is iustified by onely faith which is found in no part of the scripture Doe you not then contradict the Scripture you doe it so openly in this point Confess Heluet c. 15. docemus peccatorem iustificari sola fide Luth. in cap. 22. Gen. Iacob delirat Deuteron 30. circumcide cor tuum cor seminis tui vt diligas DominuÌ„ DeuÌ„ tuum in toto corde tuo in tota anima tua Psal 118. Dauid ait in toto corde meo exquisiui te Et 3. Reg. 14. sequutus est me in toto corde suo Et 4. Reg. 23 dicitur de losia quod reuersus est ad Dominum in omni corde suo in tota anima sua in vniuersa vitasua Cal. 2. Inst c. 7. §. 5. neminem Sanctorum extitisse dico qui corpore mortis circundatus ad eum dilectionis scopum pertigerit vtex toto corde ex tota mente ex tota anima ex tota potentia Deum amaret Paraeus lib 4. de iustif c. 11. Talem dilectionem ex tota anima ex tota mente ex omnibus viribus nemo sanctorum habuit vel habere in hac infirmitate potest manet quidem in Sanctis aliquid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hypocriseas Math. 26. Marc. 13. Luc 22. 1. Cor. 11. that Luther not being able to reconcile the place of S. Iames with that which he taught saith that this great Apostle dotes The scripture saith that we may loue God with all our hart you say that none can loue God with all his hart This is not found in all holy writ Doe you not then contradict the holy scripture The scripture saith that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Iesus-Christ En la forme d'administrer les SacremeÌ„s Contentons nous d'auoir le pain le vin pour signe tesmoignage Et en leut Ca techisme au traité de la Cene. Tu n'entends pas done demaÌ„de le Ministre que le corps soit enclos dedans le pain le sang dedans le Calice Non respoÌ„d l'enfant mais au contraire Et cap. 1. Pet. 3. v. 21. saluos facit baptisma and that with addition of such words as designe the true body and true blood You say that it is not the body and blood of Iesus-Christ but onely the figure the signe and testimonie which is not found in any part of the holy pages Doe you not then contradict the scripture The scripture saith that baptisme saues vs that we are washed regenerated by the lauer of water You say that baptisme doth not saue doth not clense doth not regenerate but that it is onely a Symbole of our saluation clenseing and regeration which is not found in all the bible doe you not then contradict the scripture 5. The scripture saith that Preists remitt sinns you say Ephes 5. v. 26. Vt illam sanctificaret mundans lauacro aquae Ioan. 3. v. 5. Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua Melancthon in locis cap. de signis Non iustificant signa vt Apostolus ait circumcisio nihil est ita baptismus nihil est participatio mensae Domini nihil est sed testes sunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diuinae voluntatis erga te Calu 4. Instit c. 14. §. 17. Cauendum ne in errorem nos abducant quae ad amplificandam sacramentorum dignitatem paulò magnificentius à veteribus scripta sunt vt scilicet arbitremur latentem aliquam virtutem Sacramentis annexam affixamque esse quo ipsa per se Spiritus sancti gratiam nobis conferant cum hoc tantum illis diuinitus iniunctum sit munus testicari nobis acsancire Deiin nos beneuolentiam Matth. 18. v. 18. Quacumque ligaueritis super terram erunt ligata in caelo quacumque solueritis super terram erunt soluta in caelo that they doe not remitt sinns but onely that they beare testimonie that they are remitted which is found in no place of the holy scripture doe you not then contradict the Scripture 6. The scripture saith that if a virgine marrie she sinns not you say that the iuste man offends in all his workes Ioan. 20. v. 23. Quorism remiseritis peccata remiâ—tuÌ„ti eis quorum retinuericis retenta sunt which is not found in all holy writt Doe you not then contradict the Scripture 7. The Scripture saith that there be some of the wicked and reprobate Calu. Instit 3. cap. 4. §. 23. Absolutio quae fidei seruit nihil aliud est quà m testimoniuÌ„ venia ex gratuitae euangelij promissione suÌ„ptum 21. Corinth 7. si nupserit virgo non peccauit Luth. art 2. Iustus in omni opere binopeccat idem Calu 3. Instit c. 12. §. 4. Omnia hominum opera si su a dignitate cense antur nihil nisi inquinamenta sunt sordes quaiustitia vulgo habetur ea apud Deum mera est iniquitas Ioan 12. v. 42. multi crediderunt in eum sed propter Pharisaeos non confitebamtur vt è Synagoga non ei cerentur dilexerunt enim gloriam hominum magis quà m gloriam Dei Act. 8. v. 13. Tunc Simon ipse credidit Calu. 3. Instit. c. 2. §. 9. 10 talibus fidei testimonium tribuitur sed per catechesin Item verum haec fidei seu vmbra seu imago vt nullius est momenti ita indigna est fidei appellatione Luc. 8. v. 13 Quia ad tempus credunt in tempere tentationis recedunt who beleeue in Iesus-Christ you say they beleeue not but that they haue onely a shadovve of Faith which is not found in all the scripture doe you not then contradict Scripture 8. The Scripture saith that ther are some Calu. 3. Instit c. 2. § 11. NuÌ„quam disperit semen vitae electorum cordibus insituÌ„ in harmon Matth. 1 v. 20 fidem quam semel insculpsit piorum cordibus euanescere perire impossibile est who for a tyme haue faith and beleeue not in another tyme you say that there are none who beleeue for a tyme and loose their faith in another but that he that beleeues once neuer looseth his faith which is not found in all holy Scripture doe you not then contradict Scripture 9. The scripture saith if thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements you say there is no neede to keepe the commandements Matth 10. v. 19. Si vis ad vitaÌ„ ingredi serua mandata yea that euen to say so is to deney Iesus-Christ and to abolish his Faith which is not in all the holy scripture Luth. 2. Gal. Papistae docent fides in Christum iustificat quideÌ„ sed simul seruare opertet etiam praecepta Dei ibi statim Christus negatus fides abolita est Heb 6. v. 4. Quisemel illuminatisunt gustauerunt etiam donum caeleste participes factisunt Spiritus S. v. 6. Et prolapsi sunt rursus renouari ad paenitentiam
them with him being a more honorable thing vnto God to endow second causes with force to cooperate in some things with him then to leaue them without all action in his productions as though they were altogether incapable of the same Howbeit the ratio or essence of merit which is found in the actioÌ„s of men proceeds not from the substaÌ„ce of their worke but from the grace alone which they receaue by the metit of Iesus Christ as S. Augustin obserues saying that the merits of the iust are merits because they are iust that is for that they proceed from persoÌ„s iustified and gratefull vnto God by meanes of his grace which is in them who will thinke that our merits which are the effectes of the grace of Christ alone doe disparage the glorie of the merits of Christ yea who will not planely discouer that the merits of men doe redound to the glorie of Christ his merits No otherwise then the splendour of rich gemmes and the brightnes of the moone and starrs which are effectes of the sunn's Light doe augment his glorie so far are they from diminishing it Vvhich moued Brentius to say In Apologia Confess Vvitemberg cap. de contritione that wee extolled Christ with too great prayses while wee auerre that he merited that our workes should be meritorious And another Authour Ericcius l. 4. de Eccles c. 4. of no smale note confesseth that in this thing we make Christ his glorie wonderfull illustrious Vvhence it is manifest that our merits are so far from iniuring tho merits of Christ that they euen turne to his greater glorie And indeede since the operations of the members belong to the head because this commands them and imparts vertue towards their productioÌ„ how should the dignitie of the workes of the members of Iesus Christ our Heade become rather contumelious then honorable vnto him By euery one of our actions saith a In cap 6. Zachariae Saluator in singulis coronaÌ„ acci S. Hierome our heade is crovvned Our good workes being giftes of God the Father effectes of the Holy Ghost the principale Agent fruites of the passion of Iesus Christ the end for which he suffered the act of the children of God and those who are participant of his diuine nature in conclusion being rather workes of God then of men as the b Matth. 20. 1. Cor. 15. Gaelaet 2. holy scripture doth teach vs who will repute the dignitie of such workes contumelious to God Yea who will not rather iudge those contumelious to God the Father the Holy Ghost to IesuÌ„s Christ his sufferances who like to your selues impugne the merits of good workes since by impugning them they doe truly impugne the giftes of God the operations of the H. Ghost the fruites of our sauiours passion the effectes of grace in fine the dignitie of good workes which proceed rather from God then from men Vvho will not in contemplation herof iudge your religion worthy of hatred yea euen of horrour and ours for the contrarie praise worthy And therfore it is apparent that if your doctrine be hated in respect of that which it teacheth touching merit you cannot as you pretend draw any aduantage from it but contrariwise it turnes to your disaduantage since it is hated not for sustayning a thing which is aduantagious but preiudiciall to Gods glorie Vvhich happens not onely in this point but in all the rest of the points of this Chapter It is truly hated for sustayning things preiudiciall to God not onely in that you deney as I haue alreadie shewen the workes of Saints to be meritoriours but which is more and indeede a thing causing horrour because your Prime Authours whose doctrine you imbrace as distending downe from heauen deney that the workes of Iesus Christ are meritorious I confesse saith Caluine 2. Instit c. 17. §. 1. Equidem fateor si quis simpliciter per se ChristuÌ„ opponere vellet iudicio Dei noÌ„ fore merito locum quiae non reperiretur in homine dignitas quae posset Deum promereri that if any would oppose Iesus Christ simply and nakedly considered in himselfe to God's iudgement there were no place for merit because there is no dignitie found in man which can merit God Vvhence is planely gathered that you repute not the workes of Iesus Christ meritorious before God for their owne dignitie and worth but onely by meanes of God's fauorable acceptance therof There rests no more to be done in this Chapter but to beseech the Reader as I instantly doe to note by the way that though you would be thought to haue no other ayme in these Articles but God's honour and glorie yet is it but a cloake you take vnder which your end is to seeke your selues freeing your selues in this world from all the paine and difficultie which is found in doing well For why doe you establish the Scripture the onely rule of your saluation but to deliuer your selues from obedience to the Church and from subiection to Traditions which are manifestly contrarie vnto you imitating herin that Tertul. praescript c. 17. Necessario â—â—lunt agnosâ—â—â— ea per quae reuincuntur which Tertullian notes in the Heretiques of his tyme when he saith that they will in no sort accnovvledge that wherby they are conuinced To what end doe you deney that S. Peter was the Heade of the vniuersall Church vnder Iesus Christ but onely to cast off the subiection to his Successours authoritie euen as Rebells to be freed from the Vice-Roys authoritie would deney that any other but the king had power ouer him Vvhy will you haue the blood of Christ onely to purge you but onely to auoyd paine and trouble and to be subiect to no satisfaction Vvhat reason haue you to deney the merit of good workes but onely to flatter your owne sloyth and to be obliged to no paines-taking for the obtayning of Paradice shewing your selues herin Epicures shollers who for loue of ease l. 8. Conf. c. 16. Negauit tractus meritorum as S. Augustine notes denyed the course of merits Vvhy doe you reiect the propitiation of the sacryfice of the Masse but by banishing all other propitiation saue that of the sacryfice of the Crosse to take a way all conceipt that we ought to indeuour to make God propitious You haue Gods honour in your mouth but your priuate interest in your hart two specious wayes by which you draw poore sooles to your beleife but to their owne perditioÌ„ which is indeed that which you will purchace to you and yours who cannot dy in your errours but withall they perish eternally CHAP. IIII. Section I. MINISTERS Your Maiestie should also see that we are hated because we would haue the people themselues to know the wayes of saluation in lieu of referring themselues totally to others by an affected scrupule and voluntarie ignoronce which is couered with a cloake of obedience and docilitie and to this effect we would haue
sine pradicante ergo fides ex auditu saint Paule shall they beleeue him whom they haue not heard and how shall they heare without a Preacher Therfore faith is by hearing Vvherby we see that reading onely is not a sufficient meanes of faith since according to the Apostle no man can haue assurance ether of the letter or of the sense of the Scripture vnlesse he learne of the Church how it is to be vnderstoode Secondly because if this meanes be sufficient for all the world the Fathers of the Church the Lutherans Anabaptists and others who with great care and diligence made vse of it erred not in the fundamentall points of faith as in your writings you vpbrade them But if you affirme that reading alone is onely sufficient in qualitie of an externe meanes and that there is further required an inward illustration of rhe holy Ghost which is not in them that erre I demand a text of holy Scripture affirming that Caluine and his followers had this interiour illustration rather then the others if you can produce no such text I demand why you beleeue it without Scripture Againe I demand by what exteriour or interiour signe you can be assured to haue this illustration of the holy Ghost in the vnderstanding of these words This is my body more then the Catholikes or Lutherans Finally since reading onely is not sufficient without this internall illustration of the holy Ghost if you cannot by some infallible argument proue that you are assured of this illustration I beseech you to accnowledge that you haue no certaintie of the sense of Scripture nor consequently of your faith Finally why doth the Eunuke who had the holy Ghost and readd diligently that place of Isaye where the passion of our sauiour is cleary foretold being asked by Philippe one of the Deacons whether he vnderstood what he readd answere a Act. 8. Et quâ—modo possum si non aâ—â— quis ostenderit mihi how can I vnlesse some shew it me If to vnderstand the Scripture a man be to rely vpon the interiour illustration of the holy Ghost you cannot say as some tymes you doe that your meaning is not that euery one should vnderstand all the Scripture but b Vvhit de perspicuit script c. 1. Nostrum axioma est omnia quae sunt ad salutem necessaria opertis verbis in scripturis propâ—â—â— onely that which is necessarie vnto salutation because the passage which the Eunuke confesseth he vnderstandeth not concernes not the passion of our sauiour Iesus Christ which is the fundation of mans saluation Nor will you affirme that the Eunuke was ignorant sith the simple are as well to vnderstand that which is necessarie to saluation as the learned Nor indeede ought he to be rancked amongst the ignorant whom a Hieron ep 103. Ego nec sanctior sum hoc Eunucho nec studiosior tantus amator legis diuinaeque scientiae cum libruÌ„ teneret ignorabat eum quem in libro nesciens venerabatur saint Hierome represents so studious and so great a louer of the law that he himselfe was not more addicted thervnto That the Scripture is not easie to all men it selfe doth witnesse and the Fathers doe teach It selfe doth witnesse b 2. Petr. 3. In quibus sunt quaedam difficilia intellectu quae indocti instabiles deprauant sicut caeteras scripturas ad suaÌ„ ipsoruÌ„ perditionem for saint Peter sayth that in saint Paules Epistle there are certaine things hard to be vnderstood which the vnlearned and vnstable depraue as also the rest of the Scriptures to their ovvne perdition The Fathers doe teach vs the same The Scriptures of the law saith a Aug devtil ered c. 6. An istae scripturae legis planisssmae sunt in quas isti quasi zulgo expositas impetum faciunt saint Augustine are they most cleare And when a certaine person told him that he readd and vnderstood the Scripture of himselfe he said Is it so Thou darst not aduenture vpon Terentianus Maurus Without the helpe of a Master An infinitie of Authours are required to the vnderstanding of each Poete and yet thou darst interprise the reading of holy Vvrite without a Guide and passe thy indgement vpon it without a Master For the same reason b Et cap 7. Terentianum Maurum sine Magistre attingere non auderes Asper Ceonutus Donatus alij innumerabiles requirunturvt quiesbet Poetae possit intelligs tu in eos libros qui sancti diuinarumque rerum pleni sunt sine duce irruis de his sine piaeceprere audes ferre sententiam saint Hierosine apprehends it verie pernicious that an old Trott a Dotterell a sophisticall pratter any one aduentures vpon the Scripture Weares it out begins to reach before they haue yet learnt it And c Hieron Epist 103 ad Pauli Hanc scripturam garrula anus banc delirus senex hanc vniuersi praesumunt lacerant docent antequam discent Cap. 1. 2. Duplici modo munire fidem suam Domins adiuuante deberet primum scilicet diuinae legis authoritate tum deinde Ecclesiae Cathoiteae traditione quiae videlicet scripturam laeramproipsasua altitudine non vno ecdemque sensu vniuersi acciptunt saint Vincent Leir saith that to auoyd heresie and to be established in the true faith it is necessarie to adioyne the Tradition of the Church to Scripture because the Scripture by reason of its depth is not vnderstood of all in one and the same sort Therfore it is euident that the Scripture alone without the explitation of the Church doth but afford vs a part of the rule of faith and that you who promis euery one the knowledge of his saluation of himselfe doe promis him to speake with the a 1. Timot. 6. Apostle a knovvledge of a false name and push him on to know more then is behouffull in steede of contayning him within the termes of a modest knowledge and teaching him with b Contra Epistolam fundam cap. 2. CateraÌ„ quippe turbam non intelligendi viuacitas sed credendi simplicitas tutissimam facit saint Augustine that the simplicitie of beleeuing not the viuacitie of vnderstanding is the peoples assurance You haue words at will but your proofes are thinnesowen And indeede you doe nothing els but delude the people as I haue said and is euident deceaue them leade them to perdition He that finding a blind man in a bad and rockie way takes from him his staffe and Guide not furinshing him with another doth plainly discouer that his designe is the poore mans destruction Euery one then must needs clearely discerne that you deceaue the people and leade them to their ruine because depriuing them of their ordinarie guide which is the Church you prouide them not of another And it is manifest that you committ them to no sufficient Guide both because the blind simple and ignorant can make no vse of the Scripture for their
of the sacryfice by the same reason I would also inferre that an hundred yeares after the decease of a king or Magistrate there charge were permaneÌ„t in their owne persons since the fruit of their gouuernement doth suruiue And therfore this fruite serues to no other end but onely to testifie that I. C. had preisthoode and that by vertue therof he had offered a sacryfice of an infinite value but in no sort to shew that he hath preisthood as yet That I. C. saues vs for all eternitie imports that hes is an eternall sauiour not a Preist since saue vs he could without being a Preist Decumenius ncap 6. ad â—ebraeos And this truth was so familiarly knowen to the Fathers that some of them doe expresly deny that the eternitie of preisthoode doth agree with I. Christ by reason of the sacrifice of the Crosse teaching that it aggrees vnto him by reason of the sacryfices which he dayly offers and dayly shall offer till the end of the world by the hands of his Ministers If no more then the fruite of a sacryfice be required to the eternitie ef priesthoode it followes that the fruite of a sacryfice is the essence of preifthoode nay more that nothing els is essentiall vnto it which is most absurde In conclusion this truih of the sacryfice is taken ether for the vertue which the sacrifice hath to iustifie or for the effect of this verue which is our iustificatioÌ„ In the first acception it is a qualitie of a sacryfice in the second it is an effect of this qualitie and therfore howsoeuer you take it of the essence of preisthoode it cannot be since it is the effect of the same in so much as it is the effect of the sacryfice and that no effect can be the essence of its cause It cannot be of the essence because what so euer is essentiall to a thing becomes the same thing with that of whose essence it is which cannot be said of the effect and the cause which are necessarily distinguished Finally it cannot be of the essence because the cause doth preceede its effect wheras a compound preceedes not its esseÌ„tiall partes Preisthood is not the vertue and force of the facrynce but the vertue and force of facryficing As for example Royaâ—tie is not the fruite and commoditie which we receaue by gouerment but the power to gouerne And therfore sith I. C. inioyes preisthood for euer he hath also power to sacryfice for euer It being a thing most euident that the preisthoode cannot be erernall while the power of sacryficing which is essentiall vnto it is temporall Nor will it be to the purpose for you to say that wheras Christ doth continually offer vp his payers to God for mankind he doth also continually offer sacrifice for since the conditions necessarily required to the essence of a true sacryfice cannot suite with prayers as we haue shewed out of the definition the oblatioÌ„ of prayers cannot be a true sacryfice And this is so cleare and manifest that when as the scripture calls Christ an eternall preist it ascribes that dignitie vnto him by reason of a true sacryfice Wherfore the fathers also of the primitiue Church would haue the Eucharist wherby preisthood doth now appertayne to Christ to be a a Cyp. Epist. 51. vtique I le Sacerdos clea Christi uero sungiur qui id quod Christus fatit mitatur â—aerificium â—erum â—lenum tunc offert in Ecclesta Deo Fatâ—â— si sic ineeptat offerre secunduÌ„ ipsum Christum videat obtulisse true a b Aug. l. 10. cent ffaust cap. 20. Huit â—â—mo veroque sacrificio falsa cesseruÌ„t most true a c Aug. l. de sp lit c. 11. In iplo verissimo singulari sacrificio Alisse demino Deomosteo gratias agere admonemur greatest a d Aug. l. 10. cent â—â—aust c. 10. cit full e Nazian 〈◊〉 Apeâ—â—â— Quaian dem modo externuÌ„ illuc sacrificium magnorum mysteriorun antitypuÌ„ ips Deo offerry aeuderem externall and f Aug. l. de spir lit â—â— 11. cit singular suerisice and g Aug. l. 20. de ciuit c. 10 inillud Apocalyp 20. erunt sacer dotes Dei Christs 〈◊〉 preists to be true preists in the proper and naturall signification of the word Nor would they affirme this vnlesse they accnow ledged this truth to haue bene deliuered by Christ his Apostles and holy scripture But of this since none can doubt we will passe to another point SECT III. OF THE ELEVATION OF THE HOSTE IT it be lawfull to offer sacryfice as I hope I haue sufficiently proued why should it be vnlawfull to ereuate the hoste since that this eleuation doth properly signifie the oblation therof In the old law as is to be seene in the 8. of Leuit. and els where the preist did eleuate what he offered and we haue it by a cleare collection our of a Basil lib. de Spir. S. c. 27. Dogmata quae in Eccle sia praedicantur quaedam habemus doctrina seriptorum prodita quaedam ex Apostolotum traditione in mysterio id est in occulio tradita recipimus quoruÌ„ vtraque parem vim babent ad pietatem Inuocationis verba quum ostendum nis Eccleâ—â— popuâ—m bâ—neâ—tionis quis actorum in ipto nobis liquit Lib. 4. hist Drat. 20. S. Basile the great his liturgie who was instiled by b Theadorete and S. c Gregorie of Naziancene the light and sunne of the world that we hold this custome from the Apostles tyme for in his said Liturgie mention is made of this eleuation in words of this nature when the Deacon saw the Preist extend his hands and touch the sanctified breade to make the holy Eleuation he saith let vs attend Which thing also is diligently obserued by those authours which haue made expositioÌ„s vpon the liturgies as by Nicholas Cabasilas who saith And he also approching vnto the Table hauing taken into his hands and showen the quickning bread he calls those that are worthily about to partake of it as it were saying Behold the bread of life which you see And Germane the Patriarche of Constantinople saith thus vpon the same subiect and that the preist doth lift vp the heauenly bread and make the signe of the crosse thrice in the aire with the venerable and quickning breade it doth intimate And indeede what cause was there of calling this eleuation in questioÌ„ since it is mentioned in the ancient liturgies of S. Basile and S. Chrvsostome and S. Denys also the Apostle of our France deliuered the same In a word this point is so cleare that you haue no other cause to coÌ„test against it but onely in so much as it is sustayned by the Catholike Church which you loue to impugne which is manifest by the testimonie of one of yours â—spinian histo saâ—â—im affirming that Luthere for no other reason did impugne the Eleuation but for hatred of Catholikes
oblige consciēces which is à doctrine detested by the Catholike Church and ought to be so by all the world sithens it layes open à broad gate to disobedience ther being no more efficacious meanes to teach the contempt of the authoritie of the Church Kings and Magistrates and to violate their lawes and ordonnances then by openly persuading all men that none of them oblige in conscience Now there remaynes nothing but that I earnestly beseech you to enter into your owne harts to dispose your selues to enter into the way of saluation What will you remayne in à religion which braging of much can proue nothing who knowes not that it is now 1600. Yeares since Iesus-Chr established his Church with promisse of perpetuitie how can that then which was but hatched within the tearme of 100. yeares be his who sees not that the names CATHOLIKE and CHRISTIAN being the Church her proper names the religion to which they belong not and to which the qualities which they signifie cannot agree cannot iustly boast that it hath the true Church Who sees not that à Religion which manifestly contradictes the Scripture in many principall points of its beleife is not that which was left vs by Iesus-Christ and his Apostles Who sees not that they who vnder pretext of Gods honour iniure him who in words pretend holy Scripture and in in deedes foist in place of it that of men and rely vpon it as the fundation of their faith who sees not I say that those men carrie not the torch which we are to follow Who will beleeue that he who denyes the greatest part of the misteries because they are burdensome vnto him who forsakes them to follow his owne wayes and fancie who will haue no visible Heade of the Church that they may liue free from obedience vnto him who to exempt himselfe from labour and painstaking will not haue the blood of Iesus-Christ to render our actiōs purgatiue propitiatorie or merirorious who in à word banisheth all paine to passe to heauē in à feather bed who I say will beleeue that such an one is in the way of saluation nay who doth not see that he runs the straight way to his Erernall perdition Is any so silly as not to discouer that they who promis the people full and intire libertie to use the Scripture and yet giue them no other but to looke upon the letters and receaue into their eares the sounds of words and who put the Bible into their hands as the way of saluation which yet they accnowledge not to be authenticall yea depraued and corrupt are but meere mockers and impostures in things of importance towards saluation Who will not planely see that à man hath no assurance in à religion wherin all the assurance of saluation depends vpon the warranty of mens opinions and of each one in his owne cause in à religion the authours wherof die desperate Shall one follow those who professe punctually to follow Iesus-Christ yet doe the contrarie to that which he did in that most sacred misterie which he instituted before his death Shall one iudge that à true religion which banisheth all sacryfice without which neuer yet religion was Who will not iudge that the true way not to follow the saints is to follow their enemyes and such as vomit out à thousand blasphemies against their honour and puritie Will any deeme it the readie way to Christ to loade him with blasphemies and contumelies issuing out of à sacrilegious mouth And will not euen blind men see that to make God authour of sinne and man's perdition is to perish in ones iudgment and to adiudge ones selfe to eternall flames And verily following the Father's iudgment he is lyable to à more greeuious cryme who diuides the misticall body of Christ then though he should teare in peeces his true body Who then will not hold your religion abominable which stands conuicted of so great and detestable à schisme And who is he that will not condemne it when he obserues it to be patched out of the horred heapes of old heresies and consequently condemned by it owne iudgment since it is condemned by the primitiue Church which it doth accnowledge to be the true Church Can à louer of vertue and hater of vice follow that societie which shuts vp all passages to vertue And will he not planely discerne that to lay open the way to all vice is no other thing then to lay open the broad way to Hell In fine who sees not that that societie which will submitt it-selfe to no lawes spirituall or ciuile cannot be subiect to the lawes of God They are worse then blind men that cannot discouer this light Let euery one open his eyes and beware of being misledd by the comō errour of many to witt that the desire they haue to be saued puts them in assurance where euer they be They may please to know that if our desire were sufficient to iustifie vs then they that thought they did seruice and sacryfice vnto God in putting to death the Apostles wrought their owne saluation and not the damnation of their soules Let them know that though one haue an intention to goe to Rome and yet holde on the way to Geneua they shall neuer arriue at Rome Let them learne of the Fathers that there is no saluation out of the Church none is assured against the wroth of God who is not sheltered vnder that couert Let not the simple deceaue themselues by thinking that their Ministers would not haue the face to preach with such assurāce what they were not assured of because if it were enough for heretikes for the approbation of their doctrine to publish it as good and all contrarie to it as worth nothing one could not accuse the impietie of the greatest Heresiarkes that euer liued for with the pretended assurance of truth they defended their blasphemies I know indeede that the conuersion of à soule is à difficult thing I know that as an impoysoned hart as the report goes cannot be consumed by fire so God who is à consuming fire doth hardly inflame harts infected with the poyson of errour by reason of the obstacles which he finds therin Yet can he and will he doe it if euery one putting of his passion put on à fitt disposition and imbrace the meanes prescribed by the holy Fathers If thou desirest saith a Lib. de vtilit credendi c. 8. Si iam tibi satis iactatus Sideris finemque huiusmodi laboribus vis imponere sequere viam Catholicae disciplinae quae ab ips◠Christo per Apostolos ad nos vsque manauit optime ad posteros manatura est S. Augustine speaking to one that seekes his owne saluation to put à periode to thy miserie put thy selfe into the way of Catholike discipline which by the Apostles descended vpon vs from Iesus Christ and which shall be continued in our posteritie That is to say follow the Roman Church which alone descended by an vninterrupted succession from Iesus Christ To this Church it is that you ought to repaire whither S. August by another more expresse place inuites you b Idid c. 17. Dubitamus nos eius Ecclesia condere Doe we feare saith he to betake our selues into the A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS and Sections contayned in this booke Chap. j. MInisters pag. 1 Answere pag. 2 Chap. ij Ministers pag. 4 Answere pag. 6 Ch. iij. Sect. j. Ministers pag. 32 Answere pag. 32 Section ij pag. 37 Answere pag. 38 Sect. iij. Ministers pag. 54 Answere pag. 54 Sect. iv Ministers pag. 76 Answere pag. 78 Sect. v. Ministers pag. 84 Answere pag. 58 Sect. vj. Ministers pag. 94 Answere pag. 94 Ch. iv Sect. j. Ministers pag. 108 Answere pag. 109 Sect. ij pag. 126 Ch. v. sect j. Ministers pag. 129 Answere pag. 130 Sect. ij Of Indulgences pag. 147 Ch. vj. Sect. j. Ministers pag. 155 Answere pag. 156 Sect. ij Of the Sacrifice pag. 169 Sect. iij. Of the Eleuation of the Hoste pag. 187 Sect. iv Of masses where the assistāts doe not communicate pag. 189 Sect. v. Of Communion vnder one kind pag. 194 Ch. vij Ministers pag. 202 Answere pag. 202 Ch. viij Ministers pag. 221 Answere pag. 222 Ch. ix Ministers pag. 241 Answere pag. 243 Ch. x. Ministers pag. 254 Answere pag. 254 Ch. xj Ministers pag. 257 Answere pag. 257 Ch. xij Ministers pag. 260 Answere pag. 261 Ch. xiij Ministers pag. 262 Answere pag. 264 Ch. xiv Ministers pag. 276 Answere pag. 277 Ch. xv The Religion Pretended to be reformed is worthy of hatred because it makes à schismè in the Church pag. 282 Ch. xvj That the religion which they call Reformed doth renewall the old heresies pag. 299 Chap. xvij The Religion pretended to be reformed doth banish all vertue pag. 314 Chap. xviij The Religion pretended to be reformed layes open the Gate to all vices pag. 318 Chap. xix The Religion pretended to be reformed doth teach that nether temporall nor spirituall laws of Princes doe oblige in conscience pag. 326 FINIS
but smale the other verie great For the rest though it were true that you could compt your selues by millions that you were spreade ouer all France yet should you get no greate aduantage S. c S. August serm 2. in Psal 36. Augustine compareing you by good reason to smoake which doth vanish so much the sooner by how much it is greater and more dilated abroade From the multitude of your brethren you make a passage to the antiquitie of your religion professing it to be Christian and such as Iesus-Christ did institute it and as the Apostles did publish and put it downe in writing vpon which I will obserne foure things First I say that ether your meaning is that you haue the ancient doctrine of the Church though receaued of new or that you had and conserued il from all ages by an vninterrupted succession If the first albeit indeede it is false suppose it were granted you it were yet vnprofitable the auncient and true doctrine being insufficient if a man haue not the Church which haue he cannot vnlesse he haue continually retayned the true doctrine If the second after you shall haue spent much labour to proue your assertiō yet shall you gather no other fruite ther of then to shew your antiquitie bounded with the terme of one age wheras that of the Church of Iesus-Christ hath sixteene ages vpon its heade It is true that your religion is auncient in a certaine sense sith as we shall se hereafter it is compounded of diuers heresies which were condemned in the primitiue Church yea euen from the tyme of the Apostles but you cannot stile it auncient as though the body of your beleife all the substance of your faith had from former ages bene beleeued it being euident that the Article of iustification by speciall faith which is a part of the life of your religion was vnknowen before the age in which we liue I adde this word speciall because though Eunomius and other more auncient a Apud S. Aug. haeres 54. Et lib. de fid oper c. 14. Heretiques said that man was iustified by onely faith speaking of dogmaticall Faith yet none before Luther held that this iustifying Faith did consiste in the speciall apprehension that each one of the faithfull made of the Iustice of Iesus Christ which is applyed by the beliefe they haue to be iustified For the rest you being able to name none who before b Luth. tom 7. Primus fui cui Deus ea quaevobis praedicata sunt reuelare dignatus est Luther made profession of your whole beliefe Luth. tom 2. in formula Missae ait Nostram rationem colen de Deum per Missam fuisse velerem inolitā suam verorecentem insuetam Luth. tom 2. ad Princip Bohem. Deus hoc tempore lucem sui Euāgelij rursus accendit Luth. tom 5. in cap. 1. 1. ad Corinth Absque sua opera nullum verbum neiota quidem de Euangelio fuisset auditum and that great prophete of your Law boasting in plaine termes that he was the first to whom God vout safed to reueale what he preached and further clearely accnowledging the manner of seruing and honoring God in the Masse to haue bene auncient and to haue taken roote and confessing his of the contrarie side to be now and vnaccustomed saying moreouer that God in his tyme had lightened of nevv the light of the Ghospell which without him one iota had not bene heard of And Againe a Caluine assureing vs that it was he that first vndertooke the cause of the Ghospell which is the first who shevved the way to others who can affirme that your religion hath more then an hundred years of antiquitie None as I conceaue Calu. in 2. defens contr Vuestphal ait de Luthero quod causam Euangelij agere caeperit viam primus demonstrauerit will dare to thinke it especially if they reflect vpon that which one of your brethren of the same Age with Luthere secretarie of the Elector of Saxonie first Abettour saith such a confession was neuer made not onely within these thousand yeares b Spalat in relat confess August Cont. Epistolam fundamentalem cap. 4. but euen since the worlds creation nor is the like confession found in any historie in any Father in any Authour Secondly I say that imitating Luther who puts the word Catholique out of the Creede you doe not in this place attribute it to your religion knowing in your consciences that the name Catholike a name of so greate waight that it euen retayned S. Augustine in the Church doth in no sorte appertayne vnto you It appertaynes not-vnto you as it doth determine that of all Christian societies which contaynes the greatest multitude as I haue alreadie shewen Nor yet as it signifies vniuersalitie and diffusion whether we regard tymes or places it being euident both because you deriue not your origine from Iesus Christ and his Apostles by an vninterrupted succession of your predecessours who haue subsisted in all tymes and withall for that you are reduced to so narrow bounds that you cannot be said to be spread ouer the greatest part of the world Thirdly I say that since you are no Catholikes you cannot be tearmed Christians if the Fathers may be beleeued for a Pacianus Epist 1. Christianus mihi nomē est Catholicus cognomen illud me nuncupat istud ostendit S. Pacian saith that the name of Catholike is the surname of Christians and b Catholica Ecclesia nomen propriū est huius sanctae Ecclesiae matris omniū nostrum S. Cyrille the proper name of the holy Church of Iesus-Christ You cannot trulie be Christians because as we haue shewen your beliefe is hereticall and consequently wholy opposite to Christian religion which cannot be such for which cause Tertullian S. Cyprian S. Athanasius S. Augustine and others affirme Lib. de pudicitia Lib. 4. ep 2. Serm. 2. cont Arr. Lib. de grat Christs c. 11. that an heretike is not to be tearmed Christian Fourthly I note that you doe impertinently sustayne that your religion was instituted by Iesus-Christ published and put downe in writing by the Apostles sithence being hereticall as I haue alreadie said and as shall be made manifest in the 16. Chap. of this booke it is contrarie to the institution of Iesus-Christ and that seeing at manifestly contradicteth the scripture in diuers points as I will presently iustifie though it be easie for you to affirme that it is conformable to that which the Apostles left in writing yet will you find it impossible to verifie the same or to hinder a man to accnowledge the contrarie The scripture saith that a Iacob 2. vers 24. Operibus iustificatur homo non ex fide tantū Confession Françoise article 20 Nous croyous que nous sommes faits participans de ceste Iustice par la seule foy a man is not iustified by faith onely you say that he
rursus crucifigentes sibimetipsis filium Dei Calu. 3. Inst c. 2. §. 11. cit nunquam disperit semen vita electorum cordibus insitum yea that euen to say so is to deney Iesus-Christ and to abolish his Faith which is not in all the holy scripture doe you not then contradict the scripture 10. The scripture saith that some being once illuminated and hauing tasted the heauenly guift doe fall crucifying againe to themselues the sonne of God You say that those that are once partakers of the holy ghost cannot fall from his grace which is not found in all scripture Ioan. 1. v. 29. tollit peccatuÌ„ Isa 44. v. 21. deleui vt nubeÌ„ iniqnitates tuas quasi nebulam peccata tua doe you not then contradict the scripture 11. The scripture saith that God doth take avvay and blot out sinne as a cloud remoues our iniquities from vs as far as the East is from the west makes vs more white then snow you say Psal 10.2 v. 12. Quantum distat ortus ab occideute longe fecit à nobis iniquitates nostras that he nether takes avvay nor blots out sinne but onely doth not impute it that he doth not make vs more white then snow but that be leaues in vs the fault and filth of sinne which is not found in all holy scripture Psal 50. super niuem dealbabor doe you not then contradict the scripture Luth. art 2. aliud est omnia peccata remitti aliud omnia tolli baptismus omnia remittit sed nullum penitus tollit 12. The Scripture saith that Beatitude is a salarie are vvarde the day-pennie of the workemen a crovvne of Iustice you say that it is a meere liberalitie and no revvarde Calu. in antid sess 5. manet verè peccatum in nobis Apostolus fideles his verbis non eximit à cu pâ— sed taÌ„ ùm reatu liberat Paraeus de amiss grat cap. 7. Plurima peccata etiam mortaâ—ia manent in iustificatis Kemnitius 1. part tit de reliquiis peccati immundities peccati etiam in renatis haeret Confessio Gallica art 11. affirmamus concupiscentiam etiam pest baptismum esse verè peccatuÌ„ quod ad cuipam attinet Catechismus Palati quaest 126. Omnia peccata nustra in nobio etiam nunc haerent Vnitak lib. 3. de Concupisc c. 3. remissio non omneÌ„ actu tollit culpam Matth. 5. v. 12. Merces Philip. 3. v. 14. Brauium Matth. 20. v. 9. Denarius Primo Cor. 9. Coronam incorruptam 2. Timot. 4. v. 8. corona iustitiae Calu. 3. Iustit c. 15. §. 4. ipsa beatâ—tudo mera est Dei benificentia in antid sess 6. c. 17. Quod vitam aternam faciunt mercedeÌ„ in eo abillis dissentio which is not yet found in any passage of holy scripture doe you not then contradict the Scripture Certainely you doe as I could make appeare by a number of other places Paraeus 4. de iustif c. 11. 13. if I did not iudge it sufficient to haue showen it in these twelue points Prescript c. 38. lib. de haeresi which doe appeare in the eyes of all the world as the true Symbole of your faith Vvhat will you say Sirs to these manifest contradictions That they are no contradictions because the scripture is to be vnderstoode figuratiuely will you fly to that fraude remarked by Tertullian in the Valentinians by S. Augustine in the Priscillianists by other Fathers in other Heresiarkes by your selues in the Anabaptists If you doe so S. August lib. contr FaustuÌ„ l. 3. de doctr Christ c. 10. si animuÌ„ praeoccupauit alicuius errerts opinioquicquid alater assernerit scripturae figuratum homines arbitraÌ„tur I will say vnto you with S. Augustine Vvhat when we read scripture doe we forgett the knovvledge we haue of our ovvne tongue doe we loose the memorie of our manner of speaking Ought the scripture to speake to vs in any other manner then that which is knovven vnto vs and which is ordinary amongst vs I will adde further with the same sainte that as soone as the opinion of any errour hath once prepossessed their mynds they esteeme all to be figures which the scripture saith to the contrarie Moreouer without touching those places in particular wherof ther is question I will make manifest to all men by two generall argumeÌ„ts that your euasion is of no force both because there is none who doth not accnowledge that it is impossible that God should teach vs so many and so greate misteries of our Faith not by that which they are but contrariwise by that which indeede they are not it being onely the part of an impostor to speake the contrarie to that which is indeede in a matter of importance and also because you cannot inferre out of scripture that which you beleeue in the points which we handle saue onely by the addition of a humane principle as we shall see herafter which is altogether vniust since in that you preferre your owne reasoÌ„ before scripture not beleeuing what it expressely teacheth but the contrarie which it saith not saue onely by a discourse grounded vpon a principle drawen from your owne braine to wrest that to your owne sense which you accnowledge in truth to make for vs. Vve haue sufficiently examined these points S. Aug. serm 9 inter Parisienses Meletiani apud Epiphan haer 68. vide Baron an Christi 2.5 August lib 2. contra Petil. c. 23 Non baptizantur san guine suo nis qui occiduntur prepter iusti tiam te prius est quaerendum propter quid paetimini postea quiae pa timini Caprian l. de vnitate S Aug. Epist 61. l. 3 contra Cresc c. 4â— MatryreÌ„ nonsa â—â— poena sed causa let vs passe to your persequutions None can be ignorant that the diuell hath his Martyrs and Lyes haue so Zealous Aduocates that they will powre out their bood in their defence wherfore I will not stand to verifie it it shall suffice onely to note by the way that since none can pretend glorie for his sufferance for a religion vnlesse he first proue that it is true and that as reason and all the Fathers doe teach vs it is not the paine but the cause which makes the Martyre while it is not yet proued that yours is the true Religion but contrariwise being a thinge manifest that it is false you can draw no aduantages from your persecution vnlesse it be to discouer your selues to stand attainted of a double crime to witt errour and obstinacie Your sufferances nether giue testimonie for your pietie nor for your courage but contrariwise following S. Augustine that you are cowardly S. Aug. lib. 1. contra Gaud. c. 33. Quisquis pro parte Donati vel simbriam vesti menti perdiderit cor non habet Cyprian l. de vnit Eccles Non erit illa fidei corona sed poena perfidiae They are not crovvnes of your
c Philip. 2. v 7. he did for vs exinaniee himselfe taking the forme of a seruant That of the greater or lesse honour which doth accrue vnto God is but a bad way to establish one article of Faith and destroy another Vvher vpon d Hil. l. 1. de Trinit Religiese impius l. 4. irreisgiosam de Deo selt â—tudinem S. Hilarie tearmes the Arians who vse that way of proceeding Religiously vvicked people who doe irreligiously serue God Other grounds are necessaire Vve must know what the Church teacheth vs and those that are so carefull of Gods honour ought to be verie carefull to be in structed in it least they iniure him in deedes whom they honour in words which they doe in expressing things otherwise then they are indeede it being certaine as saith a Cassian l. 1. de Incarnat Quod non dicitur it ae vt est etiamsi honor videatur contumelia est Cassian disciple of S. Chrysostome that that vvhich is not exprest as it is though it seeme honourable is indeede a true contumelie That which is true be it of what kinde it will honours God because he would haue it so and that all his wills are to his owne aduantage But what is false though in apparance aduantagious turnes to disaduantage And though many things beare no proportion with the greatnes of the Almightie yet haue they connection with the infinite perfectioÌ„ of his loue and Charitie which appeares somuch the more perfect and accomphished by how much in vertue therof he descends to things more lowe and abiect And therfore it is an abuse to alledge gods honour to dazle and blinde the people Yet this you doe while you represent your Religion hated for fiue points which you esteeme honorable for him as being honorable in your opinion to Iesus Christ which is but yet so in apparance onely Hereupon I am forced to tell you with a Tertul. l. de pudic c. 2. talia tantae sparsilia eoruÌ„ quious Deo adulentur sibi lenocinantur effoeminantia magis quam vigoraÌ„tia disciplinaÌ„ Tertullian that those litle shiftes by vvhich you become flatterers of God and your selues doe rather vveaken then strengthen discipline So considering Religion in the shape you represent it me thinks I see not a chaste wife but a strumpet set out with sundrie adulterate colours to seduce the world and kill you come from you and become mistresse of your life which moues me to the end I may deliuer the people from errour to vndertake to wash her face vnmaske her and discouer her deformitie following the example and foot stepps of the Prophete who speaking of an Idolatrous b Nahu 3. Propter mu. titudinem fornicationuÌ„ meretricis speciosa gratae habeutis maleficiae quae veÌ„didit gentes in fornicationibus suis faemiliaes in maeleficiis suis Reuelabo pudenda tua in facie tua ostendam gentibus nuditaetem tuam regnis ignominiam tuam nation vseth these words For the abundance of the fornications of a faire charmeing and mischieuous strumpet vvho hath sold nations in her formcations families in her diuelish prankes I vvil discouer thy shame in thy face and vvill shevv thy nakednes to all nations and thy ignominie to kingdomes Which I will doe so much the more willingly because I haue learnt of b Concil in psal 36. Tanto magis debemus commemorare vanitatem haereticorum quanto magis quaerimus salutem eorum S. Augustine that by how much more we desire the saluation of Heretikes by so much more we ought to indeuour to make the vanitie of their errour appeare SECTION II. VVe vvould make it clearely appeare vnto him that our religion is hated because it admitts no other rule of saluation then the vvord of God contayned in holy scripture ANSWERE IT is false that your Religion is hated for that it admitts no other rule of saluation then the scripture but true it is that it is worthy of hatred for the diuers abuses which it committs in Scripture That we teach no other rule of saluation then scripture will be manifest to any that knowes that these words an other rule doe importe in proper speach a Rule of a diuers kind as I will hereafter proue in the ensuing Section and withall an intire rule as I will presently make appeare following your owne tenets who will not admitte the Ghospell of S. Mathew to be an other rule then that of S. Marke considering they are but two parts of the same Rule and that this word rule simply taken signifies a compleate rule for as S. Basile saith a Rule admitts no addition but things that are imperfect are neuer rightly instiled by the name of Rule Now we nether admitt Rule of any other king then the scripture nor yet any compleate rule other then it yea we call it the compleate rule of our saluation for two reason both because it contaynes immediatly and formally the substance of our Faith all the articles necessarie necessitate Medij for mans saluation and also because it doth mediately comprehend all that we are to beleeue in that it doth remitt vs to the Church to learne the same which it assures vs is infallible Hence it followes that we draw that truth out of the scriptures which we receaue by the mouth of the Church if reason may preuayle which teacheth that whoso euer deputes another to speake for him speakes mediatly by his mouth and if a Aug. lib. 1. cont Cresco c. 33. Quamuis huius rei certè de scripturis Catholicis non proferatur exemplum earundem tameÌ„ scripturarum etiam in hacre à nobis tenetur veritas cum hoc facimus quod vniuersae placuit Ecclesiae quam ipsarum scripturarum commeÌ„dat authoritas Etsimi lia lib. de vnit Eccles c. 22. S. Augustine who deliuers it in expresse termes may gaine beleife Albeit saith he one can produce no example of scripture concerning this matter yet hold vve in it the truth of the same scripture since vve doe that vvhich is conformable to the vniuersall Church vvhom the authoritie of the selfe same scripture doth commend vnto vs. Behold in what esteeme the Scripture is with vs for which cause we also are to be esteemed Now we will see whether by reason of it you deserue not hatred though not in that sense in which you say you are hated for it But before we come to that point permit me I beseech you to extenuate a litle the glorie you hunt after in establishing the Scripture the onely rule of your saluation by making you share it onely with diuers Here tikes who before your tyme sustayned the same opinion So said the Manichies I can in no sorte saith Fortunatus in a Aug. l. cont Fortunatum Nullo genere rectè me credere ostendere pessum nisieaÌ„dem sideÌ„ scripturarum authoritate firmauerim S. Augustine make appeare that I rightly beleeue vnlesse I confirme my Faith
by the authoritie of Scripture So saith the b August l. de natura grat c. 39. Credamus quod legimus quod non legimus nefas credamus ad struere quod de cunctis etiā dixisse sufficiut Pelagians in the same Authour Let vs beleeue saith Pelagius vvhat vve reade and vvhat vve reade not let vs beleeue it vnlavvfull to be established Let this suffice in all other matters So the c Aug l. post Collationem Nos sola portamus Euig lia Item concio 1. in Psal 32. Nos sola offerimus Euangelia Donatists in the same Authour saying vve bring vvith vs and present the Ghospells onely This was that which Eranistes aymed at whom a Apud Theod. in Dialog immutabilis Ego enim soli diuinae scripturae fidem habeo Theodoret brings in in his Dialogues where condemning all reasons he saith For I beleeue in the Ghospell onely So b Lib. 2. cont ipsum cap. 1. Fratribus nobiscum constitutisin sancto Euangelio Petilianus writing to his brethren vnder this title to our brethren constituted together vvith vs in the holy Ghospell So the Maximianists expressing them selues in these termes fighting with vs in the truth of the Ghospell Finally so the Arians Apud S. Aug. In veritate Euangelij nobiscum militantibus who were so wedded to the Scripture that they would not onely admit no sense but euen no word which was not comprised therin reiecting this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it was not found there Concil Nicenum All these auncient Heresiarkes condemned by the Church and by your selues had the Scripture as frequently in their mouthes as you They tearmed themselues Euangelicall men like you They made the Scripture the onely rule of their Faith as you doe yet wheras they did it in words not in deede as was fitting but in publishing its name they abused the authoritie therof they were cōdemned by the Church their doctrine was iudged worthy of hatred as yours also is and will be I am confident by the iudgement of the whole world when I shall haue made manifest that you abuse the scriptutes to your owne ends It is truly worthy of hatred because vnder pretext of scripture the writen word of God almightie 1. it doth reiect his word not written 2. a great part of the written word 3. it clearely contradicts in many passages that which it doth admitt 4. corrupts it in diuers parts 5. and lastly it makes the word of men passe for the word of God yea euen the word of euery Idiot establishing vpon them the principall articles of your Faith 1. Vvorthy of hatred because it reiecteth the vvord of God not vvritten If he be worthy of hatred who in establishing a thinge destroyes that without which it cannot subsiste and which is also commanded by it your doctrine is by a iust title hatefull for the Scripture which whilsts it extolls it destroyes the Traditions commanded by the same Scripture and without which it can in no sort subsiste That holy writ cānot subsiste without Traditions it is most cleare since by them onely we know that the bookes of Scripture which we haue came vnto our hands pure and intire such as they proceeded from the mouth of the holy Ghost You beleeue as an article of Faith that you haue those bookes pure and intire wherfore ether the written word affirmethit which indeede is not so or not affirming it it followes that some other word not written doth teach it vs or els we beleeue that with a diuine Faith which God neuer spoke a thing most absurde seeing that the word of God is the onely fundation of our Faith That Traditions are commanded by the Scripture the second to the a Cap. 2. Tenete traditiones quas didicistis siue per sermonem siue per Epistolam nostram Thessalonians makes manifest where the Apostle speakes so clearely of Traditions of Faith not written that euen b Vvhitat controu 1. q. 6. c. 10. Respondeo Noui Testamenti Canonē non fuisse tune editū at que constitutū cum Paulus hanc Epistolā scriberet .... nō sequitut ergo quando Apostolus scripsit ad Thessalon tum omnia necessaria non sunt scriptae ergo nec postea your owne men confesse that at he tyme when S. Paule wrote there were such like traditions which since are inserted in holy Vvrite A thing indeede easily said but hardly persuaded especially to such as consider that it is not to be found in all holy scripture that those things which were not yet written while S. Paule wrote that Epistle were afterwards put downe in writing 2. Vvorthy of hadted because it reiects part of the Vvrittē vvorde of God Conc. Carthag 3. Can. 47. Trullan can 2. Rom. sub Gelaesio Trident By what authoritie doe you reiect many of the bookes of Scripture which the Church at diuerse tymes in diuerse Councells in diuers parts of the world in Greece Italie Afrique and Germanie defines to be canonicall and diuine Vvhat a senselesse thing is it that you of your owne head should establish canons hauing nether Father who doth declare nor Councell that doth define which is to be noted the Canon of the bookes of holy scripture according to your way The presumption which you vse in opposing your iudgement against the iudgement of the auncient Fathers and the authoritie of the Church is truly worthy to be hated 3. Vvorthy of hatted because it contradicts the scripture He that opposeth what he ought religiously to follow is he not worthy of hatred And ought not all men to follow the scripture You make profession of doing so and yet directly to deney what it affirmes and beleeue the contrarie to that which it teacheth in expresse termes as I haue proued in the precedent Chapter is not this to contradict it If a man can be said to esteeme him whom he often belyes you esteeme the scripture and if one can hold that for a Rule to which he frequently opposeth his iudgement you doe vndoutedly hold the scripture for the rule of your saluation For plainely to affirme that a thingis not wheras the scripture saith it is what other thing is it then to giue the lye to the scripture and to haue a iudgement opposite to the iudgement therof 4 Your corruptions in the scripture are so perfp cuous Vvorthy of hatred because it corrupis the Scripture that euen your owne men doe reprehend them Did not Charles du Mullin who is famous amongst you for this cause say that a Molinaesus in suatranslatione Noni Testaementi Caluinus in sua Harmonia textum Euangelicum desutare facit sursum versum vt res ipsaindicat vim infert literae Euangelicae illam multis in locis transponit in super additlitterae Caluin in his Harmonie puts the text of the Ghospell topsie turuie as the thing it selfe makes manifest violates the letter of
the Ghospell transposeth it in many places addes to it And speaking of Beza his translation saith he not b Idem Molinae ibidem de facto mutat textum that indeede he changeth the text And doth not c Castalio in defensione suarum translationum ait Quo omnes eius Bezae errores noiarentur magno volumine opus esse Castalion going on in the same sense affirme that it would require a great volume to put downe all his errour To conclude that Great kinge whose witt did as far surpasse yours as his person did indignitie all his subiects the king of great Britaignie whose iudgement ought to be taken for the whole Church of England both because you esteeme him the heade therof and for that it is not credible that he would publish opinions which that Church holds not Saith not this Prince in the conferēce at Hampton Court that the verie worst version of the Bible was that of Geneua and further that he found the notes of the Geneua Bible vvonderfull partiall false seditious and too much smelling of the designes of a most dangerous and peruerse mynde 5 That you haue the true canon of scripture Vvorthy of hatred because it makes the vvord of men passe for scripture That the bookes which you allow of are not corrupted That the body of Iesus-Christ is onely figuratiuely in the Euchariste are not these the principall articles of your Faith And that your onely and absolute Faith that is the Faith by which euery one of the Faithfull beleeues to be iustifyed by the apprehension of the iustice of Iesus Christ doth iustifie you is it not the ground worke and soule of your Religiō And yet whereate these tenets found in the holy Scripture Formall and expresse passages such notwithstanding the ratification of your confession doth oblige you to produce there are none Toutes lesdites Eglises Françoises approuuēt ratifient la susescrite confession on tous ses chefs articles comme estant entieremēt fondee sur la pure expresse parole de Dieu You haue recourse to consequences which yet are not grounded vpon two diuine Principles contayned in the Scriptures but vpon two Principles wherof of the one is drawen from your owne braine which doth clearely demonstrate vnlesse I deceaue my selfe that you propose the word of men for the word of God which is found in holy Vvritt since that according to your owne tenet your faith can haue no other fundation then scripture Le ts see whether I be a Liar In the third Article of your Conf. you put downe for an article of Faith that the canon of scriptures is the onely rule of Faith you further accnowledge that all the bookes contayned in the said Canon proceeded from the mouth of the holy Ghost and are conserued in their originall puritie besides those you accnowledge none But by what syllogisme conclude you this in the margent of the next Article you cite sundrie passages of this nature The pure and vnspotted vvord of God Psal 12. v. 7. Psal 19. v. 8. The Lavv of God immaculate The Testimonie of God Faithfull giuing vvisdome to litle ones The Precept of our Lord cleare enlightening the eyes Out of these passages which doe not affirme in expresse tearmes that the bookes you admit of are canonicall you would by consequence inferre it you forme the maior of your argument as followeth The Law of God say you is immaculate pure and vnspotted But all the bookes which we hold for Canonicall and no others are immaculate pure and vnspotted Ergo They alone and no others are the Law of God Whence I pray you doe you draw your Minor Doth the Scripture affirme that these bookes and no other are pure and immaculate verily no. Vvho doth auerre it then You of your owne brayne This proposition therfore is humane and withall false which yet I will not now prosequute being sufficient for my present purpose to shew that this principle is but the words of men Vvhence it followes that ether your word passeth for Gods word or that your Faith in this point which vertually compriseth all the rest since now the question is touching the Scripture which you will haue to be the onely fundation of Faith is not diuine but onely humane whence it clearly followes that it is of no other kind euery conclusion being of the same nature with the more imperfect part of its cause But now let vs speake of the Euchariste You hold as an article of Faith that the words of consecration ought to be vnderstoode figuratiuely so that the body of Iesus Christ is not really vnder the species of bread as we sustayne it is The proofes that you bring of your Faith are diuers passages of holy Scripture which teaching as you dreame things that are incompatible with the reall presence of Christ in the Eucharist doe clearely shew that the words of consecration are figuratiue Let vs see some of your Arguments One body cannot be in two places by Gods omnipotencie to witt in heauen and in the Eucharist which is in earth But the scripture teacheth that the body of Christ is in heauen till the day of Iudgement Ergo it is not in the Euchariste The Maior not being found in all the scripture it is the word of men and consequently it is cleare ether that you make it passe for the word of God or els that your conclusion cannot be diuine and infallible for the reason I haue touched aboue Now let vs examine what your Faith is You beleeue that euery one of the faithfull is iustified by that faith wherby he certanely persuades him selfe that he is iustified in Christ Iesus Paraeus l. 3. de iustif c. 1. l. 1. c. 10. One of your moderne Authours formes this syllogisme Vvho so euer beleeues in the sonne of God shall be saued But I beleeue in the sonne of God Ego I shall be saued Not to dispute of the Maior suppose that it were in the scripture though in deede in your sense it is not The Minor can in no sort be found therin for it is not said in any place that Luther for example Caluin Beza Pereus and others beleeued whence it is euident euen according to your selues that it is the word of men and not of God whose whole word you will haue to be written Now hauing made manifest how you vse the scriptures all men I dare assure my selfe will greatly wonder with what face you dare so highly magnifie the scripture in words which in deedes you so horribly wronge But they will cease this admiration if they call to mynd how ordinarie a thing it is for heretikes to serue them selues of the scripture and to wrong it withall nay which is worse they are in some sort necessarily constrayned to doe both To serue them selues of the scripture because the true religiō being grounded vpon the word of God it is necessarie for euery sect that pretends a true religion
to pretend also scripture wherin it is contayned To wrong the scripture because it is manifestly necessarie that that which of its owne nature is good as it is must needs be changed before we can draw any euill out of it as errour for exemple And indeede we find both these things obserued in the Fathers For a Vincentius Lyren c. 35. Siue enim apud suos siue aliencs siue publicè siue in sermonibus siue in libris siue in coÌ„uiuijs siue in plateis nihil vnquam de suo proferuÌ„t quod non etiaÌ„ scripturae verbis adumbrare conentur first they wittnes that vpon all occasions at all tymes vpon all subiects heretikes haue still the scripture in their mouth and doe bragge of the authoritie therof because a Tertul. de resurrectione aliuÌ„de scilicèt loqui non possent de rebus fidei nisi ex literis fidei they cannot giue a more apparant colour to their faith then the words of faith nor b Ambr. Com. in Tit. Haeretici illi sunt qui per verbaee legis legem impugnant propâ—ium sensum verbis astruunt legis ve peruersitateÌ„ mentis sine legis authoritate commendeÌ„t more speciously impugne the law then by the law it selfe nor more highly coÌ„mend their malice then by the authoritie of that which is deuoyde of all euill And againe they shew that the source of heresies is the c Aug. tract 18. in Ioan. Neque enim natae sunt haereses quaedam dogmatae peruersitatis illaquiantiae animas in profundum praecipitaentia nisi dum scripturae bonae intelliguntur non bene quod in eis non bene intelligitur etiam temere andacter asseritur wrong which is done to the scripture deriuing their generation from its corruption f Aug. de vnit Eccles c. 15. cauenda est caliditas Haereticorum volentium conuertere verba Dei à veritate propter quam dicta sunt adperuersitatem in qua ipsi sunt conuerting ordinarily the vvords of truth in fauour of vvhich same truth they are vttered into errours and falsities in vvhich they themselues liue the e August 3. de Baptis ad imaginem enim phantaesmatum suorum cum quibus volutars carnalis anima delectatur conuertit omnia Sacramenta verba librorum Sanctorum misteries and words of holie writ into the formes and shapes of their owne fancies accomplishing that which the Apostle in the 2. to the Corinthians obserues in false Prophetes who are to walke in the wayes of craft and to corrupt the word of God SECTION III. MINISTERS NOr other head of the vniuersall Church then Iesus Christ our Lord Nor other Purgatorie of our sinns then his blood Nor other propitiatorie sacrifice for our sinns then his death and passion Nor other merit before God then the obedience vvhich he offered to God the Father for vs. ANSWERE VVe sustaine that there is no other head of the vniuersall Church then Iesus Christ no other Purgatorie of our sinns then that of his passion no other merit then his obedience and therfore it is false that you are hated for the considerations which you pretend Marrie you are worthy of hatred for deceaseing and abusing the people while you make them beleeue that what you teach in this behalfe is to the glorie of Iesus Christ and what we sustayne is iniurious and preiudiciall to the same which is false as I will make distinctly appeare by the examination of all these points one after another That we establish no other heade of the vniuersall Church then Iesus Christ is euident euen by the Pope himselfe who yet you say is interessed in the matter who declares that there is but one onely God Therfore Bonifacius in extrauagante Vnam sanctaÌ„ de maio obedieÌ„tia Itaque Ecclesiae vnius vnice vnum corpus vnum caput non duo capitae quasi monstruÌ„ Christus videlicet Christi Vicarius Petrus eiusque successor saith S. Boniface VIII there is but one body and one head of one onely Church not tvvo heades as though it were a monster to Witt Iesus Christ and his Vitair S. Peter and his successour True it is we sustayne that there are other persons distinct from the person of Iesus Christ who beare vnder him by his vertue and power the name and condition of heade Yet this doth not hinder Christ from being the onely head of the vniuersall Church since scripture Fathers and reason teach vs that there is a maine difference betwixt this proposition There is no other head then Iesus Christ and this no other then Iesus Christ is the head of the Church together with him because this last no other then Iesus Christ is the head of the Church together with him excluds euery man which is not Iesus Christ from hauing any part in qualitie of heade And that the first proposition which saith there is no other heade then Iesus Christ doth onely import that though many doe partake of the name and nature of heade yet is it by subordination of one to another The scripture doth clearely teach vs this distinction in the second of the a Et murus ciuitatis habeÌ„s fundamenta duodecim in ipsis duodecim nomina duodecim Apostolorum Agni Apocalypse and in the second to b Vers 20. Superaedificat super fundamentum Apostolorum Prophetarum the Ephesians where it saith plainely that others then Iesus Christ are the fundation of the Church And in the first to the Corynthians 3. Chap. saint c vers 11. Fundamentum aliud nemo potest ponere praeter id quod positum est quod est Christus Iesus Paule deliuers in expresse tearmes that there is no other fundation of the Church then Iesus Christ Vvhence it is euident that these propositions are to be taken in a diuers sense because otherwise they would be incopatible as being contradictories Hence it is that amongst the workes of saint a In Apocal. 21 Necrepellit nos à nostro intellectuillud quod Apostolus dicit fundamentum aliud nemopotest ponere c. Non enim aliud fundamentum est Petrus aliud Christus Iesus quia Petrus membrum est Christi c. Ambrose to wit in his treatise vpon the Apocalipse we see that this passage where the Apostle affirmes that there is no other fundation then Iesus Christ doth not hinder S. Peter from being a fundation because being a fundation as he is a member of Iesus Christ by subordination vnto him he is not another fundation And this was that which S. b S. Leo ep 89. Hunc enim in consortium indiuiduae vnitatis assumptum id quod ipse erat voluit nominari Leo aymed at when he said that Iesus Christ admitted S. Peter into the societie of an indiuiduall vnitie and would haue him to be called that which he was Vvhence it is manifest that the nature and name of Petrae a rocke
the people to heare and reade the holy Scripture in a tongue knovven to all and that publike seruice should be done in your subiects Vvlgaire tongue that they might be instructed therby And that henceforth God should not be suspected by men as though his word were a dangerous booke from which the people ought to abstayne For France stands obliged vnto vs in this that we haue published holy Vvrit in the french tongue which formerly was an vnknovven booke and that we haue giuen the children a sight of their Fathers Vvill which was hertofore hidden from them ANSWERE YOu continue the guiles which you vsed in the precedent Chapter while you represent your selues as men loaden with hatred for certaine considerations which in your conceipt might purchace you loue Hauing insinuated your selues into the harts of the people by pretending Christs interest you haue recourse to their owne with more facilitie to intice and gayne them to your selues You promis them wondres and make shew of great obligations while yet you doe but delude deceaue and leade them to their perdition impose vpon vs manifestly contradict your selues condemne in vs what your selues practise bragge of things which belong not to you and affect nouelties a A vvord is not a vvordexcept in as much as it signifieth and expresseth the conceiptes of him that speaketh and for this reason the scripture to speake properly is not the vvord of God but by reason of the senses vvhich makes vs knovv the conceits or counsels of God Hieron Basil alij Patres passim Vvhit ad rationem And since reason the Fathers and the comon consent euen of your owne men 2. Campiani Ipsa vis res quidammodo anima Sacrarum literarum in sententia consistit Rectè Hieronymus non in legendo sed in intelligendo scripturae câ—nsistunt Et alibi non in verbis Scripturarum est Euangeliâ—m sed in sensu doe vrge you to grant that the holy scripture doth principally consiste in the sense not in the bare letter though it contayne the one and the other I shall with facilitie make manifest vnto all the word that you doe but deride the people Because while you proteste to permitt them the full and intire knowledge therof you grant them no more libertie in point of sense then the Catholike Church doth her children for though all yours haue perminion to reade the Scripture yet is it not lawfull for any of them to explicate it in any other sense then that of Caluine or your owne as is made manifest by sundrie examples and peculiarly by that of the institution of the Euchariste where none can explicate these words This is my body otherwise then figuratiuely Vvherin you resemble those that promising a great treasure giue onely the sight of the coffer wherin it is kept Nay you giue not yet so much for doubting of the translation of the scripture and ingeniously b Vvhit cont 1. q. 2. c. 7. Nullam nos editionem nisi Hebrateam in 〈◊〉 Grae câ—in nâ—â—o Tesâ—un ento authentiâ—am faâ—â—â—us coÌ„fessing that there is no version at all authenticall that is of sufficient credit the people haue iust reason not onely to doubt of the sense of the scripture which you deliuer but euen of the verie letter of the version which you propose vnto them and consequently of their saluation it being a cleare case that they can haue no greater assurance of that then they haue of the meanes wherby you would conduct them thither He that promiseth children fruite to eate and yet giues them onely Amands which they cannot crake doth but mocke them yea he mockes them doubly when the Amands are not true but conterfeit onely So doe you doubly delude those who beleeue you in a matter of importance since that the letter of the Scripture which you giue them is not authenticall not doe you permitt them of themselues to gather out of it the true and naturall sense which in their iudgement it contaynes You mocke them verily and deceaue them both at once You deceaue them because vnder the name of the word of God you present vnto them the word of men sithens you deliuer them the scripture changed by mans inuention and interpreted against the sense which the words beare as I haue alreadie shewen and that as a In 1. Gal. Interpretatione peruersa de EuaÌ„gelio Christi hominis fit Euangelium aut quod peius est diaboli Luther lib. de Missapriuata S. Hierome notes The Gospell of Iesus Christ is made the Gospell of men by a peruerse interpretation yea which is worse the Gospell of the Diuell because will I adde vse is made of it to establish vntruth and errour wherof he is the father And this may be more iustly auerred of yours then of any other because in certaine passages you obserue the sense which Luther receaued of the Diuell in a visible shape You delude the people by persuading them that of all the exteriour meanes vsefull for our saluation the reading of the Bible is the onely certaine one which is manifestly false for otherwise the blind which cannot reade simple and ignoraÌ„t people who haue no learning could not be amongst the number of the faithfull They that were Christians before the Gospell was written they that beleeued in the tyme of a Lib. 3. c. 4. S. Ireneus as he himselfe is witnes in Carist Iesus without paper and inke were not of the faithfull They againe who vnderstand not the hebrew and greeke tongue were not capable of faith since according to you no version is authenticall nor can faith be attayned vnto but by a meanes which is infallible But if you reply that such people may receaue it from the mouth of their Pastours who doe faithfully preach vnto them the word of God it followes then that the Scripture is not the onely externe meanes to obtayne Faith since you your selues adioyne this second which cannot be sufficient for some vnlesse it were so for all the rest And in deede what reason is there so to ty and restrayne the word of God to paper to the character and letter that it can no further be a meanes of saluation then it is contayned vnder these signes Haue they any force of their owne nature If not why is not the word of God in the hart and mouth of the Church and her Pastours an assured meanes of saluation You deceaue the people not onely by persuading them that the reading of Scripture is the sole meanes of saluation but moreouer in teaching them that it is a sufficient meanes and that none ought to looke after any other which is euidently false for two reasons first because the Scripture teacheth that faith cometh by hearing and that it hath so absolute a dependance of it that without it faith cannot be had How saith a Rom. 10. v. 14. Quomodo credent ei queÌ„ non audieruÌ„t Quomodo autâ—m audient
persons consists in this that we permit such onely to reade scripture as are able to turne it to their owne profit not such as would vse it to their owne damage The exceptions which we make of tymes and places consists in this that we easely permit it in tyme of heresie and in places that are pestered with it as in Germanie France England Scotland Polonie where it is lawfull for Catholikes freely to reade Scripture marrie in places wher errour hath not gotten footing there is no such libertie To those it is freely permitted both because being dayly and hourely assalted with Scripture reason would that the vse of it should be permitted them that they might defend themselues with the same weapons wherwith they are opposed while the Scripture well vnderstoode doth heale the wounds receaued by the euill vnderstanding therof as the Scorpion is a cure for her owne stinging and also because since notwithstanding the persuations and ill examples of errour they stand firme in point of Faith it is to be hoped they will not abuse this reading especially sith questions of Faith being dayly handled in sermons they vnderstand the explication of passages which are abused to the disaduantage of truth But to these to witt the contries where this necessitie hath no place licence is not easely granted because the people not being iustructed by the Preachers touching the sense of Scripture in points controuerted they may more casely be mistaken And in this The Church imitates her Spouse Iesus Christ who reuealed misteries and secretes to his Apostles S. Aug-Concio 1. inpsal 36. Non solum sicut magister aliquid docuit sed sicut magister aliquid noÌ„ totum tanquaÌ„ magister enim sciebat docere quod proderat non docere quod aberat so far forth as he iudged necessarie As Master saith saint Augustine he taught some things not all things as Master he knew how to teach that which might be profitable and not that which might be hurtfull In like manner the Church permitts some thing not all she distributes the sense of Scripture which doth profit to all men but to some prohibits the letter which might hurt And in this againe she followes the example of the good mother who crakes the nutt for her children that they may eate the kirnell or feedes them with her milke till they be able to disgest more solide meates But you in steede of imitating these good examples follow the Pharisies who as Isadore Pelusian obserues though they cared not whether they accomplished the law of Moyses or not yet they would make shew of it and would haue euery one to haue the booke in their hands You resemble a lewde woman who speakes so much more of chastitie by how much she doth lesse practise it You imitate the serpent who threw Eue out of Paradice persuading her Genes 3. that she should be so farr from dying by eating of the forbidden tree as it is written that contrariwise she should be like vnto God knowing good and euill for you persuade the people that they will be so far from falling into heresie by reading the the holy scripture which yet the Church doth teach them that they will by that meanes become greate Diuines And by their owne helpe alone find out their owne saluation therin which drawes many headlong into errour This is all the obligation that the people haue vnto you which is like to that of a mother who through negligence or malice leaues a knife wherwith her child doth kill himselfe Now let vs see whether you doe not contradict your selues Your contradictions are manifest for after you haue licenced all sorts of people to reade the bible and taught them that it is easie to be vnderstoode euen by the simple people and that they may clearly know their saluation therby without any other assistance then that which the holy Ghost imparts vnto them interiourly yet you teach in other places that the scriptures are difficult that the comon people must consult with the learned and referre themselues to their Pastours not being capable of themselues to make vse of the holy Scriptures Pride contempt or enuey saith a l. 4. Instit c. 1. § 5. Multos impellit superbia vel fastidium velaemulatio vt sibi persuadeant priuatim legeÌ„do meditaÌ„do seposse satis proficere Caluin moues some to persuade themselues that they may make sufficient profitt by reading the scripture priuatly and b Item Nobis quodex Paulo citauimus tenendum est Ecclesiam non aliter edisicari quam externa praedicatione a litle after we must obserue that which we cited out of S. Paule that the Church is onely edified by externall preaching Ther is saith he in c Calu l. 1. Inst c. 14. Nostri officijest libonter ignorare quae non conducunt Et 3. Instit c. 21. §. 2. Neque vero nos pudeat aliquid in eare nescire vbi est aliqua docta ignorantia another place a certaine learned ignorance Vve doe not say saith d Vâ—hitak coÌ„trou 1 q. 4. c. 1. Non dicimus quod scriptura per seita aperta sit et sine interpretatione sufficiat ex se ad omnes controuersias fidei dirimendas whitakere that the scripture is of it selfe so cleare that without interpretation it is sufficient of it selfe to end all controuersies of Faith because the ignorant saith the e Ibid. q. 5. c. 9. Imperiti quia non possunt vti rectè his mediis debent illi alios peritiores adire same authour are not able to make vse of those meanes which he mentionned before they must haue recourse to the more learned Is not this to aggree with vs and to contradict your selues Is not this to condemne in vs what your selues doe pactise Is it lawfull for you to teach that the Church and her Pastours ought necessarily to be heard that the Church is not edifed but by preaching while you iudge vs blame worthy for holding the same thing Why doe f Capito ad FarelluÌ„ in ep Cal. ep 6. Fraeprorsus excussit-multitudo quae assueta est educata propemodum ad licentiam Nam clamant teneo satis Euangelij ipse scio legere quorsum mihâ— tua opera praedica volentibus audire c. you preach if credit be not to be giuen to the Church and her Pastours why doe you impose vpon vs that we affect a voluntarie ignorance seeing we teach no other thing in this point but that which we are taught by the holy Scripture and Fathers and your owne authours confesse You doe continually blame vs yea euen in those things in which we are laudable according to your owne Principles and if the crimes wherwhich you loade vs be crymes indeede they are found in you not in vs. You say we bring God into suspition with men but it appeares that we are innocent and you guiltie of this accusation for how could one make God more
suspected vnto men then by representing him as your Authours g Luther de seru arbit Aliter de Deovel voluntate Dei nohis praedicata reuelata oblata culta aliter de Deo non praedicato non reuelato nō culto disputandum est Item Non vult mortem peccatoris verbo scilicet vult autē illam volūtate illa imper scrutabili Luther h Cal. de praedestina volūtas illi Deo alia tribuitur quam ea quae abipso in lege patefacta est Caluine and i Beza de aetern Deipraedestina Dicimus quandam Dei esse voluntatē nobis patefactam quādam vero occultam Sic Aphorism 14. 20. Martyr in epist ad Rom. cap. 1. Quod enim attinet ad peccatum fatemur Deum illud nolle si eim voluntatem spectemus quae nobis legibus diuinis sacris literis est declarata sed quod omnino absolutè peccatum non velit minime concedemus Calu 3 Instit c. 23. §. 9. Excusabiles peccando haberi volunt reprobi quia euadere nequeunt peccandinecessitatem praesertim cum ex Deierdinatione inticiatur huiusmedi necessitas nos verô inde negamusexcusari quandoquidem Deiordinationi sua constet aequitas Paraeus l. 2. de amiss grat Necessariò quidem sed tamex votuntarie iustissimo iudicio Dei peccat creatura Zuingl lib. de prouid c. 6. At inquies coactus est Latro ad peccandum permitto inquam coactum esse all the rest doe as hauing two wills wholie contrarie the one reuealed in scripture wherby he desires man's saluation not his sinne and damnation The other hidd wherby he desirs the sinne and damnation of man yea necessitates and forceth him ther to Doe not such blasphemies make man suspect God none can deney it they doe indeede and make your beliefe wherby they are taught it abominable in the sight of God Your beliefe is and you ought to be suspected by men not onely vpon this occasion but also because they doe continually heare from you that which they find to be contrario and that you often vaunt of that which belongs not to you And indeede to what end doe you bragge that you were the first that presented the scripture vnto France in a vulgare tongue sithens you confesse your selues in the preface of the Bible printed at Geneua the yeare 1588. that it had bene translated from the tyme of Charles the V. as our Annalles doe wittnesse To what pourpose will you make France stand indebted to you as though you had brought her to the sight of her Fathers will which was hidden from her till then for so far are you from hauing right to this glorie that contrariwise you are lyable to blame for hauing violently depriued her of it by taking away the bodie and blood of Iesus Christ Luc. 22. Hic calix nouum est testamentū in meo sanguine which he himselfe calls his will and Testament Is it to giue a will to giue the figure and shadowe therof Is it to giue a Vvill to giue it corrupted to giue it so as it cannot be vnderstoode So giue you the Eucharist to the people so doe you putt the scriptures into their hands so doe you inlarge them with libertie in that kind Let vs now examine what benefit the people can reape by hauing their publike seruice in french SECTION II. IN this point as in diuers others you shew your selues louers and authours of noueltie for it is euident that since the Latine Church was founded by the Apostles it alwayes made vse of this tongue in her liturgies yea euen after the inuasion of the Gothes depriued the people of the vse therof Hauing thus conserued it while it was now no more their naturall tongue what reason doth vrge vs at this tyme to change it The Church is too old and you too young to teach her speake a new language It is most reasonable that as the beliefe of the Church is one in all nations so publike prayer should be performed in a tongue common to all Vvhy did not the a Munster prafat su◠grammatica Syriacae Chaldaicae Iunius praefat ante Nouum Testamentum Trimelij dicūt tempore Christi linguam Iudaeorū fuisse Syriacam Iewes hauing corrupted their language by the long continuance of the babylonicall captiuitie and the communication they had with sundrie nations speaking commonly Syraick leaue of to continew their office in the Hebrew tongue If it had bene an vnlawfull thing Iesus Christ would haue reprehended them yea his not reprehending them was the approbation of their and our fact The Iewes Grecians and Abissins doe their seruice at this day in no valgaire tongue The Nestorians doe theirs in Chaldaicke though taey speake the tongue of diuers rations where they liue You say that all the comon people ought to vnderstand and yet those of your sect which are in Bearne Languedocke Prouence and Gasconie vnderstand french no better then the comon people who liue within the compasse of the Catholike Church doe Latine Vvhile notwithstranding the Ministers in those partes doe their seruice in french and not in the language of those Prouinces It is not necessarie nor alwayes profitable that the people should know all Marrie necessarie it is that the celebration of some of the highest misteries be not made comon to them their deuotion being augmented therby For this reason amongst a Leuit. 16. Nullus hominum sit in tabernaculo quādo Pontifex Sanctuarium ingreditur vt roget pro se pro domo sua pro vniuerso catu Israel donec egrediatur the Iewes none entred into the Sancta Sanctorum with the high Priest Yea b Luc. 1. Et omnis multitudo populi erat orans foris horaincēsi saint Luke notes some sacryfices at which by the diuine institution the comon people assisted not but remayned without not seeing nor understanding any thing that passed CHAP. V. SECT I. MINISTERS YOur Maiestie should also see that we are hated for proposing à doctrine which doth teach one to dy with peace of conscience and assurance of saluation grounded vpon God's promis in Iesuschrist wherby he doth promisse that all simers who seriously repenting conuert themselues vnto him and beleeue in Iesus-Christ shall not perish but shall haue eternall life which trust in Iesus-Christ celiuers the faithfull departing this life from the horrour of Hell and from that making wherby it is thought that a man scapes good cheape though he goe into the fire of Purgatorie to be burnt and tormented therin for the space of many ages From which torment notwithstanding they are held in part or in whole to be freed who giue part of their meanes to the Church and they also to whom it pleaseth the Pope to distribute Indulgences for by that gate gott trading into the Romane church and ingenious auarice made the ignorance of the poore people tributarie to it selfe ANSWERE CAtholike Doctours doe teach
of your saluation the end and scope of all those articles which are expressed in holy scripture which doe onely ayme at the iustification of man Is it likely that God who made the scripture to teach vs therby the meanes to become iust in his sight would expressly haue put downe an hundred articles for example the beliefe wherof iustifies vs not and which according to you might be beleeued by the Diuells and by Hypocrites and yet would not expresly put downe that by the beliefe her of walone you teach that we are iustified and that wherin you place the essence and fundation of your religion and which is the crooke the a Calu. 3. instit c. 2. §. 16. Hicpraecipuus fidei cardo vertitur sterne and b Vvhitaâ— contro 2. q. 6. c. 3. Articulus iustificationis nostra vide tur omnium praecipuus maxime fundamentalis vipote in quo salutis nostrae prorae puppis consist it Caluinus respons ad Sadolet pag. 125. sublatae eius fidei iustificantis cognitione Christi gloria extincta est abolita religio spes salutis penitus euersa dogma ergo istud quod in religione suÌ„mum erat dicimus a vobis fuisse deletum puppe therof to vse your owne words but left it to the discourse and inference of euery man be he learned or ignorant be he an I diote or such an one as hath no knowledge of the rules which he is to follow to make a good consequence Let vs see your arguments Who euer doth seriously repent conuert himselfe to God and beleeues in Iesus-Christ is iustified and shall not perish I Peter doe seriously repent and beleeue in Iesus-Christ Ergo I am iustified and shall not perish Suppose the Maior to be in scripture yet the Minor is not found in it since no mention is made of Peter in it since no mention is made of Peter in thew scripture hobeit it is onely knowen to Peter sole wittnes in his owne cause And therfore the certaintie of the conclusion which imports that Peter is saued for two reasons cannot be in fallible both because it depends of a medium which is humane and fallible of its owne nature and againe because this medium depends vpon the knowledge of an ignorant fellow Nay further it followes by this argument that euery one beleeues by diuine faith that he is iuste before he knowes that God doth say so which cannot possibly be Gods ' word which is the onely obiect of Faith That this followes I shew it Peter for example knowes not that God calls him iuste but onely by meanes of a syllogisme drawen out of scripture now the Minor of this syllogisme supposeth Peter both to repent and to haue saith which faith consistes in beleeuing that he is iustified by the apprehension of Christ his iustice true therfore it is that Peter beleeues that he is iust before he knowes that God saith so It is therfore manifest out of your owne principles that your faith is not infallible but humaine and vaine too Nor haue you any thing by whâ—h you may distinguith it from the faith of a reprobate for though according to you he can haue no faith yet he beleeues as well as you that saith is in him and that therby he is iustified Let vs now see what the scriptures and Fathers say vpon this subiect a 〈◊〉 Rom. 11. Tâ—â—â—â—tem fiae stasâ— sed 〈◊〉 force 〈◊〉 tibi parâ—as Thost standest by faith saith the Apostle be not too wise but feare least God may not spare euen thee b Câ—m meru tremâ—re 〈…〉 And againe with feare and trembling worke your saluation Which doth plainly shew that we are not sure by assurance of diuine faith of our saluation for otherwise the Apostle should incite vs to infidelitie in exhorting vs to feare least that might not happen of which we were certaine as though he should say seare that there may be no resurrection or that there is no life euerlasting which yet diuine faith doth oblige vs to beleeue Now as for the Fathers since that in diuers places and diuers formes of speach they doe clearly deliuer what we sustayne against you if your doctrine be true you must needes accuse them of errour Thou oughtest not be secure that thy sins are remitted saith S. a Greg. l â— Ep. 22. Secura esse non debes deâ—peccatis demissis Gregorie We know not saith S. b Amb. serm 5. in Psal 118. nescimus v. trum peceata nostra maneant Ambrose whether our sinns remayne We doe greatly offend through ignorance saith c In Constiâ— Monast c. â— Muâ—â— peccamus quandâ— nescimus S. Basile We know not our owne workes saith d Cheysost Hom. 11. in 1. Corinth Non scimus operae nostra S. Christome We know not whether our iustice remayne e Aug. in Psal 48. Quod non iustitia nostra maneat aut an habeamus bonam conscientiam saith S. Augustine or whether we haue a good conscience The iust are vncertaine of perseuerance f Aug. 11. de ciuit c. 12. Iusts sunt iucertide perseuerentia as the same Doctor affirmes in diners places and with him S. Ambrose Who of the faith full dare presume that he is of the number of the predestinate g De Correp gratias 13. Quis fidelium praesumaise esse in numero praedestinatoruÌ„ saith the same in another place The opinions of all these fathers condemne you Yet if all these suffice you not giue care to h Bernard serm 1. de 70. Scriptura reâ—lamat vt quis dicat Ego de electis sum quod Deus praestet fiduciam neget certitudinem quod impossibile sit nosse quales futuri sumus Epist. 107. Quod habeamus spem de beatitudine non securitatem Et serm 2. de Oct. Pasâ—â— nemâ— scit vtrum sit dignus amore certitudo omnino nobis negatur S. Bernard who you i Illyric in Catalo uest verit l. 14. Bernardus fuit a Deo exs itatus say was raysed by God The scripture saith he will haue no man to say I am one of the elect He addes further that God giues vs confidence but denyes vs assurance And that it is impossibile to know what shall become of vs that we hope for Beatitude but are not sure to attayne vnto it in fine that none knowes to vse the Apostles words whether he is worthy of loue and that certaintie is altogether denyed vs. What more expresse words can be produced to establith our Beliefe and to ouerthrow yours then those which that great sainte and glorie of France vseth We will now onely make your owne condemnation proceede from your owne mouth by shewing you to your aduantage that you haue certaine lucide interualles which argue you to be true Heretikes that is following a Ad Tit. 3. proprio iudicio condemnatos S. Paules phrase condemned by your owne
iudgment He are therfore b Calu. 3. Instit c. 20. §. 11. Fiduciam non iuâ—â—â—go quae sâ—lutam omni anxietudinis sensu mentem suaeui perfecta quiete demulceat nam ita plaecide acquiescere eo rum est qui rebus cunctis ex voto fluentibus nullae tanguntur cura nullo desiderio viuntur nulo timore astuant Caluin and diuers others of your Authours Caluine I vnderstand not a confidence which doth flatter the soule freed from all sense of anxietie with a sweete and perfect repose for it belongs to them onely to inioy so perfect repose who are touched with no care possesse a with no defire agitated with no feare Faith saith the same in c 3. Instit c. 2. §. 37. Ffide varijs dubitationibus impellitur vt raro sedate sint eorum mentes saltem non fruantur tranquillo statu Et in Rom. 5. Nusquam est sic animus stabilitus quin multum haereat dubitatione another place is assaulted with many doubtes so that the myndes of the faithfull are rarely at rest at least they inioy not a seatled tranquilitie a Pet. Mart. tit de iustif a. dubitatio illa qua timemus supplicium aeternum in animis nostris vtrunque haeret Peter Martir in his comon places Those doubtes by which we dreade eternall paines doth still in a centaine sort sticke to our hart b Controu 4. de Iustif Non est fides in maxime fidelibus immunis a dubitatione Scarpius a scotish Minister who liued in France Faith in the most faith full is not freed from feare c In Cathol reform controu 3. c. 1. Docemus quod cum certitudine nostra salutis coÌ„iuncta esse soleat aliqua dubitatio in cordibus nostris quodque nemo hominum tam sit securus salutis suae vt non aliquando dubitet de illa Parkins an English Minister we teach that together with the certaintie of our saluation a certaine doubt is wonte to inhabite our hartes and that no man is so sure of his saluation that he doth not sometymes doubt of it d Nullus viator sit certitudinaliter sine reuelatione sibi de hoc facta se esse praedestinatum nes se esse in gratia Iohn Hus No Pilgrime knowes certainly that he is predestinated nor consequently that he is in state of grace vnlesse he haue had a peculiar reuelation therof Noman sarth e Luth. Thesi 30. Nullus securus est de veritate suae contritionis multo minus de consequutione plenaria remissionis Et Tract 10. praecept incertum est homins num sit in statu salutis nec ne Et Epist ad Episc Mogunt Nec per gratiam Dei infusem fit homo securus desalute â—d sâ—mperin â—more ac tremore iuâ—eâ— saluâ—â—m nostram operari Apâ—stolus Luthere is assured of the truth of his contrition much lesse that it was follo wed with a plenarie remission of sinns and in another place man is vncertaine whether he is in state of saluation or no. Againe man is not assured of his saluation euen by the infused grace of God but the Apostle commands vs to works our saluation with feare and trembling f In Anti-Bellar Fatetur quod eorum certitudo non est absoluta quaelis est in historica fide aut quae nullam dubitationem patiatur Vorstius confesseth that they haue not an absolute certaintie such as is found in fide historica but a credible persuasion in historie which doth fight with that perpetu all disquiet and doubt of the soule Doth it not hence appeare that you are doubtfull of your saluation and consequently that you haue no diuine faith since that by the doctrine of your g 18 Sunday Catechisme Faith is a true certaine and firme knowledge of God's loue towards vs wheras that which you haue is nether certaine nor firme since it is obnoxious to doubt as your owne Authoursdoe grant But I will alleadge no more passages to proue that your selues confesse that you are not sure of your saluation it being enough to show that you teach that euen Iesus Christ himselfe ô abominable and detestable blasphemie was not sure therof Seing he did offere vp himselfe to God saith your Catechisme 10. Sundâ—â— to satisfice in the name of sinners he was to feele in his conscience that horrible distresse as though he had bene abbandoned of God yea as though God had bene offended with him This abisse saith Caluine In Harmon Gall. Matth. 26. 〈◊〉 and horrible confusion of damnation did rudely and to the quicke torment him with dread and anguish And againe â— Inâ—tit c. â—6 〈◊〉 1â— in Franc. Death he was necessarily to fight against the forces of Hell and as it were in a single combat to wrastle with the horrour of eternall damnation But to what pourpose doe you insinuate that we by meanes of Purgaâ—â—rie escape the horrour of hell at an easie rate and by temporall are freed from eternall paines since we nether teach nor beleeue that we are deliuered by those paines but by penance and Gods grace yea and we require far more then you to our deliuerie who by one onely acte of faith hold your selues to be absolutly freed both from faulte and paine that God exactes no other paines at your hands to satisfie his iustice To witt it is in your market that the saluation of soules is sold good cheape and where to saue them at too low a rate you loose them Againe what a kind of peace of conscience and certaine securitie of saluation is that which the expresse words of scripture doe not show albeit your principles exact the same which relyes vpon a humane principle and that knowen to one onely be he learned or vnlearned which also is gathered by humane inference and that by such men too as doe not knowor thinke of the lawes of a consequence which finally is contrarie to the scripture the Fathers yea euen your owne Authours Bolsecus in vita Caluini Arenius Seblusselbourg l. 2. Theolog. Caluin The chiefe wherof Caluine that your famous Prophete dyed in deepe desperation if we will giue credit not onely to the Lutherans whom you doe accnowledge for your bretheren and whose testimonies which is to be noted were neuer authentically refuted but euen to his owne followers yea those who did familiarly conuerse with him Dare you yet affirme that your religion doth teach men to dy in peace with infallible assurance of saluation while the scripture Fathers and your owne Doctours doe teach the contrarie Your peace of conscience is a true perturbation and your assurance of saluation is indeede a maine doubt what shall become of you after your departure The peace and tranquilitie which can be had in this life is placed in that confidence of hope which according to the counsell of the Apostle it behoues euery good christian to hâ—ue We are saued saith he by hope And this
absolue from them Againe your cause is manifestly condemned by the Fathers Because treating of those punishments which the church remitted by Indulgences they somtymes referre the verie same to God So doth Tertull. Tertul. de pudicit c. 22. Sufficiat martyripropria delictae purgasse In grati vel saperbi est in altos quoque spargere quod pro magno fuerit consecutu◠Quis alienam mortem sua soluit nisi solus Dei filius proinde qui illum aemularis donande delicta si nihil ipse deliquisti plane patere pro me si vero peccatores quomodo oleum faculae tuae sufficere vt mihi tibi poserst in the place aboue cited where impugning the Catholike truth in nature of an heretike he euidently shewes that the question was of those paines which were due vnto God for sinne Who saith he doth authorise man to bestow the things which are proper to God Let it suffice a martir to haue expiated his owne offences It is the part of anvngrarfull or proode person to lauish that out to others which himselfe receaued as a thing of greatest prise Who is he that redeemes the death of another with his owne death saue the onely sonne of God Thou therfor who wilst imitate him in remitting sinns if thou thy selfe be not delinquent indure for me marrie if thou thy selfe be delinquent how dost thou thinke that the oyle of thy smale Lampe can be sufficient both for thee and me The words doe planly shew that the paines which were remitted in the primi tiue Church were due vnto God not to men and that indulgences of that nature were wont to be conferred without the Sacraments because as we are to marke they were done by vertue of the sufferance of Martires wheras Sacraments haue all their force from our sauiours passion Why doth Tertullian after he had spoken of the paines which are remitted by Iesus-Christ exprobate the Church for asscribing the same power to her Martires vnlesse he did accnowledge the paines pardoned in fauour of the Martires to be the verie same with those which Christ pardoned to witt those which are satisfactorie in the sight of God Why did Theophilactus expounding those words of S. Paule who did vse Indulgences towards the incestuous Corinthian say that a In 2. Corinth c. 2. In persona Christi hoc est secundum coram Christc tanquam illo hoe inbente aec veluti eius vicem gerens dimisi when he pardoned him he did it in the person of Christ as by Christ his command and as the vicegerent of Christ vnles the paynes which that great Apostle did remitt were satisfactorie before God This truth is so perspicuous that your owne authours condemne you for condemning it Which is manifest by kemnitius b. Kemnitius part 4. exam tit de Indulgentiis p. 112. Talia sunt quae salua fide scilicet protestantium necpossunt nee dehent sicut sonant accipi est intelligi vpon Whom you put so high a rate Who When he had cursatily expounded what the Church and Fathers for the most part had written of this subiect ingenuously confesseth that it cannot be Expounded literally and as the words importe without the ouerthrow of your religion in this behalfe Whence we haue euen by your owne confessions that the faith which you doe impugne is the selfe same which the ancient fathers of the church fought for And if the a Conc. Nicenum can 11. Chalced. Acta Church in her primitiue puritie vsed that power why may she not now also vse the same Doe you hold it sufficient to improue this power to produce some abuses which you pretend hath crept in By this artifice you shall one'y gayne to your selues in the opinion of all men the imputation of being of the nature and disposition of those whom Oratio◠3 de Eunomianis S. Grego Nazian compares to flies saying they for sake the sound and adheare to the vlcered partes of the bodie especially your c Vbitat controu 1. quae 2. c. 14. Abu sus rei non rollit vsum siusdem owne men confessing that the abuse of a thing doth not take away the vse of the same Wherfore the power of Indulgences is grounded vpon scrpture Fathers and the practise of the ancient Chruch yea euen vpon your owne mens confession The vse of them is holy and if it open a gappe to trafficke it is to à spirituall traffike of the merits of Christ and his saints by which he doth inrych the faythfull people by honest and lawfull meanes nor doth auarice cause any other discommoditie in this point then that which is befallen you in so much as it was the first motiue that caused Luthere to question this power of the Church and which consequently made him Tributarie to the Diuell CHAP. VI. SECT 1. MINISTERS YOur Maiestie should also see that we are hated because in the holy sacrament of the last supper we speake and doe as Iesus Christ did with his disciples for sithens all doe confesse what Iesus Christ did and that nothing was to be reprehended in his institution the Pope might make an end of all the contentions and troubles sprang vp amongst Christians vpon this point if he would reduce the holy supper to the forme in which Iesus Christ did celobrat it speaking and doing as he did deposing all disputes and centayning our selues with in the sobrietie prescribed by the word of God By this meanes all should communcate nor should we haue any more priuate Masses There should be no eleuation of the hoste No oblation of sacrifice Euery one should communicate vnder both kinds ANSWERE You are of those men that would neuer loose if their owne plea might be taken Christ celebrated the misterie of the Euchariste in a Dining roome you in the Church he at night you in the morning he after supper you before dinner he a litle before his death you along ty me before yours he in vnleauened you in leauened breade he with men alone you with men and women promiscuously he once in his whole life you ofen in yours he after he had washed the Apostles feete whom he did communicate you without obseruing this ceremonie which yet ho expresly a Si ergo laui pedes vestros dominus magister sic vos debetis alter alterū lauare peaes exemplum dedi vobis vt quemad medum ego fect vobis ita ves factatis cōmanded he according to the ancient custumelyng you standing vpright he permitting his Apostles if they pleased to talke together you commanding silence he breaking the bread you cutting it he blissing the bread you omitting the same Is this your imitation of Christ in euery thing Now wheras the scripture is the rule of your actiōs produce some one passage by which you are warranted to change in so many circunstances what Iesus Christ performed since you are in euery thinge to follow his footstepps and example
But if you replie that you are bound to obserue the essentiall parres of the misteries done by Iesus Christ yet are permitted to chaÌ„ge that which he did in indifferent things it rests that you proue out of scripture why these things which you change are more of that nature then those which you condemne vs for changing Or if you cnnnot doe it Lib. 2. contr aduersa legis Hoc vanitas non ueritas dicit confesse that your words are as S. Augustine saith vanitie and not veritie and that vniustly accusing vs you iustly condemne your selues True it is we ate in tirly and throughly to followe our sauiours example in that which is intrinsicall and substantiall in the misteries in this all disputes and contention being layd aside we are bound to contayne our selues with in that sobrietie and moderation which he prescribed and are to doe and speake as he did And. I would to God you did so then should you confesse that the substace of the Euchariste is the body and blood of our sauiour Iesus-Christ Matth. 62. Accepit Iesus panem benedixit acfregit deditque dicipulis suis att accipite comedite Hoo est corpus meum and not a meere energicall figure of them both For to what end doth the a scripture deliuer in words most expresse not once onely but foure tymes by the mouthes of three Euangelists and one Apostle that the Eucharist is the body and bloode of Iesus-Christ Marc. 14 Accepiâ— Iesus panem benedicens fregit dedit eis ait sumite Hoe est corpus meum without euer saying in any one place that it is not his body but onely a figure if it intend to haue vs beleeve the oue which it saith not and not the other which it affirmes If scripture ought to be the rule of faith Luc. 22. Accepto pane gratias egit fregit dedit seis aâ—cens Hoc est â—â—rpus meuÌ„ quod pro voâ—is datur hoc â—atise mmed â—ommemerationem 1. Corint 11. Dominum Ieumin qua nocte tradebatur accepit panem gratias agens fregis dixst accepite manducate Hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis â—â—adetur we are necessarily bound to beleeue that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ which it so often affirmes nor ought we to beleeue that it is not the body and blood of Christ since that is not found in all scripture nor yet doe we euer find that it doth frequently and clearly affirme that a thing is that which it is not with out expressing in somme other place that it is not the said thing If the scripture be instituted to teach vs the connsells of God and of his sonne Iesus-Christ who by it speakes vnto vs who will euer be induced to beleeue that the scripture to teach vs that the sacrament of the Euchariste is bread and wine not the body and blood of Christ who I say would euer imagine that to moue vs to this beliefe it should so frequently inculcate that it is the body and blood of Christ and yet neuer once pronounce that it is nether of them Who will euer frame this iudgement of it vnles such as hauing their braynes inuerted will haue euery thing to be vnderstood preposterously and aganist the sense one contrarie by another and the negation of a truth by the affirmarion of the same Christ is no moâ—ker of men nor is he ignorant of the vsuall manner of their speach he tells them not one thing to moue them to beleeue another Wherfor seeing he doth so planely tell the Apostles that what he gaue them in the Eucharist to eate was his body nor could he find words in which he could more clearly deliurer himselfe there can be no doubt made but he deliuered his owne verie body vnto them other wise it must needes be said that ether he deludes men Aug. l. 33. contr ffaust c. 7. Quid ergo eum legimus obliuiscimur quemadmodum loqui soleamus Anscriptura Dei aliter nobiscum fuerat quam nostro modo loguutura yea and that in a matter of greatest moment to saluation or verily that he was ignorant how to expresse his mynd vnto them Whervpon you will giue me leaue to make that demande to you in this occasion which as I noted aboue St Aug made to the Donatistes in the like occurrence Why when we reade doe we forgett how we are wonte to speake aught the scripture of the Almightie to vse any other maÌ„ner of speach to vs then our owne And wheras Iesus Christ doth say plainly and expresly that he giues vs his body deliuered for vs then which words we can desire none more significatiue none more cleare to moue vs to beleeue that it is his owne true body what can hinder you to beleeue that it is his true body which he giues vnto vs Would you haue him to haue said this is truly really properly substantially my body If some one of these aduerbes were necessarily to be added to manifest the truth of the thing affirmed we should not be obliged to beleeue the most part of the principall misteries of our faith which notwithstanding you beleeue as well as we to witt that Christ was borne of a virgine that he suffered and dyed for in deliuering these truthes the scripture makes vse of none of those Aduerbes nor had it any more expresse termes then those which it vsed to signifie the presence of the body of Christ in the Euchariste As therfore if one doubted whether a thing appearing a far of were truly a man it were not necessarie to giue assurance of the same to adde these words truly really but it were assurance nough to say absolutly it is a man for as the Philosophers hold this word true Verum non additenti addes nothing to the thing so likewise that Iesus-Christ might shew his body truly to be in the Eucharist it is sufficient to affirme it in plane words taken in their owne signification Which was especially to be done here where he doth not onely say this is my body but also my body giuen and deliuered for you which words doe designe the true body of Christ which alone was deliuered for vs. Howbeit it is euident that the nature and beeing of a thing is more clearly expressed by such words as affirme directly what it is then by others which doe onely point at it vnder a certaine name without affirming expresly that it is that thing vnder whose name it is signified and consequently we haue more reason to beleeue that the Euch râ—st is the body of Iesus-Christ because the scripture saith directly that so it is then to beleeue that it is breade because the scripture signifies it vnder the name of breade especially sith it addes Epâ—â—hites to this name of breade which remoue it from its owne signification and contrariwise when it affirmes that the Eucharist is the body of
them vnto a gentleman of our religion to bring them vnto vs. ANSWERE SInce Euery man vnderstands his owne busines best I haue nothing to say vpon this paragrafe which toucheth F. Arnould he hauing in his replie answered it himselfe onely this I will say he that knowes his merits learning Zeale and moderation of mynd will easily iudge him to be a man of greater performance then vndertaking and more prone to render your soules gratefull to God then your persons hatefull to men CHAP. XIII MINISTERS THis Soueraigne Lord did oblige vs to make answere for this confession hauing bene made to giue an accompt of our faith to our Soueraignes and to that effect being presented to king Henry the II. your predecessour we thought fitt to addresse the Defence of the same confession to his successour in whose presence it was calumniated And I wish to God we were licenced to propose our defence verbally in the presence of your Maiestie and were authorised publikly and in presence of the king which God hath bestowed vpon vs to mantayne the truth of the Gospell against those that doe diffame it which is a thing which your Maiestie ought also to desire For seeing a dissension amongst your subiects in point of religion what is more conuenient then that he who is the common father of vs all should know in what the difference consistes and see the ground of the processe and to this effect he should looke to the head of the fountaine to discouer what Christian religion was in its source For he that is established on earth to see that God be serued ought exactly to know the rule of Gods seruice he who in his charge represents God's royaltie ought in his actions to imitate his iustice which how can it be done without knowing the soueraigne rule of Iustice which is the word of God Vvher vpon it is that God commands kings continually to haue before their eyes the booke of the law therin to read all the dayes of their life But if they permitt themselues to be hood winked and be content to follow without seeing the way before them the Popes and Prelates haue faire occasion to accommodate religion to their priuate lucre and crect their owne greatnes vpon the ruines of the Ghospell For now religion is made a trafike and those our great Masters haue inuented rules of pietie which doth intrench not onely vpon the liuing but euen vpon the deade To no other end haue the Popes for some ages past probibited the kings your Maiesties Predecessours to read the holy Scripture but that their Empire is grounded vpon the ignorance of Gods word Neuer had it bene permitted to haue growen so great with the diminution of the greatnes of our Kings if they had not wrought vpon the aduantage of an obscure age wherin few people discouered their designe He could not haue made himselfe soueraigne Iudge in points of faith if the people had had the rule of faith before their eyes which God long agoe pronounced with his owne mouth ANSWERE IT is a great art in him that is feable and fearefull to fayne himselfe bold and valourous you put a good face vpon it and beare it boldly to make the world beleeue that you haue a great desire to appeare before the king to make good in his presence and in publike the truth of your new Gospell Your words which sound no other thing but a chalance wherby you prouoke all the Clergie of France to a publike disputation makes me call to mynd the Troian wherof mention is made in Homere Iliad 7 who boldly prouoked to combate marrie when it came once to blowes he stood in neede of a cloud to couer his flight and shame Vve could with facilitie if we pleased refuse to giue you battaile without the disaduantage of our dishonour or affording you occasion of complaint For Luther doth sustayne that we are not to dispute with such as renew old heresies which were long agoe condemned But we will not proceede so rigorously with you the Church of France by Gods prouidence being prouided of store of Prelates wherof I am the least and of an infinite number of Doctours who vpon all occasions will make appeare the veritie of her doctrine the vanitie of your errours The onely shadow of that great Cardinall will alwayes be able to defeate you for the same reason for which the Picture of Alexander made him quake vnder whose powerfull hand he had somtymes sunke to the grouÌ„d Is it not a mere flatterie to inuite a king to discerne differences in religion Vvill you haue princes to assume to themselues the authoritie of Iudges in such causes Though you would yet would not your brethren consent therto Princes themselues haue no such pretension The Holy fathers giue testimonie and the Scriptures teach that iustly they cannot doe it That your brethren will not haue it so they themselues shall speake Princes saith a Bezainconfess c. 5. art 15. Principes Synodo intersint non vt regnent sed vt seruiaÌ„t non vt leges condant sed vt ex Deiverbo per os ministrorum explicatas sibi aliis obseruandas proponant Beza are present in synods not to rule but to serue not to inact lawes but to propose those to be kept by themselues and the people which according vnto the word of God are explicated by the mouth of the Minister The Prince saith b Controu 5. lib. 2. c. 18. De sensu fidei mec cognoscit Princeps nec cognoscere officio Principali potest Iunius nether doth nor can by vertue of his charge iudge of the meaning of faith Vve say saith c Controu 1. q. 5. c. 4. Dicimus lites Ecclesiasticas decernendas esseex lege diuina per Ministrum Item cap. 6. Respondeo Martinum Ecclesiae vindicare iudicium de genere doctrinae non coÌ„cedere Imperatort c. Vhitakere that Ecclesiasticall differences are to be decided by the Minister in vertue of the diuine law In another place I answere that Martine doth ascribe the iudgement of points of doctrine to the Church he doth not grant it to the Emperour and who will deny that this iudgment appertaynes to â—ishopes Finally it belongs not to kings and Princes to confirme euen true doctrine but they are to be subiect to and obseruant of it saith Luthere That Princes doe not pretend to make themselues Iudges in matters of Faith the a Apud Soz. l. 6. c. 7. Mihiquisum de sorte plebis fas non est talia perserutari Sacerdotibus ista curae sunt Emperour Valentinian doth confirme in these words It is not lawfull for me who am of the ranke of the people to sound and search into those things they are committed to the Preistes care It belongs me not saith the same as b Epist 32. noÌ„ est mecum iudicare inter Episcopos S. Ambrose relates to iudge of the differences which rise amongst Bishops