TRVE RELATIONS OF SVNDRY Confwerences had betweencertaine Protest [...] and a IESVIT called [...] ­soner in Lond [...] for the Cathol [...] Fayt [...] togeath [...] Defences of the [...] IN WHICH Is shewed, that there hath alwayes beene, sinc [...] Church, and in it a Visible Successio [...] Doctours [...] Pastours, Teaching the vnchan [...] Doctrine of [...]yth, left [...] Christ and his Apostles, in [...] paines necessary to Sal [...]tio [...] AND THAT Not Protestants, b [...] only Roman Catholiques have had and [...] Church and in it such [...] and Doctours, of [...] men may [...] what poi [...] Fayth are necessary to Salvation.

By A. C.

[...]

Rom. 16.v. [...]

Permissu Superiorum M. DC. XXVI.

The Preface of the Publisher of these Relations.

GENTLE READER,

I haue thought good to pre­sent to thy view these Rela­tions, together with the defē ­ces of them; not doubting but if thou peruse and ponder them well, they will turne to thy benefit more wayes then one. First, supposing thou neuer heardst any thing of these conferences but in general, or perhaps hast heard particulers falsly related by some who are par­tially affected, or misinformed; thou mayest by this my labour be certified of the truth, and heer­by enabled to do a worke of Charity, in freeing others from ignorance and errour, and contra­dicting such false rumours as thou mayst chance to vnderstand to haue bene spread abroad, whe­ther in speach, or in print, about this matter.

Secondly, if thou be not thy selfe already re­solued a right in matter of Faith necessary to sal­uation, thou mayest gaine no small help to­wards [Page] a sound setling of thy mynd; first, in the true knowledge & belief of that One Holy, Ca­tholique and Apostolique Church which is mē ­tioned in the Apostles, and the Nicene Creed; & by meanes of it, in euery other article, & point of that true Catholique Fayth, which S. Athana­sius in his Creed signifyeth to be so necessary to saluatiō, that whosoeuer doth not hold it entire (that is, in all points) and inuiolate, (that is, in the true, vnchanged, and incorrupted sense, in which Christ, & his Apostles left it, as a sacred Depositum, to be kept alwayes in the Church) without doubt he shall perish euerlastingly.

Thirdly, if thou be already rightly resolued, thou mayst receaue confirmation in thy Faith, and consolation, in considering how plainly it is proued, that there is no other Church, nor con­sequently Fayth, which can (with any proba­ble colour) be pretended to be truly Christian & Catholique, besides that which alwayes was, & yet is, the Roman, or vnited with the Roman Church, and Fayth.

Lastly, hauing once thy mind thus setled, and confirmed in the right Roman, Christian Ca­tholique Fayth, and thereby freed from waue­ring in vncertainty and doubtfulnes about any particuler point of Fayth, thou needst not spend tyme in endlesse Disputes about Controuersies of Fayth, nor be alwayes reading, and learning [Page] (as many curious people be now adayes, & ne­uer cōming to setled, & well-grounded know­ledg, or beliefe of all points of Fayth) but mayst bestow thy tyme,2. Pet. 1. as S. Peter coūselleth those who be faythfull Christiās, when he sayth: Imploying all care, minister yee in your Fayth, Vertue (by which you may liue conformably to that Fayth) and in Vertue, Knowledge (by which you may discerne practically good from ill) and in Knowledge, Absti­nence (from all that is ill) & in Abstinence, Patiēce (in regard there will not want some paine to be suffered, whiles you labour to abstaine from ill) and in Patience, Piety (or Deuotion, out of which will spring spirituall comfort, inabling yow to endure patiently all kind of paine) and in Piety, Loue of the fraternity (or brotherhood, & vnity of the whole Church, not suffering your selues with a preposterous piety of priuate feeling de­uotion, to hate, or separate from the cōmon Do­ctrine, Sacrifice, Sacraments, Seruice, Rites or Ceremonies of the Catholique Church) and in Loue of the fraternity, Charity (or loue of God; which charity of it be well grounded, & rooted in your hart, it will doubtlesse mooue you to la­bour, as the same S. Peter further aduiseth) by good Workes (and not by only Fayth,Ibid. or apprehē ­sion that your sins be forgiuen; or that yow be iust, or the children of God, or of the number of the Elect) to make sure your Vocation and Election, [Page] which doing, yow shall not (as the same Apostle pro­miseth) sinne at any tyme; Ibid. and there shalbe ministred vnto you aboundantly, an entrance into the euerlasting kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus-Christ.

Some may perhaps meruaile, Why these Re­lations come out so late, it being now long since the Aduersaries haue giuen out false Reports, both in speaches, and print? For answere herof, it must be considered, that besides the ordinary difficulties which Catholiques in England haue, eyther to write for want of conuenient place, tyme, commodity of bookes, and conferring which others, or to print; there haue bene some speciall extraordinary impediments which haue hindred the same. As namely, that M. Fisher was straightly charged, vpon his Allegiance, from his Maiesty, that then was liuing, not to set out, or publish what passed in some of these Conferences, vntill he gaue Licence; which made both M. Fisher, & his friends to forbeare, hoping (as was promised by him who deliuered his maiesties message) that D. Whyte and others were not to publish any thing,L. K. vntill they mee­ting with M. Fisher, should treate, and agree, & vnder their hands confirme what was sayd on both sides; which his Maiesty perusing, would grant licence to publish. The which meeting M. Fisher expected a long while, & once went to D. Whytes House, to know what he would say [Page] about the Relation which he had set out; but found him vnwilling to make any such treaty & agrement, nor would himself set out in print, or writing, what he thought to be the true Relatiō, as knowing by likelihood that he could not set out the truth, without disaduantage of his cause, or not without impayring, or at least not aduan­cing his owne credit so much, as he desired.

If any meruayle, why in these Relations so litle is sayd of the secōd Dayes Conference with Do­ctour Whyte, the reason is, because in a manner all the speach of that meeting, was betweene his Maiesty, and M. Fisher, who beareth that dutifull respect to his Soueraigne, that he will not per­mit any thing sayd by him, to be published now after his death, which he had so specially for­bidden to be published in the tyme of his life. For if this cause had not bene, it had bene also now published as wel as the rest; there being nothing in it, which M. Fisher should be ashamed off, or by which any preiudice might come to the Catholique Cause: for if there had bene any such matter, D. White (who in generall tearmes doth in his Preface seeke to disgrace M. Fisher, saying, he vanished away with disgrace) would not haue o­mitted to set downe in particuler some, at least one, blame-worthy Argument, or Answere. But of this, as also of D. Featlyes indeauouring to dis­grace M. Fisher, by obiecting falsly-supposed [Page] Vntruthes, Contradictions &c. more is to be sayd in another place; and therfore not being willing to hold thee, Gentle Reader, any longer from the consideration of the first Occasion of all this busines, I commit thee to the Protecti­on of Almighty God.

Thy hearty Wellwisher, and seruant in Christ. W. I.

THE TABLE Of the principall Contents, and Chapters of the ensuing Relations.

  • THE Occasion of a certaine Conference I had betweene D. Francis White, and M. Iohn Fisher. pag. 1.
  • A Relation of what passed betweene D. Whyte, II and M. Fisher, about a certaine Paper, giuen by the sayd M. Fisher to an Honourable Lady, wherein was proued the Catholique Roman Church and Fayth to be the right. pag. 13.
  • A Relation of the Conference betweene a cer­taine III Bishop, and M. Fisher; defended against the sayd B. his Chaplaine. pag. 37. & 41.
  • An Answere to a Pamphlet, intituled, The Fis­her IIII catched in his owne Net. In which is shewed that the Protestant Church was not so visible in all Ages, as the true Church ought to be; and consequently is not the true church, of which men may learne Infallible Fayth, ne­cessary to Saluation.
  • CHAP. 1. About the first occasion of the Con­ference; in which is shewed that M. Fisher did [Page] not seeke it, nor prouoke his Aduersaries by any challenge vnto it, nor did intend to haue it so publicke, as by his Aduersaries fault it proued. pag. 1.
  • A Copy of the first Paper, which M. Fisher wrote and deliuered to an old Gentleman, before the meeting. pag. 7.
  • A copy of the second Paper, writen by M. Fis­her before the sayd meeting. pag. 10.
  • CHAP. II. About that which passed in the conference it selfe. pag. 12.
  • CHAP. III. Of the issue of the conference. pag. 43.
  • CHAP. IIII. conteyning a Reuiew, and Refle­xion vpon the Premisses. Togeather with di­uers Obseruations cōcerning the Occasion, Meaning, Methode, & Manner of proceeding in the forsayd conference. pag. 46. & seqq.
  • V An Appendix vnto the former Answere, refu­ting diuers Vntruthes obiected by D. Whyte and D. Featly, against M. Fishers Relations, & writings. pag. 73.
  • VI A Reply to D. Whyte, and D. Featly, who haue vndertaken to shew a visible Protestāt Church in all Ages, by naming, prouing, & defen­ding visible Protestāts in all Ages out of good Authors. The first Part. In which is shewed, that neyther they, nor any other haue per­formed this vndertaken Taske, in such me­thode [Page] and manner, as M. Fishers Que­stion (proposed vnto the sayd Doctours in a former Conference) required: And much lesse haue they, or can they, or any other shew such a visible Protestant Church in all Ages and Nations, as Christs true Church is (in the Prophesies, and Promises of holy Scrip­ture) described. Whence it followeth, that the Protestant Church is not the true Church of Christ. pag. 1.
  • CHAP. I. About the vtility of M. Fishers Que­stion (requiring Names of visible Protestants in all Ages out of good Authours) for fin­ding out the true Church, and by it, the true Fayth. pag. 9.
  • CHAP. II. In which M. Fishers Question is explicated, and D. Whytes and D. Featly Ans­were giuen in the Conference, is shewed to haue byn very deficient. pag. 13.
  • CHAP. III. In which is shewed, how many Ministers, after the Conference aforesayd, haue endeauoured to make Answere: And that none haue sufficiently answered M. Fis­hers Question. pag. 17.
  • CHAP. IIII. About M. Bernards Answere, intituled, Looke beyond Luther. pag. 19.
  • CHAP. V. Concerning M. Rogers his Answere to M. Fishers fiue Propositions. pag. 22.
  • A true Copy of M. Fishers fiue propositions a­foresaid. pag. 24.
  • [Page] CHAP. VI. Concerning W. C. his idle Dia­logue. pag. 36.
  • An Argument prouing, that he that denyeth the Authority of the Church in any one point, taketh away infallible Certainty. pag. 39.
  • CHAP. VII. About a certaine Treatise of the Visibility of the true Church. pag. 51.
  • CHAP. VIII. About a Booke intituled, Luthers Predecessours, set forth by a Namelesse Author. pag. 61.
  • CHAP. IX. Concernining D. Whytes Ans­were. pag. 65.
  • CHAP. X. A Reply to D. Featly his Answere to M. Fishers Question. pag. 71.
  • Certaine shifts, and Tergiuersations vsed by D. Featly. pag. 79.
  • CHAP. XI. About D. Vshers Sermon prea­ched before his Maiesty [...]0. of Iune, 1624. pag. 123.
  • CHAP. XII. Contayning a Confutation of the Pamphlet, called, The Protestant Kalendar. pag. 136.
  • VII The second Part of the Reply to D. Whyte, and D. Featly. In which is shewed, that the Ca­tholique Roman Church can name, proue, & defend visible Professours of her Fayth in all Ages. And that she only, and such as agree in Fayth with her, is the True visible Catholique Church, out of which there is no saluation. pag. 143.
  • [Page] CHAP. I. In which is shewed, that the Ro­man Church hath had visible Professours, whose Names may be shewed in all Ages. pag. 145.
  • CHAP. II. In which is shewed, that out of the Catholique Roman Church, there is no sal­uation. pag. 152.
  • A Discourse wherin is demōstrated by Reasons VIII drawne out of Scriptures & ancient Fathers, that out of the Vnity of the Roman Church, there is no Saluation. pag. 153.
  • The first Argument therof. pag. 157.
  • The second Argument. pag. 158.

Faultes escaped in the printing.

In the Relations of the Conferences.
Page,Line,Fault,Correction.
2431whome whendele whome
265be trueto be true
337being a diuinecōming frō a diuine
Ibid11this definitionso this definition
4424of faythof points of fayth
4523to be firmebe firme
494it notis not
511 & 2so rudelyformerly
Ibid.13knowneforeknowne
5615for contrafor if contra
Ibid.18What then? Is itWhat then is it?
572to Rometo come
6114do iustifydo not like
64vlt.argumentagainst
6615out oppositebut opposite
7012vnionvnanime
In the Answere to the Fisher catched. &c.
417questionsquestion
8vlt.sollowethfolloweth
1612repottethreporteth
2311sense: Wherofsense wherof
3918defireddesired
5916heahenheathen
6028withwhich
6726pre-presentpresent
716ProstantProtestant.

[Page]

In the Reply to D. Whyte, and D. Featly.
117offeringesofspringes
418pagesages
66denyed notconfessed not
811differentdeficient
115pretendedproduced
1431or defendand defend
158The ProofesMoreouer the Proofes
2118firstfifth
284is ofare of
3212of the argumentagainst the argument
Ibid.31possessoursprofessours
332the M.the same M.
367pretentethpretendeth
4121to moouedoth mooue
4522(especially obstinatly) dele vlt. parenthesim and read (especially obstinately against the knowne fayth of the Church) any one &c.
6826precept of positiue &c. read, positiue and negatiue precept of profession &c.
6918inferanswere
7420MaiorMinor
84vlt.to be goodnot to be good
969do not denominate. read, do not (as the Name Protestant doth) denominate &c.
67vlt.euery piously disposed. read, euery intel­ligent, and piously disposed &c.
10821points, to takepoints. To take &c.
10929but sayand say
11732it seemethIt seemeth
1181notablenot able
1199hunredshundreds
13129found insound in
14027be namethhe nameth
1463FayhFayth
14719Traditions. TheTraditions; the
15119defineddefined
15313had,)dele parenthesim.
16331vncharitablevncharitably

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