they may beleeue or receiue nothing but that is in the scripture Andrad Orthod explic lib. 2 And therfore they neither shame nor fear to charge the word written with insufficiencie Bellarm. li. 4 cap. 4 Gods word not sufficient For so doeth Bellarmine in flat terms And therfore he Melchior Canus the Censure of Collen the rest of them doe out of this principle gather an vnanswerable argument as they imagin for traditions because say they the Scripture spâ— aketh not of many things necessary to bee beleeued Are not these such workmen as the Apostle willeth vs to take heede of Phil. 3.2 Beware of euill workemen yes verily for they are deceitfull workemen 2. Cor. 11.13 if you marke them wel For wheras they shoulde trie their worke by the line and the square they contrariwise trie their rule by their worke And whereas they should reiect all doctrines that are not agreeable to the word of God they make that to bee GODS worde that will alowe of their doctrine so that traditions must needs be Gods word because they maintaine that which the Scripture aloweth not of The argument for traditions and against the sufficiencie of the Scriptures Many things there are necessary to be beleeued that are not expresly set downe in the Scriptures yea many things that are neither plainely neither obscurely in the Scriptures say all the Papists namely Canus in his second and third grounds Lib. 3. cap. 3 Therefore the Scriptures are not sufficient For answere the antecedent or first part of the argument is vntrue For whatsoeuer is to be beleeued is either plainly set downe or necessarily to be gathered out of the Scriptures otherwise our Sauiour Christ should not seeme to haue plainely dealt with the Iewes when hee biddeth them Search the Scriptures making no mention of any traditions and addeth his reason Iohn 5.39 They the scriptures beare witnesse of mee but this is manifest by the places before alleaged Contra lit Pâ—â— il lib. 3. cap. 6 Wherefore S. Augustine doth account him accursed yea he so pronounceth him that will teach any thing either of Christ or of his Church or anie thing else that appertaineth either to faith or to our life besides that which we haue receiued in the Scriptures of the lawe and the Gospel Marke how he saith the Scripture serueth vs for all turnes Therfore the Authour of the vnperfect work vpon Mathew euen in the beginning Hom. 1 compareth the Scripture to a Store-house of some rich man wherein one may find whatsoeuer he wanteth so saith he in this booke euery soule may finde that which is necessarie And Athanasius alluding to the place of S. Paule 2. Contra gentes Tim. 3.16 saith The holy scriptures giuen by inspiration are sufficient to teach vs all trueth It is therefore far better that we with Tertullian should adore the fulnes of the Scriptures Cont. Hermogenem Lib. 3. cap. â— than be partakers with those heretikes of whom Irene complaineth who when by the Scriptures they were conuinced accused the Scriptures themselues as if something were amisse in them and that they are not of authoritie sufficient they are diuerse and the trueth can not in them be found of them that knowe not the traditions for they were deliuered not by writing but by word which are the very words of the church of Rome So that a man can not so aptly paint out our popish heretikes as if he take his patterne by those ancient heretikes For not one Ape is liker to an other than they are The Scripture a sure Rule CHAP. 3 THE PROTESTANTS The scripture a sure rule ANd seeing that God by his prophet Dauid hath testified Psal 19.8 that the Lawe of the Lorde is perfect and hath by the Prophet Esay sent vs to aske councel in doubtfull cases Esay 8.20 To the Lawe and to the Testimony Yea and our Sauiour Christ Luc. 16.17 when Diues mooueth Abraham to send some to his fiue brethren to teach them sendeth them to Moses and to the Prophets to learne of theÌ„ vers 29 and telleth the Saduces That they erre Math. 22.29 because they knowe not the Scriptures Lastly seeing the Apostle S. Paul incourageth Timothie to keepe well that he had learned because saith hee 2. Tim. 3.15 thou hast knowen the holy Scriptures of a childe which are able to make thee wise vnto saluation Wee therfore willingly confes constantly beleeue that we haue a most sure word of the prophets 2. Pet. 1.19 to the which we do wel if we do take heede as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place vntill the day dawne and the day star arise in our hearts And therefore wee doe account this Worde written to bee the most certaine and infallible rule of our faith or conuersation THE PAPISTS BVt the Papists who can get nothing but by the crooked measures of their traditions to bring them into credit with men do highly commend them sometime comparing them to Theseus his thread Screckius prefaâ— whereby he was directed out of the laborinth and vnto the Touch stone whereby all doctrine shoulde be tried Ibidem and make it as great a fault to breake traditions Andrad Orthod explic lib. 5 lib. 3 as if Christ with his owne mouth had spoken them yea somtime greater so make them at the least equall to the written word that is to the vndoubted word of GOD. And on the other side do altogether deface and disgrace the Scriptures calling them Inke-Diuines that sticke to them Eckius de scripturis and comparing them to a Leaden rule Eccl. Hierar so doeth Pighius or a nose of waxe Explic. dial 4 as the Censure of Collen doth most prophanely both the which blasphemous godlesse reproches against the Scriptures are defended by Andradius Li. 2. orthod Explication as catholike and sound sayings because hee thinketh as they doe that they may bee changed and drawen to any interpretation Bellar. lib. 4 de verbo non scripto cap. 4 5 And therfore they teach that the verie Scriptures without traditions are not altogether necessarie And all this is to perswade the simple that the Scriptures are not a certaine Iudge of faith or rule of life Argument The argument whereby they indeuour to seduce men and to drawe them to their opinion is this Whatsoeuer rule of faith or life may be changed and according to mens affections expounded is vncertaine and deceitful but the Scripture is such therefore it is an vncertaine rule Answere Which I answer thus First the maior or former proposition is not simply true but with these additioÌ„s whatsoeuer may aptly or without doing violence to the words be so drawen vnto sundry opinions is an vncertaine râ—â—â— And hereby will soone be gathered the falsenesse of the minor which affirmeth the scripture to be such For although out of one
sentence of scripture a man may gather diuerse good lessons and that with good fruit to others and approbation of all men so long as those interpretations are agreeable to the rule of faith yet when any euill thing in faith or life is thereby maintained without all doubt the words are then wrested and it ceaseth to bee Gods word Now this is not the fault of the word but of mans corrupt affections which abuse the same Rom. 7.12 For the Lawe truely is holy and the commandement is holy iust and good And as Epiphanius saieth Heres 70 There is no discord in the Scripture nor one sentence disagreeing from an other And in an other place Heres 76 All things in the holy Scripture are cleane enough to them that with godly consideration will come vnto that diuine word and haue not conceiued in themselues the worke of the Diuell indeuoring to throw themselues into the pit of death Euen as saint Paul saith If our gospell be yet hid 2. Cor. 4 3 4 it is hid in them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded their minds And what is Gods word the worse if the wicked will not know it 2. Pet. 3.16 or the vnlearned or vnstable peruert it to their owne destruction I wil therefore conclude with that golden saying of Iustine the martyre I would wish others to be of that mind Iustin Col. cum Tryphone Iud. that they would not swarue from our Sauiours wordes For they can put religion into them that wander from the right way and refresh with most sweete rest them that are exercised therein The Scriptures easie CHAP 4 THE PROTESTANTS Scripturs easie WE also teach the scripturs to be easie not bicause we thinke nothing to be hard in them or that they are easy to euery one but we affirme with Chrysostome 2. Thess 2 hom 3. All that is necessary is easy in them So that with a mind humbled and crauing of God to be instructed men study them The simple may learn by them their duety towardes God and man and how to behaue them selues in their particular dueties And whereas by the Papistes own confessiō the x commandements are very easie Bellarm. de verbo Dei lib. 3. cap. 2. no man can deny but that Gods threatnings against sin the promises of mercy and many other things in this writtē word are as easie Yea why were the prophets sent vnto all sorts of men why do the apostles write vnto all but because much if not all that they do write or say might be vnderstoode euen of the simple THE PAPISTS ANd on the contrary the church of Rome fearing least the light of the worde should discouer the darkenes of their blind deuotions doe what they can to discourage the people from being exercised in the Scriptures lest knowing the truth they shuld detest their superstitions and idolatries and for this cause they cry out with opē mouth that the scripture is too hard to bee vnderstoode and too darke for ignorant men to meddle with the same Wherby they haue brought many ignorant and lay men into that foolish and vnchristian conceit that they thinke it a great deale more dangerous for them euen for their soules health to be occupied in reading or hearing some peece of holie Scripture than the wanton and vnchaste Bookes of prophane men which corrupt good manners and breede noysome lustes that fight against the soule But because this is a great stumbling blocke in the way of the ignorant it shall not be amisse somewhat particularly to examine the Arguments that are vsed to prooue the hardnesse of the scriptures Argument The first argument of Bellarmines is this Dauid prayeth thus Giue me vnderstanding and I wil search thy law Open mine eies Lib. 3. cap. 1. de verbi Dei interpr and I will consider the woonderous things of thy lawe shew the light of thy countenance vpon thy seruant teach me thy statutes therefore the Scriptures are hard Answere It is certaine that Dauids prayers were not to haue his naturall or outward man only instructed for who can imagine that the prophet Dauid being so well acquainted in Gods booke could not vnderstand Gods lawe but to haue his mind and inward man lightned and directed and therefore this proueth not the sense of scripture to be hard for the like prayers are to be vsed of them that thinke it to be most easie Secondly euen the lawe which they confesse to be easie hath not only the literall sense but should also be a bridle vnto the affections and thoughts of men Matth. 5 as most plainly appeareth in those Commentaries which our Sauiour Christ maketh vppon the sixt seuenth and fourth commandements Rom. 7.14 In which respect also S. Paul doth call it Spirituall although Bellarmine seeme to account the commandements to be but Natural The Precepts saith he of the x. Commandements seeing they are natural may easily be vnderstood Dauid therfore may there pray as all christians ought to doe that he may know by Gods word not only how to rule his actiōs but also his words affections This thē doth not proue the scripturs to be hard concerning such good lessons as out of the literal sense may be learned but he proueth that vnlesse God lighten vs we cannot see the spirituall meaning Psa 119.27 which he calleth the maruellous things of the law Arg. 2 His second argument proueth some parts of Scripture to be hard which we denie not and therefore deserueth no answere Arg. 3 Lib. 2. ca 47 Contra Celsum lib. 7 In Exod. hom 12 His third argument is taken from the Fathers Irene saith in the scriptures I commit many things to God Orig. saith the scripture is darke in many places And in another place that we must pray night and day that the lamb of the Tribe of Iuda will come and that hee will vouchsafe to open the booke that is sealed Answere That many things in the scripture are hard we neuer denied as before I said and that with Reading wee should ioyne Prayer therefore Bellarmine when he took these weapons in hand did but feare his owne shadow That Basil and Gregory Nazianzene did seeke not by their owne presumption but by other mens writings that were before them to attaine to the vnderstanding of this written word Ruffinus doth well to commend them But I am sure that Bellarmine himselfe will not thereof conclude that they vnderstoode nothing of themselues or without teachers or that all the scriptures are hard He bringeth in Chrysostome saying that the deepe things therein cannot be attained vnto without great labour and that Christ would haue the Iewes not to reade onely but to search them also If of this hee conclude therfore al the scriptures are hard his argument is to be denied for that it hath no trueth in it if hee say therefore many things are hard we say
so with him Argument Hee alleageth saint Ambrose also who saith The holy scripture is a sea Answere Saint Ambrose doth not in that place call it a Sea because it is so deepe that the bottome can not be found but because it is so plentifull that it yeeldeth abundance to all as appeareth not only by the sentence next after that alleadged by Bellarmine but also by that conclusion that he gathereth a litle after saying Therefore the holy Scripture hath diuers riuers Thou hast to drinke the first time the second time and the last time Therfore although saint Ambrose say that the scripture hath in it depths yet doth he not say it is all darke Argument But saith he Hierome in his epistle to Paulinus writeth that without a teacher the scriptures can not be learned and briefly going through euery booke by name hee sheweth that in them are many and great difficulties or rather mysteries for he findeth in them sundry allegories Answere Yet all is not hard as before hath often bin answered And S. Ierome in that place as soone as hee hath made an end of reckoning vp of those books and shewing the mysteries that are therein he sheweth the cause why he did so I would not saith he haue thee to be offended with the simplicitie and basenes of wordes in the Scriptures Argument As for the other obiection out of Hierome is that Hierome was studious in the scriptures from his youth and also went to Alexandria to conferre with Dydimus of all that he did doubt of in the scriptures The simple may see this maketh not against vs Hierome studied them hard therefore all the scriptures are hard Or he conferred with Dydimus of that he doubted therefore all are hard Obiection The last obiection out of Hierome is That the whole Epistle to the Romanes is wrapped into great obscurities Answere This toucheth but onely that epistle and therefore is no argument against all the scripture And in that seeing there be many things both concerning faith and manners very plaine saint Hierome either speaketh hyperbolically as many times the fathers do or else by these obscurities he meaneth such mysteries as may be gathered out of the scriptures but not such doctrines as we must learne out of the same And who knoweth not that the fathers do many times so are higher and find out greater mysteries than the text will well affoord Obiection Out of Augustine he hath foure testimonies The first saith that such as rashly reade are many times troubled because that some things that are obscurely spoken do greatly blinde them Answere Which maketh not against vs that neither like of rash reading neither say that all is easie His second testimony is that exclamation that saint Augustine maketh Confess lib. 12. cap. 14 hauing entred into a deepe meditation what may be signified by these words heauen and earth in the beginning of Genesis as appeereth by the chapter going before and also by sundry of the chapters following therefore this his admiration O the wonderfull depth of thy words c. doth not proue all the scripture to be hard Nay seeing that the story of the creation may there bee plainely vnderstood it must needes follow that his meaning was not to say that Gods word is hard but rather that men may in the same consider of deepe matters as I answered to the last place out of S. Hierome Obiection The third and fourth places out of saint Augustine are these There is so great depth of christian learning that I might therein profit daily if from my childhoode vnto my olde age with much time earnest indeuour and a sharper wit I could study it only And lastly In the holy Scriptures I know saith Augustine not so much by farre as I am ignorant of Answere Both which places do prooue nothing else than as I said before of Ambrose that the scriptures are plentifull So that he saith heere nothing else than in another place of that third epistle out of the which the former of these two places is taken The maner saith he of speaking vsed in the Scriptures al may come to but very few can passe through and so afterwardes sheweth howe sundry good things all may receiue by them Lastly the two testimonies out of the Author of the vnperfect worke vpon Mathew Hom. 44 and that out of Gregory vppon Ezech. Hom. 6. which giue two reasons why the scriptures are obscure aâ—â— also like the rest nothing against vs. For the author of that worke vpon Mathew doth plainly shew in the same homily that he meaneth the scripturs to be obscure to them that will not reade them these are the words Therefore the trueth is not hid in the Scriptures but it is darke not so that they who seek it may not find it but so as they can not find it that wil not seek it And the same also appeares by the words of the place alleaged out of Gregory by Belarmine For one reason of the obscuritie is saith he that he may get that by labour which by idlenes he can not And then also because the knowledge of the scriptures is not gotten but by labour and paines taking they are not so lightly esteemed Arg. 4 The last generall argument is by reason to prooue the scriptures to be hard both in regard of the matter deliuered and the maner of deliuering it And here for the matter he reckneth some of the principal points of diuinitie wheras we may find in the scriptures milke for children that is easie lessons for the ignorant and meate for the elder sort Yea as Augustine saith He giueth milk to yong ones De verbis dom ser 38 fulgent ser de confessor that when they are elder hee may giue them stronger meate And as the matters contained in the scriptures are heauenly and spirituall so the heauenly minded man and he that is spiritually minded shal iudge of al things 1. Cor. 2.15 And it shall not be vnperformed that God hath promised The secret of the Lorde is reuealed to them that feare him Psal 25.14 and his couenant to giue them vnderstanding Answere Now for the maner of speaking although it is true that there are in the scriptures speeches hard by shew of contrariety by doubtfull and vnperfect speeches because one thing is set before another because of the proprietie of the Hebrew phrase and of the figures for these sixe he setteth downe the things whereby hardnesse may be in the scriptures by the manner of deliuering them yet neither are these things so common or so strange but that the godly may of the scriptures gather much fruit if they will diligently and with calling vpon God for help reade the same So that in briefe this is all that these fathers haue said either that many things are hard which no body denieth or else that none can so sound the depth of them but that something may alwayes be added thereto and therefore
that eateth and drinketh vnwoorthily is guiltie of the body and blood of the Lord and after eateth and drinketh iudgement vnto himselfe making no difference of the Lordes bodie Out of which place they reason to this effect The wicked or vnworthy receiuers can not be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord vnlesse they receiue it But they are guiltie of them and receiue iudgement to themselues therby Therefore they receiue the bodie and blood of the Lord. The minor or second proposition is true for saint Paul saith it But the first is most false For although the wicked can not be neither are partakers of the bodie and blood of Christ yet because they come not to the sacrament which was instituted of God to offer and assure vs of the heauenly graces with such reuerence as they ought to do and in such sincerity as behoueth them therefore are they accounted and that woorthily to despise the things themselues that are represented by those visible signes And this is it that S. Paul findeth fault with the Corinthians For that by despising the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ they shewed their contempt of the thing signified thereby And therfore S. Ambrose Ambrose saith euen vpon these words Because it is the Lorde whose blood he drinketh in mystery S. Hierome Hierome yeeldeth the reason why he is guiltie of the body blood of Christ Because he hath accounted as vile the Sacrament marke his wordes of so great a mysterie Not therefore are they guiltie because they eate Christ but because saith hee they despise the Sacrament of so great a mysterie And Theophilact Theophilact vppon these wordes saieth Hee that receiueth it vnwoorthily shall bee no lesse guiltie of wickednesse than if hee shed the very blood of the Lord. Where we see that Theophilact doth compare the vnworthy receiuing of the holie sacrament with the shedding of Christes blood and so maketh them two diuerse things And therefore in his iudgement it is not all one to receiue the Sacrament and to receiue Christ So that by these places it appeareth that the wicked may bee guiltie of the body and blood of Christ which are by the holy Sacrament represented and sealed vp vnto the faithfull and yet not receiue the body and blood of Christ Yet by the way I must needs note the false dealing of Andradeus a popish writer who to make the Apostles argument the stronger for him doeth falsifie his wordes And therefore where the Apostle saith hee that eateth of this bread and drinketh of the Lordes cup vnworthily he saith Hee that eateth the Lordes body Orthod ex pli lib. 7. and drinketh of his blood But it is no great fault in poperie to abvse the Scriptures and to adde to them or take from them as they thinke good Wee see therefore that this cleane meate is for cleane men this holy banquet is for holy guests as they had wont to crie For De benedict patriaâ— ch c. â— as saint Ambrose saith This bread is the foode but of the godlie And why because Our abiding in him Cypr. de coâ—na Domini is our eating of him and our drinking of him is our incorporating into him our seruices being subiected our willes conioyned and our affections vnited to him Therefore the eating of his flesh is a certaine earnestnesse and desire to abide in him Which things to be in the vngodly the Papists will in no wise affirme Many testimonies might be alleaged but with one shift they thinke to answer all The answer of the Papists Christ his body and blood say they may be receiued of the wicked but not the fruit or effect thereof And may Christ be receiued of any and they not to liue by him Confutation of it Can he that is full of all grace and power be at any time as it were robbed of the same God forbid For if they wil speake of his conuersing among the Iewes and of his being among many whilest he was vpon earth that got no good thereby the reason thereof is plaine it was because they receiued him not Ioh. 3.19 20. But to say that any may receiue him and is not partaker of his graces and benefites is most expresly against the wordes of our Sauiour Christ Ioh. 6.57 He that eateth me shall liue through me They can not therefore offer a greater disgrace to our Sauiour Christ than to say that any can receiue him and yet not be partakers of his heauenly graces So that whilest they take vpon them the defence of the wicked in some sort they set themselues euen wilfully to reproch the holy one of Israel But if it should be granted to them that the wicked may eate Christ how or when wil they agree what shall be done with that body blood of Christ that they so eate For themselues deny that the soules of the wicked are norished by him And that their bodies should by his body be norished is too absurd What then becommeth of his body and blood which they say the wicked receiue To answer this question resolutely and definitiuely they haue not yet agreed they neuer will they neuer can Therefore vntill they can answere directly to such inconueniences as of necessitie follow the doctrine that they teach let vs beleeue that Christ is the foode of the faithfull onely because none other but they do receiue him Let vs not heare them who in the sacraments which should be and are indeede most plaine and easie teach vs wholy to looke for miracles as doe the Papists For Christ is present by miracle and absent by miracle if they say true And so when all learning and scriptures faile then they perswade vs that we must seeke for a wonder and so make them that will giue credite to them in these their grosse deuises the wonders of the world for their folly But enough of this That the Cup ought not to be denied vnto the lay people which thing the Papists do CHAP. 15. THE PROTESTANTS BEcause it is needeful for the nourishment of our bodies to haue not meate onely to satisfie our hunger but drinke also to quench our thirst in And that Christ would represent vnto vs in his Sacrament the perfect nourishment of our souls wherevnto nothing could be added because that nothing should be wanting For this cause did our Sauiour Christ institute his sacrament of these two partes of our nourishment and gaue as well the one of them as the other vnto his Apostles Commanding them also aswel to take drinke of the cup as to eate of the bread And the Church also did practise this more than a thousand yeeres But of late the councel of Constance Anno 1415. Sess 13. did forbid it and commaund the Sacrament to be receiued but in one kinde THE PAPISTS SO that the church of Rome not regarding the expresse commandement of our Sauiour Christ neither the practise of
alleadge M. Bellarmines reasons though not alwayes because he is accounted learned amongest vs and also commeth after others so that he hath seene what others haue and hath taken out of them what he liketh And as in all this treatise my endeuour is to proue I trust with some good effect that the doctrine of the church of Rome is not catholike so that it may the better appeare I haue towards the end set downe an abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis whereby I trust the meanest that seeth it shal be able to iudge how they make an vniust claime to the catholike religion And although I know my own wants and could rather submit my selfe to be a scholer vnto many than a teacher almost of any yet because I know not how my minde giueth me that this manner of writing may do some good especially among the vnlearned that are desirous to be taught I thought my duetie forced me to take this in hand though I want many helpes and meanes that other haue And to whom should this my labour such as it is be due rather than vnto you next after that place where I did sucke as it were my first milke of learning and laid almost the foundation of that knowledge such as it is that God hath indued mee withall By your good liberalitie I confesse my selfe to be the better inabled to do any good be it neuer so little that I can do in the church of God To your Worships therefore I confesse this my trauell to be due as a simple token of my sincere heart which would haue yeelded a better remembrance if my abilitie could haue affoorded it And the rather do I dedicate this Booke vnto your W. Company that you seeing the meaning of bestowing your exhibition which is to bring vp Labourers in Gods haruest teachers in his church to be in some part performed in me who first in Oxford receiued your liberalitie as I doubt not but you haue seene much more plentiful fruit in many other you may the more willingly continue your godly course and not be weary of your wel-doing Accept in good part I pray you this simple gift and if you see in it but my desire to doe good giue glo◠y to God to whose good grace I commit you and yours and my selfe to your good prayers From my house at Ryton in the Bishoprike of Durham Anno 1595. ⧠A necessarie Table of all the principall matters contained in euery chapter of this Booke THAT the Scriptures or word written is onely Gods word and not traditions Chapter 1 That this word is sufficient Chapter 2 The Scripture a sure rule Chapter 3 Scriptures easie Chapter 4 That onely the canonicall bookes of the old and new testament are this written word or Scriptures Chapter 5 What the catholike church is that in the creede is mentioned Chapter 6 That the catholike church mentioned in the articles of our creede is not visible or to be seene Chapter 7 The church here militant vpon the earth may erre Chapter 8 Of the markes of the church or how we may know the true church Chapter 9 What a sacrament is what is the effect of it or what it worketh how many sacraments there are Chapter 10 Of the sacrament of Baptisme Chapter 11 Of Confirmation Chapter 12 Of the Lords supper and Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ and namely of transubstantiation Chapter 13 That the wicked receiue not in the sacrament Christs body and bloud Chapter 14 That the cup ought not to be denied to the lay people which thing the papists do Chapter 15 Against their sacrifice of the Masse or of the altar as they call it Chapter 16 Of true and christian repentance and of the Popish Sacrament of penance Chapter 17 Of lawfull calling into the ministerie and against the sacrament of Orders as they call it Chapter 18 Of matrimony that it is not a sacrament and that it is lawfull for all Chapter 19 Of anoiling or extreme vnction that it is not a sacrament Chapter 20 Of originall sin what it is and whether concupiscence be sin or not Chapter 21 Of the works of infidels and such as are not regenerate Chapter 22 Of Baptisme whether it doe extinguish and kill in vs originall sinne or not Chapter 23 That we haue not of our selues free wil or power to deliuer our selues from sinne Chapter 24 That by our workes we cannot bee iustified and against the doctrine of merites Chapter 25 Of iustification by faith and what faith is Chapter 26 That good works are necessary duties for all christians to perfourme Chapter 27 Of prayer to whome and how we should pray Chapter 28 Against Images in churches or anie where else for religions cause Chapter 29 What fasting is and of the true vse of fasting Chapter 30 Of Purgatorie Chapter 31 An Abridgement of Vincentius Lyrinensis with obseruations vpon the said Author Chapter 32 An exhortation to christian magistrates for to defend this truth Chapter 33 FINIS That the Scriptures or written word is onely Gods Word and not traditions CHAP. 1 THE PROTESTANTS The rule of faith life BEcause it is confessed of al that gods worde must bee the rule and square of our faith and life of our religion and conuersation It is very meete that first wee enquire what is this word of God And wee affirme What is gods word that that onelie which is contained in the Bookes of the old and new Testament is the very true word of God First bicause we are so often earnestly charged not to adde any thing to it or to take any thing from it Secondly this is prooued by the practise of the godlie of all times The Iewes most religiously kept the word written with great sinceritie and made it the Touchstone to try their actions by and by it they reformed such things as were amisse in religion especially As in Iehosaphat Ezechias Iosias and others it may appeare Christ also and his Apostles confirmed that which they taught out of the Scriptures yea they confirmed and expounded the Lawe Mat. 5. and preached no other gospell thā that which before was promised by the Prophets Rom. 1.2 And accounted them accursed that shoulde preach any other Gal. 1.6 7 8 9. Lastly the Fathers of the purer times of the Church did not only with open mouth submit their writings and doctrines to the iudgement of the Scriptures but also they tried doubts established all trueths and confuted all heresies onely by this word written THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of ROME not suffering herself to be hemmed in within so narow lists Prou. 22.28 hath remoued the ancient bounds which their fathers made and faineth that God who hath hitherto had but one voice now in our dayes shoulde speake with two tongues What is gods word in the Ro. church For they make Gods word to consist of two partes namely of the word written which we
that with diligence the scriptures must be searched and without loathsomnes yea with reuerence receiued But that wee may the more easily and euidently see how little these fathers do make for them it is necessary to see with what purpose and to what end these say that they do write of the hardnesse of the scriptures Namely not to discourage men from reading of them but to stirre them vp to more diligence and carefulnesse in reading them As may appeare by the earnest and vehement exhortations which the ancient fathers doe make not onely to all men generally Hom. 9. in epist ad Coloss but euen to lay men in particular and especially Heare saith Chrysostome all yee lay men that are present and that haue wiues and children howe the Apostle commandeth euen you especially to reade the Scriptures and not to reade them only as it were by chance but with great diligence with many other such like exhortations in that place as also in many other of his writings Saint Hierome in sundry of his epistles vnto godly women exhorteth them to diligent reading of the same he also to intice them to be conuersant therein dedicateth vnto some women som of his treatises vpon the scriptures Yea and in his preface vnto Paula and Eustochium two women before his first booke vpon the epistle to the Ephesians which is the place out of which Bellarmines second argument out of Hierome was fetched doth highly commend the study and knowlege of the scriptures And in his preface vnto his second booke doth extoll Marcella for her diligent study therein Hom. 20 in Ios preferring her before himselfe Thou wilt say saith Origen the scriptures are hard yet it is good to reade them And wisheth that we all would doe as it is written namely Search the Scriptureâ— â—â—â—nelius Agryppa reporteth 〈◊〉 S 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that in the first Nicene councell it was decreed that no christian man should be without a bible in his house And Chrysostome exhorteth euen lay men and that very earnestly to get them Bibles Hom. 9 in Coloss or at the least the new Testament So then wee see to what intent the Fathers tell vs that the Scriptures are hard namely because they would not haue vs to be careles in the study of them and negligent or to imagine when wee knowe somewhat that we neede knowe no more but as Hierome would haue vs to doe Epistol ad Pâ—â— liâ— um We must cracke the nut if wee will eate the kernell We must take paines to get knowledge assuring our selues that wee can neuer learne too much because wee can neuer knowe enough And saint Augustine in his Confessions saith Liâ— 6. cap. â— they ought to bâ— read of all But the Papists in complaining of the hardnes of the scriptures shoot at an other marke that is to make the simple people afraide that they meddle not with it that they reade it not neither yet heare it read vnto them So that besides the other slaunders wherewith they seeke to staine Gods word proclaiming it not to be sufficient but that it wanteth many things and may be wrested to any fence they adde this also that it is hard and therefore dangerous for them that are not learned to reade it And this is the very cause why they speake so much of the hardnesse of the scriptures as not onely their writings and words proclaime in all places but also their cruell executions against such as haue had in their mother tongue For libr. ◠〈◊〉 is and Momun in the beginning I say not the bible or the New Testament but euen the Lordes prayer or the tenne commaundements which they would seeme to allow vnto the people Gregory Nazianzene doth write In Apologâ—â— that some ancient men amongst the Hebrewes report of a custome which the Iewes had which he also commendeth which was that some places of the scriptures were not permitted 〈…〉 body to reade before they were fiue and twentie yeeres old but the rest of the scripture they should learne euen from their childehoode Where note that they make no difference of any state calling or sexe but of age onely and that when they were fiue and twentie yeares olde they might reade any parcell of Scripture But the Papists permit not any parcell of the scriptures to the lay people nay hardly to their priests but onely as they will followe such sence thereof as they appoint Yea I haue knowen bachellors of diuinity admitted to reade some booke of the master of sentences as the vse then was when they proceeded so that this was their conclusion They are hard therefore you shall not reade them That the scriptures are so hard as they are Papists to be blamed for hardnesse of the Scripture by their and to so many none are to bee blamed but the church of Rome that so much complaineth of their hardnesse but in trueth are sory they are so easie as is most plaine to see first in that they would not haue them in the mother tongues but when they see there is no remedy but that the scripture will be published whether they will or not they send vs a Testament from Rhennes Translations so full of Hebrew Latine and Greeke wordes turned into English letters that all the world may see that they meane nothing lesse than that they that reade it should vnderstand it And yet they cry The scripture is hard Secondly they are the cause of the hardnesse of the scriptures when in the most plaine places that are they will not suffer men to follow that sence which the words themselues and the circumstances both before and after doe affoord Interpretations but they must haue their interpretation from the church of Rome without whose approbations they must neither trust their own eies for seeing nor their eares for hearing neither yet their wit for vnderstanding of any thing When they change the very sence and wordes and where they finde Lord they put Lady as in that blasphemous booke called the psalter of the Virgine Marie they doe through the whole psalmes and some other places When the first promise that was made of that blessed seede that should breake the head of the serpent they apply as much as they dare vnto the Virgine Marie when these wordes shall be currant stuffe to proue worshipping of the Saints departed In as much as yee haue doone it to the least of these my brethren Math. 25.40 yee haue doone it vnto mee which are spoken of our goodnesse to Gods needy creatures aliue as Eckius imagineth in his common places De vener sanct when I say the people are taught thus to vnderstand the scriptures must they not needes bee hard Lastly the greatest cause of this hardnesse is that the people are not acquainted with them for they are forbidden to reade them nay Forbidding to reade scripture it hath beene death to haue them found with the
lay people And still there are that in corners seeke to perswade ignorant men and women that there can be almost no greater daunger vnto their soules than to reade the scriptures Wherein they shew themselues to be nothing of the minde of Phillip Acts 8.31 35 who forbade not the Eunuch to reade the scripture but taught him neither like to the fathers of the church some hundreds of yeares after Christ whose care was to exhort and drawe the people to the diligent reading of the same And whosoeuer they are that with diligence humilitie and prayer doe continue in the reading of the scriptures as wee see in sundry by experience shall be able in reasonable manner to auoyde and passe through those sixe impediments that I before alleaged out of Bellarmine and shall haue mindes exercised as the Apostle to the Hebrewes speaketh Cap. 5.14 and that not without great fruit to discerne good and euill And thus wee may see how litle the fathers make for that which the church of Rome teacheth in this point For the fathers say thus The scriptures are hard therefore you must reade them diligently The church of Rome cleane contrary The scriptures are hard therefore you must not reade them Therefore let vs detest as a most pestilent position that daungerous doctrine of the church of Rome knowing that whosoeuer be hee neuer so ignorant with reuerent reading seeketh to finde and with deuout prayer asketh knowledge of God shall finde much knowledge and comfort in his godly and christian exercise For Hieron ps 147. The word of God is most fat and fertile It hath in it all delicates And thus to conclude seeing the scriptures onely are Gods word and they are so sufficient and plentifull that in them the hungry may haue foode the poore treasure the rich direction the sicke physicke the whole diet the sorrowfull comfort the ignorant knowledge and the foolish true wisedome to be short seeing there for all wants we finde a remedy and seeing that rule is so true that it cannot deceiue so straight that it can not be crooked so constant to it selfe that it changeth not lastly seeing it is so easie that by diligence and prayer the godly may not learne onely but grow and increase daily from knowledge to knowledge let vs account them as deadly enemies to our soules who seeke to drawe vs from this sufficient and certaine written word of God to the doctrines or traditions of men what glorious names soeuer they giue them What shall wee then account of the popish crew that are not ashamed to teach the Scriptures to be daungerous because euill men abuse them so doth the drunkard drinke the glutton meate the prowd apparell the couetous riches and the euill men all Gods graces yet all these thinges are good and so is Gods word holy and vndefiled But nowe to the second point That only the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament are this written word or Scriptures CHAP. 5 THE PROTESTANTS SEing that the rule of the Catholike faith must be knowen De verbo dei lib. 1. cap. 2. and certaine for if it be not knowen it can not be a rule vnto vs if not certaine it is no rule at all as Bellarmine hath very wel noted only those scriptures which we according to the ancient vse of the Primitiue church and the common consent of those purer times do call Canonicall are that sure rule that can not deceiue for therefore haue they that name because they are for triall of doctrines as the rule or line for triall of workes it is certain that no other word can be that infallible word of God certaine rule of faith and religion but only the Canonical Scriptures These onely haue beene of the godly Fathers accounted to haue beene written by those whom God indued with his spirite for that cause Concil Laodicenum ca. 59. Hieron ad Paulinum prologo Galeato Out of these onlie the Fathers permit matters of controuersie to bee tried And in expounding of these that wee call Canonicall they haue bestowed their godly labours yea and them onely to bee certaine and such as were neuer doubted of among Catholike men De verbo dei lib. 1. cap. 4. Bellarmine himselfe confesseth and it is a ground or principle acknowledged of all men THE PAPISTS NOtwithstāding this name Canonicall which the ancient fathers haue giuen to these Scriptures onely to testify that they are only the certaine canon and rule of faith notwithstanding also such preheminence and excellency Bellarm. de verbo Dei li. 1. ca. 2. compared with that cap. 4. as not the Fathers onely but themselues also doe yeelde vnto the Canonicall scriptures to be of all other the most certaine rule and most infallible touchstone in all matters of controuersie the Councel of Trent is not ashamed to commaund and that vnder paine of beeing accursed to receiue these bookes that are contained in the Bible with like reuerence and deuotion and to make them of as good credite as the canonicall Scripture I say euen those Apocryphaes in which are many things absurd and whose very name sheweth them to be vnknown from whence they came who were not found in the Hebrew nor accounted by the Iewes to be Canonicall And so they doe match that word that all men alwayes and euen themselues acknowledge to be lesse certaine with that which they knowe that no good man euer doubted of Argument But lest they should seeme thus to dote without reason they vse in effect these arguments for proofe heereof The first is that these bookes which we call Apocrypha are alledged sometimes of the Fathers in their writings Answers But the answere is easie For the alledging of them doth not prooue that they who alledged them did hold them for canonicall for then should it followe that poets philosophers and such like who are often alledged by the ancient writers should so be But this rule must stand alwayes good which S. Hierome hauing reckoned vp those bookes which now in our Bibles are accounted canonicall and no other ◠rologo in lib. Reg. qui Galeatus dicitur Ruffinus in symbol prolog in Prouerb hath Whatsoeuer is besides these must be put amongst the Apocrypha Yea to be short they do alledge them because they may bee read to the edifying of the people but not to confirme the authoritie of any ecclesiasticall doctrine as saint Hierome saith of Tobie Iudith and the Machabees and Ruffinus also vppon the Creede De doct◠ina christian lib. 2. cap. 8. The second argument is taken out of Augustine because he reckoneth vp the books which we call Canonicall and also the Apocrypha and calleth all Canonicall So doth the third councell holden at Carthage also Cap. 47 with some other ancient writers Answere Admit that this were the meaning of saint Augustine and of those Fathers shall their bare authority without reason be heauy enough to weigh
of them O blasphemie intollerable if this their argument might bee allowed then the church of Rome which falsely challengeth to bee the church Caus 15. Quaest 6. ca. Autoritatem Dâ— st 34. c. sector dist 82. presbyt would soone prooue their abhominable Idolatries and heresies to be true religion And therefore doe they challenge this authoritie and striue for it And the Pope sometimes dispenseth against the Apostle as their Canonists doe note and sometimes a Councell dispenseth against the apostle and all this is to challenge vnto their church this prerogatiue that it may deale with Gods word as it will When Gregorie the thirteenth pope of that name confirmed the order of the fellowship of the blessed virgine Marie a new deuised order and come vp since the order of Iesuites in his Bull hee confirmeth and ratifieth all such priuileges as they haue or shall haue Notwithstanding anie Constitutions or Ordinances Apostolike or whatsoeuer may be against it Did you euer reade or heare any speake more like the beast mentioned in the Apocalips Apoc. 13.5 6 who had a mouth giuen vnto him that spake blasphemies But to be short I will against their argument oppose this Whatsoeuer scriptures are not giuen by inspiration of God spirit and by the godly receiued into the canon of the scripturs those are not the word of God though they haue the approbation of the latter churches but such are the Bookes which wee call Apocrypha which the councell of Trent would make of like authoritie with the canonicall Scriptures therefore those Bookes are not the vndoubted word of God And howe can any body imagine that that which once hath beene not canonicall can by continuaunce of time and confirmation of men become canonicall or that which God hath not vouched woorthy to bee his word in times past that nowe at the last he should acknowledge the same as though hee were nowe chaunged or had repented him of his former opinion Admit once this doctrine of theirs and farewell all certaintie in religion For men will wander from one thing to an other as wee see in the kingdome of darkenesse and Poperie where there is no ende of deuotions deuised and inuentions of men So that that which was good christianitie in the dayes of Christ and of his Apostles is nowe holden to be farre from the perfection of a godly life vnlesse wee doe helpe it with our will-worshippings and by the obeying the preceptes of the church Nay graunt them this and then that worde written that wee haue it shall speake nothing but Romish so that whatsoeuer is the meaning and true sense of the scriptures yet God must be taught to speake as the church of Rome will haue him De verbo dei lib. 4. cap. 11. To this ende tendeth that common axiome receiued of them all and vsed by Bellarmine The true sense of the Scripture hangeth of vnwritten traditions So that beleeue them and they will easily confute any aduersaries For first they alow for scripture what they will Secondly that which they must needes confesse to bee Scripture must bee expounded by their vnwritten Traditions That I say that is written by that which is vnwritten the certaine by the vncertaine Like to Procustes his bed which who so lay in it if he were too long he was cut shorter if he were too short he was stretched out longer So must all be made fit to their traditions Seeing therefore the Canonical Bookes haue so manifest a testimonie not onely of the godly but euen of the aduersaries themselues and the credite of the Apocrypha by so great authorities is suspect I will conclude with belâ— armines words That he is not well in his wit that not regardâ— ng â—â— e Scripture the surest and safest rule wâ— ll refeâ— re hâ— mself to the iudgement of the inward spirâ— t which is often deceitfull and alwayes vncertaine as in truth the Papists do For they will make you beleeue that because they are guided by the holy Ghost they cannot erre in their traditions This rule then of Gods written word in the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament being set downe as a rule most sure to trâ— e all doctrines with let vs now proceed to examine other matters in controuersy among vs when I shal first haue answered a common obiection wherein all the most ignorant sort especially of Papists doe maruellously trust and triumph and doe therewith deceiue others such as them selues are How shal I know the scriptures say they to be the scriptures but by the authoritie of the Church I will not answer although I might very well that absurdly they call that in question whereof there is no doubt among vs. For neither we nor they denie Gods word It is knowne of all it is receiued of vs all Therfore they put case of that there is not neither is likely to be amongs vs. But for their sakes that are ignorant I answer plainely and shortly out of Saint Augustine Coâ— feâ— li. 6. cap. 5. Thou Lord hast perswaded me that they are blame worthie not who haue beleeued thy bookes which thou hast so setled almost in all nations but they that haue not beleeued them And that I should not heare them if perchance any would say to me How knowest thou that those bookes the scripture are giuen to mankinde by the spirite of one very and most true God Yea Saint Augustine there confesseth that when he was but a nouice in religion yet was he perswaded that God would neuer haue made the whole world so to reuerence the Scriptures but that he meant to be beleeued in them and to be sought out by them We see then by saint Augustine that not onely that common account that the whole world not the Church onely maketh of the Scriptures should be sufficient to stop our mouths for asking that question but also that he flatly telleth vs that God would not haue vs to heare such faithles and fruitles obiections But I know they will by and by come vpon me with that place of Augustine Cont. epist 〈◊〉 c. 5. I would not beleeue the Gospel vnlesse the authoritie of the Church should moue me thereto Out of which they will perchance conclude as grosly as you heard Eckius hath done That the Scripture it selfe hath no credite but as the Church will bestow it vpon the same But Melchior Canus a learned Papist doth gather otherwise out of that place and doth in deed truely answere this common obiection for vs out of the said words of S. Augustine concluding thus Therefore it teacheth not Locor Theo lib. 1. cap. â— that beleeuing the Gospel is grounded vpon the authoritie of the Church but onely that there is no sure way whereby either Infidels or Nouices in faith may come to the holy Scriptures but the consent of the Catholike Church Yea he hath taught a little before in that Chapter that although to haue faith
certaine external meanes and helpes are required yet those moue vs nothing without the working of Gods holy spirit And he much misliketh of them that teach that our faith must rest vpon that point That we beleue that the church is true or cannot erre For therevpon he gathereth this absurditie that our faith should be grounded vpon the truth not of God but of man He also plainly affirmeth that if a man should aske how the faithfull do know that God hath reuealed that which they beleeue they cannot answere by the authoritie of the Church but it is by the inward light of Gods spirit that they know the same If now thou aske me how I know the Scriptures to be the Scriptures I answere out of Canus not by the authority of the Church but by the motion of Gods spirit and witnesse thereof If thou vrge that place of Augustine Canus telleth thee that they who are become Christians are not so brought to beleeue the Scriptures but onely Infidels and Nouices in religion So that this place serueth nothing to obiect against vs who professe Christianitie alreadie and beleeue the worde which the Manichies did not of whom and to whom Saint Augustine there writeth But we had neede out of that place to admonish you that in respect of that reuerence which with one consent al that professe Christianitie doe yeeld vnto the scriptures you would be ashamed so to depraue and despise them so to abuse and reiect them at your owne pleasure as you alwayes haue done You make vnlawfull that which God hath mad lawfull as for example It was lawfull in the Apostles time for euerie Priest Dion Carth. 1. Tim. 3. Bishop and Deacon to haue one wife but now by the appointment of the Pope they may not haue a wife sayth a friend of your owne a bird of your owne nest So that not the scripture or the will of God but the worde of the Pope must be the rule of our life so that whereas Augustine for the Church beleeued the scriptures you for your Churches sake controll the scriptures and disobey them And for the establishing of that vndue honour which they would bestow vpon the most happie mother of Christ the virgin Mary Marke the boldnesse of Durand a great piller in the Popish Church Rathon◠di◠li. 4. rub 6. who writeth thus Although it is said in the Scriptures that Christ rising did first appeare to Marie Magdalen yet it is more truly beleeued that first of all he appeared to his mother Is it not plaine how that to establish their foolish toyes he giueth the lie to that word that is onely true O grosse boldnesse Seeing therefore this worde hath not onely testimonie within vs which is the strongest witnesse but also with so great consent is knowne to be Gods worde be ashamed now to call it into question or to put it to the triall of the Church by which the Papists alwaies vnderstand the Romish Church whether it shal be allowed for currant or not For in deede this blasphemous sense which as I haue shewed euen their owne friends can in no wise like of is now the cōmon exposition of those words of S. Aug. I will not beleeue the scriptures vnlesse the Church of Rome do allow the Bookes for Canonicall and expound them as she shall thinke good And thus much to answer this their common obiection What the Catholike Church is that is mentioned in the Creede CHAP. 6 THE PROTESTANTS VVE say with the Apostle Saint Paul that the catholike church which is spoken of in the Creede s. Tim. 3. Is the house of God the pillar and ground of truth And with the fathers that it is the companie of all the faithfull of all times and of all places And with Saint Iohn The Bride of the Lambe Apoc. 21 9. and the bodie of Christ And therefore that the wicked and faithlesse are not of this Church nor can be counted of this companie THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of Rome to get a Catholike Church admit good and bad to be of their Church namely reprobates wicked Bellar. de Eccle. li. 3. cap. 2. and vngodly ones Neither do thinke that they neede any inward vertue to bee of their Church but onely that they professe religion and be vnder the Pope Well may they in some sort seeme to haue a Catholike Church because all is fish that comes into their net but holy apostolike it shal not be nor Catholike as in the Creed is meant Wherein this is worthie to be reproued in them that whereas they crie out in worde and writing The Catholike church of Rome and vnlesse you beleeue the Catholike Church you cannot be saued And for proofe hereof they alledge this article I beleeue the Catholike church yet when they should tell vs what this Catholike church is wherevnto we must so necessarily be subiect they onely paint vnto vs I know not what Romish Church The catholike church in the Creed and the Romish contrary which is no more like the true Catholike church than that church of Israel when it was started aside from the true worship of God was like to the true church of God that remained amongest the people of the Iewes as by these few reasons may appeare The catholike church is One One that is to say one companie and vnited and knit togither by one spirite and the selfe same graces but the reprobate and vngodly who fill vp a place in the Romish catholike church neither are one company with the Saints nor vnited to them by the same spirit and graces to be partakers of the communion of Saints Therefore that catholike and the Romish catholike Church are not all one Secondly that Church is Holy Holy and that not in part but perfectly euen without spot or wrinckle Ephe. 5.26.27 For in our Creed we doe not speake of the church that is but that shal be not that which we see with our eye but by faith not that which is perfected but hoped for which we shall not in deede behold with our eyes Reuel 21 vntill it come downe from heauen as saint Iohn speaketh of the heauenly Ierusalem Apoc. 11 which as witnesseth saint Ambrose doth represent the Church that shall bee after the ende of the world Apoc. 21 Of which minde is also saint Augustine But the Romish catholike church is of omnigatheroms as people goe to faires or markets of all sorts and qualities And although a man haue not one good thing in him not one crum of honestie hee is good enough to make vp a number in the Church of Rome but such a church is not holy and therefore not that that is mentioned in the Creede Thirdly that church is catholike Catholike that is as all the godly haue acknoledged it the mother of all Christians the companie of all the saints both in heauen and vpon earth But the Romish catholike church
Iewes had such sacrifices therefore wee must haue them Chap. 21. If this argument be denied he can neuer prooue it For the Iewes had those ceremonies and rudiments of the world because they were in their nonage Galat. 4.3 and Christ was not yet come and so the reuelation of Christ was not then so plaine as now it is therefore they needed those things but we do not And moreouer if these sacrifices were so necessary as they affirme them to be as that there is no religion without them of necessity we must haue them then were the Apostles too blame who giuing direction to the Gentiles what were necessary for them Acts 15.19.20 neuer warned theÌ„ of this externall sacrifice For seeing there was not anie such thing plainely set downe in the word of God it was needefull that it should haue beene signified to them if any such thing had bin thought necessary But Bellarm. thus prooueth his argument God hath not abolished al things in his law as he hath not taken away the commandemeÌ„ts therefore he hath not abolished the ceremoniall law I would master Bellarmine would haue taken some paines to shew what part of the ceremoniall lawe is continued But he telleth vs the sacraments are not takeÌ„ away they are but changed so the sacrifices must be but changed not taken away When hee sheweth what commission hee hath to tell God what he must doe we will regard his wordes but vntill that bee shewed hee must giue vs leaue to acknowledge all these things in Christ to be performed especially seeing the worde telleth vs not of anie commaundement to change it or when how or into what it should be changed But I am loath to confute his grosse assertions and reasonlesse reasons whereby he seeketh to keepe vs still in bondage to externall things One or two arguments mo he hath the one grounded vpon such differences as themselues haue deuised betweene a sacrament and a sacrifice the other is the generall consent of the church throughout the world the first is somewhat touched in the fifteenth chapter the other is the thing that is in question whether the true church haue acknowledged it to be a sacrifice truely so called and properly Now to conclude seeing in the institution of this sacrament there is not any sacrifice prescribed as the wordes do teach vs neither can it be proued by the scriptures neither can we find any such doctrine vniuersally receiued of the fathers in the purer age of the church Lastly seeing the arguments that are brought for defence of it are so hard and obscure so forced and wrested as they are both froÌ„ the scriptures the fathers let vs rest vpon this foundation Heb. 9.28 Heb. 10.12 that Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many Once I say and not often and that being done He sitteth for euer at the right hand of God So that either they must deny him to haue a natural body but so deified that it may be in many places at one time as Nestorius the heretike taught or that hee sitteth not on Gods right hand against that which in our creede wee acknowledge or that he hath two bodies the one in glorie and maiestie with God in heauen the other shrowded vnder a little cake the one visible in heauen the other inuisible in the earth or else they must confesse that he cannot be changed into that little peece of bread that he may so be offered vp to God his father for a sacrifice in the Eucharist Of true and Christian Repentance and of the Popish sacrament of Penance CHAP. 17. THE PROTESTANTS WE willingly confesse and carefully teach repentance that consists of the mortification of the flesh the quickening of the spirit of dying to or from sin liuing to righteousnesse of putting off the olde man the body of sinne and putting on the new man which after God is created in holinesse and righteousnes to be most necessary for euery christian man and woman alwayes and earnestly to follow and practise And whilest wee must walke here in this wicked world where we meet with manye stumbling blockes whereat we stumble and many pits into the which we fal It is impossible we should goe on forward to the end of our iorny vnles by tru repentance proceeding from a liuely faith a true sense and feeling of Gods wrath against sinne and a hearty detestation of our owne vnthankfulnes to our good and gratious god we be raised vp again to walke in his wayes to liue in his true feare So that wee finde it to bee true that Tertull. saith Wee are borne onely to repentance Wee stand alwaies so much in neede thereof through sinne THE PAPISTS BVt the Papists not content with this plaine and pure doctrine to purchase estimation and gaine to the Popish priesthoode haue deuised a sacrament of penance whose parts are contrition Contrition which we make one part of true repentance Confession Confession not to God but in the eares of the priest of al thy sinnes which hath not any warrant at all in the word and satisfaction Satisfaction which is nothing else but a blasphemous wrong vnto that satisfactioÌ„ that is made vnto God by Christ his death Of the which three partes of Popish penance Confession must be made vnto the priest and Satisfaction must by the Priest be inioyned after Confession or shrift By which meanes they did bring into miserable bondage them whose faults they knew and that they might by masses iâ— entals and such other deuises of man helpe them to satisfie for their sins they gote no small gaine And from these two fountaines pride and greedines did spring this their sacrament of popish penance Of arguments whereby they defend this their sacrameÌ„t of penance they haue no great store and those they aledge haue no great strength Their especiall and in a manner onely place that they aledge out of the scripture is wherein it is said Ioh. 20.22 23 that Christ did breathe vpon his disciples and said to them Receiue the holy ghost whose sins you remit they are remitted to them whose-soeuer sins you retaine they are retained For vpon this place doth the councell of Trent especially rely for this their doctrine 〈◊〉 â— 4. ca. 5. as do also their other writers Belike this place is very pregnant and plaine for their purpose or else their cause is built vpon a weake foundation Let vs therefore view the strength of this place for proofe thereof for the which it is brought This text mâ— st proâ—â—â— thâ—â— pâ—â—â—â—â— is a sacrament properly so called for to this and it is alleaged by Bellarmine But how it is prooued De 〈◊〉 teâ—â—â— let the indifferent Reader iudge And first if we consider the expositions of the ancient Fathers of the purer times we shal see that they neuer gathered out of these wordes such a sacrament Read and search who
his purpose speaking of iustification by faith Arg. 9 His ninth argument consisteth of two places of scripture ca. 22 The first is out of that talke which God had with Caine before he killed his brother Abel Gen. 4.7 Also vnto thee his desire shall bee subiect and thou shalt rule ouer him But that this may be an argument for freewill master Bellarmine and others contend that it should be read The desire of it shal be subiect vnto thee and thou shalt beare rule ouer it And so they prooue that sinne shall be subiect vnto Cain and he shall beare rule ouer it Therefore he had free will That manie of the fathers doe expound these words so it cannot be denied But not what they say is only to be regarded but how they proue it yea the Iesuites that wrote In dialog 2 the censure of Colen will be therein my warrant for they hauing condenmed some of the auncient fathers to haue spoken hardly because they accounted the workes of infidels how good soeuer they seemed to be but sinne doe then fall to trie how their proofe will warrant their doctrine So must I heere examine vpon what ground the fathers doe thus expound it And this I need not feare to do For themselues giue me leaue to examine that they say If then saint Hillarie haue giuen vs a true rule to interprete the scripture when he sayeth Lib. 9. de trinit The vnderstanding of that which is spoken must be looked for of the wordes that go before or of those that followe Let vs see what interpretation is to bee gathered out of the circumstances of that place that wee may with the Church receiue the fathers but not with the fathers forsake the faith of the Church In Commonitor contra haeres as Vincentius Lirinensis warneth vs. First then euen in respect of the verie Grammer if the relatiue in both places must agree with the antecedent then this worde It which is the relatiue in both places as they would haue it or rather his or him as we say being of the Masculine Gender which themselues cannot denie the worde Sinne which is of the Feminine Gender cannot bee the antecedent to those Relatiues although it goe next them which maister Bellarmine vnlearnedly affirmeth And therefore that translation and interpretation of the place standeth not with the rules of Grammer Secondly the circumstances of the place teach vs so much Cain is angrie that his brothers sacrifice is accepted of and his not Therefore when God hath questioned with Cain of his anger hee bringeth this as an argument to pacifie him because that Cain being the elder brother should still haue the prerogatiue of the elder brother and Abell should bee subiect vnto him And that this is the plaine and natural sense of the wordes I proue by sundrie reasons First because in the former Chapter God speaking of the subiection of Eue vnto Adam as they cannot but confesse Cap. 3.16 vseth the selfe same wordes there that are here vsed And therefore by all likelihoode hee speaketh of the same matter also here that there he did howe Abell should be vnder his elder brother Conferre the wordes together you shall see them agree Secondly how impertinenly had the promise of free will beene made in that place vnto Cain God hauing reiected his sacrifice and knowing his furie towards his brother yea not any one circumstance inducing thereunto But thirdly their owne doctrine doeth strongly confute them For if they that are not regenerate as Cain haue the power of their will by their owne confession weakened and so clogged that they cannot haue free wil to doe good then this cannot be verified of sinne howe could God say that the lust or desire of sinne should be vnder him or that he should haue dominion ouer sinne being a gracelesse and cruel man Yea the euent did presently declare that hee was subiect to sinne and that sinne got the dominion ouer him So that I cannot see how they can be excused from seeking to make God a liar that affirme that God there promised that Cain should subdue sinne the euent being so plain contrary Which because I know it to be farre from those godly fathers I will rather thinke that they did but allude vnto that place then expound the words And thus I trust it is plaine that neither the rules of Grammer nor the circumstances of the place neither yet their owne doctrine of free will can well stand with that interpretation that they doe bring As for his second authoritie which is out of Ecclesiasticus the booke it selfe not being canonical Eccle. 15.14 15 16. a necessarie argument cannot bee gathered out of the same And that man at the first had free will it can not bee denied and of that especially the place mentioned doeth intreat De grat liber arbit lib. 5. cap. 23 Now certaine other arguments out of the scripture there are alledged whereunto I will briefly make answer The first out of Deuteronomie where Moses hauing shewed them how he hath deliuered to them Gods word in obeying whereof is life Deut. 30 19. and in contempt of it death hee then addeth Therefore choose life that thou and thy seede may liue Wherin Moses doth nothing else but earnestly stirre vp the people to endeuour to the vttermost of their power to serue God Not shewing what they can effectually applie themselues vnto by the power of their will but what they should doe in respect of their duetie towardes God or care of their owne good As for that of Iosue Iosue 24.15 Choose you this day whom you will serue When Iosue who had good experience of the frailtie of the people and their readinesse to serue other gods had set before them the great mercies of God in their mightie deliuerance and preseruation from many perils the more strongly to tie them vnto God hee putteth them to this choise not because he would haue suffered them to haue worshipped strange gods if themselues would for that had beene contrarie to the dutie that God required of him being a magistrate but to this ende that themselues hauing made choise to serue God might by this their owne voluntarie submitting themselues to God bee vrged to serue him more sincerely as by the 22. verse appeareth And this choise also is rather what external profession they would be of which is a matter in our owne power rather then of the inwarde affection which is the thing in controuersie betweene the Papists and vs. For this we denie and they should proue that wee are able by our free will to doe things that are truely good and to eschewe the things that are euill And that this choyse that they were put to was what externall profession they would be of the wordes themselues declare Choose sayeth hee whether ye will serue the Gods which your fathers serued or the gods of the Amorites I and my house
cal the Scriptures and vnwritten which they call Traditions Traditions And the traditions say they were either deliuered by the Apostles themselues to some special men and therfore are called Apostolike or else are set downe by the Church and for that cause called Traditions of the Church Traditions equall with the word Now traditions are made equall and to be receiued with as great reuerence as the Scriptures euen by the Councel of Trent Ses 4. decre 1 Preferred before the word the most modest Papists But there are others who in their excesse of impietie preferre the trâ— ditions before the word written and make them of greater force than it as Pighius in his Ecclesiasticall hierarchie Eccl. Hierar lib. 1. cap. 4. Thesi 9. In his preface Wolfgangus Screckius Nay in that he wil by traditions haue all doctrines tried he manifestly subiecteth the pure written woorde of God to the prophane deuises of man BVt to take away the proppes of this their ruinous building let vs see what grounds or foundations for so Melchior Canus a learned Papist termeth them they lay of this their doctrine Obiection Melchior Canus in his common places of Diuinitie and Bellarmine in his controuersies lib. 3. cap. 3 Bellar. lib. 4 〈◊〉 of Gods worde dâ— written and others also set this downe as a most neceâ—â—â—rie principle That the Church is more ancient than the Scriptures As in trueth the Church was more than two thousand yeres before there was any written word of God in bookes and therefore Bellarmine inferreth That the Scriptures are not simply necessary Answere First this ground doeth not vpholde that which is in controuersie among vs. For they shoulde prooue traditions to bee a part of Gods worde so that without them Gods word could not bee counted perfect And to proue that they tel vs that it was more than two thousand yeeres before the woord was written Which maketh nothing for them vnlesse they can shew vs that this word which is now written is not that same that before was deliuered by tradition vnto the fathers of that old world For the question betweene vs and the Papists is not of the maner of deliuering Gods word whether it were deliuered by word or by writing but of the matter namely whether Gods word be any thing else than that is written in the old and new testament which we deny but they affirme it because the word was so long time vnwritten yet the church was not then without the word So that because the word was reuealed after an other manner the Papists wil haue it another word Whereas in trueth that same word that was from the beginning Iohn 1.1 what word that is that is written is that verie word of God that was so long after the beginning written for the Iewes and is now deliuered vnto vs. Wee must therefore take heede that they deceiue vs not by the double signification of the word Scripture which sometime expresseth the manner of deliuering the word namely by writing and so we confesse the scripture was not so ancient as the church by mo than two thousand yeares but sometime the word Scripture signifieth the word it selfe which is deliuered vnto vs as it is commonly now taken and in this place must so be vnderstoode And so hath the word written beene from the beginning That is to say that the selfe same word which God by word of mouth as we say and by tradition did teach the patriarkes hee afterwards did cause to be written which word wee call the holy scriptures And further also we must remember that one manner of deliuering the word of God Diuerse maners of deliuering the word at diuerse times is fit for one time and an other manner of deliuering it for an other time As may appeare by that which hath beene said how that God hath in his infinite wisedome seene it needefull to deliuer it one way afore the Lawe in an other sort vnder the Lawe and the Gospell although not in like measure in both these latter times So that this argument cannot stand good The scriptures haue not beene written in the first age amongst the patriarkes therefore they are not necessary now amongst vs in these dayes to whom God hath by them reuealed his word Which argument is strongly confuted by Chrysostome that learned and ancient Father In Matth. hom 1. But to these men who are as Tertullian calleth the Heretikes of his time lucifugae scripturarum De resurrect carnis such as shunne the light of the scriptures and flee from it I may say as the same Tertullian speaketh in an other place De prescript Beleeue without the Scriptures that yee may also beleeue against the Scriptures Let them seeke the desert of their owne deuises and follow the trod of their owne traditions to finde out some couert for their superstitions but let vs content our selues to dwell in the cities of the Lawe the Prophets the Gospel and the Apostles which are the Scriptures and not goe out of them In Mich. li. 1 as Saint Ierome speaketh For euery word of God is pure Prou. 30.5 6 hee is a shield to those that trust in him Put nothing to his word lest he reprooue thee and thou be found a liar That this VVorde is sufficient CHAP. 2 THE PROTESTANTS This word is sufficient NOw this written word of God because it is sent vs froÌ„ that most gratious God that hath loued vs and chosen vs in Christ before the foundations of the world were laide Eph. 1.4 that we might be holy with out blame before him and is brought vnto vs by that most excellent Prophet In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Coloss 2.3 and therefore can teach vs Heb. 3.2 who also is faithful and therefore wil deale truely with vs yea who so heartily loueth vs that hee died for vs and therefore doubtlesse will be careful to teach vs what behooueth vs to knowe Seeing also the Apostle saint Paul doeth testifie that he kept nothing backe that was profitable Acts 20.20 27 but shewed them all the councell of God We therefore beleeue the Scriptures to be written Ioh. 20.31 that wee might beleeue and beleeuing might haue eternall life 2. Tim. 3.16 And that the whole scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse 17 That the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes that is that the Scripture is so sufficient and perfect that it hath no want it needeth no supply nothing must be added THE PAPISTS BVT the Church of Rome knowing that Tertullian wrote truely De resurrect carnis That Heretikes if they be made to proue that they say by the Scriptures can not stand do find fault that they should be so straitly limited and tethered that
down so many fathers and reasons as partly I haue alleaged to the contrary and might haue alledged many mo But their meaning is plaine enough For although S. Augustine and that Councel of Carthage and others say that all those bookes are canonicall yet wee must vnderstand them according to their meaning They diuided all the scripturs that went in the name of scriptures but into two parts Those which they called Apocrypha De ciuit Dei lib. 15. ca. 23 lâ— b. 3. cap. 25 Euseb had many fables as may appeare by saint Augustine now all the rest they called Canonicall so that they comprehend vnder that name all that Eusebius and others do vnderstand both by such bookes as were without all controuersie receiued of al men and such as were not generally receiued of all but well liked of many And they comprehend all these in one name not only because that in comparison of the other that were fabulous these were good but also because they were read commonly of them although not for establishing of anie doctrine as before I haue shewed yet for reformation of manners And that S. Augustines meaning was not to make like account of all appeareth not onely by that rule which himselfe setteth downe in that very chapter after he hath reckoned vp those Bookes canonicall Those canonicall bookes which are generally saith he receiued by the common consent of all Churches De doctrinâ— christiana li. 2. cap. 8. 30 are to bee preferred before them that are reiected of many but of those whom we call Apocrypha Origen Athanasius Epiphanius Melito Hierome Ruffinus and many other haue doubted but also by his practise For it will appeare how that somtime himself doubteth of some of them which we deny to be canonicall namely of the Machabees hee writeth thus against the second Epistle of Gaudentius the Donatist Lib. 2. cap. 23 This peece of Scripture of the Machabees the Iewes do not so account of as of the Law the Prophets and the Psalmes vnto the which the Lord giueth testimony as vnto his own witnesses saying Al things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law the Prophets and the Psalmes of me but it is receiued of the Church not without profite if it bee read or heard soberly Wherin first I note that the Iewes with whom the word of God was kept before it came to vs did not account it canonicall Secondly note how he magnifieth the witnes of the scriptures which are indeede canonical calling them the Lords owne witnesses And thirdly how coldly hee intertaineth the bookes of Machabees saying the church readeth them and that with profit if they be read soberly by reason of some good examples in them But yet more plainely in his Bookes of the citie of God Lib. 18. c. 36. The reckoning of time from the restoring of the Temple is not found in the holy Scriptures that are called Canonicall but in other writings amongst which are the Bookes of the Machabees which the Iewes reckon not canonicall but the church doth bicause of the extreame strange sufferings of some Martires Wherein wee see how that S. Augustine saith that wee knowe not the story of those times after the temple was built by any canonicall writer but yet by the Machabees wee know it therefore the Machabees are not canonicall And yet the church accounteth them saith he canonicall because of the examples of the Martyres in them As if he would haue saide Although those Bookes be not indeede such as you may build your faith vpon yet they are for some things worth the reading Which two places I stoode vpon the rather because Bellarmine alledgeth them De verbo de lib. 1. cap. 15. especially this latter as a speciall pillar to hold vp those Bookes of Machabees But howe truely let the Reader iudge Arg. 3 Their third and last argument is taken from that authority which they imagine the Church hath to approoue or disprooue Gods word And therefore is it so often repeated by Bellarmine handling this point That the Councell of Trent hath allowed such Bookes De verbo dei lib. 1. De ecclesia So that hee iumpeth right with that which most blasphemously Eckius hath set downe that twice within few lines he liked so well of it That the Scriptures are not authenticall or canonicall without the authoritie of the church And Canus setteth himselfe to make a full discourse against them that say Lib 2. de locis Theol. ca. 6 That the Scripture needeth not the approbation of the church And thus they must reason The church hath allowed those bookes to be canonicall which you call Apocrypha according as did also the ancient fathers therefore they are canonicall Answere That the weakenesse and wickednesse of this argument may appeare let vs first consider who is the Author of the holy scriptures which the Apostle declareth as plainly as can be when he saith 2. Tim. 3.16 The whole scripture is giuen by inspiration from God Therefore the scripture is the word not of man but of God Secondly let vs see how this word came to vs whether by tradition of the church or by special reuelation Which also is plainly answered by saint Peter saying 2. Pet. 1.21 that prophecie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were mooued by the holy Ghost What will we then say shall we imagin that God would direct by his holy Spirite the mouthes of his seruants to speake but not their pennes to write God forbid Thirdly the men whome it pleased God to vse as his meanes in setting downe this word were knowen vnto the church of that time wherein they flourished and their calling so confirmed vnto the godly that without all doubt or wauering they receiued those writings as Gods word because they knew the authors thereof to be directed by Gods spirit And this is the difference that the ancient fathers doe make betweene those Bookes of scripture whose authors were knowen and their bookes alwayes receiued and therefore called Canonicall that is such as deliuer rules for life and doctrine that are infallible and those other that are called Apocrypha because either it was not knowen who wrote them or else it was not knowen that they were indued with such a spirite as they could not erre in any thing And therefore their Bookes were not receiued of the church then Is it not then intollerable pride in the church of Rome to commaund silence vnto God himselfe and not to suffer him to speake but when they giue him leaue and to proclame it vnto the world that euen his word is not of credite vnlesse it be by their approbation and allowance of the same And yet thus doe they say when they affirme that the Scriptures are not Canonicall but by the approbation of the Church Yea some make them no better than Esopes Fables if the Church allowe not
we derogate anie thing herein from the power of the spirit whose direction if we could follow we should neuer do amisse but impute it to our owne weaknes ignorance corruption whereby it commeth to passe that euen the godly many times grieue Gods spirit and suffer him not to haue his perfect worke Other arguments also they haue but they haue scarce any shew of truth and therefore I thinke them not worthie answering for their places out of the fathers doe commend the faith of Rome that then was and their constancie in the same but what is that to this degenerate church of Rome that now is of the church whereof we may say as one saith of their citie that a man will seeke Rome in the midst of Rome So a man will seeke the church euen in the midst of their most shewe of religion and yet not finde it Of the markes of the Church or how wee may know the true Church CHAP. 9. THE PROTESTANTS WE must iudge of the tree of the church by the fruits that she bringeth foorth that is by the faith or religion that shee teacheth the confession or profession of the same that she maketh the exercise of the same that she vseth but we cānot iudge truely of these her fruits but only by the scriptures as in the fiue first chapters hath beene shewed therfore the true and infallible tokens or markes of the true church are to be had out of the word of God or the Scriptures THE PAPISTS NOwe the Papistes will haue their church to bee the true church because shee hath by vniust claime a good name to bee called Catholike Name catholike Antiquity Continuance Greatnesse Succession because shee is ancient and hath lasted long she is great and hath alwayes borne fruit such as it was for these are the first fiue notes reckoned vp by Bellarmine Lib. 4. de notis eccles and indeede their chiefest which especially they rest vppon And may not an euill tree haue all these properties Yes verely And as for the rest of his marks in the iudgement of an indifferent Reader they will neuer be accounted true markes of the Church excepting those notes wherein he seemeth to consent with vs to try the church by the word namely by holinesse of doctrine Because I haue in another treatise shewed I trust sufficiently that those markes of the church which they make greatest account of neither are any true markes and that we may make as good claime to them as they can it shall now be sufficient briefly to passe ouer this point and with one or two arguments to answer this question The scripture the true note of the true church Those markes of the church whereby wee may truely know the church and not be deceiued those I say onely are the true markes of the church But the scriptures onely are such Therefore they onely are the infallible markes The maior or first proposition no man will deny And that the Scriptures are such may appeare by infinite testimonies De pec merit remiss lib. 1. cap. 22. Saint Augustine saith it can not deceiue nor be deceiued And against the Donatists de bapt lib. 2. cap. 6. calleth the Scriptures the holy wey-scales or ballances Cap. 1. And in his booke de bono viduitatis he saith that the holy scripture doth set him his rule how to teach And to be short writing vpon saint Iohns Epistle he saith that Against deceitfull errours In Ioh. epist tractatu 2. God would set a strength or stay in the scriptures And Chrysostome saith vpon Genesis Hom. 12. in Genes that the Scripture wil not suffer him to erre or go astray that heareth it And therefore Gregory Nazianzene sometimes calleth the Scriptures The Kings high way Matth. 24. And our sauior Christ although he foretold the danger of error a litle before he suffered yet doeth hee not giue the Disciples any such markes whereby they should know the true Christ or true church as the Papistes speake of but he earnestly commendeth his word vnto them Ioh. 14.15 23. 15.7 And feruently prayeth vnto his father to sanctifie them with his trueth Ioh. 17.3 17 namely with his word for he knew that to be the way to keepe them from errour By all which it appeareth that the scriptures onely are accounted that perfect rule not only by the iudgement of the fathers but also by the practise of our sauiour Christ But most plainly S. Chrysost saith Opere imperf hom 49 That the true Church can be knowen only by the Scriptures I know that Bellarmine answereth this place in his 4. booke de verbo Dei ca. 11. after two sorts First that the booke sauoureth somwhat of Arianisme But in these words what Arianisme can Bellarmine finde Yea Bellarmine himselfe doth in other places alleage this booke But his second answer I confesse is very forcible For he telleth vs that in a booke printed of late that place is left out Haue they not thinke you answered the place strongly when they haue thrust it quite out of the booke If they had vsed Chrysostome onely in this sort yet were it too bad dealing but it may appeare by Franciscus Iunius his preface before the booke called Index Expurgatorius that they haue left few of the Fathers vncorrupted I would to God therefore that this and such other gelding and falsifying of the fathers by that deceiuing church of Rome which seekes to make them al say as she doth could stir vp the christiā princes that professe religion in a godly care to prouide for the safetie and maintenaunce of religion and the trueth thereof in time to come Which in my iudgement can not well be perfourmed except that to preuent the credite of those falsified copies which within short time are almost onely like to remaine because the ancient which are the truest wil be worne out the godly Princes by common consent woulde take some speedy order for printing of al the fathers according to the ancientest and most pure copies that might be found The second argument is this Whatsoeuer notes do not teach it to be euidently true that the church whereof they are the notes is the true church of God may deceiue and therefore are not certaine notes of the true church But such are the notes that the Papists would haue vs to beleeue therefore they are but deceitfull notes De verbo de◠lib. 1. cap. 2. The maior or first proposition is most true and may well bee prooued out of that axiome or rule that Bellarmine setteth downe saying De notis eccles li. 3. ca. 3. That the rule of the catholike faith must bee sure or certaine The minor or second proposition is Bellarmines owne confession euen in the selfe same words that I haue set downe Therefore it followeth necessarily that we must not trust the notes of the catholike church set downe by them CHAP. 10. Before I beginne
there is no sacrifice vpon a table but onely vpon an altar De missa lib. 1. cap. 17. Yet master Bellarmine roueth againe with his vncertaine proofes The fathers saieth hee speake of priests therefore they will haue a sacrifice in the eucharist And why may not the fathers vnderstand priests as wee doe in our booke of making of ministers and in our booke of common prayer who succeede in the publike ministery in the church the priests of Leui Leuit. 10.11 Deut. 17.5 mal 2.7 not in sacrificing for the sacrifices are ended but in teaching for that was also the priests office and is now the office of them that we sometime call priests And yet we although we vse the name do not alow that popish sacrifice which Bellarmine would haue And why then should this be holden for a good argument The fathers speake sometimes of priests Therefore the eucharist is a reall sacrifice or a sacrifice after the proper signification of that word As for that which hee hath in the eighteenth chapter of that his first booke of the masse is almost all one with that which hee saide in the fifteenth chapter and therefore it is answered before But his last proofe Chap. 19 whereby hee will out of the fathers prooue a sacrifice is as himselfe saith vnanswerable vnlesse we do vtterly reiect the fathers The fathers desire not to be credited against the trueth They were men they might erre Onely Gods word is perfectly true And therfore as wee do them no wrong to trie and examine their doctrine by that rule and square that cannot deceiue How the fathers are to be receiued so if it be not agreeable to that word of trueth wee must rather confesse all men to be liars than swarue one iote from that perfect way And therefore it is not absurd if wee leaue the fathers when they goe without their guide of Gods written word or speake without their warrant of Gods infallible trueth So that although wee are content to shew how the father 's wrested by them either must or may be vnderstoode that by that meanes wee may pull from them that visard of antiquitie consent of fathers wherewith they cloke and colour their dangerous and deceitfull heresies yet we receiue the fathers but as men and therfore no masters to giue vs new lawes but yet men of excellent gifts in their time and alwayes worthy of much reuerence and honour But yet this is not a good argument The fathers haue somctime written this or haue done this Therefore it is true or it is good But let vs view his vnanswerable argument If the eucharist were not a sacrifice the fathers would not haue offred the same for peace safety and sundry such things but they did therfore it is a sacrifice Marke howe hee prooueth that they did offer the eucharist for such things Hee first alleageth Chrysostome in his homilies to the people of Antioch Hom. 79. Hom. 7â— and then also vpon Mathew most notably belying that father as though he spake thereof the sacrifice in the eucharist whereas the first whole Homily is altogether of praier and Chrysostome there sheweth that they pray in deed for the whole world and for sundry persons but of standing at the altar not a word And therefore master Bellarmine belieth that father And in the second place Wee pray first for them that are possessed the second for the penitent c. Is this good dealing to auouch that that ancient father saith in those places that the Eucharist was offered for such things Other falsifications of these very places I omit as not much materiall When I heard his great cracke I imagined this shot would haue made a great breach but it is like to doe no hurt at all Then for that which he alleageth out of same Augustine that the Eucharist was offered by one for freeing a certaine house from euill spirites De ciuit Dei lib. 22. cap. 8. It is true that he reporteth such a thing and addeth That hee prayed as earnestly as he could that that vexation might cease First it is not saint Augustine himselfe that doth this but another and this fact is not either commended or allowed to be wel done of saint Augustine But they wil answere The euill spirits left the house And therefore the euent prooueth the fact to be good Not so but it is an argument of Gods might and mercie that can and will by euill or the abuse of good meanes bring to passe good things Secondly it may iustly be doubted whether saint Augustine did impute this effect vnto that sacrifice that he speaketh of or the earnest prayers that were made for it Yea it seemeth rather that he imputeth it vnto the sacrifice of prayer than any other sacrifice Moreouer it seemeth that as in the dayes of saint Paul there were that were baptized ouer the dead either to declare their hope of the resurrection or to testify their dying vnto sinne or for such other considerations so in these dayes of S. Augustine some vpon such occasions would celebrate the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ by that assurance and pledge of Gods loue to stirre vp and confyrme their faith that with more earnestnesse and faith they might craue Gods helpe But if master Bellarmine would haue this to be a catholike doctrine that hath but one or few examples he will haue Vincentius Lirinensis flat contrary to him Confess li. 9. cap. 12. So that also that is alleaged of the oblation for his mother it can not bee denied that there were at that time some such abuses creeping into the church of God concerning that charitable superstition that I may so terme it of prayer for the dead of the which some had good liking some liked not But out of them it is hard to establish a strange doctrine in Gods church and such as Gods word is not acquainted withall But euen by that booke of S. Augustine it is plaine and namely by the next chapter to the place alleadged that S. Augustine did not once thinke of any propitiatory sacrifice that was in the masse And I would also desire the indifferent Reader to iudge how litle such matters sauour of the maiestie of that spirit which is seene in the scriptures Bellarmines last sort of arguments are drawen from reason The first is grounded vpon this principle De missa lib. 1. cap. 20. there is no religion without an externall sacrifice which is most false for God when he seeth his people to whom he commanded those external sacrifices to repose themselues too much vpon them doeth not onely reiect those sacrifices which himselfe appointed but also teacheth wherein true religion consists Isa 1.15 16. and Mich. 6.8 Yea marke the whole scriptures it wil appeare that faith obedience are the especiall things that god requireth of vs that the sacrifices directed therto His second argument taken from reason is this The
therfore themselues within so few yeares doubted yea and are not yet fully resolued whether that sacrament giue grace without the which it cannot bee a sacrament in the Popish church they giue vs iust cause to suspect nay flatly to affirme that it was not a sacrament instituted by Christ For if it had before this time doubtlesse themselues at the least woulde haue resolued of such principall points thereof And if Christ did not institute it a sacrament then also we may deny it at all to bee a sacrament For neither men nor angels may institute any sacraments as Bellarmine hath truely noted De sacram Matrim lib. 1. cap. 2. Neither are they yet agreed whether euery marriage is this their sacrament For Canus in the place before alleaged thinketh not any matrimony to be this sacrament but that onely that is solemnized by the Priest But Bellarmine with all the skill he hath opposeth himselfe against him De sacram Matrim lib. 1. cap. 7 yea it is high time he should so do For hee plainely confesseth that if that opinion of Canus be true then they shall neuer out of the scriptures or councels bee able to prooue the sacrament of matrimony Then wee see it standeth him vpon to doe what he can For either must the marriages not solemnized by the Priests bee this sacrament and so euery man and woman is a minister in this sacrament which his own friends will in no wise graunt vnto him or else matrimony is not a sacrament And then they haue deceiued the world some hundreds of yeeres Thirdly matrimony can not be a sacrament because the promise of grace is common vnto all sorts of men and women And therfore the sacraments and signes also of those graces shoulde belong vnto all sortes But in the Popish church matrimony is denied to some sortes as to their cleargie Therefore by their owne doctrine it can not be a Sacrament especially such a Sacrament as baptisme and the eucharist for they are common to all sortes Marriage lawfull for all men but matrimony they say must not so be And this is the second point of their doctrine which must be examined For it seemeth to mee very strange that they who haue nowe so magnified this estate of life that it must be no lesse than a holy sacrament doe so sodainely debase the same that they thinke it not pure enough for their shorne and annointed creatures But I looke that they should come against mee with an answere out of master Bellarmine De sacram matrim ca. 5 that their Priestes in deede are forbidden to marry but not in that respect that it is a sacrament but because of those things that followe marriage and are impediments and lets to them in their calling And yet neither all the consequents of marriage are denied to their clergie For master Bellarmine telleth vs there that if a man and wife being married together will promise continencie they may well enough take their orders and are truely both married folkes and priests So that not cares or troubles that are incident vnto married folkes oftentimes are any thing to bee respected in this case For cleargy men may haue all these but the especiall duety of marriage they may not perfourme Whereby the Papists to defend the credit of this their sacrament doe robbe the Cleargie of that thing which is the especiall representation of the coniunction of Christ and of his church whilest they would make these beleeue that the performaunce of the duety betweene man and wife is a thing not to be suffered in Cleargie men The very ground of this assertion of master Bellarmines is that hee thinketh not the copulation of married folke to bee of the substaunce of Matrimonie And this he prooueth by some testimonies out of the fathers in that fift Chapter But yet himselfe will not that this his saying should bee so vnderstoode as if that hee sayd that the vse of marriage is not any way of the substaunce of marriage Chap. 6 For afterwardes hee sayeth that this their sacrament may haue two respects As it is made and as it is continued As it made that is if I be not deceyued as the mutuall consent of parties ioyneth them together by their promises the consent expressed by such wordes is the matter and forme of their sacrament And thus must wee vnderstand that common rule in their lawe that consent maketh marriages And thus doe the fathers vnderstand that which they say concerning the substaunce of marriage to consist in the mutuall consent partly because after such consent giuen the parties are not free to chaunge the choyse which they haue made Deu. 22 23 24 And partly because that euen by Gods lawe if parties after such consent giuen shoulde carnally knowe another it was death for them so to doe which could not bee but because this their consent is after a sort the marriage it selfe This if it represent any thing to vs doeth but represent that ioyning of Christ with vs by spirituall loue Chap. 5 as Bellarmine himselfe confesseth But that is not any speciall benefite or singular For hee loueth all his creatures and wept for the destruction of his enemies And one man may be so ioyned with another But it is a speciall grace that marriage representeth vnto vs to vs I say that after a peculiar manner belong to him Namely howe wee are made flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones howe our bodies are the members of Christs bodie howe in deed hee is as in name hee is called God with vs. This is represented vnto vs but by that copulation that is betweene man and wife whereby as before by consent they were of one minde so nowe by it they are one bodie For by copulation the wife is made one bodie with her husbande And this doe I take to bee confessed by maister Bellarmine himselfe when hee telleth vs that in the seconde respect by Matrimonie is meant that which continueth And then must the bodyes of them that are marryed needes be the matter of this sacrament euen their copulation and dwelling togither And therefore he alloweth well of the iudgement of Peter Soto that thinketh euen this vse of Matrimonie to bee the matter not onely about which this Sacrament is occupyed but of which it is made or consisteth If then it bee the matter of their Sacrament which they denie to their Cleargie it is not true that maister Bellarmine saide that they denie not their Cleargie men to marrie as marriage is a sacrament For they deny that to them which is the substance of their sacrament This may also appeare by the definition of matrimonie which we may finde in the fathers Strom. 2. li. De Monog Marriage sayeth Clemens of Alexandria is the first lawfull ioyning together of man and woman for the procreation of children And Tertullian is inquisitiue what is marriage before God and findeth it to bee when God ioyneth
thing yet master Bellarmine wil not thinke it sufficient that a bishop should be chaste because he knoweth that Saint Augustine and other of the fathers affirme that there is chastity in mariage but he will doubtles spie some greater vertue in continency then in chastity and therefore he will haue a bishop not chast only but also continent But if we must seeke for a difference betweene these two wordes I take this to be it that continencie is of shorter continuance that is to say but an abstinence for a time and chastitie is a vertue that indureth And the examples brought by master Bellarmine himselfe approue this difference But Chrisostome and Theophilact doe take continencie to be an abstinence not from lusts only but from al vice so that as Theophilact saith he must rule his tongue his handes and his eies Hierom vpon these wordes saith plainelie that the Apostle neuer speaketh of continencie or incontinencie but in respect of wanton lustes but yet he taketh continencie to be such a vertue as may be in maried folke And therefore the Apostle saith he hauing spoken of a bishop that hee may haue one wife least he should seeme to permit incontinencie to them addeth this and with Hierom agreeth Primasius So that they make continent and chaste all one 1. Cor. 7.3.4.5 For although married folke must performe the duties of mariage one to another yet so as they passe not the boundes of chastitie or continencie This reason then is not good Priests must by Saint Paules rule bee continent therefore they must haue no wiues But on the contrarie Saint Paul in that verie place where he requireth in a bishop continencie doth permit at the least that he shoulde be the husband of one wife therefore in mariage there may be continencie Tit. 1.6 As for that which hee alleadgeth out of Councels popes fathers and reason because they proue not that which hee hath vndertaken to proue Chap. 19. it is not worth an answere For the title of that Chapter is That single life by the Apostolicke law is verie well tyed to the holie orders And when hee hath snatched at one poore worde and findeth no greate helpe in it hee seeketh to prooue by Councels popes fathers and reason that single life hath beene commended of some commaunded of others But that the Apostles commaunded it hee prooueth not and that hee tooke in hande But on the contrarie the Canons that are called the Apostles haue this Canon Can. 6 Let not a bishop or Priest put awaie his wife vnder pretence of religion If hee doe it let him bee excommunicated if hee stande in it let him bee reiected But what saith master Bellarmine to this He answereth out of one Humbert a Cardinall that to put away his wife de cler li. ◠cap. 2◠is to haue no care of his wife But if we marke the fiftieth Canon of the Apostles wherein there is a prouiso that none shoulde abstaine from mariage because hee thinketh it to bee euill it will easilie appeare that the sixt Canon was made to ouerthwart the foolish opinion of them that condemned mariage as a thing more vncleane then that it should be fit for priestes or bishops And thus much to proue that mariage of priestes is not euill of it selfe or vnlawfull in respect of any commandement in Gods word Now that it is also lawfull I am perswaded by these reasons First because of the vncertainety of the contrarie doctrine for some say that sole life is commanded by God others denie it as you haue heard Againe there are and those papists too that say the lawe of abstaining from mariage Fab. Tract 4. in Luth. de mat clear for the clergie was first made by pope Siricius who liued almost four hundred yeares after Christ although Iohn Faber report that Calixtus forbad it somewhat before But Bellarmine and others thinke in no wise that it may be suffered that this their doctrine shoulde bee thought so farre shorte of the times of Christ and his Apostles Some holde it a necessarie lawe Bellarm. li. 1. de clericis cap. 18. others but conuenient And such diuersitie of doctrine in these and such like pointes is if not an inuincible yet a verie probable proofe that their doctrine hath no sure grounde in Gods word no great consent of antiquitie and that is the cause that there is no certaine doctrine of it amongest themselues and such is their agreement also concerning that other point whether matrimony be a sacrament or not Secondly the weakenes of their proofe doth euen proclaime vnto the world the weakenes of their cause For the most and best learned of them doe confesse that God hath not commanded it And the proofes that they bring out of the Apostle for it as it seemeth haue so little waight in them that Bellarmine is ashamed to alleadge them As for that small holde that he could get out of the Apostles words Tit. 1.8 That a bishop should be continent how little it can helpe his cause you haue heard before Seeing therfore that either they bring nothing worth hearing out of Gods word or apply vnto the clergy only that which the Apostle speaketh to all men and weomen indifferently such is all that they alleadge out of the 7. Chapter of S. Paules first epistle to the Corinthes we are the lesse bound to beleeue whatsoeuer they out of the fathers shall teach vs concerning this matter Who themselues doe charge vs to examine by the scriptures their writings and not to beleeue any thing that they shall teach vnlesse they teach such things as are agreeable vnto Gods word Yea since their arguments are so weake that euen Panormitane and other papists whom Iohn Faber in some respects spareth to name because they saw no necessary consequence in them although they liued in daies of greater darckenes than wee do God be praised for our light indeuoured to obtain that mariage might be lawful for the clergy as Faber reporteth yea and pope Pius the second Cont. Luth. Tract 4. was so little moued by those arguments that he had wont to say that there was great cause that priests should be forbiddē to marry Pla◠in the life of Pius 2. but greater that mariage should be permitted vnto them and the Ambassadours of catholicke princes were earnest suiters in the names of their princes to the councell of Trent that mariage might be free for the clergy Since these arguments I say were not able to persuade these men so deuoted to their doctrines as it is knowen they were how much more may we reiect this their lawe as hurtfull to Gods church and iniurious to our wise Law-maker and suspect it not to rest vpon good ground Thirdly the most blasphemous commendation that they giue vnto this estate of life and the efficacie and vertue that impudently and vntruely they do ascribe vnto the same maketh me thinke it is but a bird of their
say that this their Sacrament is not truly and properly a Sacrament instituted by Christ for so doeth the Councell of Trent Wherein I knowe not whether they haue somewhat wounded themselues Cap 1. both because they say themselues but a little before that it is insinuated by Christ which is lesse than instituted And also it is tanquam vere propriè Sacramentum as it were which is a doubtfull speach truely and properly a Sacrament De sacram Vnct. cap. 2. But let vs see howe maister Bellarmine prooueth this to bee a Sacrament out of that place of saint Iames. Hee can finde as he supposeth the outwarde signe The outward signe True it is there is an outwarde signe but it is not that which is required in annoyling nowe for nowe it must needes be consecrated but then it was not The Apostles did vse it especially against the diseases of the bodie but this Oyle is in the Popish church vsed especially for a remedie against the sickenesses of the soule Therefore I graunt it was in those dayes a signe of health of bodie whilest God left with his church that gift of healing but it was neuer a signe of spirituall grace which is it that now they do affirme As for the health of the bodie they so little regarde that it should be vsed to that ende that they must not in any wise annoyle them but such as they haue no hope that they may escape Whereas the Apostle saint Iames would haue it done to that ende that God forgiuing them their sinnes which are many times the cause of sickenesse they might be Healed as saith saint Bede vpon this place As for the promise which is a seconde thing that must be in a sacrament The promise of grace master Bellarmine maketh no doubt but that he can proue it because it is said The Lord shal raise him vp and if he haue sinned they shal be forgiuen him The meaning of the apostle in this place is verie plaine that wheras in the daies of the primitiue church there were many myracles wrought by the apostles and others they did not those things by any power which they had in them selues but by the prayer of faith the sicke were healed And if their sinnes were the cause of their sicknesse as they are many times although not alwayes Iohn 9.3 as by saint Iohns gospel it appeareth hee promiseth that God to the ende that they may not doubt but that they shall bee healed will take away their sinnes and forgiue their offences which otherwise might bee a let or hinderance And that this condition is to be vnderstoode in this promise it is plaine by these wordes And if you haue committed sinnes For the apostle nothing doubted but that they had sinnes For if wee say wee haue no sinne 1 Iohn 1.8 wee deceiue our selues and there is no truth in vs. But hee might iustly doubt whether sickenesse was alwayes layd vpon men for and in respect of their sinnes Therefore to doubt whether they might haue sinne or not belongeth vnto them that knowe not the corruption of mans nature which wee cannot thinke of the apostle saint Iames. But to knowe that God doeth not alwayes sende afflictions in respect of sinne hee had learned by that which our Sauiour Christ himselfe sayde vnto his Disciples of the blind man Neither hath this man sinned neither his parents Iohn 9.33 but that the workes of God may be manifest And for this cause saint Iames saith If hee committed sinnes they shall be forgiuen him that is if his sinnes haue beene the cause of his sickenesse his sinnes shall be forgiuen him that his sickenesse may cease So then the promise of forgiuenesse of sinnes which should especially serue to make this oyling a sacrament is but conditionall whereas in the true sacraments in deede the promise of forgiuenesse of sinnes is most certaine otherwise wee should not haue in the vse of them any true comfort Thus then seeing sicknes sometime commeth of sinne sometime of other causes the apostle sayeth if it come of sinne not onely the man ouer whom the elders make their faithfull prayer and whom they so oynt with this visible oyle shal be raised vp but also his sinnes the cause of his sicknesse shal be taken away But that not forgiuenesse of sinnes was especially regarded in this ceremonie but bodily health the fathers afore named doe proue and maister Bellarmine cannot denie but that sundrie of the Papists do affirme whilest they teach that the Apostles in the 6. of saint Marke his Gospell did practise the selfe same thing that saint Iames commaundeth The institution of this Sacrament But for the institution of this sacrament maister Bellarmine can bring no proofe at all but onely in respect of this promise of saint Iames which if it be not of spirituall grace as I trust I haue proued that it is not then is there no institution of this sacrament to be found Then wee see that all this whole building hangeth vpon a weake foundation to bee grounded vpon one onely authoritie and that so little to the purpose vnlesse it be racked besides the meaning and that out of that Epistle which although it be in our churches receyued and read yet we know that the authoritie thereof hath bin doubted of and therefore the lesse force hath it to proue any thing that is not taught in any other place And especially for their annoyling that is now vsed in the Popish church which is farre vnlike that which the apostles vsed there is in that place no proofe at all And as master Bellarmine hath the better lyking to expounde this place of saint Iames of another oynting than the apostles vsed marke eth sixt chapter Cap. 2 because as hee saieth Luther Caluine and Kemnitius doe take both places for one annointing euen so doe I and that with much better reason mislike the Popish anoyling because it commeth so neare vnto that practise of the heretikes of whom Ieremie speaketh li. 1. cap. 18. That they redeeme their dead at the ende of their race or trauell powring oyle and water vpon their heads And whereas master Bellarmine would proue out of Epiphanius that this oyntment was vsed when they were dead And therefore therein they differ from the Papists yet saint Augustine in his booke of heresies saieth Cap. 16. they did it when they were dying So that master Bellarmine must not thinke so to face out the matter as if those heretikes were nothing like them And whereas they vsed water also with their Oyle although they differ therein from the church of Rome yet the difference is nothing so great by many degrees betweene the Papists and those heretikes as is betweene the apostles and the papists for this poynt as maie appeare by that which before hath beene saide De sacra vnct li. 2. cap. 4. But after this great scarcitie of proofe out of the scriptures
out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth euill It is then most certaine that where the spirite of regeneration is not to sanctifie the heart as in the infidels it is not wee can looke for no workes but such as proceede from that bitter roote of sinne which must needes bee euill and vnsauourie before God It may iustly be wondered at why they who take vpon them the name of holy catholicke church such as account themselues the members thereof doe so stifly and stubbornely maintaine so bad a cause and defend yea commend the actions of such godlesse men For not only the particular writers among them excuse from sinne the actions of Infidels Sess 6. can 57. but also the councell of Trent doth hold them all accursed that dare say they are truly sinne But their feare is least if the nature of man be set forth in her owne colours and duely considered of the doctrine of merite by workes will seeme more absurd But if the workes of gracelesse and godlesse men may be thought to be voide of sinne how much the rather maie we thinke that the works of the faithfull may be so perfect that they may merite at Gods handes And in truth no man can denie but that there is no comparison betweene the workes of the godlie and the vngodly Therefore that they may prepare a way for their doctrine of merites they would first make vs beleeue that euen in the wicked there may be good workes And least men should condemne the corruption of this our nature being not renued by the spirit of God as it iustlie deserueth and so sincerely confesse that we haue in vs no good but that it commeth wholy from God the councell of Trent doth not any thing mislike those opinions that commend the works euen of infidels yea attributing some merit vnto them as doe some of the scholemen but onlie accurseth them that accompt them to be sinne Sleiden comment li. 23. An. 1552. And a Franciscan frier reading vpon the second chapter of the epistle to the Romanes did most blasphemouslie teach in the hearing of manie of them that were at the councel and in the time of the councell that They who had no knowledge of Christ and yet liued honestly were saued Which his vnchristian doctrine was so farre from being condemned by that Antichristian councell that the diuines that were sent from the protestantes to that councel made their complaint to the emperours Ambassadours that he was heard with great liking And indeed the councel did not accurse that doctrine or him that taught it No the councel did not determine but as Andradius telleth vs Orthodoxarum explicat li. 3. hath left it free for euery man to thinke as they wil of the workes of them that are not regenerate this only that councel will not permit vs to thinke that they are sinne because they are not of faith That therefore that the scripture teacheth vs wee maie not once thinke of but all other absurd opinions of men are very tollerable Is not this strange dealing that the spirit of truth only must not speake and the lying spirits of foolish men may saie what they will But let vs see what reasons they alleadge to induce them to this persuasion I wil saie nothing of that which maister Bellarmine nothing like a graue deuine which should with all diligence and praier search out and with all humility submit himselfe to the trueth but rather like a foolish wrangling sophister whose care were onely to contend to make good that which he saith most impudently affirmeth enquiring what knowlege of moral vertues men may haue by the powers of nature Gods general help De gram libero aâ— bit li. 5. cap. 1. Of two opinions he preferreth one and why So much the more gladly saith he we doe embrace and defend it howe much the more our aduersaries mislike it I see now it is no great maruel though these pretended catholickes doe manifestly and wilfully gainsaie and withstand manie thinges most consonant to the infallible word of God For I perceiue that if we like of it it is cause good inough for them to mislike of it Only this will I saie that because this persuasion is foolish and dangerous Iam. 2.1 Saint Iames giueth a good caueat to all that are of such an humour My brethren haue not the faith of our glorious Lord Iesus Christ in respect of persons But to like or mislike in respect of the man is to haue it in respect of persons But hee hauing thus professed that generall reason whereby he is setled in his persuasion commeth afterwardes in the same booke to other particular reasons His first reason is this Cap. 9. God is saide manie times to rewarde the workes of the Infidels but God will not reward that which is sinne The first argument to proue that all the infidels works are not sinne therefore not all the workes of Infidels are sinne If I should examine the particular proofes that hee bringeth of his first proposition the weakenesse thereof will soone appeare For he must proue that the workes of infidels are rewarded of God For proofe whereof his first example is of the midwiues Exod. 1.21.17 that came to the women of Israel in their trauel in Aegipt of whom the Scripture giueth testimony that they feared God hath in that verie place and before also Why then doth he reckon them amongst infidels Then also the rewarde which he saith was promised to them the best learned in the Hebrew tongue apply not to the Midwiues but to the Israelites of the increase of their families Ezech. 27.18 19. The second example is out of Ezechiel where God promiseth to giue Nabuchad-nezar and his army as their wages Aegipt for their seruice which they did against Tyre Which seruice against Tyre if maister Bellarm can commend in Nabuchad-nezar as a good worke wherein hee had only regarde vnto his owne cruell and proud affection he will hardlie finde anie euill His third and last place out of Daniel Daniel 4.24 wherein Daniel giueth councel to Nabuchad-nezar to redeeme his sinnes by being good to the poore it is not very pertinent to the purpose and I shal God willing haue more fit place afterwards to speake of it Although therefore it doth easily appeare that his maior is not proued by him yet I will confesse that God is saide to rewarde such men in respect that he giueth good successe to them and prospereth them to set forth by them his owne glorie Alluding vnto the wages that seruantes haue for their worke Who although they bee not alwaies of the best yet good reason they should haue their wages for their worke The minor is that God will not rewarde sinne I grant in that respect that it is sinne hee will not But in euerie action there are to be considered manie things First the deede as in this that Nabuchad-nezar did
also that we should performe to no other but to him those seruices and offices that are due vnto God amongst which inuocation or praier is one Secondly that commandement which more particularly toucheth this point Psal 50.15 Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee is flatly broken if we doe call vpon any other Thirdly the prophet Dauid doeth seeme to make it a property belonging to God only to heare our praiers Thou that hearest our praiers to thee shall all flesh come Psal 65.2 And therefore if wee will be heard we must pray to God only Fourthly Cont. Arian Orat. 2. Athanasius proueth Christ to be God because he is praied vnto in distresse Whose argument had not beene good if any other besides God might haue beene praied vnto Fiftly faith only belongeth to this life so that the Saintes haue it not in the life to come De iustif li. 2. cap. 4. 7. as maister Bellarmine himselfe affirmeth very truely but praier without faith auaileth not and How shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeued Therefore the saints after this life cannot pray for vs or at the least their praiers cannot auaile Sixtly as it is not an office laid vpon the saints to pray for vs in all the scriptures so they regard nothing in the life to come but only Gods glory as may appeare by the exercise of singing praise to God only as in the Apocalips manie times is ascribed vnto them So little care they haue of their owne priuate estate much lesse of our affaires but of those things only that belong to gods glory Thus then we see concerning this first point in controuersie concerning praier that we must not pray vnto any creature but to God only De beatitud Sanct. li. 1. cap. 19. Popish argumentes for inuocation Gen. 48.16 But yet let vs see how M. Bellar. wil proue that we maie praie to the creatures Iacob saith of Iosephs children The angell that deliuered me from all euill blesse the children therefore Iacob praieth vnto the angel That which there he calleth the angel is God as appeareth not only by the words because before he called him God but also Chrysostome expounding this place vers 15. In Genes Hom. 66. Iob. 5.1 not once naming the angell maketh him to aske al these things of God And that which he alleadgeth out of Iob is of like force Call now if any will answere thee and to which of the saints wilt thou turne for many of the Hebrews vnderstand this of the saints that are aliue as if he had said what good man is of thy mind or wil take thy part Some expounde this place of the angels but so as they make Eliphaz to aske this question to whom amongst the angels Iob wil turne scoffingly As if he had said if thou shouldst aske of them it were in vaine they would not answer thee But howsoeuer it is it is certaine that heere is no mention of inuocation or praier vnto the angels Philippus Presbiter in Iob. but rather as it seemeth by Phillippus Presbiter vpon this place a taunting reproofe of Iob if he beleeued not Eliphaz his words But howsoeuer it is expounded heere is no good argument for inuocation or praier vnto angels For the Godly haue often turned themselues vnto the angels but not to pray vnto them As for that that Moses said Remember Abraham Isaac and Israel thy seruantes Exod. 32.13 respecteth not the merits of these fathers but the promise made to them as in that place appeareth for it followeth To whome thou swarest by thine owne selfe and saidst to them I wil multiply your seede Which words doe plainely burden God with his promise made to them Neither doth that which maister Bellarmine alleadgeth out of Theodoret proue any thing ◠o the contrary For he saith that Moses vsed the helpe or defence of these patriarkes And why not rather in respect of Gods promise which we know hee is able and ready to performe then of their merits Theod. quest 67. in Exod. So that if there were any inuocation or praier to them as there is not it is onlie a request that God will remember them and therefore this place belongeth not to the matter now in question but if there were any praier vnto them we see that it cannot bee concluded out of this place that Moses would haue God to regarde their merites But maister Bellarmine will helpe the matter with a testimonie out of the Psalmes Lord remember Dauid and al his kindnes Psal 131.2 There saith maister Bellarmine Salomon praieth in respect of his father Dauids merits but the word vpon which his whole argument dependeth that heere is translated kindnes may be trāslated Affliction And S. Hierom trāslating the psalms according to the Hebrew doth so translate it And how can he thinke with such vncertaine proofe to make good so bad a cause But I hasten to that argument that coulde neuer yet be answered for so maister Bellarmine saith And it is this We may desire them that are aliue to pray for vs therefore we maie pray to the saints that are departed If maister Bellarmine had not liked so well of this argument I should not haue thought it worth any answere For to praie one for another whilest we are aliue is both warranted and commaunded of God but to praie to them that are gone wee haue neither commaundement nor promise And there is greate difference betweene praiers which the papists woulde make to them that are dead and such requestes as the godlie haue made or we may make to them that are aliue to praie for vs. But maister Bellarmine will strengthen his argument by remoouing the causes that maie hinder this inuocation or rather their intercession for vs. First if wee saie they will not praie for vs hee answereth they haue greater loue than they had and therefore they will But what manner of loue they haue to vs ward is not described in the Scriptures And therefore we cannot of that their loue which is vncertaine gather any certaine argument But sure I am their loue towards God and our sauiour Christ is so great that they will not rob either God of his glory or Christ of his office of mediation And they cannot pray for vs because as before I haue shewed euen out of maister Bellarmine that they want faith And whether they know that we pray or not it is vncertaine As for the wrong that is done vnto God if any but he be praied vnto which maister Bellarmine imagineth to be the fourth let why they cannot pray for vs he answereth that if that be any hinderance to Gods glory Coloss 2.23 it also is against Gods glory that they who are aliue should request other to pray for them Which his answere how foolish it is the very wemen and children maie easily perceiue how the one hath commandement the other must
goe amongst the wil-worshippings especially if wee consider the practise of inuocation in the popish church For although now to make some faire shewe of their doctrine they will teach vs De beatitud sanct li. 1. ca. 17. that the saints Are not the immediate intercessours vnto God for vs but obtaine our requestes of God through Christ as maister Bellarmine teacheth yet it cannot be denied that men and women haue had confidence in the saint it selfe haue vowed and performed their vowes vnto the same for their deliuerance haue praied vnto the same for helpe Act. Mon. pag. 1117. 1443. And these men haue not beene reproued no they were thought to haue a good deuotion and to merit thereby but some haue beene accused of heresie for not praying in their trauell to the virgin Mary Yea they haue published a blasphemous thing called the Psalter of the Virgin compiled by Bonauenture in which whatsoeuer in the Psalmes and some other scripture is spoken of the Lord is most wickedly by them applied vnto the Virgin Mary whom they call lady Yea to be short it is almost as full of blasphemies as of words An infinite number of their owne prayers might bee brought against them out of their owne bookes to testifie against themselues of that superstitious confidence which they haue had in the creature and yet would they now perswade the world that they neuer meant they should make intercession to God for vs but by Christ but in trueth they made them rather gods than mediators As when the virgin Mary is willed to command her Sonne and to shew her to be his mother Or when vnto her they pray thus In al our trouble and distresse help vs most holy virgin Mary And thus haue I thought good briefly to examine their proofes out of the scripture and to take away that shew of reasons that they made out of Gods word I might haue brought their owne fellowes to testifie against them that whilest they will seeme to alleadge scriptures they doe but wrest them In Enchirid. cap. 15. De Theol. loci li. 3. cap. 3 For Eckius a stowt Papist doeth frankely confesse that the inuocation of saints is not expresly commanded or taught either in the olde or new Testament But Melchior Canus better learned than hee doeth say that neither plainely nor yet couertly it is contained in the Scriptures And therefore we see that they doe alleadge Gods word but to blinde mens eies as though they had some warrant out of it not because they thinke their arguments pâ— ooue that which they teach Seeing therefore their doctrine is so quite voide of all warrant out of Gods word and that which they do seeme to bring is so weake and wrested as may appeare I trust I may conclude with Tertullian that this commaundement De praescrip aduersus haer aske and yee shall receiue agreeth to him that knoweth of whome to aske euen of him of whome somewhat was promised that is of the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Now for the second point which is Christ our onely mediatour that Christ Iesus is this only mediator between God and man to offer vp our prayers vnto God Wherein our aduersaries do not deny but he is the mediator but they had wont to tell vs Eckius in Ench. cap. 15 that he is the onely mediator of redemption and yet they rob him also of that office by the Popes pardons and such baggage but there may be many mediators of intercession say they But master Bellarmine hath found out another shift namely that they are but intercessours by Christ as before I haue shewed But howe doeth master Bellarmine prooue that the saints make intercession by Christ for vs. Hee hath not so much as one word out of scripture for it neither yet out of any ancient father His onelie proofe is out of saint Bernard who liued eleuen hundred yeeres and more after Christ Is this a doctrine to be receiued now as catholike that hath so long beene buried in silence and will not yet perchance be very well liked of Indeede that Christ is our mediatour he prooueth well but that which he would especially haue vs to beleeue is left without witnesse as I haue shewed De beatitud sanct li. 1. ca. 17 Well then I will take it as a thing granted by master Bellarmine that Christ is onely our immediate mediatour to God and no saint no angel or any other creature which thing the scriptures prooue plentifully And I will by Gods grace shew also that they may not be mediators by or to Christ for vs. First there is no warrant for it in the word and therefore it must not be receiued of vs whose rule for life and religion the word â—â— st be Secondly I haue shewed that the saints departed haue not faith and therefore they can not pray Thirdly to ioyne them with Christ in the office of Mediation doeth shewe that they feare that either hee can not by himselfe perfourme that office which God hath laide vppon him and that is blasphemous Or that hee will not at our request do it vnlesse hee be intreated by others Seeing hee hath died for my sinnes shall I doubt whether hee will heare mee if I doe pray If hee bid mee aske seeke knocke and promiseth thou that I shall haue finde and to open will hee not bee as good as his worde Hebr. 2.17 In all thinges it became him to bee made like vnto his brethren that hee might bee mercifull 18 and a faithfull high priest in thinges concerning God Ebr. 4.15 that he might make reconciliation for the sins of the people For in that he suffred and was tempted 16 hee is able to succour them that are teÌ„pted Our high priest is touched with the feeling of our infirmities Let vs therefore goe boldly vnto the throne of grace that we may receiue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of need Let vs I saie our owne selues come vnto him in this assurance that he will not faile to heare and helpe vs. For he calleth Come vnto me all yee that are weary and laden and I wil ease you Matt. 11.28 Shall we be afraid to draw nigh vnto him that calleth vs so louingly Or shall wee thinke that wee shall neede to sende mediatours to intreate him that sendeth his embassadours to vs to intreate vs Nowe we are embassadours for Christ saith saint Paul as though God did beseech you through vs 2. Cor. 5.20 wee pray you in Christes steede that you bee reconciled to God Let vs therefore saie with S. Augustine or whosoeuer it was that writ those bookes that goe in his name Lib. 2. cap. 1. Of the visitation of the sicke I speake more safely and sweetely to my Iesus than to any of the holie spirites of God Yea this grosse and absurd persuasion Saint Chrysostome in many places seeketh to remoue as they that do read his
Pagans had of the vse of their Idols but also that popish vse of images to be laie mens bookes And seeing in al these points they are so like as if they were twinnes of one birth why should we doubt but they are al one But they are not more like in anie thing than in that definition of an idol which maister Bellarmine himselfe hath set downe De Imag. li. 2 cap. 5. The image of God the father De Imag. li. 2 cap. 8. An Idol saith he is a false likenesse But the popish images are false likenesses therefore they are idols First the image of God the father to be made like an aged man which maister Bellarmine liketh wel of is but a false likenesse For graie heires and age are rather a token of weakenes than a picture fit to set foorth Gods maiestie and shew him rather to be pitied than powerful Yea but God appeared saith M. Bellarm. to Daniel hauing The haire of his head like the pure wool Daniel 7. ◠It is true but he bid not Daniel paint him so He appeared in that shape to Daniel only whom he had indued with a principal spirit but did not shew himselfe so vnto the people He appeared vnto his seruants in sundry shapes not often in one sort to shew that he must not be made like vnto anie one of them for none of them all can set him forth vnto vs as he should be set forth therefore if we wil make them they are but lying similitudes The image of Christ And for the image of Christ it is but a lying likenesse For his very shape or outwarde forme is not by them expressed but one painteth him after one sort another after another sort But the especial things that we should receiue comfort or instruction by cannot bee painted his godlines of life his office of beeing redeemer and mediator These things which are the chiefest the grauer cannot graue the painter cannot paint These are liuely described in Gods booke But they that are most giuen to images care lest to learne these thinges And seeing the image cannot teach vs these things for wee see nothing in it but a stocke or stone or some other mettall made like a man which cannot stirre or moue or helpe it selfe therefore it is a false likenesse But false also are such images in another respect namely because the eie beholding it draweth the minde from the consideration and meditation of better thinges and hindereth more heauenlie cogitations False because they intise to lies Ier. 10.14.15 Habac. 2.18 And therefore wel saith God by his Prophet Ieremie Their melting is but falshood they are vanity and the work◠of errours What profiteth the Image saith God by Habacucke For the maker thereof hath made it an Image and teacher of lies These bookes then they are of a false print and teach not truelie but as are idoles euen so are these images false likenesses De consens◠euang li. 1. cap. 10. And therefore worthely did S. Augustine finde fault with them Who sought for Christ his apostles not in the holy scriptures but in painted wals And this is indeed a dangerous falshood vnder pretence of religion to draw vs from true religion And by satisfying the eie with a faire shew to rob the soule of the spiritual comfort and instruction Lastlie they are like in name also Which thing although M. Bell. others would faine deny yet G. Martin a great enemy to vs euen in this cause Against our english translat ca. 3. sect 15. In Exod. 20. cannot but grant that the greeke word Idolum maie signifie an image And Caietanus also another piller of poperie doth make an idol an image alone although M. Bellar. censure him for it And the Hebrew names are so general De imag li. 2 cap. 7. as that they may very wel serue for image or idol yea there is in the vse of them small difference Sometime their names shew and tell what they are as vanities lies abhominations yea dirtie and dungie Sometime they are called according to their making grauen or molten Sometime according to the effect that they worke in such as serue them they are called fleabogs Cap. 3. sect 5 Psal 106.36 and where Gregory Martin translateth they Serued grauen Idols the word signifieth vexation Because idols bring vexation to them that serue them they are so called But the words as I haue said are very general And therfore vniustly and without cause doth Gr. Martin find fault with our english translations for translating Ca. 3. sect 20. Exod. 20.4 Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image For the wordes doe so well beare it that euen their owne latine translation which they allow so wel of doth often translate that very word image as we doe for the most abhominable Idols that are as the images of the temple of Baal 2. Kings 11 1◠Ezec. 7.20 16.19 Ezec. 23.14 the idolatrous images which the Israelites made the images of the Caldeans And that word which with the Hebrews most properlie signifieth a likenesse or image doth their old translation translate an Idol De Imag. li. 2. cap. 5. if this word Simulacrum doe signifie an Idol as maister Bellarmine saith it doth For Tselamim wich in Hebrew signifieth likenesses or images that latin translation calleth Simulacra Idols 2. Cron. 34.3 Hos 11.2 and els where If the old translatour might indifferentlie vse the wordes that are of one significatiō why maie not our translatours do the like but they must by and by be falsifiers and corrupters And more euidently to proue that the olde translatour did not acknowledge this nice difference marke the place that we alleadge against them out of Habacucke Habak 2.18 and it will appeare that he maketh images that grauen thing which in this commaundement Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen thing is forbidden all one putting no difference betweene them For thus doth hee translate that place What profiteth the grauen thing For hee that made it hath grauen it a molten thing and a false image Where he plainelie calleth that an image which before he did translate as the word doth in truth signifie a grauen thing If this be no fault in him I trust the indifferent reader will not thinke it to be a fault in vs. Well then images and idols agreeing so wel as they doe in matter forme vnabilitie vse definition and name why maie they not bee birdes of one nest and whelpes of one litter one of them taken for the other If wee also consider how in other places of Scripture the idols are described and compare those descriptions with that which we see and know to be in their images Psal 115.4.5.6 we shall see them to be alike Their Idols are siluer and gold the worke of mens handes They haue mouthes and speake not eies and see not eares and heare not noses
that that these things merit or deserue Gods wrath to be turned away He cannot proue it We denie not but God looketh vpon these things but not for the merit of them but for his owne mercies And therefore master Bellarmine hath not yet prooued that fasting doth merit And this is the thing that hee should proue But on the contrarie A true vse of fasting in our fasting we acknowledge our selues to bee vnworthie of Gods creatures and that by our sinnes wee haue depriued our selues of the vse of his benefites and deserue not euen these his ordinarie graces which the verie beastes themselues maie freely enioy And in this heartie acknowledging of our owne vnworthinesse wee prostrate our selues before Gods mercie seate seeking for mercie not pleading but fearing and refusing our merit Now of this popish opinion of merit by fasting hath sprung vp another abuse in fasting Of popish fasting dayes That the papists haue dedicated these their fasting dayes not onely to the seruice of God for they supposed that they could by such meanes please him whereas it is all one to him whether wee come full or fasting so that wee come so as our hearts may bee most sitte to serue him but also to the honour of their Saints imagining thereby to deserue some fauour at their handes And for this cause did they deuise to fast vpon their Saintes Euens and at such other times as wee see the Popish Church vseth not so much to tame the flesh for that fasting we also affirme to be necessarie neither yet in any politike respect which belongeth not to our question but euen because they foolishly thinke that in so doing they worship God and the Saints and do a thing acceptable to him And to this ende is also appointed their lent fast their wednesdaie and fryday fast saterday fast embar fast the fasts of aduent and cogation weeke But that these cannot be accounted times of necessitie to be kept and obserued for fasting in respect of any religious obseruation of the same it cannot better be proued than by that diuersitie of opinions and iudgement which M. Bellarmine himselfe is forced to confesse to be in the ancient fathers De bonis operibus in part li. 2. As they shall vnderstand that reade of the book before alleadged the fifteeneth the seuenteenth eightteenth and nineteenth chapters As for their fastes vppon saintes eues they come after al the rest Seeing therefore there is herein such diuersitie it is plaine enough that neither any certainty of doctrine can heere be gathered neither can they cal it a catholicke religion that is like Iacobs coate of many colours farre from vnity of faith But with saint Hillary I maie say In ps 118. A It is most hard for a man by the doctours of this world to vnderstande the meaning of heauenly precepts And this I could wish that at al times we would striue by this and other good meanes to tame our rebellious flesh and that we also would prepare our selues vnto the holy exercises of our religion either by this or anie other way that maie further therein but that fasting it selfe doth make vs acceptable to God wee must not thinke And out of this their opinion of the merit of fasting ariseth another most absurd doctrine of binding the conscience to their lawes of fasting Their lawes of fasting bind not the conscience Li. 2. de bonis operibus in part ca. 7. Ierem. 5.6 as the church of Rome teacheth with one consent as M. Bellarmine confesseth And he wil proue it by the example of the Rechabites who vpon the commandement of Ionadab their father abstained from drinking of wine A weake proofe The Rechabites obeied the politicke lawe that their father Ionadab gaue them therefore the church may binde mens consciences with the law of fasting It is one thing to bind the conscience another thing to require external obedience The fast and holie daie which is commaunded to be continued in the storie of Hester is like vnto it Hester 9.31 for a day of remembraunce of Gods great benefit towardes them but not to binde the conscience Such also is the fast mentioned in Zachary of the fourth fifth seuenth and tenth monethes which although it might perchance vppon good and godlie consideration be taken vp and we debarre none but exhort all persons to humble themselues vnto the Lord yet how little their conscience is bound thereto it partly appeareth because God faith in the former Chapter that they did not fast vnto him and willeth them to harken vnto the ministerie of prophets and to execute true iudgement and shewe mercy and compassion euery man to his brother not to oppresse for these are in deede good workes that God regardeth in comparison of which hee little esteemeth those their fastes Partlie also because God wil turne their fasting into feasting into ioy and gladnes and prosperous high feastes as there he saith Act. 15.29 And lastly he bringeth that law that the apostles set downe of not eating the bloud and things strangled A law I saie made by the direction of Gods spirite as there is witnessed for a lawe whereof they can finde no such praise A law that was made according to the necessity of that time to auoide diuision and for the better vniting and gathering of the church of the Iewes and gentiles as M. Bellarmine confesseth and therefore such a law as lawfully might be made For in thinges indifferent the church maie take order for the quietnes or anie other waie for the benefit of the fame Whereby they would establish a law for euer to binde the conscience A law I say which themselues wil confesse we are not bound vnto but doe against that law that the apostles made But how could we breake that law if it bound the conscience Or if it doe not binde the conscience why doth M. Bellarmine bring it to proue that the church may tie or bind the consciences of the faithfull vnto their lawes of fasting Thus we see that not one of all the places alleadged by him out of the scripture doth prooue the necessity of these lawes of fasting which so straitly they command Therefore by the weakenes of their proofe we may see the falsenes of their doctrine Difference of meates Now I come vnto the last point of their doctrine which we mislike which is the difference of meats that they make Wherein if they doe not conspire with the Ebionites and sundry other hereticks that did condemne flesh as a thing vnpure yet it seemeth that they haue bin brought vp in the schoole of the heretickes called Apostolici Serm. 66. in Cantica of whom S. Bernard reporteth that they would eate no whit-meate milke and whatsoeuer came of it or whatsoeuer was ingendred But our aduersaries tel vs that the Ebionites Tatianites Maniches Priscillianists and such other heretickes doe vtterly condemne flesh as vncleane or vnlawful to be eaten at any time
that al the temporall punishment is not alwayes pardoned with the sinne And the Iesuites of Colen say that this commeth often to passe And so they all teach that not alwayes but often it is so But this is a very doubtfull doctrine for the afflicted conscience that would faine finde comfort and release of sinnes But so must it alwayes be nothing but doubting nothing but wauering so long as wee trust to our owne satisfactions No quietnesse and securitie but onely in Christ But because I haue spoken else-where of our satisfactions or workes how little auaileable they are I meane not to stay vpon this point But for the example of Dauid which is alleadged both by Allen 2. Sa. 12.14 maister Bellarmine and the rest whereby they chiefly indeuour to prooue that punishment may be inflicted the sinne being pardoned it maketh little for them For seeing there are in sinne two things as themselues will confesse the verie corruption it selfe and the danger or condemnation that followe◠h it the condemnation being taken away by forgiuenesse of sinne yet the corruption or infection of sinne still remaineth as before hath beene taught in the three and twentieth chapter The cause of chasticements Esa 48.10 God therefore sometime chasticeth his seruants to humble or reforme So he chasticed the Iewes Sometime to trie and prooue them whether their hearts bee right or not so did hee prooue the Israelites in the wildernesse fortie yeeres Deut. 8.2 Sometime to glorifie his owne name and for example to others as in the storie of Iob appeareth Then they can not reason thus Dauid was afflicted therefore it was to satisfie for his sinne For God wee see may send affliction for many other causes and not that wee might satisfie any thing by temporall punishment But master Bellarmine replieth against this answere out of the very wordes For there it is saide 2. Sam. 12.14 Because thou hast caused the ennemies of the Lorde by this thy deede to blaspheme the childe that is borne to thee shall surely die Where he noteth the cause saieth master Bellarmine why Dauid should be punished True but not thereby to satisfie for that he had done But that the enemies of God seeing the chasticements that God laieth vpon his children and how that Gods iudgements begin euen at his owne house and with his owne deare seruants 1. Pet. 4.17 they may the rather looke for his heauie wrath if they turne not to him And thus much for the right vnderstanding of the place But what is this to purgatorie for Dauids sinne was mortall and therefore could not be helped by purgatorie by their own doctrine De purgat li. 1. cap. 9. for M. Bellarmine saith they al agree therin To what end then doe they bring in Dauids punishment for a mortall sinne to shew howe God will take away veniall sinnes or howe doth it folow Dauid was here punished for his sinne therefore all men here or else where must be punished But to handle this question as briefly as I can master Bellarmine himselfe doth handle it doubtfully Iren. lib. 5. and so vncertainly yea and as Irene speaketh so vnconsequently and so euil agreing with it selfe that he giueth iust cause to suspect the truth of it Where the place of purgatorie is they haue not yet agreed Bellar. de purg li. 2. c. 6 Cap. 6. but are of eight sundrie minds And although in the first booke of purgatorie master Bellarmine hath alledged sundrie fathers for proofe of it Cap. 1. yet in the second booke he telleth vs that they are not agreed of it who shall come thether Some will haue all but Christ neither will exempt from thence so much as the virgin Marie others are of another minde But who must satisfie for them that are in purgatorie De purg li. 2. cap. 17. only he that is iust Why then where shall they finde priests to serue the turne For they are cōmonly as bad as who is worst And the time will scarcely serue them to recken vp their owne Li. 2. cap. 10 de purgat much lesse shall they be able to satisfie for others sins Other doubtes also there are which M. Bellarmine speaketh of but cannot certainly resolue Is this doctrine to be receiued as catholicke of so manie points whereof euen the greatest Doctours among them do disagree No certaine place no certaine people no certaine proofe of it What should we doe with such an vncertaine religion especially where so little good commeth towardes vs and so much of our goodes goe from vs For onely veniall sinnes they tell vs Veniall sinnes onely taken away in purgatorie can bee taken away by purgatorie But for such small faults because they doe not as the Papists would make vs bebeleeue turne vs from God they can tell vs manie mo easie remedies Holie bread holy water giuing a little almes pardons Pilgrimages Pater nosters and Auies And to bee buried in a Monkes Cowle and bootes it is a soueraigne remedie for such things or else they lie But one thing I cannot but muse at that in this life these veniall sinnes maie so easilie bee satisfied for as they all agree and yet after this life their torments shoulde bee so grieuous as they report them to bee For maister Bellarmine bestoweth a whole Chapter to proue the paines of Purgatorie to bee most bitter De purgat li. 2. cap. 1◠and that no torments that are in this life may bee compared with them Can a little holy water wash them awaie heere and must the fire be so sharpe that must burne them awaie else-where But I thinke I knowe nowe the mysterie of it The more that mens sinnes are heere mittigated or the lesse grieuous that they appeare vnto their iudgement the lesse carefull will they bee to satisfie for the same heere or rather to auoyd them and will liue more securely But when vppon their death-bed they shall finde anie conflict of conscience and can finde no rest then must they giue much for Masses and Trentals then must the bellowes of the Priests false and lying tongues blowe the fire of purgatorie vntill they haue made it so hote that a great peece of that which hee hath left behinde him and shoulde serue for the maintenance of wife and children must bee bestowed in the slaking of that great heate and the quenching of that tormenting and vnsatiable fire De purgat lib. ◠cap. 3. Now for his proofs of purgatorie out of the scriptures they haue either so little waight or are so obscure and so wrested from their natural sense that the simplest if without partialitie they could weigh them would find them too light to satisfie their consciences to be perswaded of the truth of that doctrine The two first the one of the Machabees 2. Mac. 12. Tob. 4. 1. Sam. 31.30 2. Sam. 1.12 the other of Tobie are out of the bookes that are not Canonicall and
the catholike faith Not the authoritie of any man not the loue that he beareth him not his wit eloquence or philosophie But despising all these stedfast and setled in faith doeth make reckoning that hee must hold and beleeue onely whatsoeuer he knoweth the catholike church of olde beleeued Hee confirmeth also that heresies are for the triall of the godly by S. Paul 1. Cor. 11.19 with a long and liuely description of such as are wauering and doubtfull in faith maruelling much at their madnes that content not themselues with the rule of faith The Papists are possessed with this mad spirit which of old once hath beene receiued but day by day seeke new things and delight alwayes to put something to or to change or to take somewhat from religion Not remembring that it is a heauenly doctrine which once to be reuealed sufficeth but as if it were an earthly institution which cannot be perfected but by continuall mending or rather controlling it This chopping chāging in religion he proueth to be dangerous by three other testimonies of scripture Prouer. 22.28 Eccl. 8 17. Eccle. 10.8 but especially insisteth vpon that of Saint Paul 1. Tim. 6.20 O Timothe keep that which is committed vnto thee and auoide prophane and vaine babling and opposition of knowledge falsly so called And sheweth what is meant by this word depositum What is meant by That which is committed to thee That which is committed that is that which thou art trusted with not that thou deuisedst that thou hast receiued not inuented a matter not of thine owne wit but of an others teaching not for thy priuate vse but for to deliuer to all A thing brought to thee not brought forth by thee wherein thou maiest bee not the Author but the keeper not the teacher but the scholler not the leader but the follower This as pure gold must be kept pure without corruption It must be beautified and fitted but in any wise we must So teach that wee haue learned Wee must teach no new thing Growing in faith but no changing that when we speake after a new manner yet we bring no new matter Yet we must grow and the faster the better So that it bee but growing and not changing In the very same doctrine the same meaning the same vnderstanding Euen as children grow in their body but are the same that they were But if any partes or members should be added or turned into another shape it were a monstrous thing Such and no other must be our growing in religion to no other but to more perfection in the same which hee also maketh manifest by the example of wheat Which being sowen by our fathers in the primitiue church must bee husbanded and dressed by vs but the seede must not bee changed Yea in these plantes of religion we maie nay wee must vse all diligence to trimme them and dresse them but to change them to mangle or maime them it is great wickednesse Yea they must still keepe their Fulnesse sincerity and property He seemeth to haue prophecied of the mischiefes of popery For doe but once giue libertie to this deceit of cutting or corrupting the Scriptures and religion is in danger to bee quite ouerthrowne If some maie bee cut off nought will be left if some maie bee mingled nought will bee pure and sincere The true church keepeth safely her owne But the Church of Christ is a carefull and warie keeper of doctrines lefte vnto her shee neuer changeth any thing diminisheth it not addeth nothing Shee cutteth not of thinges necessarie Shee putteth not to thinges needelesse Shee doeth not leese her owne shee will haue nothing that belongeth to others Yea and in all her Councels the church did nothing else but set downe that in writing which before was knowen onlie by tradition and vtter by newe termes The councels taught nothing in faith new Teachers of newes must bee auoided matters of faith not new We must also by all meanes possible shun and auoid such as bring not the catholicke and vniuersal doctrine which hath continued one and the same from age to age by one vndefiled tradition of the truth and shal continue for euer without end And this newnesse of wordes the Apostle calleth prophane because it hath in it nothing holy nothing religious These prophane nouelties therefore we must auoide for to receiue them is the maner not of catholikes but of heretikes The words thus included I was loath to leaue out because the Papists bragge much of them as though they did mightily conuince vs to be heretikes And yet if a man do well consider of them hee may iustly doubt whether they be Vincentius his words or added since because they are brought in so impertiuently to his matter and nothing in all the booke either afore or after that soundeth that way But admit that they are his words it is no hard matter to prooue this in very many of the doctrines of the church of Rome bicause therein they do iumpe and drawe in one yoke with the olde heretikes of whome the stories mention by whome how and when they beganne But they will tell vs their doctrines were not condemned by any councel which they professe And how could they when they that taught them had gotten the soueraignty ouer princes and prelats Yea he whom they call the catholike king as in some respects they may truely not because he loueth catholike religion For in a man of so excessiue greedinesse intollerable pride and vnnaturall crueltie as many of his practises and purposes shew him to be what religion can there be but because hee scarcely can coment himselfe with the whole world this man I say vsurpeth Nauarre and intrudeth himselfe into the kingdome of Portingal And yet so long as he ruleth them their parleaments or councels dare not no they can not proclame him to be an vsurper or an intruder into other mens right although hee is so neither would our sauiour Christ haue regarded any thing this defence that the Scribes and Pharises and Priests of the Iewes might haue vsed In what coun◠el was that condemned that we teach but on the contrary he telleth that by their power and authoritie they shut vp the kingdome of heauen before men and suffer not them that would enter Math. 23.13 And so did the Church of Rome What heresie hath beene at any time but it hath beene vnder some certain name in some certayne place at some certaine time And no man doeth maintaine any heresie but that hee first separateth him selfe from the consent of the vniuersality and antiquitie of the catholike church As hee prooueth by the examples of Pelagius Celestius Arrius Sabellicus Nouatianus Simon Magus Priscilianus Yea but Heretikes doe alleadge Scripture for al in a maner that they say and therefore are they the more dangerous And that practise did Sathan vse before against our sauiour Christ But how then shall catholike men know
fault I trust is not generall but in some places it is so Well of them I will onely say thus much that they are in such sort dealt withall as themselues are much confirmed in popish heresies they that beare good will to the trueth much discouraged and harty and sincere obedience not to the gospell only but to her Maiestie also is much hindered Atheists As for that godlesse and gracelesse sorte who dare saie not in their heart only but euen with their mouthes also not priuately but also in their meetings and assemblies to their perpetual shame that there is no God although they bee nothing so daungerous as are the Papistes who deceiue vnder a colour of religion and therefore more craftilie such as haue not a loue to the trueth yet are they of all other creatures most to bee detested as beeing more vnthankefull than the beastes themselues and to be counted more vile than the dung of the earth which wee treade vnder our feete seeing they are so iniurious to that good God that hath made them such excellent creatures and doe so by their impiety blemish and defile the excellency of their creation Psal 145.15 For if The eies of all doe waite vppon God who giueth them meate in due season Of all I say euen the beastes and not men only then doe they after their manner confesse that there is a God that feedeth them Psal 147.9 as hee doeth also The beastes and young Rauens that crie And in that all things keepe their course whereunto God appointed them it argueth that they yeelde a soueraignetie to that deuine power that hath created and appointed them to that ende And shall any man indued with reason nay such as call themselues Christians and some of them perchance such as haue receiued of Gods hand more aboundant graces than many other shall such I saie as haue so many causes to knowe and confesse him dare set themselues against him that made them and deny his power Act. 17.28 In him they liue and moue and haue their being and will they not confesse him The creation the preseruation and the administration which hee vseth ouer all thinges doeth prooue him to bee God Yea which waie can we turne our eies but that we must beholde his power Psal 19.1 The heauens declare the glorie of God And the earth also is full of his greatnesse They that goe downe into the sea in shippes Psal 107.23.24 and occupy by great waters They see the workes of the Lorde and his wonders in the deepe In the Scriptures what haue wee but the goodnesse of God the might of God the wisedome of God the iustice of God To shewe that wee cannot bee without him and from him wee cannot hide our selues Much lesse shall that wicked crew stand before him but that his hande shall finde them out And although that accursed company will no doubt deny the Scriptures and count them but as fabulous yet Gods actes and deedes therein contained as also the storie of all times doeth sufficiently testifie vnto the worlde that God is wise mightie good and iust The very heathen men therefore founde him out by his workes and could not but confesse that there must be a God although not seeking to knowe him by his worde they became vaine in their imaginations and conceites of this God But that there is a God they did all see it Shall the Scriptures beare witnesse and his workes testifie of him yea shall the very heathens finde argumentes enough to conuince them and make them confesse him and shall such as are borne and brought vp amongst Christians bee as blinde as beetels in so cleare light and so bring a staine to their profession their country their bloud God forbid that in any christian common wealth there shoulde bee any founde so wicked and witlesse as once to thinke so irreligiously But to speake it and that not in secret but in the hearing of others or to defend it as an opinion that they would haue to be beleeued is so detestable a sinne before God as if it bee suffered will be the vtter ruine of this land Take away the assured persuasion of God out of the heartes of the people and how shal obedience be perfourmed to Magistrates honour to parents seruice to maisters or duty to all superiours for the Lordes sake Let their prophane opinion preuaile and neither shal the godly haue any incouragement to serue in feare neither the wicked any bridle to restraine them from euil These corruptions therefore of a common wealth these enemies to al honest and Christian life ought not to bee suffered to liue amongst men much lesse to enioy any estimation or credit by christian Magistrats Neither can this persuasion once enter into the hearte of any vnlesse they be such as because they woulde liue dissolutelie in all lust and pleasure as the prophet Amos saith Amos. 6.3 Soph. 1.7 Ioel. 2.11 Do put far away the euil day euē that day of the Lord wherof Sophony speaketh and of which day the prophet Ioel saith The day of the Lord is great and very terrible and who can abide it And therfore that they might sinne without al feare of God they would faine perswade themselues that there is no God Or els such as being drunken in their prosperity and aduanced perchaunce far aboue their worth doe thinke as did the wicked men of whom Malachy speaketh Mal. 2.17 that if there were a God of iustice it coulde not bee so well with them and so in their excesse of pride they deny God say who is Lord And although I trust that none amongst vs are com to the depth of that impiety yet because it is too true that many will haue such prophane talke and delight too much therin that some of them such as seeme not little in their own eies if sharpe punishments be not inflicted for such irreligious and wicked speeches themselues will more more be hardened in their euil and others more incouraged to like of their vngodlines Therfore these biles sores of a common wealth are of all christians to be shunned as vnworthy to liue among Gods people of al godly magistrats such are to be restrained not by lawes only but by the sharpest punishments And if magistrates would not doe their duty therin which God forbid yet let al true christians take heede they touch no such pitch Eccle. 13.1 1. Cor. 15.33 Iud. 52. least they be defiled with it nor giue eare to such talke least it corrupt their good manners Yea let them put away such spottes from their feastes for the company is the worse that they are in what account so euer they make of themselues Withal diligence therefore inquiry would be made for detecting and strait order taken for the punishing of such For as al sinnes procure Gods wrath especially if they be borne withal and God in his wrath sendeth his plagues