innocent that could shroud himselfe from the fraud and violeÌ„ce of caluÌ„ny alwaies malitious but then confident and peremptory when shee perceiueth herselfe handsomely trimmed and to be favoured something like the truth To begin this point wee say that it is no new matter that truth should be censured of nouelty nor that falshood should be invested with the venerable and sacred mantle of antiquity The Iewes cast this aspersion vpon our Sauiour the Prophet of Prophets and doctor of doctors contrarily they tooke to themselues this prerogatiue that they were the old friends and retainers of truth The pagans made the primitiue Christians odious to the world by the aspersion of nouelty Proud and lying braggers they made brauadoes and trophies with the monuments of their antiquity It is for vs then to thinke our selues happy and to cheare vp our selues in that wee are partakers of the same slanders with Christ these are honorable skars with which the primitiue Christians were marked And they who goe about to shame vs by these aspersions who boast and brag of their antiquity if they doe it vpon the same title which the Iewes and Pagans presumed on are they not vnhappie and their proceeding is it not really as ridiculous as in appearance it was commendable Now that it is so it appeareth by the nature of the answeres we oppose to their exceptions conformable to those of Christ to the Iewes and of the Christians to the pagans to discouer the impieâ—y quell the earnestnes and abate the insolency of the like calumnies Search the scriptures saith our Sauiour for in them yee thinke to haue eternall life and they are thâ—y which testifie of me If yâ—u haue beleeued in Mâ—sâ—s yee beleeue also in me for he wrote of me This is our defence at this day Wee are slandered as innouators wee answer search the Scriptures if you beleeue Moses the Prophets and Apostles you will belâ—eâ—e also in Christ preached in the midst of vs wee publish nothing but what hath beeâ—e written by them It was oblected to our Sauiour that his dâ—sciples violated the traditions of the fathers he replyed vâ—to thâ—m that by their traditions they had made void the word of God Wee at tâ—is time are molested with the same censure wee in our Sauiours authority retort the same reproch vsing his words in the face of them that brocht it Wee offer to make it manifest wee doe indeede make it a plaine case that they nullifie the word of God by their traditions that our antiquity is the antiquity of the Scripture yea of the truth contained in it which was preached before euer it was written So when the Pagans by this aspersion though false of nouelty made the cause of the Christians suspected they were confuted by the antiquity of the scriptures and by a proposall of these considerations that wee are not so much to care when as vpon what grounds wee embrace religion that as God almighty Iehouah the ancient of daies is not of any new being so his true worship cannot be new the forme of which worship who can better prescribe then God himselfe who said they is more to be beleeued in a matter concerning God then God himselfe is man to be credited who is ignorant of himselfe vnlesse God assist him and reueale him to himselfe It is not the antiquity of yeares but of manners which is venerable It s no disparagement to be conuerted euen in the doting age of the world no age is superannuated for repentance It is rather a shame not to be forward in a willing and industrious amendment in old age So the Primitiue Christians defended themselues and so in these times wee frame our apologies Wee rehearse the same things to iustifie vs. Wee request that the antiquity not of persones but of doctrine may be respected This is that which we expect that to which wee haue summoned and doe daily call our adversaries to Hither our adversaries dare not come that they may not come hither they find excuses to runne back It is then a base slander which is cast vpon vs that wee confesse our religion is new that wee denie which wee stifly affirme that antiquity is allwaies on truths side Christ in appearance was but an vpstart in respect of his adversaries as being but newly come abroad Christian religion if one would haue iudged of it while he cast his eyes vpon the heathenish monuments their temples and edifices would haue beene thought a neotericke vanity New in outward shew but really Christ and his doctrine in antiquity surpassed the Pharises and their leauen Christianity was by many ages ancienter then Paganisme But is it not a kind of stupidity in maÌ„ more to looke after towers and steeples then truth neuer remeÌ„bring that there was a time when these deuices were not but truth was before them all· Is it not reasonable here that wee should be heard will it not be thought that wee speake with reason when wee affectionately both aduise and entreate that it may be considered that it is a fault almost common to all men to call that new which is not so but in respect of them to bestow the honour of antiquity vpon nothing but what is ancient in their opinion measuring both antiquity and nouelty by the ell of their memories It fares with religion and lawes which the corruption and ignorance of the times hath obscured and as it were buried as it doth with Countries called new-found lands because lately discouered yet who is there that hath not his senses stolne from him which doubts but that they are of the same standing with the world All reformation is new what matter is it if the modell and patterne of it be antient Let our discouery be new The land which wee haue discouered is ancient hâ—th alwaies beene though vnknowne to the multitude· CHAP. XVI That the search of antiquity is not rightly ordered and what the direction is which Saint Cyprian giues vs for it WEE affirme then that antiquity is alwaies on the right hand of truth wee beleeue it and preach it honouring true antiquity not that which seemeth so to our fancy ignorant of times past but that which is true and reall Otherwise wee should be like those which sometimes thought that beyond the great Ocean and Atlantique sea there was no land because there was neuer knowne any Pilot that went so farre vntill Columbus ventred vpon it in the time of our Grandfathers Wee beginne at our shore with our time and so goe backward but why at least peirce wee not this Ocean of time and so get through to the other end why loose wee courage in the midst of our voyage why turne wee saile so suddainely If wee haue had neither the skill nor courage to saile further why affirme wee so confidently that their is nothing beyond our computation why dreame wee that it is impossible for vs to find that which wee neuer
binding them to passe through the vsuall formes there is moreouer this difference to bee considered The exercising of the office of a Iudge deriueth it's force and efficacy from his authority whence it is that the determinations of Iudges are not executed because they are iust but because they are sentences and determinations bee it that they are giuen iustly by the wisdome and equity of the iudge or vniustly by his ignorance or corruptnesse But the vertue and power of the Ministeriall function dependeth not of the authority of him that practiseth it For if he be ignorant or hereticall one who willingly slighteth his charge and vilifieth his own function an hucster of Gods word as the Apostle speaketh his authority will not make that when he hath proclaimed peace peace there shall be peace by by as well as the sentences of Iudges how vniust or silly soeuer they are faile not for all that to be put in execution On the other side if he who exerciseth the function be both of ability and fidelity though he want the formality of an outward mission it being impossible for him to obtaine it and that which he doth without it being necessary he faileth not effectually to instruct exhort and comfort It fareth with him as with a Phisitian whose authority giueth not his doses and recipes vertue to worke and in working to heale but it is his skill honesty which direct him in choise of such prescriptions as are proper for the cure which is the fruit of his labour and the end he proposeth vnto himselfe Otherwise euery graduated Phisitian would without any more adoe cure the sicke if it were the authority of the Doctor and not the vertue of his physicke which did the cure the choise and application of which dependeth of his knowledge and fidelity Whence it commeth to passe also that if the Phisitian be skillfull and carefull the want of authority in his person hindereth not the operation of his doses From whence by comparison it may be obserued why in a Iudge outward authority seemeth to be absolutely and simply necessary and why in a Pastour notwithstanding that authority which dependeth of humane authority is not simply necessary namely because whatsoeuer a Iudge doeth he doth by that authority which is lent him from a superiour his abilities but enabling him to doe that aright which his deriued authority maketh him doe effectually but in a Pastor if he be sound in knowledge and conscience the administration of his charge doth alwaies it's work as effectually and compleatly as if it were backed and graced by humane authority It is the good phisick which healeth the good milke which nourisheth whether the Phisitian hath taken his degrees or not whether the nurse were approved of by a Phisitian or no these circumstances as they bring nothing to the point so they take nothing from it Now the Gospell is a medicine saith the prophet milke saith the Apostle the authority then of him who applyeth this medicine who giueth this milke to suck or drinke I say the authority the commendation of men can neither augment nor diminish their vertues· But some will say that although that authority which dependeth of outward mission be not alwaies requisite in pastours yet at least this defect ought to be supplied by miracles here they call vpon vs for our miracles But we aske them againe where are the miracles of Iohn the Baptist of whom it is written that he neuer did any miracles As for that after his conception he leaped in his mothers wombe at the presence of the blessed virgin Mary bearing in her wombe the Lord of the world this was not done to authorise confirme his office in to the execution of which he entered a long time after When Miracles are done to make some enterprise authentique they are done either immediately before it or else they accompany it while it selfe is in hand they are done also publiquely exposed to the view of all that they may be the lesse suspected for impostures But to answere precisely wee say that when the Gospell was first to be planted Miracles were very necessary but that being finished their necessity ceased The Miracles wrought to authorize the Gospell anciently retaine still at least amongst Christians their vertue for that effect If then wee prooue that wee propose the same Gospell those ancient miracles are ours Let them admit vs then to this proofe in which if wee faile wee will confesse then that they haue good reason to call vpon vs for miracles yea more then this that wee were not to be beleeued though wee should doe very strange ones For wee read that the coming of Antechrist shall be with signes and wonders but wee read not that they who oppose him shall worke miracles so that if wee should make a trade of doing miracles or as it were stage-shewes of them this would make vs not more iustified but suspected CHAP XXXVI That the example of the first reformers fauoureth not schismatiques THere remaineth yet the fourth obiection that it seemeth that this doctrine touching the true markes of diuine calling to wit sufficiency a necessity to imploy this sufficiency fauour encourage schisme But wee tell them that this cannot bee For seeing that he who maketh a schisme hath no necessity to make it this note agreeth not to a schismaticall teacher who in a tolerable estate of the Church erecteth a Church apart seeing that then he emploieth his gifts without necessity for the beaten way lying open what need hath he to betake himselfe to new cross-pathes but this way being stopt vp to our predecessors it followeth that they were driuen to a necessity which presseth not schismatiques Certainely there is no schisme where their is a iust occasion of separation an impossibility of proceeding otherwise now we say that such was the misery of the times of our predecessors that they had iust reason to separate themselues thar albeit they had beene vnprouided of that outward Vocation which they had yet it had beene impossible for them to proceede otherwise then they did If they offer to deny this truth wee offer to make it good hither wee desire to be admitted setting aside the preiudice if wee faile in our proofe wee refuse not to be accounted schismatiques CHAP XXXVII In what sense wee yeeld that the Church of Rome hath the substance of true religion and how shee ceaseth not for all that to be a false Chuch YEa but at least wee yeeld to them that they haue Baptisme that they haue the substance of Christian religion from whence they conclude that they cannot perish that wee who haue separated our selues from them haue gone schismatically to worke This argument they frame from that confession which they thinke they haue extorted from vs let vs see then what trueth strength it may haue First concerning Baptisme they confesse that wee haue it that it may be amongst
truth for so a lye is never approued of but masked with the looks of its opposite Yea our owne passions varnish it over or at least hinder vs from tearing of its vaile for feare least we beholding it with a narrow eye stripped of the borrowed face of truth should be affrighted by its vglinesse CHAP. II. That this imperfection of iudgement proceeding from passion is discouered principally in the cause of Religion IT may be that in the civill part of mans life where if the worst come to the worst it toucheth but the temporall good this affected winking of the vnderstanding is not altogether hurtfull But in Religion it fareth otherwise the danger here is dreadful and the losse beyond recovery when all here is embarked and carried away the body the soule not to be no more which would be at least a forlorne kinde of happinesse but to be everlastingly miserable which is the wofull complement of all vnhappinesse And yet for all that this mischieuous quality hath so encroached vpon our nature and insinuated it selfe into such good footing that it 's never more domineering and peremptory then when the question is concerning Religion the salvation of the soule and the worship which God requireth of vs. The poore Indians so long as they are shewed braue ensigne or curious picture because the imbroderie and painting ravish the sense and man is naturally idolatrous runne to them like birds to the fowlers crye even to adore them as if they enshrined some Deity But otherwise let oâ—e tell them of their errours of the errours of their fore-faâ—hers they will demand as did the Prince of Frisland What is become of their progenitors and friends formerly dead in their errours And if one answere them that they are in hell they will reply that they will goe thither also secretly giuing vs to vnderstand that there is no likelyhood they should be there The loue which they beare towards them maketh them mistake this sad truth for a lye because it implieth the condemnation of those whom nature or acquaintance hath most indeared to them If by reasons so sensible that meere sense might comprehend them it be strongly endeauored to make the folly of the Turkish Religion visible vnto a Turke all this while the Sunne is but shewed to a beetle the Turke sees not a whit not as if that had impaired his senses but it being an irksome businesse to acknowledge the horrid absurdities of his superstition his passions grow furious either besot his vnderstanding or divert it from a discontenting speculation of such a truth which being assented to would force him to pronounce sentence of condemnation vpon his country-men his Sultan his friends and kindred This is so torturing a griefe vnto him that nature will not suffer him to beleeue it and so it remaineth as incredible vnto him as it is vnpleasant vnlesse God worke aboue nature Let vs accuse the obstinate Iewes of blasphemy by testimonies of Scripture wee shall stop their mouths we shall convince them but yet for all that not convert them An inconsiderate zeale without knowledge as the Apostle hath obserued it a superstitious reverence of the traditions of their fathers a sottish doting vpon their owne righteousnesse a desire of the restauration of their state of their restablishment in the land of promise overspread their eyes as it were with a vaile so that they cannot behold the glory of God in the face of Christ who nullifieth their traditions teareth from them the false covert of righteousnesse who confoundeth their hope of an earthly kingdome and prosperity who frustrateth their expectation of a King a Messias triumphing in secular pompe who bindeth them to the taking vp of his Crosse presenting himselfe to them crucified and in his Crosse the shame horrour of the rebellion of their Ancestors All this is thus and more harsh to the naturall apprehension of the Iew and therefore hee is no lesse blockish and backward to beleeue it In as much as he considereth not neither alloweth the true full poise to those meanes whereby this truth should be proued vnto him It is then from his passion that this his affected voluntary and in consequence malicious ignorance proceedeth CHAP. III. That the vnderstanding troubled by the affections of the heart alwaies findeth pretences to make it selfe beleeue that which it desireth should be true IT is not so for all this that this ignorance wanteth colour which giueth it at least the aspect and complexion of a true knowledge insomuch that it deceiueth him who hath it and oftentimes others also The Paynims puffeâ— vp with a conceipt of their owne wisedome esteemed the doctrines of Christian Religion to be meere dotages To this purpose they alledged all that which reason blinded with passion could furnish them with albeit that in their superstition they beleeved many things much more repugnant to humane reason They alleâ—ged Antiquity and yet all the Pagan superstition sprang vp long after the truth Had we but the â—earned discourse of Iosephus against Appion it is enough to instruct vs that that wisdome so much vaunted of was of late birth in comparison to thâ—t of God to that of the Church They alleaged aâ—so their miracles their prodigious wonders their oracles tâ—e disasters which befell the world after the publication of Christianity as if it had not beene confirâ—ed by many and most admirable miracles against the contemners of it as if it had not bin promised spokeÌ„ of long before by oracles far exceeding theirs in clearnesse antiquity and truth as if whilst the Pagan superstition flourished the world had not smarted vnder the same evills which it felt since the preaching of thâ— Gospell or as if it had felt more tolerable plagues And as iâ— this multiplication of evills were not rather to be attributed to the contempt of so excellent a graâ—e tâ— tâ—e butcherie and martyring of so many poore soules guilty of nothing but Christianity blamelesse in all other respects living not so much like men as Angels If you please but to read the relation of Symmachus to tâ—e Emperours Theodosius Valentinian and Arcadius apologizing for Paganisme you shal find there were never grosser vntruthes invented nor yet more like vnto truth that nothing could be spoken with more impiety or more plausibility the author being as eloquent as he was irreligious These poore Paynims little thought they maintained a bad cause their affection to it made them mistake it for good They excused that in Paganisme which in Christianity they esteemed a folly a crime a sacriledge· For Paganisme they enslaved their vnderstandings busied them to search out reasons against reason in it they swallowed even Elephants On the contrary in the Christian Religion they accuratly strained and sifted every circumstance the propension of their affections swayed them to an approofe of the
heretiques Antiquity beleeued it wee beleeue it with antiquity They reiterate not the Baptisme administred by vs wee reiterate not the Baptisme administred by them this priuiledge aduantageth not vs against them why should it aduantage them against vs The true Circumcision was in the Church of the ten tribes it was not for all that the true Church an hereticall Church shall haue Baptisme yet for all that not cease to be a false Church not in respect of the Baptisme but of her heresie not in regard of that which is pure in her of the Lords institution but in regard of her rebellion against the Lord her owne impurity That they haue Baptisme then wee graunt but so wee say haue all heretiques so the ten tribes after their apostacy receiued circumcision this exception then is friuolous when they pretend that wee confesse that they haue the Baptisme craftily dissemble that which wee adde that they haue adulterated depraued it as much as in them lies Concerning the substance of Christian religion wee confesse that it is also amongst them but not pure nor separated not only from chaffe and straw that is from tolerable abuses but neither from the venome and poison of false doctrine Now it is no schisme to forsake a Church wherein is the substance of religion if it be accompanied with superstition impiety and sacriledge as gold and siluer in false coine are mingled with copper aad tinne It is true that the Church of Rome teacheth that there is one God Father Sonne and holy Ghost that for the redemption of mankind the sâ—nne hath taken to himselfe the nature of Man and in it hath expiated our sinnes by his death that he was buried raised from the dead taken vp into heauen sitting at the right hand of God Almighty That the holy Ghost sanctifieth vs thâ—t there is a Church a communion of Saints a remission of sinnes a resurrection of the flesh and a life euerlasting That by faith wee must rely vpon the mercy of God that by hope wee must expect the accomplishment of his promises by charity loue him This is indeed the substance of Christian religion which continueth so farre as the doctrine and outward Profession of it in the Church of Rome in this respect wee haue not forsaken her but these considerations make vs leaue her the title of a Church to which soe farre wee will alwaies be ioyned But what is it that hath not beene added to corrupt this truth what strange doctrines haue beene inuented to obscure it What heresies what Idolatry what grosse sacriledge vent they vnder the protection of this Truth which they professe These are the causes of our separation from them if amongst them wee could haue enioyed the substance of true religion without defiling vs with their superstition wee had tarried with them still But in these later times after the Lord had lifted vp the Standart of his Gospell and sounded with his Trumpet Come out of Babilon my people since the Angells haue flowne in the midst of heauen carrying the euerlasting Gospell and crying with a lowd voice Blessed are they henceforth who dye in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their works follow them not to runne to this standard not to obey this summons not to goe whither wee heare this inuiting voice call vs in breife not to come out of Babilon to goe vp to Ierusalem is a rebellion against the liuing God and a manifest contempt of his grace· Before this the faithfull whom God had reserued to himselfe in the Captiuity of Babilon as a residue of the election of grace though they were not separated from the superstitious yet they were from their superstitioÌ„ their groanes and sighs seruing in steed of protestations against it because that the Lord had not yet opened them away by which to come out nor as yet prepared them a place into which they might withdraw themselues In a word the time preordained by God to put an end to that miserable captiuity was not yet come As then it was not a sinne to tarry in Egypt before the Lord had sent Moses or in Babilon before the seauenty yeares were expired But God hauing sent Moses hauing giuen liberty to his people to come out of Egypt to come out of Babilon to tarry there still had beene manifestly to testify a consent to the superstition of Egypt and idolatry of Babilon so before the Lord had sounded vs a loud summons with his trumpet Come out of Babilon my people he sustained and supported his people in the midst of Babilon it was not at that time a sinne but a Captiuity to abide in it But for any to abide or linger in it after the publishing of this summons it is a sure testimony that they liue not in it vnwillingly but with delight and that at least outwardly they partake of her sinnes and so may iustly partake of her plagues Now to demand why God caused not this trumpet to be sounded sooner is to dispute against him it were to bring back those ancient questions propounded to the primitiue Christians why the Lord Iesus had not brought the light of the Gospell sooner into the Church to which St. Paul clearely answereth when he teacheth that the fullnesse of time was not yet come Why the Lord called not the Gentils sooner vnto his knowledge to which the same Apostle answereth noe more then that God hauing winked at the time of Ignorance now warneth every man to repent He hath the times and seasons in his owne disposing It often falleth out that they who cannot goe out of an infectious citty tarry in it and are safe but for all that they that haue opportunitie to goe out of it will not take example from them to tarry in it The sheepheard will lead his sheepe into pastures where are noxious hearbs rather then he will suffer them to bee famished but if he haue the opportunity of leading them elsewhere where no danger is to be feared the good lucke that God gaue him of preserving them in an vnwholsome pasture shall not disswade him from taking of them out of that to put them into a better That which the shepheard doth to his sheepe we are to doe to our selues so long as there was presented vnto vs no other place of pasturage then the Romane Church for want of a better wee were compelled to make vse of that But the Lord hauing graciously provâ—ded vs a better miserable are we if we leaue not that and betake our selues to this In the time of a famine men liue pinchingly and wretchedly but the dearth being past and plenty restored hee that will not take the benefit of it deserueth to be starued to death Let this consideration then serue for the solution of the difficultie aboue proposed CHAP. XXXVIII That there is nothing which deserveth to be admired in the life of the Monkes of the Romish Church NOw it remaineth that