good consequence of all persons that are inferiour to these that whatsoeuer these Prelats shall appoint to be doone must of necessitie be doone by all men and women of euery degrée as though such Prelates onely and none other might be in the Latine called Praepositi and in the Gréeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which Latine and Gréeke wordes doo signifie all manner of superiours whether they be of the ecclesticall or ciuill state Yea and that dutie of watching as men that shall render an account for the soules of men is common to all those superiours of all sortes wherefore you haue dealt very iniuriouslie in that you haue restrayned that duety of watching to your Prelates onely Saint Paule in his Epistle to the Romanes the 13. Chapter writeth thus Omnis anima Rom. 13. potestatibus sublimioribus sub dit a sit Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers c. If you had séene and considered what Chrysostome writteth vpon these woords of Saint Paule I think you would neuer haue written as you haue done affirming that saint Paule hath commaunded all manner men without exception yea though they were Emperours Kings Quéenes or Princes so to obey your Prelates as to doo whatsoeuer they shall appoint them to doo Chrysost in Rom. 13. for Chrysostome wryteth thus Etiam si Apostolus sis si Euangelista si Propheta siue quisquis tandem fueris Neque enim pietatem subuertit ista subiectio Et non simpliciter dicit obediat sed subiecta sit Although thou shouldst be an Apostle an Euangelist or a Prophet or what maner of man soeuer thou shouldst bée For this subiection dooth not subuert pietie or godlines And hée dooth not simply say Let euery soule obay but hée saith Let it bee in subiection Thus much Chrysostome writing vpon the first words of the thirteenth to the Romaines And in the same Chapter that you cite out of the Epistle to the Hebrewes saint Paule seemeth to haue the same meaning that hée had when hée wrote to the Romaines For thus hée writeth to the Hebrews in the latter end of the thirtéenth Chapter Salutate omnes qui praesunt vobis omnes Sanctos Salute all them that are your Rulers and all the Saintes If these Rulers that saint Paule willeth the Hebrews to salute were such as you say they were when hée commaundeth them to obey that is to say Bishops Priests then was not this Epistle written to them but to the inferiour sorte amongst the Hebrews which is a thing too absurd to bée graunted For what ciuilitie honestie or wisedome may that man bée thought to haue that would write such an Epistle as this to the inferiours of any congregation of Christians and not to the superiours of the same congregation These Hebrews were Christians and dwelt as my bée thought in sundrie Cities within the Dominions of the Emperour of Rome As in Hierusalem or in any other of those Cities that had belonged to the kingdome of Israel or in any other kingdome or prouince And it is like that the Apostle being in Italy when hée wrote this Epistle had some occasion to admonish them of that opinion which commonly the posteritie of Abraham held which was that they ought not to liue in subiection to any rulers that were not of the same posteritie And therefore hée wrote vnto them as before Obedite c. Obey your Superiours and submit your selues vnto them And as in this place Salutate c. Salute all those that be in authority ouer you As though hée should haue said thus I know that you would gladly bée gouerned as you are Hebrews borne by such as bée Hebrews as you are and as you are Christians by Christians as your selues bée But sith you sée that God will haue it otherwise let such as God hath set ouer you haue their due honour at your hands Obey them honour them serue them giue them all tributes and customs due vnto them and pray to God for them that you may leade a peaceable and quiet life vnder them And that they may the rather bée mooued to bée fauourable to you salute them in my name and in like maner salute all saitns that is all Christians though they bée of the Gréekes that they may know that both I and you doo estéeme of them as of fellow members of that one body whereof Christ is the head This may bée the meaning of the Apostle in those woords that you haue cited and in the other that follow But it may bée that some of your sorte will say that in the seuenth verse of the same Chapter the Apostle hath written thus Hebr 13. Memores estote c. Bée mindefull of those your rulers that haue spoken vnto you the woorde of God and follow their faith considering what the end of their conuersation was Here you will say that these rulers must néedes bée preachers of the woorde I confesse that the Apostle dooth in these woords meane of such But shall wée therefore say that they were Bishops and Priests such as you haue affirmed them to bée It appéereth manifestly by the Apostles words that they were the same that had preached the gospell vnto them and had continued constant in preaching the same doctrine to the end of their liues and had sealed it with their blood For the Apostle saith thus Considering what the end of their conuersation hath bin which can not bée ment of any that did then presently gouerne or teach them Yea and how could the Apostle take vpon him to commaund Emperours Kings Quéenes and Princes to obey such Bishops and Priestes as the Hebrews being a simple sort of Christians could haue to rule and teach them The testimonies therefore that you alleage M. Offerer may right well bée denyed for they testifie not that which you would affirme by them For although the charge and gouernment of the Church of Christ the preaching of the doctrine of the gospell and the ministration of the sacraments of Christ were committed to the Apostles and Disciples of Christ and to their successours yet are not the same committed to your Bishops and Priests for they are not the successours eyther of Christ or any Apostle or Dysciple of Christ except you will néedes haue them the successors of Iudas Iscariot or of Simon Magus But now the learned Protestant that you make your offer vnto must either prooue by some such other like plaine testimonies of the Scriptures that our Sauiour Chryst did commit the chiefe charge and supreme gouernment of his Church to Emperours Kinges Quéenes Princes to plant Chrystian fayth and Religion in the same or else that some one of Chrystes Apostles or Disciples did conuert some one People Land or Countrey from their Idolatrie and Ethinke kinde of liuing to Christia◠faith and Religion by preaching the doctrine of the Protestants c. For Protestants to prooue by plaine testimonies of the Scriptures that our Sauiour Christ did
gospell and haue imbraced and professed and doo still professe most vnpure Popish religion The booke was first written by the aboue named Iohn de Albine as it may be thought either in the Latine or in the French tonge Wherefore I meane not to bestow any time in the answering of it supposing that either Beza or some other French Protestant hath already dealt therein sufficiently But because the offers séeme to be made by some English man and haue not as I thinke béene aunswered by any man I haue thought good to supply the place of that learned Protestant that the Popish Catholique ment to make the offers vnto And that the Offerer if hee be yet liuing or any fréende of his if he be departed this lyfe may not haue any cause to mislike with my dealing herein I minde to setfoorth to the view of the Reader all the words of the Offerer euen as I finde them and as I haue them to shew in his printed Coppie which I haue and doo mind to kéepe in a readinesse to shewe not abiding or dimnishing altering or changing one sentence worde sillable letter or title The Offerer beginneth thus The Offerer First seeing it cannot bee denied that our sauiour Christ before his departure and ascension did commit the charge and gouernment of his Church the testimony of his worde the truth of his gospell the ministration of his Sacraments to his Apostles and Disciples and that not only for them selues but to their successors Bishops and Priests and to none other saying only to them Euntes docete omnes gentes Math. 28. Marc. 16. Goe yee and teach all people and nations of the world baptizing them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghoste teaching them to obserue and keepe all things which I haue commaunded you Further the Apostle Saint Paule being at Miletum in executing of his charge gouernment gaue this admonition to the Bishops and Priestes there assembled before him saying Attēdite vobis et vniuer so gregi Act. 20. Take heed vnto your selues and vnto the whole flocke of Christ in the which the holy ghost hath ordayned you Bishops Regere ecclesiam Dei To gouerne the Church of God And in the thirteenth Chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews hee dooth commaunded all other sortes of men without exception of Emperours Kings Queenes and Princes to obay their Bishops and priestes saying Heb. 13. Obedite praepositis vestris subiacete eis ipsi enim peruigilant quasi rationem pro animabus vestris reddituri Obey your Prelates and doo what they appoint you for they doo watch as men that shall render accomptes for your soules Seeing that by the testimonies before alleadged it can not bee denyed but that the charge and gouernment of Chryst his Church the preaching of his doctrine the admninistration of his Sacramentes was by him committed to his Apostles and Dysciples and to all Byshoppes and Priestes as Successours of them to plante Chrystian fayth and Religion in his Catholique Church vniuersally throughout all Nations Coastes and Quarters of the world Seeing this is by the playnnesse of the sayd testimonies of such an vndoubted truth that it cannot bee denyed now let the learned protestant affirming princes to bee the supreme heades of the Church eyther shew by some such other like playne testymonies of the Scriptures that our Sauiour Chryst did commit the chyefe charge and supreme gouernement of his Church to Emperours Kings Queenes and Princes to plant Christian fayth and Religion in the same or that any one of Chryst his Apostles or Disciples did conuert any people Lande or Countrey from their Idolatrie and Ethnike kinde of liuing to Christian faith and Religion by preaching the doctrine of the Protestants as of onely faith to iustifie the contempt of good workes and that they be all vncleane in sight of GOD the deniall of free will of the real presence of Christes body in the holy Eucharist of the Sacrifice of the most blessed Masse the abolishing Christ his Sacramentes and of all grace and goodnesse by them conferred vnto vs then I shall yeelde and recant and not before Thus farre the first part of the Offer Crowley This Offerer hath deuided this offer of his into 22. parts adding to the last part six certaine and assured signes and tokens of false Prophets Heretickes Schismatickes This diuision I meane to follow in mine answer To this first part therfore I say thus maister Offerer I cōfesse that our Sauiour Christ dyd as you haue sayd committe the charge and gouernement of his Church the testimonye of his worde the trueth of his Gospell and the ministration of his Sacramentes to his Apostles and Scholers and to theyr successors But not to such successours onely as you do name that is to Bishops and Préestes onely and to none other For S. Paule in the 12. Chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinthians and in the 4. to the Ephesians writing of the same matter sayth thus Et ipse dedit quosdam quidem Apostolos Eph 4. quosdam autem Prophetas alios vero Euangelistas alios autem Pastores Doctores And he hath giuen some Apostles or Messengers and some Prophettes and other some Euangelistes and some others Pastors and teachers And againe in the 12. of the first to the Corinthians hee writeth thus 1 Cor 12. Et quosdam posuit Deus in Ecclesia primum Apostolos secundo Prophetas tertio Doctores deinde virtutes exinde gratias curationum opitulationes gubernationes genera linguarum God hath place in his Church certaine degrees of men first Apostles secondly Prophets thirdly teachers then powers after that giftes of healings helpes gouernements kindes of tongues Least you should quarell about the translating of S. Paules wordes out of the Gréeke I haue set them downe as I finde them in that translation that your Tridentine councell hath allowed of But I pray you good M. Offerer what meant S. Paule that in the rehearsall of those sundry degrées of men that God hath placed in his Church he would make no mentiion at al of your Bishops and Préestes to whom onely as to the onely successours of his Apostles and Disciples Christ spake if you haue written truely when he sayd thus Math. 28 Euntes docete omnes gentes Goe ye and teach all nations of the worlde c. Without all doubt S. Paule dyd know and so doo wée that God dyd neuer place in his Church or appoint to succéede his Apostles and Disciples any such Bishops and Préestes as you meane of That is Lording and loitring Bishops exercising dominion ouer the peoples that are alotted vnto them and sawsie sacrificing Préests which presume to occupie the place of Christ himselfe and to execute his office in offering sacrifice for the sinnes of the people S. Peter disaloweth the one 1. Pet. 5. and S. Paule the other Hebr. 10. Hebr 1◠1 Peter ◠Yea if our
those workes that our Lord the hath made vs redéemed vs consecrated vs to his own seruice hath prepared for vs to walke in As for workes diuised by men wee esteeme of them as wee finde them If wee sée that they bend to the setting foorth of Gods glory in our edification wee vse them otherwise wee refuse them But the workes that God hath commaunded wee are carefull to doo And when by the infirmitie and corruption of our nature wee stumble and fall wée crie vnto our mercifull father for help as being assured that hee heareth vs and in tender affection towards vs will help vs yea though hee doo for a time suffer vs to lie vnder that too too heauie burthen of sinne vnder which wée are fallen by infirmitie Wee seeke not to our fellow seruants as to Angels or men much lesse to Antichrist the professed enimie of our Christ and sauiour Wee trust not in our owne strength nor in any merites that may bée in vs but wée trust in our God and our onely sauiour Iesus Christ And when wee haue walked vpright and haue done that which wee are commaunded to doo wee say as our Sauiour hath taught vs to say wee are vnprofitable bond slaues wee haue done nothing but that which of duetie wee ought to doo But now let vs sée the second offer that our Offerer maketh The second offer The Offerer Second Christ his Catholique Church being on this wise planted by the Apostles and Disciples of Christ by Bishops and Priests the successors of them had at all times a speciall care and regarde not onely of preaching Gods word but also of the preseruation of the same woord and gospell by writing of the sacred Bible and holy scriptures and did discerne and iudge them from all other writings prophane or authentique of all sortes What Church hath had from time to time the custodie of the sacred scriptures and most safely hath preserued them for the necessarie foode of Gods people and from the corruption of the aduersaries as well Iewes and Gentiles as schismatikes and heretikes of all sorts but onely the common knowne Catholiquâ— Church of Christ When therefore the learned Protestants shal be able to bring proofe to the contrarie that their priuate conuenticles and Congregations were the first bringers forth of this sacred Bible and word of God written the chiefe preseruers and defenders of the same in all times and ages from all Iewes Gentiles betikes and schismatikes then will I as I sayd before reuolt and recant Crowley In this his second Offer the Offerer vseth a fallace or disceit which in reasoning is called Petitio principij That is hee laboureth to confirme his assertion wherein there is no certenty by that wherein there is as litle or lesse certenty then in that assertion that hee holdeth And yet hee setteth a face vpon it as though nothing were or could bee more certaine then both the assertion and that whereby hée would prooue it bee His assertion is that the Church of Rome which he calleth Catholique is and euer hath bin from time to time the conseruer and kéeper of the sacred scriptures and this hee would prooue by another like assertion that is that the same Church was the first Preacher and Writer of the same scripture which hée calleth the sacred Bible and holy scriptures When the vnlearned Reader considereth this assertion hée is brought into such a maze that hee knoweth not which way to take For this Offerer would beare him in hand that the sacred Bible which containeth those bookes that are called the old Testament were neuer written before the church which he calleth Catholike did take in haÌ„d to write them Where as in very déede some of those bookes were written before the first foundation of Rome was layde Yea hee would that men should thinke that that Romish Church which hée calleth Catholique is the same that was first planted amongst the Nations of the worlde by the preaching of the gospell amongst them Which preaching began at Hierusalem sprang from thence as from a most plentifull Fountaine and was by the labour and trauell of the Apostles and Disciples of our sauiour Christ in preaching the gospell speedily spred ouer all the worlde And that it was this Romish Church that did first wryte the Gospels and other bookes of the new Testament and hath discerned of those bookes that are accounted for holy scripture and hath seuered them from all other writinges what so euer and hath preserued them from all corruption c. But such as bee learned doo know that all the bookes of the old Testament commonly called the Bible were written before the Incarnation of our sauiour Christ and therefore before any such Church as this Offerer imagineth the Romish Catholique Church to bée could haue any being Our Sauiour him selfe hath sayd Iohn 5. Iohn 5. Scrutamini scripturas c. Serch the Scriptures for you think to haue euerlasting life in them And those scriptures bée they that doo giue testimonie of mee And againe the Euangelist Luke saith thus Chapt. 24. Et incipiens a Mose Luc 24. omnibus Prophetis c. And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets hee did interpret vnto them all the scriptures which were written concerning him Saint Peter also saith thus Act. 3. Act 3. Et omnes Prophetae a Samuele c. And all the Prophets from Samuel forward euen as many as haue spoken haue made mention of these daies yea and saint Paule in that Epistle that hée directed to those Romaines that were the first Christians in Rome Rom 15. wryteth thus Quaecunque enâ—m scripta sunt c. What so euer things haue bin setdowne in writing haue bin written for our learning that through patience and consolation of the scriptures wée might conceiue hope And to Timoth. 2. Timoth. 3. 2. Timot. 3. Saint Paule saith thus Omnis scriptura diuinitus inspirata vtilis est c. Euerie scripture giuen dy diuine inspiration is profitable for teaching for reproouing for rebuking for instructing c. By all these places of scripture it appeareth plainely that the sacred Bible was written before the Romish Catholique Church had hir beginning and therefore coulde not bée first written by that Church as this Offerer laboureth to perswade that it was Yea and the bookes of the new testament were written by the Euangelists and Apostles and not by any such Bishops and Priests as this Offerer would haue vs think to bée the immediate successors of the Apostles and Disciples of our sauiour Christ and to bée the Bishops Priests of the City of Rome For when saint Paule being in prison at Rome wrote his second Epistle to Timothie there were no such Bishops or Priestes there as might worthyly bee taken for Christians For thus dooth S. Paule write In prima mea defensione nemo mihi affuit c. In my first defence 2. Timot. 4. there was not one man that
Sauiour Christ dyd speake only to such Bishops and Préests as you doo appoint to be the successours of the Apostles and disciples of Christ when he sayd Euntes c. Goe and teach all nations of the worlde c. Howe hath that his commaundement béene or howe is it executed sith they commonly neither doo nor can teache those thinges that our Sauiour commaunded his Apostles and scholers to teach and to doo The successors of the Apostles and scholers of our Sauiour Christ to whome those wordes were at the first and be still spoken must bee such as God hath dooth and shall make méete to doo his message to men of all sortes to foreshewe vnto them by the Scriptures what hangeth ouer theyr heades if they will not regarde the message to comfort them with the assurance of the performaunce of the swéet promises which God hath made in the blood of his sonne Christ Iesus to foster féede and nourishe them with the foode of his heauenly worde and to teach and instruct them in the way of the trueth so that they may be able to discerne betwéene the broad way that leadeth to destruction and that narrowe way that leadeth to lyfe euerlasting and to continue walking in that way euen to the ende of their life in this transitorie state Thus much doo those wordes signifie which I haue cited out of the fourth Chapter of S. Paules Epistle to the Ephesians And in the wordes that I haue cited out of the 12. Chapter of the first to Corinth Saint Paule hath added that these wordes of our Sauiour Christ were spoken to them also whom God hath dooth or shall make mighty endueinge them with power from aboue making them able to stande against and to withstand yea and vanquishe the ghostly enimies that is the deuill the world and the fleshe to cure sicknesses and diseases to succour helpe and comfort the weake and féeble to gouerne the simple and to vnderstand and speake diuers languages All this may be vnderstanded in these wordes of S. Paule God hath placed in his Church certaine degrées of men first Apostles secondly prophets thirdly teachers after that powers after that giftes of healing helpings gouernementes and diuersities of tongues So that these words go and teach all nations c. Were spoken first to the Apostles and Scholers of our Sauiour Christ and then to all such their successours as God hath dooth or shall make méete any way to teach those thinges that he hath commaunded to be taught practised But now M. Offerer hath found that S. Paule being at Miletum hath admonished the Bishops Priestes that were assembled before him there saying AtteÌ„dite vobis c. Take héede to your selues and vnto the whole flocke of Christ in which the holy Ghost hath ordained you Bishops Act. 10. Regere Ecclesiam Dei. To gouerne the Church of God And againe in the 13. Chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrewes Saint Paule dooth commaund all other sortes of men without exception of Emperours Kings Quéenes and Princes to obay their Bishops and Préestes saying Obedite praepositis vostris subiacete eis ipsi enim peruigilant quasi rationem pro animabus vestris reddituri Obey your Prelates and doo what they appoint you to do for they doo watch as men that shall render an account for your soules Héere is subtile Sophistrie in the stéede of probable reasoning and profound Diuinity These testimonies bée so plaine that it can not be denied but that as the charge gouernement of Christes Church c. was committed to Christs Apostles and Disciples so the same is committed to Popish Bishops and Préestes as to their successors But I pray you good M. Offerer let vs consider of these two places that you haue cited Saint Luke reporting the Actes or déedes of the Apostles sayth that Saint Paule hasting towardes Ierusalem would spend no time in Asia and therefore determining to passe by Ephesus sent messengers thether to require the Elders of the congregation to repayre vnto him being then in the Iland Milâ—tâ— which is now called Mâ—lâ—a These Elders you doo name Bishops and Préestes But the Gréeke worde that S. Luke vseth there can not by any meanes signifie eyther a Bishoppe or Préest of that sorte that you speake of For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dooth signifie one that is elder or more auncient in yéeres or more honorable then they be amongst whom he liueth And such were they that commonly were chosen in those dayes to be teachers instructours and gouernours in the congregations or Churches of Christians and therefore they were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obseruers watchmen searchers such as had the ouersight of things committed to them But your Bishops and Préestes most bee such as the Grecians doo call by the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is a Préest that offereth sacrifices But héere I will make you one offer M. Offerer which shal be thus If you can finde in any of the Bookes of the newe Testament that eyther our Sauiour Christ speaking of the ministers of the new Testament or any of the Apostles writing of the seuerall sortes of ministers that our Sauiour Christ hath ordayned to serue or minister in his Churche haue vsed eyther of these Gréeke woordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doo signifie a sacrificing Preest then will I recante the Protestants doctrine and subscribe to your Papisticall doctrine and not before In the place that you haue cited out of the 20. Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles S. Paule calleth the ministers of Ephesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is watch men or ouerséers appointed by the holy Ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to gouerne the Church of God in such sorte as a shéepheard dooth gouerne and féede his flocke but not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to exercise lordlike authority ouer them as your meaning must néedes bée that your Bishoppes and Préestes should For you say that S. Paule dooth commaund all other sorts of men without exception c. To obay their Bishops and Préestes saying Obedite c. Obay your prelates c. And here I must néedes note your corrupt manner of handling of this place of S. Paule He himselfe dooth beséech those Hebrewes that he worte vnto to suffer or to take in good part that short exhortation that he gaue them but you say that hee commaunded them yea though they were Emperours Kings Quéenes or Princes to obaye theyr Prelates and to doo what they appoint In the Latine you cite the wordes Hebr 13. as they are in the vulgare translation allowed in the Tridentine councell Obedite c. It pleaseth you to set downe for Praepositis Prelates minding as it séemeth to make vs beléeue that such Prelates as you call Bishops and Préests must by S Paules commaundement be so obeyed of all Emperours Kings Quéenes and Princes and so by
commit the chiefe charge and supreme gouernment of his Church c. Is altogither vnnecessarie for neuer did any of that sorte affirme that to bée true Wée doo all know that our Sauiour Christ did not call Emperours Kings Quéenes nor Princes to make them his messengers or Apostles but he called Fisher men and such other and made them able and méete to doo his message euen to Princes and Emperours and to all other the greatest personages in the world As saint Paule writeth 1. Cor. 1. 1 Cor 1 Quae stulta sunt mundi elegâ— Deus vt confundat sapientes c. God hath chosen the foolish things of the world that hée might confounde the wise and God chose the weake things of the world to confounde the stronge and the base and dispised thinges of the world hath God chosen yea and those thinges that bée not that hée might destroy those thinges that bée Yea and wée doo know that God did not prepare the hearts of the Princes and chiefe men of the world to receiue the doctrine of the gospell with the first so that the Apostle Paule had occasion to write thus to the same Corinthians 1. Cor. 1. 1 Cor 1 Videte vocationem vestram c. Brethren consider your calling for there are not amongst you many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many of noble Parentage c. Yea in the daies wherein Saint Augustin cliued which was 400. yéeres after the ascention of our sauiour Christ it séemed a strange thing euen in the City of Rome that any man of any account in the world would become a Christian man For when Victorinus a famous Rhethorician in that City would professe the Religion of Christ and be baptized hée did it as Saint Augustine hath written Confessionum lib. 8. cap. 2. Mirante Roma gauâ—â—nte Ecclesia August lib 8 Cap 2 Rome meruelling and the Church of Christ in Rome reioyceing There is therefore no cause why you shoulde require the learned Protestant to prooue by plain Scriptures that our Sauiour Christ did commit the chiefe charge and supreme gouernment of his Church to Emperors c. But this the Protestants doo hold and are able to prooue by plaine places of the Scriptures that Emperors Kings Quéenes Princes Dukes and all other Potentates are the supreme gouernours of those peoples ouer whom God hath placed them whether the same people bée by profession Christians or Miscreants Yea and that the chiefe charge that euery of these Potentates haue from God is that they shall in their owne persons walke in the Lordes wayes and leade their people in the same And for that cause they are in the Scriptures called Pastores that is Shéepeheards as in the 44. Cha. of his Prophecies Esay 44 Esaie speaking in the person of God saith Qui dico Cyro Pastor meus 〈◊〉 omnem voluntatem meam complebis That is Which doo say vnto Cyrus thou arte my Shéepeheard and thou shalt fulfill all my will Cyrus was an Heathen prince and yet the Lord calleth him his Shéepeheard and commaundeth him to fulfill all his will and pleasure King Dauid being a Shéepheard in déede was taken from the Shéepefold and made king ouer all Israell that hée might féede that people of the Lord euen as a Shéepeheard féedeth his flocke And hée did rule them prudently with all his possible powre Psal 78. Psalm 78 And that these Potentates might bée able to discharge that duety that the Lord God hath appointed them to doo hée hath giuen vnto them the powre of the Sword as in the 13. Rom 13. Chapter to the Romaines it appeareth Principes saith Saint Paule non sunt timori boni operis sed mali c. Princes are not to bée feared of them that doo well but of them that doo euill Wilt thou bée without feare of the Potentate Doo well and thou shalt bée praised of him For hée is Gods minister to doo the good But if thou doo euill then feare him for hée beareth not a Sword for nought Hée is Gods minister to take vengeance on him that dooth euill c. At that time wherein the Apostle wrote those woordes to the Romaines there was not one Christian Prince as it may bée thought in all the world And yet hée dooth certifie the Romaines that euen those heathen Princes were ordained of GOD for the benefit of Christians as of all other sortes of men that world bend them selues to walke in hys wayes and not contynue in ignoraunce of lyfe And for the punishment of all such as should giue them selues to leade a dissolute life Yea and it belonged to the office euen of those Princes not onely to vse the powre of the Sword in defending Innocents and in punishing wicked doers but also to set foorth aduaunce and maintaine right and true Religion as in the holy Histories it dooth appeare that they did as often as by any occasion their hearts were touched with the feare of GOD As Darius the Persian Emperour when hee had séene the mighty powre of GOD in preseruing Daniell in the Lyons den did hee not write immediately to all his subiects commaunding them to feare to stand in awe of Daniels God confessing him to be the lyuing and euerlasting God that his kingdome powre is euerlasting and that it is hée that deliuereth and saueth worketh woonders both in Heauen in Earth Daniel 6. Daniel 6. The same Darius as it appeareth in the sixt Chapter of the first booke of Esdras coÌ„maunded that the Temple in Hierusalem which had bin destroyed by the Babylonians should bée reedified as king Cyrus had commaunded and that it should bée furnished with all things necessary and meete for the seruice of God 1. Esdras 1. 6. 1. Esd 1. 6 And amongst the good kings of Israell and Iuda Dauid not without a secret motion from God I am sure did cause the Arke of Gods couenant to bée brought to Hierusalem and placed in a Tabernacle which hée had prepared for it there yea and in his owne person hée vsed all such behauiour as might tend to the setting foorth of the glorie of God and abase him selfe in the sight of God and at his owne charges hée caused much sacrifice to bée offered to the Lord and afterward hée blessed the people of the Lord and gaue rewards of meate drinke to euery one of them as well the women as the men As appeareth in the sixt Chapter of the second booke of Samuell which you call the second of the kings 2. Reg. 6 And I pray you good M. Offerer who was hée whom God appointed to build his Temple in Hierusalem was it not Salomon the king And did not hée builde it in déed and furnish it according as the Lord had coÌ„maunded him Tertij Reg. 5. c. And who reformed Religion destroied the Idols that king Achas had caused to bee set vp in the Temple was it
huic nouissimo dare sicut tibi I will giue vnto this that came last euen as vnto thée Hée that had laboured but one houre receiued as great a reward as hée that had laboured the whole day The penny that is spoken of there is the Kingdome of Heauen and is not deserued by labour but is fréely giuen to them that doo labour not in respect of their labour but at the pleasure of the heauenly Lord of that heauenly Vineyarde wherein they labour You doo therefore charge vs vniustly when you say that wee contemne good workes or that wée doo say that they are vncleane in the sight of God But thus wée say that our good workes yea our best workes as they bee wrought by vs are so vncleane that they are not méete to bée called good And herein wée are of one minde wyth the Apostle Paule who writeth thus to the Romaines taking the matter vppon him selfe and in his owne person painting our the best amongst men Scio sayth Sainte Paule quia non habitat in me Rom 7. hoc est in carne mea bonum I know that in mée that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing And againe in the third Chapter of the same Epistle the Apostle Paule citeth the woords of the Prophet Dauid Psa 14. Psalm 14. saying Non est iustus quisquam There is no man iust there is none that hath vnderstanding there is none that séeketh after God They are all gone out of the way they are al become vnprofitable there is none that dooth good no not onâ— These places may suffice to prooue the works wrought by vs cannot rightly bée called good as they be wrought by vs. But as God worketh them in vs so his works wrought in vs or by as his instruments are in déede good And wée contemne them not but as S. Paule teacheth the Hebrews so doo wée teach To doo good to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased Yea wée teach as S. Augustine did Tom. 7. De gratia libero arb Cap. 7. August lib. de grat libero arb Cap. 7. Tom. 7. Si ergo Dei dona sunt bona merita tua Deus coronat merita tua non tanquam merita tua sed tanquaÌ„ dona sua If therefore thy good merites bée the giftes of God then dooth not GOD crowne thy merites as thy merites but as his owne gifts For as those merites may bée sayd to bée ours they are too filthy yea although they bée such workes as may bee and commonly are called righteous workes According to the saying of Esay 64. Esay 64. Facti sumus vt immundis omnes nos quisi paunus menstruatae vniuersae iustitiae nostrae All wee are become as an vncleane person and all our righteousnesses are as the cloth of a menstruous woman I hope that M. Offerer dooth now sée that the seconde point of doctrine that hée requireth the learned Protestant to shew by plaine testimonies of Scripture to bee such as the Apostles and Disciples of Christ preached when they did by their doctrine conuert Peoples Landes and Countryes c. Is by that which I haue before written prooued to bée such doctrine in déede The third point of doctrine is the deniall of frée will Héerein also M. Offerer dooth abuse vs whom hée calleth Protestants For no learned Protestant either hath doth or will deny mans will to be frée although it may in some sence bee affirmed to bee bound Free it is bicause it neither is nor can bee enforced to consent to any action although the outward action may bée so enforced by violence that it may be doone or left vndoone contrary to the inward will of the person that either dooth the action or dooth leaue it vndoone As when a man falleth into the hands of théeues and fearing to bée murdered by them dooth deliuer to them his money which notwithstanding hee is willing to retaine keepe from them if with saftie of his life hee might doo it And yet in this case it may bee said that the will consenteth to deliuer the money being drawne but not enforced by the consideration of the hard choise which is eyther to deliuer the money or to die presently by the bloody tyranny of the théeues The question therefore is not whether the will of man bee free but whether the powre of mans free will bee such that it is able of it selfe to make choise of that which is good and to embrace it and to refuse that which is euill and to shunne it In the sixt of Saint Iohns gospell our Sauiour Christ hath saide thus Nemo potest venire ad me nisi Pater qui misit me traherit eum No man can come vnto mee except the Father that sent mee shall drawe him Saint Augustine August in Ioan. tract 26. In Iohannem Tract 26. writeth thus vpon this place Magna gratiae commendatio Nemo venit nisi tractus Quem trahat quem non trahat quare illum trahat illum non trahat noli velle iudicare si non vis errare semel accede intellige c. This is a great commendation of grace or frée mercy No man dooth come without drawing If thou wilt not erre bee not willing to iudge whom hee draweth and whom hee draweth not why hée draweth one man and why hee draweth not another receiue it and vnderstand it at once Thou arte not drawne pray that thou maist bee drawne But heere what doo wee say brethren If wee bee drawne vnto Christ then doo wee belieue against our willes Then is not the will stirred vp but violence is vsed Any man being vnwilling may enter into the Church hee may come vnto the aulter being vnwilling hee may come vnto the Sacrament being vnwilling but beleeue hee can not except hee bee willing If beleefe were an act of the body then might it be doone in them that bee vnwilling but it is not with the bodie that wée beléeue vnto Righteousnesse Heare what the Apostle saith With the heart wée beléeue vnto righteousnesse And what followeth But with the mouth wee make confession to saluation This confession riseth out of the roote of the heart c. Thus farre S. Augustine If there were no more to bée sayd but this the Ofâ—â—rer might be satisfied touching our doctrine seeing we â—â—aâ—h not otherwise therein then our Sauiour Christ did neither doo wee discent from the iudgment of the auncient fathers that haue wrytten vpon the woords of our Sauiour Christ But let vs see what Saint Paule hath written to the Corinth 2. Cor. cap. 3. Fiduciam autem talem 2. Cor. 3. habemus per Christum ad Deum non quod sufficientes simus cogitare aliquid a nobis quasi ex nobis sed sufficientia nostra ex Deo est Such assurance to God-ward haue wée through Christ saith S. Paule not that wée bee sufficient of our selues as of our
is all the elected children of God whom GOD hath by the holie spirite of santification made holie Yea and the couenant that the Apostle speaketh of heere dooth assure vs that all the sinnes and iniquities of Gods Elected children are so pardoned and forgiuen that they shall neuer bée called to memorie any more And heere vpon saint Paule concludeth that there is no more sacrifice to bée offered for sinne How dare any Christian therefore affirme directly contrary to these woords of saint Paule that there is a sacrifice daily offered in the Masse for the sinnes both of the quicke and of the deade For that is the doctrine that this Offerer and his fellowes doo maintaine 1. Iohn 1 See also what Saint Iohn writeth in the first Chapter of his first Epistle Si autem in luce ambulamus sicut ipse est in luce societatem habemus ad inuicem sanguis Iesu Christi filij eius emundat nos ab omni peccato c. If wee doo walke in light as hee is in light meaning GOD of whom hee spake before then haue we fellowship one with another and the blood of Iesus Christ his sonne doth make vs cleane from all sinne If wée shall say that wée haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. If wée confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull and iust so that hee will remit or forgiue vs our sinnes and hee will clense vs from all iniquitie And againe in the second Chapter 1 Iohn 2. the same saint Iohn saith thus My litle babes I write these woords vnto you that you should not sinne but if any man shall sinne wee haue an Aduocate with the Father euen Iesus Christ the Righteous and hee is the propitiation for our sinnes Not for our sinnes only but also for the sinnes of all the world If wée had to doo with reasonable men this that I haue cited out of the writings of these two Apostles might suffice for defence of that which the Protestants doo held concerning the Masse affirming that there is no sacrifice offered therein for the sinnes either of the quicke or of the deade But nothing will satisfie this Offerer his fellowes the Popish Chatholiques The Scriptures haue no credit with them except the same bee confirmed by the wryting of men Bicause commonly the Auncient Doctors haue in their writings vsed excessiue or hyperbolicall maner of speaches to mooue the mindes of their Readers reuerendly to esteeme of the holy mysteries these grosse Capernaites would by the authoritie of those auncient Fathers enforce vs to confesse that the holy Eucharist is a Sacrifice for the sinnes both of the quicke and of the dead But when their works are throughly waighed it is found that they ment nothing lesse then to giue occasion of any such blasphemous doctrine as these Blasphemers woulde builde vpon their woords Let vs see what Chrysostome hath said in his Homilie vpon the 95. Psal concerning the Sacrifices of the New testament Expounding the woords of the Prophet Malachie in the first Chapter Chrysost in Psalm 95 Malach. 1. Non est mihi voluntas in vobis dicit Dominus omnipotens c. I haue no pleasure or delight in you saith the Lord Almighty c. Hee saith thus Vide quam luculenter quamque dilucide mysticam interpretatus est mensam quae est incruenta hostia Thymiama vero purum appellat sacras preces c. See saith Chrysostome how plainly and manifestly hée dooth interpret the mysticall Table which is the vnbloodie Sacrifice Hée calleth the holy prayers which are offered vp after the sacrifice pure incense For this perfume is it that refresheth God not that which is taken from the rootes that grow in the earth but that is breathed out of a pure heart And after hée hath noted that the Sacrifices of the olde law were very many hee saith thus Quae omnia noua gratia superueniens vno complectitur sacrificio vnam ac veram statuens hostiam All which sacrifices the new grace that succeeded dooth comprehend in one Sacrifice ordayning but one which is the right Sacrifice in deede Who can write more plainely for the proofe of one onely Sacrifice that our sauiour Christ offered once for all then Chrysostome dooth in this place Yea hee proceedeth yet further and saith thus Habemus nos in nobis ipsis varias immolationes non quae iuxta legem incedunt sed quae decent Euangelicam grâ—tiam visne has cognoscere victimas quas habet Ecclesia quum sine sanguine sine fumo sine altari caeterisque ceremonijs munus euangelicum sursum ascendit ad Deum c. And wee also haue in our selues sundrie offerings which procéede not according to the law but such as are séemely for the grace of the gospell But wilt thou know those Sacrifices which the Church hath when the sacrifice of the gospell ascendeth vp vnto God without blood without smoake and without Aulter and the rest of the Ceremonies which is also the cleane and vnspotted sacrifice Hearken to the holy Scripture which dooth plainely expound vnto thée this difference and varietie The first Sacrifice therefore is that which I haue spoken of before that spirituall and mysticall gift whereof Paule speaketh when hée saith thus Jmitatores estote Dei c. Bée yee followers of God Ephe. 5. as deerely beloued children and walke in loue euen as Christ loued vs and gaue him selfe for vs a sacrifice and oblation of a sweete sauour vnto God c. It were too long to set downe here all the woordes of Chrysostome in this place The Offerer Tom. 1. or some of his fellows may reade them as they stand written in the Homilie afore mentioned It is manifest that Chrysostomes meaning was not to maintaine the opinion of the popish Catholiques which hold that in their blessed Masse is offered a sacrifice propitiatorie for the sins both of the quicke and the deade The same Chrysostome in his 17. Tom. 4. In Epist ad Heb. hom 17. Homilie vpon the Epistle to the Hebrews writeth thus Nonne per singulos dies offerrimus Offerrimus quidem sed ad recordationem facientes mortis eius Et vna est haec hostia non multae Quomodo vna est non multae Quia semel oblata est c. Doo not wée offer euery day In déede wée doo offer but wée doo it for a remembrance of his death And this sacrifice is but one and not many And how is it but one and not many Bicause it was offred but once it was offred in the holiest place of all and this sacrifice which wée offer is the Paterne or example thereof wée doo alwaies offer one and the selfe same thing And after many words to the same end hée saith thus Non aliud sacrificium sicut Pontifex sed idipsum semper facimus magis autem recordationem sacrificij operamur Wee offer not another sacrifice as the high Priest did
but wee doo alwaies make one and the same sacrifice but wee doo rather worke the remembrance of a sacrifice Except our Aduersaries haue vtterly lost the vse of Reason they must needes see that Chrysostomes meaning was to teach that it is not the holy Eucharist but the death and passion of Christ whereof the Eucharist is a remembraunce that is the sacrifice propitiatorie whereby our sinnes are taken away Euen in the iudgement of Chrysostome therefore the Masse which you call blessed is in deede curssed bicause it is derogatory to the office of Christ Iesus whose comming into this worlde was to saue sinners And hee onely it is that hath saued his people from their sinns by making a sacrifice of him selfe once for all By which one sacrifice once made hee hath made perfect as many and bee made holie that is all the Elected and chosen children of God So that now there is no more sacrifice for sinne Hebr 10. As the Apostle hath written to the Hebrews Chapter 10. But what should I make any more to doo about this matter sith the Scripture is plaine on our side Sit Deus verax Psalm 116. omnis autem homo mendax Let GOD the author of the scriptures bée true and euery man a liar Now the last point of doctrine that you charge the Protestants with is the abolishing of Christes sacraments of all the graces and goodnesse by them conferred vnto vs. To this I say that no learned Protestant either hath doth or will abolish or consent to the abolishing of any one sacrament that our sauiour Christ hath instituted or of any grace or goodnes cōferred to vs by them Wée confesse with S. Augustine Ad Ianuarium Epist. 118. August ad Ianuarium 118. that our sauiour Christ hath instituted verie fewe sacraments and that the same are verie effectuall as is Baptisme and the Communion of the bodie and blood of our sauiour Christ These two sacraments wee acknowledge to bee instituted by our sauiour Christ as sacraments that is outward and visible signes representing inward inuisible and spirituall graces In Baptisme the outward and visible signe is water and the inward inuisible and spirituall grace is forgiuenes of sinnes and regeneration or new byrth both which we haue by the death and resurrection of Christ and in that sacrament wee receiue a seale and pledge of the same Yea and where wee are by nature the children of Gods wrath wee are by Baptisme receiued into the church and assured that wee are now the children of God ioyned and graffed into the bodie of Christ and are become his members and that wee doo grow into one bodie with him Yea and being assured that Gods couenant and promise made to faithfull Abraham and to his seede belongeth to vs and to our seede bicause belieuing in Christ wee bee the spirituall posteritie of Abraham wée are bould to baptise our children as fellow members togither with vs of the same mystical bodie of Christ that it hath pleased our heauenly Father to make vs members of And when they bee able to learne wee doo teach them to belieue and acknowledge that they bee so and to endeuour in their life to expresse that duetie both to God and man which was at their baptisme professed and promised In the other sacrament which we doo commonly call the Lords supper the outward and visible signe is breade and wine both which wee doo according to Christes commaundement receiue For hee hath said Take eate this is my bodie and drinke yee all of this for this is the Cup of the new testament in my blood c. And wee are assured by Faith that as wee doo receiue the breade and wine into our mouthes and stomacks euen so wee doo by faith receiue into our soules the very body and blood of Chryst that heauenly foode whereby our soules are refreshed and fed vnto euerlasting life And this bodie blood of Christ are the heauenly parte of this sacrament remooued from all outward senses But wée doo not belieue as you popish Catholiques would haue vs belieue that the substance of the bread and wine in this sacrament is turned into the substance of the bodie and blood of Christ for so it could not bee a sacrament which must haue in it both an outward and visible signe and an inward inuisible grace Wherefore the bread and wine must remaine in their natures and properties Neither doo wée belieue that this sacrament was ordeined to bee a sacrifice to God the father for the remission of sinnes for wee know that onely Christ Iesus hath bin and is able and worthy to offer sacrifice for the deliuerance of mankinde from sinne And that hee hath by that sacrifice that hee made of himselfe once for all fully satisfied for the sinnes of the whole world and hath left nothing for vs to doo but firmely to fixe our faith in him and thankefully to take the vse of this eternall sacrifice which wee chiefly doo when wee come worthely to the Lords table bee partakers of that holy sacrament Now if you thinke that I haue doone that which you required the learned Protestant to doo then shame not to yeelde and recant and bee no longer an obstinate and wilfull blinde popish Catholique which is an Antichristian schismaticke But bee a tractable and an obedient Scholler of Christ Iesus hearkening to and belieuing the gospell of Christ which is the glad tidings of free pardon and full forgiuenes of all our sinnes by the merites and mediation of our onely Lord and sauiour Iesus Christ protesting to hold euerie gospell that is contrary to this Gospell accursed as saint Paule willed the Galathians to doo So shall you bee a right Catholique Christian holding and professing that Catholique faith which Christ himselfe commanded his messengers to teach Catholiquely when hee sayde thus Euntes in mundum vniuersum docete omnes gentes baptizantes eos in nomine patris Math. 28. filij spiritus sancti c. Going into all the world teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy ghost teaching them to obserue all those things that I haue commaunded you This is the Catholique doctrine that wee haue heard and learned and doo belieue it By hearing this woord of the gospell or glad tidings of free pardon and forgiuenesse of sinnes our God hath wrought in vs such an assurance of Saluation that wee doubt nothing thereof And this assuraunce woorketh in vs an vnfayned loue towards him that hath adopted predestinated and called vs to bee meete Images of his sonne and one of vs towards another although not in such perfection as hee hath loued vs and as hée commaundeth vs to loue one another yet in some measure and in such measure as hee in mercie alloweth of Wee protest therefore that wee will hold this faith and still craue the encrease of this faith and that wée may grow ritch in
of one church For the darknesse is no more contrary to the light neither falshoode to the truth nor the deuill to God then the doctrine of Swenkfield and of the Anabaptists is to the doctrine of Luther Caluin and Zuinglius But this is the drift of this Offerer To beare the world in hand that wée Protestants doo holde maintaine euery point of doctrine that is contrarie to or diffreth from that Antichristian doctrine which hée his fellowes doo call Catholike and that wée haue none other authors of our religion but these whom hee hath héere named such like Vndoubtedly hée is heerein very much disceiued For although wée doo for good cause like very well of the iudgment of some of these men that bee heere named yet wée haue not sworne to belieue all that they haue written neither yet anie one woorde that they haue written further then they haue by the scriptures made proofe of that which they haue affirmed in writing Wée are not Lutherans Zuinglians nor Caluinists but wée are Christians as in our opinion Luther Zuinglius and Caluin were They were of one minde with S. Austen that desired no credit further then hée prooued his assertions by scripture I pray you therefore good M. Offerer offer vs not such discurtisie as to cause the world to conceiue such an opinion of vs that wée holde and maintaine wée care not and knowe not what Wée thanke the Lord our God wée are not ignoraunt what wée doo and what Christians ought to belieue and wée are ready and able to render an account of the hope that is in vs. And our God hath made vs able to iudge of the spirites and to discerne the spirite of truth from the spirite of errour And by that gifte of our God wée are made able to sée that your spirite is the spirite of Antichrist and your religion Antichristian And that the religion that wée doo professe is Catholique and the same that was professed and practized euen in Rome for the space of 300. yeeres and more next after the ascention of our Sauiour Christ And where as you require the learned Protestant to prooue that these sectes being so diuers c. or any of them do giue saluation to theyr fellowes and that you ought to béeléeue them all or any one of them we leaue to your selfe to be discussed at your leasure For we knowe that no companie or societie of men hath any power to giue any saluation neither to others or to themselues that no man is bound to beléeue another farther then hée dooth knowe that the same hath and dooth speake and write the trueth I sée no cause therefore why you should not yéeld and recant although the learned Protestant neither can prooue nor will take vpon him to prooue the thing that you haue so impudently required him to prooue The sixteenth Offer Offerer Sixteenth When the Protestant shal be able to prooue that those persons which in theyr departure made frō the Catholique Church of Christ haue more desire to beare the name of Sectaries as of Lutherans Zuinglians Illerians Caluinistes Swenkfieldeans Anabaptistes thē the name of Christians or Catholiques are the true members of Christ his Church and not Heretickes and Schismatickes nor yet followers therein of theyr fathers the Arians whych tooke theyr names of Arrius the Maniches of Manes the Nestorians of Nestorius the Nouatians the Vigilians the Iouinians Pelagians Eutichians and others then I shal yeeld and recant and not before Crowley Let the Protestant make the lyke offer and so the one offer shall be a sufficient answer to the other When the Antichristian Catholique shal be able to prooue that suche persons as doo desire rather to be called Fraunciscans of Fraunces Dominicans of Dominicke Benedictines of Benedict Augustiniās of Augustine Barnardines of Barnard Brigettines of Briget and so foorth of all the seuerall orders of Friers Monkes Chanons and Nunnes rather then by the common name of Christians bee true members of Christes Catholique Church and not Sectaries Heretickes and Schismatickes nor yet followers of theyr Fathers the Arrians which tooke theyr name of Arius c. Then will the Protestant yéelde and recant and so become an Antichristian Catholique and not before A man might meruaile to sée the blindnes of this Offerrer that could not sée howe easily this balde offer of his might be turned backe vpon himselfe Yea there is much greater reason to mooue any man to thinke that the Monkes Friers and Chanons Nunnes and others of the Popish religious persons doo desire to be named after the first founders of their religions then that they which do fauour and followe the doctrine of Luther Caluine or any other doo desire to be called by the names of them whose doctrine they followe or fauour For were it not that such as doo mislike with the doctrine of Luther and the rest doo in dirision call the fauourers of that doctrine by the names of those chéefe teachers of the doctrine wée should not amongst thousands finde one that would giue any of those names to himselfe But the Popes religious persons doo for the most parte blot out of memorie the names that were giuen vnto them when they were baptised as Frier Iohn Frauncis Minime of Nigion in Fraunce was called Debnam by hys Progenie and kindred whereof he came and at his Baptisme the name Samuell was giuen vnto him I thinke it will be hard for this Offerer to prooue that this is not a flat renouncing of Christ and Christendome For in this new name not onely the progenie of his naturall parentes is renounced but that religion also that was professed when he was baptised and in that new profession that he hath made thereis no promise made of obedience to Christ or vowe to obserue Christian religion but to obay the Father Prior and all the superiours in that order and to obserue that rule of S. Frauncis order If this be not a flatte forsaking of Christ then vndoubtedly no man can forsake him And what may bée thought of you Antichristian Catholiques Doo not you forsake Christ where you chuse a man to bée his Vicar generall captiueing and submitting your seuerall meaninges to the iudgement of your Prelates and spiritual gouerners and of one chéefe heade and pastor amongest those Prelates and that in all Ecclesiasticall thinges and causes Well I would wish you to remember your selfe better and to consider from how good loouing and faithfull a shéepheard you are gone astray and by howe many waies hee hath and dooth still séeke to bringe you home againe to hys shéepfolde the right and true Catholique Church consider that you haue willingly wittingly and wilfully made your selfe captiue to the greatest enimy that your shéephearde Christ hath or can haue Make hast to returne your shéepeheard will with ioy receiue you Your sinne is great in forsaking such a shéepheard and yet not so great but it may be pardoned Repent and beléeue the
orderly succession of Bishops the vniformitie of solemne Ceremonies and the vnitie of faith that hath in her selfe all holy functions of the spirite as working of miracles remission of sinnes the true cence and interpretation of Gods word that is beautified with diuersity of states commended by Christ as with Martirs with Confessors holy virgins and such other Let the Protestant prooue vnto me that this is not the true Church and that we are not bound to obey and beleeue this Church and none other in al controuersies doubts vprising eyther by the difficulty of Scripture or by vayne contention and pride of Heretickes and I wyll yeelde and recant and not before Crowley The Protestant hath already prooued that the Church whereof this Offerer is a member hath not béene of so long continuaunce as fiftéene hundreth yéeres Yea and that there be not yet a full thousand yéeres past since that Church became of such power and estimation in the world as now it dooth challendge to it selfe and as this Offerer dooth bragge of That Church which is Catholique in déede whereof all right Protestāts be members hath bad continuance euen euer since this promise was made in the daies of the first man I wyll put enimitie betwixt thée and the woman betwixt thy séede and her séede her séede shall breake thy heade and thou shalt assalt his héele Gen 3. These wordes dyd God him selfe speake to the sperpent and this promise dyd the first man and his wyfe beléeue and they and theyr faithfull posteritie dyd from time to time looke for and long after the performaunce of this promise euen tyll our Sauiour Christ which is that blessed séede of the woman had in déede performed it Our Sauiour Christ speaking of this looking for and longing after sayd thus to his disciples Many Prophets and Princes haue desired to sée those things that you sée and haue not séene them and to heare those wordes that you heare and haue not heard them Luc. 10. Lucae 10 And againe speaking to the Iewes he sayd Your father Abraham dyd aduaunce him selfe that he might sée my day and he dyd sée it and reioyce in it Iohn 8. Iohn 8. And this Catholique Church hath continued still in all troubles and persecutions and dooth continue to this day and so shall to the ende still reioysing in the day of Christ that is already past and looking and longing after that day of his that is yet to come which is the day of his appearing in glory when all his shall appeare with him in glorie Colo 3. Coloss 3 This Church hath had the vse of Sacraments euer since Sacraments were instituted But before Abrahams time there was not any Sacrament ordayned for the first Sacrament was Circumcision and the other Sacrament was the Passe-ouer which was instituted in the dayes of Moses By this it appeareth that the Church was before the sacramentes were and so it followeth by good consequence that Sacramentes are not necessarily required to the constituting of a Church Yea and after those Sairamentes were instituted the vse of them was by occasion intermitted and yet the Church that dyd intermit the vse of those Sacramentes was still the Church of God notwithstanding the intermitting of the vse of the Sacraments As in the time of the people of Isralites béeing in the wildernes which was fortie yéeres both Circumcission and the Passeouer were intermitted and yet that people were styll accounted to bée and were in déede the Church of God Euen so our Sauiour Christ haueing fulfilled the lawe did institute two Sacramentes in the place or stéede of those two that were before hys incarnation namely Baptisme and the Sacrament of his body and blood and left them to hys Church with commaundement that they should bee vsed in hys Church and therfore the Church of Christ may not refuse to vse them But yet if by iust occasion the Church shal be enforced to intermit the vse of them for as long or longer tyme then the Isralites dyd intermit the vse of theyr Sacramēts this may not be thought to be a iust cause to account that Church to be no Catholique Church which hath for a tyme intermitted the vse of Sacramentes But that Catholique Church whereof we Protestants be members hath not any at time intermitted the vse of these two Sacraments that Christ hath ordayned no not in the tyme of most bloody persecution as in most auncient Histories it dooth appeare And after the ende of those bloody persecutions which dyd continue almost to the ende of the first 300. yéeres after Christes ascention the same Church dyd continue the vse of the same Sacramentes publiquely and openly which before that time bloodie Tirrannie would not suffer them to doo But when the tyme of Apostacie was come and the man of sinne of whom S. Paule wrote 2 Thessa 2. 2 Thessa 2 had gotten the vpper hand then this Church was inforced to leaue that open vse that of Sacraments that it had continued for the space almost of 300. yéeres and to vse them as before shee had doone in the time of the first bloody persecutions For the Romane Church béeing fallen away from the Catholique Church became as bloodily minded as euer the Romane Empire had béene Thus the Catholique Church whereof wee bée members hath continued and dooth stil continue the vse of those Sacraments that Christ hath instituted As for confirmation order and that which you call penaunce matrimony and extreame vnction wée doo not acknowledge to bée Sacraments because they agrée not with the definition or discription of a Sacrament which is a visible signe of an inuisible spirituall grace instituted by Christ him selfe we knowe and doo confesse that confirmation is a good order and may bée vsed to the edification of the Church and therfore it is appointed by publique Authority that when younglinges shal be instructed so that they shal be able in some measure to make profession of the Christian fayth they shal bée brought to the Bishop that by prayer to God for them and laying on of his handes vpon them they may bée the better confirmed in that faith which they haue learned and professed The ordering of ministers we allowe of also as of a good profitable order in the Church for we know that no man may take vpon himselfe that honour but such as shal be called thereunto as Aron was And therefore as great care as may be is taken in the chosing of such as shal be admitted to the ministry and as great circumspection in the admitting Heb. 5. If any fault be in this behalfe it is not in the lawe that prescribeth a good and perfect order to be obserued herein but in the lacke of care that may be in such as haue the execution of the law As touching that which you cal penance wée doo neither accept of it as of a Sacrament because we knowe that it is none neyther doo we take
Bishop Fyshar Sir Thomas Moore the Monkes of the charter house with all the rest of the Popes friends that suffered in the daies of King Henry the eight and Edmond Campion with his companie and the rest that haue bene executed in the time of the raigne of our Soueraigne that now is for what cause haue they suffered was it not for that they affirmed that the Popes holines hath the supreme power in this realme that princes haue not the highest power vpon earth ouer such as be their subiectes This cause can not bee Christs cause for Christ did in his humaine nature submit him selfe to the Emperor in that hee him selfe did pay tribute to the Emperor in token of subiection Mat. 17. Mat 17. S. Peter willeth all christians to submit them selues to all estates of men euen for the Lords sake whether it be to the king as to him that hath the preheminence or to the Dukes or captaines as to men whom the Lord hath sent for the punishment of euill dooers but for the praise of such as bée good for so is the will of God that Christians should by well dooing stop the ignoraunce of foolish men c. 1. Pet. 2. 1 Peter 2. S. Paule also wrote thus to the Romaines Omnis anima potestatibus sublimioribus subdita sit c. Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers c. Rom. 13. Rom. 13. Chrysostome expounding these woords of S. Paule saith thus Etiam si Apostolus sis si Euangelista si Propheta siue quisquis tandem fueris c. Although thou be an Apostle if thou bée an Euangelist if thou be a Prophet and to conclude who or what so euer thou béest For saith Chrysostome this subiection dooth not subuert godlinesse And hée saith not simply hée must obay but hée saith Chrysost in Rom. 13. subdita sit It must bée in subiection By these woords of Chrysostome it appeereth what maner of Martyrs they are that haue died for the mainetenaunce of your Popes supreme powre ouer all Christians vpon earth If Chrysostome were now liuing and would maintaine this that hee hath written your Pope would make him a Martyr in déed if hée might catch him as hee hath and still dooth make Martyrs of all such as hée hath and can catch that bee of one minde with Chrysostome Your Confessors are euen such as your Martyrs and so are your Virgins with the rest that you meane of when you say and such other Now let the Protestant prooue say you that this is not the true Church that we are not bound to obay and belieue this Church and none other in all controuersies and doubts c. The Protestant hath already prooued that the church that you meane of which is the Romaine Antichristian church is not the true Church of Christ and that it hath not in it those things that you doo so much brag of It hath not continuance as yet for the space of 1000. yéeres It hath not neither dooth it exercise preaching to the conuersion of nations to the obedience of the gospell but to the obedience of Antichristian doctrine It hath not had neither hath it the right administration of the sacraments but with such mixture of humaine diuises as is vnséemely in the Church of Christ It hath not had neither hath it any such orderly succession of bishops as you brag of neither any such vniformitie of solemne Ceremonies It hath not had at any time neither hath it now such vnitie of faith as you speake of nor the holy functions of the spirite as working of Miracles remission of sinnes nor the true sense and interpretation of the woord of God Neither is it beautified with that diuersitie of states that you speake of as Martyrs Confessors and Virgins such other wherefore the Protestant concludeth that there is no cause why he should obay and belieue that church of yours no more is there that you should not yeelde and recant The Twentith offer Offerer Twentith Moreouer let the learned Protestant proue that the true and Catholike church of Christ may at any time bee voide of Gods spirit which he hath promised to be with his Church for euer saying Et ego rogabo patrem et alium paracletum dabit vobis Iohn 14. vt maneat vobiscum in aeternū or falsly to interpret any sentence of holy scripture or to induce any erroure among the people or approoue vnprofitable and hurtfull vsages amonge the Christians or that shee suffereth any damnable abuse in her religion without open repredhension thereof Let the learned Protestant prooue any of these points and I will then yeelde and recant and not before Crowley The true Catholique church of Christ in déed is neuer voyde of Gods spirite Yea there is not one member of that church which hath not that spirite dwelling in it in some measure For thus the Apostle Paule hath written to the Romaines Si quis autem spiritum Christi non habet hie non est eius If there be any that hath not the spirite of Christ the same belongeth not to him Rom. 8. Rom. 8 I doo confesse therefore that the true Catholique church of Christ is neuer voide of Gods spirit But according to the words that this Offerer hath cited out of the 14. cha of Iohn Iohn 14 our sauiour Christ hath sent another comforter which is the holy spirit of God to be with his Church for euer But what maketh this for M. Offerers purpose Hee must prooue that the church of Rome being such as now it is hath bin for the space of a thousand yéeres almost is that true Catholique church of Christ and then these pointes will serue him to some purpose otherwise they doo make flatly against him Taking your church to bee the true Catholike church of Christ you offer to yéelde and recant if the Protestant can prooue that your church hath fasly interpreted any one sentence of the holy scripture The Protestant hath alreain his answere to your 19. offer sufficiently prooued that your whole church hath in the 25. session of your Tridentine counsell falsly interpreted or rather flatly denied mo then one two or thrée sentences of the holy scriptures as to the indifferent Reader it may there most euidently apeere wherefore wée doo looke for the performance of your promise in yéelding and recanting That your church hath induced doth still induce errors amongst the people hath approued and doth still approoue vnprofitable and hurtfull vsages amongst Christians hath suffered and dooth still suffer damnable abuses in religion without open reprehention is more manifest then that which lyeth open in the cleare sunne light Wherefore the Protestant néedeth not to spend any time in the proofe therof It may suffice to put the reader in minde of those shamelesse errors that your church hath taught dooth still teach and maintaine concerning the inuocation of Angelles and Saints the praying for the deade
the Lambe Mulier amicta sole a woman clothed wyth the Sunne Habitatio fratrum inuicem a dwelling of bretheren all togither Mont Dei the hill of God Sacra Anchora the holy Anchor Vinea Domini our Lordes Vyneyarde Terra viuentium the Lande of the lyuinge Ecclesia magna the great and mightie Church Arca Noe Noes Arke Vna sancta Catholica Apostolicâ— Ecclesia one Holy Catholique and Apostolike Church Domus pacis the house of peace Domus refugij the house of refuge Domus veritatis the house of trueth Societas Sanctorum the fellowship of holy Saints Nutrix Christianorum the Norishe of the Christians Vxor de latere Christi the Spouse out of Christ his side sicut Eua de latere Adam like as Eue was out of the side of Adam Let the learned Protestant make proofe that these most exellent properties and peculier denominations and callinges may possibly agree to their hid and vnknowne congregations and priuate societies or to any other knowne societie of the whole worlde but onely to the holy societie most blessed companie and fellowship of the common knowne Catholique church of Christ and I will then relent yeelde and recant and not before Crowley This Offer may bee diuided into three partes In the first the Offerer requireth a proofe of that which is already prooued in the answere to the seuententh Offer Wherefore I refer that reader to that which is written there where hée shall finde that which may satisfie him in that which the Popish Offerer requireth the learne Protestant to prooue first In the second part he requireth the Protestant to prooue that the church whereof be is hath had at some one time or other such powre and authority ouer the whole Christian world as the Romish Catholike Antichristian church hath vsurped and exercised and doth still claime exercise where it may bée suffred To this I doo say on the behalfe of that learned Protestant that Christ him selfe did neuer exercise such authoritie ouer kingdomes and Nations as the Antichristian Popish church hath exercised and dooth still exercise so farfoorth as it is able and may be suffered Neyther did our Sauiour Christ giue any such authoritie to his Apostles as to haue all Christian Nations vnder obedience or to call them togither to generall Counsells or to execute discipline vpon them and to correct their falts for that power is giuen vnto Princes and Christ did not come to take that powre from them but hee hath confirmed it in them The Apostles therefore and the Apostolike men that were the immediate Successors of the Apostles euen as many as God made excellent in his Church in the time that was before Antichrist began to shewe him selfe in the estate of the papacie were contented to leaue that powre to princes and did both by doctrine and by example of life teach all Christians to shew their due obedience to Princes But when your Bishops of Rome were become Antichristian then they must needes aduaunce them selues aboue all that is called God that is aboue all Princes and they must sit in the temple of God and boast them selues as though they had bin Gods that so they might bee knowne to bee that man of sinne that Saint Paule ment of in that hee wrote 2. Thess 2. 2. Thes 2. For the third parte of this Offer wherein the Offerer requireth the learned Protestant to prooue that the tytles which are in the scriptures and Doctors giuen to the church of Christ coulde euer bee challenged by any right to their hid and vnknowne Congregation c. For answere to this the learned Protestant referreth the Reader to that answere that hee hath made to the seuentéenth and to the eighttéenth Offer with this addition that if this Offerer can prooue that euer any of these excellent properties or peculier denominations and callings might possibly agrée to that knowne Antichristian church that hee is of then will this learned Protestant relent yeelde and recant and bee an Antichristian Catholique and not before ¶ A new Offer touching the sixe seuerall signes that the Offerer calleth certaine and sure signes c. Certayne assured signes and tokens of fals prophets Heretiques and schismatikes Last of all when these notes following being most certaine and sure signes and tokens of Antichristians false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes mentioned manifestly expressed in diuers partes of the scriptures shall by the learned protestant be prooued more aptly and truely to agree vnto vs of the common knowne church of Christ then vnto the Protestantes of so many sundry and diuers sects and congregations I shall submit yeelde and recant and not before Crowley When this presumptuous Offerer shall prooue that the Church of Rome that now is whereof hee glorieth that hee is a member is the true Catholique church of Christ and not Antichristian Hereticall and schismaticall and that the notes that hee speaketh of doo not more aptly and truly agree vnto him and to men of his sort then vnto vs that be Protestants whom hée calleth Antichristes false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes then will I submit yeelde and recant and not before The first signe and token Offerer First signe and token appropriated to Antichrists false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes in the scripture is their departure from the common knowne Catholique church of Christ wherein they were baptized and first receiued Christian faith and religion of the which signe and token speaketh the Apostle S. Iohn saying Ex nobis prodiâ—runt 1. Iohn 2. sed non erant ex nobis nam si fuissent ex nobis permansissent vtique nobiscum They departed from vs but they were not of vs for if they had bin of vs and of our church they would saith the Apostle S. John haue continued with vs still not haue departed from vs. And now the learned Protestant not being able to denie that they haue departed from our common knowne Catholique church from our faith religion wherin they were first baptised and not wee departed from them but still remaining in the profession of the same faith and religion that wee first receiued hee must needes by the drift of Argument and reason graunt also that this first signe and token of false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes was before spoken of the Apostle S. Iohn onely of them and not of vs. Crowley Touching this first signe and token which this Offerer would appropriate vnto vs as vnto Antichristians false Prophets Heretiques and schismatikes I might very well referre the indifferent Reader to that which I haue written in answere to the tenth Offer Where I haue made it manifest the the same faith and religion that wée doo professe and practize now was professed practized in the time of the Apostles and many yéeres after the ascention of our sauiour Christ although not so purely towards the ende of those sixe hundreth yéeres as at the beginning of them and for the space of 300.
by Fayth Theyr Doctrine concerning the worthines of theyr owne workes All these and euery one of these doo yeelde the lyke conclusion for proofe that this offerer and his fellowes be such lyinge masters and false teachers as S. Peter writeth of in those wordes that this offerer aleageth against vs when they be taken wholy togeather as S. Peter wrote them I trust that the indifferent reader will easily sée howe well he may trust this offerer when he alleageth the scriptures for his purpose or matter out of the ancient doctors for the proofe of any thing that he taketh in hand to prooue The trueth of this testimony sayth this offerer is to bée tried by all sectaries and sortes of heretickes that euer haue béene and then he nameth certaine sortes of Heretickes that were troublesome to the Catholique Church in the primitiue time thereof and he affirmeth that the errours heresies that those sortes of men helde were by the generall councels the censures of the Catholique Church condemned ouerthrowne notwithstanding that Emperours and kings did stoutly vphold and maintaine them Here this offerer dealeth as cunningly as before he hath doone in citing his sentence out of S. Peters Epistle His meaning is to make it séeme to the reader that this Roomish Catholique Church hath had Emperours and Kings at commaundement euen these 1500 yéeres togeather and that all the generall councelles that haue béene holden haue béene appointed and called togeather by the Bishops of Roome onely without the authoritie of the Emperours and Kings that haue raigned in all this time Yea he would haue it séeme that the stoute Emperours and Kings which haue béene the maintainers and vpholders of errours and heresies haue béene bridled by decrées made in generall councelles and by the censures of the Roomish Church which haue bene by the holy fathers the Popes executed vpon them Platina De vitis patrū But if this offerer will giue any credite to Platina in his history De vitis patrum he shall finde in the lyfe of Siluester the first of that name in whose time the first generall councell was holden in Nice that the same councell was called together by the commandement of Constantinus then Emperour And if he will beléeue Lawrence Surius that lyued in our dayes and was a Carthusian Frier and gathered al the councels into 4 tomes he shal finde that the Constantinopolitan councel which was the second generall councell holden in the daies of Damasus the first Pope of that name was summoned or called togeather by Theodosius then Emperour And the first Ephesian councell which was the third general councell was holden in the dayes of Caelestinus the first Pope of that name and called togeather by Theodosius the yonger and Valentinian then Emperours And the Chalcedonian councell which was the fourth generall councell was holden in the dayes of Pope Leo the first of that name and was called togeather by the Emperours Valentinianus and Martianus that then raigned And this was 450 yéeres after Christs assencion wherby it appeareth that your account of 1500. yeres must be shorter by 450. yeres For so long time your Popes were at the commaundement of the Emperours as it was méete that they should and as they ought to be at this day as I haue sufficiently prooued in mine aunswer to your first Offer But now you must haue one fling more at the Lutherans and Protestants of our time What should you make mention of them say you sith in this realme the Lutherans haue taken their iust ouerthrowe all ready c. This Offerer and his fellowes building their foundation besid the rocke Christ which is the onely right foundation of right religion doo déeme that wée Protestantes haue none other foundation to build our religion vpon but Luther Oecolampadius Zuinglius and Caluine But they are disceiued For as I haue sayd in mine answer to the 15. Offer we doo not so estéeme of these or of any other men that we would builde our faith vpon them but we doo build vpon the rocke Christ as they did and we know that Dies declarabit in English the day wil declare That is the time of knowledge wherein the mist of darke ignoraunce shal be doon away the bright shining beames of the trueth shall make manifest in the harts of all men that haue eyes to see hartes to vnderstand whose doctrine ours or yours is méet to be called goold siluer and precious stones or on the contrarie timber haie strawe and stubble I know that the auncient fathers hauing occation to write of that godly life and conuersation that is required in Christians do vnderstand by gold siluer and precious stones such good workes as the right christian faith that worketh by looue is accustomed to bring forth and by the hay stubble and timber the contrarie And it is not amisse that in that case they doo so apply the words of the Apostle But in the circumstance of the text it appereth that the apostle meant rather of doctrin then of manners although the place may be applied to both because true christians doo teach both by doctrine and by life But to our purpose This Offerer dreameth that he séeth the Lutherans already ouerthrowen in this realme and al other sectaries for so it pleaseth him to terme all such as be not of his owne sorte yéelding vp the Ghost and ready to tylt vp their héeles For the Precisians and Puritans are in fauour with the common and baser sorte of the people and the magistrates doo so wincke at them that no small number of men of all sortes doo further and fauour them to the great encrease of them As touching the sectes that this Offerer speaketh of here enough hath béene spoken already We are christians we neuer were Lutherans Oecolampadians Zuinglians nor Caluinistes But in very déed many of vs were Papists before it pleased God in mercie to open the eyes of our vnderstanding and to shewe vs our saluation in our onely mediatour Christ Iesus To him alone we do now cleaue as to our onely shéepheard and high Préest His voyce we doo knowe and béeing his shéepe we harken to his voyce and we doo followe him We can not abide to here the voice of straungers Precisians and Puritans we can not mislike of if they bée such as all christians should bee that is precise in obseruing and kéeping of the commandements of God according to that which is written Deut 5 Deu 5 kéepe and doo those thinges that the Lord God hath commaunded you you shall not bowe to the right hand nor to the left but ye shal walke in that way that your Lord God hath commaunded you c. Such Precisians we do like well of and we doo still beg of God in prayer that it may please him in mercie to make vs euery day more precise then other And we are perswaded that no man is or can be so precise that way as all Christians