and read to the end of the reuelatioÌ„s of S. Ihon and shew the chapâ—er where this coÌ„maundemeÌ„t or counsel is we knowe except your owne Prophetes doe lye that all thinges necessary for saluation are writen in the boke of life the olde and new Testament we reade him to be accuâ—sed which addeth or diminisheth to or from the worde of the liuinge Lorde we are abundantly content wyth the Bible in Englishe we goe no further then to God his owne worde Will yow bring vs againe to harken to old customes and the sentence of the Councell of Nice which was but of men shall that be our touche stone O Sir when you haue caused all Sacramentes in a manner and all Sacramentall thinges to be taken away when of so many externall signes and tokens which represented the misteries of our saluation so few are left when yow haue taken away the very orders of them which liued after the perfectest way of Christ hys religion do yow now speake of old customes This doth so well becom you to speake as a Saduce to proue the resurrection as an Arrian to be ruled by tradition as a woman to weare a mitre Yow would laugh or wondre at a catholike or as you terme him a papist if he should sett furth his work with this title that nothing is to be beleued which is not expressely in Scripture and shall Protestantes escape the like iudgement when they speake senteÌ„ces for old customes and vsages But what meane yow by this sentence Let old customes preuail what is that which is against them that the victory neadeth to be geuen to them by the arbitrement of the noble Councell of Nice except ther be some battell ther can be no victory ther is no preuailing where there is no resisting and there must at the lest be two partes when one singularly is preferred I remembre well that these wordes Let old customes preuaile are in the beginning of the sixt Canon of the CouÌ„cel of Nice where it is writen as concerning the iurisdiction of the Bishopp of Alexandria and Antioch that the old custom which euer before was vsed should continu But in that sense it can not serue for a sentence to be placed before M. Iuell his Sermon that bicause the old custome shall stand which hath ben obserued about the Bishopprickes of Alexandria and Antioch therfore absolutely old customes should preuail Wherfore vnderstanding by these wordes Let old customes preuail such a generall sense as M. Iuell would pretend that the Councell of Nice might vse those wordes generally I aske then now what is this which the Councell speaketh of Let old customes preuaile what might the occasion be of that senteÌ„ce did it meane that old customes must be preferred before new this is not alwaies trew Wheras the circumstances of time person age and such like may cause the old custome not to be refused absolutely as nawght but to yeld for iust causes vnto the new Example wherof we haue in washing of feete and abstaining from the eating of bloud which was a custome of old but in these daies the newer and diuers from that is preferred and folowed VVell theÌ„ did the Councell meane that olde customes must ouercome new bokes and writinges Surely then M. Iuell from Luther hitherto at one foyne vnaduisedlie you haue pricked so many authors of new inuentioÌ„s as haue found worke for a number of yeres to a multitude of hasty printers But yf none of these senses please you did the Councell signifye that olde customes must preuaile against the pretensed alleaging of the very Scripture it selfe and new doctrine of men If this be trew yea rather bicause it is trew that they must preuaile in deed by your own allegatioÌ„ of this place you haue put that senteÌ„ce for a defence vnto your sermon which being rightly vnderstaÌ„ded doth at once ouerthrow your religioÌ„ Consider now therfore the state of the Church at those daies and the cause of that CouÌ„cel if perchaunce we may finde out the sense of these wordes after your allegation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let olde customes preuaile and â—ere away the victory Arrius was a proud new fangled man a disobedient person vnto his Bishopp which made much of him at the beginning before he toke harte of singularite vpon him and promoted him to the honorable rome of a priest in Alexandria Wel may I vse the worde honorable for at those dayes priesthood was so taken among all Christians AlexaÌ„der then which was Bishopp of AlexaÌ„dria a very meeke and reuereÌ„d Father vnderstaÌ„ding his priest Arrius to busie him selfe with new inuentions first gently and fatherly he warned him and wheÌ„ Arrius proude harte and gloriouse would be nothing the better for sweete wordes and admonitions the wise and blessed Bishopp gathering a Synode of his clergie iustly did excommunicate that singular and blasphemous heretik But for all the excommunicating of the heretik both he and his heresy had a great sort of euill partakers with them so far forth that it was necessary to call a generall Councell to the determining of the Catholike faith and condemning of new found learning In which Councell the holy fathers against the new termes of Arrius did principally alleage the traditions of the Apostles and customes maÌ„ners and lawes of the holy writers before their daies And although they had Scriptures for theÌ„ against Arrius yet the chefest stay of their cause was grounded vpon the catholike receaued faith For herein coÌ„sisted the vnrulines of Arrius that expounding the Scriptures vntruly according to his owne fancy he would not be reformed by the interpretation of old fathers and submit his faith vnto their iudgemeÌ„tes Which yf he would haue done the churche of God had neuer ben so much trobled with that abhominable heresy And that not onely Arrius but al his felowes besides were so affected towardes them selfes and their owne deuises and against the expositioÌ„s of fathers it appeareth plainly by an Epistle of Alexander Bishopp of Alexandria writen vnto Alexander Bishopp of Constantinople in the which towardes the later end with in two leaues these faultes of the Arrians be declared It is no wonder that which I shall write most derely beloued if I shew vnto you the false derogations and defacinges made against me and our deuout people For they which pitch their tentes against the Deitie of the Sonne of God nothing feare they to vse spitefull â—launders against vs for bicause they think it not meet to compare any of the auncient fathers with them selues neither doe they suffer them selues to be matched with those masters and teachers of whom we haue ben instructed from our youth neither doe they make any accompt of any which are our felow priestes where so euer they be as concerning the measure of wisedom as though they onely were wise and had nothing to be said against them and were the inuentors of new decrees and as to which onely those
thinges are reuealed and opened which ar knowen to be vnderstode of no other besides vnder the soun O mischeuous prid great madnes furor of vaine glory wisedom of the deuill which mightely hath inuaded their most wicked mindes The exposition of Scriptures which the welbeloued of God hath made did nothing feare them from their purpose the agreable reuerence which their felow ministers vsed towardes Christ did nothing tame their wildnes Thus thē loe the Arrians being so much selfe minded what better remedy might the reuerēd fathers of Nice haue against them then to bring furth the former receaued doctrine and māner to establish that with their decree For if natural reason shall preuaile the Christian faith can not be so wel perswaded or rather it can not be perswaded at all If by Scriptures only the treuth shalbe decided then shal ther neuer be found any end wher both parties alleage the wordes of Scripture for them selues Only therfor tradition custome and māner is that thing which killeth the heretikes hartes and therfore they will not be iudged but by expresse Scripture only and it is the thing which defendeth the Catholike Christians and therfore gladly doe they folow the waies of the auncient fathers VVhich thing is plainly proued by this honorable Coūcell of Nice about which our talke is For as it appeareth by the actes of the same Councell after long disputatiō and learned betwene certaine philosophers hired of purpose by Arrius in defence of his cause and most excellent fathers inspired with the holy ghoste for the vttering of the truth It pleased saieth the history all the fathers vnto one that like as it was deliuered from the holy fathers and successors of the Apostells so they should decree 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wich is to say the equality of substance in God the Sonne with the Father and prouide it to be put in the Crede of the Church Against which worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and decree of the fathers what did Arrius or any of his sect afterwardes alleage to the reprouing therof And you in the meane time my welbeloued frind N. thinke it not long which is not vnprofitable and chose out the tyme to reade that quietly which the cause requireth that I should write plainly What did the Arriās then sayd I argue against 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what was their chefest best reason for soth this onely that it was not in Scripture O M. Iuell that your eloquence had not ben born at those daies you would haue stode greatly against them with your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let old customes and manners win and preuail But yet you may doe good seruice in these daies to perswade with the multitude of them which take them selues wiser then all other which haue ben these nine hundred yeres and which will beleue nothing but the writen worde and bare letter that olde customes must be regarded and preferred also I mislike not the saying but it agreeth not with your person as I beleue Catholikes may all the company of them alleage truly both scripture and custome heretikes doe pretend Scripture onely and that yet not truly but custom they can neuer alleage at all This we haue receaued from the Apostells and their successors saith the Councell of Nice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not in all the scripture saieth the heretike And as euery cuntry is distincted one from a nother by proper and peculiar language so doth the Catholike euer speake after the voice of the Churche and the heretike bableth onely after the letter of the boke Reade you the fifth Chapter of the Tripartite history the fourth boke There it is plaine that Constantin the great did put a chaplaine of his in trust for the deliuery of his testament to Constantius his sonne which chaplaine being in deede an Arrian and hauing accesse to the Emperor and acquaintance with him by occasion of the testament perceauing also the yong Emperor his mind to be vnstable and wauering what persuasion did he vse first of all as you think He saied as Theodoretus testifieth they were to blame which had put the worde Consubstanciall among the articles of the faith And why so which worde saieth he is not writen in all the Scripture Loe here is his greatest reason and such in deed as becometh heretikes most of all Let vs goe yet forward and seke whether any mo heretikes will vse that reason And where shall you more plainly find this matter then where the very pack of them is gathered together In a cōfession of a faith which was made at Sirmium Constātius him selfe being present with to many Arrian Bishoppes after other thinges this decree foloweth As for the worde substance bicause being simply put furth by the fathers it is not knowē of the common people and it maketh a scandalum and offence and bicause neither the Scriptures haue this worde in them it pleaseth vs it should be abrogated and hereafter no mention at all to be made of substance in God bicause the Scriptures diuine do in no place make mentiō of the substāce of the father and the sonne You may see what great price they made of this argument it is no Scripture ergo no matter of faith bicause that in so few lines they doe twise repete the selfe same reason Which vndoutedly was then and is now the very principall but not most surest stay of all vnconstant mindes As in the same boke againe see what a nother cōpany of scismatikes do speake for them selues against the Coūcell of Nice VVe say they which are gathered together in Seleucia which is in Isauria we haue yesterday which was the fifth before the Kal. of Octobre geuen all diligence according to the Emperor his will to kepe straitly the ecclesiastical peace and to thinke earnestly vpon the faith as our welbeloued Emperor Constātius hath cōmaunded according to the sainges of the prophetes and Ghospells and to bring furth nothing besides the Scriptures in the matter of the faith Ecclesiastical This againe doth proue my purpose that it is propre to the heretikes to appeale to the scriptures onely bicause they are quickly condemned by tradition custome and manner To conclude therfor this place Arrius being so proud as we haue said hauing many textes of Scripture for him as he vnderstood them which toke him selfe to be best learned the Councell of Nice defining the cōsubstantiality of God the Sonne with the Father bicause they had so receaued it from the Apostells by their successors the same Councell being allwaies reproued of heretikes for that it defined that matter as an article of faith which was not in Scripture I aske now what it is like that the Councell did meane when it should say Let old customes and manners preuaile Can it well be vnderstood otherwise if the wordes be taken generally as you M. Iuell doe alleage them then after this sort that for as much as heretikes can
alleage for them selues Scripture and will not be brought down from their priuat sense to vnderstand those Scriptures as old blessed fathers haue interpreted them that herefor to make an end and to stopp the moâ—thes of all arrogant persons we will and define that old fassions old customes auncieÌ„t interpretatioÌ„s and so furth shal preuail For the question here in this CouÌ„cel was not of custome custome traditioÌ„ traditioÌ„ which should preuaile for the ArriaÌ„ did medle with no tradition or former custome or vsage Neither was the questioÌ„ in coÌ„paring former vsage with some late writers inuention for Arrius would alleage no one mans writing taking him felfe to be better learned theÌ„ all other and if he would haue alleaged his owne authority only that had ben so folishe and diueliâ—he that it was to be reserued for Luther or some other of the priuy couÌ„sell of Antichrist Wherin then was the strife not in those two pointes which I haue named but in this onely that wheras Arrius would be tried by scriptures only and plentifully brought them out for a shew of his defence and wheras vnder the letter of the scripture he vttered his blasphemous sprit and went against the plain traditioÌ„s and lessons of the Apostells and fathers of Christ his Church therfore saieth the Councell Let old customes and maÌ„ners preuaile which is to say we alow scripture and we alleage scripture but after that sort that we must not ne will admit any thing contrary vnto the Apostolike faith receaued for as concerning your text Sir Arrius where you say The father is greater then I am And againe God made me in the beginning of his waies with such like they must be vnderstood as our â—decessors maisters and fathers haue deliuered vnto vs. neither must you bring you in neuer so many places of the old or new testameÌ„t think therfor that you may conclud a sense and meaning contrary to the old faith Away with this pride of yours submit your vnderstanding to the faith of the Churche leue of your new termes of extaÌ„tibus and non extantibus receaue the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and coÌ„substancialitie which word although it be not expressed in Scripture yet it is in tradition Consent and agree with the Councell of the whole world These wordes loe and such like doe expresse truly what the fathers should meane in saing Let the old customes preuaile And this being proued to be the very meaning of that worthy sentence what hath M. Iuell doon in setting it before his sermon in the first shew therof is it put there to be laughed at or to be folowed and regarded If to be laughed at the CouÌ„cell of Nice is not so simple a thing If to be folowed why are the Catholikes reproued then for defending auncient traditions and why are the heretikes honored which will haue nothing but â—he bare text onely together with their priuat comment vpon it If customes manners fashions vsages call it as you will if they must preuaile wherfore doe we all this while contend with the Protestantes vpon verities writen and vnwriten vpon traditions and vses of the Catholike Churche Euery boke almost which is of common places hath the question of Scripture and traditioÌ„ moued therin which nedeth no more to be any question you being so well acquainted M. Iuell with the Protestantes and hauing so great credit among them as they lightly can geue to such a person For at one worde you shall end the whole matter perswading them that old customes and fashions must preuaile which in my minde I thinke to be impossible but nothing is hard perchaunce to you for this is clere euen in sight the last and third communion is preferred before the second the second better estemed then the first and if a new one come furth you shall I warrant you see it plainly proued that quite against your will and against the Councell of Nice the old fashions shall not be preferred And this much hitherto I haue saied as coÌ„cerning old customes supposing and graunting that the CouÌ„cell of Nice might vse that senteÌ„ce as M. Iuell alleageth it for a generall conclusion and determination whereas in very dede those wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ar onely mentioned in the beginning of the sixt Canon as concerning one especiall matter about the prerogatiue of the sees of the Bishopp of Antioch and Alexandria and should not therfore be drawen vnto a generall sentence But we shall meet again with M. Iuell vpon this point before the end I thinke and therfore now will I turne ouer the lease and coÌ„sider his sainges and apply som answers and infer so well as I can som obiections against him VVhen so euer any ordre geuen by God is brokeÌ„ or abused the best redresse therof is to restore it againe into the state that it first was in at the begnining If you take the paines leisurly to consider the illation of this conclusion you shall perceaue the wordes of the blessed Apostle vnto S. Timothe the first epistle chapter to haue in these our daies the persons vnto whom they may and must be applied The end of the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t is charite which cometh out from a pure harte and good conscience and vnfained faithâ— from which certen men wandering a side are turned vnto vaine talke coueting to be teachers of the law not vndersâ—anding yet neither the thinges which they speake neither vpon what thinges they make affirmatioÌ„s M. Iuel here in the wordes which I haue recited maketh mention of an ordre geuen by God and of ordre broken and of redresse of the same by retorn to the first institution In whiche sainge can he tell what he speaketh or what and wherfore he affirmeth what ordre geuen by God did he talk of before to bring in the wordes thus when anye ordre geuen by God is broken c. In the third leafe he saith that S. Paule had appointed the Corinthias as touching the Sacrament that they shold all eate and drink together Doth he call this the ordre geuen by God I beleue verely that what soeuer S. Paule appointed the same did come from God as the principall gouernour of his churche But for all that there is great difference betwixt the coÌ„maundmentes expressely geuen by God ordres set by men as ministers of God For with the one kind non can dispence withowte especiall licence froÌ„ God and in the other kinde the heades of the church haue the power in ther owne handes without further question to sett and remoue plant and pull vp as they shal see it profitable for the present state of the churche Wherfore although the blessed Apostle did neuer make such ordres vpon his own head as did not agree with the will of almighty God yet properly to speak an ordre geuen by God is so to be taken that without all exception it must be kept and folowed without speciall reuelation for the
tyme. that ys to saye Quibus competâ—t fides ipsa cuiâ—â— sint Scripturae â–ª â— quo per quos quando quibus sit tradita disciplina qua fiunt Christiani who they are vnto whom the faith it selfe belongeth whose are the Scriptures of whom and by whom and what tyme and vnto whom the trade and instruction was geauen by which men are made Christians For where it shall appere that the much of the Christian discipline and faith is there shallbe the truth of the Scriptures and of the expositions of them and of all the Christian traditioÌ„s This haue I Englisshed more at large owt of Tertullian that it might the better be coÌ„sidered of â—he Reader whether he speaketh reason or no and whether in any disputation to be instituted or any challenge to be apoynted these articles which Tertullian specifyeth are not principallie to be debated and examined and whether this trade and manner of arguing doe serue to the mainteynyng of any stomak which ys so naturall as I may saye and so reasonable that yow can not deuyse a more indifferent To vse it therefor to myne owne comfort and others â–ª and yet not to depart from the manner of a challenge therebye to recompense owr aduersaries I saye Yf any of owr aduersaries be ablâ— to shew by any sufficient or lyklie argument and testimonie that they haue any true Christian fayth at all among them for faith cleaueth vnto authoritie which they can neuer shew for them selues c. Or that the Scriptures haue ben delyuered vnto them or that they are the right keepers of them Or yf they can tell from whom they haue receiued their Ghospell other then papistes Or by what successors from the fyrst eyther maker or cheife preacher of theire Ghospell it hath come vnto them Or at what tyme they receiued it Or yf they can shew but the fundacions onlye or proportion of some churche howse communion table communion boke or any other thing neuer so smal by which it might be gathered that a true an Apostolyke religion was extant to be seen within the six hundred yeares after Christ as voyd of ornamentes ceremonies reuerence distinction of places and dignityes Sacramentes and solemnities parteyning to Sacramentes as theirs ys These are the most best and 〈◊〉 questions for the capacitye of a sensible man and most meetest to be asked of these greate folowers of Antiquitie as they saye them selues Yf therefore any of owr aduersaries can name eyther the places or the persons where their religion stode of old tyme or from whom by 〈◊〉 descent it hath come to theyr churches and ministers I promyse fâ—â— my selfe and others allso eyther to proue their predecessors heretikes or to yeld with a good will to their succession yf they bring it downewarde from any Apostle I haue sayed And in the meaâ— while vntill theyr aunswer be deuised I will contynue in that fayth which lawfull Bisshoppes of England receiued of Sainct Augustyne a monke and owr Apostle which by the allmightie power of God conuertâ—â— owr realme from Idolatrie to Christianitie which receiued his faith of Sainct Gregorie the greate and the first of that name And Sainct Gregorie lerned it of his predecessor Pelagius the second Pelagius agayne receiued it of Benedictus the first from Benedictus then we goe vpward to loannes III. to Pelagius I. to Vigilius to Siluerius to Agapetus to Ioannes the second to Bonifacius the second to Foâ—lix the first to Ioannes I. to Hormisda to Symmachus to Anastasius the second to Gelasius to Faelix III to Simplicius to Hilarius to Leo I. to Sixtus III. to Caelestinus to Bonifacius I. to Zozimus to Innocentius to Anastatius I. to Siricius to Damasus to Faelix the second to Liberius to 〈◊〉 to Marcus to Siluester to Melchiades to Eusebius to Marcellus to Marcellinus to Caiâ—s to Eutâ—â—hiamus to Faelix I. to Dionisius to â—ixtus the second to Stephanus I. to Lucius to Cornelius to Fabianus to Antherus to Pontianus to Vrbanus to Calistus to Zepherinus to Victor to Eutherius to Soter to Anicetus to Pius to Higinus to Telesphorus to Sixtus to Alexander which was the first that apointed making of holywater which receaued thâ— Catholike faith of Euaristus which receaued it of Anacletus which receaued it of Clemens which receaued it of Sainct Peter which receaued it of Christ which is God most true and blessed for euer Amen Fare well Rom. 16. Deus autem pacis conterat Sathanam sub pedibus vestris velociter Quoniam viri S. Theologiae peritissimi Angli apud me side dignissimi perlegerunt hunc librum Iohannis Rastelli per omnia catholicum esse censent dignumque qui typis excusus à popularibus eius Prouintiae nempe Anglicanae legatus puâ—o ipsum tutò posse imprimi Ita testor Cunerus Petri de Brouwershauen Louanij Pastor S. Petri indignus .11 Nouem 1561 A Table of the cheefest matters THE occasion of the Councell of Nice Folio 6. The pride of heretikes and old wont of refusing vnwriten verities fo 9. That the new ghospellers must needer disagree emong them selues 20. The Englishe order of communion and seruice doth not folowe iust the example of Christ and his Apostles but hath in some partes more in some lesse as In takyng of bread in to their handes when they should consecrate 25 ¶ In blessing of bread In takyng the chalice lykewyse 26 The order of the Englisshe seruice agreeth not with the primityue church as Iâ— praying towardes the East 29 â—n mengling of wine and water togeather in the chalice 30 In vsing the signe of the crosse in the misteries 31 In erecting of Aultars 32 In burning of incense ibidem In lichtes and tapers 33 In praying to Sainctes 35 In praying for the soules departed 36 Of seruice in the mother tong 50. 132 Of the sacrifice of Christians 63 Of adoration 73 A generall aunswer to the skoffing of heretykes agaynst the similitudes and allusions which Catholykes haue vsed 108 Of priuate Masse 119 Of receiuing in both kyndes 228 Of the title of vniuersall Bisshope 136 Of the reall and corporall presence of Christ in the Sacrament 139 That priestes haue authoritie to offer Christ. 150 A generall aunswer to the particular questions which M. Iuell moueth 153 Folish collections and argumentes of M. Iuells Fol. 59. 64. 65. 70. 76. 82. 94. 99. 116. 121. 146. 152. 154. 155. Notable lyes of M. Iuells Fol. 23. 61. 68. 72. 86. 94. 151. 156. 158. In the Challenge Tertullians rules to be obserued in euerye disputation and challenge appoynted Fol. 173. 174. ¶ Faultes escaped in the printing Fol Fa. Linea   7. 2. 7. to establisshe and to establisâ—â—â— 8. 1. 20. sayed saie 16. 2. 5. gaue it gaue without 〈◊〉 26. 1. 13. lockyng lockyng â— 35. 2. 26 in the put it out  40 1. 11. great greater lb. 1. 17. odre order 43. 1. 19. coniures coniurers 53. 1. 26. hartis not hart is not 56