c. before you so all you stande nowe with vs stifely at this baye that they are euen as necessarie to saluation as the word of god And if ye let goe this tackling all come downe on anheape Whiche Alfonsus foreâ—…éeing or euer he woulde make his booke as he termes it agaynst heresies Iaciendum est solidissimum fundamentum c. VVe muste laye saythe he a moste sounde foundation wherewith we muste hereafter moste often defende our selues agaynst heretikes as with a moste sure bulwarck that the traditions and difinitions of the vniuersal church in those thinges that pertayne to faythe althoughe the euident scripture fayle for the proofe of them are of no lesse authoritie than the holy Scripture it selfe And agayne Mihi horum per tot seecula c. The authoritie of these most approued men by so many ages should suffice to me although I had by no former reason conuicted it Let vs therfore say that the Churche muste be obeyed in all things that are to be beleeued or to be done although the authoritie of scripture want Thus do you estéeme and stoutly stande to the defence of your ceremonies quite contrarie to all the foresaide auÌ„cient fathers that giue as we do all especiall prerogatiue to the only scriptures You were best therfore to call them heretikes UigilantiaÌ„s with vs for so your Sorbonists played with Erasmus Though he allowed many of your popishe ceremonies and durst not speake open mouthed agaynst any of them for it had beene to hotte for him since he dyd but touche them ful softly and yet they cried out vpon him a Uigilantian an Aerian an heretike as héere you doe A sore â—…adde ye knowe is soone broken and they are tender ware and dayntie to be delte withall the least worde in the worlde agaynst them will make a maruellous heretike Erasmus had but sayde Quo magis haeremus c. Howe muche more we cleaue to bodily ceremonies so muche the more wee encline to Iudaisme And dyd but wyshe on thys wyse Opto omnes esse tales c. I wishe that all men were suche that they mighte not muche neede bodily ceremonies or not giue so much vnto them And that Christ said Discipulis nihil istarum reruÌ„ prascribo I prescribe to my Disciples nought of these things eate this meate abstayne from that now rest now labour be clad thus touch not this handle not that if I were their master they shoulde not once learne to trust in these bodily thinges least they shoulde remayne weake alwayes He sayde but thus and lesse he coulde not well say and say any thing but Lorde what sturre the Sorbonistes made at the matter and howe they all to be heretiked hym Aerian Aetian Iouinian Uigilantian c. So that he was fayne for feare so muche as he mighte to sette a good collour on these your ceremonies and when he had salued the matter as well as he coulde what sayde he then in this retractation for them Iudaismun appello â—…on Iudaicam impietatem I call them Iudaisme not Iudaicall impietie And yet for al his excuses and commendations he was fayne to say Quanquam si Ecclesia tribuitur c. Although if that be attributed to the Church what so euer is prescribed of the Bishops or is done in the churches there are many coÌ„stitutions of Bishops of the which not with out cause all men make a publike complainte There are many ceremonies in certaine Churches the which ye may call either to no purpose or els foolish or else superstitious for commonly either some idle Deane or els some other meane man like him hath deuised them Oft times some old wife giuing monie therefore obteyneth that this or that be done now than certaine creepe in or if not so they breake in euen by the violence of the coÌ„mon peoples custome He should therefore not speake wickedly that should say the libertie of the Christian people is burdened with such constitutions and ceremonies especially when among them there are not a fewe that do no good at all to godlinesse but either to lucre or ambition Thus was Erasmus euen where he defendeth your ceremonies constrained to confesse Yea where he speaketh euen the best of them In his obseruandis c. In obseruing these saith he although they were ordayned to godlinesse the minde of many Christians is Iewishe either while they rest there neglecting those things that are of the spirit or els while with a preposterous Iudgement they attribute more to those outwarde things then to true godlinesse which is settled in the affections But euen as the hardnesse of the Iewes was to be kept in with so many prescriptions as it were with boundes so charitie waxing colde in Christians caused that the Bishops prescribed many things not vnlike the Iewishe prescriptions although to be kept with an vnlike minde For they are as it were certaine wagons wherein the infancie of little children is brought vnto the spirite As he sheweth after an example Exemplicausa c. For ensample the people is bid to bow their knees or their heads to god By this ceremonie the people is warned to submit their soule to God this helpe he that is perfect neede not who submitteth his minde to God in what state soeuer his bodie be And although that such as this the bodies comely gesture of knéeling which is not a ceremonie inueÌ„ted of your Bishops but taught vs in Gods word by Christ and his Apostles manner of prayer we not onely vse but also diuerse of your Churches Ceremonies be not refused of vs but kept yet are they vsed farre otherwise than your prelates vrged them or your people kept them reposing in them as Erasmus saith Proram puppim Sanctimoniae The whole stay of Religion Tali hominuÌ„ genere quoniam c. Bicause saith he I saw the worlde full of such kinde of men I now and then call them backe to the studies of true godlinesse from the admiration of ceremonies But to admonish to trust to ceremonies I neither thought it necessary nor safe Of the worde of trusting let other looke to it vnto me to whom this worde to trust soundeth to leane principally vnto it soundeth hardly to trust to the workes of men and to trust to Ceremonies Neither finde I these voices either in the diuine writings or in the writings of godly men Thus hardly was Erasmus driueÌ„ to his defence about your Ceremonies by the Facultie of the Diuines of Paris that vrged the necessitie vertue and confidence in them In the ende of all which conflictes as he saith to them so say I to you M. Stap. Quid autem his tot c. Of all these so many propositions what is done that shoareth vp Christian Religion that the people should beleeue a Monkes cowle was auailable to heale diseases that passing ouer Christe we should with petitions sollicite the Saincts That
Dauids bagge will make you M. Stap. so tottle vp your héeles that we may safely cutte off your head the Pope euen with your owne weapon for all these your cries and crakes But like a lustie champion as though ye had made a sufficient conquest ye say ye wil forbeare at this time to speake of the residue of our noble progenitours Coragiously sayde M. St. when ye haue done the worste ye can and spit out all your poyson then tell vs ye wil forbeare vs Wel then at the length thaÌ„ks be to God ye haue done with our ancestors as ye cal theÌ„ haue ben answered as ye haue heard Now let others in gods name iudge of vs both as they shal find the falshood or veritie of these matters May it nowe please you M. Sta. to giue me leaue a while to runne at randoÌ„ the same race that you haue done and to vse your owne words Good sir may it please you fauorably to heare your and your masters honorable pedegree and of their worthy feates and prowesse First what say you to the Phariseis that seuered them selues from all the people in their strange apparell in their fastings prayers and other poynts of hypocrisie described out by Christ in so much that they preferred them selues aboue al men so were counted as in whoÌ„ religion did only or most consist so like in euery poynt to your Monkes and Friers deuided froÌ„ other men by their rules profession and estéemed called onely or chiefly religious men VVhat say ye agayne to the Phariseis that kept the key of knowledge among them selues and would neither them selues enter in nor suffer other to enter but rather be blind guides and leaders of the blinde so like to your Prelates and you pretending to be the pastors of the people and kéepers of the worde of God but so to kéepe it that not only ye kept the people from it but for the most part your Priests were ignoraunt of it and blinder guides of the blinde then euer the Phariseis were VVhat say ye agayne to the Phariseis that brought traditions into the Church besides the worde of God and transgressed the worde of God for their traditions sake Wherin for one tradition of the Phariseis so brought in the Papistes haue brought in a score at the least and if I shoulde say an hundreth I spake within my bounds VVhat say ye to the same Phariseis that defended a maÌ„ might do all that the law commaundeth and obteine iustification and heauen therby But héere the Papistes go beyonde them that say we not onely may do all but more than all that euer God commaunded workes of counsel of voluntarie of supererogatioÌ„ like to the Foxe with more than a thousand wiles in coÌ„parison of the poore catte but the Phariseis herein were nothing stored like the Papists What say ye to the Saduces that sayde we haue powre frée will to do good or badde What say ye to the Esseni that liued in woods and solitary places and eate onely rootes and herbes counting all righteousnesse to consist in streight rules of life although herein you be but counterfeits to them and I do them iniuiurie in this comparison to you whose Friers Monkes Heremites and Anachores were nothing comparable but méere Pharisaicall hypocrites What say ye euen to Simon Magus your selfe with whom you charge vs that first began to mingle the Iewish and heathen ceremonies with Christianitie What say ye agayne to Simon Magus that would haue made sales of the giftes of the holy ghost as the Pope maketh sale of his Indulgences graces What say ye agayn to Simon Magus that came to Rome and there was honored as God as the Pope not like Gods viâ—…ar as he pretendeâ—… but like God him self is there honored and claimeth here in earth to haue the power of God according as Simon Magus named him selfe the power of God. What say ye once againe to Simon Magus and all his ofspring that mainteyned filthie fornication as the Pope doth stewes courteianes and Concubines What say ye to the Heretikes called Sethiani Of whome saith S. Augustine Multa de principatibuâ—… potestatibus vanâ—…ssima 〈◊〉 They faigne many moste vaine thinges of principalities and powers according as do your fabling bookes of the celestiall Hierarchies in the name of Diâ—…nisius and other like What say ye to the Carpocratians that to mainteine their wicked liues false opinions did say that Iesus taught those things to his Disciples and Apostles aparte from his written worde and deliuered them by tradition to be kept as the Pope and all the Papistes say for defence of traditions and vnwritten verities as they call them besides the written worde of Christ. What say ye to the Cainites that made inuocation vnto Angels but the Papistes made inuâ—…cation not only to Angels but to dead men and women also yea and to thinges vnsensible What say ye to the Theodotians that would take from and put to the worde of God and that they had authoritie to correct thâ—…se things that were not well and saide they were therein wiser than the holy Ghost as do the Papists adde to the worde of God their traditions and suppresse and â—…iminish the authoritie of Gods worde saying their Church is of greater authoritie by them and they haue furder knowledge of Gods spirite than is contâ—…ined in the written worde of God. What say ye to the Basilidians that to their Disciples commaunded â—…ue yéeres silence as your Monkes Friers Heremites Anaâ—…hores c. enioyned to their nouices silence at certaine times and did all by beckes and noddes and if a worde were spoken all their perfection were marde What say ye moreouer to the Basilidians that painted and carued the Image of Christ and worshipped it As I haue shewed the Papists did what kinde of worship socuer ye would excuse the matter withall What say ye to the Cerdoniaus that reiected the ensamples of the old Testament as you M. St. and M. Dorman in this controuersie of supremacie do What say you to Montanus that first appointed lawes of fasting which before were frée as is shewed already in the Article thereon That said the holy Ghost taught him more and better greater things than Christ taught in the Gospell as your Papistes say for their vnwritten verities and workes of supererogation Ascribing a greater perfection to such voluntarie workes than to the workes expressed and commaunded in the worde of God. What say ye againe to the Montanistes that abrogated the authoritie of Gods wâ—…rde as I haue shewed ye in Pigghius and Alphonsus that the Papistes do What say ye againe to the Montanistes that boasted much of mysteries but nothing so many nor so mystie as the Papists were That said to accuse and condemne themselues to be sinners was to sclaunder them selues as the Papists that can not abide
ought to counte the Canonicall scriptures in so much that I might not their honour which is due to those men saued improue or refuse any thing in their writinges â–ª c. And writing to Paulina of the credite to be giuen to the Scripture Alijs vero testibus c. As for any other witnesses saith he or testimonies whereby thou arte moued to beleue ought to be it is lawfull for thee to beleeue it or not to beleeue it And so saith S. Herome Quod scripturae sacrâ—… authoritatem non habet eadem facilitate contemnitur qua recipitur That that hath not authoritie of the holy Scripture is as easily dispised as receyued So saith Chrysostome Nullis omnino credendum nisi dicant vel faciant quae conuenientia sunt scripturis sanctis Thou must beleue none without they say or do those things that are agreeable to the Scriptures And againe Si quid absque scriptura dicitur c. If any thing be spoken without the Scripture the knowledge of the hearers halteth nowe graunting now staggering now and then detesting the talke as vayne now and then as probable receyuing it But wheras the scripture is there the testimonie of Gods voice commeth forth both confirming the talke of the speaker and confirming the minde of the hearer So S. Cyprian Legat hic vnum verbum c. Let him reade the onely woorde and on this commaundement let the christian religion meditate and out of this scripture he shall finde the rules of all doctrine to flowe and to spring from hence and hither to returne what soeuer the Churches discipline doth conteyne So saith Cyrill Necessarium nobis est diuinas sequi liter as in nullo ab earum prascripto discodere It is necessâ—…rie for vs to follow the diuine writinges and to swerue in nothing from their prescript rule And 〈◊〉 these Fathers so all the Doctours be plaine not to allow much lesse to determine any doctrine not onely contrarie but also besides the worde of God. Nor the Auncient doctours onely but also diuerse of the popish writers affirme that neither the Churche the Bishops the Pope nor any prouincial or generall couÌ„cel hath powre to determine any doctrine to be true or false otherwise than onely by the authoritie of the Scriptures to declare them so to be So saith Thomas of Aquine In doctrina Christs Apostolorum c. In the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles all truth of faith is sufficiently layde forth Howbeit to beat downe the errours of heretikes and of peruerse men certaine opinions of faith ought many times to be declared And of the same minde also is your great captaine Frier Alphonsus de Castro who attributing farre more to the popish Church and the Pope than he ought to do yet in this point after long disputation and argumentes on the matter he concludeth Nullo ergo modo c. It can by no meanes therefore be that the church may make any new article of faith but that the which before was the true faith and yet was hidde from vs the churche by hir censure maketh that it may be knowne vnto vs Whereuppon appeareth that my Lord Abbate did miserably erre who expounding the chapter that beginneth Câ—…m Christus which is had in the booke of the Decretall epistles in the title de Hereticis saith that the Pope can make a newe article of the faithe But he must be borne withall being ignorant nor well weighing of what thing he spake this onely I see must be laide in his dish that he Iudged beyond the slipper for it is not the office of Canonistes to Iudge of heresie or of faith but the office of Diuines to whom Gods lawe is committed The Canonistes partes are to descant of the Popes lawe Looke they to it therefore least while they couet to sit on both stooles the taile come to grounde as is the Prouerbe Thus sharpely concludeth Alphonsus against my Lord Abbate and all popish Canonistes that would intermedle with writing in Diuinitie I knowe not whether you Master Stapleton were any such or nâ—… but many of your site are euen such as he speaketh of that woulde studie bothe the Popes lawes and Gods lawes togither and so lay them both in the duste For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christi Behal VVhat felowship is there betwene Christ and Belial Thus writeth he that neither the Pope nor his 〈◊〉 nor the Church can determine faith or hereâ—…ie without the worde of God. And so saith Ferus Cum contâ—…leris falsaâ—… doctrinâ—…m c. When you shall conferre the false doctrine ye shall finde out the errour For the onely holy Scripture is the rule of the truthe from the which whatsoeuer differeth or doth contrarie it is darnell and errour in what countenaunce soeuer outwarde it come forthe For he that is not with me is against me saith Christe Herevppon the Apostles and Disciples in the primitiue Churche did dayly search the Scriptures whether they were so or no. For oft time it commeth to passe that that is iudged errour which is not errour and contrarie wise Here therefore the Scripture iudgeth So Christe was Iudged a transgressour of the lawe but if ye conferre him with the Scripture you shall see he agreeth best therewith On the contrary the traditions of the Phariseys seemed good which not withstaÌ„ding Christ conferring with the Scripture plainly sheweth they are contrarie to the Scripture And therefore Dauid in all that octonarie desireth nothing els but to be directed by the worde of God. And the same Ferus in the eleuenth chap. of Matthew Baculus arundâ—…neus est quicquid extra verbum des traditur c. VVhat soeuer is giuen without the worde of God is a rodde of a reede For it is al onely the worde of God which we may safely leane vppon in so much that from hence thou mayst see what frowarde deceyuers they be that for the worde of God would onely set foorth vnto vs their dreames that is a rodde of a reede Hereuppon the true Apostles gloried most of all on this that they deliuered nothing but the woord of God so saith Peter Not following vnlearned â—…bles we make knowne to you the powre and presence of our Lord Iesus Christe so Paule doth glory that he receyued not the Gospell of men but by the reuelation of Iesus Christe Whereon he inferreth if therefore any preache any other thing let him be accursed As though he shoulde say â–ª we haue preached the woorde of God whereto ye may safely leane â–ª accursed therefore be he that for the certayne worde of God bringeth a rodde of a reede that is to say mannes feigninges Thus hitherto agrée euen these Papists with the auncient Fathers that nothing may be decided to be true or false neither by Church Councell Pope or any Man nor any Angell with out the authoritie of Gods worde so to iudge and confirme the same But say you by this rule it
will be harde to conuince many frowarde and obstinate Heretikes to be Heretikes yea of such as by the foresaid fower first and many other Councels generall are condemned for Heretikes As Dauid saide of the wicked Iâ—…llic trepidauerunt timore vbi non erat timor They trembled there for feare where no feare was And as Esay saith Possedit timor hypocritas Feare hath taken holde on the hypocrites So are you M. Stapl afrayde of your owne shadowes For except those frowarde and obstinate heâ—…etikes be your selues that feare the iudgement of that cutting two edged sworde to beate downe your traditions no godly Christian neede to feare or flee from the determination of the Scripture or thinke it insufficient to detect and dâ—…termine all Hereâ—…ies Yet say you it wil be harde to conuince there with many froward obstinate heretikes â–ª As who shuld say it would be easiâ—…r to coÌ„uince them being so froward and obstinate with out the Scripture and not rather a great deale harder Is it likelier that their frowarde obstinacie will yelde to the authoritie of mans worde that will not yelde to the authoritie of Gods woorde but be it harde or â—…ofte what is that to the matter if it will conuince their Heresies be the Heretikes neuer so obstinate This is inough to the purpose that there is no hereâ—…ie defended neuer so frowardly of any obstinate heretike but the worde is able to conuince it to be an hereâ—…ie Yea as Chrysostome saith Nullo modo agnoscitur c. â—…o them that are willing to know which is the true church of Christ from heretikes Churches it is knowne by no meanes 〈◊〉 modo per scripturas but all onely by the scriptures And where ye make exceptioÌ„ of such as were condemned for heretikes by the first fâ—…wre generall Councels it is most euident that as in all those Councels the worde of God as their line and squyre was layde foorth amongst them so they conuinced all thoâ—…e heretikes by the same Your common obiection hereto is of the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which ye say in the expresse scriptures can not be found but what saith S. Augustine to this Quidest enim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nisi 〈◊〉 eâ—…usdemque substantiaeâ—… quid est inquam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nisi ego pater vnum sumus sed nunc nec ego Nicenum c. VVhat is this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but of one the same substance what is I say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but I and my father are one but now neither ought I to alleage the Councell of Nice neither oughtest thou to alleage as to giue fore iudgement the councel of Aâ—…iminum neyther should I be withhelde by the authoritie of this nor thou of that but by the authoritie of the Scriptures c. Thus doth S. Augustine both replie to you that euen those Heretikes were confuted onely by the expresse Scripture and also that for the Iudgement of Heresies the authoritie of the Scripture is to be preferred not onely before the prouinciall Councell at Ariminum but euen before the first generall councell at Nice Neyther did S. Augustine declare their doctrine to be an heresie bicause it was so determined by the generall councell but bicause it was determined by the authoritie of the Scriptures And following this rule we are sure we can not erre For this is as Dauid saith Lucerna 〈◊〉 meâ—…s verbum tuum domine lumen semitis me is Thy worde O Lord is a candle to my feete and a light to my pathes On the contrary with out this light not onely the priuate fathers but euen the councels yea the generall councels where they determined ought not grounded on the Scriptures so litle could espie the heresies of others that they erred foule them selues I omitte the councell of Carthage wherein S. Cyprian was how it erred in determining heretikes to be rebaptized The councell of Laodicea whiche though otherwise was a godly councell yet erred it farre in disallowing and enioyning penaunce for those that maried the second time And so forth diuerse other prouincial couÌ„cels And to speake only of generall councels euen the first Nicene councell how greatly was it like to haue erred in forbidding priests mariages and the matter was alreadie passed by all the Bishops voices had not one father Paphnutius bene that made them retract their errour Which they did not for any authoritie in him being but one Bishop against so many Bishops but moued by the authoritie of Gods worde that be alleaged and from which they swarued And as they haâ—… like to haue erred herein so erred they in déede in condemning those souldiours who hauing once professed the faith of Christ are prest for souldiours afterwardes Which is contrary to the rule of S. Iohn the baptist that allowed the life of souldiours as a lawfull calling Neither doth Christ in the Centuriâ—… nor S. Paule in Cornelius in Publius or any other captaines or souldiours with whom he had to do and by whose industrie he was often saued from daunger and whome he likewise helped did euer condemne the vocation of a souldiour vnder his Prince as a calling not agreable to christianitie Likewise the couÌ„cel of CalcedoÌ„ did wel in condemning Eutiches but in forbidding mariage to Monkes they erred from the expresse worde of God that sayth Mariage is honorable among all men and that euery man might take a wyfe to auoyde fornication and suche wickednesse not to be named as monks since that restraint haue fallen into And to bring euen a Monkes or an Abbots testimonie of your owne side Panormitane sayth Concilium errare potest sicut alias errauit super caâ—…sa matrimonâ—… contrahendi inter raptam raptorem quando dictum Hiâ—…ronimi fuit postea toti concilio praelatum A councell may erre as otherwise it erred concerning a cause of matrimonie betweene the partie rauished the raâ—…sher when as the saying of Hierome was afterwarde preferred before an whole councell And if ye referre this to a Prouinciall councell the generall rule taken from S. Augustine will conuince you that not onely Prouinciall councels are corrected by generall but also â—…psa plaenaria saepe prâ—…ora posteriâ—…ribus emendantur oftentimes euen the former generall councels are amended of the latter councels But how soeuer this rule was true in S. Augustines dayes since that time the latter generall councels haue ben worsse than the former and so from worsse to worsse are not onely become starke nought but nothing general at al. And therefore it is not onely lawfull to abandon them but we are bounde so to do as our Sauiour Christ warneth vs Cauete vobis ab hominibus quontam tradent vos in concihabulis suis Take heede to your selues of men bicause they will betray you in their councels Suche councels did S. Paule abandon when Fesâ—…us offred him