holy fathers neuer receaued this VVherefore it is writen Auoide the heretike man In the like maner shall the vnlerned and laie man behaue himselfe with the Suenck feldian demaunding of him whether this be the pure worde of God when he teacheth That Christ as touching his humain nature is not a creature but a begotten thing conceiued and borne of the holy ghoste and that afther the ascension of Christ in to heauen his humanite was made God or rather was chaunged in to God Againe that the same power and operation which is in the worde of God preached is the only begotten euerlasting Son of God Laste of all that all the giftes and graces of God be parcels of the diuine nature For when Longinus the Swenckfeldian shall saie that these doctrines are the very sincere worde of God the laye man maye aske of him againe where holy scripture doth clerely expresse this doctrine To this LoÌ„ginus caÌ„ make no other awnswer then that although it be not there expressed yet it is there mente and vnderstanded here if to the laye maÌ„ asking whether this meaning and vnderstandinge be Catholike and planted by the Apostles or their scholers in Swethen and Silesia and from thence deriued vnto our time Longinus do awnswer ye then must he proue in what place of Silesia and vnder what bisshop that happened Which being not able to do he proueth him selfe a vaine folowe and a lyar But if he saie that this doctrine vntell this time was not receaued in Silesia bicause our forefathers were not of capacite to conceaue these high misteries the laye man may roundely saie vnto him Auaunt heretike and take this fâ—r a finall awnswer The Catholike church neuer taught this the holy fathers neuer receaued this Wherefore it is writen Auoide the heretike man After the same order also maye the laye man aske of Functius the Osiandrin when he teacheth vpon these wordes of Hieremie God is our righteousnes that man ought to be iust by the essentiall iustice of God againe that Christ doth iustifie vs with his only diuinite the humanite being excluded and such like doctrine which he calleth the very expresse worde of God in what place of scripture it is read When he awnswereth that worde for worde it is not in scripture but it agreeth well with the meaning of scripture let him be asked againe whether this his meaning agree with the Catholike expositioÌ„ of scripture deriued from the holy fathers and successours of the Apostles and obserued hitherto continually in the church of Christ without contradiction Here if Functius his conscience forcing him do confesse that this doctrine was of late planted in Prussia by Andreas Osiander and although it was not vntell nowe reueled yet according to his iudgement it agreeth very well with the worde of God and the ghospell the laie man may geue him the finall awnswer of Athanasius The Catholike churche neuer taught this the holy fathers neuer receaued this Wherefore it is writen Auoide the heretike man The like awnswer also may be made to the straunge doctrine of Illyricus the Lutheran writing That good workes are pernicious to saluation that God doth iustifie men by wordes and not by dedes And truly this awnswer is of such force and so mete for a Christen man that vnto all heretikall interpretations to all erroneous doctrine yea though an Angel froÌ„ heaueÌ„ if it were possible should bring any newe ghospell it might with these wordes be awnswered A waye false prophet the third Elias the fifte Euangelist For The catholike church neuer taught this the holy fathers neuer receaued this Wherefore it is writen Auoide the heretike man Last of all the vnlerned laye man may well also demaunde of the Catholike doctour or preacher howe he liketh the opinions of these newe ghospellers whereunto he will awnswer that he hathe perceaued these newe and straunge interpretations of holy scripture and after longe waighing and coÌ„sidering theÌ„ hath founde that they are all auncient condemned heresies which nowe certain braynsicke men by the instinct of the deuill raised vp againe to the vtter destruction of the Romane empire and our dere countre of Germanie Therefore he is readie to showe by good groundes of holy scripture by the right and Catholike vnderstanding of Scripture that the olde religion hitherto receaued is grounded vppon those two pillers and vpon them hath ben sustained from the Apostles time vntel our daies through out the whole corps of Christendom and maintained sounde and perfit against al busy barking of heretikes and cruell bytes of pagan princes And is not this most agreable bothe with religion and with reason that we should embrace and accept that interpretation of the holy Bible for the true and sincere which in all churches of all people and countres hath ben receaued confessed preached maintained and sence the Apostles time hitherto continued as by the testimonies of auncient doctours we are able in all pointes euidently to declare Contrary wise may we not worthely esteme these newe doctrines broched so lately proceding of olde condemned heresies and renued by wild worldely men to be hainous heresies and detestable deceites of the deuill Surely this was the chefe and principall cause why I accompted the diuers doctrine of Luther and his felowes to be hereticall and for such do vâ—terly forsake it and detest it this againe is the cause why I esteme the doctrine in all Christendom which they call the Papacy receaued to be the only true and wholesom doctrine bicause this doctrine is the Catholike and vniuersally receaued interpretation of scripture but their doctrine is only their priuat opinioÌ„ and their priuat deprauatioÌ„ off holy scripture I coÌ„fesse I haue emploied the studie off Diuinite and laboured matters of controuersie about these two and twenty yeares not medling with any other worldely or ciuill matter in all that time nor I can not denie but I haue ben a scholer of the Lutherans and haue so farre lerned their misteries that within these fourten or fiften yeares the diuines of WitteÌ„berg would allmost haue coÌ„strained me to be a doctour of their vniuersitie Againe I haue bestowed much time that I might thoroughely and substantially be lerned in the Catholike doctrine conferring allwaies the sayings and writings of bothe partes And allthough that I had much a do to shift my selfe out of their crafty captious and contentious controuersies yet as sone as by the helpe of God I attained thereunto espieng the erroneous and hereticall doctrine of the Lutherans and perceauing the true and sounde doctrine of the Catholikes I laboured not only vtterly to ridde my stomacke of that poisonned doctrine of Luther but also to auoide all company and familiarite of heretikes that I might neither see them nor heare of them Which lacke of my olde acquaintaunce and maner of liuing bothe empaired much the helthe of my body and procured also great losse of my substaunce And is like to do
master to rule the sterne medling not with that he hath no skill of right so when preuy rebells or open apostatas of Christen religion sowe seditious schismes and preache hereticall doctrine troubling thereby the quiet and settled consciences of true and vpright beleuers euery Christen man especially such as are of the laye and inferiour sorte ought to cleaue vnto their heades and rulers in Christ his church medling not with the determination of any point called then in controuersy but looke to be directed as they haue allwaies ben by their catholike pastours and ouerseers to whom they are commaunded by the Apostle to obey and submitte them selues truly no lesse then the souldiar to his Capitain or the passanger to his master Therefore oure Sauiour biddeth the people to beware and Take hede of false prophets nor to beleue euery spirit but trie and discern whether they be of God or no. But this lo howe maye it be Howe shal the ignorant and laye man trie false doctrine from the true It hath ben put in to mens heads of late yeares that euery man for this purpose ought to reade holy scripture and thereby to trie and discern truthe from falshood It were perhaps to be wished if it had so pleased God that as holy scripture is the true triall thereof so it were open and euident to all men that seke the triall therein but what haue lerned men iudged in times past of holy scripture Many things saieth S. Augustin are darke in scriptures and it hath so ben prouided of God to the entent that our pridemight be tamed by trauail and our knowledg not cloyed with facilite which quickely contemneth that easely hath ben lerned In like maner S. Hierom. All prophecy or interpretation of scripture contayneth the truthe in darcknes and obscurite to the entent that the scholers and lerners within may vnderstande but the rude people set without may not knowe what is saied Orels we shall cast precious stones before hogges iff we open the treasure of holy scripture to euery man Epiphanius likewise The Scripture saieth he telleth all truthe but we haue nede of good intelligēce and perceiuerance to knowe God and his word There is in the ghospell saieth Origen the letter that killeth for the destroying letter is not only in the olde Testament but also in the newe Testament to him that vnderstandeth not spiritually that which is saied Tertullian speaketh yet more vehemently hereof I am not afeared saieth he to saie that the scriptures them selues haue ben so disposed by the will of God that they mought minister matter vnto heretikes seing that I reade that heresies must be which without scripture coulde not be This is the iudgement of the lerned fathers who haue trauailed more in holy scripture then any new preacher of oure time and yet can espie no greate facilite in it but rather do complaine of the maruailous difficulte thereof And doth not S. Peter write plainly that in the epistles of S. Paule Certain thinges were very harde to be vnderstanded which the vnlerned and inconstant depraued euen as other parts of scripture to their owne destruction Doth not S. Paule write that The ghospell is vailed and couered from those that perish Are we not commaunded to serch holy scripture doth not this serching importe a diligence and difficulty more then laye men can either attend vppon or attaine vnto The Eunuchus vnderstode not the prophet vntill the Apostle had expounded it vnto him And Christ after his Ascension opened the vnderstanding off his disciples that they might vnderstand the scriptures And thincke we oure selues able to vnderstand all that we reade This then being so howe shall the laye and vnlerned man perfourme the commaundement of the ghospell bidding him To beware of false prophetes and to discern the sprits whether they be of god or no Euery secte nowe a daies chalengeth the worde of god and the right vnderstanding thereof The Catholike likewise by prescription out of memory standeth in possession thereof and will not be brought from it for all the bragges the heretike maketh Howe then shall the vnlerned man hearing bothe tales conclude with him selfe which to folowe Were it not nowe good readers much to be wished that some clere and euident doctrine were taught by what meanes and howe the holy worde of God maye rightly be vnder standed and the false prophets preachers and protestants of oure time might be auoided Truly as the sauegarde of the soule passeth all worldly interest so euery Christen hart ought aboue all thinges tender the same and with all diligence possible procure spedy remedies for the pestiferous venim off heresy which crepeth on like a cancre and corrupteth the whole estat of our saluation Hauing therefore sene and perused a certain booke of Fridericus Staphylus writen first in the Allemain tongue and after translated in to Latin wherein he first teacheth the vnlerned laye man howe to beware of false and wrong interpretation of holy scripture which is no lesse necessary then the reading off scripture it selfe secondarely detecteth certain false translations of the Bible by Luther in to his mother tongue laste of all declareth the maruailous dissension and variaunces of the Lutherans in their doctrine and chiefest articles of our faith which is a most euident argument of the sprit of dissension the diuell him selfe speaking in thē and a clere proufe of hereticall doctrine for the truthe is but one I haue thought good to translate the whole in to our mother tongue trusting in almighty God to profit hereby many a Christen soule of my dere deceined countremen which as God is my witnes was my only respect in this smal labour The first part of this booke is a very necessary lesson for the vnlerned laye man For without the true and right interpretation of holy scripture such as the church teacheth he can haue no right faith and so hazardeth his soule and euerlasting life which he ought aboue all worldly respect tender and procure For as our Sauiour saieth What auaileth it a man to winne the whole worlde and lese his soule The second parte is a good admonition for al such as are not sene in the tongues to beware of newe translations of holy scripture falsely forged for a vauntage Our english bibles sette forth these last yeares lack not such foisting in of false termes In the epistles of S. Paule as ofte as the worde Idoll is founde in the greke and latin text so ofte they turne it Image as though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in greke idolum and imago in laten or idol and image in english were all one When God saieth in holy scripture Let vs make man according to our image will these men saie that God hath an idoll according to the which man was made and howe be they not ashamed to call couetousnes worshipping of images
difference then is there betwene the right Catholike and the deceaued heretike Truly herein heretikes agree with the Catholikes that bothe embrace alleage and defend holy scripture as the very worde of God hut herein differ all heretikes from the Catholikes that these bring the Catholike and vniuersall interpretation of holy scripture they bring their owne priuat and heretikall These are able to proue their doctrine by miracles they are neuer able Last of all that these are able to showe the matter of the newe Testament by the figures of the olde lawe as in the sacrifice in the sâ—craments and ceremonies they can not These two different waies being by iust balances indifferently pondered and tried it will soone appeare whiche ouerwaieth the other And in dede if they bereue vs of the common and receaued iudgement of the whole churche wherewith all thinges in the church are iudged why may they not in like maner take away all the rest For as if ye plucked out a mans eyes and yet wolde saie that ye bereued him not of that which might be sene euen so it is if heretikes graunt vs the text of the bible and yet take from vs the true vnderstanding thereof If it forceth not whether we vnderstand holy Scripture rightly or no howe shall we then discerne fashood from the truthe Whereby shall we trie the truthe or what iudgement shall the churche haue of the truthe And who woulde folowe such teachers of religion whiche confoundeth truthe and falshood together which spoileth vs of all iudgement of the truthe which leaueth vs no meanes to trie the truthe which blindeth and blereth our eyes of all intelligence Yet in better case were the Cimmerij who although they had loste the light of the Son yet might vse the fire But these men that take awaye from vs the consent of Christendom and the iudgement of the churche which mocke and scorne at the miracles of God which refuse the doctrine and figures of Moyses do leaue vs in such horrible darcknes that we haue not so much as one sparckle of light remaininâ— Euen in the time of the Apostles heresies sprange vp as of Simon Magus of Hermogenes of Philetus and such like But by what marke trowe ye was the doctrine of these heretikes knowen from the doctrine of the Apostles but that the Apostles and all that folowed them were Of one harte one minde and one belefe And this only touchestone left Christ to knowe the church by that whereas two or thre be gathered together in his name and agree in any matter there he is to be founde in the middest of them This consent then and agreement in any matter as in the Apostolicall doctrine and right vnderstanding of holy Scripture being vniforme and all one in all howe can it not be the sure and certain iudgement of the Apostolicall doctrine and of the churche Beside as in Christ him felse so in his Apostles it happened that such as beleued not their wordes through infirmitie were yet forced to beleue their miraculous workes they being an euident proufe from God of their doctrine Farder such ordre of the church as the Apostles began to frame and left to their successours to be perfited and thoroughly poolished they thought it to be shadowed in the figures of Moyses lawe and expressed in the light of the newe lawe But what like to these marks of the true church did Simon Magus Hermogenes and Philetus bring euen so much as nowe of late Luther Melanchthon and Caluin For these newe doctours be not of one harte one minde nor one beleefe and much lesse such disciples as folowed these false preachers For these dissent in euery point agree in no point and therefore Christ the author and God of vnite is not among them but the diuell the master of all dissension Caluin very childishely and vainely going about to excuse him selfe saieth that the LutheraÌ„s are no more to be blamed for that so diuers and so horrible heresies springe vp nowe a daies in euery place then the Apostles were in their time vnder whom many haeresies also sprange vp This maketh nothing for your excuse Caluin You denie flat Master Caluin and so do al your companyons of Zurich that Luther was any prophet at all or in any point like to the Apostles But you saie the diuell spake in his mouthe not the holy goste The which testimonie of your church of Zurich the truer it is the more ye proue the very same diuell to speake in your selues For the very same Luther in diuers pointes of your doctrine you folowe whom you write and affirme to speake by the instinct of the diuell And what newe secte is nowe in any place of Christendom which hath not drawen the first acte of his tragedie out of Luthers schole wheÌ„ce toke Munzer the beginning of that greate rebellion of the commons in Germanie but of Luther For He forbad men openly to obey their princes and condemned al warre againe the Turkes whom he writeth to be tenfolde better then our foolish and madde princes So he termeth them Whence digged out the Anabaptistes that carreÌ„ of the olde heresie of the Donatistes Out of a certaine epistle of Luther ad WaldeÌ„ses in the which he writeth That it were better not to baptise children at all then to baptise them without faith Whence toke Carolostadius occasion to renew the heresie of Berengarius Out of his commentary on S. Ihon and the translation of these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The fleshe profiteth nothing I reaken here vp the notable and principal sectes only of our time I coulde saye as much of the baser sorte if it were nedefull whiche are so diuers and so many that we see almost as many sectes as families amonge the Lutherans For these therefore and other waighty considerations which all to recounte were now out of time If I mought be credited or beare any authorite amonge princes in this matter most Reuerend prelate I would geue theÌ„ that aduise that Sisinius made vnto the Emperour Theodosius That is They should charge and commaund their preachers and ministers to accept and acknowledg for right that sense and vnderstaÌ„ding of holy scripture which is Catholike and may be deriued from the Apostles and approued by the testimonie of miracles and that to be false which is priuat of their owne forging and whereof they be not able to showe any furder euidence And truly vnlesse this aduise other by my suggestion or by some other maÌ„s be not put in to the head of princes and persuaded them we shall neuer liue in quiet the churche will be ouerrunne and we of Germany shal other become slaues to the Turkes as the grekes are or to the Moscouites as the Liflandmen are or whiche will be more miserable we shall be vtterly in perpetuall thraldome as the Iewes the Hungarians and many other countres are now But I will leaue as I
daily more and more vnlesse God of his mercie stretch forthe his helping hande Howbeit whatsoeuer befall of me I am ready to lese body and life honour and goods for the furderaunce of the auncient Catholike religion And I wish to my dere countre of Germanie that minde also For sure I am whosoeuer is no Catholike he must nedes be an heretike Seing therefore that holy write aduertiseth vs to flie from heresies euen as from present poison I be seche all good men to marke wel this example which I knowe to be true and wil here recite to showe what it is to be ones fallen in to heresie A certain young man of my acquayntaunce very well lerned and sometime preacher in Misnia being according to the doctrine of Melanchthon and Maior an Adiaphoriste that is of that secte of Lutherans which take good workes and constitutions of the church to be thinges indifferent c. departed in to Saxony vppon hope of some ecclesiastical liuing there Being then demaunded of what religion he was he awnswered that he was of the opinion of Philip Melanchthon and Georgius Maior Then saieth vnto him the Illyrican Superintendent it semeth thou arte an apostat heretike And withall asked him whether he thought good workes to be pernicious vnto saluation Whereunto this poore preacher awnswering he beleued that they helped rather then hindered saluation the Superintendent strait saith vnto him Seing you are an heretike of the ghospell you maye not abide in this cite nor countre and therefore get you hence With this awnswer he departed and went in to Prussia where meting with an Osiandr in Superintendent and desiring some ecclesiasticall seruice he was demaunded whether he beleued That man ought to be made iuste by the essentiall iustice of God and whether he iudged those for heretikes which thought or taught the contrary Whereunto awnswering that he could not so thinke seing that Melanchthō and Illyricus interpreted the scripture otherwise incontinently he was thrust backe like an heretike and commaunded to depart out of all the dominions of that countre After this he came in to Pole and meting with certain Caluinistes being of thē examined and founde that he agreed not with the Zuinglians he was repelled also of them for an heretike Seing then he could not spede there passing on furder by the waye he came to the Picardi hoping that he might be receaued in to their secte But when he refused to abiure all other sectes and religions and beleue onely them he was faine to departe thence also After which he came to a Noble man of Silesia requiring seruice of whom being required howe he liked the doctrine of Swenck feldius whether he beleued That the externall ministerie or preaching was but superfluous and that the internall worde or rather the power and operacion off the worde being preached were the Son of God him selfe he awnswered that this doctrine semed vnto him an olde heresie confuted thouroughly of Illyricus Melanchthō Caluin and diuers other writers Which awnswer nothing pleasing that Noble mā our poore Minister was forced to get him packing Seing therefore that he loste his labour and spent his time in vaine he stroke ouer to Morauia where the Anabaptistes beare rule Not that he minded to tary and abide with them but to trie and knowe their religion But they craftely preuēting him asking him first of what religion he was though he went about the bush with them thinking to coulour the matter yet they perceauing that he liked not their rebaptising he was also chased from thence as an heretike At the last after longe and wery trauail and trouble this poore Minister came vnto Vienna where he happened vpon a Catholike lerned man vnto whom he declared his trauaill aduersites and diuersites off heresies that he chaunced vpon beseching him for the loue of God to helpe him and instruct him howe he might attaine to some sure and certaine doctrine and interpretatiō off holy scripture Then was it tolde him that he should folowe such doctrine and embrace such interpretation of Gods worde as was Catholike and vniuersally receiued in all places and at al times casting awaie all priuat opinions and propre interpretations of this secte or that secte For it was impossible that any priuat secte could admit the Catholike exposition of scripture whiche is commō to all or that the sectes could euer agree among them selues eche one setting forthe his owne opinion and condemning all the rest As it is writen in the prophet Ezechiel Wo be vnto these foolish prophetes which folowe their owne sprit and see nothing Therefore if he would be a Christen man and in all places be taken for such he should embrace and folowe the Catholike vnderstanding of scripture such as in Catholike doctours and writers we find From the which Catholike and vniforme expositiō of scripture although many in diuers countres haue failed and departed yet before our time it was in all places without contradictiō or gainesaieng receiued and beleued and many thousands of soules haue in that belefe ben saued Beside that there are also yet diuers Christen Countres and kingdomes diuers natiōs and people which acknowledg no other doctrine or interpreation of holy scripture then the Catholike and olde accustomed which they haue receaued of the Apostles and their first founders of religion Wherein if any doubt nowe a daies ariseth or any cōtrary interpretation be brought it is most expedient to seke of the first and most auncient teachers of Christen religion the truthe thereof For so Scripture willeth vs to do and all auncient and approued doctours as in S. Irenee a writer very nie vnto the Apostles you may see whose wordes are these These thinges then being so euident we ought not to seke the truthe at other mens handes which we maye easely haue of the Church For the Apostles left vnto the church and layde vp in her as in a riche aumerie all truthe that whosoeuer listeth may drawe of her the drinke of life For the Church is the gate of life all other are theues therefore we must auoide them but loue all that the Church teacheth vs and embrace the traditiō of truthe For what if there were but a small matter called in controuersie ought we not to haue recourse to the most aūciēt Churches in the which the Apostles haue liued and enquire of them the truthe and certainte of our doubt And what if the Apostles had not left vnto vs scripture at all ought we not to haue folowed the order of tradition which they deliuered vntothē whom they left to gouuerne the Churche after them the which order many nations of Barbarous people such as beleue in Christ do folowe hauing their saluation without paper and ynke by the holy ghoste writen in their harte and keping diligently their olde traditions Thus farre S. Irenee With this good lesson and information the Lutheran Minister being somewhat amended afterward in shorte time
dede let them trie their Confession and Apologie also by these waightes Let them from the first article vnto the last showe first that their doctrine is the right and Catholike exposition of Gods worde then whether they can confirme it by any one miracle last of all let them showe the maner and order of their Lutheran church to haue ben prefigured and shadowed in the olde lawe If they can so do I will warrant them that all Christē people wil gladly subscribe to their articles and beleue accordinge to their doctrine But if they are not able to perfourme this then let them not obiect to vs their Confession or Apologie let them suffer vs quietly and frely perseuere in our Catholike and auncient religion and we will not let them to crie to sweare and forsweare that their Confession is grounded vpon the writings of the Apostles and prophets And thus much hitherto haue we spoken as touching that which our Lorde saide Vppon the chaire of Moyses sit the scribes and pharises do all thinges that they shall bidde you to do For hitherto haue we talked howe to trie true doctrine and howe to knowe such as sit in dede vpon the chaire of Moyses It remaineth nowe to speake of the later part of Christes saying But do not as they do Which we must also no lesse discusse then the former For in this our miserable and vnhappy time bicause heretikes can not ouerthrowe by any good reason the very chaire of Moyses the doctrine of the church they take holde of the euill life of the clergy and barke at the dissolute liuing of those that sit in the chaire making the people beleue that their doctrine is no other then their life and behauiour is inferring very absurdely that the doctrine and the life is all one and can not be diuers which wicked opiniō hath bred much strife and caused muche trouble in the Christen common welth as in the writings of the fathers we may reade treating of the heresies of the Donatistae Encratitae Cathari and Apostolici But we haue in holy scripture markes inoughe and that euident to discern heresies which procede of euill doctrine from the euill life which procedeth of men For heresie being a very plage and poison of Christen religion S. Paule biddeth vs auoide and flie from the heretike after the first or second admonition Bicause he is subuerted that is such a one and offendeth being condemned by his owne proper iudgemēt And our Lorde biddeth vs to accompt him for an hethen and publicane that heareth not the church And publicanes were a sorte of mē with whom it was not lawfull for the Iewe to kepe cōpany withall S. Antony also that holy and famous ermite in his last wordes spoken before his death vnto his scholers left thē these two godly and wholesome lessons and most necessary for our time as that notable bishop Athanasius writing his life reporteth the first was Auoide ye the venim of al schismatikes and he retikes and folowe hardly the hatred that I bore alwaies against thē for they are the enemies of Christ and you knowe I neuer had softe or paisible cōmunication with them The second lesson is this Kepe aboue al thinges your vpright faith in Christ and the religious traditiō of your forefathers which you haue lerned by the reading of holy scripture and by my poore aduertismēt frō time to time This cōmaundemēt of auoiding and shunning heretikes is not made for the lerned only but also for the simple and vnlerned Which is readely proued by the sayings of our Sauiour Take ye hede of false prophets and againe If the blinde leade the blinde bothe fal into the ditche and such other But to forsake the church and the Catholike doctrine of the same by reason of the disordinat life of priestes and other prelats Christ not only neuer cōmaūded it but also very straitely forbad it declaring the parable of the husband man which forbad his seruaūtes to wede out the darnell from the corne Lest peraduenture saythe he gathering the darnell ye plucke vp also the corne let them therefore growe bothe together vntell the haruest time and then I will saie vnot the ripers gather first together all the darnell and binde it vp in bundles that it may be burned but the good corne gather in to my barne For as it becometh not the seruaunte to take vppon him the correction of such matters in the familie as the master vpon some waightie consideration would haue reserued to him selfe so much lesse in the church of Christ maye the laye men whose parte it is to obey and folowe not to prescribe lawes and orders take vppon thē the rule and dominion which appertaineth only to bishops and rulers in the church Farder that this is the true meaning of our Sauiour in the place aboue alleaged he declareth by an other similitude of the shrowde seruaunte which saide in his harte My Master will not come of a longe season and thereupon beginneth to strike his felowe seruauntes eating and drinking and making good chere But the Master of that seruaunt will come sayth Christ in the daye that he loketh not for and in the howre that he knoweth not and shall cutte him of and put his portiō with the hypocrites there shall be weping and gnashing of tethe Our Sauiour hath here plainly and roundely I trowe warned the laie people not only not to medle with chasten or correct their bishops pastours and Curates whom Christ as the Apostle saythe hathe appointed and set ouer them but also not to trouble instructe rule or reprehend their felowe laye folke though nowe a daies alas nothing is more common then clouters coblers sadlers taylers cytezens and men of the countre gentlemen and noble men to take vpon them in the church of Christ the parte of Masters and rulers to interpret holy scripture to prescribe their Curates howe and what to preache howe to administrat sacramēts setting them vp and downe at their pleasure whereas they ought by the expresse commaundement of S. Paule obey and submitt them selues vnto their curates vicars and bishops For thus he writeth vnto the Hebrewes Obey them that haue the ouersight of you and submit your selues vnto them for they watche for your soules euen as they that muste geue accompte that they may do it with ioye and not with grief For that is not expedient for you But you will saie These papiste bishops and priestes be men vnlerned incontinent dissolute geuen to ryot ambition to couetousnes to pompe and to all vice If you saie this of some certain amonge the clergy it may be true But if you speake of the whole clergy it is very false and vntrue For not only amōge the laye people but amonge the clergy also praised be God there be right vertuous sober and godly men vpon whom the fautes of the rest can not be fathered Yet if perhaps all these vices
and abominations were found in the whole clergy and rulers of Christes flocke notwithstanding the commaundement of Christ must remaine in his full force and effect That the darnell be suffred to growe that the scribes and pharises sitt in the chaire of Moyses do as they commaunde you to do but do not as they do thēselues Againe Obey thē that haue the ouersight of you for they watche as those that must geue accompte for your soules And euery man must plucke first the beame out of his owne eye and then take the mote out of the priestes eye Let vs therefore good Christian reader suffer the church to stande and continewe in his former and most receaued course For without doubt she is so surely grounded vpon the Rocke that hell gates shall neuer be able to ouerthrowe her or preuaile against her As for the life of the clergy God is their iudge For as of virginite so of priesthode man can not iudge Yet we discharge not here the clergy of the Ecclesiasticall censures and punishements For as it is sayde to the laye men touching the euill life of the clergy Let the darnell growe on so is it saide to the bishops as S. Augustin declareth against the Donatistes Take awaye the euill from amonge you Wherefore we reade of that notable Emperour Constantinus the great at what time certain bishops offered vp certain cōplaintes to be determined by him to haue awnswered in this sorte God hath ordained you priestes in his church and hath geuen you authorite to iudge vs and therefore we are well iudged of you but you cānot be iudged of any men It were surely very expedient that some reformation were had to correct and chasten the corrupted clergy according to the prescription of their owne Canons to thentent that such offences as rise in mens hartes against the clergy and the church throughe their inordinat life might be remedied and taken awaie But this is not in the hands of the laite or temporall rulers whose part it is to suffer and obey OF TRANSLATING THE BIBLE IN TO THE VVLGAR TONGVE ANother thing that the Lutherās obiect vnto me is that they saie it hathe ben by my meanes and counsell procured that the Bible is no more reade in the vulgar tongue especially as Luther translated it Nowe although I remembre not that I euer saide or wrote that the laye men ought not to haue the Bible in their vulgar tongue yet iff I had so done it had ben no greate trespas For surely I could neuer yet finde in holy scripture that the common people ought of necessite to reade scripture But that of the reading thereof much schisme and the destruction of many soules hath proceded daily experience teacheth vs. And holy write warneth vs where our Sauiour thus speaketh It is geuen to you to knowe the misterie of the kingdome of God but to the rest in parables that seing yet they see not and hearing they vnderstande not Who are these vnto whom our Lorde saith To you it is geuen c Surely the Apostles and their successours the rulers of Christes flocke And who are they that should lerne by parables surely such men as were better not to knowe the misteries lest misusing them they procure them selues a greater damnation For precious stones ought not to be cast before hogges and such of all likelihod are the laye ignorant people Beside our Lord in that his former sayeng may seme very well to haue alluded to the .xij. tribes of Israel whiche figured the twelue Apostles and to the threscore and ten elders chosen out of those twelue tribes which also did represente the threscore and twelue disciples that were beside the Apostles These threscore and ten elders of the Iewes had only the power as stories declare to reade and and vnderstand the misteries of the Scripture For at that time the hebrewe text vsed of the Iewes had no vowels in all the text but only consonants And this maner of reading without vowels was knowen only to the threscore and .x. elders the other Iewes knewe it not lest peraduenture the precious misteries of that olde lawe should be cast before hogges the rude and curious people These threscore and ten elders also very miraculousely translated the Hebrew Bible in to Graeke before the coming of Christ they only hauing the knowledge of the text So in like wise bicause the threscore and twelue disciples were chosen to reade and vnderstande the misteries of holy write vnto whom priestes haue succeded as in the principall seas and Bishopriks in Christendom by stories we are able to showe therof it is euident that vnto Priestes Pastours and Bishops whō God hath placed to ouersee his church the grace of the holy ghost allwaies assisteth to interpret and expounde the misteries of holy scripture by parables vnto the people as farre as for them is requisit Wherefore the vnlerned laie men maye well be admonished to refrain from all curious and gredy reading of holy scripture First lest rashely and vnaduisedly they take vppon them the office cōmitted by God to the elders to priestes and bishops wich presumptiō we see hath ben greuousely punished in the examples of King Ozias of Core Dathan and Abiron Thē also because experience of our time hath taught howe dangerous it is that euery laie man craftes man labourer or otherwise all without discretion should reade and examine scripture at their pleasure The sectes of the Picardi of the Anabaptistes of the Swenckfeldians and diuers other heresies proceded off no other cause then that certain vnlerned laie people toke vpon them to reade interpret and expounde scripture And what text do these vnlerned men reade surely such as Luther him selfe or some other archeretike hathe translated in to the vulgar tongue and corrupted partly with false additions and preuy foisting partly with hereticall gloses put in the margin Againe they come all to reading of it with a certain preiudice that Luther hath appointed them teaching that he which will reade holy scripture ought not to bringe with him any iudgement but seke it in the text Which is as much to saie that the vnlerned laie man nothing informed before in the faith of the church nothing prepared with deuotion and humilite nothing instructed by what meanes to vnderstande holy scripture may rashly and roundely set vpon it as if it were Beuis of Hampton or a tale of Robin hoode In this case if the vnlerned mā sodenly imagin an exposition of some place that liketh his braine and serueth well his humour be it neuer so contrary and repugnant to the true vnderstanding of holy scripture yet he will not be brought from it but cleauing vnto it tothe and naile forgeth him selfe a newe religion frameth a faith of his owne and setteth vp in his hart a newe idoll in the defence whereof he will spend his body his goods his life
very same image generally not particularly as the lerned vse to speake And this is the meaning sayth he of the wordes of S. Ihon that Christe is come in to sleshe Martin Luther in the yeare 1539 at Smalcaldiū where the Leage or rather conspiracye was then made preaching vnto the estats and orders of protestants interpreted these wordes of S. Ihon that Christe is come in to fleshe after this sorte That Christe came not therefore in to flesh that he might communicat vnto vs his owne iustice or righteousnes but that he might accepte vs for iuste and righteous outwardly so that our inwarde man should not in dede be iustified or made righteous from vniuste and vnrighteous but we should onely be accounted for suche before God after the maner of acceptation as in times paste the Lacedaemonians made and decreed Alexander a God with these wordes Alexander wil be a God let him he a God and let Alexander be coūted and accepted for a god though he be no god And Luther saith that this doctrine was the sure foundation vpon the which the Leage of Smalcaldiū for the defence of the ghospell might and ought right worthely be builded erected and absolued But anon after when it came to Osianders course to preache he toke the very same theme of S. Ihon that Luther did But leauing the interpretation of Luther he interpreted it after his owne minde in suche sorte that it directly repugned Luther as that the very essentiall iustice or righteousnes off God proceding and flowing out of the foresaide image off God which he calleth Christe is planted in man and at the last though preuely he gaue them to vnderstāde that this his doctrine was the very iewell and treasure of the ghospell farre better then that of Luther in consideration whereof bothe the Leage and the warre of Smalcaldium should be entred made and finished And this sermon of Osiander was allmoste the laste that was made at that meting as I am able to showe by the hande of Melanchthon Thus Luther for the grounde of his iustification would haue as in his owne printed disputation it is euident a kinde of relation and imputing which is the lest of all thinges that are and in dede nothing But Osiander putteth for his grounde the diuine essence God him selfe whiche is all thinges See howe iumpe these two ghospellers and Archeprotestants mete in the very highest point of our religion Vpon this faint and frickle foundation of two false and contrary opinions was that leage of Smalcaldium stroken whereof ensued that lamentable and cruell warre to the greate waste and destruction of Germany with the murder of infinit thousands of men Then experience it selfe declared howe true that prophecye of Luther was when in the yeare .1545 in a certayn litle booke writē to two noble princes of the sight of a certayne coyne brought oute of base Germany whereof we shall speake more anon he warranted vpon his othe and faith all the confederats that by this his doctrine of imputed righteousnes they might boldely and hardely assure them selues of the victory at Brunswicke and off euerlasting saluation at the hande of God But as touching Osiander and his doctrine it may be sene in a litle booke printed in the ye are of our lorde .1550 with this title De imagine dei There be many other articles of the Osiandrins whiche to be short I omitte See the disputation of Osiāder had at Coiningsberg in the yeare 1459. and his open confession sett forthe there also in the yeare 1550. Stancarians which against Osiander vrge and affirme vehemently that Christ iustifieth vs by his manhood onely not by his godhead at all So Stancarus bothe taught openly and wrote against Andreas Musculus at Francford by Odera Antistancarians whiche to refute the opinion of Stācarus do so farre affirme that Christ iustifieth mā and worketh oure righteousnes bothe by his manhood and by his godheade that they doubte not to teache the very godhead of Christ to haue suffered on the Crosse with his manhood that Musculus is of this opinion his extemporall treatise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 off Luthers doctrine witnesseth and the condemnation of the Swiceran ptotestants for this opinion as it is notised in the writing of Petrus Statorius the frenche man printed this yeare 1560. at Pinczouia in Pole Noui Pelagiani New Pelagians which saie thereis no originall sinne in children but that it is onely an infirmite not worthy of death So teacheth Swinglius in his litle booke of baptim against Vrbanus Regius Againe that Numa Cato Scipio and such other notable men of the ethnikes although they lacked the true faith in Christ to come yet that they are saued by the vertu of the lawe of nature It is the doctrine of Swinglius in the booke aboue alleaged and Luther entwiteth the Swinglians with it in his laste cōfession of the supper of our Lorde Noui Manichei New Manichees be and haue ben diuers protestants in our daies First Luther then Melanchthon Caluin and many other as Amsdorffius Illyricus Gallus Beza VVestphalus Luther and Melanchthō teache that all thinges bothe good and bad come to passe by absolute necessite that God is not only the cause of sinne by permission but also by operation as the worker of it It is the doctrine of Luther in his Assertions against pope Leo and in his Resolutions of Melāchthon in his annotations vpon the epistle to the Romans Againe that The aduoutrie of Dauid the crueltie of Mālius the betraieng of Iudas be as well and as much the worke and operatiō of god as the very Conuersion of S. Paule Melāchthon in his annotations vpon the epistle to the Romans But he recāted this heresie afterwarde as it maye appeare in his common places of the laste edition Luther continued still obstinat in his errour whom also al the obstinat and zelous Lutherans folowe yet as Illyricus Amsdorfius Gallus and other Manichaei Marcionitae Caluiniani which as scholers of Ihon Caluin do professe and spreade abrode these detestable and blasphemous doctrines against God and man as folowe That god chefely created mankinde for to be perpetually damned that god created Adam not onely that he should die but allso from the beginning predestinated him to mischefe and therefore he coulde not choose but sinne That the sinnes committed by men are not onely done by gods permission but by his will and compulsion That all sinnes committed of men are absolutely the workes of god That god worketh in men theft horedome aduoutrie and all suche sinne as man doth That the lawe of god and the will off god be oftentimes contrary one to an other That the deuill by gods commaundement and will lieth in mens hartes That not onely God is the cause of euil but also doth inspire in mēs hartes euil thoughtes to worke euill so that men sinne not but God is the willer and efficient cause of sinne This is the doctrine
of Ihon Caluin in his booke of predestination and of Theodore Beza the archeheretike of FrauÌ„ce in his defence for Caluin This yeare 1561. one Lucas Sternberger in Omoluke a towne of Morauia being cast in to preson preaching amonge the Sternbergers and in diuers other places bearing him selfe for a Minister of the ghospel and scholer of Luther and Melanchthon preached and persuaded the people this doctrine that foloweth for the true and expresse worde of God First he openly taught and confessed That al suche as worship the name of the Blessed Trinite do imagin falsely the Gods That the name of the Trinite is vaine and superfluous bicause that worde is no where expressed in holy scripture beinge also but one God in heauen Therefore he forbad that the same songe O veneranda Trinitas O blessed Trinite should be songe and commaunded in his place to singe O blessed goodnes of God He wisheth also that all the deuills of hell woulde come and cary awaye this Trinite saieng he can not tell whether it be a man or a woman yet that he is sure that the same Trinite was ones a woman which had thre husbands Secondarely he confessed and taught that Christe was not true god but maÌ„ only like other meÌ„ For if he had beÌ„ god he should haue descended out of he auen in to earthe and committed the gouuernemeÌ„t of the worlde here to Angels That he was borne only of Mary and Ioseph the carpenter and that he exercised that crafte with Ioseph vntel the thirtyth yeare of his aage Beside he teacheth That Christ rose froÌ„ death not by his owne power but by the power of god almightie and that he worked no miracle but by the power and operatioÌ„ of almightie god which had endued him with more excellent giftes and graces then al the other prophets adopting him for his son at the leghth for his vertuous and honeste life when he was baptised of Ihon in the Iordayn and the voyce from heauen came downe saieng This is my welbeloued son in whom I am delited so that Christ is not the son of god but touching his soule onely bicause in the crosse he commended and gaue vp but his soule to god Thirdly he mocketh at the holy ghoste saieng that it is nothing els but a pigeon affirming beside that nothinge is writen of his diuinite in all scripture nether of the olde testameÌ„t nether of the newe and that it is not knowen what is this holy ghost Finally he had rather returne to the cloyster and be a papiste then to beleue in the holy ghoste Fourthely he will not the blessed virgin Mary mother of god to be a perpetuall virgin but that she had before two or thre sonnes and that she nothing differeth froÌ„ the rest of wemen and therefore nether she nor any other saints ought to be worshipped or haue their holy daies kepte Againe that men ought to worke the Sonday and reste the Saterday bicause in holy scripture the Saterday is coÌ„maunded to be kept holy But of the SoÌ„day nothing is prescribed nor appointed for as Luther taught nothinge ought to be admitted or obserued which god hath not in expres wordes commaunded or forbyd in holy scripture Fiftely he reiecteth holy baptim calling it a diuelish institution affirming also that it procureth nought els but hell and eternall damnation for circumcision was instituted of god not baptim Sixtely as touching the blessed Sacrament of the aultar he can neuer satisfie himselfe with mocking iesting and scorning at it for he saith the Iewes haue longe ago eaten vp the paschall lambe and if any thing were lefte they burned it Finally he confesseth he is of that opinion in this Sacrament as Melanchthon is For at a certain time hauing some communicating with him but fewer then he thought he inuited all other by speaking to them in these wordes Come hether for â—am not able to deuoure him vpp alone as for other sacraments he foloweth Luther in all points as his schole master of whom he receaued this doctrine Now that these heresies here reakoned vp be rife in Morauia and that many a soule is miserably in ueigled and seduced with them the experience showeth They also which are sene in the Alcoran of Mahomet and in Luthers doctrine may well consider and perceaue that this fifte ghospell of Luther prepareth and fostifieth the waie for Mahomets Alcoran to come in to Germany And though the Lutherans to excuse them selues and their ghospell will here obiect that Luther neuer inuented neuer thought nor taught these detestable heresies published by Lucas Sternberg it maye and ought well be awnswered vnto them that though Luther neuer tought these matters expresly which yet is to be doubted of yet he gaue abundant and sufficient occasion for these and all other heresies and schismes onely in that he writeth and bableth all waies that nothing ought to be receaued approued or obserued in the church which was not manifest euident and expresse in holy scripture And what other grounde hath this Lucas Sternberg to abolish al truthe of our Christen religion and to plante his deuelish doctrines then this lesson of Luther For euer he crieth VVhere is it writen where is it in holy scripture that there be thre persons VVhere is it read that Christ in the vnion of his godhead and manhood should be the Second person in Trinite or that Christ is the true and naturall son of God and not a creature according to his euerlasting and diuine generation VVhere is it expressed in scripture that the holy ghoste it selfe is any other then the euerlasting father VVhere is it noted in holy scripture that Mary the mother of Christe was a Virgin before and after the byrthe and that shee continued a Virgin allwaies In what place of the Bible can we reade that the Sabbaoth daie should be abrogated and the Sonday instituted And what heretike I pray you maye not saie the like of all the articles of our catholike faithe For what scripture hath saie the Anabaptistes that infants shoulde be baptised And the Swinglians VVhat Scripture saie they affirmeth that the true body and not the figure off Christ his body is in the Supper of the Lorde Againe the Lutherans VVhat place of scripture saie they dothe testifie that Christ instituted the Masse in his Supper Therefore if Luther had raised vp no other particular heresie yet this was detestable and cursed inoughe that he taught nothing to be obserued or receaued in the church but whiche god had expresly directly and in plaine wordes commaunded or forbed in the Bible To this heresie of Lucas Sternberg an other secte directly repugnant and contrary rose vp very lately at Pinczouia in Pole in the which place two new ghospellers Petrus Statorius and Georgius Brandata teach that there is not one God but thre gods and they so diuers one from an other as thre men yet that the son is somewhat lesse then the father and
from the church of Rome yet their faith and belefe touching such articles as the Lutherans haue swarued in from the Catholike churche is in moste pointes agreable to the Catholike doctrine If therefore o true and vertuous Germans we liste to put out this greate blotte of our good name to auoide the vtter destruction and desolation of our dere countre and purchase the eternall saluation of our soules this is the onely waie for it to seke after againe the steppes and pathes off our dere forefathers to ioyne our selues with the whole corps off Christendome and to call backe againe and restore that doctrine that faith that church and that ghospell by the which we were first made Christen men and haue continewed so many a hundred yeare For what so euer the Lutherans bable of their newe forged religion howe so euer the protestants pratle in pulpits of the primitiue church yet they can not denie but that this their doctrine their trade of ecclesiasticall gouuernement their maner of common prayer and all other ordinaunces was neuer yet sene nor heard of in Germany sence it was first Christned vntell Luther Charlemain the first Germain Emperour with his successours brought the Saxons to Christen religion founded amonge them their chefe bishoprickes churches and Colledges planted in Germany the very same doctrine the very same religion the very same cerimonies the selfe same Masse and seruice of god as it is at this daye vsed amonge all Catholikes and so left it to all Emperours after him Likewise those holy bishops and Martirs the Apostles of higher Germany which first brought Christendome in to it instructed it not with that doctrine or ecclesiasticall gouuernement as the Lutherans vse but with the very same vnderstanding of holy scripture with the same religion and gouuernement of the church whiche the Catholikes euen to this daye do practise S. Seuerin Archebishop of Rauenna conuerted Austriche to Christendome S. Eleutherius and Quirinus the countre aboute Anisus S. Maximinus and Rupertus the bishoprick off Salispurg S. Valentin and VVolfgang the cyte off Passau S. Paulinus and after him S. Emeranus Regenspurg S. Corbinianus Frising S. Richard and Vilibaldus the cyte of Eystat S. Narcissus and Viricus Augspurg and Algouia S. Kiliaenus and Burchaerdus Virtzbourg S. Columbinus and Gallus Suethelande S. Maternus and Valerius the inhabitants of Rhene S. Paternus and Laudo Costnitz S. Amandus and Argobastus Strasbourg S. Victor and Seruatius Wormes S. Crescens the disciple of S. Paule and Maximus Ments Whiche all beside many other blessed Martirs and lerned bishops in other countres where they planted Christes religion and instituted gods seruice taught no other doctrine preached no other ghospell practised no other religion saide no other Masse vsed no other clergy then suche as from the Apostles time through out all Christendome hath ben hetherto kept and vsed In this religion we germans were traded first to Christendome With this religion our godly and vertuous forefathers attained to euerlasting life By this religion the Romain Empire hath ben translated to the Nobilite of Germany Through this religion the auÌ„cient germans haue had greate victories haue dilated their dominion hath brought infidels to the Christen faythe as Hungary Bohem Pole Vandale Slavony Prussia LiflaÌ„de Denmarke and Swetheland which partly by force of armes they haue constrained partly by instruction of holy bishops they haue persuaded to receaue Christendome All this maye be sene in our Chronicles and awncient foundations But now we see to our greate grefe and shame that within the space of fourty yeares all these countres are all moste come to destruction The hainous heresies the sundry schismes and the horrible blasphemies euery where practised proue it to clerely Farder the greate decaie of the German Empire the contempt off our nation being nowe in obloquy with all the worlde whom before all nations other loued or feared testifie this abundantly Where is nowe become Thiethmarsh whiche belonged before to the diosece of the Archebishop of Breme The Danes haue taken it Where is LifelaÌ„de the olde soiourne and retire of the Saxon Nobilite The Moscouite by maine force hathe wronged it out of our handes Prussia what is come of it whiche was wonte to be the receite and soiourne of higher germany The Polonians haue chalenged it and enioye it And these two countres of Liflande and Prussia be no smal territories but two riche and large Realmes especially Prussia which hathe in length aboue threscore miles and in bredth fourtye and containeth diuers cytes portes and villages greate and small so riche and full of commodites as no place of Germany beside And although Lifâ—lande be not comparable to Prussia either in riches or in power yet is it a goodly beawtifull and large countre from whence not onely the Nobles of Saxony and townes of the seacoste drawe sundry commodites but all the state of the Empire also and many foren countres And these two countres Prussia and Liflande are as two sure feete of the Germain Empire which nowe by our dissension being bothe cut from the Empire it is easye to coniecture howe hansomly and surely it is like to stande And howe haue we loste these noble countres and prouinces by the force and power of oure enemies No truly For the knightes of the Order in Alemaigne forced the Prussians being yet heatheÌ„ to receaue the olde Christen religion whiche they had lerned off their Apostles and forefathers and vntell oure daies haue stoutely kept them in the same And as longe as that worshipfull Order continued in this godly purpose that countre flourished and encreased in all wealth But as soone as that Order receaued the newe ghospell of Luther abandoning the true ghospell off Christ and forsoke the spirituall Crosse of that Order folowing the fleshly doctrine of Luthers crosse incontinently that whole countre being gotte and kept so many yeares vnder the olde ghospell was sodenly loste through the newe ghospell of Luther the Nobilite of Germany thereof berefted and yelded to the prince of Pole so that nowe they rule ouer the germans whiche in times paste paied tribut to the Emperours of germany The like happened of Liflande for as longe as the knightes of the Order in Lifelande kepte and maintained the Catholike faith whereby they first subdued that countre ten thousand of them coulde in open filde put to flighte fourescore thousand of the Moscouites but sens that the same worshipfull Order put downe the awncient religion whereby they obtained such victories planting in the place of it heresie all the victory hathe enclined to our aduersaries and the Moscouites haue obtained the countre For so it is By agrement small thinges encrease by discord greate thinges fall awaye The olde Catholike faith worketh by charite which is the bonde of perfection and all prosperite The Lutheran fayth abideth not charite with it but will iustifie man
alone And therefore all charite agrement and vnite is broken amonge them And no maruail For God is the authour off peace as the Apostle say the and the deuill of dissension The Turke hath possessed Hungary onely by dissension of religion For as soone as these LutheraÌ„ preachers had spread abrode their cursed heresies and stirred vp thereby among the estats of the Empire much variaunce hatred and malice neighbours began so to mistruste one an other that all honesty fidelite and freÌ„dly feloweship vtterly decaied Whereby euery man sowghte after his owne profit nothinge regarding the common welthe and good estate of the Empire In the meane season they that bordered on the Turkes were destituted of all comforte and succour of vs. Yea and the enemies of the Empire hath diuers times had of the Empire it selfe succour and ayde Beside that we haue many waies hindred and kept backe our owne countremen and Princes whiche bothe ought and desired gladly to withstande the enemies of our countre getting and winning grounde daily vppoÌ„ vs. And to make shorte herein it is muche to be feared that we Germans haue ministred sufficient occasion to the accomplishement of that olde prophecie which Lactantius mencioneth and diuers other writers That the Northe shall rule ouer the Southe and the Easte ouer the Weste And so Magog from the Easte and Gog from the Northe shal come and destroie the Romain Empire whiche yet thoughe weake and al most spent haÌ„geth by a weake threde in the haÌ„de of vs GermaÌ„s We haue the examples of two greate nations whiche geue vs good occasion to feare the fall of the Empire in Germany â–ª to witte of the Grekes and off the Liflandmen For what other thinge did Grece in times paste then that we do presently in Germany The Grekes resisted the bishop of Rome would not acknowledg the sea of S. Peter to be head of the churche They made them selues at home bishops and prelats against all canons and rules of the churche whom they made al of equal and of like authorite And what I praie you folowed of the gouuernemeÌ„t of this headles church First in the clergy spronge vpp many heresies and schismes Then the Emperour of Constantinople and other princes of Grece fell at warre together and vtter deffiaunce one withe an other Thirdly euery bishop and Minister being of like authorite hauing no head or chief bishop whom they might folowe and obey as their spirituall Magistrat euery man expounded Scripture as it pleased him brief newe sectes and schismes were so plenty in all Grece that by reason of partes taking in religion the Emperour rose against the other Princes and they against him spoiling wasting ransacking one an other countre against countre Prince against Prince vntell all came to nought For the Venetians in this confusioÌ„ and dissensioÌ„ gotte from the Grekes Peloponnesus Epirus Corâ—yra and other countres The Hungariens wonne in to their handes Croatia Dalmatia and other prouinces Vntell at the length the Turke entring in to Grece vnder pretence of reconciling the Princes and the Emperour slewe murdred and extinguished miserably all the remnant of the grekes bothe Spirituall and temporall the Emperour and all other princes and Rulers ouerthrewe and toke in to his owne haÌ„des the whole Empire of grece spoiled also the Hungarians and the Venetians of that whiche they had gotte and so at the laste vtterly abolished and destroied all the Sectes and heresies making his slaues all the remnaunt of the catholike ChristiaÌ„s as they remaine yet to this daie presently Nowe the state of Germany to be as Grece was before the cominge of the Turke euery man seeth And that we may feare the like ende as the grekes had the like inuasion of the Turke or Moscouite or some other tiran I leaue it to euery wise man to be waighed and considered An other example of the calamite hanging ouer our heades whiche nowe we see in Liflande maketh me remember the miserable destruction of the cite of Ierusalem and the Iewes For what is more like then the ouerthrowe of these two people the Iewes and the Liflandmen There were among the Iewes thre sectes repugnant to the right doctrine of Moyses and the Prophets As the Pharises the Saduces and the Esseni The ground of the Pharises doctrine as Iosephus writeth was this That men did all thinges by forced necessite from God not by liberte of fre will And this is the very grounde of the zelous Lutherans doctrine as Illyricus witnesseth The Sadduces affirmed as the ghospell witnesseth that there should be no resurrection of the dead And althoughe the Suinglians professe not openly this doctrine of the Sadduces yet it foloweth necessarely of their doctrine that our bodies shall not arise if as they saie we receaue not the true body of Christe really present in the Blessed Sacrament For this most holy Sacrament through the naturall and corporall coniunction of Christ his body with our bodies is a most assured warrant of our resurrection as Cyrillus and other doctours of the churche do teache The thirde secte of the Iewes the Esseni accorde maruailousely with our Anabaptistes as in the place of Iosephus aboue noted it maie appeare These thre factions and sectes of the Iewes at what time Vespasian beseaged Hierusalem caused the horrible dissension and strife whiche was then within the cyte amonge the Iewes them selues For notwithstanding the straite beseaging of the Romans and the greate daunger they stode in yet diuiding them selues in to thre partes some folowed Zelotas some Simon Gerasenus and some other Iohannes Giscalenus the Masters and ringleaders of these sectes Yea they destroied and mangled one an other in the cyte no lesse then Vespasian did abrode Nowe let vs conferre the state of Liflande with this I doubte not but we shall finde them like in euery point The Moscouite hath thre greate armies and well appointed in Liflande laieth sore seage to the Archebishop of Runebourg and hath all readie gotte his cheafest forts in to his haÌ„de Riga and Reualia And what doth the worshipful Order in this perturbatioÌ„ and tumulte what helpeth the Priour and Master of the Order What sucker bringe the foren protectours of the countre Let me nowe with good leaue speake that all the worlde seeth and crieth out at It fareth amoÌ„ge them nowe euen as it did in Hierusalem amonge the sectes of Ze lotas Simon and Iohn For amonge them some are Lutherans some Zwinglians and some Anabaptistes â–ª and while euery secte vnder pretence of his ghospell hopeth to gett some parte of the countre from the Moscouite to him selfe the Moscouite marcheth on winneth grounde daily as Vespasian did in Palestine and the Turkes in grece and this he dothe vnder a plausible pretence of recoÌ„ciling the dissensions and extinguishing the sectes in Liflande and of restoring the countre in to that mightie princes handes It is muche to be feared
ronge of trompetts and musike and as thoughe this article I beleue the Catholike Churche vere scraped out of the Crede or as thoughe that were no more true that Christ hath saide that the Churche is builded vpon a sure rocke not able to be shaken or as though it were false that the Apostle writeth calling the Churche the piller and grounde of truthe Who thē fell in to the ditche was it not he that first threwe his neighbour in and after was constrained to plucke him out again and fall in him selfe all the worlde knoweth and seeth it This then lo is the first prophecy of Martin Luther in this foresaide booke Nowe let vs here an other straite folowing hereupon To the entent saithe he that our conscience be not burdned with the sinnes of an other and we be counted afore God as wicked Achab. For if he be deliuered out of preson the papistes withoute doute will blaspheme our God and will crake after this sorte Lo be not our praiers hearde of God VVe haue praied for the Duke Harry of Brunsuicke and God hathe tried oure patience but he hath heard vs at the lēgth For although he suffred the Duke Harry to fall in to the heretikes handes for our temporall punishment yet they haue not ben able to kepe him still but were compelled off God to dismiss him Thankes be to our God whiche hathe not forsaken the churche and awncient religiō And in dede true it is that this argumēt hathe most moued me For we knowe the pope and his parasites be incurable therefore they can do nought els but euen in their moste miseries and wicked dedes comforte coulour and tricke vp them selues His other prophecy whereby he woulde be counted a thirde Elias he confirmeth by this reason That the same must nedes be the right church off Christ whiche was able by their good praiers to restore their princes in to liberte Therefore if the Duke Harry through the earnest and continuall praiers of the papistes were dismissed of his enemies thē euery man will thinke verely that the papistes are the true and right church of Christ. And this is true in dede For this reason therefore Luther as he writeth was most moued in no case to suffer the Duke to be sette at liberty lest perhaps the papistes shoulde be taken for the true churche of God and he and his felowes for the maligne churche Here let euery man that lacketh not common iudgement consider whether Luther be not suche a prophet as Caiphas was For he prophecieth nowe the truthe but as Caiphas did against him selfe and for the contrary parte The Catholikes in dede praied continually and earnestly for the emprisonned prince that he might escape out of his enemies handes Luther wroughte by force and by crafte all that he coulde to kepe him continually in preson and in his enemies handes Whiche parte then did God heare vndoubtedly the righter and more iuste For God is no vniuste iudge but paieth euery man according to his paines Therefore he succoured the presonner deliuered him and so dealed with hym that he might saye Iudge me o Lorde according to my righteousnes God therefore gaue the right and true sentence and nowe which parte and whose praiers were heard the euent declared But howe laboureth Luther to ouerthrowe the reason of the papistes wherewith he was so muche moued and by that ouerthrow to set vp his prowde and arrogant prophecye The first parte of the reason he letteth stāde and graunteth that God heareth the praiers of his churche But he laieth at the other parte and denieth stoutely that the papistes are able to obtaine any thinge of God For so he goeth forth in his foresaide booke Their praier therefore is not to be feared no more then Elias feared the praiers of the prophets of Baal But as he laughed to scorne their praiers and their God so we maye lawfully laughe to scorne the papistes and their God For we knowe their praiers are execrable as their doctrine and belefe is According to that of the psalme 199. Let their praier turne in to sinne And whomsoeuer they teache he can not chose but be condemned Nether are their praiers other then such as the deuill ones mocked at what time a certain priest being wel tipled saieng his complet in his bead and spetting as he praied letted also a greate farte well quôd he Diuell ▪ such praier such frankensence The like maye be saide of all their mumbling in churches and monasterys For they can not praie nor wil not praie nor know not what to praie nor how to praie The hereticall doctrine of Luther is so printed in some mens hartes by the instinct of some euill sprit that they passe vppon no praier beleue no truthe no miracle not God him selfe but one worde of Luthers mouth more persuadeth them be it neuer so false then God him selfe or his worde or the whole Catholike church Therefore if any man at that time had ben so bolde as to haue saide that the Catholike churche shoulde throughe her deuoute praiers obtaine the victory against her enemies and that this Duke thē prisonner should be deliuered and the other the Duke of Saxony and the Lantgraue caste in preson that man had ben mocked and scoffed to deathe presuming so to contemne the authorite off the thirde Elias Luther And I doubte whether yet vntel this daie some simple mē are deceaued by that his prophecy though the ende of this tragedy being so open to all the worlde geueth euident testimony that allmightie God hath heard the praiers of the papistes and reiected those of the Lutherans deliuering the Duke Harry and bringing the other two Princes in to the Emperours handes as presonners Nowe Luther to absolue and consummat this his laste worke for with this holesom piece he ended his fifte ghospell he prouoketh mē of armes and power to fighte courageously against their chief and Liege Souueraines For thus he writeth Only God must be honoured only god must be praised to him only thankes are due to the entent that he which maketh all thinges may geue also the victory For god can abide none of these twaine either that mā tempt him or that he truste to much to himselfe VVe must walke the high waie turning neither on the right hāde nether on the lefte VVhosoeuer taketh not weapon when he may he vseth not the giftes of god he turneth on the lefte hande and seing a blowe coming laieth out his head He tempteth god wherefore it happeneth wel and worthely that such mēs heades beare awaie the rappes This coūsell of Luther is true and good touching Magistrats Kinges Emperours Princes and rulers But not for them which are subiects and priuat men For Luther him self writeth and teacheth that no Prince or Lorde whiche is vnder a higher power and oweth allegeaunce vnto him can rightely make warre againste any other prince or Lorde muche lesse against his
amator ciuitatis vt valde bene audiens c I stam vero eius mortem mirabiliorem quā quā prudentiorem narrauit quemadmodum facta esset non tanquam facienda esset scriptura laudauit Nostrum est autem sicut Apostolus admonet omnia probare quod bonum est tenere Et hanc quidem scripturam que appellatur Machabaeorum non habent Iudaei sicut legem Prophetas psalmos sed recepta est ab Ecclesia non inutiliter si sobrie legatur vel audiatur that is Razias therefore was praised as one that tendred the cyte and a man of a very good name c. But his deathe more straunge and wonderfull then wise and discret is declared of the scripture howe it was done not commended as if it ought so to be done But it is our parte as the Apostle teacheth vs to proue and trie all thinges and to holde that good is And this Scripture which is called the Machabees the Iewes in dede receiue not as the lawe the prophets and the psalmes But it is receaued of the church not vnprofitably if it be read and heard with discretion Thus farre S. Augustin In whose Wordes you see M. Grindall that not only he acknowledgeth the bookes off the Machabees for Scripture and that receiued off the Church but also he telleth vs how Razias is commended in these bookes not as you obiect in your Sermon bicause he killed him selfe but bicause he was amator ciuitatis c. Howe thinke you shall we condemne the bookes of the Iudges bicause we reade there of Sampson that he killed him selfe or the Genesis bicause we reade there of Lot that he laie with his daughters and off Iudas that he compained as he thought with a hoore by the high waie shall we not rather reuerence the holy Scripture and saie with S. Augustin that Scripture declareth these thinges howe they were done not commending them as if they ought to be done As for your other sory shift where you gesse that the place of the Machabees commēding praier for the dead hath ben put to the text by some addition of late yeares bicause you saie certain of the oldest copies in greke haue no mention thereof I answer to charge the Church withe any such addition hauing no proufe thereof as yet you bringe none is the maner of olde heretikes the Manichees by name who saied also the genealogie in S. Matthew was added to his ghospell by some they knew not who And as for greke copies that lacke that place of praieng for the dead if you haue sene any such M. Grindall you may rather thinke they are corrupted of some olde or new Aerians heretikes as you haue heard in that point then to doubte of the common receiued text of holy Scripture els what heresy is there that may not escape by this shift if it may be lawfull vpon variete off copies which may rise of sundry causes as well the printed as the writen to call in doubt the authorite of holy scripture which ought without all doubt being ones vniuersally authorised assuredly and constantly be beleued and folowed And thus much to the reasons and arguments brought against the bookes of Machabees You go forthe M. Grindall and you saie Secondarely we haue no example in the Canonicall Scripture of any inuocation for the dead What then M. Grindall if that were true as we haue proued it already false will you therefore condemne the practise of the vniuersall Church which is clere and euident in this point What example in Canonicall scripture haue you off celebrating the Sonday holy daie Will you therefore driue men to their craftes that daie with the Sabbataries a secte of the Anabaptistes of oure time what example of Canonicall scripture haue you of inuocation of the holy Ghost Will you therefore as that protestant Minister of Morauia preached rather be a papist then beleue in the holy Ghoste What example haue you in Canonicall Scripture of baptising infants before the yeares of discretion Will you therefore with the Anabaptistes baptise no children hereafter in the Realme and call vs all to the fonte againe And did not thinke you the Anabaptiste laugh in his sleue when he heard you make youre reasons in pulpit vpon lacke of example of Canonicall scripture Especially when you concluded afterward so stoutely and solemnely For most certain it is if praier for the dead had ben so necessarie as many now adaies woulde haue it seme it had not lacked all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures as it doth Surely M. Grindal you can neuer speake better worde for heretikes then graunting them this your proposition that without example and authorite of Canonicall scripture nothing is to be admitted And yet this one sentence is the grounde and foundation of all your newe doctrine For why May not the Anabaptiste saie vnto you iff yow hadde him in consistory before you Most certain it is my L. if baptising of infants and babes were so necessary as you would haue it seme it had not lacked all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures as it doth And could you then repell him for so saying seing you preache it in pulpit and make it your strongest argument to ouerthrow praier for the dead Againe might not Nestorius haue tolde Cyrillus and all the fathers of the Ephesin Councell We haue no example in the Canonicall scripture that Our Lady is called the Mother of God And certain it is if it were so necessary a matter to haue her so called and beleued for such as you will haue it seme pronouncing me an heretike for denying it and assembling your selues so from al partes of the worlde for approuing and defending it it had not lacked all authorite and example of Canonicall Scriptures as it dothe might he not I saie thus haue tolde them as you M. Grindall do tell vs if that argument had ben thought worth the telling Might not Arrius haue quarelled in like maner with the fathers of the Nicen Councel for the wordes Consubstantiall and ingenitus might not Heluidius haue vsed the like againste S. Hierom for the perpetuall virginite of our Lady and Nouatus with S. Cyprian for reconciling of such as had abiured Christ For none of al these had any authorite or exāple in the Canonical Scriptures And yet M. Grin dall the Anabaptistes the Nestorians the Arrians the Nouatians the Heluidians be all condēned heretikes euen by your owne iudgement I doubt not though the Catholike doctrine in confuting of al those heresies lacke all authorite and example of the Canonicall Scriptures Where is then nowe become your argument against vs for lacke of Scripture supposing it were true we did so lacke Where is nowe that stoute and great assertion Most certain it is cae But to ouerthrow with one worde this forte and shooteancker of all your pretended religion tell vs I praie yow if without authorite and
which it is nowe clere he doth If ye answer that so it is done bicause men by their owne wickednes malice and vngratefulnesse haue so deserued to be forsaken of God that shall be well and truly answered But bicause yet we see not the reason of this variete why some being brought to obedience other continewe indurated in the discussion of this doubte we must nedes haue recourse to that whiche S. Paule noted oute of Moyses to witt that from the beginning the Lorde had stirred them vp to showe his name through out all the worlde Now these wordes from the beginning are not in S. Paule nor Moyses in any text latin greke or hebrewe but are the wordes of Iohn Caluin added to the text of Gods worde for a vauntage to witt to make vs beleue that from the beginning euen before the fall of Adam God was the cause off induration aud harde hart of reprobats For he is not you see coÌ„teÌ„ted to attribut it only to their owne deserts and malice but seketh a superiour cause in God and that by the wordes of S. Paule from the beginning which he nor none of all his scholers are euer able to showe vs in any text of S. Paule that is This is lo the plaine dealing of these ghospellers and refourmers of Christes Church These be the chalengers of Gods worde This is the pure text they vaunte and boaste of They pretend to couet after the pure text and bare letter But as the poet saied ex vno disce omnes By Caluin lerne what the rest are And Time Danaos dona ferentes trust not an heretike though he bringe you scripture it selfe What false tricke is there that Caluin hath not plaied He hath corrupted the text with false translation as we showed you in the 9. chapter of Salomons prouerbes He belieth holy Scripture as yow heard in the S. chapter of S. Paull to the Romans He denieth expresse scripture as we declared you in the 19. chapter of the Actes of the Apostles He requireth to be heard against expresse scripture as we recited you oute of his Institutions And nowe you see he addeth to holy Scripture If this archeprotestant and greate ghospelling doctour behaueth him selfe so in his printed workes which remaine to be vewed of all lerned men what will the nouices of his religion and young prinking preachers sticke to do in pulpits where they knowe their audience to be not allwaies lerned and of the lerned some of a presumed preiudice to take all for good other to winke at all vti foro Albeit the doctrine of Caluin as you haue partly sene be stuffed with abhominable heresies and most absurde contradictions yet in all his doctrine he talketh peremptorely He matcheth him selfe with the Apostles He condemneth and reprouueth at his pleasure all holy fathers Whereby his pride and presumptuousnes sure mates of heresy vttereth it selfe I will for example note you a fewe of his sayinges where you shall see howe proudely he demeaneth him selfe and howe courteousely he ordereth the holy auncient and lerned fathers First as touching his contradictions about free will witting and feeling him selfe very well that he might wottly be charged therewith in one place of his booke of predestination he vtereth his feare and with a worde of his mouthe thinketh to make all the matter smothe These are his wordes I saie again I am not ignorant what apparent absurdite and contradiction this doctrine hath with prophane men and dispisors of God But whatsoeuer they bable or barke our conscience ought to serue vs for a thousand witnesses Is not this a gaie solution trow ye hath he not geuen vs a substaÌ„tiall warrant of the vniformite of his doctrine For what saieth he Forsothe whatsoeuer contradictions we see and beholde with our eyes yet we must trust Caluins coÌ„science that he is so honest a man that he would neuer saie or vtter any such thing Now reade againe those fewe of his contradictions that we haue recited who list and let him iudge in his owne conscience what the conscieÌ„ce of Caluin is and howe farre it is to be trusted Againe as touching the singularite off his doctrine which he knoweth and confesseth to be contrary to the olde fathers what reason thinke ye bringeth he for the defence off it In his treatise of baptim the 17. chapter of his Institutions he expouÌ„deth the wordes of Christ to Nicodemus Vnlesse a maÌ„ be borne again by water and the holy Ghost he shall not enter in to the knigdoÌ„ of heauen to be but an allegoricall speache against the whole practise off Christes church and consent of all holy fathers and lerned writers expounding the wordes off Christ literally as the text hath for necessite of baptim This Caluin knewe and confessed But how then thinke you doeth he excuse the matter what clâ—ke hath he for his singularite Ye shall heare After longe talke thus he concludeth Scio alios aliter interpretari sed hunc esse germanum sensum non dubito that is I knowe that other men haue otherwise expounded this but I doubt not but this is the right sence Lo Caluin doubteth not and therefore we must beleue him more theÌ„ all the church beside What is arrogancy if this be not Likewise in his doctrine and booke of predestination such as finde fault with his doctrine he saieth they blaspheme God and crieth vnto them as S. Paul did to such as Caluin is VVhat arte thou man which disputest with God Now what the doctrine off Caluin is you haue sene partly by this our simple discourse and more especially it appeareth in the third parte of this Apologie Yet he matcheth him selfe with God and vaunteth the coÌ„ptrollers of his hereticall doctrine with the check of S. Paul as curious serchers of Gods depe secrets And therefore no maruail iff he sett light by the holy Fathers off Christes church and reuerence them no deale at all In his treatise of baptim labouring to promote his heresy touching the baptim off S. Ihon that it should be equall with the baptim of Christ remembring that the Fathers of the church laie in his waie and withstode him to make the restafeared he geueth the venter vpon S. Augustin and saieth Nec recipienda est illa Augustini argutia in spe dimissa fuisse peccata Ioannis baptismo Christi baptismo reipsa dimitti that is Neither is that sutteltly off Augustin to be admitted that by the baptim of Ihon sinnes were forgeuen but in hope by the baptim off Christ they are forgeuen in dede In other places he calleth S. Augustin in dogmatibus ecclesiae fidelissimuÌ„ vetustatis interpreteÌ„ a most trusty reporter of antiquite in doctrines of the church But when it pleaseth M. Caluin S. Augustins doctrine is but a suttelty Likewise reprouuing the doctrine of penaunce where it is compared to the borde after a shipwracke which is a vsuall similitude off all
Catholike that nedeth not this eure and instructions to thanke allmighty God therefore to praie for the protestant and all deceiued persons in matters of conscience and soule helth Vt idipsum dicamus omnes noÌ„ sint in nobis schismata simus autem perfecti in eodem sensu in eadem scientia that is that we may say all one thing and that there be no schismes amonge vs but that we be perfit in one self vnderstanding and in one self knowleadg Such perfectnes of vnite and agrement with amendment of life and true repentaunce our Lorde for his tendre mercy graunt our countre and all ChristeÌ„dom through the merites of his dere SoÌ„ our Sauiour and Redemer Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghoste be all honour and glory now and euer AMEN FINIS Quoniam viri doctissimi Angli sacraruÌ„ literaruÌ„ peritissimi apud me fide dignissimi ApologiaÌ„ hanc Friderici Staphylia Thoma Stapletono fideliter traductam attestati sunt itemque disceptationem ab ipso scriptam aduersus doctrinam Lutheri Melanchthonis Caluini vtilem per omnia Catholicam iudicarunt merito vtramque typis excudendam iudico Ita attestor Cunnerus Petri pastor S. Petri Louanij sacrae Theologiae professor .16 Nouembris an 1564. A TABLE OF THE SPECIALL MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE APOLOGIE OF STAPHYLVS IN THE DIScourse of the Translatour and in the prefaces off bothe Gathered by the order off the A B C. The figure fignifieth the leafe B the second side A short description of the Author of the Apologie fol. 9. b. seq Abhominable heresics of the Lutherans touching Christ. fol 17 Heresies of Caluin about the Sacrament of baptim fol. 231. and in the leaues folowing The opinion of Caluin touching baptim refuted fol. 202. A contradiction of Caluin about baptim fol. 203. Certain protestants call baptim a bathe for swine fol. 109. Certain false translations of the english Bible fol. 5. b. Item fol. 152. seq The duty of a conuerted Catholike fol. 56. b. VVhat is Catholike 49. b. The church ought to be obeyed 62. b 63. VVhy Caluin may worthely be charged with the heresies off the Arrians the Maniches and other fol. 224. Detestable doctrines off Caluin fol. 112. Absurdites in the doctrine off Caluin fol. 190. seq The confession off Ausgpurg resemble the Synods off the Arrians fol. 186. The ciuill Lutherans resemble olde beretikes fol. 185. b. Vniuersalite Antiquite and Consent sure notes off the Catholike doctrine fol. 144 Conferring off Scribture is no certain rule to interpret scripture fol. 159. b. 160. VVhat the communion off England is fol. 205. That we receaue not a communion of Christes body poored downe vpon vs in the sacrament fol. 190. The communion off Caluin destroieth the necessite off communicants fol. 191. b. People nede not resorte to the communion by the doctrine off Caluin fol. 198. b. 204. b. Caluins doctrine about the blessed Sacrament condemneth the practise of the primitiue church fol. 198. excludeth the Apostles from receauing Christ in the laste Supper fol. 199. excludeth the triall that S. Paul requireth fol. 201. Caluin denieth scripture fol. 237. An impudent foly off him fol. 238. he furdereth the cause off the Anabaptistes fol. 240 he auoucheth doctrine off his owne without scripture and wil not allow the doctrine off the church without the same fol. 241. he requireth to be heard against expresse scripture ibidem b. The principles off the Catholike religion fol. 15 The difference of the present communion from the first fol. 8. Olde condemned heresies renewed by Caluin in the doctrine off the blessed Sacrament fol. 222. Contradictions in the doctrine off Caluin fol. 206. and in the leaues folowing Caluin belieth holy Scripture fol. 209. The cause off contradictions in caluin fol. 208. b. The Lutherans haue corrupted the Crede fol. 97. b. They denie an article off the Crede fol. 106. The communion off the protestants is but foode for refection fol. 228. b. VVhat the iudge off praesent controuersies ought to be fol. 20. b. A clere example off debating a controuersy fol. 21. VVhat is all the controuersy betwene the Catholikes and the protestants fol. 35. Caluin teacheth Christ to haue suffred in hell fol. 229. VVhat his doctrine is fol. 233. b. Off the Ciuill Lutherans fol. 182. b. The difference betwene Catholikes and heretikes fol. 24. The Catholikes haue the worde off God no lesse then the protestants fol. 33. The late death off many great princes in a short time fol. 26. b. Such death a token off Gods wrath fol. 27. Difference betwene life and doctrine fol. 35. b. Doctrine how it is to be tried by the frutes fol. 38. b. How to discerne true doctrine from false fol. 41. A brief recapitulation off the schismes and dissensions amonge the protestants fol. 93. Item fol. 249. Testimonies off Lutheran Superintendents and Ministres witnessing the disagreement in doctrine amonge them selues fol. 78. and in many leaues folowing Dissension destroieth heresies fol. 98. b. It is a sure token off heresy fol. 99. Praier for the dead defended again M. Grindall fol. 163. and in the leaues folowing commaundement in Scripture to praie for the dead beside the place off the Machabees fol. 163. The meaning off the Fathers praying for the dead fol. 171. English corrupted translations lerned of Luther fol. 68. 71. b. 72. b. off Munster fol. 155. b. 156. off Caluin fol. 158. Excommunication off the protestants embarreth not from the communion by the doctrine off Caluin fol. 196. b. A good lesson for England fol. 126. 138. b. A corrupted text off Luthers in the english transl fol. 68. 71. b. .72 b. Brauling amonge the Archeprotestants for ecclesiasticall gouuernement fol. 45. 46. Holy Fathers despised by olde hertikes as by our protestants now fol. 32. b. 178. A very good faith off a coolyar fol. 53. Faith is one in all but trade off life diuers fol. 122. Lutherans do thaunge hope in to faith and cosidence fol. 124. The frute off only faith fol. 128. That we eate not the body off Christ only by faith fol. 196. b. A question to the Geneuians off England fol. 204. b. A straunge order off seruing the church in Germany fol. 43. b. A notable example off the sundry sectes in Germany fol. 56. b. 57. The ghospell off Luther decaieth daily fol. 121. The first Apostles off the Germans fol. 126. b. The ghospellers doubt and vary what the ghospell preacheth fol. 91. The mariages off new ghospellers fol. 96. b. The miracles off the new ghospell fol. 35. The markes off the heretikes off the primitiue church 24. The same marke in our heretikes fol. 25. A readie waie to trie out an heretike fol. 53. An answer to stoppe the mouth off an heretike fol. 54. A lesson off S. Antony to auoide â—eretikes fol. 62. The maner off heretikes fol. 67. Heretikes off great vertu in apparence fol. 38. Off the Canonicall howres off