catholikes you say there are two sortes and yet if I can iudge ought yee make three first you tell vs of such as be so wicked and their case so damnable as yee minde not to intreate of them then you tell vs of another sort of Catholikes for whome this Treatise was made to reforme their persuasion builded as you say only vppon their owne fantasie Yee might as well haue vsed your owne phrase of Conscience if it had pleased you though indeede for abusing the good worde of conscience false persuasiō or fancy were euerie where fitter for you all in your profession Thirdly you make yet an other sort of catholikes besides these two and them you call the onely true Catholikes which
altogether refuse to cōforme themselues to the exercises of religion heere and to take the othe of alleageance to her Maiestie their Soueraigne and ours vnder God c. Now Sir I take it that these are three sorts of Catholikes Neuerthelesse make them for your pleasure but two sortes in other order thus One sort of false Catholikes as in deede yee all and euery mothers childe of you Rome byrdes be none other Let the second sort be true Catholikes but not in your sense that is hot papists Then againe of your false Catholikes make two sortes one no Christians and therefore much lesse Catholikes as you speak though you say they be Catholikes in another place The other sort of false Catholikes that remaine for whom you pretende that your treatise was made yee call them elswhere colde Catholikes Schismatike Catholikes heathen men Publicanes c. and suche as yee abhorre for their onely going to the Protestants Churches For your selues y t are hot Catholikes take your place among the false Catholiks where you like best a place among true Catholikes can you neither finde your selues nor 〈◊〉 afoord you except ye alter your profession Heere is much adoe about Catholikes a great stirre some true som false som hot some cold some schismatique some Heathen and Publicanes some imbraced some abhord c. and yet all Catholikes Wee poore Protestantes may be glad we are out of your handes when you play such Pageants among your own mē taking a generall view of your Catholikes here amongest vs in Englande and deuiding and seuering the same with your Catholik and diuine iudgement at first chop ye send the most of them quicke to Hell without all hope of recouery At next hacke yee cut of a many branches if not the very stocke and body and leaue but a branche and that a weake branche of that tree in this soyle God be praysed therefore Only they true Catholikes y t do not nor will not come to church heere amongest vs nor acknowledge the Queenes Supremacie c. Are all other catholikes heere led with fancie Are they schismatikes or damned in hell Speake out alowde and be plaine So yee say I am in some respect glad ye so say of your catholikes here amongst vs not y t I wishe thē dānatiō which ye threat or yet their hurt any way but y e I hope wel it wil make some of them better aduised Doe one sort of your catholikes heere sinne against the holy Ghost Are they to bee accounted damned in this life no Christians c. A harde iudgement against those of your owne religion a pitifull case sure but not with you who iudge them to blaspheme against y e holy Ghost y t willingly breake your holy Canons presume to speake against thē or willingly agree to them that so will doe And in deede to say the truth of them if there be any such as you here describe they are very naughtie men in deepely dissembling with God their soueraigne the Church but yet not so bad as ye make thē no dāned persons without all hope of recouerie whiles they liue not sinners against the holy ghost for all this if thinking on their miserable case they will vnfeignedly returne not to you and your religion which leaue them no hope but to God by heartie repentance for deeply dissembling with him and the worlde You reiect them quite acknowledge them to be no true catholikes but schismatikes excommunicate persons c. This haue they gotten by liking and professing all this while your Popish religion when you once shew your selues to fall out with them a poore recompence at your handes You haue amongst you the keyes of heauen hell and Purgatorie ye can when yee list sende all men whether you list quicke and dead but yee sende men too fast to hell to be charitable especially those of your own sect and profession Neuerthelesse if God haue giuen them eares to heare we say first to you for some excuse or defence of such as being aforetime of your sect and religion howeuer you knew them in those dayes yet we take them to bee changed men now to haue learned foorth another and better lesson in Christes schoole and as charitie woulde wee iudge the best of them and generally to speake wee thinke they allowe of Christes religion here professed In summe that their saying professing and doing agree till they manifestly shew the contrary You sir that can see farre in a milstone are priuie to mens cōsciences it is y e seate where Antichriste challengeth to sit You tell vs here what men iudge in their consciences we cannot go so farre we leaue that to God themselues You y t know well by experience belike your catholike religion to be full of hypocrisie and dissimulation to yeelde Hypocrites iudge according to your spirite and the fruites of your religion but wee tell you we iudge them to 〈◊〉 been in a new and better schole els wee wishe them at least to betake themselues to better maisters then to such as iudging so hardely deale thus cruelly with them If they haue by confession tolde you their conscience in eare shrift yet are you 〈◊〉 to vtter the same Next if that will not serue for that you presume to knowe those of your side better then wee doe we bid them remaining in opinion such as you tell vs looke for that in deede in the end vnlesse they repent and that heartily which you here threaten them euen hell fire with hypocrites A iust recompence for suche religion and doyng but not in respect that they haunt our Church assemblies thogh but for not rightly 〈◊〉 the same to Gods glory their owne comfort and edifiyng and the benefite of other for not changing their fansie and foolish opinion which you call Catholike religion conscience for continuing in this cleare light of the Gospel obstinate in their ignorance and superstitions for their wilfull refusing of Gods mercifull calling c. which calling of God if vpon this aduise they yeelde vnto accordingly we assure them by the warrant of Gods worde of Gods mercie and fauour in Christ. In the meane while we obserue here that amongst you that will needes bee called Catholikes there bee by your owne confession diuers Sectes that ye neede not so hotly condemne vs your aduersaries and our Religion because there be Sectes among vs and diuers opinions whereof your selues and your Religion is no cleerer nay it is not harde to finde more diuersitie of opinions among you by your owne confessions then among those that professe the Gospel euen here M. Howlet wryting in his Epistle to her Maiestie of the diuers knowne religions in Englande at this day reduceth them to foure heades with their professours to wit Catholiks Protestants Puritans Houshoulders of Loue c. By Catholikes hee meaneth such as are of your side Housholders of Loue are well known neyther to belong to the profession
of our Religon and to better agree with Papistes and Poperie then with the Gospel of Christ. Puritans as it pleaseth you Papists to call some here are by you expounded in this Treatise to be the hotter sort of Protestants So that here be but two sortes of Protestants and this is the difference yee make Of Protestants some here are hotter and some are colder and yet neyther sinne against the holy Ghost Are these diuers in Religion Then I pray you make the like of you Catholikes as you will be called for some of you are hot some are colde some Puritan Catholikes of y t hotter and better sort as ye say Some other more conformable men as you here speake And so of colde Catholikes yee tell vs in another place of your booke Adde the contrary difference and ye shal find a sort of hot Catholikes too Or else if you wil make three sortes of Catholiks heere in Englande as you nowe expresse vs and so one sort more then you make of Protestants When you haue reconciled your selues in opinions Then will it bee time enough for you to talke of great diuision among vs here in Religion for some difference in opinion that is founde among vs which you count an insolluble argument of your side against vs and yet may easily you see bee turned on your owne heades Your three sortes of Catholikes that I say you here expresse thus doe I set downe taking the same from your owne woordes The Catholikes that are in this wryting iustified onely are suche as iudge all other Religions false erroneous and damnable besides their owne whiche they call the Catholike Roman religion This is one point common to al Catholiks true false one and other With all these iudge all perticipation with the religion here professed in deede worde or shewe by othe by sacramentes c. naught forbidden and vnlawfull Another or the seconde point not so common to all herevppon by no meanes will they admit or consent to communicate with the same This is the thirde and last point proper to true Catholiks as you call them M. Howlet the authour of this Treatise and such like bee of this first sort of Catholiks There are made another sort of Catholikes that are said to agree with these in the two first pointes disagreeing from them in the thirde onely And yet these that agree so well with them in opinion and dissent from them in doing onely and that as they speake for feare or some worldely respect the former Catholikes so abhorre and detest that they pronounce these yet aliue in God his prouidence dead and damned in hell They are priuie to their consciences they knowe who shal goe thither nay they sende at pleasure whome they liste they leaue these men without comforte or hope of pardon and esteeme them no Christians much lesse Catholikes so hee here pronounceth of them Of the thirde sorte I speake after in his place that agree with the first onely in one and the first of the three pointes disagreeing in the other two pointes These seconde Catholikes in the meane while aduise I thus Take heed to your selues all y t at this day liue in Englande and be in heart of the Romishe religion or haue to these your ghostly fathers by shrifte or other wise shewed your selues to bee such finding your selues in this seconde ranke of Catholikes prouide for your selues I counsell you it standeth you in hande once for you are shutte out of doores for euer from the communion of the Church of Rome in this life and are firebrandes appointed by Gods prouidence to hell in the worlde to come by definitiue sentence while yee yet liue here your Maister of whom you haue learned your religion and who best knoweth as seemeth your heartes and consciences and the nomber of you speaketh thus telling vs there bee very many such in Englande though we hardly beleeue him you must suppose whyle you holde you to that Religion that this is the Sentence of the Pope of Rome and so of the Catholique Churche and of GOD him selfe in heauen immutable and vnreuocable neuer to bee forgiuen neither in this worlde nor in the worlde to come This is true if God be not vntrue sayth this Catholike M. Alas poore men and women Consider in time into what extremitie and miserie yee are thrust by those whome yee holde of and whome ye haue taken all this while to be your good friendes I pittie your harde case I assure you It greeueth mee to heare tell of your eternall damnation in hell fire They talke of the case of perplexitie wherein men are sometime wrapped But here men are tumbled and wrapped in a harder case by this religion if harder may be for dispensation with them might serue where men be forced or by necessitie driuen to choose and doe euill as they can speake here is no hope of any they are alreadie paste all recouery in their determination GOD giue poore soules grace to consider this geare at the heart Leauing the maze of Poperie I will nowe endeuour to speake out of Gods booke some what better to your comfort good heartes that yee may see the difference betweene the Gospell aud Poperie our Religion and that bee it neuer so vnholie will needes bee called Catholique They vngodly and vncharitably 〈◊〉 you and driue you with maine force into dispaire for euer Salue it vp as they can we call you we comfort you we stretch out our armes to imbrace you God rather sending vs to preache the Gospell to cal sinners to repentance by vs as his instrumēts doth this for you but marke well howe to repentance I say and in y t Christ Iesu doth god and wee call you Be not deceiued in assuring you in Gods name as we are bounde of pardon for all the sinnes that ye haue euer heretofore committed frō the beginning We bring you no pardon frō Rome nor from the Pope of which you see your selues to be out of al hope by those your Ghostly fathers iudgement that were sent came hyther to reconcile true catholikes as they speake to the Pope you are none of them they tell you nowe the resolute truth with thē and their conscience If they speake otherwise hereafter neuer beleeue them that pretending conscience speake this without all conscience But wee tell you out of Gods word there is yet some hope and comfort for you so you will leaue that Popish religion and betake your selues to the profession of the Gospel of Christ turning from your sinnes and transgressions into the way of righteousnesse Hearken heare and beleeue vs we wil not speake vnto you our owne imaginations and fancies and call them our conscience and truth But we bring you the worde of the eternall God and his reuealed will and truth which is this that as he liueth he desireth not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way liue
this Treatile for them and take paynes to set downe Reasons for the due reforming of them being in better hope then of the former but if all thinges bee well considered there will bee found falshood in felowship and very hollow dealing You cut them off from you and yet you woulde fayne holde them in still what opinion you hot Catholikes haue of all besides your selues euen such of your owne side whom ye speake farest vnto let me be bolde shortly to giue here a taste Generally you count no better of all them that goe to Churche heere for what respect soeuer other then such as the Pope will allowe whereof you speake and we shall see more in your qualifications afterwardes then of Apostataes renouncers of the Catholike religion perfidious betrayers of Gods Catholike cause traytours to God no Christians Heathen men and Publicanes c. And yet good sir all these as badde as they bee are byrdes of one feather and one neste Schollers of your owne teaching and none of our religion yea they defie it as you suppose hollowe geare still and nothing but hollowe Catholikes All the Catholikes in Englande that goe to Church directly denie their religion yea the yeelding therein is a flatte and euident denying of God and of his fayth And yet they remaine be accounted Catholiks stil what a religion call you that wherein men may denie not onely their religion but God and his fayth too and yet be of the religion stil Your Catholikes you speake of be such yet bee they in your heape still that is Catholikes and of the Catholike Religion They bee out of the Church so without hope of Saluation Scismatikes excommunicate persons and yet Catholiks still and of no other religion A good religion sure and a commendable is that they holde who bee Atheists and godlesse men in your opinion if they be not which directly and slatly renounce God and his fayth and yet iudge all other religions false and erronious besides their owne opinion and will neuerthelesse communicate with the same for some worldly respect and condenme other that will not doe as they doe Nowe if Athiests c. bee Catholikes I can not tell what to make of you Catholikes you bee neyther fishe nor fleshe nor yet I weene good redde hering as they say the wrong and perillous perswaūon that these men are sayde here to bee in builded onely on their owne fantasie may beseeme a fantasticall religion not grounded on Gods woorde but on vnwrttten verities traditions doctrines of men custom multitude c. as popery is Litle reformatiō as hithetto may serue such a deformed religion for these two sortes of Catholikes as you call them wee thinke yee doe in the one as in the other that is but imagine and goe all by supposition it is your Clearklie dealing whereof you heare what I say The aduise that I can giue them is that they leaue not only that perillous perswasion of communicating with contrary Religions but also and principally their Popery and the opinion they haue of that religion which as the rest is builded onely on fantasie Nowe haue wee viewed your Catholikes that you haue set vs here downe agreeing all in Poperie though but ill fauouredly and among them selues also hardely if your reasons following proceede from such a Catholike minde as you haue described vs in these men surely they are hollowe and can carrie no great waight with them with such as liue here in her maiesties dominions I verily think they can litle or nothing at all preuaile if they haue especially any wisedome or feare of God before their eyes for them y t being in heart of your religion do cleane contrary thervnto I wot not howe easily they will be led by you but surely if they will depende vppon God and his woorde they neede neither feare your threates nor regarde your Reasons for any value or waight that is in the same But before I enter into the particular examination of your nine Reasons hauing respect to the rude and simple sort I wil make bolde to set downe a reason contrary vnto yours whereby I meane to shewe that all men here liuing if they bee not too farre gone are bounde to haunt Church assemblies and the exercises of Religion vsed among vs. And yet before I set downe my reason both for the iust defence and cleering of her Maiestie and the State heere against such quarelpikers as you be And also for y t better satisfiyng of all her Maiesties duetifull subiectes and people I say to gods glory y t her maiestie y t state haue not pretēded to renounce Poperie a hollowe and rotten religion grounded vpon whatsoeuer not vppon Gods holie worde surely contayned in the Canonicall Scriptures as at this day is cleare to all that haue eyes to see to establishe another Religion though not so badde as Poperie yet not auowable deuised eyther by her selfe or by any other men but professeth to set vp the onely true religion of Iesus Christ taken out of the Scriptures Her Maiestie and the State haue and doe declare to the worlde dayly that in steede of mens inuentions and glorious shewes or voluntary Religion and will woorship as the Apostle noteth Superstition Shee and they esteeme the worde of God alone to bee the foundation of true religion The Apologie of this Church of Englande The Articles of religion set foorth by publike authoritie and suche other writings doe sufficiently proue this godly purpose and meaning and euen of late in the proclamation for the recalling home of her Maiesties subiectes from beyonde the seas c. is the same by expresse words mencioned None though the Papistes and enemies woulde make the worlde beleeue so are here called to the King and Queenes religion but with her Maiestie all degrees and persons are called to Gods and Christes true religion onely which shee with her people professeth Actes of Parliament and Statutes are not set into Churches in steade of Masse bookes Grayles Legends Portuises Images c. But the Sacred Byble the booke of the High and Immortall God of Heauen faithfully translated into the mother tongue to be read expounded heard and vnderstood of all to the vnspeakable comfort her Maiesties Ciuill Ministers As counsellers Judges Justices and so forth are not the Churche Ministers but spiritual Pastors and Teachers which are and by faithfull preaching ought to shewe themselues to bee the faythfull Ministers of Christ Iesus the Prince of Pastours or Shepheard and Byshop of our Soules Her Maiestie hath not taken away the Popes Antichristian office and vsurped tytle here to set her selfe in his place nor to take on the other side Christes office in hande or to infeoffe her selfe of his titles who leaueth euen to Christs Ministers their proper functions and charges whole of preaching the worde administring the Sacraments publike prayer Church discipline how euer this wrangler and his fellowes would beare the worlde in hande
because God is the authour of such assemblies requireth this dutie is present there and blesseth the same This if comparison bee made is proued not only by the practise and example of Gods people in all ages vnder the Lawe and the Prophets before Christes comming in the fleshe in going then to the Tabernacle the temple c. and of the Disciples and faithful after Christes Ascention as the story of the Actes of the Apostles doth witnesse according to whose direction and steppes so neere as we may heerein we professe and endeuour our selues to walke But by the expresse doctrine of our Sauiour Christe himselfe also Verily I say vnto you that if two of you shal agree in earth vpon any thing whatsoeuer they shall desire it shalbe giuen them of my father whiche is in heauen for where two or three are gathered togeather in my name there am I in the midst of them c. Now that we are bounde to honour loue obey worship God according as he appointeth vs deserue very euil in doing the contrary none I trust doubt then surely can none iustly doubt of this point of comming together to heare our dutie tolde vs out of Gods booke by preaching to make publik confessiō of our sinnes of y e christian faith to make prayers to God for our necessities others namely those of his church to giue him thanks and prayse his name in Psalmes to celebrate the Sacraments of Baptisine and the Lordes Supper c. which be the substance and principall ends of our Church meetings The next point is of the care of our saluation which none also I trust among vs be voide of Then cannot they doubt likewise whether they ought to practise and vse such outward meanes as God hath appointed to bring men to saluation by Publike church assemblies were first instituted and appointed of God for our vse and for our good and the principal thinges there to be vsed are the preaching of y e Gospell and the ministering of the Sacraments to wit Baptisme and the Lordes Supper according to Christes holy institution for the 〈◊〉 and increase of our faith whereof they are seales as the cōmission giuen to the Apostles their 〈◊〉 practise and the vse of the Primitiue Church sufficiently declare And in this respect is the Gospell called not onely the worde of God but the worde of 〈◊〉 also of grace of faith of saluation c As that which is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleeueth c. If then we will receiue the ende of our faith which is the saluation of our soules we must walke the way that leadeth thither and vse while we may those meanes that God hath appointed to bring vs thereto by contemning whereof wee shall shewe our selues to haue no care of our saluation For the benefit that redoundeth to men by this exercise remember what the Apostle writeth When the whole Churche is come togeather in one c. If all Prophesie and there come in one that beleeueth not or one vnlearned he is rebuked of al men and is iudged of all And so are the secretes of his heart made manifest and so he will fall downe on his face and worship God and say plainly that God is in you indeed And a little after Let all things be doone vnto edifiyng Wee as workers togeather beseech you with the holy Ghost that yee receiue not the grace of God in vaine and beholde nowe is the accepted time Behold nowe is the day of saluation c. The dutifull respect we ought to haue to our Soueraigne and the present State our common mother and her Maiesties godly lawes is next to bee considered which they that duly shal do besides other matter and occasion of thanksgiuing to God offered to euery one in priuate cannot besides refuse to haunt publike church assemblies That it pleaseth her Maiestie to haue care of our soules healths that are her Subiects to take paine to make lawes and set orders for the aduauncement thereof is the part of a good and blessed nurse in Gods church and a singular benefite to vs-warde It is nothing to cause Preachers and preaching of Christes Gospel to be sent abrode in al quarters of her Dominions c all must needes be in 〈◊〉 on our behalfes and so turne to our greater and more iust condemnation if we thankefully accept not and carefully vse to Gods glory and our owne profite this so great a grace of God offered and take the oportunitie Againe as dutie greatly bindeth vs to our princes soueraignes to obey their autoritie to honor them especially being godly so among other things haue wee to pray for them not in priuate onely but in publike also with other and thereby receiue we also great benefite many wayes Notable is that heauenly sentence of the blessed Apostle I exh ort therefore that first of all supplicatiōs praiers intercessions giuing of thanks be made for al men for kinges and for all that are in authoritie that we may liue a godly a quiet apeaceable life in al godlines honesty for this is good acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour who will that all men shal bee saued and come to the knowledge of the truth c. This one sentence alone well weighed if there were no moe might suffice for the matter wee speake of They can surely be no friendes to the Queenes Maiestie and the State and so consequently not to themselues y t refuse in publike with other continually to pray for the prosperitie and good of her Highnesse and the State c. The last point is the Church of God and our christian brethren Countriemen others amongst whō we liue Unto whom I thinke there is no man doubteth but we ought to haue a charitable regard and like respect to our liuing honestly among thē Now what charitable regard is that to refuse in so holy as Church actions bee to ioyne with the Church where wee liue to 〈◊〉 from giuing publike testimonie of our faith and religion shewing our selues to the worlde in so doing to be of no religion And so by example to offende many wayes and many men the strong the weake the faithfull the vnbeleeuers c. When of dutie wee shoulde not onely auoide that but euery way 〈◊〉 all namely one another in all godlinesse and honestie vpon paine of Gods displeasure keepe entertaine and testifie by all meanes the vnitie we haue with Christes Churche which thinges are singularly perfourmed by vs in haunting Churche assemblies Let vs keepe the profession of our hope saith the Apostle without wauering for hee is faithfull that promised let vs consider one another to prouoke vnto loue and to good workes not forsaking the fellowship that we haue among our selues as the maner of some is c. Though this be an ample matter and might very easily bee waded in at large yet
the holy Ghost his set vs downe by that chosen vessell the blessed Apostle who prayeth Christians to walke worthy their calling whereunto they are called with all humblenes of minde meeknes with long suffering supporting one another in loue endeuouring to keepe the vnitie of the Spirite in the bonde of peace There is one bodie and one spirit c. looke the place To discerne and distinguishe therefore thinges aright here needeth the Spirite of the Lorde the spirite of wisedome vnderstanding the spirite of counsaile and strength the spirite of knowledge and of the feare of the Lorde that may make vs prudent in the feare of the Lord c. whereof the Prophet sayth It shoulde rest vpon Christ who receyued the fame for the behoofe of his Churche and vs to be guided by Wee haue receiued sayth Saint Paule not the spirite of the worlde but the spirite which is of God that we may know the things which are giuē vs of God And the Anoynting which yee receiued of him dwelleth in you saith Saint Iohn and Yee neede not that any man teach you but as the same anoynting teacheth you of all things it is true and is not lying and as it taught you yee shall abide in him Agayne our Sauiour Christ It is written in the Prophetes And they shal be all taught of God A good and sure Schoolemaister is this Spirit of truth to lead vs into all trueth to bring into our remembrance whatsoeuer Christ hath tolde vs and to redresse and direct our wayes according to God his holy woorde which is the truth God only vouchsafe to 〈◊〉 our eares and to touche our heartes continually to heare beleeue and obey this truth Thus much in respect of some certaine for their better satisfiyng if it may be This matter beside the scriptures which may and ought to suffise hath 〈◊〉 and is diducted at large by some writers both olde and new as they are called where the same for them that list may be seen namely Augustine in his writings aforetime against the Donatists and such like wadeth herein very godly and wisely in my opinion and such godly men in our time also as write against Anabaptistes and y e like that are infected herein that I neede not to adde there vnto And besides I doe but here touch the same by the way as a caueat to preuent or cut of cauill and quarrelling if it may be hauing rather to occupie meselfe in answering the 〈◊〉 sarie at this time as one that what reason or answere soeuer other may be thought to haue and to make he surely his fellow Romanists haue very litle or none as who may be thought to haue beene in the orders of this Churche sufficiently if not too muche respected and borne with nowe aboue these twentie yeeres whiche may serue with all the worlde to our 〈◊〉 and the States 〈◊〉 here towardes these men And that a through and full reformation of the Church need not be forborne in respect of them I woulde this great and necessarie matter might as easily be obtayned which our sinnes onely let as it is not harde to answere what euer those fellowes can nowe alleadge for them selues Unto the examination therefore of this mans particular Reasons for refusall of comming to Church I nowe turne my selfe THE first Reason why I being a Catholike in minde may not goe to the Churches or seruice of the contrary Religion is because I perswading my selfe their doctrine to be false doctrine and consequently venemous vnto the hearer I may not venture my soule to bee infected with the same So that the firste proposition or grounde of this first reason to make it in forme of argument is this No man that perswadeth himselfe the doctrine nowe professed and taught in the Church of Englande is false and venemous to the hearer may venture his soule to be infected therewith But euery Romane Catholike is a man that perswadeth him selfe the doctrine nowe professed and taught in the Church of England is false doctrine and venemous to the hearer Therefore no Romane Catholike may venture his soule to be infected therewith First Sir such Catholikes as are of contrary opinion vnto you herein for whose sake you wrote this discourse must you suppose will denie one of your two propositions finde shifts to auoyde all your proofes which will not bee harde to bee done for those of your religion But let them shift with you as they and you can agree I am no patrone of theirs I will speake and answere to the matter Therefore to this first Argument or Reason I answere that it is vayne and naught because it is grounded vpon opinion fancie and ones perswading of him selfe and doing after his perswasion and not vpon the matter and truth Nowe these two matters be diuers and doe differ much I perswade my selfe that such a thing is thus or so And such a thing in deed is thus or so The reason why because one may be and to often is deceiued in perswading himself of things otherwise then they be But the truth is alwaies one and 〈◊〉 not according to our perswasion neither 〈◊〉 thereon What if one perswade himselfe y t he is a Prince or haue a bag of money is he so or hath he it euer the more or euer the sooner for that neuer a whit sure Or if one perswade himself there is a snake in his bed shall he not sleepe neere it or if your fellow perswade himself you go about to deceiue him shall hee not trust you Surely our doing or not doing of thinges euen appertayning to this lyfe to haue the same well done must not depende vpon our own perswasion which is very changeable and vncertayne but our perswasion to doe any thing must depende rather vpon the trueth and goodnesse of the matter that wee minde to doe Otherwise one perswading him selfe that euery man hee shall meete will kil him may not venture to goe abroad about his 〈◊〉 nor come in the companie of any man perswading himselfe that what euer hee eate or drinke poysoneth him hee may not venture to eate nor drinke for being 〈◊〉 And so within a while die like a foole and be guiltie of his owne death because hee will not lay away his owne 〈◊〉 perswasion In religion and matters of 〈◊〉 is this argument much more 〈◊〉 vaine as y t which hath 〈◊〉 and doeth from Gods truth and is the mother and nurse of all superstition and 〈◊〉 So as if this disputer or reasoner will needes grounde this argument or reason vpon his perswasion yet must he giue seaue to 〈◊〉 the grounde of his perswasion whether it bee good or bad true or false And not say as he doth elsewhére that he will not dispute thereof but howe euer that bee the perswasion may not be done against be it true be it false First rather let him prooue the goodnes truth therof
oftē I wil leaue these three reasons of Schisme Participation with heresie and 〈◊〉 after I haue noted a worde or two there of more till these men can alleadge some sounde proofe that wee are that which they bee that is Schismatikes and Heretikes For Dissimulation as we loue plaine dealing and Christs Religion and the truth is ioyned with a godly simplicitie so hope we well that thase that come to Church aslemblies here doe the same with a single and vpright heart wee sitte not in their heartes and consciences we knowe not what is in them Which thing if they doe not they haue learned their dissimulation in Poperie and not in Christes schoole nor of y e profession of his Gospel Though I send not them quicke to hell with this discourser as I haue said yet surely are they to be reputed very bad folke so as hardly can there bee worse commonly among men especially in cases of religion let them examine themselues by the holy scriptures learne their duetie thence and repent in time else will they bee founde neyther true seruantes of God nor duetifull subiectes to her Maiestie in the ende nor yet good common wealth men God giue grace to consider hereof to shame the diuell wee eyther iudge them not or iudge the best and charitably of them I maruell not a litle at these words of yours in the latter ende of your Reason of Dissimulation many a thousand now in England being as throughly perswaded in heart of the trueth of the Catholike religion as the Apostles and other Christians at that time that is in the time of the Apostles were of theirs are cōtent not withstanding to heare digest admit and execute all or most parte of these thinges recited contrary to the sayde religion Here yee liken together the Apostles and olde Christians and many of your Catholikes nowe in Englande the Apostles and Christians religion then and your catholike religion nowe and you shewe these mens vsage to be vnlikely and diuerse in sticking to these two religions By the way heere I note that your Catholike religion and the Apostles and christians then bee two religions and diuerse else yee speake verye 〈◊〉 But let that goe howe can you or any in englande be as throughly perswaded in heart of your Catholike religion nowe which is false and not only net grounded on Gods worde but contrary thervnto as the Apostles and Christians in the primitiue Churche were of theirs which had God and the Scriptures for their grounde and warraunt Though a house buylded on the sande may haue a faire shewe yet in strength for want of a good foundation it can neuer be so strong as that which is buylt on a Rocke He that heareth Christes woordes and doeth the same is like a wise builder on a Rocke I wis he that heareth your Masse Mattens c. is farre off from that 〈◊〉 in blindenesse may be easily gathered thereby and a senselessenes whereof commeth no good but muche hurt As the contrary commeth by hearing Sermons and preaching of the Gospell Constancie and a good conscience is rather lost then retayned much lesse gayned or encreased by your blynd and superstitious religion You run to your olde starting hole of perswading your selues bee it ryght bee it wrong But to haue a true a sounde and a good setled perswasion for religion and matters of conscience it must be stayed in heauen it must be warranted by Gods holie worde and Scriptures whiche you for your religion are distitute of els can it not be I will 〈◊〉 say so thorough as the Apostles c. But in truth not good nor to bee trusted vnto Your seuenth reason is that our Gods seruice is naught and dishonorable to God and therefore must be abstained from Surely you say somewhat nowe if you coulde prooue that yee say this is the first the last and all the reasons that are worth the examining the foundation and grounde of all the rest Let vs see therefore how you goe about to prooue this point forsooth at the first entrie ye leaue of your proofe and fall a confuting of our reason before you prooue the matter One may perceiue it is easier with you in wordes to finde fault then in deede to mende it or iustly to shewe where and wherein the fault lyeth that other might mende the same The Scriptures lye in your way like a shrewd blocke yee thinke good therefore first to assay to remooue that and then to proceede in your purpose after Handeled Dratour like with your figure accordingly but florished at in deede rather then any thing els doone That wee haue the Bible and the Scriptures so familiar and so strong on our side that offendeth you that angreth you that hindreth your purpose greatly But we thanke God therfore highly Burne the Bibles and burne them againe fume and fret rage and doe what you can yet bidding battaile to God he will be founde stronger then you and yee shall not pruaile Alas poore scripture is that it so offendeth you it is the swoorde of the spirite It bringeth vs many yea infinite other necessary and vnspeakeable commodities we cannot forgoe it sir wee are vtterly vndoone if it be takē away from vs. I pray you giue vs leaue to haue it and to vse it Can you not prooue our church assemblies naught but you must impugne and disgrace the scriptures Must you needes beginn and make entrance there Happy for vs vnhappie for you A happie turne for vs that wee and our cause nor our God his seruice cannot be foiled but with the scriptures an vnhappie matche for you but euen to mislike with Gods booke What woulde you haue vs to commend our God his seruice with better then the Scriptures Wee that are Christians like that better then traditions and inuentions of men which you here talke of very cunningly quoting vs Augustine in the Margin as though hee in those places condemned Scriptures to contmende traditions which is neither so nor so as wee shall see after by examination thereof Take you therefore these traditions and leaue vs the scriptures so we may feede 〈◊〉 pure fine wheate eate your Cods huskes chaffe and what you will Ye are nowe in the matter in controuersie betwene vs we confesse It hath been the question betwene Papists and Protestants that is betweene you and vs full these threescore yeeres now together who shalbe y t iudge to decide y e matters in cōtrouersie betweene vs we say the holy Scriptures and woorde of God wee appeale to that you say no not the Scriptures by any meanes It is the Heretikes booke let the writinges on both partes be perused for proofe and try all heereof but let vs goe forwarde w t this reasoner If our seruice being full of scripture as yee say it bee no good argument that the same is therefore infallible good I pray you let vs know the good argumēt y e wil proue your
vs to himselfe or any for him let vs learne to knowe him and them Let vs marke our losse and take heede of the change though they that heare this Counsell shall bee accompted of the Papistes 〈◊〉 Schismatikes and I wot not what for leauing the Idole of Rome it maketh no matter the gaine and vantage is so passing great as it will easily satisfie and recompence all A great losse think say you to parte from the Churche of Rome an inestimable gaine say and thinke we more 〈◊〉 to win Jesus Christ which will not bee in stifely cleauing to the other Christ and Antichist light and darkenesse the temple of God Idoles haue no agreement The things that were vantage vnto Saint Paul the same counted hee losse for Christes sake But let vs see what the losses bee that by parting from Poperie men haue They are saieth this reasoner sixe in nomber whereof let vs see particularly the first losse is men leese the benefite of the sacrifice of the Masse a great matter and often repeated by you without sounde of the goodnesse thereof but with vs a happie losse sure beyng of all blasphemies and idolatries the most abhominable But sayth this discourser here our Sauiour Christ appointed his bodie to bee offered vp dayly in the oblation of the Masse for the commoditie of the whole worlde quicke and dead c. I heare you say so sir but I aske you where what our sauiour Christe appointed is faithfully recorded vnto vs by the foure Euangelists the faithfull witnesses of all that Christ 〈◊〉 did and taught neuer a worde of your Massing sacrifice there No yes I pray you Do this in remembrance of mee Do this that is sacrifice this for do is to sacrifice so doth the Heathen 〈◊〉 Uirgile vse the worde and so may we by the Poet expounde Christes meaning to bee gentle stuffe and a Clarkelye proofe to corrupt the sacred scriptures with prophane gloses If you haue any better proofe for your massing sacrifice out of the Euangelists whiche tell vs faithfully what was appointed by our Sauiour Christ let vs heare of it Else hearken to S. Paul who receiued of the Lorde that which he also deliuered vnto the Church and is a faithful and trustie expounder of the three Euangelistes Now he in his exposition of these wordes not onely ouerthroweth your counterfaite sacrifice but your newe deuised transubstantiation also who repeating this doe in remembrance of mee expoundeth the same of eating and drinking not of Sacrificing and saith for as often as yee shall 〈◊〉 this bread and drinke this cup yee shewe the Lordes death till hee come c. Marke these wordes well So that where yee say this was appointed by our Sauiour to offer vp his body dayly c. We say you say vntruly and are founde a false witnesse bearer but yee runne to the fathers finding nothing in the Euangelistes or Scriptures to make for you but as in time and place wee reuerence the fathers so agayne tell wee you that wee are not bounde to follow the errors of the fathers but what if the fathers call the Supper of the Lorde sometime a Sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they say or by a figure what if they say it is a Sacrifice because there is offered to God thankes giuing of which it taketh also the name and because the remembrance of that one Sacrifice of Christ once offered is therein celebrated by the Church according to S. Paules exposition as often as ye shal eate this 〈◊〉 and drinke this cup ye shew the Lords death till hee come c. What maketh this for your Massing propiciatorie sacrifice or the offering of Christes bodie for obtaining of grace auoiding of all euils for the remission of sinnes both of quicke and dead or dayly in the oblation of the Masse for the cōmoditie of y e whole world quick dead as you speake whiche commeth all to one Why may not we reconcile the fathers with the scriptures Giue vs leaue I pray you heerein y wis your owne Maister sayth that which is offered and consecrated of the Priest is called 〈◊〉 and oblation because it is a remembrance and representation of the true sacrifice and holy oblation made on the 〈◊〉 of the Crosse. And againe because in the Sacramēt there is a remēbrance of that which was once done c. In this sense denie wee not the Supper of the Lorde to bee called a sacrifice because praise and thanksgiuing are there offered vnto the Lorde and wee are not without this kinde of sacrifice in the celebration of the Lordes Supper as I saide before And if by haunting our Churche assemblies you had been aswel acquainted with our booke of common Praier as nowe blinded with malice ye are readie to cauill and slaunder yee might haue founde wee reiect not the worde of sacrifice of prayse and thanksgiuing in the action of the Lorde his Supper Nay that wee offer not only that but our selues also c. to bee a reasonable holy and liuely sacrifice vnto the Lorde according to the doctrine of the Apostle beside the sacrifice of almes c. That yee neede neyther say we haue no sacrifice because wee haue not your abhominable Idoll of the Masse nor that they depriue them selues of participation of the sacrifice of Christes body and blood that haunt our Churche assemblies Euery one of vs by the working of God his spirite in vs and by faith applyeth to 〈◊〉 Christe and his sacrifice with the fruit of his death and passion more effectually and more faithfully thā any mortal man besides can apply y e same vnto vs. We aduaunce 〈◊〉 our faith therein with the participation that is by the often vse and 〈◊〉 of this holy Sacrament with the worde preached withall Wee trust not your Popish application in his Masse who commonly sacrificeth for money as indeede all your religion is for gaine No penny no pater noster they say with you If the Churche of God shoulde receiue no commoditie of Christes sacrifice or of his death and passion till your priest applyed the same it woulde neuer bee Keepe this your application therefore with the commoditie thereof to your selues we wil hearkē to y e holy ghost a better scholemaister then you who by the Apostle thus speaketh amongst other thinges The cup of blessing which wee blesse is it not the communion of the blood of Christe The bread whiche wee breake is it not the Communion of the bodie of Christe Seeing therefore brethren that by the blood of Iesus wee bee bold to enter into the holy place by the newe and liuing way whiche hee hath prepared for vs through the vayle whiche is his fleshe and seeing wee haue an High priest which is ouer the house of God Let vs draw neere with a true hearte in assurance of faith sprinckled in our heartes from
to the churches satisfaction or the parties according to the degree of the fault be it publike be it priuate Moreouer where one feeleth his conscience burdened or intangled with sinne and the remorce thereof and is not able to helpe or rid himselfe out of the snares of the Diuell there doe wee aduise him to choose for his comfort and help some godly learned and discreet man minister or other to breake his minde to to aske councel and to learne that may be for the benefite of his soule and conscience Thus whilest confession proceedeth from a religious and willing minde prepared by doctrine and exhortation in steede of your deuised downefall and breake necke to mens soules is it made by vs a soueraigne medicine and plaister to cure woundes withal and sicke soules For the often receiuing of the holy communinion this is no losse in our Churches whereunto menare dayly exhorted to come often and may receiue it in most places monethly or as often as the parish will and that in both kindes according to Christes institution comfortably where in the popish Churches to be houzeld once a yeere and then to receiue but a dry host without the consecrated cuppe as they call it too diuelishly was enough wordes are but winde you giue vs nothing but wordes either for your selfe or against vs and yet am I driuen to answer euen bare wordes How much a doe we haue to bring our countrie people to an often receiuing of this most comfortable sacrament vy reason of your popish custome of rare and seldome receiuing that they haue beene so long acquainted withall and thereby infected And what people they here be that moste refraine 〈◊〉 the communion not of superstition but of an opinion 〈◊〉 the seldome receiuing as they were wont afore time in popery may suffise none that knoweth but meanely the state of this Church can be ignorant In your talke of good workes leaue out merit and meritorious that ye bable of without all ground after a popish manner and let Gods order be kept and good workes ranged within the compasse of Gods law and commandements and esteemed by his iudgement and not by our fansie Let will worship and superstitiously deuised good workes goe and that being marked which I haue before written there will be no difficultie The Communion of Saintes as I shewed before your masse seruice Creede leaueth out how euer you vrge it heere and yet would I not haue obiected this as anye faulte but that you beginne deale so hardly with vs about the article of Descending into hell without cause and will needes make so haynous a matter of this doing Still I did you applye this to your selues and your religion 〈◊〉 keepe your owne law But sir this communion of Saintes is not to be had in your Church where the Pope is heade frō whō al the members of that body must take influence as you call it The true communion of Saintes is among the members of Christes mysticall bodye whereof hee alone is the heade from whom all must take spirituall 〈◊〉 being by God his spirit engrafted into him and coupled vnto him by fayth or which is all one hauing him by the same spirit dwell in our hearts by fayth On this and in this is the true Communion of Saintes grounded whereof for answere to you there is enough sayde before The summe is the communion with the Pope cutteth of the communiō with Christ so ioyning vs to Antichrist as head destroyeth also the Communion of Saintes VVEE are come to the nienth and last Reason which is taken from the example of Infidels heretikes meete mates for you and a fit paterne in religion for those of your side to follow a good sure foundation for your erroneous consciences meete as a poore helpe to bee kept for the last place but if your cause were good you would make better choise The Diuell is the father of such and their religion naughtie consciences and doings wherein the more 〈◊〉 they be the woorse they be for want of a good foundation and a good guide Obstinacie and peeuishnes in steede of Godlines may bee learned at these schoolemaisters and their doings falshood errour and lyes may bee 〈◊〉 from them truth and goodnes not at all or very ylfauouredly but where there is any sparke left in them it may be better fetched from a clearer fountaine So we may be free then frō learning a rule of conscience from such 〈◊〉 Let them serue you and your erroneous consciences if you wil learne no better Suppositions 〈◊〉 rayling at the profession of Christes religion here and nothing but such stuffe amplified by comparison similitude and example not woorth the answering I haue so much answered of an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as I neede not stand therein now It 〈◊〉 to be your best Anchre and last refuge when your matters cannot be maintained with a good conscience and therefor both M. Howlet and you pleade it so hard in the beginning in the middest and here in the end for a conclusion of the whole treatise Good intents in poperie or your well meaning mindes as you can call them when ye list to speake thereof haue a great force The matter though it bee had though it be hurtfull to other is mended nay is made good by that intent or well meaning minde of yours Thus may heresie be good Idolatry good theft good whordome good treason good rebellion good and what not good and godly at leaste by his Dispensation all maye bee made good that hath so infinite power and 〈◊〉 as your GOD the Pope hath Ca mee Ca thee say they Excuse you the Popes whoredomes as 〈◊〉 whoredome c. As the 〈◊〉 be fore willeth and ye shall not leese all by his blessing absolution or dispensation c. Yee shal gaine somewhat he is no Churle he will playe the good fellow where he taketh His doctrine and canon law giueth greate scope hee can enlarge the same for his Darlinges But it cannot be so taken of her Maiestie our dreade 〈◊〉 here it will not serue to excuse that is amisse for that which is supposed and vaunted by you to be so forcible and strong as to persuade any to draw all is found what shoulde I say by her Maiesties and the States great wisedome Nay by any that list with indifferencie to examine it to be as weake as water Wherefore be aduised Leaue this hollow hollownes of poperie Embrace Christes true religion prescribed and described in Gods book cast away vice embrace vertue Be faithfull and true hearted to our dread Soueraigne and the state 〈◊〉 your selues and other Paply and profit in all godlines liuing together with vs in godly peace and vuitie to your owne ioye and ours Let God in all be praised and yee are welcome home otherwise as wee had as leeue haue your roome as your companie so for a watch worde and fare well take heede to your selues and prouide for an
It wil make you sweate and your shoulders ake too before you will be able to remoue these two blockes If you possible stumble at them and breake your shinnes thanke your selfe of your hurt who are more busie with them then you neede be Obedience yea and protestation of obedience to her Maiestie and her wholesome lawes in this behalfe aggrawateth the sinne rather then diminisheth it you say although I thinke there bee none that hath so little regarde to his Soules health as to goe to Church ouelie for obedience sake and not of a religious minde also He that thinketh it is naught to speake against the Pope at Paules Crosse which is your example though you call it rayling thinketh therein amisse and therefore being commanded if occasion serue therto shall do well to obey and doe it redressing his former foolish thinking which too absurdly still you make conscience when it is indeede but a fancie and a dreame tel vs it is Pilats case as much as lōg as you wil we wil 〈◊〉 bid you prooue it Your pope is not Christ fir nor the clearing or condemning of him the like doing to Pilats with Christ there is great oddes in the case Of pretended conscience c. I think I haue said enough and of the foolish and wicked band of a naughtie and erroneous conscience whereof you talke Prooue stil I bid you or hold your peace that haunting our churches is naught though you suppose it that is imagin and dreame so We that by experience finde and knowe the contrary can not graunt it you Obedience to her maiestie and protestation thereof in haunting holie church assemblies here authorised by law maketh the sinne greater Disobedience to her maiestie her godly lawes herein disloyalty rebelliō treason c. not onely diminish the subiectes faulte towardes their prince but is a vertue with you it is a confession of your popish catholike faith Obediēce to your pope to a prelate in a naughtie thing to your church euē against cōscience excuseth I haue giuē exāples a tast before this is your religiō cōscience After this fighting as you do stil w t your own shadow you make an obiection of your owne and answere it at pleasure And because you like not to single the matter it is your own word you huddle you shuffle double iūbling vp thinges full euell fauouredly together For reckoning how manie thinges are conteined in going to Church you bring us forth some that we acknowledge but diuers and very manie of your owne deuising which we iustlie reiect and 〈◊〉 as our answere before doth sufficiently declare Single things therfore I pray you seuer distinguish betweene good and bad one and the other better then you here doe or else keepe your annexes as you call them to sporte your selfe withall defend your obstinacie by word by writinges by imprisonment or as you will make al the world know your sturres and gaze vpon you to please your selues therein as much as lyketh you yet shall it be obstinacie stil say and doe what you can the more the matter commeth into trial the lesse credit and vauntage hath it of your side The conscience of the Catholike that thinketh he doth naught in haunting our Church assemblies is diuelish and dangerous as we haue seene the explanation of the church as you call it that is of the popish route and antichristian stuagogue is like to y t imagined conscience you labour hard to bring the church assemblies here into discredit You tel vs of the holding vp of a finger onely How vnlawfull it were in this case you adde such is your modestie a similitude of lifting vp but of a straw to the diuell in token of obedience which you say is as much as if one did word by word deny his creed But I weene not there is a differēce in the greatnes betweene sinne and sinne all sinnes are not equall Afterward of courtesie and grace you make vs foure qualificatiōs as you term thē which may make going to church lawful by the iudgement of your diuines meere particular knowne temporall busines How gingerly and nicely you walke in the matter These conditions added to going to church make it al one you say as not to go to church at al. You so prophane it as it is no better in your opinion then 〈◊〉 of the market or some like worldly busines which exercise is good enough for those of your religiō if you leaue but such a going to church as is al one with not going at al then may I shortly answer you as good neuer a whit as neuer the better In that which followeth in this third conclusion of Naaman the Sirian you so handle the matter as I know not whether you make his fact sinne or no if he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what needed he to seeke pardon at God his hande purchasing the same frō the prophet to be obtained by his praier If he sinned what tolleration could the prophet giue him therin For our case there is no difficultie therefore I omit it without further discussion your expositiō of y e whole In the fourth and last conclusion that you gather supposing lalfhood still you shewe your self very precise against our God his seruice for you say a man may not yeeld in any one little point therein which you would further ground vpon an other conclusion also If all be not lawfull then no part of it is lawful which groūd of yours how you can proue better then y t rest if you be put therto I wote not but I think hardly enough Neuerthelesse I now put you not vnto that labour you haue enough to doe alreadie and more then will euer be well done or cleared we must admit supposition for any thing you haue yet sayd I see not why our exercises in 〈◊〉 may not be thought lawful cōmēdable godly also For the general doctrine you here deliuer vs that God accepteth no particion no mayme in our seruice but eyther al or none must be his that we must walke with an vpright heart before him in roundnes of conscience without limitation dissimulatiō or haulting sticking precisely 〈◊〉 his holy law and commandements it is most true and as a heauenlye trueth so wee receiue it But the whole is verye badlye applied to your popish diuels seruice The textes of scripture that you cite talke of the sinceritie of God his seruice of his law and of his commandements c. Holde you there keepe to his holy word and we shall agree but you doe not you will not you may not you can not your false suppositiō deceiueth you there is a way saith the wife man that seemeth right to a man but the yssues therof are the wayes of death O y t the word of y t Lord in religion in life in gods matters in ours euery where euery way might be a lātern to our feet to be cōtinually caried
euer That which S. Paule and we with S. Paule ascribe vnto god and Christ that they may haue the glory in all that doeth this forgerer ascribe vnto man and vs corrupting both S. Paules yea the holy ghosts wordes the sence of the sacred scriptures also for where S. Paule liuely describing the office of the true Christ sheweth what benefite the church Gods people receiue from god by him thereby discerning and seuering him from all false Christes there this fellow as though there wanted other false Christs sets man or our selues in place to take gods and Christes office and roome vpon vs. Thus S. Paule And you which were in timee past strangers and enimies your minds being set in euil works hath hee reconciled in the bodie of his fleshe thorow death to present you holy vnblameable without fault in his sight Thus this gentle companion telles vs S. Paule saith y t Christ died for vs to the end We should exhibite our selues holie and vnspotted and irreprehensible in his sight And yet he further corrupteth the text with his Commentarie Let the Reader compare examine and iudge indifferently of the whole For the rest either it needeth no answere or is alreadie answeared before Wherefore I will here ende wishing vs onelie that at this day professe the Gospel and Christes true religion to apply to the confirming of vs in the trueth those testimonies and places which this man abusing the 〈◊〉 applyeth to Poperie and falshood Let his and his fellowes blynde zeale and feruentnesse in lyes awake vs that sleepe in securitie Let it serue to condemne our kay coldnesse in y e matters of God and our saluation which is I weene if not all yet as the common so the greatest fault of vs 〈◊〉 professours of the Gospel at this day We heare what he saith and saith truely If errour finde such zeale what zeale ought trueth to haue If they be stout in fancies and sticke so harde to their pretended consciēces how should we sticke and stande to conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on Gods holie worde without 〈◊〉 betweene two opinions If the Lorde be God followe him if Baal be 〈◊〉 then goe after him Let vs heare for shame and apply to our selues at least at this mans admonition and calling the 〈◊〉 of the Ephesians taken out of the beginning of the second Chapter of S. JOhn his reuelation let vs not be betweene both luke warme neither colde nor hot as the same S. Iohn telleth vs the Laodicians were Looke the place to the end of the Chapter Let vs be zealous therefore and amend c. For God is a ielous God Separate your selues layth the Lord touch no uncleane thing c. Lastly with our knowledge ioyning zeale let vs remēber apply to our selues in the trueth of God his holie religion that which he euen here in the end of his work truelie telleth vs that God accepteth no partition no limitatiō no mayme in our seruice But either al or none must be his Let vs follow herein the example of S. Basile Gods resolute 〈◊〉 that this man reciteth vs out of Theodoret and retayne and beare in mynde the most worthy and excellent saying also as he calleth it of Christes holy Martyr S. Cyprian rather that in steede of his Father wherewith he concludeth his booke I may conclude with holy Scriptures let vs high and 〈◊〉 one other well marke beare in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and execute God giue grace we may so doe as Gods cause and glory shall require amongest other that most worthy and excellent speech and counsell may I bee bold to say of the holy Ghost vttered by Iosue in the last Chapter of that booke reade and peruse it I heartily pray thee Gentle Reader for thine owne profite at the least from the xiiii verse of that Chapter onwarde to the ende make thy profite of all and so farewell hartely in Christ. I beseech thee in thy prayers remember to pray among y t rest for the aduancemēt cōtmuance of Gods holie Gospell in sinceritie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vs free frō all dregges of Poperie also for the prosperitie of the Queenes most excellent Maiestie our dread 〈◊〉 in all thinges and for the preseruation and blessing euery way of this whole Church and Land our deare Countrie and that thou in heart prayest procure indeede that is by all meanes endeuour in thy 〈◊〉 effectually to 〈◊〉 and to put the same in practise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 glory and his Churches benefite Amen P. W. 2. Thes. 2. Cor. 4. 4. 2. Thes. 2. 10. 11. 12. 2. Thes. 2. 8. Iude. ver 22. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I. Hovvlet the madge Hovv let highly schritchith an maketh an yll fauoured noyse to the Nightinghale whose melodie pleasant note is knowen 〈◊〉 30. 68. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Flac. 〈◊〉 De testibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Baleus De illustr 〈◊〉 Britan. Actes 〈◊〉 Tome 1. 〈◊〉 705. 706 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in fasciculo rerum expetendarum 〈◊〉 fugiendarum 〈◊〉 De Clamengiis in collatione 2. 〈◊〉 per scriptum super materia Concilii Generalis 〈◊〉 Scholasticum 〈◊〉 This was Pope Iohn the 23. Hee wrote this in the 〈◊〉 of the Councel of Constance about the yere of our Lord. 1414 Masse of the holy Ghost at the beginning of the Councel Esay 5. 20. 1. Iohn 4. 1. Ephes. 5. 13. 1. Thes. 5. 5. 1. Cor. 2. 4. Tertul. aduersus 〈◊〉 Two causes of dedication Persuade not before you teach as heretikes do 〈◊〉 Tertull. In the second xii section of his Epistle dedicatorie c. Or in the reasons of refusall 〈◊〉 5. 57. c. Cicero Fol. 41. pag. 2. Fol. 4. 5. The foundation of our religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fol. 20. page 1. Fol. 6. page 1. Fol. 28. page 1. Fol. 60. In this point whether it be lawfull for these Catholikes to goe to protestantes Churches or no Sect. 3. Fol. 39. pag. 2. a Looke the 〈◊〉 discourse Fol. 65. Prou. 13. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodor. Vabentinian con 〈◊〉 lib. 1. Tit 25. 〈◊〉 forensis est vt qui in precib mentitus fuerit non ills prosit quod 〈◊〉 Aug. in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epist. 50. D. Thom. 2. 2. 9. 10. act 8. Psal. 22 12. 13. 〈◊〉 13. 17. 〈◊〉 c. Magna 〈◊〉 illecebra 〈◊〉 spes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tim. 1. 5. 19. Sect. 9. Arist. lib. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Howlets third section 〈◊〉 religions 〈◊〉 3. Sect. 16. 18. Domini Francis Augusti Carmel Aposalip 9. 3. Fol. 39. pag. 2 Galat. 4. 18. Apocal. 3. 16 2. 2. q. 188. Ar. 1. Matth. 13. 1. Cor. 〈◊〉 9. Mat. 23. 9. Renela 12. 9 〈◊〉 3. 15. Section 13. Ignatius 〈◊〉 Philadelphiens 〈◊〉 antiquitas Christus 〈◊〉 Fol. 16. pag. 〈◊〉 Section 〈◊〉 Straightnesse to Catholikes Fol. 16. page 2. Marke this supposition and applie it to our time The maner of dissēbling Schismatiks liuely expressed O dānable dissēbling this is done by many in
of Images Blame them not and say they should haue sayde of Idols What though the Image of God according whereunto man was made be not nor be translated by vs nor called an Idol As we vse the word at this day What though to goe furder her maiesties image in her coine or otherwise be free from that grosse terme c. what maketh all this for excusing and cleering your religious Images that I maye so speak or those that are made for religion from being Idols which are painted carued grauen set vp in churches decked senced clothed crouched vnto kissed offred vnto praiers made before them and lightes set vp with such other superstitions Is the one case and the other like Doe you finde your Bybles faultie in this point Or can you reprooue our speech and talke You roue at your owne pleasure and at randon to maintaine your fooles bable howe will you maintaine your Paraphrasis or farre fetcht Periphrasis and Circumlocution vpon the fifth to the Ephesians to be a better and more faythfull translation than our english Bybles set vs downe you shall neuer finde I trow the wordes yee heere set vs downe in the fyfth to the Ephesians in any Byble Latine or English Greeke or other You are the first peruerter and falsifier of the Greeke Latin and English translation in that place that I know Thus saye you S. Paule satth that a couetous man maketh his money his Idole Thus say some of our English translations A couetous persō which is an Idolator Thus other which in sense is all one A couetous person which is a worshipper of Images The former translation of the two keepeth the Greeke worde vsed now in english the other rendreth the same in meere english termes and both well You neither keepe the Greeke nor render vs the same in english faythfully but tell vs your owne meaning For the matter you vtter your owne great folly in so foolishly dallying with the scriptures If your common translation maye render vs these wordes Idolatry and Idolatours sometime seruice of Idols as here sometime seruice of Images as Coloss. 3. 5. c Why may not our english translatiō likewise render the same sometime Idolatry and Idolators sometime woorshipping of Idols as Coloss. 3. 5. and worshippers of Images as heere c. Checking our translation you checke by more right your owne But I maruaile howe you that looke so narrowly into our translations passe so great fault here in your common translation as you construe the matter To excuse your Idolatry withall you make a curious distinction betweene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is worship seruice And here your own translation rendreth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seruice so confounding both wordes howe agreeth this with your subtile distinction Let the reader now hardlye iudge of the whole betweene vs and in conscience tell who 〈◊〉 more sinceritie and more fidelitie in translating and handling the scriptures you or wee Thus much concerning the first fault you vniustly finde with our english translation of the Byble taken out of 1. Iohn 5. 21. and of Images Idols and Idolatry and your subtile distinctions betweene images and idols Latria and Dulia and your vame excuse of your Popish idolatrie c. Yee cannot stande yee say to rehearse our like absurd translations in infinite other thinges No maruell if yee bring the like to this out of Saint Iohn that is false slanders though yee cannot stande to rehearse the same For it is no honestie neither needeth it and you may bee ashamed thereof if yee can blushe wee can make you no answere to that which you note not nor set vs downe But this I say hee that shoulde enter your common translation the Bible in Latine so aduaunced approued of your side y t none may cōpare w t it but it must stand alone without checke and controulement c. As your Pope with his Popish Trent Councell hath resolued shoulde easilier find a way in then well get out againe so corrupt and wilfully and shamelesly corrupted is it In the place of 1. Iohn 5. 21. and diuers other like will you for all the fault you finde correct your owne vulgare translation or abide by it to the popes face that it is not scripture except it be thus from Idols but manifest and wilfull corruption I weene ye will not you know the perill of it too well But let vs leaue y t. Byde any thing in your selues byde nothing in vs This is your equall rule I pray you Syr what made you euen in the beginning of Genesis in that notable and comfortable promise of mans restoring after his fall by the seede of the woman Iesus Christe to turne that was spokē of Christ ouer to the Virgin Marie to change the gēder and in steede of He or It that is Christ or the seede to say in your vulgare or common translation shee that is the Virgin Marie and so to peruert not onely the wordes but the meaning of the holy Ghoste Let Lyra and other Commentaries thereupon bee seene Surely I thinke the Diuell himselfe was the Authour and father thereof as hee was of the Ladies Psalter and such other impieties Let your Hyperdulia helpe this treacherie you were best deuise defused tearmes to helpe defused and naughtie matters If Christ be our Lord you will needes haue the Virgin Mary our Ladie I fhee bee king of heauen Shee must be Queene If hee bee ascended wee must thinke She was assumpted c. I will not heere followe your abhominable superstitions and Idolatries What mooued you in the newe Testament in steede of sweeping the house to translate it in your vulgar translatiō ouerthrowing the house Insomuch as your Expositours making Comment thereof shewe howe the woman ouerthrewe the house some taking it spoken by a figure some simplie in deed and plainly as the wordes lye If it were a fault in the Printer why caused it you not to bee amended when yee were admonished and founde it out especially seeing it deceiued your learned writers to make vs false Commentaries thereon Why retaine you that corruption still in the Text in both places and set down the true reading aloofe in the margin in sundrie Bibles of diuers Printes Why in that notable opposition betweene grace and workes haue you left out in the Romans 11.6 these words in your translation But if it bee of workes it is no more grace or els were work no more work The reason may easily bee spyed because you will bee thought to bee great friendes to workes ye are content to become enimies to grace Why are not these faultes with other being so notorious so often tolde and cryed out against amended in your corrupt translation I think the religion you beare to your Pope and to the translation by him authorised stayeth you els for shame you woulde haue mended so grosse
corruptions and haue floung them out of the Text of Scriptures and restored the truth and the Text But your religion towards the Pope and Poperie hath taken away all religion towardes God and his worde As may bee seene in infinite places of the Bible obserued by the godly and learned aforetime and nowe a dayes and by diuers of your owne side and notably in the Newe Testament by Faber Valla Erasmus c. and by those that haue examined and answered your Trent Coūcell as Caluin Kemnitius other To whose writings I refer the Christiā Reader herein to turn all that heere is saide against vs and our translation vpon the Papistes and their corrupt translation of the holy scriptures which I would haue forborne to haue entred into except necessitie and this discoursers importunitie had pulde mee into this odious matter to shew the Papistes partiall and hollowe dealing heerein Nowe because this common Latine translation of the Bible hath gone and still doth with many vnder the name of Hierome his translation and hath gotten thereby credit for the man his great learning our aduersaries also as seemeth woulde faine haue it reputed for Hierom his Therfore shall it not be amisse out of many places to bring one out of Hierome in his Commentaries vpon the Scriptures which plainely condemneth and reprooueth these Gentlemens corrupt translation as not good and so none of Hieromehis A little leauen corrupteth the whole lumpe Thus the olde translation as they call it Hierome thus a little leauē leaueneth or sowreth the whole lump immediatly after in his Cōmentarie on those words It is ill in our Latine bookes saith hee a little leauen corrupteth the whole lumpe and the interpreter translated rather his owne meaning than the Apostle his wordes c. A shrewde checke of your translation by Hierome Why will yee not mende it If you say it bee Hieromes Why will yee not let him mende it But let vs proceede for y e place of the second booke of the Machabees which is the seconde faulte you find in our trāslatiō of y e Bible cōsidering y t it is neuer read in our publike church meetings you might haue spared y t frō being a fault in our seruice sauing y t wher you find none ye think good to deuise imagine faults to put the same vpon vs will we nill wee If ye had had any store ye might would no doubt haue made better fitter choyse to haue found faulte with the English translation read in our assemblies either your skill is not great or your store poore and slender or lastly our English Bibles too well translated to bee iustly controuled by you Your conclusion grounded vppon so weake and slender premises or proofes thereof must needes but ill fauouredly followe This I say and when I haue saide yet reporte mee too any learned indifferente Reader vppon conference with the Greeke to Judge that in these bookes of the Maccabees which are among the Apocrypha as they are called that is priuately and secretly read rather thē opēly approued receiued to be canonical scriptures as Hierom sayth Our english bibles keepe more 〈◊〉 and come neerer to the Greek text than your vulgar translation and more helpe vpon conference shall the Englishe Reader haue to vnderstande the sense of the Authour than at the other Although in deede the Greeke it selfe euen here be somewhat diffused and darke And therefore no maruaile the originall or fountaine being troubled if translations bee not the playnest Iosephus a Iewe hath in Hebrew written fiue bookes of the Iewishe Hystories from their captiuitie in Babylon vntyll Pilate their President In which bookes among other thinges are written the worthye Actes of the Maccabees And entreating this very place in that booke he maketh no mention of this prayer for the dead And this Ioseph Ben Gorion is thought to bee that Iason of Cyrenae out of whome this booke of the Maccabees was taken as an Abrigemēt So as I maruaile howe that shoulde orderly come into the Abrigement whiche is not founde in the bodie of the storie written at large And yet the Abridger doth but tel his opinion of Iudas and his facte wherein if he haue not said and done as he shoulde let him as he requesteth in the ende be pardoned especially seeing he leueth the truth of things in particular to the Authour Besides this it is noted to be noted to be contrary to the custome of the Iewes euen to this day to sacrifice or pray for the dead And what commaundement or warrant is there in God his Lame for the same Lastly to leaue other thinges the example of Razis in killing himselfe an ancient and famous man among the Iewes seemeth likewise to be commended in this storie by this abridger which is not iustifiable by the scriptures though Yee neede not therefore make so great a doe 〈◊〉 the one particular example of Iudas thus commended here to grounde a doctrine thereon for oblations and prayers for the dead nor checke our English translation in the 12. Chapter of the 2. booke of the Maccabees if you consider the matter well sauing that where you haue little or no proofe as the Canonicall Scriptures prooue not that article there you had neede make much of a little or but of the shewe of a thing onely Your deuised Purgatorie and Diriges and Masses haue made this doctrine of prayer for the dead so gainefull vnto you as you are nowe lothe to let it goe The godlie learned and my good brother D. Fulke a paineful and profitable minister in Christs church easeth mee heere by his trauaile As he doth in many other places that I may nowe the more haste to an ende that the Reader findeth not in one to his contentment that possible may he finde in the other I referre therefore to him in that may be here missing and walke somewhat the more confidently and at large after him and his answere hereto which is gone before because he is well knowen God haue the glorie to be so sufficient as he is Thus much concerning the Scripture read in our Assemblies c. So yee speake too lauishly and lewdly Let the reader by this iudge in the rest of your vpright honest and plaine dealing which if you write againe I wishe you to bee better aduised in if you haue respect to your honestie and good name You say and belie vs that throughout the Scripture where idoles are forbidden we translate it images And here in your margin yesay See the English Byble Dedicated to King Henry It is worth the noting that where this gentleman findeth such fault with the Byble Dedicated as he saith To King Henry y e 8. chargeth vs or side and men with that translation those of his owne side then approued the same and some of the greatest Clergie men were then 〈◊〉 and dealers therein He shall neuer bee able