and after he Clemēt giueth the reasō because without that Sacrament Confirmatiō one cannot be a perfect Christian Where the Reader must note that Cardinall Bellasmine sayeth not as M. Nicholas doth that without both Sacraments but without that Sacrament to wit of Confirmation one cannot be a perfect Christian And so without Confirmation according to S. Clement one cānot be a perfect Christian 19. But as they who haue neuer a good answere are forced to vse many whereas one good answere alwayes satisfieth so M. Nicholas knowing belike that none of his answers will abide the touchstone nor stand the examination bringeth many answeres not so much to satisfie vs as to presse vs with the multitude He therefore hath in store for vs a fourth answere and what is that He sayeth pag. 83. that S. Clement is not faithfullie alledged by M. Doctour And why because he alledgeth not all his words but ends at these words before alledged otherwise he cannot be a perfect Christian And what needed M. Doctour alledge anie more words seing he had alledged those that proued what he intended to wit that without confirmation one cannot be a perfect Christian And truely M. Doctour alledged more of S. Clements words then Cardinall Bellarmine in the place aboue cited did and yet Bellarmine who saw those words that follow as well as M. Nicholas without alledging them feared not to say Et infra causam reddit Clemens quia non potest aliquis sine co Sacramento esse perfectus Christianus and after he S. Clement yeeldeth the reason because one cannot without that Sacrament be a perfect Christian 20. But what are these words which M. Doctour left out Let vs heare them from M. Nicholas his owne mouth My 4. answere is that S. Clemēt is not faithfullie alledged by M. Doctour for S. Clement after he had sayed VVhen he shal be regenerated and by water afterward confirmed by the Bishop with the seuenfould grace of the spirit because otherwise he cannot be a perfect Christian where M. Doctour ends with an c. immediatelie addeth words wherein the verie point in question consisteth saying si non necessitate sed incuriâ sic aut voluntate remanserit If be shall remaine so not by necessitie but by carelessenesse or voluntarilie But first here I might if I were is foreward in carping at leauing out word though not to the purpose as M. Nicholas is obserue the like fault in him euen in this place in which he taxeth Maister Doctour for that he omitteth those words nec sedem habere inter perfectos nor haue place amongst the perfect which are the immediate words that go before those which M. Nicholas sayeth M. Doctour lift out to wit If he shall remaine so not of necessitie And M. Doctour hath indeed cause to thinke M. Nicholas left them out of purpose for that as wee shall see they made against him and for M. Doctour 21. Yet let vs heare how M. Nicholas argueth out of these words which not onely M Doctour but also Bellarmin left out as also others aboue cited do S. Clement sayeth he pag. 83. sayeth that he who after Baptisme is not Confirmed cannot be a perfect Christian if he want it out of carelessenesse not out of necessitie ergo sayeth he the Catholikes of England who want it out of necessitie may be perfect Christians without it but what necessitie is there now or hath there bene since the Pope sent our two last most Reuerend Bishops to want Confirmation For we haue thankes be to God a Bishop willing to giue that Sacrament and there is no speciall law against him and neuer any as yet hath bene persecuted for hauing taken it Confirmation at least the persecution is not so great but that thousandes haue taken it And these words which M Doctour left out as they are some what obscure so they are as much against M. Nicholas as M. Doctour 22. For first he sayeth out of Estius that when S. Clement or other Fathers saye that a man cannot be a perfect Christian without Confirmation they say so because till he haue it he hath not the perfect vnction of which wee are called Christians that is anointed And then will I adde these words in which M. Nicholas sayeth the point of the controuersie consisteth if not by necessitie but by carelessenesse or voluntarilie he shall remaine so ergo if not by carelessesse but out of necessitie he want Confirmation he may he a perfect Christian that is perfectlie anointed without it which were to say he may be perfectlie anointed without perfect vnction and so haue it without hauing it 23. Secondlie his third answere to S. Clements words pag. 81. as aboue we haue seene was that the ancient practise was to giue baptisme and Confirmation together and that therefore when S. Clement sayeth that otherwise he cannot be a perfect Christian he meaneth that vnlesse he haue both Sacraments that is Baptisme and Confirmation he cannot be a perfect Christian and then will I come M. Nicholas with those words following if he shall remaine so not by necessitie but by carelessenesse or voluntarilie Ergo if by necessitie he want both Baptisme and Confirmation he may be a perfect Christian and yet without Baptisme he is no Christian at all and consequentlie no perfect Christian Wherefore vnlesse we will make S. Clement absurdlie contradict himselfe and make all Diuines allmost absurd who alledge as Suarez also alledgeth these last words Suarez Supra which M. Doctour omitted as not necessarie to his purpose we must say that S. Clement meaneth not to say as M. Nicholas inferreth that if of necessitie one want Confirmation he may be a perfect Christian without it for that were to contradict himselfe he hauing sayed before that vnlesse one be consigned he cannot be a perfect Christian And so whether he want Confirmation voluntarilie or of necessitie he cannot be a perfect Christian Sacramentallie as aboue is sayed as whether voluntarilie or by necessitie he want Baptisme he is no Christian Wherefore the sense of these words must not be that which M. Nicholas gathereth but some other and as it is verie probable it is this sense following which is gathered out of the words which M Nicholas left out which are those nor haue place amongst the perfect if he remaine so not by necessitie c. 24. This then is the sense of S Clements words All therefore must make haste without delay to be regenerated to God and then to be consigned by the Bishop that is to receiue the seuenfould grace of the holy Ghost because the end of euerie ones life is vncertaine which he may say because Baptisme and Confirmation then were giuen together and so Baptisme at least was not to be delayed least one should dye without Baptisme and when he shal be regenerated by water and afterward confirmed by the Bishop with the seuenfould grace of the spirit as is memorated for otherwise he cannot be a perfect Christian
Epistles Franciscus Turrianus a Iesuite also hath vndertaken in a booke which for those Epistles he wrote most learnedlie against the Magdeburgian Centurians who haue not hitherto made any answere to it nether shall they euer be able to answere sufficientlie And so M. Nicholas against all these as well as against M. Doctour who alledge this place to proue Confirmation a SacrameÌ„t might haue saied that they should not haue grounded the veritie of a Sacrament so much impugned by heretikes vpon an Epistle which as is to be supposed they knew not to be so Authenticall as to settle thereon a doctrinall point yea a matter of faith Did not they know as well as M. Nicholas how Authenticall Saint Clements workes were 13. But sayeth M. Nicholas Bellarmine in his booke de Scriptoribus Eccles Sayeth that the Epistles of S. Clement are not Authenticall And I graunt that Bellarmine sayeth that the Epistles of S. Clement which now are extant want not a soâ—uple Lib. de Script Eccles in Clement by reason that there are many thinges inserted as that two Epistles were written to Saint Lames who was dead before But sayeth Bellarmine perchaunce they were written to S. Simcon and other thinges there are sayeth he which peraduenture were inserted and are not in the Vatican booke But yet he reiecteth not this Epistle and therefore as we haue seene hee and many others do cite this Epistle and in the Canon law S. ClemeÌ„ts Epistles and other his workes Dist 40 c In illis 16 q. 1. capit Cunctis are alledged and Turrianus Gualterus and many others doe defend these workes and Catholike writers alledge them against heretikes whom M. Nicholas must take heed least he fauour in so slighting the authoritie of these Epistles 14. If this answere in which he denyeth S. Clements Epistles to be of authoritie please not M. Nicholas hath another n. 16. Which he taketh out of Estius whom he sayeth M. Doctour cited for the necessitie of Confirmation but did not cite his explication of Fathers how they say that one is not a perfect Christian without Confirmation which sayeth M. Nicholas is no faire dealing But why was it no sayre dealing for M. Doctour to cite Estius for the necessitie of Confirmation Suppose in the other point he had beene against M. Doctour do not Diuines commonlie alledge a father or Diuine for the pointe wherein he fauoureth them And are they bound to alledge him in another matter wherein hee seemes to be against them And so if Estius had beene against M. Doctour and had sayed that without Confirmation a man might be a perfect Christian he might yet haue cited him for the necessitie of Confirmation without citing him for the point of a perfect Christian Else how could Maister Nicholas cite Estius for this point seing that in another point he holdeth against M. Nicholas that a Priest not consecrated Bishop cannot confirme by any commission of the Pope as we see aboue q. 1. n. But Estius his doctrine of a perfect Christian is not against M. Doctour and so was not by him left out for that cause but ether because he is not so cleare in that point as others or because M Doctour had cited S clement whose words were plaine But let vs heare Estius these be his words in English It must be obserued that the Fathers in such sentences where they say that men cannot be perfect Christians vnlesse they be confirmed doe allude to the name of Christ which signifieth anointed VVhereupon they dency that they are fullie Christians who as yet haue not receiued Episcopall vnction making force in the word Christian Estius in 4. dist 7. § 9. Which his manner of explication may verie well fauour the explication aboue giuen by which it was sayed that although a man may perchaunce by other meanes get as much grace as confirmation giueth yet he is not a perfect Christian because he hath not the Sacrament of perfection which is the Episcopall Vnction 15. But our aduersarie fearing perhappes not to be fortunate enough in these two answeres addeth a third p. 8 1. He telleth vs that the ancient practise was to giue together with Baptisme the Sacrament of Confirmation and that therefore S. Clement his meaning is onely this that they who haue not both these Sacraments for one was not giuen without the other are not perfect Christians and sayeth he I doubt not but that this will fullie satisfie the learned Reader 16. But this answere argueth onelie the hard shiftes to which M. Nicholas is put for else what diuine yea Catechumen who knoweth his Catechisme would haue giuen such an answere For who knoweth not that it is one thing to be a Christian another thing to be a perfect ChristiaÌ„ and how that goeth before this commeth after that Baptisme onelie maketh a Christian Confirmation a perfect Christian and he that wanteth both is no Christian at all And therefore S. Clement could not haue saied of him that wanteth both that he is no perfect Christian but rather he should haue sayed that he is noe Christian at all For that a perfect Christian supposeth a Christian and he that wanteth baptisme is no Christian and so cannot be called an imperfect Christian he being no Christianistiall at all 17. Wherefore S. Clement to shew that he speaketh not of both SacrameÌ„ts when he sayeth that one cannot be a perfect Christian distinguisheth the effectes of both these two Sacraments and therefore sayeth all must make haste to be regenerated without delay behould the effect of Baptisme regeneration And then at length that is after Baptisme to be consigned of the Bishop that is to receiue the seuenfould grace of the holie Ghost See the effect of Confirmation to wit seuenfould grace And then he addeth And when he shal be regenerated by water See the effect of Baptisme regeneration and after wardes as is mentioned confirmed of a Bishop by the seuenfould grace of the spirit see the effect of Confirmation quia alià s perfectus esse Christianus nequaâ—uam potest for otherwise that is vnlesse he be Consigned and confirmed he cannot be a perfect Christian Where otherwise hath a reference onelie to Confirmation of which he spoke last for if it had reference to both Sacraments as M. Nicholas sayed S. Clement should haue sayed he can be no Christian at all because he that is not baptized is not at all a Christian and so cannot be called an imperfect Christian 18. And to confront M. Nicholas the more for I see by experience Bol. l. 1. de CoÌ„firm c 3. he will not he Satisfied with alitle let vs heare Cardinall Bellarmine He after he had cited those words of S. Clement All must make haste without delay to be regenerated and then to be consigned of the Bishop and receiue the seuenfould grace of the holie Ghost addeth Et infra causam reddit Clemens quia non potest aliquis fine eo Sacramento esse perfectus Christianus
nor these words M. Nicholas left out haue place amongst the perfect if he so remaine not by necessitie but by carelessenesse or volūtarilie Which last words cānot be referred to the words otherwise he cannot be a perfect Christiā but to the words immediatlie following which M. Nicholas left out to wit nor haue place amongst the perfect that is he cannot be admitted to the sacred Eucharist nor to the ranke of them that are admitted to it if not by necessitie but by carlessenesse or volūtarilie be shall remaine so For if by necessitie the partie baptized wanted Confirmation as when he was baptized for some iust cause in absence of the Bishop who could not be gotten then not else he might being baptised haue place amongst the perfect and be admitted with them to the Eucharist And this exposition may be gathered out of S. Dionysius Areopagita according to the Translation set out at Colein an 1536. l. de Eccl. Hier. c. 2. in fine Ipse vero Hierarcha deificantissimo vnguento virum signans participem manifest at de caetero sacrae perfectissimae Eucharisitiae He the Bishop anointing the man with the most deifying ointment manifesteth him partaker of the Sacred most perfect Eucharist Vasq to 3. in 3 part disp 212. c. 2. And Vasquez a learned Iesuite following the Translation of Perionius citeth these words Is cum virum vnguento quod maximè diuinos efficit insigniuit Eucharistia qua vim maximam habet perficiendae sanctitatis participem esse pronunciat He the Bishop when he hath marked the mā with the oyle which maketh most diuine pronounceth him partaker of the Eucharist which hath greatest force to perfect sanctine Whence Vasquez gathereth that when one was baptized he was declared capable of the Eucharist and that the Eucharist vsed to be giuen after Confirmation yet he sayeth there was noe diuine precept to take Confirmation before the Eucharist but onelie vse and custome So that they who were confirmed were declared capable of the Eucharist and commonly did presently after receiue it though there were no diuine precept And if any out of carelessenesse neglected Confirmation which then by custome was to be taken presentlie after Baptisme he was not admitted to haue place amongst the perfect that is amongst them who were capable of the sacred Eucharist but if after baptisme they could not be confirmed and so of necessitie wanted Confirmation then they might communicate there being no diuine precept to receiue Confirmation before the Eucharist and so haue place amongst the perfect that is the confirmed who were capable of the sacred Eucharist 25. And thus it appeareth that M. Doctour hath not bene vnfortunate in alledging S. Clement no more then Bellarmine Suarez Coninck the Catechismus ad Parochos and diuers others alledged were rather M. Nicholas hath bene vnfortunate first in reiecting him then in expounding him 26. I adde to S. Clement S. Vrban Pope S. Vrban cp decretali who liued about the yeare 220. Who hath words which should make M. Nicholas graunt that one cannot be a perfect Christian without Confirmation if he respect ether Antiquitie Authoritie or sanctitie he thus pronounceth Omnes fideles per manus Episcoporum Impositionem Spiritum Sanctum post Baptismum accipere debent vt pleni Christiani inueniantur All the faithfull by the Imposition of hands of Bishops must receiue the holy Ghost after Baptisme that they may be full perfect Christians S. Cornelius Pope and Martyr sayeth He Nouatianus was not cōsummated by the seale of Chrisme and therefore could not deserue the holy Ghost S. Cyprian sayeth Cornel ep ad Fabianum apud Euseb l. 6. c. 33. Et Boil supra Cyp. 72 seul 30 ep 1. Ep. 73. ad lubaian Concil Eliber can 35. Christians are then fullie sanctified if they be borne of both Sacraments to wit baptisme Confirmation And againe he sayeth that by Confirmation which he calleth our Lords seale they are consummated And the Councel Eliberinū sayeth that the baptized if he liue after must be caried to the Bishop that by imposition of hands he may be perfected S. Ambrose sayeth that after the font of baptisme the spirituall seale remaineth that perfectiō may be made by which they insinuate that Confirmation maketh perfect Christians The Councell of Orleans saieth one shall neuer be a Christian that is a perfect Christian vnlesse he be chrismed by the Episcopall Confirmation Ambr. l 3 de Sacra c 2. Conc. Aurel. c. 3. de consot d 5. c. leiun Bel. l. 2. do Sac effect c. 28. 27. Wherefore Bellar. feared not to say Cypr. l. 2. ep 1. Cornelius in cp ad Fabianum apud Euseb l. 6. hist c. 53. Non timuerunt dicere non esse plenè sanctificatos nec perfectos Christianos qui carent Sacramento Chismatis ctiamsi hanc vocent Caluinus Kemnitius veterem contumeliam Cyprian and Cornelius feared not to say that they are not fullie sanctified nor perfect Christians who want the Sacrament of Chrisme although Caluin and Kemnirius call this an old calumnie as M. Nicholas also condemneth the same speach and so in this ioyneth with heretikes in c 8 Act v 17 lit H. Lorinus a Iesuite writing vpon the 8. Charter of the actes sayeth that Guilielmus Parifiensis deplores worthilie the contempt of so greate a Sacrament Confirmation whose grace is in some manner greater then the grace of Baptisme and without which Sacrament as the Fathers and councells speake wee are not full perfect and consummated Christians Wherefore he saieth this Sacrament is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is consummatio consummation Bayus also citeth S. Clement his constitutions the epistle which M. Doctour alledged to proue that the Bishop is the minister of Confirmation Bas us l. 2 inst cap. 60 5 Clc. l. 3 cōst c 10 16 17 l. 7. c 44 cp 4 and he giueth this reason because Cōfirmation is the perfection and complement of Baptisme and so must be ministered by the chiefe minister And againe the same Authour citeth as M. Doctour did S. Clement Epist 4. Clemens epist 4. sic Demum à B. Petro accepisse refert oportere renasci Deo ac consiguari ab Episcopo vt perfecti efficiamur Christiani Clement in his 4. epistle sayeth that he had from S. Peter that we must be regenerated to God and then be consigned by the Bishop that we may be made perfect Christians L. 2. de Confir c. 57. Wherefore M. Nicholas in condemning M. Doctour for saying that without Confirmation we cannot be perfect Christians and for alledging S. Clement to prooue it condēneth the ancient Fathers almost all Diuines who say the same and for it In c. 17 Mar. n. 18. in fine alledge also S. Clement Maldonate a Iesuite also obseruing that the guift of miracles and tongues and the visible descent of the holie Ghost did not ordinarily follow immediatelie Baptisme but Confirmation sayeth quâ re aperte