them vnto a gentleman of our religion to bring them vnto vs. ANSWERE SInce Euery man vnderstands his owne busines best I haue nothing to say vpon this paragrafe which toucheth F. Arnould he hauing in his replie answered it himselfe onely this I will say he that knowes his merits learning Zeale and moderation of mynd will easily iudge him to be a man of greater performance then vndertaking and more prone to render your soules gratefull to God then your persons hatefull to men CHAP. XIII MINISTERS THis Soueraigne Lord did oblige vs to make answere for this confession hauing bene made to giue an accompt of our faith to our Soueraignes and to that effect being presented to king Henry the II. your predecessour we thought fitt to addresse the Defence of the same confession to his successour in whose presence it was calumniated And I wish to God we were licenced to propose our defence verbally in the presence of your Maiestie and were authorised publikly and in presence of the king which God hath bestowed vpon vs to mantayne the truth of the Gospell against those that doe diffame it which is a thing which your Maiestie ought also to desire For seeing a dissension amongst your subiects in point of religion what is more conuenient then that he who is the common father of vs all should know in what the difference consistes and see the ground of the processe and to this effect he should looke to the head of the fountaine to discouer what Christian religion was in its source For he that is established on earth to see that God be serued ought exactly to know the rule of Gods seruice he who in his charge represents God's royaltie ought in his actions to imitate his iustice which how can it be done without knowing the soueraigne rule of Iustice which is the word of God Vvher vpon it is that God commands kings continually to haue before their eyes the booke of the law therin to read all the dayes of their life But if they permitt themselues to be hood winked and be content to follow without seeing the way before them the Popes and Prelates haue faire occasion to accommodate religion to their priuate lucre and crect their owne greatnes vpon the ruines of the Ghospell For now religion is made a trafike and those our great Masters haue inuented rules of pietie which doth intrench not onely vpon the liuing but euen vpon the deade To no other end haue the Popes for some ages past probibited the kings your Maiesties Predecessours to read the holy Scripture but that their Empire is grounded vpon the ignorance of Gods word Neuer had it bene permitted to haue growen so great with the diminution of the greatnes of our Kings if they had not wrought vpon the aduantage of an obscure age wherin few people discouered their designe He could not haue made himselfe soueraigne Iudge in points of faith if the people had had the rule of faith before their eyes which God long agoe pronounced with his owne mouth ANSWERE IT is a great art in him that is feable and fearefull to fayne himselfe bold and valourous you put a good face vpon it and beare it boldly to make the world beleeue that you haue a great desire to appeare before the king to make good in his presence and in publike the truth of your new Gospell Your words which sound no other thing but a chalance wherby you prouoke all the Clergie of France to a publike disputation makes me call to mynd the Troian wherof mention is made in Homere Iliad 7 who boldly prouoked to combate marrie when it came once to blowes he stood in neede of a cloud to couer his flight and shame Vve could with facilitie if we pleased refuse to giue you battaile without the disaduantage of our dishonour or affording you occasion of complaint For Luther doth sustayne that we are not to dispute with such as renew old heresies which were long agoe condemned But we will not proceede so rigorously with you the Church of France by Gods prouidence being prouided of store of Prelates wherof I am the least and of an infinite number of Doctours who vpon all occasions will make appeare the veritie of her doctrine the vanitie of your errours The onely shadow of that great Cardinall will alwayes be able to defeate you for the same reason for which the Picture of Alexander made him quake vnder whose powerfull hand he had somtymes sunke to the grouÌ„d Is it not a mere flatterie to inuite a king to discerne differences in religion Vvill you haue princes to assume to themselues the authoritie of Iudges in such causes Though you would yet would not your brethren consent therto Princes themselues haue no such pretension The Holy fathers giue testimonie and the Scriptures teach that iustly they cannot doe it That your brethren will not haue it so they themselues shall speake Princes saith a Bezainconfess c. 5. art 15. Principes Synodo intersint non vt regnent sed vt seruiaÌ„t non vt leges condant sed vt ex Deiverbo per os ministrorum explicatas sibi aliis obseruandas proponant Beza are present in synods not to rule but to serue not to inact lawes but to propose those to be kept by themselues and the people which according vnto the word of God are explicated by the mouth of the Minister The Prince saith b Controu 5. lib. 2. c. 18. De sensu fidei mec cognoscit Princeps nec cognoscere officio Principali potest Iunius nether doth nor can by vertue of his charge iudge of the meaning of faith Vve say saith c Controu 1. q. 5. c. 4. Dicimus lites Ecclesiasticas decernendas esseex lege diuina per Ministrum Item cap. 6. Respondeo Martinum Ecclesiae vindicare iudicium de genere doctrinae non coÌ„cedere Imperatort c. Vhitakere that Ecclesiasticall differences are to be decided by the Minister in vertue of the diuine law In another place I answere that Martine doth ascribe the iudgement of points of doctrine to the Church he doth not grant it to the Emperour and who will deny that this iudgment appertaynes to â—ishopes Finally it belongs not to kings and Princes to confirme euen true doctrine but they are to be subiect to and obseruant of it saith Luthere That Princes doe not pretend to make themselues Iudges in matters of Faith the a Apud Soz. l. 6. c. 7. Mihiquisum de sorte plebis fas non est talia perserutari Sacerdotibus ista curae sunt Emperour Valentinian doth confirme in these words It is not lawfull for me who am of the ranke of the people to sound and search into those things they are committed to the Preistes care It belongs me not saith the same as b Epist 32. noÌ„ est mecum iudicare inter Episcopos S. Ambrose relates to iudge of the differences which rise amongst Bishops
de contribuer vos soins pour appaiser les troubles de la Chrestienté F. Leon de Paris Gardien of the Capueins of the Conuent of S. Honorie Fr. Archangell of Paris Gardien of the Capucins of S. Iameses Fr. Baltazar Langlois Prior of the Dominicains of S. Iames street F. Renault de Vault Prior of the great Conuent of the Carmelites of Paris Doctor of Diuinitie où nous prenons vn interest bien plus sensible qu'en ce qui nous pourroit concerner THE PRINCIPALL POINTS OF THE FAITH OF THE Catholike Church DEFENDED AGAINST the vvriting directed to the king by the foure Ministers of Charenton THE FIRST CHAP. MINISTERS SOVERAIGNE LORD The knovvledge which we haue of the mildnes of your naturall disposition makes vs hope that you will heare vs in our iuste complaintes and that to giue iudgement in an importāt cause you will not be satisfyed with hearing the accusation Againe the greatnes of your courage and the vigour of your witt which out run tyme and outstripe your age and wherof God hath alreadie made vse to restore peace to France fills your subiects vvith hope to see Peace and Pietie florish and Iustice maintayned vnder your raigne ANSWERE ONe may see that by experience in the first lines of your writing which is frequently noted by aunciēt historians Arrius in ep ad Constant apud Sozom. lib. 2. c. 26. Nestoriani tom 3. Conc. Ephes c. 18. that it is an ordinarie thing with such as erre in Faith to charme the eares of Princes with specious words that they may with more facilitie make glide into their hearts and imprint therin the opinions which they professe You extolle his Majesté thinking vnder the sweetnes of a truth to make him take downe that which is depraued in your beleifs and to couch vnder faire appearances the serpent which doth distroy soules as that Aegiptian hidde the aspe vnder figues which slew her The qualities which you attribute vnto the kinge doe truely appertayne vnto him nor haue I indeede any thinge to doe vpon this subiect but to approue the prayses wihich you asscribe vnto him and withall to adde to them euery one knowing not onely the strength of his witt and the fulnes of his courage but further the soliditie of his iudgement the inbred goodnes of his nature his pietie towards his people and zeale in point of Religion Yet in truth one that would be rigorous considering that a Respons ad epist Luth. Henry the eight king of England vvhom you so highy esteeme cōtemnes the prayses which Luther whom he condemnes of heresie ascribes vnto him might propose vnto his Maiestie to impose silence vpon you or at least to stop his eares against that which euen with truth you speake to his aduantage But I will nether indeuour the one nor the other the vehement desire and hope I conceaue of your conuersion There is nothing sayde in this Chapter of the Ministers inuiting the king to iudge of their cause ansvver being made thereto in 3. Chap. oblige me to treate you more mildly I will content my selfe to discouer vnto him your craft which consists in thinking to please him in euerie thing to thend you may please him in this point and vpon this I dwell praysing you for the prayses you giue him according to your dutie each subiect being obliged to speake and thinke well of his king CHAP. II. MINISTERS You haue SOVERAIGNE in your kingdome many thousands making profession of the old Christian Religion and such as Iesus-Christ did institute it and the Apostles did publish and put it downe in writing who for this cause haue suffered horrible persequutions which yet could neuer impeach their continuall loyaltie to their soueraigne Prince yea when the necessitie of the kingdome called they ran to the defence euen of those kinges who had persequuted them They DREAD SOVERAIGNE serued Henry the great your Father of most glorious memorie for a Refuge dureing his afflictions and vnder his conduct and for his defence gaue battaills and at the perill of their liues and fortunes brought hym by the point of the sword to his kingdome maugre the enemyes of the state Of which labours damages dangers others then they reape the revvard for the fruite which we reape therby is that we are constrayned to goe serue God far from Townes that the entrie to any dignities is become to vs for the most part impossibile or at least full of difficultie That our new borne children who are carried a far of to Baptisme are exposed to the rigour of the weather whence many die that we are hindred to instruct them yet that which doth most aggreeue vs is that our Religion is diffamed and denigrated with calumnies in your Maiesties presence while yet we are not permitted to purge our selues of those imputations in the presence of the said Maiestie ANSWERE IT is the custome of those that are tainted with errour to brage most of that which they least haue and to boast of it in aduātagious words which are ordinarie with them as S. a S. Hieron Osea cap. 10. Spumantibus verbis rumēt Hierome doth remarke This truely is your proceeding while you somme vp by millions your followers in France though now they be reduced to a far lesse number Imitating herin the Donatists who though but few in number brought downe to a part of Affrike and that a litle one too did yet make brages of the multitude of their followers You make vse of a deceipt yet easie to be discouered you see that the scripture and all the b Hieron tentra Lucif Fathers make the Catholike Church the lawfull Spouse of Iesus-Christ more fruitefull then any adulterer wherevpon you attribute to your selues many brethren but in vaine it being cleare euen vnto the blind that the number of yours are no more considerable in respect of the kings other subiects then all those that are of your professiō in the whole world being compared to those who in all christendome liue vnder the lawes of the Romane Church That this is so it is easie for me to proue by the same argument which a S. Aug. cap. 3. de vnitat◠Eccles lib. de Past c. 18. S. Augustine makes vse of against the Donatists for the vniuersall Church making onely appeare that your beleife hath no place in diuers townes and places of this kingdome where the Catholike Church is and that yet the Catholike Church is found in euery place where profession is made of your religion so it is not strange that when b Caluin 2. Colos 2. v. 19. videmus vt modo procer sit ac amplun Papae regnused prodigios magnitudine vrgeat Et in Praef. lib. de libero arbit Nos exiguun sumus home num manus illi Papistae ingentem faciunt exerc◠tum some of your owne men doe compare the number of their followers with the number of Catholikes they confesse that theirs is
faith but according to S. Cyprian punishments of your perfidiousnes Hauing spoken of your persecutions you represent your fidelitie and seruices such if we beleeue you that euen the king who persecuted you to vse your owne words had fully tasted the fauorable effectes therof To what pourpose is it to make those indebted vnto you to whom you owe all that you are To what end is it to bragge that you were a refuge to that great king in his afflictions and crosses Vvhy doe you represent his crowne fastened vpon his head by the cement of your blood spilt in many battaills Frenchmen being no strangers in France that is not being ignorant of what past therin I cannot see to what end you so magnifie your seruices if not to giue way to all the world to condemne you out of their owne knowledge for there are none at all be they neuer so sharpe sighted be they neuer so diligent in runing ouer historie that can find out the seruices you haue rendred vnder Francis the first and Henry the second who are those vnder whom you may pretend with most shew of reason to haue bene persecuted since vnder their raigne endeuour was vsed to stiffe your errour in its birth vnlesse it be that as there are some who deeme they doe well when they doe no euill you repute it seruice not to haue disserued which yet would not be the wining of your cause it being certaine that if a man be obliged to any one for an euill he did not it is to him who had power to doe it and it is euident that in the raigne of those first kinges if you had a will to hurt your infancie did not second you with power to put it in execution And if from the raignes of these kings one passe to those of Francis the second and Charles IX and that you pretend to haue serued them the conspiracie of Amboise against the first and the Bataills of Dreux S. Denis Iarnac and Moncontour against the last the enterprise which was made at Meaux to seaze vpon his person are they to be counted in the number of seruices Since you make shew to haue rendred good for euil there is no question of seeking place of excuse to those actions but in case one should presse you to it you should neuer be able to fetch out the stayne which they fastened vpon your Predecessours foreheads And as litle can you couer it by your blood spent in a bloodie day since this action following the others one may well auerre that it was caused by those but neuer that those were caused by it And concerning Henry the third the seruices which he receaued from you will appeare by those which you afforded to his successour the Battaill of Coutras the taking of many townes and diuers other actions clearely demonstrating that in seruing the one you did bad offices to the other Thence it appeares in deede that your predecessours had serued Henry the Greate marrie that which goes amisse for you is that it appeares withall that they serued him not as king but as Fauourer of their secte sithens their seruices went before his comeing to the Crowne while yet he did openly fauour them at which tyme they could not lawfully assiste him against their kinge and that since the royall scepter fell into his hands which was the tyme indeede in which they were to die for him yet abbeit he were their king because hauing imbraced the Catholik faith he stood not in matter of religion Promotour of their Cause their fire became ice whose coldnes he felt as with his owne mouth he witnessed at the seige of Amienns You cannot without temeritie affirme that you were his refuge but with veritie one may auerre that you were cause why he stood in neede therof you cannot say that you were cause of his prosperitie but well may you be said to haue bene the cause of his misfortunes for who had bene more prosperous or in greater assurance then he if you separating him from the Church had not put him in a way to loose his kingdome and life amidst the hazards of warre where a thousand thousand tymes he exposed himselfe in a way to be depriued of his earthly Crowne together with that of heauen He that should haue cast a man headlong into the sea with intention to drowne him and after conceauing his conseruation profitable to himselfe lends him his hand to fetch him out of the perill in which he had put him can draw no great glorie from that action If you contributed any thing to the establishment of this greate kinge who hauing bene cast downe by some of yours from the Peters-shippe of the Church into the sea of errour was coÌ„stituted in most emineÌ„t danger it is onely in this sense and yet it is so litle too that you ought not to put it to accompt In steed of seruing him you serue your selues of him he fought for you not you for him and so far were your armes and powre from â—aysing him to the Crowne that nothing did so powrefully concurre to establish him as the abiureing of your errours which had put him in perill and yet he stands indebted to you for all by your owne accompt wherupon I cannot but apply vnto you what was said of Moab in Isaie Vve haue heard his pride Isa 6. his pride and arrogancie greater then his povver Loe in a few words how yours haue serued the kings whom in lieu of pointing them out by odious names you ought to stile your benefactours sith it was vnder them that you began to get footing in this kingdome in libertie and that they haue made fauorable Edicts which euen to this day you enioy If I haue brought vpon the stage the comportemeÌ„ts of your Predecessours all trespasses being personall it was not to impute their faultes to you but onely to take notice by the way vpon the occasion which you administred of what hath past leauing to such as are addicted to reading to take a more ample View of them in our Histories And so far am I from desireing to denigrate you with the faultes of your forerunners that on the coÌ„trarie side I conceaue and hold for certaine that the king vnder whose authoritie we all liue shall receaue so good seruices both of the nobilitie who giues eare vnto you and the comon people who follow you and of your selues that France will haue occasion to burie in obliuion the actioÌ„s of your forefathers which were preiudiciall vnto it In the interim you will licence me to tell you that although yours had serued as you pretend yet by the vanitie you take therin you make your owne recompence wheras you were elswhere sufficiently rewarded wherin you commit a double fault to witt an extreame vanitie and withall a grosse misaccnowledgmeÌ„t complayning of set purpose of his Maiesties Predecessours in lieu of expressing a true feeling of the notable obligations by them heaped vpon you
ought no more to be reputed Magistrates but are to be accused examined and condemned The people saith a Bucan de iure regni populus principem in ius capitis vocare potest Bucanan haue power to iudge of the life of kings It were to be wished b Lib. de iure regni Optandum est vt praemia à plebe decernantur iis qui tyrannos occiderint vt fierisolet iis qui lupos caedunt saith he againe that rewards were appointed for such as kill tyrants as we are wont to doe to those that kill woolues But what forme doe you obserue in these depositions None at all Vvhat respite doe you allow kings that are to be deposed by the people to recant None at all In your opinion they depose themselues when they behaue themselues otherwise then they ought so that the people are onely to oppose themselues and rise vp against them The kings of the earth saith c in 6. Dan. v. 22. 25. Abdicant se potestate terreni principes cum insurguÌ„e contra Deum immò indigni sunt qui in numero hominuÌ„ censeantur ideoque in capita potiùs corum compuere oportet quam illis parere Cal doe depriue themselues of power when they make head against the king of heauen Yea they are vnworthy to be numbred amongst men and therfore we are rather to spitt in their faces then to obey them If Princes saith a a Rnoxus queÌ„ Galuinus epist 305. virum insignem eximium virum ex animo colendum fratrem Beza ep 74. Euangelij apud Scotos restauratoreÌ„ quem teste Vvitakero coÌ„ trou 2. quaest 5. cap. 13. Scoti omnes testantur fuisse spiritu prophetico Apostolico praeditum in admonitione ad Angliam Scotiam si Principes aduersus Deum ac veritatem eius tyrannicè se gerant subditi eorum à iuramento fidelitatis absoluuntur scotish man whom Caluine tearmes an excellent man Beza the restorer of the Gospell in scotland whom all the scots as Vvitakere relates esteemed to haue the spirit of prophesie If Princes saith this famous personage in your iudgement gouerne tyrannically against God and his truth his subiects are absolued from their oath of fidelitie But what cause is sufficieÌ„t to depose a king according to your doctrine Onely religion no not that onely but many other more their wicked life their vices No man saith b Apud Osiand in epitonâ— centur 9. Nullus est Dominus ciuilis nullus est Praelatus nullus est Episcopus dum est in peccato mortali Vviclef is a temporall Lord none a Prelate none Bishope when he is in mortall sinne c In explan art 42. Principes quanâ—â— perside extra regulam egerint possunt eum Deo depo â—i It is lawfull to depose Princes saith Suinglius when they do disloyally transgresse the rule of Iesus Christ which he thinkes they doe as he himselfe confesseth if they f Cum seelerates prouehit innouios praegrauat vt cum inutiles ventres otiosos sacrificos defendit Princeps aduance the wicked oppresse the innocent and defend the idle sacryficers to witt Catholikes as is to be noted I could proue out of a multitude of authours what is your sense in this behalfe which paines I would willingly vndertake if that which you teach vpon this subiect were as aduantagious as preiudiciall vnto you I will onely inuite the Reader to see a booke in titled the Protestants Apologie one of the most profitable that hath bene printed these many yeares where he will find far more passages vpon this subiect amongst the rest some which doe verifie that your Authours haue written that it is lawfull by diuine and humane law to kill impious kings that it is a thing conformable to the word of God that a priuate man by speciall instinct may lawfully kill a Tyrant a most detestable doctrine in euery point which will neuer enter into the thoughtes of the Catholike Church This is not yet all Hauing now seene what you deliuer touching the deposition of kings we must also see by your actions how you behaue your selues towards them Since your etrours were brought into the world by Luthere and Caluine you haue let no occasion slipe where you could make vse of your pretended power in which you haue not done it You put an armie a foote against Charles the V. whom by way of derision you instiled Charles of Gant to trouble him in his Dominions Surius ann 1547. and to depriue him of dominion You haue borne armes against three kings of France Francis the II. Charles the IX Henry the III. in the raigne of Charles the IX you coyned money in the name of another to whom you gaue the name of king Du Chesne in the historie of England vnder Elizabeth and Marie How did you vse Marie Queene of Scotland did you not make her captiue Did you not in prison cause her to renounce her royall dignitie Did you not thrice take vp armes against Marie Queene of England Did you not sett vp a pretended Queene against her Did not oue of yours attempt vpon her royall person Iane borne vp by the Duke of Northumberland In Flanders you dispoyled Philippe king of Spayne of a part of his Prouinces Christiernus Surius king of Denmarke was by yours dispossessed of his crowne driuen out of his kingdome afterwards clapt in prison where following the opinion of the tymes the dayes of his life were abridged by poyson Sigismond who at this day raignes in Polonie sees himselfe depriued of the crowne which appartaynes vnto him by right of inheritance and which his father did peacably possesse his vnkle who was of your profession being put vp into his place by your men You vsurped vpon the Emperour Rodolphus the last deseased Transsiluania which he possessed by iust title as king of Hongarie And all this following the example of your predecessour Caluine who cannot indure the Bishope of Geneua I will not say in qualitie of Bishope onely but euen in the nature of temporall Prince Vvhosoeuer shall reade the histories wherin what I speake is contayned shall see that in one age you disturbed two Emperours acctually spoyled one king excluded another out of his kingdome deposed one Queene made warre against another to bereeue her of her crowne bore armes against foure kings deposed other temporall Princes put a king to death brought a vertuous and wise Queene into captiuitie who had power to inlarge others with libertie whom in conclusion violating diuine and humane lawes you put to death after a most inhumane and incompassionate manner CHAP. IX MINISTERS TO bring more light and euidence vnto this matter we must giue your Maiestie to vnderstand that you nourish in your kingdome a faction of men who call themselues companions of Iesus as though it were too â—itle to be his disciples who haue made an oath of blind obedience and that
take not vpon thee to iudge the commands of thy betters Finally so b Greg. l. 2. c. 4. in 1. Regum Vera obedientia nec Praepositorum intentionem discutit nec praecepta discernit quia qui omne vitae suae iudicium maiori subdidit in hoc solo gaudet si quod sibi praecipitur operatur Nescit enim iudicare quisquis perfeclè didiceris obedire sainc Gregorie in these tearmes That true obedience doth nether examine the intention of Superiours nor discerne their commands because he that hath submitted all the iudgement of his whole life to one greater then himselfe hath no fairer way then to execute what he is commanded and he that hath learnt perfect obedience knowes not how to iudge Therfore the Iesuites are not to be blamed for making and obseruing a vowe which the Fathers of the primitiue Church doe not onely approue but euen ordayne as a thing necessarie for religious people You say further that they promis this blind obedience to a Generall who is alwayes subiect to the king of Spayne If you had informed your selues well of the truth of the busines you had learnt that it is false that their Generalls are ought to be or were alwayes such for euen Father Vitelesque who at this present is deseruedly possessed of that charge is a Romane borne and the last before him who lately deceased was a Liegois Next you vpbraid them with the Decrees which were made against them but it is sufficient that they were restored and established by the Edict of Henry the Great approued by all the Courts of Parlement in France Vvhich doth sufficiently iustifie the zeale of this order towards kings the affection therof towards the state and the profite which youthes reape of the care they take to instruct them Concerning their doctrine in point of power which they attribute to Popes ouer kinges you had spoken otherwise and more to the purpose if insteed of gathering it out of the writings of some particular men you had receaued it from the mouth of their Generall who in the yeare 1610. made a publike declaration wherby he doth not onely improue and disallow but absolutly prohibite those of his Order vnder most greeuous paines to maintayne vpon what pretext of tyrannie soeuer that it is lawfull to attempt vpon the persons of kings and Princes As touching the secrete of confession I haue not yet vnderstood that they hold any other opinion then that which the vniuersall Church holdeth But it is no wonder since you quarrell with the Sacrament that you imploy all your craft to make this become odious therby to hinder them whom you hold your enemyes because you are the enemyes of Gods Church from hauing accesse to kings persons and from the knowledge of secretes of their consciences wherat you ayme as the last words of your paragrafe doe testifie As for the Equiuocations which you say they vse and teach others to vse before their Iudges I referre you to the Answeres which they so often haue returned you vpon this subiect it shall suffice me onely to shew that blaming equiuocation in in them you practise it your selues nay euen most manifest lyes in matter of faith Vvicklef In the 2. booke on the life of â—videf by whom your french Martyrologe saith it pleased God to awake the world which was buried in the dreame of humane traditions being demanded an accompt of his faith did not he and his vse tergiuersations if we may credit your said Martyrologe who speakes of them in these words Striuing onely to find out tergiuersations and friuolous excuses therby to escape through ambiguitie of words Did not your Augustana Confessio vse equiuocation when it said Cap de Missa Our Churches were falsly accused of abolishing Masse for we doe yet retayne Masse and celebrate it with greatest reuerence Did not Melancton vse equiuocation Apud Hospiman part 2. hister an 25 41. when he did confesse that he and his had made the Articles at Asbroug ambiguous and easie to be turned To what end doth he say that the Articles made at Asbroug were to be changed and to be suted to occasions if he condemne equiuocation They framed ambiguous and guilefull formes of Transsubstantiation saith Caluine Epist 12. speaking of him and Bucere He indeuoured saith Chauaterus to setle a certaine concorde in an ambiguous kind of speach An. 1538. meaning Bucere Vve haue met with a confessing aduersarie For he himselfe teacheth vpon Erasmus that it is lawfull in the affaires of the Gospell to vse colours and clockes Bucere therfore and his fellowes when they grant to Luthere that the body of Christ is truly and substantially in the Eucharist and also that the vnworthy doe receaue it doe they not without compulsion for their owne pleasure yea and euen in matter of faith vse tergiuersatioÌ„s and equiuocations Doth not the same say that the Zuinglians differe from Luther though indeede it is false but in words onely Hospinian part 1. hist Sacram. Doth not Luther vpon this occasion tearme him a sower of words as saith Hospiniane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doe not the same Hospiniane and Simblerus swethish authours relate that Martir did vse for a tyme obscure and ambiguous words in the matter of the last supper In a word your Authouâ—s confesse that your inuisible Church for the space of many ages did professe our religion though with hart and mouth they beleeued yours which they could not doe not onely not without equiuocation but euen not without denying God And yet where is any of ours who doth not accnowledge that he is rather a thousand tymes to dy then to vse equiuacatioÌ„ in matter of Faith or to deny him not onely in hart but euen in word whom we are bound to confesse with both Touching their bookes if cortaine particular men composed any which were burnt what need you to stirre in their ashes Doe not the same Decrees which adiudged them to the fire iudge many of yours worthy of the same flames since they handle the same argument The picture which you mention cannot any way aduantage you since you and they aggree not in the fact for they sustayne that he whom you esteeme conuicted of a conspiracie against his king is wholy innocent of the fact and hold that he dyed for the sole defence of the Catholike religion Vvhence in comes to passe that if there be any errour in this it is errour of fact de facto not of right non de iure of Fact as beleeuing he dyed for his vertue not for his vice not of right as though they sustayned that it were lawfull to murther kings and that to suffer death for that cause were martirdome Now to conclud this Chapter it onely remaynes that we beseech God to shewre downe vpon you the waters of the fountaines of his Grace because being the nature of calumnie to obscure and blacken its owne authours not him
whom they would but cannot stayne with it you stand in so much neede of washing that all the waters of this world are not able to blanch you CHAP. X. MINISTERS THese are they dread Soueraigne who to aduance their priuate designes doe stirre vp tumults and scandalls against vs to cloake their owne proceedings and to the end that the troubles which they make arise may be imputed to their Zeale of religion for they cannot indure a kinge though otherwise Romane Catholike vnlesse he turne Persequutour of his subiects and cause a combustion in his kingdome ANSWERE IT is a great signe of ignorance or malice when he to whom a benefit is done doth publish that he hath receaued an iniurie You complaine of the Iesuites and yet you receaue nothing but good offices of them for it is manifest that that wherin you apprehend your selues iniured by them is onely that they oppose your beliefe which indeede is to your great aduantage Saint Augustine doth teach vs August in Psal 30. Goncil 1. that by how much more we seeke the saltation of heretikes by so much the more we ought to place before their eyes the vanitie of their errours The â—esuites haue no other designe then the saluation of soules and Gods glorie All the meanes which they vse are referred to this end not to tayse tumultes to cause scandalls To labour to reduce you into the bosome of the Church is this to stirre vp troubles To confirme the king in his beliefe is it to moue him to persequute you To inuite you to quench the fire which one day will consume your soules call you this to set his kingdome on fire The hurt man hates the surgeon while he is yet lancing his legge but his hurt being healed his accnowledgments follow the beloued surgeon So one day I hope you will laude the Iesuites sith now you onely complaine of them because they affect your wellfaire and striue to procure your saluation They desire peace in this kingdome and in your consciences In which they differ far from yours who take a glorie in troubles and tumults conceauing the fairest fishing to be in troubled waters You will say peraduentures that I misse the marke of truth but to free my selfe of that imputation Luther loc cemm class 5 â—u quereris quod per EuaÌ„gelium nostruÌ„ mundus tumultuatur Respondeo Deo gratias baec voluifieri o me misevum sinon taâ—â—â— fierent I will ingage Luthere your first father in the quarell assuring my selfe that in the iudgement of all the world nor he nor you shall euer come off with your honour Thou complainst saith Luthere that by meanes of our Gospell all the world is in tumult I answere thankes be to God it was my wish that so it should be and woe be to me if so it were not CHAPT XI MINISTERS AT the least Soueraigne they cannot serue vp in our dish that any of our religion hath killed his king nor that any Minister of the word of God did ether in priuate or publike incite any to doe it But contrariwise after so many oppressions and persequutions we seeke no other reuenge but to pray to God for the prosperitie of such as hate vs and esteeme our selues happie enough in seeing your Maiestie a peaceable and happie possessour of his kingdome ANSWERE I Am constrayned against my will to omitt that which concernes your religion to examine that which toucheth your persons My aime in this is to please you by answering you point by point which of my selfe I had neuer vndertaken for feare of displeasing you I will passe ouer in silence to your confusion what Christiernus king of Denmarke and Marie Queene of Scots suffered by yours nor will I speake of the conspiracies made against king Francis the II. at Amboyle and against king Charles the IX at Meaux and others which are more ancient I will onely insiste vpon that which past in the person of the greatest king that euer was seduced by your errour Is it not to will to kill a king to strugle with him and hurle him downe vpon the ground as Gourrie did in Scotland treate the king of great Britanie whom he reduced to such an extreamitie that his sole courage of mynd and fortitude together with Gods assistance conserued him aliue Vvill you dare to say that the condemnation of my Lord Gobans brother was vniust who was conuicted of making an attemptvpon this sacred person These two examples doe clearly confirme that such as haue taken the tincture of your errours doe attempt vpon kings Yet if you be not satisfied with this proofe cast your eyes I beseech you vpon the Epistle monitorie of this great king of whom we speake you shall sind there how speaking of the puritaines of his kingdome who are Caluinists like you he sayth I haue not onely euer since my birth bene vexed continually with Puritanes but I was euen almost stifled by them in my mothers wombe before I had yet seene the world And in the next leafe I would rather trust my selfe in the hands of the robbers of the wilde mountaines or to borderers then to that sort of men Of whom he saith againe in his kingly Present that during his mmoritie they would haue brought on foote a dimocrasie in his kingdome that they calumniated him in their sermons not for any harme they found in him but euen because he was king Vvhat will you say to these authorities you dare not call them in doubt Nor indeed doth Moulins The R. Father Coeffeteau writing vpon this subiect against one of the most learned and famous religious men of his age deny them It is manifest therfore that yours doe attempt vpon the liues of kings It would yet remayne to be shewen whether it were done vpon the instigation of those that doe exercise your ministerie if the testimonies which I haue alreadie produced were not sufficient if any shame be left in you to cause as well your blush as silence vpon this subiect CHAP. XII MINISTERS NOw that which moued vs to make these our humble complaintes to your Maiestie was the last action of Monsieur Arnould Iesuite who openly braged in his sermon in your Maiesties presence that he would vndertake to shew that all the places coted in our Confession of Faith are falsly cited Your Maiestie had therupon a laudable curiositie to heare him deduce his proofes vpon this subiect which he did in his ensuing sermon in words which tended to make vs odious and execrable to your Maiestie condemning himselfe to eternall flames and to vndergoe all sorts of punishments if he did not clearly show that all that is coted in the margent of our confession touchnig our controuersies are false allegations seconding that with many odious words and proposing the example of the Princes of Germanie who doe onely allow of one religion in their contries yea not content her withall he hath put downe his proofes in writing and deliuered
nor are good for any thing but to giue a false alarme and content such as please themselues to heare calumnies cast out against the Church This moues you to cry out that Catholike religion is made a traffike and that Prelates intrench vpon the liuing and the deade Is it to intrench vpon the deade to doe that which we see hath bene practised in the primitiue Church in the tyme of a Tert. â—l de cer mil. c. 3. Oblationes pro defunctis pro natalitiis annua die faci mus Item l de Monoga pro anima eius offerat annuis diebus Tertul. b Cyprian ep 66. refert vt si quis frater clericum tutorem nominas set non offeretur pro eo nec saecrificium pro dormitatione eius celebraretur S. Cyprian and others and the contrarie to which is condeÌ„ned for heresie in the persoÌ„ of Aerius by the relation of a Aug haec 53. Epiphan har 75. S. Augustine and S. Epiphanius As your beliefe resembles that of the auncient Heresiarkes condemned by the Church so your manner of proceeding is not vnlike to theirs for the Manichees did vpbraide S. Augustine Vigilantius and S. Hierome that for their owne profit and interest they defeÌ„ded the doctrine of the Church which is the verie same which now you obiect against vs. The Prelates nether intrench vpon the liuing nor the deade but doe greatly assiste the one and the other wheras you abuse them both They assiste the liuing by instructions and Sacraments the liuing and the deade by their prayers and their sacryfices wheras you doe altogether neglect the deade and the care which you haue of the liuing hath no other effect then the death of their soules You say that the Pope for some ages past hath hindred kings to read the Scriptures Where doe you find that prohibition The Popes would alwayes exceedingly reioyce that kings who are learned and are addicted to reading should exactly reade them being confident that by the assistaÌ„ce of learned men who are able to explicate the sense vnto theÌ„ they will clearly discouer that the gouerment of the Church is not built vpon the ignorance of the word of God as you calumniate but that your religion is grounded vpon the corruptions and bad interpretations of that sacred word They will also see that the Pope makes not himselfe the supreame iudge of faith but that he was constituted such by God and the Church which is the pillar and rocke of truth seeing God did constitute Peter a Petra or rocke vpon which it is built And indeede S. Hierome though most conuersant in all holy Scripture did yet beseech Pope Damasus that he would decree whether we ought to say one or thee hypostases professing that he would hold as an article of faith what he defined Had not S. Bernard also the Scripture before his eyes when he wrote to Pope Innocent the II. that all the dangers and scandalls which rise in the kingdome of God ought to be referred to his Apostleshippe especially things concerning faith Vvas the Scripture vnknowen to IustiniaÌ„ the Emperour when he saith in his Epistle to Pope Iohn the II. we suffer nothing to passe which belongs to the state of the Church vnknowen to your Holines who is the heade of all the holy Churches Vvhy did the Ecumenicall Councells held in the primitiue Church demand the confirmation of their Decrees of the Pope if they knew not by holy write that they were obliged therunto Vvas not the Scripture both in the east and west Church when as S. Hâ—erome relates the Synodicall consultations of both those parts of the world were sent to Pope Damasus to be confirmed Kings meete with nothing in Scripture but your condemnatioÌ„ And if they daigne to cast an eye vpon historie they shall find that the Popes whose greatnes is represented as preiudiciall to this our France hath not bene a litle aduantagious vnto it But if any haue raysed themselues to the detriment of France alwayes most Catholike and with the diminution of the most Christians kings dignitie you are the men who being enemyes to the Catholike Church and Christian religion like true children of darknes had your birth and groth by meanes of their obscuritie CHAP. XIV MINISTERS THe neglect of these things hath for the space of many yrares drawen great inconueniencies vpon France and hath made it a Theater wherupon bloodie Tragedies haue bene acted while God punisheth the contempt of his word and the oppression of his children The ripenes of your witt dread Soueraigne euen in the spring of your yeares and the tymelynes in princelike and Christian vertues which discouer themselues in your Maiestie makes vs hope for a more happie age vnder your raigne God who besto wed your Maiestie on France in his benediction will by his prouidence conserue you and will settle and confirme your scepter in your hands making vse of it to the establishment of his sonns kingdome who is king of kings so that God raigning by you may raigne also in you to the end that you may raigne with him for euer But if contrarie suggestions hinder our humble supplications from being receaued of your Maiestie with wished successe yet will we neuer cease while God grants life to instruct your people in obedience and loyallie to Wards your Maiestie and we will pray to God for the conseruation of your person and the prosperitie of your Kingdome as it becomes such as are c. ANSWERE IT is not at this present onely that the professours of a false beliefe impute the calamities which happen in their tymes to the contempt of their errours for euen Tertull. Arnobius S. Cyprian S. August and diuers others doe witnesse that the Pagans ascribed all the disasters of their tymes to the honour in which Christian religion was held and to the contempt of theirs In this you imitate these old PagaÌ„s and indeede since the end doth crowne the worke it was fitting that your writing which is full of the imitations of ancient heretiques condemned by the Church should be crowned with the imitation of Pagans condemned by all christian societies If the calamities of France did proceede from the contempt of your religion it had not so much florished in the tyme oâ— the Albigeois whom you accnowledge to be your brothers seeing it did persequute them in open warre And without doubt it had bene oppressed with miseries vnder the raigne of Pepin Charlemagne who religiously honored the Popes and the Roman Church wheras it was neuer more florishing then in their raigne Againe Italie and spayne where your errours are not currant whence those that professe them are banished and where the holy sea is as much honored as in any place of the world should be most miserable contries But your assertions haue no grounde of reason It is true indeede as the Fathers doe obserue that temporall felicitie doth follow religion marrie not yours but that onely