What the visible Church is, and what are the sundry states thereof. CHAP. I.

GOD, through his might the Creatour of man­kind, vouchsauing of his owne good wil, to be the Father thereof, would that the Church should be honoured & acknowledged as mother of all those, of whom he vouchsaueth to be Father, in his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord: And forasmuch as we are not saued, but in this that God hath allowed vs for his children, and that he hath allowed none to be such, but those that are regenerated, and nourished vp in his Church: if we desire our saluation, it is necessarie that we ac­knowledge her, in whose lappe we haue it. And if we will be heires of the Father, we must be vnited in the familie of the mother, in which it hath pleased him to beget those againe, whom he hath ordeined to be hetres of his kingdome, and coheires of his deare­ly [Page]beloued sonne Iesus Christ our Lord.

All they that are knit and incorporated into this Churche in true faith & charitie, are partakers of this inheritance, because they are members of the body of Christ: and without her, as there is no true fayth, nor charitie, nor Christ, so also we ought not to seeke any saluation, but in her. And therefore if a man would speake properly, we should call the Churche, a company onely of those, whom God hath chosen to euerlasting life, in al times & places, which is to man inuisible, who can not enter so farre as to knowe Gods will, neyther the hart of man himselfe, but is only visible to God,2. Tim. 2.19. who knoweth those that are his (as the Apostle saith) & hath sealed them with his owne seale. Notwithstanding, foras­much as charitie hath commaunded vs to presume particularlie of all those that are called the Churche of Christ, that they are of the nōber of his elect, & that as they are bodily there assembled together, so also that they are there spiritually incorpora­ted, albeit on the contrarie part the doc­trine of fayth generally teacheth vs, that the wicked to the end of the world, are min­gled [Page]with the good, the Goates with the Sheepe, the chaffe with the graine, & the tares with y^e good corne: yet will we com­mit vnto God, the searcher of hartes, the knowledge of the inuisible Church, & will content our selues to search for the visible in his word, into which all they must retire themselues in this world, which wil be ga­thered into the inuisible Churche in the world to come.

Notwithstanding, by the way we will note the differences that are betwene these two. The inuisible Church cōtaineth none but the good. The visible Church contay­neth both the good and the bad, to witte, that onelye the electe, this all those in­differently, which are brought into her by the preaching of the trueth. And for this cause S. Augustine saith of that,August. vp [...] the 64. Psal. that she tooke her beginning by Abel and not by Caine, who was the elder: and contrary­wise of the other he saith,August. lib. 1 de Baptism. contra Do­natist cap. 16 that the self same begate Abel & Enoch, Simon Peter, & all Christians &c. as one people, hauing also begotten Caine and Cham, Ismael and Esau, and Simon the sorcerer with his cōfederates. The inuisible Church is part­ly [Page]considered in heauen, & partly in earth, cōprehending aswell those which triumph already with their head Iesus Christ our Lord, as those which yet fight here beneath in the earth for his name, against y^e world & against themselues, & which shal fight in y^e same church after vs. The visible church is considered properly to consist in them, who not onely fight here in earth for the name of Christ, but as well those that fight vnder his name, with false markes & stan­derds & ensignes. And for this cause, that is considered euen from the first faythfull vnto the last, bringing all the states & ages of the church into one: this according to certaine places & times, forasmuch as she is not vniuersally visible (and to be seene) at one push, but according to the ages, and in her degrees. In the inuisible, there is a great many sheepe, which neuer were ga­thered into the visible, and contrarywise in the visible, a great many wolues which neuer shalbe receiued into y^e inuisible. And therefore S. Augustine sayth,August. ho­mil. in Ioan. 45. & ca. 20. lib. 5. de bapt. &c. Rom. 9.6. that there are a great many sheepe without, and a great many woolues within: and S. Paul saith also they are not al Israel which are of [Page]Israel. For to be in the church, or rather to say, of y^e church, is to be vnited with Christ, & incorporated in the company of the faith­full, through true faith towards God, and charitie towards our neighbor. And there is no doubt, but that many here and there vnder Paganisme it selfe, had this desire, which yet bodily they could not accom­plish, the which notwithstanding they are bound to doe with all their power: as con­trarywise, to be separated from the church, is not onely to be without the assemblie, but to haue no participation of Christ, nor vnion of faith and charitie with his fayth­full. Of the inuisible it is sayd,Mat. 16. Mat. 24.11 that y^e gates of hell shal not preuaile against her. Of the visible, that she shalbe so troubled, that a mā shall not finde faith on the earth,Luke. 8.8. that cha­ritie shalbe as it were quenched, insomuch that the elect themselues, if it were possi­ble, should vtterly quaile. And therefore it is not without cause that we say in our Creede, that we beleeue the church. For if we ought to hold nothing for certaine, but that which we see with these carnall eyes, there is no dout, but that in all the states & ages of y^e church, there should many times [Page]be foūd such a confusion, as y^e good graine should be altogether hid vnder the chaffe, without any appearance of the Churche, and yet notwithstanding this was then, whē God sayd to Elias, that he had reser­ued in the same 7000. whereof the chariot of Israel, the Seer of the Lord, I say, he to whom the good people ought especial­ly to haue beene knowen, could not out­wardly knowe one: and euen then & there when the state of the Church was such, as God could not be serued visiblye, but in Iewrie.

All these differences notwithstanding, we do not beleeue two Churches, nor two espouses of Christ, but we beleeue one one­lye considered diuersely: one in the blade, and the other in the graine, one in the thre­shing floore, another in the garner, one in the mine, another now already fyned, the one inwrapped yet in the minglings of the world, the other before her husband with­out spotte or wrinckle. Altogether like as by a familie, we properly vnderstand the children only, although speaking more ge­nerally we comprehend the seruants them selues, & by a Citie we vnderstand the vni­on [Page]of Cittizens, albeit many times one part be at cōtention, & considered apart by it selfe, deserueth not but to be rooted out.

Returning then to our purpose we will call y^e visible church, the company of those, which make profession to serue the true God in Christ, of which we haue presently to intreate. This Church hath had three principall states or ages, one without the lawe, then (say some of the auncient Fa­thers) when man was but in some sort corrupted by the sinne of the first, when he was notwithstanding in some sort a lawe to him selfe, & naturally felt himselfe con­uinced of his sinne, that is to say, he felt his euil, to seeke for remedy for the same: al­though in very trueth this state and age of the Church, found it selfe no lesse corrup­ted then y^e rest. The second was vnder the lawe, when it began in such sort to accu­stome it selfe to sinne, that it grewe into a natural habite through the same: and then for to shewe the sinne therof, the lawe was giuen as a glasse, in which she might con­sider her filthinesse, and how farre of she was from that shee presumed, to the ende she might returne again to be clensed. The [Page]thirde was vnder grace, in Iesus Christ promised to our first parents by & by after their fal, and who, when the fulnes of time was come, was sent of the Father, who brought remedy to all them, that before eyther had, or presently did feele their euil, and sought remedy in his merite. Vnder the first, the Church was visible amongst men, but if you compare those which ser­ued God in puritie, w^t the others, we shal finde that they were entangled in a won­derfull confusion. Vnder the second, the Church was visible in one people, issued from the loynes of Abraham, to witte, the people of Israel, but not so eminent, if we consider not so much what the countrie, as the people themselues were, in compari­son of the rest of the whole world, and the great Empires that florished at that time. Vnder the third, is comprehended all peo­ples & nations without any exception or acception whatsoeuer, being nowe visible in one Countrey, or other, fewe or many, and therefore we call her Catholique, or vniuersal, to witte, which is to [...]ore tyed to the familie of Iacob, nor to Ierusalem: as vnder the second estate or age (for from [Page]all partes it ought to be gathered there) but who adopteth for childrē of Israel & of Abraham, in all places those that haue the fayth of Abraham, and for citizens of Ie­rusalem, all the citizens of y^e world, which serue God in spirite and trueth.Mat. 28. Galat. 3.28 This is y^t which Christ hath taught vs, when he sent forth his Apostles into all y^e world, and S. Paul, when hee sayth, that the wall is bro­ken downe,Ephe. 2.14 that there is no more Iew nor Greek, but y^t al are one in Iesus Christ:Apo. 21 13 & y^t which is noted vnto vs in the Apocalypse, by y^e Citie hauing xii. gates, three into eue­ry quarter of the world. In which also, af­ter the Prophets and Apostles, the aunci­ent doctors of the Church agree: that after the vocation of the Gentiles, there is not a­ny nation or citie more priuiledged then another, but that all the world is the thre­shing floore,Cypri. de simplicitate prelatorum. August. pas­sim contra Don atistas. the field and inheritance of the Lord. All peoples is Iuda and Israel, all cities Ierusalem, all houses the house of God, so y^t he be there worshipped & serued: so far is it of y^t at this day, any place what soeuer it be, may attribute any spirituall prerogatiue more to it selfe, thē to another.

This vniuersal Church comprehendeth [Page]vnder her, all the particular Churches, ga­thered together in diuers parts of y^e world, the which likewise we cal y^e Christiā Chur­ches, y^t is to say, assemblies which cal vpon one only God by Iesus Christ, as the East Church & West Church, y^e Greek Church, and the Latine Church, the Church of Co­rinth, the Church of Galatia, of Ephesus, of Rome, of Carthage: notwithstāding to speake properly, not Catholike or vniuer­sal, but parts of the Catholique or vniuer­sall. No more then when we speake of some parts of the Ocean sea, we call all those the sea, as the South sea, the North sea, the Athlantique sea, the Cantabrique sea, and the Britannique sea, &c. and we say of al these, it is the Ocean sea. And yet notwithstanding we knowe that there is but one Ocean, and not many, whereof by these names we make many distinctions, seeing it is but one body & vniforme, from which the vnion cannot be seuered, but on­ly distinguished, as wee ought also to ac­knowledge in the Church. And therefore he that saith that the Church of Rome, & y^e Catholique Church is al one, he speaketh no lesse improperly, thē he that should say, [Page]that the Britannique sea were y^e whole O­cean sea, or the Tyrrhene sea it self, which yet is but a part of the Mediterraneū sea.

Nowe the visible Church is in the worlde, and the worlde as we may feele in our selues, is an vncleane worlde, & there­fore liuing vnder such an infected ayre, it is impossible, but that shee shoulde be de­filed, and drawe vnto her much corruption. It is also compounded of men, and out­wardly gouerned by men, and all men are flesh and blood, and by a consequent cor­rupt and imperfect, subiect to ignorance and malice. It is then possible that some­times shee be corrupted, and impossible that in this world she appeare in any sound perfection. Notwithstanding, because the Scripture sometymes in speaking, ha­uing regard to that which is reputed vnto her (in consideration of Iesus Christ her husband) before God, and sometimes also not according to that she is, but according to that shee ought to be, not so much to praise her, as to prouoke her to make her selfe worthy of that praise, shee is graunted these titles of the Churche, to which she is not alwayes conformed: be it that we con­sider [Page]her in the men, whereof she is compo­sed, or the doctrine it selfe that is taught in her. She is called the kingdome of hea­uen, or the kingdome of Christ:Mat. 13.47 but Christ Iesus, which is the king himself that raig­neth in her, compareth her vnto a net cast into the sea, which draweth vp to him both good and bad fishe. This then is as much to say, as in this kingdome of heauen the deuill hath his subiects, which perteyne to his tyrannie. Saint Paul also there cal­leth vs the house of God,1 Tim. 3.15. and exhorteth vs to take heede howe we there behaue our selues: but the selfe same Paul would not hide this from vs,1. Tim. 2.20. that in the same house there are not onely vessels of golde and of siluer, but also of woode and of earth, the one (I say) to honour, and the other to dis­honour: whereof Saint Augustine hath taken his distinction of those that are in the house,August. lib. 7. cap. 51. de Baptismate, & libro de vnitate ec­clesiae cap. 4. and yet are not of the house. And this that we confesse in our Creede it selfe, that the Church is the Communion of Saints, it is not meant that all they which are there assembled, are sanctified by the spirite of God in Christ, but rather that there is no true Communion, no true ho­linesse, [Page]but in the Church, calling it, as we are alwayes accustomed, by the best part. And thus much of the corruption of the persons.

Concerning the doctrine she is called his spouse,Cant. 4.6. Isa. 1.21. 1. Tim. 3. altogether faire and without spotte, the faithfull Citie, the Citie of righ­teousnes, the temple of God, and the piller of trueth. By these goodly titles she should be stirred vp to please him, who vouchsa­feth to call her by these names, and to be o­bedient vnto him. In meane time it often­times falleth out, that the Church gouer­ned by naughtie Pastors, presumeth to be such, as her titles set her foorth to be, and that she can neuer be any other, so that shee dareth to say, I am a Queene, and can be no widowe, and so maketh voide the good­nesse of God, through which alone shee is decked with all these titles. Shee neglec­teth the voice of her husband, and maketh lawes at her own pleasure: her gouernors will gouerne her after their guise, thin­king that they are wise ynough of them [...]ies. And hereupon the Prophets haue haue constrayned to change their speach, according as shee changeth her gouerne­ment. [Page]This is the cause why they haue cal­led her strumpet and adulteresse, that they haue reproched her, that she hath played the harlot vnder euery busshie & greene tree, that they call her Princes the Princes of Sodome,Ier. 3.12. Ezech. 18.23. and her people the people of Gomorrhe: to be short, that they threaten her that God will remoue his tabernacle from thence to others.2. Thess. 2. And Saint Paul sayeth that they should be so deceiued, for hauing neglected the trueth of God, that they shal worship Antichrist in the Church. The reason hereof is very cleare, that the Church is as the moone, a body thicke & cloudie, which hath no light but from Christ the sunne thereof. By meanes that she looketh towards him, she is bright and cleare, and the more she turneth away from him, the lesse brightnesse she hath, & some­times she withdraweth her selfe so farre from him, & so great a masse of earth set­teth it selfe betwene them, that she seemeth altogether eclipsed.

Hereof it is, that of this vniuersall Church dispersed throughout the whole worlde, and gathered together into parti­cular Churches of all the nations thereof, [Page]wee maye see some vtterly rooted out by the iust iudgement of God, as the Phi­lippians, Colossians, & many others of the East, which were erected by the Apostles thēselues: others to be erected else where, through the euerlasting goodnesse of God towards mankinde: Some by the corrup­tion of men, to be corrupted both in ma­ners and doctrine, as those of Greece, of Egypt, of Affrike, &c. Others by the pre­sumption of their leaders, hauing nothing left sound, as the Church of Rome at this day. To be short, some other gone from he­resie to infidelitie, as in the coūtries where Mahomet begunne his sect, which are al­together the fruites of the first sinne of man, who of him selfe turned awaye from God to himselfe, and was blinded in his owne loue, thinking to be wise enough to guide himselfe without the worde of God. Thus much in few words, concerning the parts of this visible Church, nowe vniuer­sall. But let it suffise for this time, that wee resolue our selues, that this Church is the Assemblie or Congregation of all those which make profession of Christ, through­out the whole worlde: that vnder her are [Page]comprehended al the particular churches, to which the promises of Christ, made to this universall Churche, belong equally: That of the same some are pure, and some impure, according as they are turned a­way from God to themselues: to be short, that the purer churches are impure before God, seeing he hath not founde puritie in his angels, sauing that he supporteth them in mercie, in Iesus Christ his sonne our Lorde.

That of the visible & Catholique Church, some partes of it are pure, and some im­pure, and which be the infalli­ble markes of the pure Churches. CHAP. II.

THe Catholique or vniversall visible Church is the assemblie of all those which make profession of the Gos­pell of Iesus Christ throughout the whole worlde, distinguished (as we haue sayd) into many particular Churches, all which do make but one body. Of all these particular, as members and parts of one & [Page]the selfe same body, some are pure, other some are impure, some more, & some lesse sounde, and some at this day are sicke euen vnto death, which in times past were more healthful, according as all are composed of men, and therefore are subiect to be parta­kers with their faultes. Those that are of the purer and sounder Churches, we call them sound and true Churches, cōsenting to the true doctrine, which is the name, that for the most part, the auncient fathers haue giuen them. The others wee call the er­ring, hereticall or schismatical Churches, according as they erre, either in faith or in charitie, agaynst the square and right rule of Christ, or against the rule of his Church, either in the one or in the other, notwithstanding euery one in his degree. And yet for all this, both the one and the o­ther are truely Churches, that is to say as­semblies, that make profession of Christ: but they are not pure Churches, that is to say, seruing God in Christ onely, in puritie and veritie: euen like as a lying person is truely a man, albeit he be not a true man, & a man ceaseth not to be a man, howsoeuer he be disfigured without, and inwardly in­fected [Page]with leprosie, and in such sorte be­nommed of his members, or else troubled in his senses, that he is depriued of the prin­cipall actions of a man, yea, and of those things also, in outwarde appearance, that make difference betweene a man & a beast, I meane, speache and reason.

I knowe very wel that the auncient fa­thers, and principally the Latines, they cō ­monly call the pure Church Catholike, by excellencie, to distinguish it from the con­gregation of heretikes: but to speake pro­perly, there is no particular Church, how pure & sound soeuer it be, that can bee cal­led universall: And if we giue them their name, because they are partes of the uni­versall Church, by the selfe same reason, it should agree aswell to the most impure Churches themselues. And in deede this worde (Catholike) was not put in our Creede, for to distinguish a pure Church from an impure, but to distinguish the Ie­wish Church, in times past tyed to Ieru­salem, from the Christian Church, which by the cōming of Iesus Christ, was spread throughout the whole worlde, that is to saye, to authorize the vocation of the Gen­tiles [Page]against the pretended prerogatiues of the Iewes,Rom. 9.10.11. cap. against which S. Paul hath written in the three first whole chapters of the Epistle to the Romaines: and to shewe that according to that, that was foretolde by all the Prophets, that all people were made one in Iesus Christ, which was the principall controuersie that made greatest broyle in the primitiue Church. And if a man shall deepely way this thing, he shall finde that this maner of speaking vsed of the auncient fathers, calling the sound and true Church Catholike, came of the reaso­ning they had against y^e Schismatikes, as against the Nouatians, Donatistes and o­thers, who tooke vpon them to binde the whole Church to themselues, and shut out all the rest of the world besides: as namely the Donatistes, who tyed it to a little cor­ner of Affrike,Augustin. pastin. con­tra Dona­tist. vnder the colour that they presumed that they themselues were more holy then the rest, against whom, to y^e ende to stoppe their mouthes, they opposed the Catholike or vniuersall Church according to the Scripture, spredde throughout the whole world.

Nowe it followeth that we search out [Page]the true markes of this Church, which we call the true & pure Church, or if we like better, y^e Catholike Church, to distinguish it from the impure & erroneous Church. We haue said alredy y^t God, vouchsafing through his goodnes to be y^e father of one sort of men, would also that his Church should be the mother, and we knowe very wel, that it belongeth not to the mother a­lone, to bringforth children into the world, but she is a true mother who also nouri­sheth them, and careth for them, after shee hath brought them forth. Nowe through Baptisme we are auowed to be the childrē of God, and of children of wrath which we were, we are through his word cherished & nourished vp in the faith: and she at the first giuing vs sucke, and afterwards more fast and strong meate, through the Communi­on of Christ his bodye in the Supper, we are more and more vnited to him, and by this meane inuested into that heauenly in­heritance. It followeth then, that she is the pure Church and true mother, who brin­geth: foorth vs her children through Bap­tisme, regenerateth & norisheth vs through the worde, knitteth vs to Christ, and so a­amongst [Page]our selues one to another, through the Sacrament of his Supper: that is to saye, shee is the true mother, in which the worde of God is purely preached, and the Sacraments according to the same worde duely administred. In the Church of Iuda and Israel, Circumcision occupied the place of Baptisme, & the Passeouer of the Supper, the worde of God alwayes kee­ping his place, as the ordinarie nourish­ment of the children of God: and therefore we see, that after their entrie into the land of Canaan, Iosue being admonished by y^e Lord, to repaire those faults committed in the desert,Iosue. 1.18 & 19. cap. made the people to be circumci­sed, and bound them by an othe (if they would be his people) to keepe the word of God, that is to saye, if they would bee his Church. Likewise Iosias, after so great confusions and mingle mangles, when he would reforme the Church, in which there was not so much as y^t visible marke, which circumcision had left in y^e flesh, we see that he began there, first digging vp as it were the law, which had bene buried, & published the same, and made the people to sweare solemnly vnto it. And cōsequently he cau­sed [Page]a Passeouer to be proclaymed in these woordes: Celebrate the passeouer of the Lord your God,2. King. 23. 2. Chr. 34. 2. Chro. 35 as it is written in y^e booke of this couenant, that is to say, according to the ordināce of the Lord your God. Esdras also after he was returned frō Babylon, for to reedifie the temple, and to restore the Church, he began at these foundations: he expoundeth the lawe vnto the people, and maketh thē to sweare in the forme of that couenant, and after to nourish and fortifie them in y^e hope of their saluation to come, he restoreth againe the true vse of the Pas­chall, according to those things (sayeth he) which were written in the booke of Mo­ses. To be short, al y^e true seruants of God, after that there came any great scattering of the Church,Nehem. 8. & 9.3. Esdras. 7.6 & being willing to redresse it, they haue alwaies before al other things restored these markes, no otherwise then a good Captaine, who after a great slaugh­ter & confusion, raungeth his men into an aray, and planteth his standerds in some high place, to the end they may shew them selues to all sides. Iesus Christ, who is the true husband, hath giuen vs no other markes, to knowe his espouse by. For this [Page]cause that he calleth the Church his wife, he teacheth her her duety, which is to obey his worde, and not to hearken to the voyce of a straunger, not to lose the tokens, nor to defile the Iewels and pledges of her mari­age: but marke how he speaketh in expresse wordes, He that is of the trueth heareth my voice. And againe,Ioh. 18.37. My sheepe heare my voice, and I knowe them, and they followe me: and in another place, Ye heare not,Ioh. 8.47. be­cause you are not of God. The pure wife and Church then of the trueth, is onely she which heareth the voyce of Christ. Not a voyce in the ayre, or an imaginatiue voyce, but that voyce which hath it Echo out of y^e scriptures, and which will resound vntill y^e end, to witte, the same that is pronounced by the mouth of his Prophets & Apostles, vpon which Saint Paul teacheth vs,Ephe. 2.20 that the Church is founded, Christ Iesus being the chiefe corner stone. This is the cause why sending foorth his Apostles to erecte the Christian Churches, he saith vnto thē,Matth. 28.19. Goe and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,Marke. 16.15. &c. and teaching them to keepe all that I haue commanded you. And in the Actes we reade, that the [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page]faithfull continued in the doctrine of the Apostles,Actes. 2.42. in the Communion, & breaking of bread, & in prayers, which is no other thing but a briefe description of the true Church of Christ, instructed by the worde, in true faith, and knit together in true cha­ritie, through y^e Communion y^t is in him. The which thing S. Ambrose teacheth vs,Ambros. lib. de salubr. cap. 7. saying, that the Catholique Church is y^t, where God speaketh w^t his seruāts: and S. Augustine also,August. con­tra Cresco. Grāmat. lib. [...]. cap. 11 &c. whē he placeth y^e mini­sterie of ministers & pastors of y^e Church, in the word of God & Sacramēts. Let vs yet adde hereunto y^e third mark of this church, albeit it be not of y^e substance, but outward, to wit, y^e lawful vocation of pastors & mini­sters of y^e Church, which haue the admini­stration of y^e things aforesaid. For seeing y^t there is question of preaching, be it by the word, or by y^e Sacraments, which are vnto vs as a word y^t may be felt,Rom. 10.15. and y^t to preach, it behoueth y^t the ministers be sent: it is ve­ry necessary y^t the Church of God haue an order, to send forth their pastors. But more shalbe seene of this point in another place.

We wil call then the true & pure Chur­ches all those, wherein we finde the worde [Page]of God, and Sacraments purely and law­fully administred, that is to say, (as Cypri­an saith) according to the institution of the Lorde. And we nothing doubt to commu­nicate with them, & that God is there pre­sident, howsoeuer in some certaine pointes of doctrine there haue bene some errour, and in the outward policie some abuse, and corruption, and impuritie in maners: for it behooueth that alwayes we resort thither, when the chiefe pointes of the foundation of our saluation be there truly taught, see­ing we are men, & the Churches are com­pounded of men, as speache and language consist of syllables and letters: of the quali­ties of which men, as long as the Church is in this world, she is alwayes a partaker. As concerning the false and impure Chur­ches, they are not so easely to be defined. Trueth, soundnes and right, are but of one sort: but errors, diseases, & crookednesses are without nomber. Againe, there are many kindes & degrees of impure Chur­ches: notwithstanding, we can say in one worde, that al those Churches are impure, in which the word of the Lord, and his Sa­craments are impurely ministred, that is, [Page]are administred both against the honor of God, and the saluation of our neighbour: and because that the whole Gospel is no­thing else but faith and charitie, and whole Christ, nothing but head and body, we may make two principall kindes thereof, cal­ling those Heretikes which erre in y^e faith & doctrine of Christ, & those schismatikes, which sunder themselues from charitie, and from y^e communion of his body which is the Church, yea although they agree otherwise to the trueth of doctrine in all pointes.

Nowe as there are many pointes, in the Christian doctrine, so also there are many kindes of heresies, some in one point, and some in another, and some in one point more heinous and grieuous then another, and furthermore, some in one point alone, and others in more points then one. No o­therwise then in a naturall body, some sick­nesse is in the vitall part thereof, another in the instrumentall, one a simple heate of the liuer, another a burning in all partes of the body alike: to be short, one a distem­perance in some one part, another distem­perature, or euil disposition of al the body. [Page]Such a Church then, as hath plaied the harlot with false gods, and hath beleeued the noughtie counsaile of men, may be in such sort infected with heresie, that euen from the crowne of the head, to the sole of the foote, a man shall not see one sounde place. Notwithstanding, these ceasse no more to be the Churches of Christ, because they are heretikes, then a man that is disea­sed, ceasseth therefore to be a man: but in this that they are Heretikes in the doctrine of Christ, this sheweth vnto vs that they are yet Churches, howsoeuer we distin­guish the disease from the body, altogether like as we know that a sicke man is a man, and not yet the carkasse of a man. But then they are not any more Churches, when they come to the heresie of infidelitie, when Christ, who is the soule of the Church is no more accompted for a Sauiour an [...] Mediatour, when this mediation which ioyneth Christ to his Church, as the necke doeth the head to the bodye, is cut of: as for example. When the Christians of Asia in many places, of Nestorians became Mahomites, that is to say, of Heretikes became Infidels (what praise soeuer the [Page]Alcoran giueth to Iesus Christ) because then the soule is out of the body, and the winde pipe is cut, and the bill of diuorce is published betwixt Christ and them, after they haue once openly maried themselues to another, and haue sought their happines and saluation, without him.

This is to come againe to that I haue before spoken of, that the markes of the true Church are these, that of a pure and chaste wife of Christ, and the mother of the heires of the father, she engender children to God, y^t she nourish them vp vnto him, and that she vnite them vnto Christ: for one of these points alone, maketh her not worthy of this title, but all together: for she is not a true mother, who engendreth chil­dren, and afterwards leaueth them at ran­don, and yet shee is truely a mother.Ezech. 16.20. Now such a one was the Church of Samaria, or the Church of Israel,Ezech. 23.37. in which there was remaining circumcision and also the lawe, but this was in name only. She was (saith the Lord) an adulteresse, and played the harlot with euery one that came, that is, there was no idolatrie which was not welcome thither: and yet a litle after, he [Page]sayth she engendred children vnto him. She engendred (I say) children to God, who accompted them his owne through circumcision (although she had deserued by these adulteries to be reiected) foras­much as y^e diuorce was not yet made with her, and they as yet were in the couenant: but hauing brought forth children to God, she offreth them vp to Moloch, she maketh them to passe through the fire, she enstruc­teth them in al idolatrie, that is to say, she giueth them to the deuill, and made them inheritours of hell, asmuch as laye in her. Now it is said in the selfe same places, that Ierusalem, sister vnto Aholibah, in which also God had chosen his tabernacle, had done much worse, in such sort that she was made lower thē Sodom. This thē is that,Mat. 23.15 that Iesus Christ sayth to y^e Pharises, Ye trauel by sea & by land to make a proselyte, that is, to the ende you may circumcise a Painime, and bring him into the Church, and when this is done, ye make a double childe of hell: for ye teache him as ill, that circumcision is worse to him then vncir­cumcision, because that his knowledge which he hath of the true God, turneth to [Page]his condemnation. That the like shoulde come to passe to y^e Church of Christ, there is no doubt at all: for in the beginning there haue bene heresies in the chiefe arti­cles of our faith, that is, diseases in the prin­cipal and vital partes of the body, as name­ly, in the doctrine of the God head and eter­nitie of Iesus Christ. The sinne of man de­serued death: It must needes be then, that the mediatour was very God and very man, Man, for to die the death, and God, to ouercome death. And therefore they which denie the diuinitie of Christ, they deny the principall qualitie of y^e mediatour, through which we obtaine saluation. Now the diui­nitie is made nothing, when y^e eternitie is made void. For where we finde the begin­ning, there naturally we neede not doubt of an end. This heresie and many such like were scattered throughout many notable Churches: Notwithstanding, forasmuch as the auncient Church hath iudged that their baptisme ought not therfore to be re­iected, she hath shewed by consequence, that shee hath holden them for Churches, for all their deadly diseases, forasmuch as Christ, from whom true Baptisme and the effi­cacie [Page]thereof is, baptizeth not but in the Church, shewing thereby, that there may be found Christian Churches which bring forth their children as mothers, and yet nourrish and instruct their children worse then stepmothers. And therfore they adde, that this Baptisme which profited them in their infancie, falleth out to their further hurt, when they come to yeres of discretiō, when they come to taste on these heresies, whereof they had no sense or feeling.

The Latine Church, as Ierusalem to Samaria, set it selfe then very couragious­ly against such errors, and healed many of them, whereupon it got great aucthoritie amongst all: but afterwards, a worse euill came vnto it, and that was this, that ha­uing through Gods goodnesse, (who al­waies preserueth his trueth in some place) bene exempted from the foresaide heresie and sickenes, she was borne in hand that it came of her owne strength, and that shee could not any more be deceyued, as he, who for hauing his health one yeere, giueth him selfe to all disorder, thinking that it can no­thing hurt him, whereupon we say, that she is fallen into a generall distemperance, and [Page]is so laden with heresies, that she is not on­ly throughly sicke, but she is as it were sicknesse it selfe, not feeling her euill at all. We say then of her, the same that the Pro­phet Ezechiel said of Ierusalem, who was the onely seate of y^e Lorde: Samaria hath not offended to the one halfe of thy sinnes:Ezech. 15.48. Sodom thy sister hath not done, neither she nor her daughters, as thou hast done and thy daughters. Thou hast iustified thy sisters, in all the abominations which thou hast done, and therefore I wil bring againe thy captiuitie, and thou shalt beare thy vil­lany. The worde of God is the only meate which God hath giuen for the ordinarie nourishment of his children. The Latine Church, to the end she might nourish them with huskes and shales, hath hidden it from them, & buried it in the earth, or if for shame she hau [...] sometimes deliuered it vnto them, it hath bene altogether couered with poy­son. In stead that this worde shoulde haue directed vs to God for our saluation, shee hath sent vs to men, which are nothing but perdition, yea to the sonne of perdition him self. Whereas she should haue assured vs in the infinite merites of one Christ y^e infinite [Page]God, y^e papacie hath turned vs to our own merits, which merite nothing but hell and death. The whole law was giuen to no o­ther end, but to make vs feele our sinnes, & to search the remedie thereof in the grace of Christ: but contrariwise the Romane Church maketh vs to play y^e Iewes, more then the Iewes, promising vs saluation of our selues, to the ende that making vs to search for it that wayes more feruently, shee might therein shewe vs hell. She hath receyued the deuill into the Lordes house, she hath mingled in his bread of life, death, and into his cuppe she hath put poyson: to conclude, if through Baptisme, which she hath notwithstanding many wayes profa­ned, she enrouleth children to God as a mo­ther, yet is it certaine on the contrary part, that through her false worships, she nouri­sheth them vp to the deuil. And as concer­ning saluation in Iesus Christ, which is the necke that ioyneth the head with the body, Iesus Christ with his Church, it is so cut of by mans merits, by the merits of Saintes, by the Popes pardons, and such other wickednesses, that the life of the Church holdeth but by a very litle thread, [Page]the which had bene straightway quite cut off (Antichrist had so wel laboured therein) had not God through his great mercy sent his seruants in time to represse him. As long then as this threade remained there, we deny it not the name of the Church, no more then vnto a man, the name of a man, as long as he liueth, what sickenesse soeuer he haue: yea, we are content to call her the spouse, so that therewithall shee suffer vs in like maner to call her an adulteresse. But we say that she is an heretical Church worse then al the Churches that euer haue bene, a wife which prouoketh God to a di­uorce, a mother which nourisheth vp her children to the diuell, and we pray God, that he will vouchsafe to take her in child­hood, being defiled in her blood,Ezech. 16. and that he will washe her in her olde age in the blood of his sonne, & that he will remem­ber, as he promiseth to Ierusalem & Sa­maria, the couenant made with her from her youth, and that as he hath done al­readye in a good parte of her members, it woulde please him to restore her againe to her first puritie and integritie. See then as concerning the hereticall and impure [Page]Churches in doctrine, whereof we mayn­taine the Romane and Latine Church to be in the chiefest degree.

Concerning y^e Schismatical Churches, whether they are plainely schismatical, or whether heresie foloweth after a schisme, as a feuer doth after a woūd, heretikes & schis­matikes in this sense are all one. Of Here­tikes we haue spoken as before. Of Schis­matikes we make here two distinctiōs. The cause (sayth the Canon) maketh a schisma­tike, & not the separatiō: & therfore we say, that they which haue giuen others a iust oc­casion to separate thē selues from their cor­ruptions, are y^e schismatikes, & not they who haue taken it. For this cause, the Apostles were not schismatikes, although they sepa­rated them selues from y^e Scribes & Pha­rises, & cut themselues of from their assem­blies: But rather the Priestes & Scribes, which put them to death, when they submit­ted them selues to verifie the comming of Christ amidst the Church: & we shall proue in his proper place, that y^e selfe same in like maner is come to passe in our time, of those which haue verified Antichrist in an open councill. For y^e second, we say, that we must [Page]distinguish betwixt y^e author of a schisme, & those which followe it. That the authors of Schisme, forasmuch as they rent thēselues from charitie, & so by cōsequence from the body of Christ, they may be cōpared to Da­than, Core, & Abiram, cutting themselues (asmuch as in them lyeth) out of the booke of life. Concerning the others, we say that they are the flocke of Christ, but euil gouer­ned by their pastors, and principally those which are borne vnder the Schisme, foras­much as neither of both are without blame, neither can in any wise excuse themselues. And therefore Dathan and his companions were swallowed vp,Nomb. 16. and the congregation which cleaued vnto him was spared: but in that it sawe the horrible punishmēt of those whom it had followed, it was warned to se­parate it selfe for feare of the like. In like maner Ieroboam & his successors, which through ambition had made a schisme in the Church, were accursed, and yet Samaria ceased not therefore at the least to be in the couenant of God, neither by reason of her false worships, halfe Iewish & halfe heathe­nish. To be short, ambition & y^e want of cha­ritie wherof it proceedeth, these make schis­matikes, [Page]& therefore the poore people which do not holde thereof, but are caried away w^t the faction of y^e mightiest, as it were with a streame, this although it be a separatiō, yet properly it is not a schisme. And euen as in factions which are made in a kingdome a­gainst y^e common wealth, a good prince pu­nisheth the Captaines, & through his clemē ­cie pardoneth y^e people, who were let alone either to go through ignorance, or in respect of their authoritie &c. euen so it is to be pre­sumed y^t the father of mercy doeth towards his poore children, which for y^e most part do mourne vnder the ambition of the prelates, & are not partakers of their subtill coūcels. This be simply spoken of the Schismati­call Churches, that is to say, which haue no notable heresies ioined with their schismes. The like thing also may be foūd in y^e Chur­ches of the heretikes: for oftentimes the lea­ders of y^e Church are heretikes by their sub­tilties in certaine things, & not y^e people who vnderstand thē not, contenting themselues with the simplicitie of the worde which al­wayes is most true. But we will speake of this more amplie in another place.

We wil conclude then that the workes of [Page]the pure Church are fayth and charitie, the worde and the Sacramentes purely & law­fully administred.August. con­tra Faustū, lib. 19. ca. 11. The markes of y^e impure Churches are, whē therin they faile in part, or be impure: the which thing many times falleth out ordinarily together. To be short, howsoeuer it be, when it hath no religion, nor no doctrine, nor no visible signes, to di­stinguish it frō others. We say y^t the Christi­an Churches haue their doctrine comprised in the olde & newe Testament, & their Sa­craments, which are Baptisme & the Sup­per, that those which minister the one & the other purely, are y^t pure Churches: y^t those which minister them impurely, are the im­pure Churches, & the Church of Rome, the most impure of all others, which hath so villanously defiled both the one and the other, that there remayneth not any more so much as any shewe of the institution of Christ.

That the other markes which our aduersa­ries alledge, are common both to the pure and the impure Church, & such as for the most part hold not. [Page]CHAP. III.

THey that perceyue thēselues van­quished in this, that they haue not the essential markes of the pure & sound Church, they would quite cōtrary make vs beleeue, y^t the true Church can not be knowen by the pure & sincere ad­ministration of y^e worde & Sacraments, but by certaine outward markes, to wit, by an­tiquitie, multitude, succession of places and persons, by miracles & reuelatiōs: no other­wise then false coyners, which wil not haue men to knowe their money by the finenes of Golde, and by the touchstone, but by the wayght, by the sounde, & by the coyne & the colour, which they may easely falsifie.

They alledge therefore vnto vs antiqui­tie,Antiquitie. following y^t which is sayd vnto Iob of one of his friends,Iob. 8.8. Iob. 32.7. Aske for the auncient ge­neration, & prepare thy selfe to seeke after the fathers. Againe dayes shal speake, or the multitude of yeares shal teache wisedome. To whō I could answere by Iob him selfe, euen in the verse next following: The ma­sters are not alwaies wise, neither do y^t olde men alwaies vnderstand iudgement. Also it is the spirite of God, & not yeres y^t ought to [Page]speake in man. But forasmuch as they make an instance so lowe, it behooueth that we giue them a more full answere. The questiō is here of the puritie of the Church. Nowe the Church is compared to a litle barke or ship, and the more she is vpon the Sea, the more she leaketh: and vnto a house, which with age decayeth, and fal­leth to ruine: and to a Citie, and the po­licie of it corrupted, if once a man drawe it to any other beginning: and to a mans body, to which yeeres doe bring an heape of al kinde of euils. To be short, to the most healthful and temporate body in the world, age is euen as sickenes it selfe. I saye then that antiquitie alone, ought to make vs thinke that in the Church there is a great sickenesse and much filthynes, and that euen for this cause alone without any lon­ger confutation, it behooueth vs to bring a broome to purge it, and to call for a Physition: so farre is it of, that for these things a man should mayntayne that she is pure and sound, as they do. Furthermore I demaund howe they will aunswere vn­to the heathen, yea to Saynt Austine him selfe,August. su­per Psal. 64. who sayeth that Ierusalem began [Page]by Abel, and Babylon by Rain. Also that the promise was by Isaac, and the ba­stardise by Ismael which was the elder. Consequently what would they haue an­swered vnto the Iewes in the time of our Sauiour Iesus Christe, if that antiquitie had beene a true marke of the Church? They sayde that they were the children of Abraham. Nowe he was called the Fa­ther of the beleeuers. For they had their genealogie from the creation of the first man. They could haue alledged the coue­nantes that were made of olde betweene God and them. And after that Christe was sent vnto them according to these pro­mises, vnder the shadowe of this antiqui­tie, they called him the Carpenters sonne, a Samaritan, one that hath the deuill, a Preacher of noueltie: and there is great likelyhood, that if our masters had beene then there in that time (seeing that they keepe the selfe same argumentes) they would haue holpen to haue crucified him. Nowe we say likewise that Antichrist who was foretolde vnto vs, entered into this ruinous house, whiles the most part was a sleepe in this dead sleepe of antiquitie, in [Page]steade of that was said vnto them, Watch & pray: & that the subtillest lent him their hād till he had turned all topsituruie, and yet men would not know him. Furthermore I demaund what they wil aunswere vnto the Greeke Churches, the Armenians, Ethio­pians &c. founded by the Apostles, & as olde as the Church of Rome, yea and elder too, seeing y^t the Church of Christ, as we know, tooke her beginning from the East to the West? If antiquitie be a marke of puritie, they are pure: & if they be pure, the Latine Church in comparison & to their iudgemēt, is most impure. If they be heretikes & im­pure, as the Latine Church doth hold them, then it followeth y^t antiquitie is not a marke to proue the puritie or veritie of y^e Church. Howe then? shal we reiect antiquitie? nay rather we embrace it with all our heartes, & a great deale better then our aduersaries: but in such fort we embrace it, as the aunci­entest of tymes be asked,Dan. 8. & heard before al our fathers, and alwaies according to this most certaine rule, that Primum quodque verissimū, that y^e first things are truest, that is to say, that when there shalbe any question of a pure Church, we looke into the word of [Page]God what she hath bene of olde time, & that we draw her from y^e rust of our euils which she hath gotten through age, & so restore her vnto y^e beauty & integritie of her youth. See then how we ought to honour antiquitie, to reforme our selues according vnto it, and not to suffer our selues to be corrupted w^t the rust, and so to perish vnder the shadow of it. This is the rule which our master hath giuen vs. When there was question concer­ning diuorce, that Moses had agreed vnto y^e people for the hardnes of their heartes, they had a prescription long inough, if prescriptiō might haue had place against the institution of God: Notwithstanding he answereth in one woorde, It was not so from the begin­ning: Mar. 10.4. that is to say, there was no such ordi­nāce of god. Tertullian saith, Prescriptiō is nothing against the trueth, neither time,Yert. de vir­ginibus ve­landis. nor authority of persons, nor priuiledges of kingdomes. For there is no foolish custome which can haue authority against the trueth. Now Christ is called the trueth, and not cu­stome. And if Christ be alwaies, & more aū ­cient then al, then also is trueth more aunci­ent then al customes. Heresies haue alwaies bin vāquished by y^e trueth, & not by noueltie, [Page]and whatsoeuer is contrarie to this trueth, it is heresie, although it be neuer so olde a cu­stome. Cyprian saith we must not regard y^t,Cipr. lib. 2. epist. 3. which any other hath done before vs, but we must regard y^t which Christ hath dōe,De seipso ad Pompeian. episto. 9. & in episto. ad Quirin. in sentent, epis­co. & in▪ August de Bapt. lib. 5. cap. 23. Ignatius ad Philadelph. canon. Con­suetud. dist. 11. which is before all, for we must not followe the cu­stome of men, but the trueth of God. A­gaine he saith, custome without trueth is an old errour, & the Lord hath said, I am the trueth, and not, I am custome. Ignatius saith; all my antiquitie is Iesus Christ, whō not to heare is manifest perdition. See then howe the most auncient sende vs alwaies to laye holde vpon the trueth, which is most auncient of all. For this is alwaies a ryght rule,L. Quae ab initio. D. de regulis iuris. and to be receiued, that those thinges which are nought worth in the beginning, are no whit better in the continuāce of time, and if a mā cannot prescribe against kings, and against the Church in their possessions, much lesse he can doe it against God and a­gainst the trueth, which is the only treasure of the Church.

Nowe let vs come to multitude,Multitude Exod. 23. it is saide expressely, thou shalt not follow a mul­titude to do euill.Mat. 7.13. Luk. 12.32. Also the gate is wide that leadeth to perdition. Cōtrary wise, feare not [Page]my little flocke: for it is my fathers plea­sure, to giue you a kingdome.Deut. 4.2 [...] &. 7.17. &. 9.1. &. 11.23. Moreouer we see that all the worlde was brought to one onely Noah, and afterwards to Abraham. Then God chose one people of Israel, the least, as he hath said, of al peoples, and final­ly of all peoples the least part, to wit, Chri­stendome, which for this cause he calleth a litle flocke. According to which S. Austin saith,Augustin. super. psal. 128. that the Church was sometimes in one Abel, and in one Enoch. Multitude then shoulde be rather a presumption of the false then of the true Church, of impuritie ra­ther then of puritie, for asmuch also as man in all things is prone by nature to euill, and tendeth not vnto good, vnlesse he be as it were drawen by force vnto it. If we looke to the number of Painims, they will set a­gainst vs in al nations almost, many against one, and againe all nations against one only nation, yea, and in that nation it selfe all the families of one time against one or two: as namely in the time of Noah, those which were called the childrē of God,Gen. 6. mocked him & his religion. Likewise amongst this cho­sen people of God,1. Reg. 29.10. the Samaritans bare themselues against Iuda, for there were ten [Page]tribes against two,1. Kin. 22.8 and in Iuda & Israel the idolaters gained against the people of God, for Elias cōplaineth that he was left alone,Iere. 4. & against the good Prophet Micheas, there arose vp foure hundred false, & the Prophets crie that all the people were deceiued, euen from the Kings,Iere. 18.18. to the Priests & Prophets. In the Christian Church also there shall be as fewe in that place, for euen at the begin­ning it was saide,Isai. 53. Who hath beleeued our word, & to whom hath the arme of the Lord bin reueiled? & we read that it was brought to a small number of persons, & the schoole­men themselues hold, that after the death of our Sauiour, in one instant it consisted in the virgine Marie alone. In the greatest floure of it, we reade that after the death of Constantine,Thedoret. lib. 2. cap. 16. his sonne being of the same name, fauoring y^e Arrians, there were so few sounde professors amongst the Christians, that y^e Emperour reproched thē, that foure or fiue persōs with their Athanasius, would trouble the peace of the whole worlde, to whom Liberius the Byshop of Rome an­swered, that his solitude or fewenesse did no whit diminish the word of faith. In the end we are aduertised that when y^t sonne of man [Page]shall come (before which that sonne of per­dition must seduce the worlde) he shal finde neither faith nor charitie on the earth,Mat. 24. and that those daies shall be as the daies of No­ah, & Lot &c. The eclipse thē of this Moone shalbe as it were vniuersall, all the whole earth being put betweene y^e Church and the Sunne: & therefore if we haue no other di­rection in these darkenesses, then the mul­titude, we shall haue no part with that little number. Moreouer, the Christians which reiect the Pope in Asia, and in Affrica, are a great many moe in number then the others. If the Pope hold them for pure Churches, then is y^e Romaine Church an heretike, for she condemneth them, and excōmunicateth them for diuers points of doctrine. If not, then multitude, which is a common argu­ment to the impure Churches themselues, can not be alledged for a marke of puritie. And yet for all this, we cease not to praise GOD, for the blessing which he hath giuen vnto his woorde, making the same to fructi­fie, and encrease to hundreds and to thou­sandes: likewise we pray, that as he hath already drawen a part of Christendome frō vnder the yoke of Antichrist, so it wil please [Page]him to continue it more & more. But we say that if in certayne places it seeme that God do retire but few,Amos. 3.12. as the Pastor that saueth from the mouth of the Lion, an eare of his sheepe, as saith the Prophet Amos, or accor­ding to Ieremie,Iere. 3.16. taking one of one towne, & two of one tribe, for to retire them into the restauratiō of his Church, yet for this cause we must not cal the trueth into doubt, for as­much as the selfe same trueth hath foretolde vs this, & the great number is no marke of puritie & veritie, nor the litle number of fals­hood and heresie.

Succession of place.Nowe followeth the succession of place and of persons, which they alledge against the succession of true doctrine which we re­quire in the Church. As concerning y^e place, there is no doubt but that this is to play the Iewes, to enclose Orbem in Vrbe, that is, y^e whole worlde in one citie. For the Church is not any longer tyed to Ierusalem, but we see euery day that God calleth his peo­ple, euen those which seemed not to be his people, and contrarywise he hath permitted by his righteous will, that many Christian Churches haue bene turned into the Tem­ples of the Turkes,Apo. 12.6. &c. as that of Ephesus foū ­ded [Page]by S. Paul and S. Iohn, and that of Bōne in Barbary wher S. Austin preached &c. And further that is said expressely,Glossa com­munis in esi versiculum. that the Church of God for a long time by rea­son of the persecution of Antichrist, shall re­tire her selfe into the wildernes, as the com­mon glose it selfe doth expound. Moreouer the Church is a citie, that is to say, one vniō of Citizens vnder the iust gouernement of Christ. Now betweene a citie and a towne there is this difference, y^t the one cōsisteth in walles, & the other in the vnion of the peo­ple gouerned vnder y^e same lawes, & there­fore y^e citie of Rome was at Veies w^t Camil­lus being a banished man,Deies was a litle town not farre frō Rome. Plutarch. in Themist. Dion lib. 41. Appian in libic. Plorus. cap. 49. though y^e towne of Rome was in y^e hand of the enemie. And Themistocles saide that Athens was in shippes which the Romanes had taught the poore Carthagians to their cost, when they made their Citie to be caried out of their towne. To be short, y^e Popes thē selues haue maintayned for lxxx. yeeres together, that the Romish Church had her sea in Auigniō although they had forsaken Rome. Moreo­uer this argument is common to the Chur­ches, Greekes, Syrians, Armenians, Ethi­opians, &c. whom the Pope condemneth in [Page]many poynts of doctrine. To conclude, if euer there were Church that might alledge succession of place, it was Ierusalem. For of it was said, The Lord wil euermore dwel in this Temple:2. Chro. 33 Psal. 33. 2. Chro. 7. Also I haue chosen, and sanctified this house, to the ende that my name may dwell there for euer. And there­fore the priests had no other answere to all the Propheres that reproued them, but this:Iere. 7. &. 26. The Temple, the Temple, the Temple of the Lorde. But see what the Lorde him selfe answereth vnto them: Goe saith he, & see Shiloh, I haue chosen it from the beginning, for my house. Now see what I haue done vnto it for the wickednes of my people, I wil do euen so to the place, which I haue giuen vnto you and to your fathers. But if you will that I dwell there, amende your wayes, & turne from your euil deedes. Nowe if he haue forsaken his owne temple for the iniquitie of the priests, besides which he had none erected in y^e whole world, must we tye our selues to the Church of Rome, or to any other place, seeing that al the Eli­mates of the world are equally his temple?

Succession of persons.Concerning the succession of persons, y^t is no lesse friuolous then the other. In all [Page]estates & cōmō weales, there is one perpetu­al sequele of magistrates, either by successi­on or by election. Nowe if there be any que­stiō of reforming the estate according to the lawes, there is no way so ill, as to vse these argumentes, I am a magistrate as was my predecessour, or from y^e father to the sonne, ergo y^e cōmon wealth hath not to make any reformation. None euer douted, but y^t Ne­ro was a tyrant although he was descended from Augustus, neither would any man af­firme y^t Commodus was a good prince, al­though Marcus Aurelius was his father. In like maner euery one will accord y^t Ma­nasses defiled y^e church, & violated al iustice,Zackar. in tractatu de regimine principum. Bald. de Schism. albeit he was y^e sonne of good Ezechias: and Iosias, he reformed y^e Church & the lawes, who was y^e sonne of Manasses himself. And y^e ciuil lawiers themselues which make two sorts of tyrantes, the one sort without title, & y^e other of exercise, that is, one sort vniust vsurpers, the other vniust gouernors, so we also make two kinds of Popes playing the tyrantes ouer the Church, one sort which they call intruders, which are thrust in there vnlawfully, the other abusers, abusing their authoritie, shewing thereby, that that which [Page]may fall out in the successiō of magistrates in the common wealth, may also fall out in the succession of prelates in the Church. Furthermore if euer any might alledge the succession of pastors, they were the Iewes: for they were of the house of Aaron from the father to the sonne, & besides them none might sacrifice. Moreouer to them it was promised, that they shoulde so continue for euer. And hereof it was, that when the Prophets exhorted them to reformation, they had no other thing in their mouth, The lawe shall not perish from the Priest, nor the councell from the wise, nor the worde from the Prophete. But the spirite of the Lorde aunswered them,Ierem. 8.8. Say not, We are wise, & the lawe of the Lord is with vs. For it is in vaine, that the pen is made, and that there is a scribe. The wisemen are confoun­ded. And seeing that they haue reiected the worde of the Lord, what shal be their wise­dome any more? Likewise when they boa­sted to Iesus Christ,Io. 8.44. y^t they were y^e seede of Abraham. I knowe it well (saith he) but the deuil is your father. And in very deede this successiue & hereditarie wisedome crucified Christ, and reiected it saluation, as also this [Page]selfe same successiō, but yet only pretended, worshippeth Antichrist & ētertaineth it own perdition. Moreouer I demaund what these alledgers of succession would haue aunswe­red to y^e Samositans, Nestorians, Arrians, &c. who had their beginning cōtinued from y^e first Bishops, euen to thēselues, & namely frō Nestorius, & Samosatenus, both which were lawfully called to y^e patriarchal chur­ches, the one to Constantinople, & the other to Antioche. Also what wil they answere to the succession alledged by all the Greeke & East Churches? to be short, to y^e reformed churches of Englād, Denmark, Swethen, a great part of Almaigne &c. through all which, there is at this daye this succession from Bishop to Bishop, & frō pastor to pa­stor. If they will alledge the Popes supre­macie, a man may deny it them, & this is a­nother question. If simply succession, then they haue lost their cause: If y^t doctrine, thē we gaine this point, y^t the simple succession of persons w^tout the succession of doctrine, is nothing worth.

They alledge that the auncient Doctors haue vsed this argument, & we deny it not. But they must marke therein eyther that [Page]this was against heretikes that denyed the holy scriptures, or else there was alwayes adioyning the successiō of doctrine. S. Au­gustine enferreth it against y^e Manichees: but they reiected the greatest part of the scriptures, and manifestly the booke of the Actes of the Apostles, to the end to deny the descending of the holy Ghoste, and to esta­blish Manichee in his place. He alledged also vnto them miracles, antiquitie &c. but he addeth immediatly after. You on your part alledge nothing like, but onely you holde a promise of the trueth amongst you. Notw^tstāding if you could euidently proue it,August. con­tra Epist. fundam. cap. 4. Idem contra petib. ca. 16. I suppose it ought to be preferred before succession, antiquitie, miracles and al things else. This is as we dispute against thē that denye the scriptures, by probable reasons & by authorities of prophane bookes, albeit we hold them not for rules of y^e trueth. Against y^e Donatists, Arrians, Pelagians & others, who accept the scriptures,August. Epist. 156. he disputeth by y^e scriptures. In a certaine place he alledgeth amongst other things the succession of 39. Bishops of Rome, but this was w^t this ca­ueat. In al this company there was not one Donatist, that is, there was not one that [Page]helde any such doctrine as you do.Iren. lib. 4. cap. 44. Irenee sayth, that they are not alwaies true priests, which seeme so to be: but they which keepe the doctrine of the Apostles.Tertull. de prescript. aduersus he­reticos. Tertullian presseth the heretikes of his time, who for the most part denyed the Scriptures, to shewe that their predecessours were the A­postles or the Apostles schollers: but by and by afterwards he requireth consanguinita­tem doctrinae, the consanguinitie or kinred of doctrine, & preferreth it before all succes­sion, that is to say, that they onely were not the sonnes of y^e Apostles, but also their doc­trines were the daughters of the Apostoli­cal doctrine, Chrysostome sayth, that y^e pul­pit maketh not a priest, but a priest y^e pulpit. To be short, a man shal not finde any which hath spoken in any other sense. And nowe seeing y^t none can transferre that to his suc­cessour, which of right doth not belong vn­to him, & that S. Paul hath forbidden vs to heare y^e Apostles, & the Angels themselues, preaching any other Gospel then his owne, doth it not followe that the successors of the Apostles are reiected if they preache other­wise? It followeth then that the succession neither of place nor of persons is any thing [Page]worth, but onely the succession of doctrine, which we haue sayd before, to be the true & infallible marke of the pure Church.

Concerning miracles, if a man speake of those which were wrought either in the pub­lication of the lawe by Moses,Miracles. or in the con­firmation of the Gospel by Iesus Christ & his Apostles, it is certaine that they were generally wrought, aswel for the Samari­tans as for the Iewes, for heretikes as for sincere & sound professours, for y^e pure chur­ches, as for the impure, forasmuch as the onely question is towards one to shewe the true God giuing forth the lawe, & towards the others, the true Christ promised in the lawe, whom both the one & the other make profession to receiue & worship. And there­fore this argumēt is common to both two. Concerning the other which they alledge, specially in that same state in which we say Antichrist heareth dominiō, I say they are false in effect,Titus Liuius in many pla­ces. because they heare witnesse to falshood: but if they had any true, yet they are not therefore sure testimonies of the trueth. The heathen had their deuilish mi­racles in the temples of their false gods, & some in effect true, as may appeare by all [Page]their histories. Simon Magus, who would be ack nowledged for Christ, wrought mi­racles. So likewise did Apollonius Tia­neus and Apuleus of Madaure. But these for the most part might be illusiōs, y^e which y^e deuil wrought to abuse fooles, hauing no­thing (as S. Augustine saith) more agreea­ble to this,Augustine de vtilitate credend. cap. 16. 2. Kin. 18.24. then their outward senses. But God wrought those great miracles among the Samaritanes, in their strongest Idola­trie, as when he made the Assyrians to be eaten of Lyons, for to reuenge his contēpt among his enemies, & not to authorize the faultes & abuses of the people. He wrought some in the time of those heresies next be­fore y^e cōming of Christ, to shewe the power of his name to al nations. Yea it should not seeme straunge, when he will worke such in lands newly found, for to vāquish the deuils which reigned there. Al this then is too litle to be a marke of the pure Church, vnlesse y^e churches of y^e Samaritans, & the heretikes of y^e former times had bene pure churches. This is y^t which S. Augustine answered to y^e Donatists,August. lib. de vnitate Ecclesiae. cap. 46. which would proue their doc­trine by miracles. You alledge (sayth he) miracles, in which a man is not to be heard [Page]in respect of the place, but in regard of his desire. We wil not proue our church, neither by succession of Bishops, neither by the au­thoritie of councels, nor by the nūber of mi­racles, nor by visions nor dreames. All such things are to be allowed so farre foorth as they are done in the Catholike Church, but they proue not that y^e Church is Catholike, for that dependeth vpon the scriptures. Our Sauiour Christ hideth not this from vs, y^t he wil cast into euerlasting fire those y^t haue wrought miracles in his name.Mat. 7. This is not then as our aduersaries say, a gift that sanc­tifieth them that do them. It is also foretold vs that many false Christes shall come with miracles,Mat. 24. to seduce if it were possible, euen y^e elect.2. Thess. 2. And S. Paul saith, y^t Antichrist shal come according to the efficacie of Sathan, in all power, & signes & miracles of deceit. This then is as litle,Hierom. vpon the 7. of Mat. Chrisost. vpon the 1. Epist. 2. Thess. August. lib. 20. cap. 19. De ciuitate Dei. a gift of the spirit sāc­tifying and purifying the Church. This is more: for some of these miracles shal not be altogether false in effect, but onely in their end, that is, because they tend to a false end, to establish the seate of Antichrist, as saint Augustine hath taught vs vpon this place: and Saynt Iohn Chrysostome, when hee [Page]saith, that there are miracles not onely of il­lusion,August. super. psal. 9. but true and effectuall, tending to bring in falshood. Now if miracles approue the puritie of the Church, and the trueth of doctrine, then Antichrist hath gained his cause, if not, it is so farre of that y^e miracles wrought vnder the Papall sea, ought to be alledged for confirmation of puritie, that rather quite contrary, seeing y^t no other mi­racles are promised before the comming of Christ but his owne, we should suspect, that the Romane Sea is that prodigious sea of Antichrist, which was before foretolde vs. Let vs folow thē amiddest these difficulties,Luk. 24. the instruction that Iesus Christ hath giuen to all Christians in the person of his Disci­ples. There were miracles wrought before his birth, but none were nere accōpanying his owne birth, & therfore there could be no abuse in it. In his life time there were an in­finit sort wrought, of which they were made eye witnesses: he being fastened to y^e crosse, dead, & buried, & afterwardes they sawe him eate and drinke with them. But of al those famous Magiciās, their inchantments died with them, neither was there euer one ray­sed vp againe. For it was inough for him to [Page]say vnto them at his departure, You haue seene the singular miracles which I haue wrought. You ought therefore no more to doubt, that I am that same anoynted, which was promised vnto you. Contrariwise, he sendeth them to the Prophetes, to Moses, to the Psalmes, and to be short, to y^e holy Scriptures, to the ende they may there marke what they haue seene, and what was therefore told them by the Spirite of God, and y^t what he had foretold them, was now also accomplished.

Touching reuelations and visions which are a kinde of miracles,Reuelati­ons. we haue the plaine text which decideth this matter.Deut. 13. If there shall arise (saith the Lorde) amiddest thee, a false propher, or a dreamer of dreames, and that the signe or miracle which he hath told thee come to passe, saying, Let vs followe straunge gods, &c. hearken not to the words of this Prophet &c. There are then both Prophets, and visions, true in effect, and yet false in theyr ende and triall: which triall is doctrine, as is to be seene in this place. Lykewyse when Saint Iohn, to the ende to keepe vs from false prophetes, exhorteth vs to proue the Spirites, by and by he [Page]addeth,1. Iohn. 4. Hereby shall you knowe the Spi­rit of God: Euery Spirite that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the fleshe, is of God &c. that is to say, proue the spirites by the doctrine which they preach. There­fore Saul & Cayphas haue prophecied, but as S. Augustine saith,August. lib. 2 ad Simplic. quae. 1. as Balaās Asse once spoke, and yet for all that, they myght haue once spoken the trueth. For the deuil him selfe to couller his lying, some times spea­keth trueth.

We conclude then that all the foresaide markes are not the infallible markes of the sounde and pure Church. First, because they be not substantial but outwarde. Secondly, because they are common, aswell to false­hood as to trueth. But that they may be markes, they ought to put a difference. Thirdly, they neede to be proued and ap­proued by another marke, to witte, doe­trine: to be short, seeing it is said, that in the ende Antichrist shall come, and seduce the greatest part of the people, and that he shall sitte in the Temple of GOD, that is to saye, in the Churche it selfe, and in one of the most famous places, and that be shall worke strange signes and wonders: [Page]we conclude on the contrary part that anti­quitie, multitude, succession, and miracles, are rather at this day the markes of the seat of Antichrist, & of that whore, then of Christ and of his chaste spouse, of whome Christ hath giuen vs this one marke, He that is of the trueth, heareth my voyce. He that is my Disciple, abideth in my word.

That the holy scripture is the vndoubted touchstone, to try the puritie of doctrine, which is the marke of the pure Churches. CHAP. 4.

OVr aduersaries doe therevpon ob­iect vnto vs, that doctrine as a com­mon argument, and that euery one saith, that he hath the pure doctrine on his side, and therefore that it can not be alledged as a mark of the pure Churches. I answere, that this is in deede a common bragge of all heretikes, but it is not alwaies a common marke, but peculiar and pro­per to the pure Churches. For both the true Christians and heretikes, may haue an­tiquitie, multitude, succession, and miracles, as we haue already proued: but there is none [Page]but the sound and Catholike Church that can haue trueth, & true doctrine, which con­sisteth in faith and charitie, forasmuch as she is one, and if the other boast of it, they haue nothing else but the sound, the which by and by vanisheth, if it be once put to the touch. Likewise we see commonly that they which pleade together, pretende euery one y^t ryght is on their side. In meane time who wil say, y^t seeing both twaine saye they haue right, y^t there is no question to dispute of y^e right but only y^t he which is in possession should keepe it. He that should say so, he should make him selfe a laughing stocke, & should often times giue authoritie, & title to the vniust possessor against the right owner: For besides the o­piniōs of parties, there are aduocates to de­bate the right, & lawe that must iudge there­of. Now for to decide y^e matter wherof there is questiō, thanks be to God we haue a good Iudge. The question betweene vs is of y^e pure seruice of God. Now it is not in mans power to iudge, howe God must be serued, much lesse for a poore pesaunt to make bookes, how Princes should be dutifully ser­ued. For betweene man & man there is al­waies a proportion, but betweene man and [Page]God there can be none. For it is God alone which ought only to be heard in this matter, & not men, whose ordinances of y^e seruice to­wards god is for their own turne, & serue on­ly for their owne phantasies. This is y^e cause why God himselfe would be y^e onely law gi­uer vnto his people,Iere. 33.22 Iam. 4.12. Deut. 12.8 &. 32. Iere. 7.21. giuing thē a law which containeth whatsoeuer he requireth of men, aswel in general as in particular. And to cut of al mans inuētiōs, he expressely forbiddeth thē to adde any thing thereto, or to take any thing therefro: for he saith, that he will be serued according to his pleasure, and not according to that which is good in mens eyes, which he hath knit vp for vs in one worde,1. Sā. 15.22 Prou. 30. I will obedience, & not sacrifice. The Priests were men, & very oftentimes they could not content themselues with this: but the example of the sonnes of Aaron may be an horrour vnto euery one, who for of­fering straunge fire vnto the Lord, & not be­ing commaūded, they were consumed with fire sent from heauē. And whilest men haue loued their owne inuentions, they haue lo­den the people with traditions, ceremonies, and gloses, and whereas the lawe was gi­uen to conuince them of sinne, to the ende [Page]they might seeke mercie in Christe, they haue founde out other meanes for their sal­uation. But God by his Prophets, which he hath sent from time to time, betweene the publishing of the law & the Gospel, hath al­waies helde them to the lawe. To the lawe and the testimonie saith Esai:Iere. 7.21. Isai. 8.20. hide my lawe amongst my Disciples. And if they speake not according to this worde, the morning light shall not be giuen vnto them. And be­cause they obserued not this sacrifice, it was turned to them into a curse, & God was readie to make a diuorce with his people, & therefore to cutte of at one blowe all their madnesses,Mal. 2. &. 4 Osc. 2. Malachi recommendeth to the Church, the obseruation of the law, and the ordinances giuen from Moses, vntill the comming of Elias, that is, of Iohn the fore­runner of Iesus Christ. See then the lawe of the Church, euen vntill the Gospel of grace was giuen, whereof the Prophetes were expositers: by which a man may distinguishe the false seruice from the true, without hauing anye recourse to the long possession thereof, which had but small authoritie to giue power to Ismael him selfe agaynst Israel. To be short, he, [Page]of whom it is only said, Heare him, to teach vs by his example, hath giuen so great authority to the lawe, that he will haue the people thereby to iudge whether he be Christ or no:Mat. 17. Search (saith he) diligētly the Scriptures: for you thinke that by thē you shal haue euerlasting life, and they are they, which beare witnes of me. The iudge of the world attributeth so much to y^e lāw,Ioh. 5.39. Luk. 16.16. Luk. 24. that he wil haue y^e world to iudge by the same law, whether he be the true Messias, a deceiuer of the people or y^e sauiour of y^e world. And why so? because it is not the word of Moses nor of Esai, nor of any men, but euen his, who sent him.

Nowe by the comming of our Sauiour Christ, y^e holy scriptures haue lost nothing, but rather haue the greater authority,Hebr. 2. God which hath spoken to our fathers (sayth the Apostle) sundry times & in diuers maners, hath in these last times spoken vnto vs, by his owne sonne. This sōne is God himselfe, this is y^t essētial word, this is he by whose cō ­ming y^e Church waiteth for the manifestati­on of al things.Iohn. 4.25. The word then y^t proceedeth frō him, ought to haue an infinite & absolute authority, & therūto must mē adde nothing. [Page]For it is the infinite wisedome of the infi­nite father, and can teach vs whatsoeuer is necessarie for our saluation. And seeyng he hath so loued vs, that he came into the world to dye for vs, he would not then hide from vs the worde of life. To be short, he came to lighten vs in darkenesse, and hath promised neuer to forsake vs. He hath then left vs some light to guide vs, and seeing he is that same light it selfe, it is such a light, as we following it, we cannot be deceiued. Nowe this then is that same written word of God, which is the true image of that es­sentiall worde, in which he hath imprinted all that is necessarie for vs to the glorie of God, and all that is expedient for our sal­uation. The Apostles receyued this worde from his mouth, to preache the same to all the worlde, and herein they were true and faithfull Ambassadors. Agayne, the spirite of God, through which they preached, indi­ted it, and taught them what they shoulde say, to the ende it should be deliuered vnto the posteritie, so as we haue it there regi­stred by foure sworne Notaries of the ho­lie Ghost, and expounded in many Epistles of the Apostles. Finally, these Registers [Page]of the kingdome of heauen, haue gathered them together by the common care of the Churches, wherein they haue bene kept, the which haue witnessed, that this worde proceeded from them, and thereto haue put to their seale: and to the ende that no Scripture myght be made equall vnto them, and to take away also the foundati­on of all heretikes, which euery where al­ledge it, and bring in, to serue euery turne, the traditions of the Apostles, the Chur­ches haue brought them into one booke, which they call the Canon, that is, the rule, and the Canonical Scriptures. See then that in the Christian Church, we haue now as was vnder the lawe, one rule to iudge the right from the crooked, a squire to di­rect our buylding, a compasse to guyde our barke, a lawe to iudge controuersies, and a God in his woorde to determine all matters which shall arise in the Churches. All that is agreeable to this word of God, is of God, for that it is his owne word. All that is not agreeable to this worde, is of man, and no man hath any voyce in the Churche, to make any lawes concerning the seruice of God. The sonne of mā alone, [Page]God and man, hath onely this power, of whom it is onely sayd, Heare him.Matth. 17. Al then that is ouer and besides this, ought to haue no place in the Church.

By this worde thus limited within the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture, the primatiue Church hath taken away an in­finite nomber of traditions, which heretiks haue made to passe vnder the name of the Apostles, allowing nothing but that which they haue found contained in the foresayde bookes. By the same also they haue stopped the mouth of heresies, which sprong vp of the noughtie and vnsound interpretations thereof: to be short, they neuer complained, when they had any thing to doe with here­tikes, who agreed of this Iudge, accomp­ting their matter wonne, but rather when they vanquished them which refused the same worde: forasmuch as it is impossible to finde a Iudge, to them that refuse to be iudged of God.

Our aduersaries alwaies cry with open mouth, The Fathers, Fathers, Fathers: but beholde whereby the Fathers woulde bee iudged, and before whome they would pleade. This controuersie (sayeth [Page]S. August.Augu. epist. 166. & lib. de vnit. Eccles. cap 3. & 16. per totum aduersus Donatistas.) requireth a Iudge: let Christ then be Iudge himselfe, and tel vs himself, wherefore he dyed. Let the Apostle also be iudge together with him: for in the A­postle also Christ himselfe speaketh. It is sayde, that he hath not spared his owne sonne, &c. but hath giuen him to the death for vs. See then the Iudge before whome he calleth the Pelagians, from whome our aduersaries haue borowed their doc­trine. Against the Donatistes his ordinarie wordes are,August. de pastoribus cap. 4. We haue founde Christ in the scriptures, there also must wee finde the Church. Also let it not be heard any more betwene vs, I say this, thou sayest that, but rather see what the Lord sayth, for we haue (saith he) the bookes of the Lord, to which we both giue consent, we both beleeue and keepe. Againe, the canonicall Scripture is the rule of all. The epistles of Bishops gyue place one to an other, and Councels are amended and corrected one by an o­ther, but that must correct all. Also where shall wee feede the sheepe of the Lorde? Vpon the mountaynes of Israel: these mountaines of Israel, are the altars of the Scriptures of God. When any man [Page]shall preach according to that, from thence take taste thereof, and all that is not from thence, cast it awaye, for feare of straying in the mystes. And when the Donatistes alleadged Saint Cyprian vnto him, of whome notwithstanding hee maketh a great accompt in all his workes, and spe­cially through whome he myght haue o­uercome them in many matters, I (sayeth he) allowe not the wrytings of Saint Cy­prian for canonicall. And yet herein I doe him no wrong: for not in vayne was this so healthfull a Canon made,August. con­tra Cresco­nium lib. 2. cap. 21.32.38. lib. 5. cap. 17. de baptism. cō ­tra Dona­tist. in which are comprehēded the bookes which we dare not iudge, and through which notwithstanding wee iudge of all bookes, as well of infidelles as of Christians. That which I finde there agreeable with Scripture, I accept it with prayse, that which I finde not agreeable to the Scrip­ture, by his good leaue I reiect it. And there is no doubt, sayeth hee in another place, but that nowe he seeth all more cleare and bryght then when he was con­uersant in darkenes, that he will rather be glad to know how comfortable it is for vs, that in the writinges of Christian orators [Page]and learned preachers, a man may finde things to be reproued, and that in the wri­tings of those poore fishers, that is to say, of the Apostles, a man shall finde no such thing in them. Alledge not therefore to me, sayeth he, in this case their writings, but the Lawe, the Prophets, the Psalmes, the Gospell, and the Apostle. For from hence it is, that I holde the Church is spread ouer all, and is not tyed vnto any certayne place. And the rule which hee gyueth vs out of the bookes of Cyprian,August. 13. ad Hieron. in prolog. lib. 3. de Tri­nitat. distin. lib. Canoni. he hath also gyuen out of his owne, and out of all the rest, and the places also re­peated by Gratian in his Decretalles. I knowe very wel, that Gratian, to get cre­dite to himselfe, gyueth no lesse aucthori­tie to the decretall Epistles of the Pope, then to the Canonicall bookes of the scripture, impudently corrupting a place taken out of the bookes of Christian doc­trine,Lib de doct. Christ. 2.18. where he speaketh the quite contra­rie. But this is not worth the confutation. And Alfonsus de Castro himselfe, who is one of the chiefe pillars of the Papacie, doth acknowledge this fault, & very liuely reproueth him for it. The Arriās in a more [Page]high matter of the Christian faith, woulde escape by the Councilles: but he alwayes draweth them to this. Let vs not alledge (saith he, disputing against Maximine their Bish.) neither thou the Council of Arimi­nium, nor I the Councill of Nicee:August. con­tra Maximi­nū Arrianū, lib. 3 cap. 14. for ney­ther I am bound to the aucthoritie of that there, nor thou to y^e aucthoritie of this here: but let vs dispute by the aucthoritie of the Scriptures, which are common witnesses to vs both, cause against cause, and reason against reason, &c. All his bookes are ful of such places, especially against the Mani­chees, who denyed one part of the Scrip­tures: following the example of Christ,August. con­tra Faustum Manich. lib. 11. cap. 5. who vanquished the Sadduces in the mat­ter of y^e resurrection, specially by y^e bookes of Moses, because they reiected all the o­thers. And yet this is he, that so astonished all the heretikes of his time, that he put them to vtter silence. But to the end that they condemne him not for an heretike, whome they haue already so sore suspec­ted, it is necessarie to see what others doe holde concerning this matter.Basilius con­tra Eunom. Apol epist. lib. 2. Idem epist. 8. Basil the great woulde that wee examine all doc­trines by y^e Scriptures, which were giuen [Page]vnto vs by the holie Ghost, reiecting what­soeuer is not agreeable to them, as enemie to our saluation. And against all heretikes he demaundeth that onely the Scripture be vmpire. Chrysostom calleth it the most exact balaunce,Chrisost. in 2. Cor. homi. 13 in fine. Idē in ferm. de sancto. & ader. spiri. the squire, the rule, and iudge of all doctrine. And in a certayne o­ther place the same sayeth, that the Scrip­ture is the accomplishment of the holie Ghost, as Christ is of the lawe, and that without it we may not alledge the spirite.Irenaeus lib. 5. cap 1. Irence calleth it the foundation and pillar of our faith. Tertullian sayeth, Take from heretikes the bookes of Ethnikes, and winne so much of them, that they will rest vpon the Scriptures, and they can not stande. Also let the shoppe of Hermogenes shewe that it is written: if they cannot, let them feare the curse which is appoynted for them that adde to or diminishe. To bee short, they all dryue to this poynt, that to examine all doctrine, to maintayne the true,Concil. Car­thag. 3. L. Cunctos po­pulos. C. de summa Tri­nit. & side Catholic. to vanquishe the false, we must haue no other touchstone, no other Buckler or sworde, but this. And this was the cause in the thirde Councill of Carthage, it was forbidden to read any thing in the Church, [Page]but the Canonicall Scriptures. And the Imperiall lawe distinguisheth Catholikes from heretikes,Socrat. lib. 1. cap. 8. Hist. tripar. lib. 2. cap 5. lib. 1. cap. 14. by the Apostolicall and E­uangelicall doctrine: and Constantine the great the first Christian Emperour, hauing assembled that famous Councill of Nicee, wherein there were three hun­dreth and eyghtene Fathers, to dispute a­gaynst the heresie of Arrius, he prescribed them this rule. We haue (sayeth he) the bookes of the Euangelistes, Apostles and Prophetes, which instruct vs in the holie lawe. By these bookes then it behooueth vs to resolue all doubtes and questions: And this rule also was there so exactly kept, that one Minister alone, Paphnu­tius by name, alleadging the Scripture, made all the rest to chaunge their opinion, who without any grounde of the Scrip­ture, for certayne politike and humane considerations, were readie to haue abo­lished the marriage of Ministers. To be shorte, Gerson and Panormitane,L. Abbas Pa­normitanus in cap. signif. extrauag. de electis. Gerson part. 1. de exami. doctr. euen when the Popes thunderbolts and lyght­ning excommunications were most hotte, durst yet say and write, that one poore lay man alleadging a text of the olde or newe [Page]Testament, ought to be preferred before the Pope, yea and before a generall Councill, erring through ignorance, or of malice, against the text of Gods worde: which ought to bee thought no more straunge, then if they had sayde, that the worde of God alone hath more wayght, then all the Doctors of the worlde toge­ther, who are nothing else with all their knowledge, but ignorance and vanitie. I haue bene long in this poynt, because nowe a dayes, they alwayes speake vn­to vs of the fathers, and I pray the rea­ders to take a little payne, to reade the places themselues, because they shall finde them yet more playne and full, then the desire that I haue to be short, suffereth me to write at large.Isa. 8.20. With Isaie the Pro­phete therefore we call our aduersaries to the Lawe,Luk. 16. Iohn. 5.39. with Abraham to Moses and the Prophetes, with Christ to the Scriptures, with all the fathers and Chri­stian Doctors to the olde and newe Testa­ment. If this Iudge then, which hereto­fore hath decyded all cōtrouersies, & which hath bene so reuerently accepted euen of the greatest parte of heretikes themselues, [Page]can not please thē, either they must alledge great causes of refusall against it, or else all the worlde will holde their doctrine more suspect, then the doctrine of al the heretiks that euer were.

The scrip­ture is per­fect & suffi­cient to sal­uation.Their first cause of refusing the holie Scriptures, is for that they are imper­fect. But I demaunde of them, if they will require any other perfection, then a doc­trine sufficient to saluation. If they con­tent themselues to be saued, Saint Iohn hath tolde vs, that,Ioh 20.3 [...]. And Augu­stine vpon that place. that which he hath written, is sufficient to beleeue in Christ, and to haue lyfe in his name: and as con­cerning the things which are omitted, S. Augustine pronounceth y^t he is rash, which presumeth to ghesse what they are. Saint Paul also sayth,2. Tim. 3. Marsil. lib. intitul de­fensor pacis. part. 1. cap 9. that the holy Scriptures are sufficient to make the man of God per­fect, and wise to saluation. That they com­prehende sufficiently the rule of faith, and whatsoeuer belongeth to y^e seruice of God. Beholde then sufficiently wherewithall to saue them. If they wil not cōtent thēselues with saluation, but call the Scriptures im­perfect, because they finde not there the de­termination of certaine curious questions [Page]which they handle in their schooles, and yet they doe the Scriptures wrong, for there they shall finde their condemnation. Moreouer I demaunde of them, from whence this imperfection can come: Is this of Christ: nay rather he is perfection it selfe. And seeyng he came to accom­plishe our saluation, it must needes bee he, of whome the Church must wayte for the reuelation of all things. He then coulde beyng perfectly wise, and woulde beyng perfectly good, teache his Church whatsoeuer myght belong vnto her salua­tion. Or is this imperfection of the A­postles: but they receyued this woorde of lyfe from his mouth, and after hee sent vnto them his holie Spirite,Ioh. 16.13. Iren. lib. 3. cap. 2. to re­corde it, and to put them in minde there­of, in such sorte that they preached sal­uation to all nations, and as Ireneus sayeth, that which they preached by mouth, they haue left vnto vs by wry­ting, to be the pillar and foundation of our fayth. The whole faulte then com­meth not that wayes: it remayneth then that the whole imperfection bee in men, who not fynding in the Scriptures [Page]their imperfections, they esteeme it im­perfect, as they that haue swilled in the snowe waters from the mountaynes, call those imperfect, which haue not wyde and hanging throtes like themselues, for that they haue not their superfluous imperfec­tion.

We finde in the Scriptures the inuo­cation of one God alone, by meanes of Ie­sus Christ alone, but they would find there the inuocation of Saints. We there finde, that purgatorie cleansing is in the onely blood of Iesus Christ, they woulde finde there that purgatorie, which they haue ta­ken out of Virgill and Plato. We there finde one onely Mediator: but they would finde as manie there, as there are saints in their kalender. They call these things im­perfections in the Scripture, which are rather so manie infections in their Church.

Furthermore I demaunde, be it that a man thinke that there wanteth some­thing, who shall be so hardie, after such a workeman, to put to his hande to make it perfect? If a man saye the Doctors, why then quite contrarie finde it onely [Page]perfect, & in it as in a glasse they acknow­ledge the imperfections both of others, and of themselues.Mat. 15.9. Iohn. 8. If they will bryng in the Church through her traditions, why it is shee that hath taught vs to cut of by the bookes of this Canon, all that we finde not therein, and further shee is forbidden to serue God according to her traditions, and commaunded to be a scholer of this word, and we knowe that this is not the parte of a scholer, to vsurpe aboue the master. If the Pope doe it, he is no longer a scholer of Christ, but in this poynt he declareth himselfe to be Antichrist, lifting vp him­selfe aboue all that is God, and by such a like gate the Alcoran of Mahomet hath entred into the worlde. The more safe way then, is to followe this worde, and to be­leeue y^t that perfect lawegiuer hath gyuen vnto vs a perfect lawe by the mouth of his Sonne, to the which we ought a great deale lesse to presume to adde any thing of our owne, then to that which was de­liuered to Moses. And if there were ne­uer founde Paynter, which durst take vpon him to finishe the image of Apel­les, nor Poete the Aeneides of Virgill, [Page]which were but the woorkes of vayne men, what man shall bee so arrogant, vnlesse it be that sonne of perdition, which dareth put to his hande to the worke of him which hath made man, and all that which a man loueth and beholdeth in this worlde:

The scrip­ture is plaine and manifest to saluation.Their seconde refufall is, that the ho­lie Scripture is obscure, and thereupon they call it doubtfull, a dead letter, a let­ter which killeth, a matter of contenti­on, and not the voyce of the Iudge, riddles or darke speaches, and such other like names whereof their bookes are full: yea one of the great Masters of this tyme,Xanctes in lib. 1. de A­theist. could not abstayne from saying, that Paul went so farre beyonde himselfe, that he entangled himselfe with many matters. But the holy Ghost calleth the Scripture the Testament & couenant. And we know y^t a good prince, dealing with his subiects, wil not haue them to be circumuented and caught in words: as also a good father ma­king his last wil, endeuoreth to set his chil­dren at one, and not to sowe discord, and to giue occasion of going to law, & quarels a­mōgst them. The presumption then ought [Page]to be on the contrarie, to witte, that he which hath vouchsafed to saue his people so mercifully, and which onely may be called a true father, hath also deliuered his couenaunt in as cleare tearmes and expresse clauses as he coulde. And in deede in all our Scriptures the Ethnikes haue not blamed any thing so much as to great playnenesse of them, which is farre otherwise then that they woulde make men beleeue, that they are riddles or darke speaches. Agayne I demaunde of them, whether the obscuritie of Chri­stian doctrine be in the matter it selfe, or in the maner of handling it: In the mat­ter they dare not saye, for there is no­thing more cleare and more simple then the doctrine of saluation, and this is the answere of Origen to Celsus, who bla­med the simplicitie of it,Origen con­tra Celsum. because that it must be such as it was, because it was not such a philosophie as was brought to a little nomber of men, as that of Pythagoras, of Plato, or of Aristotle, but a saluation taught and preached to the whole world, which y^e whole world great & [Page]small, learned and vnlearned might easily comprehende. If it be in the maner of handling, such obscurity of anye authour must arise eyther of ignoraunce or of ma­lice. Of ignorāce, because that, that which a man vnderstandeth but darkely, a man can not teache plainely. Of malice, when wee will boaste our cunning, and not teach it, as Aristotle sayeth that hee did ex­pressely, in those same bookes of his na­turall philosophie, which yet notwith­standing all the worlde boast to vnder­stand, and as also certeyne other authours of profounde Sciences in our tyme, haue done, of set purpose. Nowe of ig­norance there can bee none, in that wise­dome which hath spoken to the Apostles, nor in that spirite which hath inspired them. Of enuious malice, there can be as litle in him which dyed to accomplish our saluation, and in them which haue publi­shed the same, euen vnto their suffering af­ter him. It remaineth then, for to auoide these blasphemies, that either ignorance, or much rather malice bee in our aduersa­ries, and not in him which is wisdome, and goodnes it selfe.

Againe I demaunde, whether in their iudgement is more obscure, the Gospel or the Prophets: They will not saye, I am sure, that it is the Gospell, for then litle children would laugh them to scorne. And moreouer Saint Peter sayeth,2. Pet. 1.19 The Pro­phets were as shining candles in a darke place, in steade whereof Christ is the true Sunne,Iohn. 1.9. and that light that lighteneth eue­rye man that commeth into the worlde. Moreouer both in the one and the other we finde Christ, in the one promised, in the other giuen, in the one to come, in the other come, in the one foretolde, in the o­ther speaking him selfe of him selfe. It is therefore sure, that the doctrine of sal­uation in Iesus Christ, is lesse darke in the Gospell then in the Prophets, in the Newe Testament, then in the Olde, which is expounded and declared by the Newe.Psal. 119. Nowe Dauid sayeth that this woorde is vnto him as a lanterne for hys feete, and not onely a lanterne, but which serueth to leade him in the path, yea in the path it selfe which can not leade astray. That by the same hee is more wise then they that are elder. Contrariwise Esaye [Page]pronounceth, that the watchemen of the house of GOD,Isa. 56.10.11. who thought them selues verye cleare sighted, were blinde, because they had no regarde thereto. Moreouer Christ sendeth not his hearers to the gloses of the Rabbins, to traditions,Iohn. 5.39. to the Thalmud, to the Lawe not written, wherewith the Pharises were puffed vp: but to the Scriptures,Luke. 24. to the Lawe written, and hee neuer alledgeth Testi­monyes from anye other place. Saynt Luke also prayseth those of Beroa, which searched them,Actes. 17. and they which searched them, found there their saluation, where­as they which gaue them selues egar­ly to the speculations of men, crucified him. It followeth then that by a more strong reason, wee ought at this daye, to searche our saluation in the Scrip­tures, hauing the Olde and Newe Te­stament together, the shadowe and the body, the starres and the sunne, the messa­ges of saluation, and saluation it selfe. If anye man yet finde obscuritie in the doctrine of saluatiō, I leaue it to be iudged of all, which of the two is more plaine, ey­ther that which is in y^e worde of him which [Page]is the light of light,Iohn. 1 & 8. & 12. or in the blindenesse of those, whose spirits naturally are nothing else but darkenesse.

But putting the case there were such great obscurite as they say, let vs see a litle by whome they would make it brighter. Shall it be by the doctors? Nay rather contrariwise, as we shall see hereafter, they reioyce not but in the brightnesse of this sunne. What thē: shal it be by y^e Church: But the Church is the moone, a body sha­dowed and darke of it selfe, which hath no light, but that which it giueth her. What then: shall it be Thomas: shall it be Sco­tus: shall it be Bricot and a rablement of such like? I report me to al men of iudge­ment, whether they darken, or make more bright the woorde of God. It remaineth then that we search in this light, the light of all our thoughtes, and that wee con­clude that if wee see nothing, the faulte thereof is in our eyes, and not in the light.

They alledge that the Scripture is doubtefull, because that Satan alledged it vnto Iesus Christ. I aunswere, that there is no lawe that a man may not re­iect [Page]by this argument: for all lawes are subiect to be alledged both by good & bad. But let them also marke, that by the same Iesus Christ stopped his mouth. Also, your Sauiour Christ hath spoken in parables and similitudes: we know that similitudes are to make cleare, and not to darken: and I make their owne consciences iudges, whether those parables of Christ, so expoū ­ded as we haue them in the scriptures, tend to any other end. When he would teach vs who is our neighbour, he maketh it playne by the similitude of the man descending from Iericho: what the kingdome of hea­uen is, by the similitude of the sower:Luke. 10. Luke. 8. Mat. 13. Luke. 15. what the vocation of the Gentiles is, by the pro­digall childe, and so likewise of other. I aske if by these parables we may iudge more clearely or more darkely, & whether all the gloses or long cōmentaries of the Pharises, were able so clearly to expound this matter: But they will say, you cannot deny, but y^e there are manye darke places: for S. Peter himself saith,2. Pet. 3.16. y^t there are such in the epistles of S. Paul: nay but rather we may say, y^t forasmuch as there are only certaine places darke, it followeth contra­riwise [Page]that the Scripture is not darke. For this is an euill argument, to reason from some to all, and hee that sayeth that vpon a garment there are blacke spottes, he sayeth by consequence that that gar­ment is not all blacke. And as concerning those, we say that the light of the Scrip­ture, is sufficient for to giue them such light, as they neede not dwell anye more in darkenesse: vnlesse it be those whome the God of this worlde hath blinded in their vnderstanding, as Saynt Paul sayth,1. Cor. 4. to the end they should perish, & that the lyght of the Gospell shoulde not shine vnto them,2. Pet. 3.16 or as Saynt Peter sayeth, in the selfe same place which they alledge, to the vnstable and vnlearned, which peruert the Scriptures to their owne destruction. This is the sentence of all the auncient fathers, with whome wee conclude thys poynte. There are (sayeth Saynt Au­gustine) handling this matter,August. libr. 2. de doctr. Christ. cap. 2, & libr. 2. cap. 9. certaine harde places in the Scripture, and yet notwithstanding there is no other thing, but that which is expounded in most ex­presse wordes in other places, whereby the holy Ghoste hath wonderfully measured, [Page]and tempered the holy Scriptures, to the ende that those cleare places shoulde serue healthfully to satisfie the hunger of the readers, and those darker places shoulde encrease their appetite, to take away all contempt: but in that that is spoken clear­ly in the Scriptures, they shall finde all things which conteyne fayth and the waye to liue well, to witte, hope and charitye. And hee that will haue more examples hereof, in the foresayde places he alled­geth more. Saynt Ambrose: There is (sayth he) much obscurity in the Prophe­ticall writings,Ambro. in Psal. 119. serm. 8. (he speaketh namely of the Prophets) but if thou knocke at the doore of the Scriptures, with the hand of thyne owne vnderstanding, thou shalt gather the sense of the darke places, and the woorde of God it selfe shall be that, that shall open it vnto thee. The most obscure and darke then that is therin, may be made plain by it selfe. S. Basill: If wee be commanded to doe any thing, and we knowe not howe,Basil. lib. 2. de Baptism, quest. 4. let vs take the LORD for our guyde, who sayeth vnto vs, Searche the Scrip­tures: and let vs followe the Apostles who asked him selfe of the interpretatiō of [Page]those thinges, which hee had spoken vnto them: and of those thinges which hee hath spoken to vs in one place, let vs learne to vnderstand those things which he hath spo­ken in another.Marsilius de Padua, in. lib. de­fens. pacis parte 1. cap 9. This is that which Marsi­lius of Padua disputed against the Pope 300. yeeres agoe: that the Lawe of the Gospell is sufficient, perfect and plaine of it selfe, immediatly to direct vs to euerla­sting saluation, and to turne vs away from the path of miserie. But to thē which finde nothing in the light but darknes, I feare that it is to no purpose to alledge plaine places out of the auncient doctors. The mischief is, that we finde not in the Scrip­tures in any place, neither the Masse, nor Purgatory, neither the papacie, nor the power of one man alone ouer the whole Church, and such other inuentions of the prince of darkenesse: and therefore we ac­cuse Gods worde to be darke, to the ende we may fetch these goodly doctrines from thence by meane of some colde Allegorie, that wheresoeuer this light shineth not vnto vs in the Churche, wee shoulde knowe that there is nothing but darke­nesse.

But yet see a farther matter then the former: for it is so farre of, that they will accept the Scriptures for their iudge, that they them selues will bee Iudges o­uer the Scripture. If the Churche (saye they) had not kept the Scriptures,The church is not iudge ouer the Scrip­ture. and witnessed of them, they had bene of no more authoritye then any other writing. Therefore the Churche is Iudge ouer the Scripture, and not the Scripture ouer the Churche. First, I demaunde what that Churche is, which hath kept the Scriptures, whether this bee onelye the Christian Churche, or the Iewish Churche also? Nowe wee knowe that the Olde Testament was deliuered from hand to hande vnto vs by the Iewes, and therefore the auncient doctours called them the booke keepers of the Churche. For they were so curious, that they would enter euerye tittle, and poynte, both the accentes and letters, and made a Regi­ster of them. Therefore the Iewishe Churche was iudge of the Olde Testa­ment when Iesus Christ came, and there­fore to verye euill purpose our Sauiour [Page]Christe sendeth the people to the Scrip­tures, who might more safely haue bene sent to the high Priestes and Pharisees. But these Iudges of the Scriptures, they iudged Christe to death, & the Schol­lers and Students of the Scriptures ac­knowledged him for their lyfe. And at this daye, euen by this argument, the Iewes shoulde winne the victorye. It followeth then, whether they renounce this Sophistrye, or whether they will mainetayne it, that they renounce their Saluation. Consequentlye I demaunde of them, Whether the Church of Rome aloue haue kept the Scriptures, or other Churches also: They can not saye that it was the Churche of Rome, or the La­tine Churche alone: For the Ecclesia­sticall storye wytnesseth, that the Primi­tiue Churche gathered the Canon of the Registers, of those Churches which were founded by the Apostles, and to which the same Apostles had written. Nowe there is but one Epistle written to the Romaines, and all the rest are written to the Easte Churches. In like [Page]maner the Gospell of Iohn was kept at Ephesits, and that of Saynt Marke at Alexandria, &c. If then the Easte Chur­ches had a greater parte in keeping the Scriptures, then the Romaine, and there­fore by this argument as much, or more aucthoritie ouer the Scriptures then it: I aske of the indifferentest amongest them, who shal iudge but the Scriptures? And if they iudge the Scriptures, who shall pronounce sentence ouer them: If the Easte Churches shall, then the Ro­mishe Churche hath loste her Cause. If the Church of Rome, then thys shall hee in another respecte, then of keeping the Scriptures. If they saye it bee by their pretended prerogatiue of Saynt Peters Seate, it is meete that they prooue it by the Scriptures. And there­fore marke Peters Sea, which doeth take vpon it to iudge the Scriptures, beyng yet subiecte to the Scripture it selfe.

Furthermore I praye euerye man to examine this conclusion. The Church of GOD hath kept the Scripture: The [Page]Church beareth witnesse of the Scrip­ture: Ergo shee is aboue the Scripture. The edictes of a Prince are registred in all his Countries. The lawes are gathe­red together and written by Clarkes. All Contractes and bargaines are sub­signed by witnesses. And yet for all that, he that woulde saye, that they were aboue the Kinges, aboue the lawes & contracts, hee shoulde make him selfe a laughing stocke. If they say that the Lawes of God haue no place, neyther more nor lesse then edictes of some Princes, except they be a­greeable to the worde of God: I answere them, that it is not the Church of God that hath this priuiledge: for shee is the Spouse of Christ, and hath learned to obey her husbande without anye exami­nation of his commaundement, and must by and by holde her peace, assoone as shee heareth his woord. For she knoweth also, that the wisedome of her husband (whose will is the rule of doctrine) is not like that of Princes, which it is necessarye to examine, whether it bee honest and profitable, Ciuile or vnciuile: but if they be so stiffe for the obteyning of this [Page]priuiledge, yet let them agree with mee herein: that this is that assemblie, which hath lyfted vp it selfe aboue all that is called GOD, which fearing to bee dis­comfited by the Spirite of his mouth, woulde therefore moussell and stoppe vp hys mouth, all that it might.

The place of Saynt Augustine which they alledge, maketh nothing a­gaynst that which hath bene sayde be­fore. I woulde not (sayeth hee) beleeue the Gospell, vnlesse the aucthoritye of the Church constrained or moued me. Ni me Ecclesiae Catholicae commoueret au­thoritas: where it is specially to be no­ted, that according to the style of Af­fricke, Commoueret is taken for com­mouisset, that is to say, I had not beleeued the Gospell, vnlesse the consent of the vni­uersall Church had moued mee thereto: hee meaneth not that the holy Ghost had not such a style,Contra epist funda. cap 5. as myght make it selfe sufficientlye knowen from other wry­tings of men: For he him selfe instruc­teth vs in this matter, in many places. Much lesse meaneth hee, that the Church shoulde be aboue the Gospell. For it is by [Page]the Gospell that hee examineth all the Churches of his tyme: but rather that the vniuersall consent of the Churches, the which receiued such & such bookes for the Gospels of Christ, made that he could not doubt, but that they were so, and that the apostles, whose names thei did beare, were true authours of them. No otherwise then as y^e consent of manye ages, acknowled­ging such and such bookes to be Ciceroes, Hippocrates and Platoes, doe assure vs that they were theirs. These were his very words against the Manichees themselues, who denyed part of the holy scriptures in another place: Oh vnhappie enemies (saith he) of your owne soules!August. lib. [...]3. contra Manich. & [...]ib. 28. cap. 2. What Scrip­tures shalbe had in price, if the Euangeli­call and Apostolicall bee not? Of what booke shall men hold the certaine authour, if a man doubt that those holy books, which the Church holdeth were of the Apostles, shoulde not be theirs? Who shall knowe whether the bookes of Plato, Hippocra­tes, Aristotle & Cicero, were theirs, vnles it be for that frō their time euen vnto ours, alwayes mē haue bene perswaded y^t they came frō hand to hand? &c. Like as then I [Page]beleeue that y^e books of Manichee are his, because men haue beleeued y^t they came thence frō hand to hand: so also I beleeue y^e booke of S. Matth. because euē vntil vs the church hath so held. The questiō is not thē in this place, whether the writings of y^e Apostles haue any voice to determine mat­ters in the church: for as we haue already shewed, S. Aug. teacheth vs y^t, in a M. pla­ces: but only whether such and such scrip­tures were the Apostles, yea or no. For the heretikes denied not, but y^t the books of the Apostles had such authority, as they must be obeyed, but they denyed that they were theirs, because that if they had once allowed thē, they knew, y^t they must of ne­cessity rest in them: And yet they pretēded that they were neuer a whitte lesse the church, then the Romane church doth. For they helde that Manichee the chiefe of their secte, was the holy Ghoste him selfe. But this was a blasphemie, not yet kno­wen to the most damnablest heretikes that euer were: that the holye Scripture was subiect to the Church, and that with­out her (as one of the Popes Chāpions of our time saith),Wolffgang. Herman. it hath no more aucthority [Page]thē Esops fables. The Iewes haue taught the Gentiles, that the Olde Testament was the worde of God, and manye of the Gentiles beleeued it better thē the Iewes. The Gentiles haue kept for the Christi­ans many good and auncient bookes, and haue taught them that such and such were the authours of them, and yet for all that, they haue not giuen anye credyte vnto them. The bookeseller will teach vs that such a booke is Hippocrates woorke, and yet for all that, hee shall not be a physitian as Hippocrates was. For it is one thing to beleeue the word of any some man, & an other thing to be the authour of a booke. This is that which was saide long agoe by a great learned man:Marsil. de Padua part. 2. cap. 19. That the Church is true or vndouted, but as we say, by occasiō, because she beleeueth y^e trueth of y^e Scrip­ture: but the holye Scripture is simplie true, & of it selfe. For it is the trueth it self.

There foloweth another argument, that the Church is before the Scripture:Whether the Church be before the Scrip­ture. Ergo it is aboue y^e Scripture. When we speake of the Scripture, we vnderstand the word of God, the which at the first was not writ­ten, and afterward was written aswell by [Page]Gods owne finger, as by the pennes of his seruants, inspired by his holy spirite, as we haue before declared. But now I would demaund of them, from whence they fetch the beginning of the Church. If from the creation of man, and before sinne en­tred: immediatly after they were created, God gaue them a commaundement, that they should not touche the tree of know­ledge of good and euill, and we must not dispute whether they had authoritie aboue this word, for why, they hauing disobeyed it, all the world from man to beastes sighes and grones for it. But will they not denie that the old and new testament had equall authoritie with this commaundement? If they take it after sinne entred, God bla­meth and conuinceth our first parents of their faulte: and this is the Lawe. And af­ter he promiseth vnto them the seed, which shall bruise the head of the serpent: & this is the Gospell. Beholde them then dead in sinne by the Lawe, and as it were newe borne by the promise of Christ to come, in whome, they hoping after this woorde, were made the beginning of the Church, & without this they had bene lost with all [Page]their posteritie. Wherefore whether we fetche the Church from before the fall of man, she hath no power aboue the word of God, but is iudged by it, and therefore the cōclusion is false: Or whether we deriue it after, yet the word is before the regenera­tion of the Church, that is to say, before the Church, and that antecedent it selfe shalbe false. Moreouer this is an ill argument. It was y^e first in time, Ergo the first in autho­ritie. For we haue a hundred Cities in Fraūce more auncient then our first kings, and yet notwithstanding w^tout any gaine­saying they obey their lawes. And y^e word of God of it selfe is giuen to commaunde, wheras the Church is placed in the world but to obey. And though it be so y^t the word of God be in power eternall, yet it is most certeine y^t it must be last in this action, be­cause y^t before he commaund, it must needs be, y^t it should first create some men whom it might commaund. This then is nothing but plaine sophistrie, which is not worthy to be heard in the Church. Moreouer I de­maund of them whē they make this argu­ment, whether they meane to speake of the whole Church, comprehending al y^e states [Page]and particulars of the Church into one, or whether they speake of particular Chur­ches, or of y^e church of Rome alone: If thei vnderstand the whole Church, as it is like they do: then they speake nothing y^t makes for them: for y^e church of Rome & the whole Church, are things farre differing, & before that Rome was, or any Wolfe there gaue suck, more then 700. yeres the law of Mo­ses was published in the Church. If they speake of particular Churches, the Cast churches wil demand y^e same prerogatiue, and by the self same argument, they wil set themselues aboue y^e church of Rome. For they are before them in time, as euery man knoweth. If the church of Rome alone, by the vertue of y^e institutiō of Christ, yet they are to bring forth the titles and right there­of, and then they cannot bring forth one, that hath so much as any outward shewe. To be short, all this is nothing els, but a manifest dotage: for if they looke to the beginning of the Church, they shall finde neither Rome, nor the Pope, neither the See of S. Peter, nor consequently any authoritie aboue the word of God. If they looke to the beginning of Rome, they shall [Page]there finde the word, the law, the prophets expositors of long time before: and there­fore an authoritie farre aboue their church. But in this a man may see y^e poore defence of their Church, when for the establishing thereof, the word of God must fall downe, which is the foundation of y^e pure Church.

Now in this whole disputation, they can not finde one onely word out of the aunci­ent doctors, for there was neuer yet any he­retike so mōstrous, which durst set it forth, till the Councill of Constance, where it was first set out by the doctors of y^e Church of Rome. There was the question moued concerning the taking away of the cup of our Lord from the people, expresly against the institution of y^e Sonne of God. There could not one place be found out in the Scriptures, which might fauour directly or indirectly, plainly or darkely so damna­ble a sacriledge. Iohn Hus called them to the holy Scripture, and they knewe well that that was full against them. Then first they began to aduise of those goodly Ma­ximes or groūds,Nicol. Cu­san. Cardin. epist. 2. de v­su Commu­nion. ad Bo­hem. which they haue maintei­ned euen vntil this day: that the Church is aboue the holy Scripture: that the Scrip­ture [Page]hath no other authoritie, then y^t which the Church giueth it: that y^e Scripture is, as they say, De bene esse, of the wel being,Hossius Car­din. in Pe­troco. con­fess. but not of y^e essence or being of y^e Church: that such should be y^e interpretation as see­meth good to the Church: to be short, that the word of God was more long and large then the word written, and that the Church is more worthie thē it: to which some haue sithens added, that y^e Church should be in better case, if there were no Gospell writ­ten. These are y^e intolerable blasphemies which sprang vp in this councill,Concil. Tri­dent. session. 5. cap. 2. who also were authors of one other goodly canon forsooth, that ouerthroweth al christianitie, That we must not keepe faith or promise with heretikes. Iohn Hus notwithstan­ding presseth them yet somewhat more neerely. Though it were so (saith he) that the Church should be aboue the word of God, to which you shal neuer haue me to a­gree: Shew me yet that the minde of the auncient Church was euer so, that it euer so ordeyned, or so interpreted: Name me one onely auncient doctor, which is not wholly and plainly against it. That it is so, yea our owne canons do excommunicate [Page]all those which cōmunicate not vnder both kinds: & therefore to communicate vnder one, is not to be partaker of the communi­on,Cardinal. Cusan. Epist. 2. & 3. ad Bohem. but of excōmunication. To this argu­ment they yet find another shift more mis­chieuous then the former: that albeit that of one commandement of the Gospel, there be at this day another interpretation, then was in the auncient Church: notwithstan­ding that, y^t meaning which is receiued in the Church, must be accepted as the way to saluation, in asmuch as y^e holy Ghost hath inspired it to the Church: That is to say, y^t the Pope & his mainteyners, according to their good pleasure, may cry downe all the auncient interpretatiōs of the Scripture, as coynes are, and put them into the Mint, to make theirs currant. Also that as the iudgement of the Church is changed in the Scripture, so we must presume that the iudgemēt of God is changed. And there­fore when that good man Iohn Hus could not content himselfe w^t these horrible blas­phemies, their last argument was the hal­ter & the hang man to cast him into the fire. To make Gods spirit chāgeable, his word a nose of waxe, God himselfe inconstant in [Page]his purpose, & changing himselfe according to the vanitie & ambition of men: wil there be founde in the traditions of the Phari­sees, in the speculations of the Cabalists and Thalmud, in the Alcoran of Maho­met, any such execrable blasphennes as these are? I leaue to the iudgement of eue­ry one, whether the spirit of God, or the spi­rit of Satan ruled there in those coūcills.

That there can be founde no other Iudge of the controuersies of this time, but the holy Scripture, and how euery one may iudge them by the same. CHAP. V.

NOw seeing then that they do doubt that the Scripture is not on their side, let vs beare at their hands that they refuse it, and that they slander it as much as they can: let vs also see now whether they can allowe of any other Iudge besides it. I would demaunde of them, if of all the auncient doctors they would chuse any one, which hath bene free from those refusals, which they propounde against y^e word of God, or els whether they [Page]wil allowe al? Concerning any one alone they cannot, for in euery one of them, there may easely be found either one error or an other: but they haue so many errors to de­fend, that to defend all, all the errors of all times & ages would not suffice. Moreouer they would be ashamed to denie, that their style is more obscure then the style of the Scripture. Also they know in their owne conscience, that in the most principal points they are on our side, and yet there is not a­ny one of them, which they will accept in & through al things, for as much as they con­demne in Irenee the error of y^e Chiliasts, and the interpretation which he made of y^e Apocalypse concerning y^e church of Rome, in Cyprian Anabaptisine, in Tertullian the heresie of Montanus, in S. Austine prede­stination, and so like wise of others. Will they then receiue all alike for Iudges? but then who shal be president in the contrarie­ties of their doctrine and interpretations? For euery one knoweth that there shall be found some euery where. If it be the holy Scripture, that is the thing which we de­sire. But if they refuse the Scripture as partie or partiall, by a more strong reason [Page]then, we will not accept them for Iud­ges, which are parties against vs. In like maner shall it be with the schoolemen, if they take them for Iudges, although that they be the principall authors of the errors of the Church of Rome: for betweene Thomas, and Scotus, and theyr armies set in battel raye, and fighting one against an other, who shall be iudge? It remai­neth then that they chuse eyther one of the Councils, or els all the Councils toge­ther. If they chuse one, we knowe that in euery one lightly, there is hādled as yet but one thing, as for example: in y^e Councill of Nice, the matter of Arrius: in the Coun­cill of Ephesus, and of Chalcedon, the matter of Nestorius, and Eutyches, and so likewyse of others: but of these pointes, there is no contention betweene vs. If they will haue all, I demaund who shall be president in the errors which the aunci­ent fathers confesse,August. in the 2. booke of Baptisme against the Donatists. and in the contrarie­ties which they nomber, who shall redresse them? The seconde Councill of Ephesus approueth Eutyches, the Councill of Chalcedon condemneth him. The second Councill of Nice mainteyneth the wor­shipping [Page]of Images, but that of Frank­ford, assembled about the same time by Charles the great, pulleth them downe. The first Councill of Nice, according to the vse of the primitiue Church, per­mitteth the marriage of ministers, the Councilles of Neocesaria, Mentz, and the seconde of Carthage forbiddeth it. The Councils of Constance, and of Ba­sill, doe subiecte the Pope vnder the Church, yea they make him equall with other Bishops: those of Florence and of Trent, vpon paine of the blacke curse, haue set him aboue all. To be short, the Councill of Carthage excommunicateth and curseth him to the deuill that cal­leth him selfe vniuersall Bishoppe, or chiefe Priest: and the Councill of Tri­dent, excommunicateth all those which hold not y^e Bishop of Rome for such a one. I demaunde then in these contrarieties, and a thousand others of like consequence, who shall determine the matter? shall it be the Church? Nowe the Church is that which hath saide sometimes one thing, and sometimes another: for they holde that the Church is represented by gene­ral [Page]Councils, and those for the most part are such as we haue spoken of. These are then Churches contrarying one an other, or rather one contrary to it selfe. More­ouer, if it be the Church, yet we deny that it shoulde be the Church of Rome: for it doeth not belong (say they) to a particu­lar Church, to iudge of the vniuersall, which is represented by generall Coun­cils. It remaineth then that they prooue the supremacie of the Church of Rome, a­boue the vniuersall Church of Christ: but if they cannot prooue it by the holy Scrip­ture, none of the other Churches will be­leeue them: for they did not beleeue Christ himselfe, bearing witnesse of himselfe, but God whom they by the holy Scriptures knewe to haue sent him. And seeing other Churches haue their Doctors, Coun­cils, and Traditions, aswell as the Church of Rome: It must followe, that the Church of Rome must prooue her prowde prerogatiue & title by the Scrip­tures. And if the Scriptures must be iud­ges of the Church of Rome, and her pre­rogatiue, the which pretendeth & beareth men in hand to iudge all other Churches, [Page]then there can not be a more competent Iudge, then the holy Scripture, without which the Church of Rome is nothing more then others, and from whom, what­soeuer she hath, she must, will shee nill shee, fetche her pretended preheminence and au­thoritie.

Nowe if they obiect, that there is no more neede to iudge of our controuersies, and that they haue bene oftentimes iudged alreadie by Councils:August. cap. 3. & 16. de vnitat. &c. Saint Augustine teacheth vs, that Councils may erre, and that the former Councils were amended by the latter, and therefore he presseth not the Arrians with Councils. Secondly, yf this point haue any place, what will they say then vnto vs, why they haue derogated from y^e first Councill of Nice, which is the first Decomenicall Councill, in the mar­riage of Ministers, and in the supremacie of the Pope, who there was made equall with the other Patriarches? And where­fore after the matter was so decided, would they haue it yet pleaded agayne in the Councill of Carthage? &c. Why woulde they haue the Pope to be declared the Vi­car of God in earth, in the Councill of [Page]Trent, seeing that the Councill of Car­thage had already pronounced him excom­municated out of y^e Church, which would call himselfe the chiefe Bishop and head thereof? Moreouer in the most approued Councils, the greatest part of the pointes which we dispute of, were not yet set out: for errors were not hatched, but by litle and litle, and they began to growe and in­crease, after that the tyrannie of the Pope was brought into the Church, who in like maner also played the tyrant ouer the Councils. Moreouer, we make a great difference betweene Councils and Coun­cils: for we willingly accept y^e first Coun­cill of Nice and such like, because that the worde of God gouerned there, the which worde God alwayes accompanieth with his Spirite. But we doe not so receiue the second Councill of Nice, where Idoles were established, were the holy Scripture was alledged as it were in mockerie, and which by consequent coulde not be accom­panied with any other then the spirite of Satan. It is sayde (say they) God created man to his owne image, therefore we ought to haue Images. Also no man [Page]lighteth a candle, for to hide it vnder a bu­shell: Therefore we ought to set Ima­ges vpon altars. Also God is named mar­uellous in his Saintes: therfore we ought to beholde his glorie in Images. I aske of them what man he is, that will rest him selfe vpon a sentence giuen vpon these proofes for Images? Nowe there are an infruite number of the like, where a man may plainely see the style of the spirite of Antichrist, alleadging the Scriptures much worse then Satan did to our Lorde Iesus Christ. To be short, if a man will not iudge in a Court, by former senten­ces, is there any reason to refuse the selfe same order in matters of conscience, and against the sentences themselues, that a man knoweth to haue beene giuen, the parties being therein neither hearde nor called:

But admitte, that the holy Scriptures be the rule to compasse all doctrines: they will yet aske me foran ende, in so great contrarietie which is amongst vs, who he shalbe that shall expound and apply them: Concernyng vs, we are parties against them, and as couching them, they are [Page]parties against vs, who shall be iudge here then: for saye they, Let the Scrip­ture be so great a Iudge as men would haue it, yet it speaketh not for to deter­mine and pronounce the sentence. To this I answere, first that when a man is assured of the squeere in the measure, or of the compasse in the shippe, there is no Mason so sclender witted, which doeth not knowe in applying it, which is straight, and which is crooked: nor Mariner so vnskilfull, that doeth not perceyue, whether the shippe keepe her right course or noe. And therefore let them onely graunt vs, to guide the pre­ceptes of our saluation, accordyng to the rule of saluation, conteyned in the olde and newe Testament, and we will therein submitte our selues, not onely to a free and lawfull Councill, but al­so to learned and vnlearned, to the mini­sters and common people, and to all Chri­stians, for whose saluation it was written, who by them selues shall finde in this worde, the iudgement of the worde, and shall pronounce definitiue sentence for the same.

Furthermore, in euery arte there are certayne principles and groundes, where­upon vndoubtedly depende all the rest. Geometry hath her Axiomes, Physicke her Aphorismes, and the Eiuill and Ca­non lawe their generall rules, by which they will scanne all difficulties, which shal aryse in their lawes. Nowe, say I, that di­uinitie also hath her rules & grounds, and the lawe of God, hath her certaine princi­ples, able to decide al controuersies which are amongst vs: yea and those so much the more strong and easie, as we are most assu­red, that there is no kinde of doubt, con­tradiction, or contrarietie in them, to make them voyde or vnstable.

Nowe we haue three sortes of differen­ces, or controuersies with the Church of Rome: the one sort consisteth in thinges playnely forbidden in the worde of God, the other in things which are not comman­ded, and the last in the interpretation of certaine pointes, which are eyther forbid­den or commaunded, which both of vs re­ceyue, but diuersly. Concerning the first kinde,Acts. 4.19. we haue a rule in the lawe of God, that we must rather obey God then man. [Page]This is so easie, that euen litle children may comprehend it. When then we shall see that men command one thing, and God another, we cannot doubt which we ought to obey. By this rule we cut of images, re­liques, and all kinds of idolatrie which are committed in the Papacie, which are ex­pressely forbidden in an hundred places of the word of God.

Concerning the second we haue an o­ther rule, God is the onely lawgiuer vnto his people.Deut. 4. Ioh. 20. 2. Tim. 3. Matth. 15. Ier. 16.12. Thou shalt not (saith he) nei­ther adde, nor diminish from my lawe. Christ saith, God will not be serued accor­ding to our traditions, but according to his commaundements. S. Iohn and S. Paule say, that the holy Scripture is suf­ficient for our saluation. Chrysostom saith, Where y^e Scripture holdes it peace,Chrysost. in sermo. de sancto & a­dora▪ spirit. there man must holde his peace. S. Hierome, Pratling without proofe of the Scripture ought to be of no credite. This is a rule commonly giuen to all peoples, and wher­of also the people are capable. Let the people now read the old & new testament, and let them marke if they finde any one worde directly or indirectly, secretly or [Page]plainely, which speaketh nie or farre of, of the sacrifice of the Masse, of Purgatorie, of the inuocation of Saintes, and such other points, which are in controuersie betwene vs: Contrary wise if they shall not finde therein from line to line, that Christ is the onely sacrifice once offered vp for all, that there is one onely washing in the bloud of Christ, that there is one onely God to be called vpon in the name of Iesus Christ. If they finde there the doctrines which we cō ­demne, then let them condemne vs, and cry fagot and fire against vs. If not, then let them be iudged by the rule which is afore touched, which they haue abused, and haue caused men to search their saluatiō in those thinges, which y^e Doctor of their saluation hath not taught them, & consequētly wher­in they can finde nothing but destruction. Yea I say more, that if the learned would take paines to read (after the holy Scrip­ture) the doctors of the primitiue Church, they shal not find there any one word ther­of, or if they do find any such place, it shalbe in such sort, y^t they shalbe in more doubt thē if they had spoken nothing. Whereof then they will of them selues conclude, (foras­much [Page]as Christ & his Apostles haue taught nothing thereof, nor the primitiue Church hath beleeued nothing, nor they that came long after haue written any thing but that which is doubtful) y^t these are such things, whereof we ought not onely to doubt with the doctors, but also whereof the Church ought to keepe silence with Iesus Christ. As for example, 400. yeres after the death of Christ, y^e Church knew not what it was to call vpon Saintes, there was not found one word in the auncient writers, vulesse it were for the condemnation of those, which did it according to the imitation of y^e Pai­nims, in seruing their gods.August. de cura pro mortuis ge­rendo. August in euchirid. ad Laurentium cap. 67. & 68. lib. de side & operibus si ad Dulc. q. 1. & passim. Of Purgato­rie the first doctors of y^e Church speake not one word. S. Augustine, who was long af­ter, sometimes saith that there was one, sometime y^t there might wel be one, some­time that it was no great matter whether there were one, or whether there were none. And S. Gregorie, who was after him, he began to beleeue by certeine visi­ons that there was one, and this was 500. yeeres after the death of Christ. Of the Masse it was altogether like, for we may marke the beginninges, proceedinges and [Page]increase, peece by peece euen vntill our time: and yet forsooth these were made ar­ticles of our faith, and for these, men bur­ned the Christians, for which euen by as good reason, they might haue burned all the primitiue Church. By this one onely rule therefore comprised in a fewe wordes, and easie for euery one to vnderstand, wee cutte of the Masse, Purgatorie, prayers for the dead, inuocation of Saints, the Pope, his pardons, indulgences, and almost all that hath troubled Christendome for this long time.

But to defeate this rule, they would drawe certaine places by the haire, to the end, to make vs to finde therein their lewd inuentions. As for example, It shall not be forgiuen in this world,Matth. 12.31. Mark. 3.28 Luk. 12.10 nor in the world to come, Ergo there is a purgatorie, which must be vnderstood, as S. Marke hath ex­pounded it by these words, It shal neuer be pardoned, according to the Hebrew phrase. Also, if Moses and Samuel were before me to pray for this people, I would not forgiue them. Ergo (say they) we must pray vnto Saints. Whereas quite contrary, by the plaine words of the text, a man shall ra­ther [Page]gather, that it is a vaine thing to call vpon them, and the meaning of the Pro­phet is cleare: that as God saith, If Moses and Samuel were aliue, and should intreat as sometime they did, for the sinnes of that people, they were become so heinous, that yet he would not forgiue them. To be short, euen altogether like as it was, that Ieremie in the chapiter aforegoing, when he had made earnest prayer vnto God for the people, he answered him, that if Moses himselfe who was most deare vnto him, should praye vnto him for this people, he would not heare him. Againe sometime they haue certaine Allegories, to proue these matters by. But we demaunde of them whether these doctrines are necessa­rie to saluation, yea or no: If they be neces­sarie, then we haue another certaine rule, That the word of God is cleare to saluati­on. For that same light it selfe is come downe from heauen for to teach vs, & that hath it not done darkely, or about the bush. The holy Ghost came downe vpon Christ in the likenes of a doue, and vpon the Apo­stles in great brightnesse: their doctrine therefore was plaine and euident, and they [Page]were not doctors or teachers of darknes. Let them therefore alledge one plaine and manifest place, & not bring places wrested from their proper meaning, and altogether from the purpose, and we are readie to yeld vnto them. And this is the rule which S. Hierome gaue: That Allegories & darke places proue nothing.Hieron. in cap. 4. ad Galat. Augustin. lib. 2 de do­ctrin. Christ. cap. 24.9. And S. Augustine saith: That al that perteyneth to saluation is plainely and clearely set downe in the Scripture, and that that which is darke in one place, is plaine and cleare in ano­ther.

August. loco codem. Ambr. in Psa 119 serm. 9. Basil. lib 2. de Baptism. quest 4.Now as concerning the third point, we haue a rule which all the auncient fathers haue giuen vs: That the holy Scripture is the light to it selfe. And that which is darke in it, is plaine by it selfe in another place, and that therefore the determinati­on of all matters, must be drawne from the conference of such places, where they are handled. Besides we haue two markes to direct our selues by, to which the whole Scripture tendeth: and they are, the glorie of God, and charitie towardes our neigh­bour. Moreouer we boldly admittte all the doctors of the auncient Church for the [Page]interpretation of matters belonging to this thirde kinde, namely in the places and treatises, where they expresselye handle them. And wheresoeuer they are or shall seeme to be contrary, we willingly referre therein our selues to euery man, according to his owne common sense and meaning, that shal haue readde the holy Scripture. As for example, there is a controuersie be­twixte vs, whether these wordes, This is my body, be a figuratiue speache or no. First of all I conferre, or waye together the places of the Euangelistes, and I finde in Saint Luke: This Cuppe is the newe Testament in my bloud, Luk. 12. which cannot be expounded without a figure, and I knowe that flesh and bloud, are both of like impor­tance in the Sacrament. Further I con­sider, that the question is here of a Sacra­ment, and that this is the accustomable maner of speaking, common to all Sacra­ments. The rocke vvas Christ, this is one place: Baptisme is regeneration, that is a­nother, &c. Finally I finde in S. Augu­stine these words: In figuratiue speaches,August. lib. 3. de doctr. Christ. cap. 15. (saith he) alwayes keepe this rule: If it be a maner of speach that according to y^e letter [Page]commaundeth thee to do y^t which is good, or forbiddeth thee to do that which is euil, streight way thou mayest iudge, that there is no figure. For thou hast found there the scope and butt of the Scripture, to wit, the glorie of God, & charitie. But if thou shalt take it according to y^e letter, and it seemeth to commaund thee to do that which is euil, or to forbid that which is good, then thou shalt streight way iudge, that in very deede there is a figure. For example, saith he, Ex­cept you eat my flesh and drinke my blood, you haue no life in you. According to y^e let­ter, it seemeth that Christ commandeth vs a foule & an heinous thing. This therefore (saith he) is a figuratiue maner of speache, by which he commandeth vs to communi­cate with the passion of the Lord, & thorow­ly to fixe in our memorie, that his flesh was pierced and crucified for vs. When I see then, that it is in such sort figured, that S. Augustine himselfe alledgeth it vnto vs for example of figuratiue speaches, I resolue my selfe y^t this with other textes of Scrip­ture, conferred in like sort together, proue such maner of speaches in the matter of the Supper, cannot be otherwise taken but fi­guratiuely. [Page]Nowe by these rules then shal the matter of y^e supper, iustification of faith and workes, free will, and such other be determined, which stand vpon the inter­pretation of the textes of Scripture, which both the one and the other would drawe to their owne meaning and intention.

I demaunde then of euery Christian man, what we may iustly attribute more to the iudgement of the auncient fathers: for where we haue a plaine forbidding from God, euery one will agree vnto vs, that men can doe nothing, and that there neede no interpreters. Againe, where we haue no cōmaundement from his mouth, there it lesse behoueth: for where there is no text, there can be no glose. Those matters then remaine, out of which these commaunde­ments are taken, and interpreted diuersly, in which we most gladly admit the inter­pretations of the doctors of the primitiue Church, and the most notable in all ages. To conclude then this article, we say, that the infallible marke of the pure Church, is the pure doctrine therof duely administred: and the vndoubted touchstone of pure doc­trine, is the pure worde of God, conteyned [Page]in the holy Scripture, which God hath de­liuered to be the rule of his Church. That the same is perfect, and to be vnderstood of those that desire their saluation, yea aswell of it selfe, as conferred with it selfe: albe­it for the decyding of controuersies foun­ded vpon the same, we wyllingly admit the interpretations of the most auncient. Briefely, because we finde not this puritie in the Church of Rome, but the quite contrary, neyther the lawe of God obey­ed, by made subiect to the wyll of the Pope and his vpholders: we holde the Church of Rome most impure, and we marke the Pope that gouerneth there, for a notable marke of Antichrist, lyf­ting vp him selfe aboue GOD, for that he setteth the lawe of God, behinde his owne commaundements and vaine in­uentions.

That the visible Church may erre, yea, and that in matters of fayth, and those which concerne our sal­uation. [Page]CHAP. VI.

BEcause our aduersaries knowe very well, that they can not defende, ney­ther by the holy Scripture, nor by the example of the primitiue Church, the false doctrine which beareth swaye a­mongst them, in the most principal points of Christian religion, yf a man should ex­amine them by piecemeale: therefore they haue thought good to defende all at once, to wit, to maintaine that the Church can not erre, especially in matters that doe concerne saluation. For (say they) seeing that Christ is the head of the Church, he guideth the same by his spirit, and this spi­rit is the spirite of vnderstanding, which inspireth into her in time and place, all that is necessary for to leade her, in such sort, that she can not erre. But as they defēding this bulwarke, assure themselues to de­fende all theyr Babylon: so is it also as certaine, that this being once wonne, they can not any longer stande. When they speake of the Church in this mat­ter,Petrus de A­liaco. lib. de recōmend. scriptur. Marsil Pata­ui. 2. p. cap. 2. they vnderstand properly the Clear­gie, represented by a generall Councill, [Page]and not the common people, of whom they make no state, the which thing many of themselues condemne as repugnant to ho­ly Scripture: notwithstanding, I am con­tent in this matter to speake after their maner, to the ende to auoyde all cauils and starting holes.

The spirite & the worde are insepa­bly ioyned together.Iesus Christ is the head of the Church, as of one body: not of that there, nor of this here, neyther of one nor of other, but of all Churches alike. Now this head is vnto the Church, as reason vnto a man: to wit, to rule, & to guide y^e same by his commaunde­ment. Now so far forth as desire doth obey reason, & the body the head, man is in good case: his senses, his mouings & accions are in theyr perfection, & there is nothing in him, which sauoureth not the good go­uernment of reason. Contrariwise, when the desire will cast of obedience to reason, and wil not be subiect to his gouernement, but giueth it selfe to drunkennesse, riot, and all kinde of excesse: then entreth he into a distemperature of all his body, the vitall partes are therewith offended, he loseth one member, & one sense after an other, sight, hearing, and all the powers depart [Page]away from him. To be short, by the iust iudgement of God, reason it selfe often­times is taken from him, because he made no accompt to obey it. I say, that the selfe same may fall out, and many times doeth fall out in the Church. Now so farre forth as y^e Church doeth obey vnto Iesus Christ her head, he arkeneth vnto his commaunde­ments, which is reason it selfe, & followeth his gouernement, which is set foorth in the Scripture, she can not erre in the path of saluation: shee is sound, pure, and perfect: and also he taketh pleasure to leade her, and inspireth into her his holy Spirite, to the ende to inlighten her in the middest of darkenesse it selfe. But when she treadeth his gouernement vnder her feete, and ma­keth no accompt to hearken vnto him, but presumeth to be wyse ynough of her selfe, to gouerne her selfe: then is it no marueile if she fall as it were in pieces, and lose one sense after an other, if her eyes leade her into the pit, and if the spirit of God aban­don himselfe and forsake her, because shee made no accompt of the worde, with which he is inseparably ioyned & knit together. For as it is most certaine, that Christ doth [Page]not suffer his flocke to erre, so is it also as certaine on the other part, that he doth not accompt any for his sheepe, but chose which heare his voyce: and those heare his voyce, which hearken vnto him, speaking in the Scriptures, and making them clearely to vnderstand his will. God hauing first sent his Prophets, hath nowe in the ende sent from heauen his owne worde, which hath sayd to vs, Search the Scriptures: and this is that same worde also which hath sent the holy Spirite to the Apostles. If we then wyll feele the Spirit, it behoueth that we heare the word, for the Spirit is sent from the word: but the cleargie of Rome doe make no accompt of this word. In stead of hearkening vnto it, it will be heard afore it, in steade of obeying vnto it, it will make commaundements of it selfe, in respect of which, those of Gods haue bene neglected: yea it hath abolished & cut of certaine com­maundements wholy, and that openly. It followeth then, that it can not boast neither of the spirit, neither of the leading thereof, forasmuch as this spirite proceedeth from the sending of y^e essentiall word, who hath left vs his word in y^e holy Scriptures. So [Page]we see y^e a king wil cōmunicate his autho­ritie to a parliamēt, to y^e end to make them obey his lawes, & to distribute them to his people: but if y^e parliamēt shal abuse them, to the end to make it self obeyed aboue the king, and the lawes themselues, he will straightwayes take his authoritie from it. Nowe God and his lawe, in respect of the Church, are farre greater then these: for there can be no proportion of that which is infinite, to that which is finite. And there­fore, is it any wonder if he haue taken from the prelates of the Church of Rome, the gifts of his spirit, when they woulde giue authoritie to their vaine traditions, aboue the lawe it selfe, and that vnder the shadow of his Spirite?

We say that the spirit and the word are inseparably ioyned and knit together, and that without great sacriledge they cannot be separated, forasmuch as Iesus Christ, who is the word it self, hath so taught vs. When that same cōforter shall come, Ioh. 16.13. Ioh. 14.26. that same spirite (I meane) of trueth, he shall leade you (saith he) into all trueth: for he shall not speake of himselfe, but whatso­euer he shall heare, that shall he speake. [Page]He shall glorifie me, for he shall receyue of mine, and shall shewe it vnto you, and shall bring all thinges to your remembrance, which I haue tolde you, &c. If this spirite heare the worde, and speake nothing of his owne: by a more strong reason the Church shoulde, if she be gouerned and lead by the same spirite. He sayth also vnto his Apo­stles, I vvill be vvith you till the ende of the vvorld. Mat. 28.20 This he vnderstandeth by the vertue of his spirite: but he had sayd before in the selfe same verse, Teaching them to obserue al things vvhatsoeuer I haue com­maunded, that is to say, my worde. And therefore Saint Paul preaching the word, both by liuely voyce, and also by writing, doeth neuerthelesse call his ministerie, The ministerie of the spirite: because it is the spirite,2. Cor. 3.8. that giueth efficacie and power to this worde. The Scripture is called the olde and newe Testament, or Couenaunt: and in all couenaunts there are conditions of both parties. Concerning the olde, we see that y^e saw was kept in the Arke, vpon which God manifested his presence vnto his people, when he gaue them counsell, and in all that time wherein the people for­sooke [Page]the lawe of God, to serue Baal, we see that God likewise aunswered not vnto their demaundes, not vouchsafing to assist those by his spirit, which made no accompt of his word. And as concerning the newe, Beholde my couenaunt that I make with them, (saith the Lord: Isai. 59.21.) My Spirite that is in thee, and my vvordes vvhich I haue put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seede for euer, &c. He ioyneth the spirite with the worde in plaine wordes, as if the coue­naunt were conceiued in these woordes: My spirite shalbe in thee, but marke this, that the wordes that I haue put in thy mouth, do not depart out of thy mouth for euer. Neither ought we to saye, that this is to much to abase the spirite of God, to bring it backe to the worde. For this is alwayes to measure God by himselfe, and this also is the onely measure that he hath giuen vs.1. Ioh. 4. For if spirites are to be discer­ned by doctrine, (as Saint Iohn teacheth vs,) and doctrine, (as we haue already pro­ued) by the worde conteyned in the holy Scriptures, it followeth then, that the spi­rite of God must be considered in the holy [Page]Scriptures, the which were left vnto vs by the Apostles, and gathered by the primi­tiue Church, to the ende that there wee might haue a liuely portraiture and drafte of the Spirite, who had taught the Apo­stles according to the word, to discerne the spirites of Sathan, who without any al­lowance of this worde, durst teache false doctrines in the Church. The Church then is ledde by the Spirite of God in the vnderstanding of his will, but in asmuch as she searcheth for it in his worde, that is to saye, to him that searcheth the will of the Lord in his word, the Spirite is there­in giuen vnto him for an interpreter. But to those that make no accompt of the text, there needeth no interpreter, and there­fore to those that neglect the worde, to fol­lowe their owne inuentions, the Spirite of God is not giuen for an interpreter. For the spirite of man and the Spirite of God are not mingled together, vnlesse that a man forsake his owne spirit, and his owne fancies, to be ledde and conducted by the Spirite of God. To all those therefore that alledge y^e leading of the Spirite with­out the word, we wil answere with Saint [Page]Iohn Chrysostome that which followeth.Chrysost. se [...]. de sanct & ador. spi. Many (saith he) boast of y^e Spirit, but they which bring their owne, pretend the spirite falsely. As Christ witnesseth, that he spake not of himselfe, in asmuch as his doctrine was taken out of the Lawe and the Pro­phetes: in such sort if any man bring vnto vs vnder the title of the spirit, any doctrine not conteyned in the Gospell, we beleeue it not. For as Christ hath fulfilled the Law and the Prophetes, so the holy spirite hath fulfilled the Gospell. Now Chrysostome had in hand in this Sermon to extoll the Spirite, for there he taught that the holy Ghost ought to be worshipped as the true God. And yet notwithstanding, Chryso­stome thought it no abasing to the Spirit, when he measured it according to the Gos­pell, no more then did our Sauiour Iesus Christ when he measured it according to the Lawe and the Prophets.

They obiect vnto vs that GOD is sure in his promises, and that therefore hee keepeth the couenaunt that hee hath made with his Church. We aunswere, that in verye deede the worde of GOD endureth for euer: but in all these sayd [Page]couenauntes, there is alwayes a conditi­on, If ye keepe my vvorde, how soeuer through his mercy he many times beareth long with our iniquities. And therefore we must not conclude, God is sure: there­fore the Church cannot erre. But much rather to say, Seeing that the Church er­reth so greatly, and so oftentimes forsa­keth hun, it must needes be that God is sure in his promises, and full of mercye. For it is certaine that very often hee kee­peth his couenaunt with her, how corrupt and diseased soeuer she bee, and euen then when she prouoketh him to a diuorce, so as she treadeth the contracte of marriage vn­der her feete, and when she hath enlarged her bedde (as the Prophete sayth,) to all commers, as it maye plainely be shewed in all times and states of the Church.

When our aduersaries will proue that the Church is before the Scripture,The church which was before the lawe hath erred. Genesis. 3. they beginne it at Adam. This therefore is the place from whence we must beginne. God hauing created Adam, he forbad him to eate of the fruit of the tree of the know­ledge of good and euill: that is to saye, He commaunded him to order all his affec­tions [Page]and desires according to his holye will, and to seeke all his felicitie and all his knowledge, in this onely point of cleauing vnto God. If he did not, he signified vnto him by this that he shall die the death, that is to saye, he shalbe separated, from God, which is the soule of our soule, as our soule is in our bodies. In this couenaunt we see a plaine condition. Adam altogether full of graces, as hee was then, loued ra­ther to followe his fantasie, then to be or­dred according to the worde of God, and to hearken rather to the voyce of Sathan, then of his Creator. Iust punishment fol­lowed vpon him and vpon all his posteri­tie, man remayning corrupted, not onely in his body and outward senses, but also in his reason, and in his vnderstanding, in such sort that reason it selfe, for the most part, serued to no other ende but to make them so much the more vnreasonable, and vnderstanding nothing, but to make them searche curiosities that might withdrawe them from their saluation. And yet for all this, we may marke, in our foolish vn­constancie, the constant loue and good­nesse of our Creatour, towardes vs his vn­worthy [Page]treasures, when he promised euen presently after to our first parents, y^e seede that should brufe the head of the serpent, in which alone they might obtaine mercy. This then was a conditionall couenaunt, broken of mans part, by the sume of y^e first Adam, and repayred againe in the person of the second, by the assured goodnes and onely bountie of the Creator. Now if this Church euen from her first roote was thus polluted, if from her beginning, euen then when she was full of knowledge and ince­gritie, and when she enioyed the presence of God, she failed so shamefully, because she turned away from the worde of her God, to her owne desires: can it be that any man nowe a dayes, in obscuritie, igno­rance and vanitie, (wherein we are all borne,) can vaunt them selues, that they are able to walke vprightly without this worde?

Our aduersaries for to auoyd this place, do lessen y^e sinne of Adam as much as they can:Iesuita Graecensis in asseti. Rom. 5.19. lyking rather to accuse God of [...]uil­tie (who for byting of an Apple through simple disobedience, hath punished al man­kinde) and to make of no effect the Crosse [Page]of his dearely beloued Sonne, whom he hath deliuered to death, for the reconcilia­tion of the worlde, then to confesse that the Church can erre in y^e matter of saluation. But the doctors of the Christian Church, and those that are most sound amongst the Iewes themselues, doe teach vs farre o­therwise, to wit, that y^e sinne of Adam was specially in this, that he was turned whol­ly from God, and that he more beleeued the promises of the deuill, then the threat­nings of his Creator, that he pretended to make him selfe equall with God, that he sought his felicitie, and his knowledge without him, and without his worde. To be shorte, that this was an heresie so neere to infidelitie, and a sinne linked with so many sinnes, that none other but the Sonne of the eternall God, by the only sacrifice of his death, coulde be able to repaire and redeeme it.August. li [...] 14. de ciui Dei. cap. 1 & 15. Hee forsooke (sayth Saint Augustine) his God, for to be of him selfe, and such condemnation followed his pride, that he who otherwwyse had a spirituall fleshe, had nowe a carnall soule. Some man will say, that this was a great punishmēt: but he that shal think it [Page]great, cannot be able to measure what a great iniquitie that was, to sinne, seeing it was so easie for him not to haue sinned. For as Abrahams obedience is praised, be­cause when he was commaunded to offer vp his sonne, being a thing so hard, which notwithstanding he obeyed: euen so also as great and as incomprehensible a disobedi­ence must it be in Paradise, where the com­maundement had not any kinde of difficul­tie. Now the obedience of Abraham (saith the Scripture,) proceeded from faith, whereof it is, that he was called the father of the beleeuers. The disobedience then of Adam proceeded from infidelitie, whereof it is, that he is father of all infidelitie, which since that time hath bene and is in all man­kinde. See then for the first sort of the Church, in which one shall see nothing but a growing and continuance from worse to worse, euen till the second: as maye be seene in the corruption & confusion which was in the time of Noah and Abraham, and amongest the Israelites in Egypt, where GOD reprocheth them that they were bestayned and defiled with all kinde of idolatrie.Ezech. 20.

The church vnder the lawe hath erred. Exo. 19 4.Nowe the whole seconde state of the Church, to wit, vnder the lawe, is full of such like examples. God made a couenant with his people of Israel, to be their God, and that they should be his people: the pro­mises of this same couenant, they are very great and excellent.Leui. 26.12 Deu. 28. & 29.12. Psal. 68. 2. Chr. 33. 2. Chro 7. 1. Sam. 2.30. 1. Reg. 2.27. 2. Reg. 23.27. I will walke in the mid­dest of you, I will haue my tabernacle a­mongst you for euer, my name shalbe in Ierusalem, I haue sanctified it, to the ende it may be there alwaies, I will answere be­tweene the two Cherubins. But alwayes this condition was set to this couenaunt: If you shall be my people, if you shall serue me, if you shall walke in my commaunde­ments, if you shall aske counsell at my mouth, &c. otherwise he sayth first, I wyll chastice you with my roddes, to cause you to returne vnto me, but if you shall make no accompt of it, Ierem. 7. he addeth straightway af­terwards, I will reiect the people that shall forsake my lawe. I will cast of Iuda from before my face, as I haue reiected Israel, 2. Chr. 15. & I wil reproue the Citie of Ierusalem which I haue chosen, & the house whereof I haue said, my name shalbe there: Euen as I haue done to Silo (sayth he) euen so will I doe to [Page]you, yea euen vnto you. This is that that the Spirite of God sayth in the time of A­sa, by the Prophet Azarias, The Lorde is with you, because you are with him. If you seeke him, you shall finde him: If you for­sake him, he vvill forsake you. And a little after he addeth, Wherefore haue ye beene so long time without the true God, with­out a Priest, without a Teacher, and vvith­out the Lawe? &c. Nowe when the Lorde sayth in a thousand places, If ye shall for­sake me, he putteth not downe any false matter, nor impossible thing, but a thing that not only oftentimes commeth to passe and is possible, but also is so easie and so or­dinary, or rather so natural to euery assem­bly of men, that in this same Church here, which may enioy the manifest presence of the Lord, and may heare his voyce when it tooke counsell at his mouth, we see by a great many of examples.Exod. 31. Aaron was a Prophet, and a litle after was made high Priest: he had seene y^e wonderful works of God, & though he had seene them both day and night to go both before & behinde him, yet notwithstanding he made vnto himself a golden Calfe, and he saith vnto y^e people, [Page] Beholde O Israel, the gods which brought thee out of Egypt. If in this question they will vnderstand by the Church the people, behold then a strange Idolatrie: if they wil vnderstand (as they speake) the Cleargie, then beholde, not onely Idolatry, but the Church of God euen prostituted to Idols, that is to say, beholde an adulterous wyfe, prouoking her husband as much as lyeth in her, to make a diuorce from her.Deut 32. Vnder the iudges also so many tyrants as there were, which oppressed the Church of Israel, so many markes there were of their adulte­ries. Gedeon himselfe,Iudg. 8. & 17.6. &. 28 after he had felt the power of God by his hand, he made an E­phod, and the people went a whoring after it. Michas also did euen the like, & the spi­rite of God hath told vs the cause thereof, because y^t there was not any to gouerne in Israel, & euery one did y^t which was right in his owne eies,1. Sam. 3.1 & for y^t the word of y^e Lord was rare and scant in this time amongst them. They had notwithstanding y^e law of God, & the arke of the couenant: but y^e mis­chiefe was, y^t they did neither reade it nor take coūsel of it. Now this is not only said,Iohn. 12. Haue the light, but walke in it & follow it. [Page]In the daies of Saul it is said,1. Chro. 13 3. that no man sought the Lorde in the arke of the coue­nant, that is to say, that no man toke coun­sel of God in his word: and herein we may see the iudgement of God, when the Arke was taken by the Philistines,1. Sam. 4. to wit, that it was for y^e contempt of God and his worde. Vnder Joram, Baal was worshipped in Iuda,1. king. 11. euen vntil the time of Ioas, who re­nued the couenant with the Lorde. Vnder King Achas,2. King. 16. there was a straunge altar, euen within y^e Temple it selfe, vpon which he sacrificed to false gods: and Vriiah the Priest was he, which made it to be set vp. Vnder Manasses,2. King. 21. & 23. Idolatrie was so mon­strous, so publique, and so smitter sall, that there appeared not any face of the people or Church of God: and the cause thereof is by and by added as before, to wit, that the lawe of God had beene a long time hidden and buried, in such sort, that none coulde knowe any more what it was. And if men marke what was the state of the Church of Israel; he shall see that it was nothyng but publique & continuall Idolatrie, euen from the beginning of their schisme, vntill theyr vtter ouerthrowe. These impieties [Page]then in y^e visible Church of that time, were not as a folly or sicknesse which passeth lightly away, but rather (which is here clearely seene, vnder the raigne of three or foure Kinges the true seruants of God) was tanquam lucida quaedam in furiosis interualla, that is to say, were as certaine good modes and seasons of right reason in a common rage & folly. This is that time of which the Prophets cried out, You, you are called by the name of Israel, Esai. 48.1. & 18. & 7. and in ma­ny othee places. Iere. 2.3.13.14. and you sweare by the name of the Lorde, but you serue him not in trueth and in righteous­nesse. You haue said vnto a piece of wood, thou art my father, & to a stone, thou hast begotten me. You, you haue prostituted your selues vnder euery greene tree. You haue abandoned me by the space of innu­merable dayes, and you haue gods accor­ding to the number of your Cities, &c. To be short, all the Prophets which were sent euen vntill the comming of Christ, and in all the Prophets, all the Chapters are in a maner nothing els but testimonies of the idolatries and adulteries of the Church with strange gods, who for the same threat­ten her, and signifie vnto her a diuorce, if [Page]she do not returne vnto y^e Lord. In meane while, he y^t shal marke what maner of band & companie y^t was, in this time, which our aduersaries call y^e Church, vnderstanding y^e Cleargie, y^e Priests, y^e Scribes, & the or­dinary prophets, a man shal find y^t the true Prophets, which were sent frō God, had no greater enemies then they were: that they were these y^t imprisoned them, & put them to death, as troublers of y^e Church, yea so farre foorth, that our sauiour Christ sayth, that it could not be that a prophet must be murthered out of Ierusalē. And whē they said vnto them, Turne you vnto the law of the Lord, reforme the Church, forsake your Idolatries,Iere. 16.12 &c. burden not the people with so many of your vaine traditions, &c. they had the selfe same answere that our aduer­saries haue,Iere 7. &. 18.18. We are the temple of y^e Lord, we are the Church, we are the watchmen of the people: the law shall not perish from the Priest, nor the counsell from the wise, nor the word from y^t Prophet: our Church (whatsoeuer they say) cannot faile. Come then & let vs strike them with our tongue, and let vs not harken to their words. But the Prophets shew them very wel how the promises of God ought to be vnderstoode. [Page] Say ye not, Here is the temple of the Lord, Iere. 7. for I haue abandoned Silo, which I haue chosen, and I wil reiect you also, if you con­tinue, &c. Say ye not that the lavv shall not perish frō the priest &c. for, 2. Chr. 15.3 for a lōg season Israel and Iuda was without the true God, without a Priest, without a Teacher, &c. Seeke therfore the Lord, Ezec. 22. &c. Your Priests (saith the Lorde) haue broken my lavve, and they haue defiled my holy places. They haue not saide, Where is the Lorde, Iere. 2.8. thei vnderstood not my word, & thei haue not knowē me. Ezec. 7. Your Prophets haue pro­phecied lies, saying, The Lorde hath saide thus, wheras the Lord neuer spake it. Ose 9.8. They haue prophecied in Baal, & haue gone af­ter the things that are vaine.Isai 16.10.Your watch­men are blind, & your prophets are snares of the fouler. Thou vvilt demaund a vision of the prophet, but the lavv shall perish frō the Priest, and the counsell from the aun­cient, & the night shalbe vnto you for a visi­on, &c. The Sunne shall go dovvn ouer the prophets, & the day shalbe darke ouer thē. Mich. 3.6. They shal all couer their lips, because they shall receiue no answere from God. Seeke therfore the Lord, & you shal find him, &c. Beholde how the true Prophets, who in [Page]comparison of these prelats were accomp­ted the of scouring and muck of the world, beate backe all their vaine presumptions, that they had of not being deceyued. To be short, the Church of that time was thro­wen downe farre beneath that of Sama­ria and of Sodom.Isai. 1. Ezech. 21. Iere. 18. Her prelates were cal­led the princes of Gomorrha, her Councils and assemblies, conspiracies and coniura­tions against the Prophets of God, her sa­crifices, whorish and adulterate: And of all those that the Lorde sent to exhort them to reformation, there can hardly be found any one, that a little while escaped the crueltie of this assemblie, which drewe all the titles and prerogatiues of the Church to it selfe. In the middest notwitstandyng of this horrible confusion, God knew his Church: For if the Lorde (sayth Esai the Prophet) had not restored euen a small remnant, Isai. 1. they had bene as Sodom, and should haue ben like vnto Gomorrha. And he saith in a­nother place,Isai. 8. Behold me Lord, & my chil­dren, that is to say, the disciples that thou hast giuen me.

Finally, when y^e Iewes would not hear­ken to the wholesome exhortations of the [Page]Prophetes, God would euen constraine them by his mercy, and therefore sent them euen saluation it self from heauen, to witt, Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord. But the Church behaued it selfe towards him euen likewise. He had no greater ene­mies then the Priestes, the Scribes, the Doctors, the Pharisees, that is to say, (as our aduersaries speake,) the cleargie, and those which had the Lawe committed vn­to them, and those which seemed to be the light of the Iewishe Church. If he spake any thing of the reformation of y^e Church, then said they he would destroye the Tem­ple: if of the grace of God by the Messias, then he blasphemed against the Lawe: if of the kingdome of heauen, then he strooke at the maiestie of Cesar: if he wrought any miracles, that was by the deuil: if he al­ledged the Scriptures, then they demaun­ded of him where were the letters of his Doctourship, reproching him, that hee was a Carpenters sonne. To be short, all their arguments against Christ, are euen the same that our masters vse against vs. We are the children of Abraham: we are the keepers of the Scriptures. It belon­geth [Page]to vs to expounde them: and not to you, who haue not receyued holy orders as we haue done. And yet notwithstanding all this, these were they, that with their gloses, traditions, and vnwritten verities, with their successions, interpretations and councills most cruelly persecuted him, e­uen to the snatching him out of the hande of the heathen magistrate, who iudged him innocent, that they might crucifie him. Now I demaund of our aduersaries, what they can require in the outward estate of a Church, that was not in this Church here. If it be antiquitie, they were from A­braham: If it were calling, they were Priestes and Scribes: If it be a place, this was the Lordes house: If it be a coun­cill,Ioh. 11.47. this was solemnely holden against Christ in Ierusalem, who was there ex­pressely condemned. Be it whether they consider the assemblye of the people, or of the Prelates, this was the visible Church. And yet they cannot denie but this Church hath most foullie erred in the matter of saluation, crucifying Saluation himselfe, vnlesse they will denie that Christ was our saluation. But the reason hereof is very [Page]apparant, which is, that they sought him not in the Lawe and the Prophetes, but in their traditions, Caballs, or vnwritten ve­rities. For the shepheards in y^e fields knew him: and the pastors of the people set their doggs vpon him. This also is the reason that they were likened to an earthly King, deuiding the kingdomes of y^e earth among their owne, whereof it came to passe; that there was not any one, which promised not himself acrowne, or y^e gouernment of some countrey, whereas they sawe that the true Christ was poore, naked, euil intreated,Ioh. 12.38. not so much as promising to his a place to laye their heads in. To be short, it is so farre of,Isay. 53.10. that they shoulde haue acknowledged him for the true Christ, for that (as they preten­ded) they were the visible Church, that if they had accompted any for such a one, this should haue bene an infallible argu­ment to them that had readde the Scrip­tures,Isay. 6.9. that he could not haue bene y^e Christ, forasmuch as it was expressely foretold by the Prophetes, that they should not knowe him. Behold then what is fallen out to the Iewes (sayth Saint Paul,)Rom. 9. To whom be longeth the adoption, and the glory, & the [Page]couenauntes, and the ordinance of the Lawe, and the seruice of God, and the pro­mises. Of whom also the fathers are des­cended, Rom. 6. & 11. & 12. cap. and of whom also according to the flesh Christ himself came, &c. To witt, that for hauing reiected the Lord of glory, their pouertie was made the riches of the Gentiles, & their reiection, the reconcilia­tion of the world, In such sort, that God in steade of turning away from mankinde, for the blindnesse of his owne people, hath taken occasion thereby to adopt al peoples for his people. Let vs not say therefore a­ny more, that the Church cannot erre, be­cause that God is firme in his promises: but rather that God is truely sure in his promises, and constant in his mercies, for­asmuch as he maketh no diuorce with her, albeit she hath abandoned him, and strange­ly played the harlot, so inlarging the bow­els of his compassion towards mankinde, and turning his great wrath into so in­speakeable mercie: as at this day we see in our time, in the great number which he hath withdrawne, and dailye doeth with­drawe, from the Swynishe filthe of the Popedome.

It remayneth then nowe that we see,That the Church vnder grace hath erred. whether that the Christian Church which is vnder grace, hath had any more speciall grace not to erre: wherin we haue alwaies to call to our remēbrance, that the Church at this day is vniuersall, that is to say, spred throughout the whole world, and that the promises of God are not any longer tyed to any one place, or to any one people,Actes. 10 but are stretched ouer all peoples and places, where he is serued and worshipped. Nowe this vniuersal Church hath goodly & great promises: I wil make an euerlasting coue­nant vvith them, saith the Lord, Ezech. 37.26. I vvill put my sanctuarie in the middest of them for euer. I vvill be their God, and they shalbe my people. Behold that which Ezech. the Prophete hath foretold, of the couenaunt made by the comming of Christ with his vniuersall Church. Iesus Christ also saith himselfe: I vvill be with you vntill the ende of the world. Also,Matth. 28. Ioh. 14.23. Ioh. 8. I vvill send you my spi­rit vvhich shal teach you all things, &c. But to the ende that hereby we do not imagine, as the Iewes did, our selues to be a visible Church, which is alwayes of one sorte whatsoeuer she doe, the condition is euer­more [Page]added, If you shall heare my voyce, if you be my people, if you shall teache that vvhich I commaunde you, if you shall loue me and abide in my vvord. For if you shal not abide therein (saith our Lord) you are not my disciples, and those which are not his disciples cannot boast y^t they are taught by his Spirite, to the ende not to be decey­ued. The prerogatiue then that is in the vi­sible Christian Church, is not that she can­not erre in her particular parts, but rather that being vniuersall, when one part doth fall, the other doth help it vp, and when the one doth goe astray, the other may bring it into the way againe, yea, and the particu­lar members do their dutie when the more apparant leaders of the Church do guide it to destruction. Againe on the other side, in that she is vniuersal, it ought a great deale rather to beat downe this same particular presumption, of not being deceyued in the whole Church, forasmuch as when there is a temple either ouerthrowne or prophaned, y^t sacrifices, as in times past, cease not any more, but rather of y^e ruines & remainders, others may be els where builded vp againe where there was neuer any such. S. Paul [Page]feared lest that the Serpent which sedu­ced Eue, through his subtiltie should turne the Church of y^e Corinthians from Christ and his simplicitie,2. Cor. 11.3. if she were turned a­way from his Gospell. He meaneth then that she might erre. He also chideth y^e Ga­lathians, who after they had Christ drawne as it were liuely before their eyes,Gal. 1.6. & 3.1. and cru­cifyed amōgst them, that they were so sud­denly carried awaye to an other Gospell. This therefore is not onely a thing possi­ble, but a thing (I say) which heretofore hath come to passe, euen whiles y^e Apostles liued. To be short, he warneth y^e Thessalo­nians,2. Thes. 2 that Antichrist y^t sonne of perdition, should sitt in the temple of God, y^t is to say, in the Church, there to confound al things: and y^t euen in his time this mysterie of ini­quitie began to work. It could not be then, that she erred in light matters onely, but e­uen in y^e matter of saluation, forasmuch as she had receyued & imbraced her perdition euen in the middest of her owne bowelles. The which thing if we shal marke by expe­riēce, we shal finde that euery where, where Iesus Christ sowed the truth and the good graine, by the hands of his Apostles, the de­uill [Page]that watcheth, whiles that the husband­men slept, sowed there his darnell & lying, and finally there so besturred himselfe in tilling & plowing it, that he choked y^e seede of our Lord in many places, vntill that he had brought to passe, that he was acknow­ledged for the master of the haruest. The zeale of those of the circumcision, in y^e time of the Apostles, began that medley in the Christian religion: S. Peter himself win­king at it, S. Paul calleth this to make the Crosse of Christ of none effect, & S. Augu­stine in many places calleth it heresie. Now from hence it came, that the disciples of the circumcision, who went to preach the Gos­pell to many peoples of the East and of the South, there reared vp Churches in such sorte, that the doctrine of grace was mingled with the lawe, the shadowes with the bodie, whereof it is, that many yet doe hold circumcision with baptisme. I speake nothing of the infinite heresies which put vp their heades vnder diuers names, ma­king their seuerall factions, but of y^t which then came to passe in the bodies of the most flourishing Churches, which afterwardes greatly encreased and multipled. On the [Page]other side, the people which were called from Paganisme to Christ, then principal­ly when the Church had some litle rest, & consequently lesse zeale, care, and puritie, comming out of such a bottomelesse pit of Idolatrie, they coulde not altogether for­sake their old customes. They had builded many beautiful Temples to their Idoles, and it seemed a goodly thing vnto them, to dedicate them vnto Saints & Martyrs. In stead of their hunting places, they honored the reliques of Saints: in place of y^e Ima­ges of Mars, of Iupiter, of Ianus, they tooke pleasure to haue those of S. Paul, & of S. Peter, &c. And wheras they had a cu­stome, to make for their fathers y^t died, prai­ers, sacrifices, lights, following y^e opiniō of Plato cōcerning purgatorie, they willing­ly cōtinued it, least they should fal frō their humanitie, & therin only changed y^e forme. The pastors some of them, because they were come out from y^e same Paganisme, thought it good, other some did beare with it, least they shoulde at the beginning goe backe, hoping in time vtterly to remoue it from them, as S. Paul did the ceremonies of the law, from those of the circumcision, [Page]and to cōuert their zeale & humanitie into a better custome. Iusomuch y^t their succes­sors, ascribing impudētly to much to their predecessors, & not examining y^e reason y^t moued them to beare w^t these things, they cōtinued it of thēselues, & builded so much vpō this rottē fundatiō, y^t superstitiō came to this, that we see it at this day. The vani­tie of the one part, & the humane wisdome of the other, hath brought vs to this, and he that shal wel consider, what man is, & how an old custome y^t hath but a litle shew, may preuaile, how much it wil cost y^e changing, he wil easly graūt, that those which haue to bring in a thorow mutatiō, do think to haue gained much whē they could bring to passe to change y^e principal, in forsaking, as see­med to them, certaine accessories: as in our time we our selues haue proued, not regar­ding that the deuil knoweth so wel how to husbād thē afterwards, whilest we are neg­ligent to water y^e true plants, that in y^e end they come to be quite stifeled & choked. By these means errors first entred into y^e chur­ches of y^e Ethiopiās, Syrians, Armeniās, Grekes, Russians, Scythiās, &c. for y^e more part. But which is more, by the selfe same meanes entred Mahomet w^t his doctrine, [Page]who about y^e declining of y^e Romane Em­pire, found out y^e controuersies of y^e Iewes & Christans, & ioyned himself to a Monke of the heresie of Nestorius, named Ser­geus, who coined his Alcoran in such sort, y^t many Christiās of Nestorius heresie, part­ly seeing his force, & partly because it see­med y^t he cōsented w^t them in the essence of Christ, they left of to go forward in y^e true religion, & the Iewes, for y^e circumcision & ceremonies which he left freely vnto thē, and the safetie which he promised them by force of armes, receiued him in the begin­ning, as their Messias. Beholde then how heresies entred into y^e christian Church, & y^t those so encreased, as it easely cōmeth to passe alwaies when good decaieth, and euil encreaseth, y^t from heresie they came euen vnto infide litie: & yet notwithstāding these Churches were there founded by the Apo­stles, receyued y^e holy scriptures, beleeued saluatiō in Christ (except those which haue cleaued vnto Mahomet, which haue lost y^e name of the Churches) haue a successiō of their bishops & patriarks folowīg in good order, haue an ordinary vocatiō in their mi­nisterie, & hold a great sort more countries thē those, that haue acknowleged y^t Pope. [Page]Now I demaund of y^e prelats of y^e Church of Rome, whether y^t these Churches haue erred in y^e matters which concerne saluati­on, or no. They wil say, y^t they haue erred in the matter of saluatiō, because y^t they haue reiected Images, because they worship not the bread, because they communicate vnder both kinds, because their ministers marry, because they knowe not any thing concer­ning Purgatorie, &c. To be short, because they doe not only erre in many not able ar­ticles as these are, but aboue all, because they do not acknowledge y^e domination of their Pope, which is (to heare themselues speake) y^e principal article that men ought to beleue, to y^e end to be saued. It foloweth then by their own cōfession, y^t the Christian Catholike visible Church hath no such pri­uiledge by the comming of Christ, which doth exempt it frō being deceiued & erring, yea in that which cōcerneth saluation, not­withstanding al y^t promises, and pretended couenants, which we haue already mentio­ned before. But if now it do not erre in the matter of saluatiō, then it must needes fol­low, that the Church of Rome it self must erre, which hath so long time excōmunica­ted [Page]and cut of frō saluation, as much as in her lieth, so many peoples & nations which haue not erred in the way of saluation, and which is more, y^t she is iustly excōmunica­ted by y^e foresaid Churches, for those dāna­ble doctrines which they condemne in her.

That the Church of Rome hath erred.To this they wil answere vs, that these Churches had no such priuiledge as the Church of Rome, and that the See of S. Peter hath this prerogatiue, being y^e chiefe amongst the Apostles, y^t it coulde not erre. Without entring into y^e bottome of these goodly pretēces, which shalbe gauged in y^e chapter following, it must followe then, y^t those Sees which had so great authoritie, as y^t of Ierusalem, which is called y^e seat of God, could not erre. That y^e Church also of Christ, being there gathered together, had this prerogatiue, seeing y^t Christ y^e head of y^e Church there preached & accōplished the worke of saluatiō. Likewise y^t the Church of Antioch must haue it much more then y^t of Rome, seeing that, that was y^e first See of S. Peter, & the first Church where the name of a Christiā was heard. And yet Ie­rusalem which crucisted Christ, & the Chri­stians of Palestina, & of Antioch, & of the [Page]countries round about, in y^e iudgement of y^e church of Rome, are out of y^e way of salua­tion. It followeth then, that Saint Pe­ters See pretēted to be at Rome, although it be graūted them, exempteth it not from error. Besides, omitting y^t, that S. Peter himself hath erred & was reprooued of S. Paul, I demaūd if S. Peters See giueth this prerogatiue to y^e Pope,Hierony. in Catalogo il­lustri. virorū. Damasus in Pontificali. Platina in vitis Pontifi. Marianus Scotus. Volateranus in Anthro­pol. Gratianus in decreto Car­dinalis Ben­no, & Petrus Premōstra­tensis in vitis Grego. 7. & Syluestr. 2. &c. Concilium Constanti. fessi. septima. or rather to y^e Church of Rome. If to y^e Pope, Marcel. hath sacrificed to y^e idols of y^e Painims, Li­berius was an Arriā, & Anastatius an Aca­tiā. Moreouer, eche one delighted to abro­gate y^e decrees of his predecessor, as Nico­las of Iohn y^e 22. Gregorie of Pelagius, & Innocentius of Gregorie, and that in mat­ters (according to their owne iudgements) concerning y^e faith. Syluester the 2. Iohn the 19. Gregorie the 7. (witnes all y^e histo­ries of their times) were magicians, that is, the successors of Simon Magus, which was at Rome aswell as they, and not of Simon Peter, & the disciples of Satan, & not of Christ. Iohn y^e 23. held opinion that there was no life after this, whereupon the Council of Constāce called him a deuil in­carnate: & many other were deposed by y^e Councils, not onely in qualitie Heretikes, [Page]but also Atheists. Iohn y^e 8. also was found to be a womā & an harlot,Theodorus de Niein scriba Pon­tific s in lib. Nemus vnio­nis. tract. 4. & 7. deluding both y^e seat, & al y^e colledge of Cardinals. Briefly, they say y^t the virgin Marie told S. Brid­get, y^t the most part of y^e Popes are in hell, and the Cardinal of Ragousia, in y^e time of the great schisme, mainteined y^t the Pope might erre in y^e faith, & Cardinal Cusan,Cardinalis Cusanus lib. 2. cap. 17. de concord. ca­tholic. Magister Iohn Parisi­encis, ordine predict. cap. 23. y^t he might be an infidel: which thing also the Diuines of Paris haue alwayes maintei­ned. It followeth then that this See ney­ther exempteth them frō error, heresie, nor infidelitie, but augmenteth vnto them their owne condemnation. If the priuiledge be giuen to y^e Church of Rome, I aske them, if they teache not, that the Church is repre­sented by a generall Councill?August. cap. 3. & 16. de vnitate ec­clesi. S. Augu­stine sayth, that one generall Councill is corrected by another, and correction pre­supposeth error. Gregorie Nazianzen, in whose time many Councils were holden, sayth that the Church was then so full of ambition, that none was euer seene to re­turne any whit the better. Gerson and Pa­normitan say, y^t one laye man alleadging the Scripture, ought to be preferred be­fore a whole Councill being out of y^e way. [Page]Moreouer, see y^e second Councill of Nice, which mainteined Images against y^e Coū ­cil of Cōstantinople, & that of Frankford about y^e selfe same time, which threw them downe to the ground. See y^e third Council of Carthage, & another holdē at Carthage it self vnder y^e Emperor Mauritius, which excōmunicated him, & declared him to be Antichrist, which should cal himself vniuer­sall Bishop, at the pursute of S. Gregorie himself, whereas that of Rome a very litle while after, and that same of Trent in our time, hath declared y^e Bishop of Rome to be vniuersal Bishop, & hath excōmunicated al those y^t wil not so accōpt of him. The Coū ­cills also of Florence & of Basil, brideleth the Pope w^t other Bishops, & bringeth thē vnder y^e Church, wheras they of Florēce & Trēt, lift him againe aloft, & published him to be a God in earth. And Pope Pius y^e se­cond, who stuck to y^e Council of Constāce, a litle while after pronounced all them to be heretikes, which helde y^t men might ap­peale from y^e Pope to a Coūcil, y^t is to say, those present Councils there which were general, & al those y^t follow them. It follo­weth then, either y^t trueth is double, which [Page]neither is, nor euer shall be, or els that these Councils contrary one to the other, haue erred, & so consequently that the Churche may erre. Also, that either the Pope is An­tichrist, or els the Church which hath pub­lished such a one, that taketh vpon him the title of vniuersall Bishop, hath shameful­ly erred. Also, either to beleeue y^t the pope is head of the Churche, is not necessary to saluation, the which the decretalles allow­ed of the church of Rome, do allowe, deli­uering it for an article of our faith, and the Councill of Trent hath confirmed it: or else the Councils which haue denyed him to bee such a one, haue erred in the matter of Saluation, that is to saye, the first generall council of Nice, which made him but equall and like to the other patri­arkes, the Councill of Sardis, the Coun­cil of Carthage, and the vniuersal Church for the space of sixe hundred yeeres. To be shorte, it must needes be that our aduersa­ries confesse, either that their Church at this day holdeth that for necessary to sal­uation, which is contrary to saluation: or els that the auncient Church, so long time was ignorant of that which was necessary [Page]to saluation, that is to say, her owne salua­tion, who hath refelled it in a plaine and o­pen council: whereof it must followe that the Catholike church may erre in general councils, yea, and the Romane Church it self, notwithstanding the pretēded See of Peter, & moreouer that the Romane is cō ­trary to the auncient church, to which we desire at this day to conforme our selues. Now if y^e pope & the Romane church haue erred in matters of saluation, it followeth then that the Christian visible church may erre, & that a man may seeke for the refor­mation thereof. But to them which knowe how y^e councils of our time haue bene hol­den, as that before they haue bene assēbled, the controuersies haue bene concluded at Rome: & that notwithstanding all the ar­guments & proofs they could make to the contrary, they haue passed things by their speciall aucthoritie: & knowing howe that same holye spirite, or rather that spirite of Satan hath bene brought from Rome in a Caskat: & moreouer, seeing they are such that gouerne there, that there dispute and conclude, it needeth not greatly, that men proue that such assemblies may erre, but [Page]contrariwise it might be found a strange thing, if they coulde conclude anye thing without error.

But now cōtrary to these so vrgent and weighty proofs, they alledge vnto vs, that Iesus Christ prayed y^t Peters faith might not faile,Luke. 22. whereupon they conclude with o­pen triumph, that the Romish Church can not erre. First, the matter is of great im­portance, for it is a question concerning a great nomber of articles, for which, as for articles of faith, wee haue bene burned for the space of these fiftie yeres, which haue no other foundation but this. It must bee therefore that this fundation be fast & vn­doubtfull, if wee will not doe him open wrong, who hath taught vs our saluation. Adde also hereunto, that al the iarre of the Greeke and Easte Churches with the Ro­mish, doe depend wholly vpon this point. For if it can not erre, then they which are contrary to her, haue erred greatly. But these thinges are farre enough one from the other, (I haue praied y^t thy faith should not faile, though Satan sift thee) & y^e con­clusiō which they draw thēce, the church of Rome cānot erre. Secōdly, Iesus Christ [Page]prayed for Peter, and Peter yet after this prayer denyed him thrise, trusting to much in him selfe, whereas he should haue pray­ed to God, & acknowledged his owne in­firmitie: and hereof also it came, that hee that esteemed more of him selfe then al his companions, should stumble, and fall more shamefully then all they. The Churche of Rome therefore shoulde rather drawe this conclusion from thence, which is more a­greeable to the text: that as he, trusting to much to himselfe, renounced God, and did worse then all the rest, so likewise it maye doe, when it is made to beleeue, that it can not erre. And therefore it should fol­lowe, that according to his example, it should weepe at the crowing of the cocke, and acknowledge all the faultes thereof. Thirdly, if this followe, Christ prayed for Peter, Ergo the Church of Rome which is founded by him, can not erre: then must it followe also, that the Churches which were founded by the other Apostles, can not erre. For Iesus Christ drawing neere to his Crosse,Ioh. 17.20. prayed most earnestly for his Apostles, and for all those, which shoulde beleeue in him through their preaching, to [Page]the end they might be one in the Father & in him, that is to say, that they might be in­separably knit vnto him. And yet the Ro­mish Churche hath excommunicated them as heretikes, and hath holden them as cut of from saluation. It foloweth then, either that this conclusion is false: Iesus Christ prayed, Ergo it can not erre, or else that hee ment the inuisible Church, against which hell gates cannot preuaile. Fourthly, S. Paul vnderstood not this subtiltie, foras­much as we see, that hee admonisheth the Romanes, called from amongest the Gen­tiles, that they should not proudly aduaūce them selues against the Iewes, vnder this shadowe, that they were entred into their place.Rom. 11. For (saith he) the naturall branches were cut of through vnbeleefe, and thou art engrafted in by faith, and if God haue not spared them, take heede, least he also spare not thee: that is to say, take heed that thou fal not from faith, as they haue done: he meaneth then, that he thought them not to be without the compasse of the danger. Neither did Cyprian likewise, writing to the clergie of Rome, saying,Cypr. lib. 2. epist. 17. That y^e praise which S. Paul attributed to the Church [Page]of Rome, that their faith was made know­en throughout the worlde, shoulde be tur­ned to their shame, if they did not perseuer to inherite this faith. Nor S. Hierom also whē he saith,Hieron. in epist. ad Rusticum. That after that couetousnes was entred into the Church, as it was in­to the Empire, the Law should perish from the Priestes, and the vision from the Pro­phets. Nor all the ancient fathers, when they tooke Rome for that Babylon in the Apocalyps. & for y^e seat of Antichrist, as we shal see hereafter. And therfore they should doe a great deale better to followe their olde glose vpon this place of S. Luke,Luke 22. glossa ibi. y^t as in praying for him, he saith, O Peter, I haue kept thee, that thy faith shoulde not faile, euen so also comforte the poore weak ones by thy example of repentance, to the end, that by their sinnes they fall not into despaire, but that they hope for mercye, as hath bene shewed vnto thee. Finally, be­sides all these foresaide reasons, betweent the Antecedent: Christ prayed for Peter, & the consequent: The Church of Rome can not erre, there are infinite thinges to proue, betweene these two sentences, to wit, That S. Peter was head of the Apo­stles [Page]& of y^e church: That he was at Rome: That he was B. there: That he particular­ly founded any church there: That he had this prerogatiue aboue the rest, y^t he coulde not erre: That he either tyed it, or coulde tye it to that chaire, either for the popes, or for the Romish Church: The which things ought first to be plainely proued, before we can come to any such conclusion. Let vs come then to ours, following our pro­mises, and notwithstanding their obiectiō of this place, let vs conclude with the holy Scriptures, and the practise of all times, this present disputation. Our Lord Iesus Christ hath deliuered to his Church the holy Scripture, as a compasse to a shippe, for to conduct and guide it to Saluation. Looking vnto this compasse, she can not be deceiued, for it sheweth alwayes vnto her, her marke, whatsoeuer winde do driue her: and not looking vnto it, she can not but erre, and goe out of the way, no more then all the pilots or Shipmasters of the world together know, without a good cō ­passe, to keep their course one only houre. To y^e churches which follow his worde, he hath promised thē the presence of his spirit. [Page]From these which make no accompt of it, he withdraweth him selfe, accompting thē vnworthy of his presence, which disdaine to harken to his voice. Hereof it is, that the Church in all her estates and places hath greatly erred & gone out of the way: but more this then al the rest, which hath bene more bold to intermedle w^tout y^e leading of the worde, & which hath most presumed of her owne abilitie, to witte, the Romishe Church. If she haue no other priuiledges and promises then the visible and vniuer­sall Church, there is no doubt but she may erre. For we haue seene by her owne con­fession, that she hath erred euen in the mat­ters of saluation, in her most notable mē ­bers. If she haue any speciall priuiledge, as that which shee alledgeth of Saint Pe­ters Seate: yet for all that, as wee haue proued, that exempteth her not, neither from errour nor heresie. But to the ende men may see howe vaine and weake this foundation is, whereupon they woulde builde an article of so great weight, it fol­loweth that wee examine those titles, by vertue whereof shee pretendeth this pri­uiledge.

That the Pope, or Bishop of Rome is not head of the vniuersall vi­sible Church, by any right of the lawe of God. CHAP. VII.

WHen we demaund of our aduer­saries, vpon what their traditi­ons are founded, which they make equall with the articles of our fayth, which haue not anye shewe of foundation in the holye Scripture: they answere vs, that they are the ordinan­ces of the Church. If hereupon wee will beate them downe, alledging that the Church must be gouerned after God his will, conteyned in his woorde, and that such doctrines are not agreeable there­unto: they reply, that the Church can not erre in the matters of Saluation. If wee proue farther vnto them by the discourse of all times, that often tymes shee hath a­bandoned the pure seruice of God, to fol­low her owne inuentions, euen vntill shee hath bene defiled with al abhominable ido­latries: they reply, that the Romish church hath this particular priuiledge, that it can [Page]not erre, because it is S. Peters seate, the head of the Apostles, & of al y^e Church. And therfore by this meanes all the controuer­sies in a maner, that we haue w^t thē, come to be brought to this question: Whether the B. of Rome, or the sea of Rome, (for they are different in themselues) be head of the church.Concil. Cō ­stantiense. In this quality, there is attri­buted to the pope, power to change the in­stitution of Christ in the Sacraments, to change according to the time, the interpre­tation of the holy scripture, to make newe articles of the faith,Decisiones rote. to derogate from the olde Testament, & from S. Paule his e­pistles, as the vicar of Christ, & successour of S. Peter. This then according to their iudgemēt, is an article of great importāce to saluation, vpon which all other articles necessarie to saluation are founded. In the selfe same quality, iurisdiction is giuen vn­to him ouer all the East churches, & to cut them of frō the Cōmunion of the Church, & to leaue them for a pray to the Turk, be­cause they will not acknowledge him. To be short, it is come to this point, that he cal­leth himself king of kings, to establish em­pires at his own wil, to set out kingdomes [Page]for a pray, to dispence with subiectes for their othe made to their prince. This ther­fore is an article, not onely belonging to the saluation of euerye Christian particu­larly, and to all in generall, for that same vnion which is so much commended vnto vs: but also necessarie to policie, to the obe­dience due to magistrates, & to the whole life of man. But nowe wee see that Iesus Christ & his Apostles haue deliuered vnto vs the articles of our faith, the doctrine of the Sacraments, & of the obedience which is due to our superiors, in plaine & expresse termes, and those very often repeated in many places. It followeth then, that this article, by the which new articles of faith are established, the changing of the Sacra­ments, the setting vp & deposing of prin­ces, the subiecting of heauen and earth vn­der the power of one onely man, must bee there plainely set foorth. Nowe if it be not there expresly conteined, one of these two things must folow, either y^t our Lord & his apostles took pleasure to hide these things frō vs, to make a math & confusion of hea­uen and earth together, which to thinke were verye execrable blasphemie: or else [Page]it must bee altogether false, and conse­quently all that is builded vpon it, must quite fall downe, and bee vtterly razed to the ground. Nowe I doe adiure euerye one, euen as they loue their saluation, that they weygh wel the proofes of this article. For if the very foundation of the popishe doctrine, which is this here, haue no foun­dation in Christ, it followeth that the pope hath layd another foūdation in the Church then Christ, contrary to that which the A­postle saith:2. Cor. 3. and by consequent that hee is none of those, which hath builded vpon the foundation of Christ, woode, haye & stone, but the Antichrist him selfe, which hath setled him selfe in the place of the chiefe corner stone, which is the onely fundation of the Church.

We say that Iesus Christ is the head of the Churche: our aduersaries say that it is S. Peter in his successors, or rather the pope, and the Church of Rome, because of S. Peter his seat. Now as we haue found the body out of the Scriptures, to wit, the church,Eph. 1.23. & 4.16. & 5.23. so likewise we ought not to search for the head any where else. S. Paul saith that Christ is the head of the church, & the [Page]church the accōplishmēt of him which hath accomplished all in all. Also that Christ is the head of the Churche, as the husband of the wife, and the Sauiour of his body.Col. 1.18. Rom. 12.5. Al­so, wee which are manye are one body in Christ, & euery one of vs are mēbers one of another. These places are so cleare, y^e our proposition can not be denied. Thereupon they will graunt vs, that Christ is the head of the Church: but they will say, that there must be a head, and generall lieutenant in the gouernment thereof: & that this is S. Peter in his Successors, whome they call for distinction sake, the ministerial head of the Church. This is it y^t they must proue vnto vs by plaine textes, for wee flatly de­ny it vnto them.

S. Augustine vpon these words, eny kingdome is not of this world. The king­dome of Christ are the faithful which be­leeue in him. Rom. 14.First of all, we must not here imagine an earthly kingdome. For Iesus Christ hath taught vs, that his kingdome is not of this world: & if his be not of this world, then much lesse shall his be, whosoeuer shal enterprise to be his lieutenant. This lieu­tenantshippe then is neither temporall nor secular, neither can it be stretched ouer the empires of the earth, neither can the B. of Rome in this qualitie call him selfe the [Page]Monarch or onely gouernour both of the spiritual & temporal. But as the kingdom of Christ is spiritual, to wit, the gouernmēt of the soules of the faithfull, whō he fedeth by his word, (as S. Paul sayeth, that it is peace, ioy & righteousnes through his spi­rit) so must it be likewise, that the admini­stration or gouernmēt of his seruāts must be spiritual, to wit, the ministery of y^e word, from whence proceede those forenamed effects: much lesse ought we to imagine an earthly king. For Christ is the Sonne of y^e eternal God, who stileth euery thing w^t his power, who by the vertue of his spirite is present to all thinges, and is present with those that consent in his name to the ende of the world. He needeth not therefore a­ny lieutenant, as doe other earthly prin­ces, for to winne the heartes of his people: for these are the effectes of his Spirite, giuing efficacie to his worde, the which no man, how great & holy▪ soeuer he seeme, can attribute to him selfe. And if they finde it strange, that our Lord by his spirite, in that he is God, doth gouerne his Church, forasmuch as he hath promised so to doe: Let them not thinke it more strange, y^t we [Page]deny his corporall and carnall presence in their masse, which he hath not instituted.

Againe, here is no question of a king­dome which may be gouerned by a lieute­nant alone: but of preaching the Gospell throughout the whole worlde, of recon­ciling al the people of the world by y^e word vnto God: in a woorde of the Ministerye of the Gospell, which consisteth in admi­nistring the worde and Sacraments in all places. Nowe it is certaine, that no man can accomplish this, but onely he, who is the worde it selfe, and the alone sacrifice, because that with his manhode hee hath Godhead, and power that is infinite.1. Pet. 2.25. Ther­fore there can none but he, bee the Bishop of Bishoppes, the Pastour of Pastours, and the high Priest,Heb. 6.20. & 7.26. & 9.11. and none can bee this Ministeriall head, or Lieutenant in his of­fices. But rather euery Bishoppe and pa­stor amongest his flocke, may represent Christ in exercising his charge, without acknowledging of the Bishop of Rome to be aboue him, as hath bene most largelye disputed by Cusan the Cardinall in the time of the Council of Constance.Card. Cusar. libr. 1. de Concordia Cath. cap. 6.

That which they alledge of Moses and [Page]Aaron, that they were heades, the one of the common wealth, & the other of the sa­crifices, whilest yet God walked in the middest of his people, is but naughtely drawen into a consequence. For besides that there was the expresse institution of God in their persons, and in the successors of Aaron for the seruice of God, there was this other thing in it, that it was but a litle countrey, and in that countrey one onelye Citie Ierusalem, and in that City but one Temple, where men ought to sacrifice, so that there one gouernour and one high Priest might suffise: in steade whereof, the whole world, by the comming of Christ the Messias, is become one Temple, and al the people but one flocke, which must be fedde by the worde of God, a thing that no one mā may presume to do. Not that I would denye, but in the heart of one Pope, there may bee ambition enough to couet the whole world: for this were to deny y^e truth of all histories: but rather I woulde saye that there was not any one of thē, that was not ready to haue forfaited & lost y^e crown, if he failed to instruct by the preaching of the word of god, y^e least diocesse in y^e world. [Page]Of this allegation then, they conclude no­thing to their aduantage, vnlesse they wil become Iewes, & enclose y^e whole world in one Citie, & make voyde the benefit of the death of Iesus Christ which is cōmon to al the world. But contrariwise we may by the way drawe this consequence: That seeing Moses (as they say) was head of y^e cōmon weale, and Aaron of the seruice of God, that the Pope ought to content him selfe with the one, without farther inter­medling with the other, to the preiudice of all the princes & kings of the earth. Nowe if they replie, that they are able ynough to exercise the estate of the generall lieute­nantshippe of Christ throughout y^e whole world, without calling them to y^e practise which yet neuer was seene, I demaund whether this be by the spirit of Christ, or by their owne. If by theirs, why then, this is the spirit of the prince of this world, for to couet and not to conduct: and misera­ble is y^t Church, which is left to be guided by the vaine spirite of these men, who thinke themselues to haue such abūdance. Nowe if it be by the spirite of Christ, I do require thē, either that they will agree, [Page]that this spirite following the promise of Christ to his ministers, doeth giue power to the ministery of the worde pronounced by them, whereof followeth that euery Bishop and pastor in his ministery, occu­pieth the roome of Christ visibly: or else that they proue vnto vs by fit & agreeable texts, that Christ hath enclosed the roote of his spirite so in the heart of the Pope, y^t none can be partaker of it besides him­selfe. To be short, the kingdome of Christ consisteth in this, that he gouerneth his owne, giuing power to the preaching of his worde, and to his Sacramentes by the vertue of his spirite: and the ministerie of his Gospell, consisteth in the admini­stration of that worde, and of his Sa­cramentes. Nowe there is not any man that can boast to giue and dispense the holy Ghost, for he proceedeth not but frō the Father and the Sonne: None then, vnlesse it be Christ, God and man, can be the essential head of the Church. Likewise no man can preache the woorde, & exer­cise the ministerie throughout the world: none therefore can bee the Ministeriall head of the whole Church: But rather [Page]eche minister & pastor in his owne right, vnder the Pastor of pastors Iesus Christ our Lorde.

Nowe let vs come to that which our aduersaries say, that Saynt Peter was the ministeriall head of the Church. If he were so, they must needes graunt that this was by the institution of Christ: for otherwise, and without his commaunde­ment, he would neuer haue presumed to haue takē vpon him such a dignitie. Like­wise if our Lorde haue placed him in a­ny such degree, and so necessary as they saye, for the Church: they will graunt me that Saynt Peter hath exercised this office: for otherwise it had bene to leaue the Church for a pray and confusion. If then Christ haue not instituted it, nor S. Peter exercised it, it must followe, that he was neuer the ministeriall head of the Church.

Concerning the first poynt.Mat. 18.3. Etibiglossa. The whole Gospell throughout teacheth vs nothing but humilitie, that we should become litle children, and poore in spirite &c. Christe setteth forth himselfe for an example to his Apostles,Mar. 20.25 and willeth that [Page]his Apostles be examples to the whole worlde. I am (sayth he) your master, and yet notwithstanding, I am amongst you to serue you. Also,Luke. 21. Vbi Chrys. & Origen. Mat. 21.25 Luk. 22.25. when there was strife amōgst the Apostles at two sundry times, who should be chiefe, Christ pronounceth this determination, He y^t wilbe y^e greatest or chiefe amongst you, let him be a ser­uant to al. And he saith vnto them, Learne of me.Mat. 10. August. ser­mon. 10. de verbis domini. He sayth not (sayth Saynt Au­gustine) to worke miracles, nor to make a newe worlde, but that I am milde and humble of heart. And as touching S. Pe­ter, he is brought vnto Christ by his bro­ther Andrewe, to the end to be his compa­nion, and not to be called the chiefe, or to haue any primacie attributed vnto him. Agayne, when they were sent foorth to preache,Luk. 22.30 they went two by two, as com­panions, which excludeth all superioritie. When Christ promiseth that they shall iudge the twelue tribes of Israel,Mat. 19.30 sitting vpon twelue thrones, he giueth not him a place aboue the rest to gouerne in. Whē the triumphant Church likewise is de­scribed vnto vs by Saint Iohn,Apoca. 21. it is sayd, that the Citie hath twelue foundations, [Page]and vpon them the names of the twelue Apostles of the lambe, without mentio­ning of any great stone, for Peters throne aboue the rest. To be short, when the A­postles receiued the holy Ghost,Iohn. 20. the power of binding and loosing,Mat. 28. commaundement to preache throughout all the worlde, and when the holye Ghost it selfe descended downe vpon them,Acts. 1. this was when they were al gathered together, & without any prerogatiue of one more then the other. Hitherto then in the principall places, where the primacie should haue beene shewed, we see not so much as any appea­rance thereof.

Against these places playnely denying and forbidding the primacie, they alledge vnto vs that which Iesus Christ hath said vnto Peter. Tu es Petrus, Thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke. Mat. 16. & super hanc petram &c. Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will builde my Church, and the gates of hell shall not preuayle against it. Nowe vpon this place our aduersaries ground this proposition: The Church is founded vpon Saynt Peter. And we will drawe another,1. Cor. 10. The Church is founded vpon Christ, which is the rocke, and vpon [Page]the confession of his name. That of theirs is foūded vpon this, y^t it is sayd: Tu es Pe­trus, that is to say, Thou art Peter. That of ours vpon this, y^t it is said, Super hanc Pe­tram, & non super te Petrū, that is to saye, Vpon this rocke, & not, Vpon thee Peter. And hereof it is that our Sauiour Christ hath clerely distinguished Petrum a Petra, that is to say, Simon Peter, from the liue­ly rocke whereupon he hath builded his Church, changing both y^e name & the per­son, y^e which our text plainely sheweth vs, the which he would neuer haue done, if it ought to haue bene vnderstoode of Peter, & not of y^e confession of Peter. Againe, I leaue it to y^e iudgement of euery Christiā: whether it be more agreeable to the faith, & more healthful for y^e Church, either that y^e Church be founded vpon Christ, or vpon Peter: vpon the Sonne of the liuing God whom Peter cōfessed, or vpon Peter, who a litle while after, denyed the sonne of the liuing God: vpon him y^t vanquished Sa­tan, or vpon him, whom Christ himselfe in the very same Chapter calleth Satan himselfe:Mat. 16. Mark. 8 33 vpon him who is called y^e chiefe corner stone of the building, or vpon him [Page]who was an offēce vnto him, that is to say, a stone of great stumbling.1. Cor. 3. None (sayth S. Paul) can laye any other foundation, but that which is layde, which is Christ. Also, S. Peter saith:1. Pet. 2. You are as liuing stones built vpon the chiefe corner stone, in whom whosoeuer beleeueth, he shal not be confounded, that is to saye, in that con­fession of Christ which he called the rocke and foundation of his Church, It appea­reth then by this place, that Christ hath builded it vpon himselfe, & not vpon Si­mon Peter, and vpon the confession of fayth which Peter made, and not vpon the fayth of Peter, which was too much wa­uering and vnstedfast. And in very deede where Saint Iohn recyteth this story, he resteth wholly vpon Peters confession. But to the ende they abuse not the people vnder the visard of antiquitie, we must see what the auncient Doctors haue taught vpon this place.

Chrysostome vpon Saynt Matthewe:Chrysoft. homil. 55 su­per Matth. Vpon this stone, that is to saye, vpon the fayth of this confession. Also, he hath sette our feete vpon the rocke,Idem in Psal. 32. that is to saye, vpon fayth: For fayth in Christe [Page]by good right, is called a rocke that can­not be broken: and therefore when Saint Peter had confessed:Idem ser­mone 21. de pente­cost. Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God: Christ added, Thou art Peter, & vpon this rocke, that is to say, vpon this fayth which thou hast cōfessed &c. Saint Ambrose: Iesus Christ hath sayd vnto Peter,Ambros in Epist. ad E­phes. cap. 2. and vpon this rocke &c. that is to say, vpon the confessiō of the Catholike faith, I will establish the fayth­full vnto euerlasting life. Saynt Augu­stine:August. con­tra Iudaeos, Paganos, & Arrianos. Peter was founded vpon the rocke, to the ende he should suffer death for the loue of him, whom through feare he had thrise denyed. Also, the Church likewise is founded vpon the rocke, whereof also Peter had his name.In Iohānem tract. 124. In Iohan­nem tract. 10 For a rocke or stone commeth not of Peter, but rather Peter of the rocke, as Christian commeth of Christ, and not Christ of Christian. And because Peter had sayde, Thou art Christ &c. Our Sauiour added, vpon this rocke which thou hast confessed, will I build my Church. Christ then is the rocke, vpon which S. Peter himselfe was founded & builded. For none can lay any other foun­datiō, then y^t which is already layd, to wit, [Page]Christ. Againe he wil not say, vpō this Pe­ter I wil build my Church,August. de verbis Dom. but vpon this faith: vpon y^t which he had saide: Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God &c. Here vpon this rocke (saith he) I wil found my Church. Also: Vpon this rocke which thou hast cōfessed, vpō this stone which thou hast acknowledged wil I build my church, I wil build my Church vpō me, & not vpō thee: but thee vpō me. The mē y^t will build vpō men, they wil say, I hold of Cephas, y^t is to say, of Peter, of Paul, and of Apollo: but they who wil not be builded vpon Pe­ter, but vpon y^e rocke, they wil say, I holde of Christ. This is y^e interpretatiō of S. Au­gustine, repeated in many places of his bookes of the citie of God, euery where, where he handleth this matter.

Hieronim. vpon Mat.Saint Hierome vpon this place: By the rocke we vnderstande Christe, whom Peter confessed. For if we take Peter for a stone of the foundation, all the Apo­stles shall be alike according to that which we see in the Apocalypse. And this is the verie opinion of Cardinall Cusan,Cusanus Cardinal. lib. 1. cap. 3. in his booke of the Catholike Concorde presen­ted to the counsell of Constance, who [Page]proueth it euen by the Canon lawe it selfe, and maintaineth it against the Pope.

Saint Bernard:Serm. 61. The rocke is in heauen: In the same is stedfastnesse and assurance. And in deede where else can it be, but in our Sauiour? The world roa­reth, the flesh oppresseth me, the world dog­geth and hangeth vpon me, and yet for all this I fall not: for I am founded vpon a sure rocke. To be short, let them reade their owne common glose,The com­mon glose and the in­terlineall glose vpon Mat. 16.16 Super hanc Petram, vpon this rocke, that is to say, vpon Christ, in whom thou beleeuest: and the interline­all glose, Thou art Peter, but frō me which am the rocke, and alwaies in such sort as I reserue to my selfe the dignitie of the foundation of the Church. Beholde then, that by the interpretation of the auncient fathers, none neede to dashe against this stone. Nowe if our aduersaries reply that some of the auncient fathers interpret it, as they doe, and namely Saint Augu­stine in some place: I aunswere, that if a man reade those places, he shall finde that it was but by the way, and as it were, in handlying another thing. And in deede [Page]Saint Augustine in his booke of retrac­tations hath retracted it in these wordes:August. lib. 2. retract. It fell out that I sayd in a certaine place, y^t in the Apostle Saint Peter the Church was buyled, as vpon a rocke, but for the most part I haue expounded it of him, whome Peter confessed. I was abused by an Hymne of Saint Ambrose, com­mon ynough, where he saith, that at the crowing of the Cocke the rocke wept. This is a Poeticall maner of speaking, and therefore Christ saide not vnto hym, Tu es Petra: but Tu es Petrus. For the rocke is Christe, whome Simon had con­fessed. Besides, he is so farre of from ta­king Peter for the foundation of the Church, that in another place he sayeth, that Iames, Peter, and Iohn,August. ad Galat cap. 2 see­med to be the pillars of the Church, but that in trueth they were not.Hieron. ad Galat. cap. [...] And Saint Hierome sayth, that the Apostles are pillars of the Church, principally Pe­ter, Iames, and Iohn, but that all they which ouercome the Deuill by fayth, may be so aswell as they. But here they run to their ordinary distinction. That it is [Page]certayne that Christ is the essentiall head of the Church, but yet that Peter is the Ministeriall head, that is to say, that he is likewise called so by reason of his mi­nisterie. But we demaunde in what place either of the Scriptures, or of the fathers them selues, they finde this. And we haue alreadie proued, that there can be had no ministeriall head which is the selfe same thing. But againe let them answere vs, whether Peter had any other Mini­sterie besides his Apostleshippe? If he had any other, let them take it, and shewe vs wherein it consisted. If they can not, then it followeth, that all the Apostles were ministeriall foundations, as well as he, and not founded vpon him, and so like­wise must it be of all the Churches which were founded by them: as Saint Ie­rome saith vpon the seconde Chapter to the Galatians. And according to this S. Paul saith, that the faythfull are buyl­ded vpon the foundation of the Prophetes and Apostles,Ephes. 2. Rom. 15. Apoc. 22. Christ being the chiefe cor­ner stone. And he gloryeth that he had preached the Gospel in many places, with­out buylding vpon the foundation of any [Page]other. Saint Iohn likewise: That the Citie of God is set vpon twelue foundati­ons, wherein are the names of the twelue Apostles of the Lambe. Whereof it fol­loweth, that all the Apostles are the foun­dation of the Church, aswell one as ano­ther, and moreouer y^t Saint Paul hath buylded without any foundation,Hieron. in e­pist. ad Titū cap. 1. not buil­ding vpon Peters ministerie, or else y^e Pe­ter was not that foundation. Againe we demaunde of them, if this ministerie con­sist not in the edifying of the Church, by the preaching of the Gospel, Forasmuch as the Apostles which were all preachers of saluation in Christ, were therein master buylders: and all they are buylders, which buylde vpon the foundations which were layd by them, vpon that liuing rocke. Nowe if they were all master buylders, why then, Saint Peter was not the foun­dation, for he coulde not be both the foundation, and a master buylder both to­gether.

The power of y^e keyes.It followeth in the selfe same place, Tibi dabo &c. I will giue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen. That which thou shalt binde in earth &c. Of this text [Page]we further drawe two contrary propositi­ons. Theirs is, Christ hath giuen here to Peter alone, the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, and so consequently to the Bishop of Rome and to his successours. Ours contrariewise is, that Christ here hath promised the keyes to all in the name of Peter, and hath giuen them to all his A­postles, and after them to all those, which lawefully exercise the Ministerie of his Gospel. If we knowe what is meant by the keyes, and what it is to binde and to loose, it wilbe easie for vs to iudge, whether of these two propositions be true. Christe Iesus pronounceth, Wo be to you Doctors of the lawe,Luk. 11.51 because you haue taken away the keye of knowledge: ye haue not entred in your selues, and those which woulde wyllyngly haue en­tred in, ye haue forbidden. Nowe these Doctours were those who had charge to teach the worde of GOD. These keyes then are no other thing, but the charge to preache the kyngdome of heauen, and to open the gate thereof by the preaching of the Gospel. And concernyng byndyng and loosing: Saint [Page]Iohn expoundeth what they meāt by these wordes, to retayne and to remit sinnes,Mat. 28.18 Ioh. 20.23. the which is not done but in preaching the forgiuenesse of sinnes, displayed in Ie­sus Christe to all those that beleeue the preaching of the Gospel. The keyes then, is the charge to preach the woorde: to bynde and to loose, is the effect of this word, which to one sorte, turneth to their saluatiō, to the other to their greater dam­nation: Whereupon Saint Paul calleth his Ministerie,2 Cor. 5.18. The Ministerie and word of reconciliation, and else where, The Ministerie of vengeaunce vpon the diso­bedient, Isai. 61.2. which Esai before had called the acceptable yeere of the LORD, and the daye of vengeaunce. Nowe foras­much as no one alone can exercise this Ministerie in euerie place, nor towards all: It followeth therefore that one a­lone can not haue these keyes, nor this charge of byndyng and loosyng, which by the comming of Christie extendeth it selfe to all places. They demaunde then wherefore it was saye to Peter, I will giue thee. IESUS Christe had sayde vnto all: Whome thinke [Page]ye that I am? And he in y^e name of all had answered, Thou art Christ &c. And therefore in his name he promiseth to all his Church the power of the keyes, which he promiseth also afterwardes to all, in the eyghtenth Chapter, and after his resur­rection deliuered them to all the Apostles equally, and without any difference, in these wordes:Mat. 16. Mat. 18. Ioh. 6. Ioh. 20. Receiue the holy Ghost. To all those to whom you shall remit their sinnes, they shalbe remitted &c. That then that was promised here in these wordes: I will giue vnto thee &c. and not, I doe giue thee, which sheweth the time to come, was then fully accomplished universally to all, as in the person of Peter it was there pro­mised to all. To be short, If (as Saint Gregorie saith) Saint Peter was not head of the Apostles,C. Consid. dist. 50. til it was after his re­pentance, in vaine then do they vpon this place trouble their braine, pretending that by that place this power was giuen vnto him. And if they will say y^t y^e same was meāt there by the keyes promised vnto him: by the deliuerance of the keyes, which was af­ter his repentance giuen vnto all, we con­clude y^t they were here promised vnto all. [Page]The which we saye not to the ende to de­rogate any thing from S. Peter, whose readines to confesse the sonne of God, and zeale toward our Sauiour was incom­parable, but to discouer y^e subtiltie of the Pope, and of his poleshorne generation, that of the keye of knowledge giuen to Saint Peter, hath made a key of power, and of the preaching of the worde, a tyran­ny ouer all the princes and people of the earth: and of y^e kingdome of heauen, a tem­porall monarchie, notwithstanding that there is nothing more cōtrarie to y^e whole doctrine that Christ hath taught his Apo­stles. As for the auncient doctors, they haue vnderstoode it no otherwise then we doe.

In libr. de simplicitat. praelatorū.Saynt Cyprian: Our Lord in the per­son of one man, gaue the keyes to all, to shewe the vnitie of all. The others neuer­thelesse were euen the same that Peter vvas, companions in like equal honour, & in equall povver, but he vvould begin by one man, to shevv that the Church is one. Saynt Hierome expounding this selfe same place: The ignorant Bishops and el­ders (sayth he) tooke hereby occasion to [Page]vsurpe, I know not what maner of Phari­saicall authoritie, Hieronym. in Mat. c. 16. versu codē. thinking that they had power to bynd and loose at their pleasure. But to bind & loose ought to be no other thing, but to declare by the word of God, Gods sentence. Beholde then the Pope in y^e stead of Cephas, a Caiphas, euen by the difinitiue sentēce of S. Hierom, a minister of the Romane Church. And else where: All the Apostles had one, & the selfe same iudicial povver. For Christ after his resur­rection sayth vnto them: Receiue the holy Ghost, vvhose sinnes ye shal remitte, they shal be remitted in heauen &c. All the Church likevvise in his elders, & Bishops, but specially Peter receiued it, to the ende that euery one should vnderstand, that he that separateth himselfe from the vnitie of faith, cannot be absolued from his sinnes, nor enter into heauen. He sayth, from the vnitie of fayth, & not from y^e vnitie of Pe­ter, nor from the vnitie of the Bishop of Rome. Also, the elders & ministers of the Gospell haue y^e same right & office, which the priestes of the lawe had in the case of those y^t were Lepers. They remitte then, or holde sinnes, according as they iudge & [Page]shewe y^t they are remitted or holdē before God. Saint Augustine:August. ho­mil [...]in 10.11.50. & 124. The Lord calleth the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, the knowledge and vertue to discerne those, who are worthy to be receyued, or else to be shut out of the kingdom. Now howsoe­uer it semeth at the first sight, that he gaue this povver to Peter alone, yet vve must acknovvledge vvithout all doubt, that he hath giuen it to all the Apostles, as it ap­peareth after his resurrection, vvhen he sayth vnto them: That vvhich ye remit in earth &c. Also: It is sayd vnto him, I vvill giue thee the keyes, as though that povver had bene giuen to him alone: but as he an­svvered for al, so he likevvise receyued the keyes together vvith all, as bearing the person of the vnitie. He is named there­fore alone for all, forasmuch as there vvas vnitie amongst all. And therefore Augu­stines ordinarie maner of speache is,August. cap. 18 lib. 1. de Doctrina Christ & per omnia opera that in Peters person the keyes are promi­sed to all, and in the person of all them, to all the Ministers of the Church. Leo the Bishoppe of Rome, at the time that this question was handled, disputing with the Byshops of Constantinople, although [Page]in his workes he hath left sufficient shewe of the traces of ambition,Leo Episco­pus Rom. in ferm. de na­truitare. yet he speaketh not otherwise thereof. This povver (sayth he) of the keyes, is likevvise passed ouer to all the Apostles, and transferred to all the gouernours of the Church. And in that it is particularly recommended vnto Peter, it is because the example of Peter is set forth to all the gouernors of the Church. In euery place therfore, where men iudge according to the equitie of Peter, there Peters priuiledge is founde, but contra­riwise, it hath no place where Peters equi­tie is not found. Hitherto then we find not y^e keyes of power, but of knowledge only, to wit, the ministerie of the Gospell, the which is common to al ministers, and so likewise are the keyes, which are thereto annexed. This is that which is repeated by Gratian in the Decretals:Gratian in Decret. di­stinct. 21. in nouo 24. q. 1. lo quitur. Ioan in ca. 1. de renūera­tiombus lib. 6. de poen [...]s distinct. 1. verbu cum similib us. That Saynt Peter receiued no more povver then the other Apostles, and by the chiefest Cano­nists in the Decretalles themselues. That the povver of bynding and loosing, in vvhich is founded al the iurisdiction of the Church, proceedeth immediatly from Christ, & not immediatly frō S. Peter or [Page]his successors:Cardinal. Cusan. lib. de con­cordia Ca­tholica 2. ca. 13. fusissime. y^e which also Cardinal Cu­san maintained in the time of the Council of Constance, against those which alledged the key of power pretended by the Pope. But let vs go yet somwhat farther. They holde that the power of bynding and loo­sing is practised principally in their sa­crament of Penance, when their priest in­ioyneth satisfaction, and afterwards gi­ueth absolution to those that haue satisfi­ed. Nowe I demaund of them: whether it be God that forgiueth, or the priest that giueth absolution? They will saye it is God that forgiueth, and y^t the priest by his worde doth declare it, the which the ma­ster of the sentences prooueth very wel,Chrysost. lib. 20. Ma­gister sētēt. lib. 4. di­stinct. 18. ca. 4. ex Ambr. August. Chrys. &c. by many places drawen out of the auncient Fathers, in his fourth booke, following y^t which Chrysostom saith, y^t in these things Neither man, Angel, nor Archangel cā do any thing. And in very deede this is an as­sured Maxim of Christian religion (as he there sayth) That none can take avvay sinnes, but Iesus Christ alone, vvho is the lambe that hath borne the sinnes of the vvorld. Now if God be he which bindeth & looseth.And the priest, he which pro­nounceth them that are boūd & loosed. I demaund what more power can [Page]remaine in the Pope, who doeth neyther the one nor y^e other? And whether we may not come to the conclusion of Marsilius of Padua:Magist. Io­annes pa­risiens. in lib. de pote­stat. Regia & papal. ca. 23. Marsilius cap. 6. lib. 2. & cap. 15. Magist. d. cap 8. That the Pope cārelease no more neither from the punishment, nor frō the fault, then any other poore priest? Also: If God then exercise his authoritie, (as Saint Ambrose saith) and the priest his knovve­ledge in doing his office by the key of dis­cretion, What shall remaine for y^e Pope to do, vnlesse he will breake in vpon y^e au­thoritie of God, & what key remaines for him, not hauing any office to exercise, vn­lesse it be the key of indiscretion? To con­clude then, the interpretation of this place of S. Marthew, according to the force of y^e wordes, the conference of the scriptures, the analogie or proportiō of faith, the opi­nion of y^e aunciēt Doctors, & y^e Canōs thē ­selues of y^e Romish church: Iesus Christ is y^e stone, or rather y^e liuely rocke, vpō which the Church is founded, by y^e ministery of y^e Apostles, who were no other but master Masons. To this church, which is one vn­der y^e name of Peter, who answered for all, the power of the keyes was promised, to open the gate of the kingdome of heauen [Page]to all those, which obey y^e preaching of the gospel. Al they which exercise y^e ministery of y^e Gospel, haue these keys, so farre forth as their ministery extends, & it cannot be attributed to thē that do not exercise any: whereof it ensueth, y^t it is so farre of, y^t the Pope should haue thē alone, or al y^e rest frō him, y^t the poorest priest doing his dutie in his parish, hath thē better thē he. And if be­cause this word was spoken to Peter, they wil restraine this place to Peters person, I say then, y^t it is rashly done of thē, to ex­tend to all the Bishops of Rome, y^t which was spoken to Peter. Or if they wilbe yet of this tough opiniō, thē they must permit y^t these words: Come behinde me Sathan, Mat. 16. thou art an offence vnto me: which follow in y^e verses next after, spokē to Pet. alone, must be vnderstood of him, & al his preten­ded successors: wherof must folow this spe­cial priuiledge, y^t the successors of Peter & none others may become deuils, & that the Church of Rome, is becōe in Christēdome y^e stone of offence, because for taking care for nothing but y^e great things of y^e world, it hath forsaken those which are of God.

They make an argument afterwardes [Page]by another place. Ioh. 21: it is sayde three times to S. Peter, Louest thou me, then feede my sheepe: Feede my sheepe. Ioh. 21. Therefore he was vni­uersal pastor of the Church. If they con­cluded, he is cōmaunded to feed, therefore he was a pastor of y^e flocke of Christ, y^e cō ­clusion were good. But y^t therfore he was an vniuersal pastor, or y^e pastor of pastors, there is nothing in y^e text from whēce they may fetch it. To feede, (sayth their owne glose vpon y^t word) is to teach by word & by example, Glossa ordi­naria in ver­bo pasce. Mat. 28. Ioh. 20. & not to gouerne ouer al the world: How it was said to all y^e Apostles, Teach, go ye into the whole world. Also, Euen as my father sent me, so send I you. Therefore it was said vnto all, Feede my sheep. S. Paul saith in many places, That he is the Apostle of the Gētiles, and there­upon he addeth: Which feedeth the flocke, and yet eate not of the milke. He was then a pastor thereof: and yet noue wil de­ny, but y^t al the rest were pastors aswel as he. To him it was said by y^e spirit of God: Thou shalt be a vvitnesse for me before all men: Acts. 9.21. which is a great deale more general, Then feede my sheepe, and yet notwith­standing none will conclude that y^e other [Page]were but vnder witnesses. For our Lorde like wise had saide vniuersally to all: You shall be witnesses vnto me euen to the end of the worlde. Wherefore then, say they, are these words here directed to Peter a­lone: Because that as Peter alone had de­nyed him thrise, so likewise he asketh three times whether he loued him, & for y^t by his triple deniall, he had lost his Apostleship, so by that threefolde commaundement his commission was renewed, to the ende his companions should neuerthelesse esteeme him for an Apostle. This therefore was rather a consolation for his infirmitie, then a marke of dignitie. Saint Augustine, who was otherwise curtous inough, found out no other meaning of this place. For see what he saith vpon Saint Iohn,August. in Io. tract. 12; cap. 21. Item Hillarius & Cyrillus in eundem lo­cum. where he hath playnely expoūded this place: In stead (saith he) of that threefolde deniall, behold a triple confession, to the end the tongue should not lesse serue to loue then to feare, and that it seemed not, that present death drue from him more words, then present life, that is to saye, Christ. That this then shoulde be the office of loue, to feede the flocke of our Lord, seeing that that was the [Page]office of feare, to haue denied the pastor himselfe. What meaneth this then, If thou loue me, feede my sheepe: that is to say, Feed not thou thy self, but feed my sheepe: feed thē not for thy selfe, but for me, not for desire to beare dominion, but for charities sake to helpe thē. This expositiō also both Hylarius & Cyril haue vpon y^e same place:August. de verbis Do­mini sermo­ne. 62. Also Christ recommended his Lambes to Peter, euē he which fed Peter himselfe. Vnderstād thē brethrē, with obediēce, that you are the sheepe of Christ, as all we which heare his vvord: Feed my sheepe. S. Aug. therefore thought it to be as much spoken vnto him who was B. of Bōne in Affrike, as to the B. of Rome, following y^e admoni­tiō of our Sauiour himselfe.Mark. 13. Cyprian. de simplicitate praelatorū. That vvhich I say vnto one, I say vnto al. S. Cypriā: Al are pastors, but there is but one flocke, vvhich all the Apostles haue fed vvith one vvhole cōsent. Gratian in Decret. 7. q. 1. Nouatia­nus vers. Item. Epis­copatus. Magister Io­annes Pari­siensis. lib. 3. cap. 41. Also, there is but one Bishopprick, vvherof euery B. in solidum, & vvithout se­paratiō holdeth his part: & this is repeted by Gratian in his decretalles in expresse words, which some of y^e schoolemē, yea & y^e sorbonists thēselues haue expoūded in these words: The priesthood or ministerie is the soule of the Church, the vvhich is vvhole in [Page]all, and vvhole in euery part. To be short, it cannot be founde, for many ages after the death of our Sauiour, y^t this place hath bene alledged by the Bishop of Rome, for any strength or povver, that he shoulde be acknovvledged pastor of pastours. And if they wil in this behalfe beleeue their owne Masse booke,In Miss. behold what they sing euery day: It is very meete, right & healthfull to pray vnto thee at al times (O eternall pa­stor) y^t thou shouldest not forsake thy flocke, but shuldest keep it by thy holy Apostles w^t a cōtinuall protectiō, to the end that it may haue for gouerners & guides, such as thou hast established vnto it, for vicars of thy worke & pastures. Behold therfore al y^e A­postles, euē by their owne Masse it selfe, to be rectors, pastors and vicars, immediate­ly from Christ, and immediately establi­shed from him. And if in Peters owne cause they will be content to haue Saint Peter iudge him selfe: The Elders which are among you I beseeche, vvhich also am an Elder (sayth he.) Feede the flocke of Christe which is committed vnto you, 1. Pet. 5. [...], 2, 3, 4. &c. not as hauing lordship ouer the heritages of the Lord, but as examples of the flocke: [Page]And when the chiefe shephearde shall ap­peare, ye shall receiue an incorruptible crowne of glory. He that will play y^e So­phister as they do vpon these words, feede the flocke, will conclude y^t Peter hath re­signed his Church to thē. But it suffiseth vs, that S. Peter calleth not himselfe pa­stor of pastors, but sendes them to y^e princi­pal pastor, who is Iesus Christ our Lord. And in y^t,Ioh. 10. some obiect these wordes: There shalbe one fold and one shepheard, apply­ing it to the Pope, they doe yet worse. The scope of the text sheweth vs, y^t Christ spea­keth of the vocation of y^e Gentiles, & there­vpon S. Gregory in their glose saith,Greg. & Theoph. Fiet vnum ouile &c. that is to say: there shalbe one folde. That this is spoken because Christ hath ioyned both the Iewe & the Gentile in his faith, & Theophilus: because all the sheepe haue but one marke, to wit, Baptisme, & but one pasture, that is to say, the word of God.

But see one other place, frō whence they haue not feared to begin to triumphe, as if they had gottē a sword in their hād to defēd this interpretation. Iesus Christ drawing neere vnto his passion, saith vnto his Apo­stles,Beholde 2. swords. Luk. 22.33. When I sent you without bagge or scrip &c. lacked you any thing: they answe­red, [Page] Nothing. But nowe he that hath a bagge, let him take it, and likevvise a scrip, & he that hath none, let him sell his coate and bye a sword. For I say vnto you, that the same which is written, must be fulfilled in me: he was reputed vvith the vvicked. Then the Apostles saide, Behold here two svvords. And he said vnto thē, It is inough. There is none but clearly seeth by y^e drift of the text alone, that he forewarneth his disciples of the enterprise y^t should be made against him, for which notwithstanding they must not prouide any carnal weapons. In meane season, see the wandering conclusion which the Popes fetch from thence in their extrauagaunts. It is said: Behold here tvvo svvords, ergo Saint Pe­ter, that is to say, the Pope and his succes­sours are heades all the worlde thorowe, aswell of the Temporall as of the Spiri­tuall. This is that goodly decree of Boni­face the eight, for which king Philip the faire was excommunicated: which decree beginneth, Vnam sanctam ecclesiam &c. that is to say,Vnam san­ctam Extr. de maiorita te & obedientia. that we must beleeue one ho­ly vniuersall church, & endeth with this cō ­clusion, we declare, say, dispute of, and de­termine, [Page]that for to obtaine saluation, it is necessarie to euery creature to be subiect to the Pope of Rome. But here is no que­stion of S. Peter, for he is not particular­ly named, but of al. Also there is no questiō of bearing rule, but to be persecuted. And Iesus Christ him selfe cutteth of all this at one blowe, when he made Peter to put vp his sworde into his sheath. And yet not­withstanding they haue bene so impudent, that they haue enterprised vpon the sight of this place, to beare iurisdiction ouer the whole worlde, & both Princes and people haue bene such noddies & so ignorant, that they haue suffered them selues to be troden vnder their feete.Ambrose in Lue. & glos­sa super eū ­dem locum. And this were to doe the auncient doctors great wrong, to apply thē to the refuting of this place, whereupon some by the two swords vnderstand y^e olde and newe Testament, others, sounde doc­trine and good example of life, as also their owne glose doth. But I report me to eue­ry man, if this be not opēly to deride Christ & his word, & to say vnto him, Haile king of the Iewes, as the Pharises did, & whether these goodly swords deserue any otherwise to be refuted then by y^e lawfull sword of all [Page]Princes, which beare y^e title of Christians. And euē as wel grosided is that: God hath made two lights: the Pope is y^e Sunne, & y^e Emperour y^e Moone. Ergo the Pope, I know not howe many thousande times, is greater then y^e Emperor. Against which I will oppose none but their owne I sidore, alledged by a Sorbonist, who by y^e Sunne vnderstandeth a kingdome,Extrauagde cadem, & ibi glossa. Magister Ioh. paris. cap. 25. Isi­dorus super Genes. cap. 1 Mat. 11.23 & by y^e Moone the priesthood. Also Iesus Christ comaun­ded y^e deuils to enter into y^e swine, ergo the Pope is lord of y^e Temporaltie. This pas­seth al kinde of blasphemy. Our Lord saith, Al power is giuē to me from y^e father, as­wel in heauen as in earth. The Pope hath therefore an absolute cōmaundement ouer heauē & earth. And yet are these the ordina­rie allegations of their decretals.

But they are now better aduised in their last disputations, touching certeine other places, but as ill to the purpose & as blas­phemous as the other. It is writtē, say the Iesuits of our time, I will iudge saith the Lord, betvvixt the sheepe and the sheepe, betvvixt the Rāmes & the Goates. There­fore S. Peter & his successors are iudges of al y^e earth.Ezech 34. August. lib. pastoribus. S. August. hath made an whole booke vpon this Chap. of Eze. & yet neuer [Page]thought of this article of faith, which was hidden in this verse. But let vs reason of their words quite contrary. Ezechiel saith, that God vvil iudge betvvene the sheepe & the sheepe &c. & the Pope saith y^t he will be he, & therefore he setteth himselfe in Gods seate. It followeth therefore that the Pope is he, of whō S. Paul hath foretold vs, that would lift vp himselfe aboue all y^t is called God. Also S Peter saith y^t baptizme was represēted by y^e Arke, whereof this conclu­siō foloweth,Turria. p. 50 51.52. 1. Pet. 3. y^t as by y^e Arke mankind was saued, & as it were begottē againe: euen so Christiās are regenerated by baptizme &c. They reason thereupō quite cōtrary. Bap­tizme was figured by y^e Arke.Turria. P. 26. &c. Noah was head of his sonnes in the Arke, ergo Saint Peter & his sonnes in the Arke, ergo Saint Peter & his successors are heads of y^e church. I aske thē in what Lorgicke schoole this maner of reasoning may be allowed. But w^t their leaue,Iustinus Martyr in Tryph. we will conclude otherwise. Iustine Martyr one of y^t aunciētst doctors of the Church, expounding this place, He saith, that Noah vvas a figure of Christ, because he vvas the beginning of another generation, regenerated by vvater. And y^e Pope sayth that he was a figure of him. [Page]It followeth then, either that the Pope is Christ, or else that he cannot be any other, but he who woulde aduaunce himselfe to that place in the Church, to wit, Antichrist. I woulde haue bene ashamed to haue al­ledged these places for them, were it not, that they which haue no shame to defende the Pope in this time, are so impudent to alledge them, and to make great bookes thereof. And by this a man may see howe destitute they are of playne places, when they are driuen to haue recourse to such.

But forasmuch as it appeareth not by the holy Scripture, that our Lord hath or­deyned Peter head of the Church, but al­together the contrary, It followeth then that we see, if S. Peter before his death hath euer exercised this charge, and also if the other Apostles haue yeelded so much vnto him.Acts. 8. Acts. 11. He was sent with Iohn into Samaria by the Apostles. Now amongst men, he that sendeth, is aboue him that is sent: he was accused amongst the brethren, for hauing cōuersation amongst the Gen­tiles. This vvent fore, and yet notwithstan­ding he excuseth himselfe towardes them.Acts. 15. He did not then, what seemed good to him­selfe, [Page]without beyng answereable for it to the brethren. In the Councill at Ie­rusalem,1. Pet. 5. he propounded his opinion con­cerning the matter of the Gentiles, whose vocation was reueyled vnto him, and Iames there concludeth as President, and letters are dispatched awaye in the name of the whole assemblie. And yet this shoulde haue bene the place where this preeminence ought to haue appea­red. To be short, he calleth himselfe a companion or fellowe of the Elders of the Church, and louingly exhorteth them as his equalles, and not by decrees and commaundementes, &c. If we should goe any further,Gal. 1. & 2. Saint Paul in two first chapters of the Epistle to the Galati­ans, declareth that he was not subiect vnto him, that Saint Peter required it not of him, but onely that he gaue him the hande of fellowshippe, to trauayle in the Lordes vineyarde, and that he re­prooued him to his face, and that he re­sisted him as his fellowe and companion. And their ordinarie glose sayeth vpon this place,Glossa ordi­ [...]cund. Au­gust. Glossa ordi­nar. secundū Hieronym. The other Apostles seemed to be more worthie then Paul, because [Page]they were sent by Iesus Christ, but he was a great deale more woorthie then they, because he was sent by Christ al­together immortall, whereas they were but sent by Christ then a mortall man. Also he learned nothing of Peter, nor of the rest, but contrariwise he taught Peter, and they conferred not any thing to him, but he rather conferred and pro­fited Peter. Also the Lord Iesus, sayeth Saint Paul, which is in vs all, hath ordeyned some Apostles, some Prophets,Hieronym. epist ad Gal. cap. 21. Ephes. 4. some Doctors, &c. for the Ministerie of his Gospell. Also: we are one body and one spirite, hauing the same hope of calling, one God, one faith, one Bap­tisme. It shoulde haue followed, that he shoulde haue adioyned in recommen­dation of this vnitie, a ministeriall head of the Church, Peter and his succes­sours in the See of Rome. Hitherto then we haue not so much as any appearance of primacie. Yea but Peter is sometyme first named, A poore foundation of so mon­struous a buylding. And the Uirgine Ma­rie is named in some places the last, and Saint Peter himselfe by Paul,Acts. 1. after [Page]S. Iames.Galat. 1. But he was wont oftentymes to speake first, and he was endowed with great giftes, and oftentimes he is called by the fathers, the chiefe amōgst the Apostles: And who of vs is there, that doth denie S. Peters excellencie, that doeth not wonder at his incomparable zeale, that doeth not place him in the vppermost seate of the Church: And contrariwise who is he, that doth more dishonour him, then the Pope, who hideth his filthinesses and vilanies vn­der S. Peters Cloke, & vnder the colour of his name, filleth all the worlde ful of ty­rannie. That Saint Peter was the first a­mongst the Apostles, eyther it was for his age,Marsil. lib. 2. cap. 16. Card. Cuson. lib. 2. ca. vlt. de concord. Catholie. Aug. in Io. serm. vlti. Hieron. con­tra Iouinia. lib. 1. or for his zeale, as Marsilius of Padua sayeth, or for his aboundance of grace, as sayth Cusan the Cardinall, and before him S. Augustine. And admitte that he were president in their assemblies, what shoulde there followe of this? In all companies there is a chieftie of order, but that doth not therefore import, that there shoulde be a chieftie of power, nor any superioritie in respect of the one ouer the other. In the empire of Germanie, there are seuen Elec­tors. The Archbishop of Mentz, and the [Page]Countie Palatine are the chiefest, the one amongst the Ecclesiasticall persons, the o­ther of the ciuil. Haue they therfore power ouer their fellow Electors, to wit, ouer the other princes that haue not that degree? That is a toye. Also there is no wel gouer­ned assemblie, where some one is not presi­dent, to propound the matters they haue in hande, to gather the voyces, to pronounce sentence according to them. Shall such a one therfore establish and dispose all at his pleasure? all the worlde will say contrary. Also Peter was president among twelue persons, & that by the electio of y^e Apostles, and not otherwise. Whosoeuer therefore will conclude, that it is very good, that in all cōpanies there be some one to gouerne their actions, and to keepe order, the con­clusion shalbe very good. But that therfore the Pope as his successour, should gouerne ouer all the worlde, this should be no more order, but the cōfusion of the whole world. Moreouer, as it hath bin notably disputed long ago against the Pope, If S. Peter according to the decree of Anaclet cited by Isiodore, was elected president by the A­postles,22. Distinct. sacros. it followeth not, that his successour [Page]should bee ouer the successors of the Apo­sties,Marsil. Pad. lib. 2. cap. 16. & 18. vnlesse he be chosen by their succes­sors themselues. For Saint Iohn myght haue had better successours then Saint Peter, all which together, myght haue had power to choose one to gouerne. And these are those personall dignities, which descende not from the father to the sonnes, and are not tyed to one chaire, but depend vpon the common consent of those which haue instituted them, accor­ding to that which Cardinall Cusan durst well saye,Card. Cusan lib. 2. cap. 13. & cap. vlt. that if by consent of the Chri­stian Church, the Bishoppe of Treues were chosen president of the Church, he shoulde haue farre more ryght then the Bishoppe of Rome, who hath it not but through sufferance, and that the Bishoppe of Rome should be bound to acknowledge him for such a one, and to yeeld him obedi­ence. We see then by the Scriptures that S. Peter was neuer ordeyned head of the Church by Iesus Christ, & that he was ne­uer taken for such a one, & also was neuer acknowledged in this qualitie or office by the Apostles,Card. Cusan lib. 2. cap. 17. & 15. as also we finde not that in a­ny one Councill that euer the Pope hath [Page]alledged (I meane within 500. yeres after Christ Iesus) one onely place of scripture whē the primacie was builded. Whereupō we conclude with all antiquitie, that the Pope in respect that he is Peters succes­sor, cannot be called the Ministeriall heade of the Church: that he is equal to all other Bishops: that the primacy which he exerci­seth, is not in any wise founded vpō Gods law: and consequently that all the articles which are founded thereupon, for which, as necessarie to saluation, the Popes haue brought to confusion all Christendome, haue not any foundation in Iesus Christ.

That the Pope or Bishop of Rome is not the Ministeriall head of the vniuer­sall Church, by any right of mans lavve: & hovv he hath vsurped this title and povver. CHAP. VIII.

BVt forasmuch as there is question of the succession of Saint Peter, ha­uing seene in what it consisteth, let vs see nowe what titles they bring forth, to the ende they may be receiued into possession. They alledge euery where, that [Page]S. Peter was at Rome,Whethre Peter haue bene at Rome, and howe. and hereof they conclude at one iumpe, that the Pope is head of the Church. We might denie that he was at Rome, the which they can not proue by the holy Scripture: whereof eue­ry one may see, what the foundation is of so wayghtie a buylding. But contrariwise we finde great coniectures that he was ne­uer there, of which wee were not the first searchers out, but the greatest personages that were in many ages before vs. Be­twixt the death of our Lorde,Marsil. Pad. lib. 1. cap. 16. and the death of Nero, there were 37. yeres. By the holy Scripture it appeareth,Gal. 1. & 2. that Peter was at Hierusalem twentie yeeres after. From thence he came to Antioch, where Grego­rie sayth, that he was seuen yeres, and Eu­sebius sayth 25. He that shall beleeue Euse­bius, he coulde not be martyred vnder Ne­ro, though he himselfe saye it. For betwixt the passion of Christ & the death of Nero, there was but thirtie seuen yeeres, and by Eusebius accompt, there must be at the least xlvi. yeeres. And if we shall beleeue Gregorie, there remaine but ten yeres, du­ring which time Peter could be at Rome. But forasmuch as Peter and Paul were [Page]seene in Ierusalem, S. Paul writing a long Epistle to the Romanes, woulde he haue abstayned from him, if he had bene there then? Likewise he saluteth a great nomber of persons, without making any mention of him. Besides he writeth many Epistles from Rome, in some of which, a man shal finde some places, that necessarily should haue made mention of him. And in one place he complayneth, that all had for­saken him, beyng a prisoner for the Gospel.Phil. 2.20. 2. Tim. 4.16. And the 2. Epistle to Timothie was writ­ten the same yeere, where a little after S. Paul was beheaded by the commandemēt of Nero. To be short, whether S. Peter were at Rome before S. Paul, or after. If before, (as their legend sayeth, that Saint Paul arriued there after) & that they two together had such combats agaynst Simō Magus, whence commeth it, that Saint Paul did not salute him in his Epistle to the Romanes? Whence also commeth it, that he maketh no mention of him, in the other Epistles? and which is more, whence commeth it, and howe can that accorde to that which S. Luke sayeth in the Actes,The last Chapter of the Actes. That the Iewes sayd vnto Paul, that they [Page]had vnderstoode nothing of him, and they desire him to declare vnto them his opini­on of that sect, agaynst which euery man spake? Is this credible vnto any, that S. Peter, who came thither before, and was the Minister of Circumcision, that he had taught them nothing of him? Also whence commeth it,1. Cor. 3. Galat. 2. that S. Paul, who is wont diligently else where to rehearse their meetings, as when they mette at Antioch, maketh no mention of this meeting, being in one of the most famous Cities in the worlde?

Nowe if Saint Peter came thither af­ter Saint Paul, besides that it is a great maruell, that no mention is made thereof, yet then the legende is false, whereupon the primacie is founded: and as it is false in one poynt, so it may be in another. Moreouer the Legende sayeth, that they were beheaded both together, and the Canon sayeth, the same yere, in the same daye, and at the same hower. Eusebius sayeth, that the one was beheaded, and the other was crucified,Linus in passione beati Pauli. and Linus, who hath written the suffering of Saint Paul, he (I saye) whome they holde to haue [Page]bene the next that succeeded Saint Pe­ter, hath made no mention of Saint Peters suffering. One sayeth, that Linus was his successour, another that it was Clemens. To be short, they are not yet agreed, neyther of the tyme of his com­ming, nor of the tyme of his death, nor of the maner thereof, nor of his succes­sour, nor of any thing. And yet for all that they are so impudent, that they will drawe all staye of the Christian faith, vn­to the faith of a lying legende. Nowe agaynst these proofes, they can alledge but one place of Scripture, whereof they may be ashamed, to witte, that which is in the later ende of the first Epistle of S. Peter: The Church which is in Babylon saluteth you: I wyll not denye vnto them, that Eusebius, and Beda,Euseb. lib. 2. and Saint Hierome hath interpreted the date of this letter to be from Rome: but I do rather willingly accept that which they confesse, that they are not able to aucthorize the See of Rome by the scripture, other­wise thē by acknowledging it to be called Babylon, euen by their pretended founder himself. Now if they wil alledge vnto me, [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page]that this is a common & receyued opinion, that S. Peter was at Rome, besides the diuersities that we haue noted before, I answere, that the question is not of the opi­nion, but of an article of faith, vpon which they would buyld many others of like sort. That S. Hierome a Romane elder, expoū ­ding this place:Hieronym. in Matth. lib. 4. cap. 23. Beholde, I haue sent you Prophets, wise men and Scribes, &c: alled­geth for example, Saint Stephen stoned, and S. Peter crucified by the Iewes: to be short, that the popedome then is founded vpon opinion, and not vpon a certaine and an vndoubted faith.

But granting that opinion, that he was there, (for I will not now debate the mat­ter, to shewe the vncertaintie of that which they pretende to be most certayne) I de­maunde whether he were there in the state of a Bishop, or of an Apostle. If as Bishop or elder, (for then we know that both these were one) they were bounde euery one to their owne citie or towne, and to his owne Church,Acts. 14. Tit. 1. as may appeare by the Actes, & in the Epistle to Titus, and therefore the Bi­shop of Rome could not pretende any auc­thoritie ouer others: for none could trans­ferre [Page]that right which he had. Againe, why shoulde they not rather haue chosen Paul for their Bishop, seeing that it appeareth by the holy scripture,Acts. 10. that he had preached there a long tyme? Moreouer what will they answere to the Bishoppe of Antioch, who is more clearely founded in the scrip­ture, then the Bishop of Rome, that is to say, euen in the expresse text of the Scrip­ture? for, alledging that goodly reuelation of translating Peters See frō Antioch to Rome, which is read in Gratians decretal,12. q. 1. Ro­gamus. they shalbe derided, as for an idle dreame. And what will they answere to S. Grego­rie himselfe, who sayth that the Bishops of Alexandria and of Antioch, are aswell Pe­ters successors as he of Rome, & that they sitte in Peters chaire? If as an Apostle,Gregor. in Registr. 99. ad Eulog. Alexandr. we knowe that the charge of the Apostle­shippe was not tyed to any citie, towne, or prouince, no nor to any one nation, but was extended throughout the whole world, and if they will haue it any maner of way limi­ted, this must be by the spirite of God, who had appointed Peters Apostleship amōgst the Iewes, and Pauls amongst the Gen­tiles, sending the one (sayth S. Hierome) [Page]to the Gentiles,Galat. 1. and placing the other by the singular prouidence of God in Iurie. Whereupon it wil folowe then, that by the same right, all places where Peter hath preached, shall haue a primacie, that is to say, there shalbe primacies and popedomes without nomber, and so consequently not one alone. Also, that y^e succession of Rome ought rather to be taken of Paul then of Peter:Hieron. in Epist. ad Ga­lat cap. 2. for Rome is of the Gentiles. Also, that all the places spoken of Peter, are yll alledged by them, forasmuch as the succes­sion is not drawen frō him. This is beside. For Cardinall Cusan maintayneth vnto them,Card. Cusan lib. 2. de cō ­cord. Ca­tholic. cap. 13. Marsil. Pad. lib. 2. cap. 17 that all Bishops are equally of S. Peter, whereof it foloweth, that they haue all the priuiledge of his See, & that as one may erre, so likewise may another. If they say, that S. Peter hath foūded the Church of Rome, that is false: for long time before that they say it should be foūded by him, S. Paul wrote vnto them,Rom. 16. that y^e renowme of their faith was spread throughout y^e whole worlde. Nowe if it be in respect onely that Peter there dyed, they say that so did Paul also, who went thither by the expresse com­mandement of God: I say that S. Ierome [Page]writeth that he was crucified in Iudea: to be short, I say that the Apostle S. Iohn,Hieron in Matth. lib. 4. cap. 23. who liued longer then all the Apostles, & thirtie yeeres at the least after S. Peter, according to their own reconing, and who wrote y^e last of all, sayth rather, that Christ foretolde Peter, that he should be glorified by his death, but he maketh no mention of the place, where he shoulde thereby glo­rifie the Pope: which without doubt hee would not haue concealed, for the benefite and saluation of all the worlde, if the state of the Church had depended vpon this su­premacie. But I demaund farther, who cā vaūt to be Peters heire, whether y^e Church of Rome, or y^e Pope? If y^e church of Rome, as it semeth y^e Pope Calixte gaue place to it: then there is no more questiō of a Pope,Canon: [...] dicet distin. nor of one man alone, nor of one personall succession: For the Church is a body, & a body dieth not, but successiuely in his parts & there needeth no successor to him y^t dyeth not. If it be the Pope, then ought not the Church of Rome any more to say, that she is the head of the Church,Magist. Io [...]. Parisien. lib. de potesta [...]e regia & Pa­pali. neither that shee say any more as the schole of Sorbonistes noth. That Peters chaire is for the Church, and not the Churche for Peters chayre. [Page]For she is but a part of the succession. And if this come to passe, I demaund, what shal become of the Church,Liter Acad. Parisiensis apud Theod. a Nicens. tract. 6. cap. 15. and of the Ministe­rie of the same, when the head thereof shall become an heretike and an Atheist, when there shalbe a Schisme of thirtie or fourty yeeres continuance without a Pope, as of­ten hath bene seene,Concil. Gal­licanū anno Dom. 1407. & 1408. when Ioan shall be in Peters place, &c. But before they answere vs, they must make voyde this broyle a­mongst themselues, and if it please God, before they agree therein, their pretended succession must fall to the ground.

Nowe albeit we coulde reiect all in one worde, beyng not grounded vpon any one worde of Gods lawe, yet it shalbe good to see from time to time, howe they are groū ­ded vpon mans lawe, and that which wee call positiue.

They holde that S. Peter was crucified vnder Nero, in the yeere of our Lorde 69, and that Clement succeeded him. Others say, that Linus succeeded him, then Saint Iohn, yea and Iames himselfe: If we be­leeue those bookes supposed to bee Cle­ments, they shoulde haue obeyed Clement as head of the Church: for he succeeded, as [Page]they saye, in Peters Authoritie, & he ought to haue no lesse authoritie then the popes at this daye, who can dispense with Paules epistles. A wonderfull case that the primi­tiue Church, when they made the Canon of those bookes that should haue authoritie in the Church, that they should rather put in those bookes of Iames and Iohn, then of Clement the principall heire and suc­cessour of the holy ghost, by the vertue of Saint Peters chaire. A wonderfull mat­ter further,Clemens epist. 3. that this Clemēt made so smal accompt of succession, so necessary in the Church, seeing that in his epistle which he writeth to Iames Bishop of Ierusalem, he calleth him our Lordes brother, the Bi­shoppe of Bishops, and gouernour of the Church of Ierusalem, and of all others throughout all the worlde. But, yet a more wonderfull matter, that they shoulde bee found so impudent, in the light of good learning that at this day shineth, as to foūd the papacie vpon those gaye bookes of Clement, in which there are so many false­hoodes. Clement writeth to Saynt Iames after Peters death, and teacheth him the institution of our Lorde, when as [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page]the Scripture witnesseth that S. Iames was martyred long before in Ierusalem, and that as long as hee liued, he was to teach Clement such matters, and not to learne them of him. And yet this is one of the notablest authors that they can alledge. But let vs proceede.

We holde the Apostles Creede from the beginning of the Christian Church. And we there finde the Catholike church. But this article of the faith, that pope Boniface the eight made, is not therein: That if we will be saued, we must acknovv­ledge the pope to be the soueraigne Lord.

Saint Cyprian saith,Cyprian. de simplicitate praelatorum. Idem in sen­tentiis epis­copo. Idem. lib. 1. epist. 5. That there is but one Bishoppricke, of vvhich euery Bishop holdeth his parte, vvholy vvithout any di­uision. Also, that none of his time, either called, or made him selfe Bishoppe of Bi­shops, eyther made through tyrannie his companions subiect to his obedience. Al­so he complaineth, that certaine prophane men and Schismatikes vvith drevve them selues to the bish. of Rome, who (saith he) hath none but certaine desperate & wic­ked fellovves that stay vpon him, making thē selues beleeue that the Bishops of Af­fricke [Page]haue lesse povver then the Bishops of Rome. And in very deede he calleth not Stephen & Cornelius bishops of Rome, other thē brethren & cōpanions, & handleth Stephen rudely enough in manye places. To be short, a litle after his death,Concil. Af­frican. can. primae sedis, y^e church of Affricke decreed in the councill of Car­thage, that none should be called the prince or chiefe of ministers, or the first Bishoppe, but onely according to the dignitie of Ci­ties, the Bishoppe of the first See. Irenee very liuely reproueth Victor the Bishop of Rome,Ireneus ex Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 20. & epist. 24. who through a certaine shame­lesse ambition, had excommunicated the Churches of Asia, for disagreeing about y^e Passeouer. The Ministers, saith he, vvhich haue helde the eldershippe of the Church ouer vvhich thou novv doest gouerne, A­nicetus, Pius, Higinus &c. haue not done as thou hast done, neither they also vvhich vvere vvith them. Tertullian. de praescrip­tione haere▪ Tertullian who other­wise is wont to attribute verye much to Saint Peter, scorneth y^e Bishop of Rome & his great ambition, which then began to shew it selfe: & albeit in a certaine place he maketh a long narration of the praises of the Church of Rome, yet he teacheth not, [Page]neither neere nor farre of, that which is the principall, to wit, that it was the infallible seat of the holy Ghost, by Peters successiō. And yet these are for all that, the very firste of all antiquitie, and in whose time the Church of Christ more florished, then at a­ny time.

In the time of Constātine, as the church had more liberty, so it had also more ambi­tion, & then Bishops begā first to think on miters, that before time thought nothing els but to be martyrs. That same famous Council of Nice was then called together by Constantine the Emperour,Can. 6. Nicē. synodi. to the ende to decide the matter of Arrius. The B. of Romes deputies were there: but they sate onely in the fourth place. Yea one decree was there made,Euseb. lib. 10 cap. 6. by which certaine limits were attributed to euerie patriarke, ouer which the Canon gaue them equall autho­rity, which the Bishop of Rome was wont to haue ouer y^e neighbour Churches of his citie. They went about by infinite meanes to corrupt the canons of this councill, as the histories do witnesse vnto vs. But Cu­san the Cardinal alledging this Councill, acknowledgeth the trueth in these words: [Page] By this we see, Card. Cusan. lib. 2. de concord. Cath. cap. 1 [...] (saith he) how much autho­ritie the Pope hath gotten in our time, a­gainst the sacred auncient constitutions, and altogether through the lēgth of time and custome of a slauish subiectionall obe­dience. And yet in meane time Iulius w^t standeth it not, neither doe his Legates al­ledge to the fathers of the Councill their Tibi dabo, I will giue vnto thee, nor their Pasce oues meas, Feed my sheep: for as yet they were not studyed so deeply therin, but they rested onely in the ordinance of the Councill, which afterwardes was confir­med by the Councils of Antioche,Concil. An­tioch. cap. 23. Constan. cap. 2. and of Constantinople. And this was about the time that they woulde deuise the donation of Constantine to pope Syluester, confu­ted by so many learned men, so long time agoe, that none but such as are ignorant will beleeue it. But if they will beleeue the original,An extract of Vatican. which is kept in Vaticā in y^e popes library in goldē letters, let thē also beleeue these words which are written & added in y^e end: Quam fabulā longi tēporis mēdacia finxit, y^t is to say, in the proper words of ill latine, This is a fable which an old lye hath forged. Or if they wil therin beleeue the le­gend [Page]of Pope Syluester, then let them al­so beleeue that which it sayeth,Legenda Syluestri. that then was hearde a voyce from heauen, saying, Hodie effusum est venenum in Ecclesiam: that is to say, At this day poyson is shedde into the middest of the Church.

In the first and seconde Councill of E­phesus, Cyrillus and Dioscorus, Patri­arches of Alexandria did gouerne there, though the Bishoppe of Rome there had his deputies.Leo papa epist 45. And it forceth not to saye, that the seconde was not lawfull. For this can not be knowen but by the yssue, but it sufficeth that in the beginning, and then when men thought that it was verye lawfull, and that in such a time, as the ce­remonies were kept there, Leo the Bi­shoppe of Rome,Leo papa in epistolis. neyther his deputies, did not there striue for the chiefe place, because they thought it to haue no good grounde. In the Councill of Chalcedon, called together by the Emperour Marti­an, Leo the Bishoppe of Rome beeyng there president, hee was called Archbi­shoppe as were the others. But the histo­ry sayeth, that he required the Emperour and the Empresse to gouerne there, be­cause [Page]that in the seconde Councill of E­phesus, Dioscorus the Patriarke of Alex­andria, abusing his authoritie, had appro­ued the heresie of Eutyches, whereof then there was question. Nowe in that hee de­maundeth this fauour, it sufficientlye de­clareth that it was not done vnto him, and if this might once bee drawen into consequence, as well also must this, that Cyrill was President ouer the first coun­cill of Ephesus, for all the Bishoppes of Alexandria.Leo in epist. poposcerā & multa mihi in omnibus ad Martianū August. And in very deede in the fift Councill of Constantinople, his succes­sour withstoode it not, when Menas the patriarke of that place was there presidēt. In the generall Councill of Aquilie, S. Ambrose the B. of Millane was president, & there was not any mētion made of y^e B. of Rome, although this was in Italy. But behold y^e questiō was determined, y^e parties being heard, by the determinate sētēce of a coūcill. The B. of Rome tooke vpon him a goodly large title of being patriarke ouer the churches of Affrike, & the schismatikes of Affrike willingly departed to go to him to finde there aid, whereupon the coūcil of Mileuitane, where S. Aug. was w^t a good [Page]nomber of fathers, pronounced all them for excommunicate, that had or shoulde ap­peale beyonde the Sea. The Bishoppe of Rome finding him selfe grieued,Volum. Con. in Concilio Mileuitano. & concil. Carth ag. 6. sent to the sixth councill of Carthage, where also Saint Augustine was, that he might haue redresse in this matter, the which was so long time in debating, that Zosinius, Boni­face, and Celestine, Bishoppes of Rome succeeded one another, during this Coun­cill. Aurelius the Archbishoppe of Car­thage, notwitstanding that their legates were there, was president there, and in the ende the definitiue sentence was pronoun­ced in this force. That the Bishop of Rome should not receiue those that were excom­municated by the Bishops of Affrike, nei­ther should he receiue the appellations of those that by them should be cond̄ened, & that all they which should appeale to him, should be holdē for excōmunicated persōs. The reasons of this councill contained in the 105. chapter, by the letters of the coun­cil to Celestine Bishop of Rome,Cap. 105. Concil. Car. thag. 6. are these: that there is no coūcil, that had so decreed: Contrariwise y^t the Council of Nice, had put the Clergie & the Bishops of ech pro­uince [Page]vnder the Metropolitan: That the grace of the holye Spirite had not with­drawen it selfe from euerye Prouince, to discerne the right of all causes. That a­nye myght appeale to a Prouinciall coun­cill, if hee felt him selfe grieued, & that it vvas more credible, that GOD vvoulde inspire a great assemblie of ministers in a Councill, then one man alone. And be­cause that the B. of Rome required to send his legates to be ouer those places to en­quire of matters and causes, they made an­swere that they could not find any councill that had so decreed, and likewise that they would not suffer it. In this council, where they had time enough to dreame all their forbidding, yet shall you not finde that the primacie was founded vpon anye lawe of God: much lesse, that which they call the fulnes of power. And in very deede, for to decide the matter, men were not sent to search the scriptures, in which S. Augu­stine (who was present there) was wel able to haue found it, if it had bene there, but rather to the foure originals of the coūcill of Nice, which were kept in the foure pa­triarchall Sees. In meane while Gratian [Page]the Compiler of their decree, was so sot­tishly malicious,Can. placuit 2. q. cap. 4. that reciting this Canon of the Councill of Carthage, That men should not appeale beyond the Sea, he ad­ded, vnlesse to the B. of Rome: as though the Canon had bene made quite contra­ry to it selfe, all the reasons being heard & concluded to the contrary. And by this place a man may very well gather what to accompte of their Canons, being rehersed with such fidelitie. In the Councill of Carthage, holden vnder the Emperour Mauricius about the yeere of Christ, sixe hundred, the matter of the Supremacie was also largely debated,Concil. Carth. 7. because that thē the B. of Constantinople, fauoured of the Emperor Mauricius, by prerogatiue of y^e Citye of Constantinople, called him selfe Bishop of Bishops, and vniuersall Bishop. And Mauricius vphelde and ayded him to beate down old Rome, because thē the em­pire was trāslated into y^e East, & Italie left for a pray to y^e Northern people. Let a mā read ouer al the Canōs of y^t council, & they pronounce a curse, not onely vpon the B. of Cōstantinople, but generally vpō al those who shall take the title of an vniuersall B.

All the auncient doctors, who liued du­ring the time of these Councils, yea y^e La­tines, that yelded very much to the Bisho­pricke of Rome, as being their most neere patriarchshippe, doe witnesse the selfe same thing vnto vs. Athanasius,Athanasius in epist. ad liberum H­pisco. Rom. albeit hee was greatly bound to the See of Rome, which had receiued him in his exile, he saith that all the Apostles were equal in honour & power: S. Hierom a minister of Rome he saith, If there be any question of the au­thoritie of all the world, the vvorld is grea­ter then one City. Wherefore vvilt thou bring the order of the Church into the subiection of a fevve persons: Whence cō ­meth this presūption? Wheresoeuer there is a Bishop, be he at Rome, or at Agubiū, be he at Constātinople or at Rhegiū,Hieron. in epist. ad E­uagrium. Repetitur in decret. Gra­tiani. Hieron. ad Nepotianū.he is of one and the same dignitie and Ministe­ry. Riches or pouertye neither make one superiour nor inferiour. Againe there is (saith he) in euerye Churche a Bishoppe, one chiefe amongest the Deacons, and another amongest the Elders, and all the order of the Churche consisteth in these gouernors. It should folow therupon, see­ing y^e the question was of vnity, y^t he should [Page]adde and say, a B. ouer the other Bishops: but he speaketh nothing.August epist 162. in bre­uiculo colla­tionis con­tra Donat. & passim. S. August. hath written a story, which maketh this matter most cleare. Donate of the black cotages, a Numidian, of whō the Donatists tooke their name, had grieuously accused Ciciliā the Archbishop of Carthage. Constantine the Emperor committed this cause, which was merely ecclesiastical, to Miltiades B. of Rome, & to certain other Bishops of I­talie, Gaule & Spaigne. Nowe if this had bene his ordinarie Iurisdiction, there nee­ded not any Cōmission of the Emperor, & it had belonged to him to haue chosen vnto himselfe his assistants, & not to haue recei­ued them. But see further. Donate being condemned, appealed to the Emperor, who sent his appellatiō to the Archb. of Arles, either to proue or disalow the B. of Romes sentence. I demand then in this fact, which in this case is worth a million, Where is the Supremacy, where is the Iurisdiction without appeale, and where is this same knowledge of all appellations, & this ful­nes of power, wherof they speak so much? And yet this is that Constantine of whom they boast so much, & who, as they deeme, [Page]spoyled him selfe of his Empire, to enriche them. Chrysost. sayeth,Homil. 43. in mat. cap. 23. Whosoeuer of the Bishoppes shall desire primacye in earth, he shall find confusiō in heauen, & he that shall desire to be the chiefe, he shall not be reputed in the nomber of the seruaunts of Christ. Gregory y^e great, Bishop of Rome, when the Bishop of Constātinople would attribute vnto him selfe that Supremacy,Greg. Mag. lib. 4. epist. 76 78.80.85. lib. 6. epist. 188. & 194. he sayth not, that he doeth wrong to Saint Peter, or that hee withholdeth & vsurpeth the right of the Bishoppes of Rome, but rather he protesteth, that this vvas a pro­phane title, full of sacriledge, and the fore­running of Antichrist, and that this was to say with Lucifer, I will ascend aboue the cloudes, and will make my selfe equall to the high God. Can. Nullus ex epist. Pe­lagii papae dist. 99. That none of his predeces­sours tooke vpon them to be aboue their brethren & cōpanions. And if there vvere any such amongst thē, he falling downe, al the Church should stūble & fal vvith him. That this vvere to destroy all christianitie. And after many such other woordes, he pronounceth this generall sentence: That vvhosoeuer shal call himselfe vniuersal Bi­shop, or shall desire to be so called, that he [Page]is the forerunner of Antichrist, forasmuch as through pride, he axalteth him selfe a­boue all. As touching him self he flatly re­fused it,Epist. ad Eu­logiū lib. 7.30. in Regist. and prayed Eulogius the Bishop of Alexandria, not to giue him this proude name. Hee acknowledgeth that the Bi­shoppes of Alexandria and Antioche, are as well in Peters chaire, as they of Rome: to be short, that Peter, Paul, Andrevv, Iohn &c. they are al particular heads of the peo­ple vvhom they gouerne, but all members vnder one head, vvhich is Christ, hovvsoe­uer they holde Peter for chiefe amongest them. I beseech the readers that they will take paines to reade vpon this matter the epistles of Saint Gregory, and there they shall finde the condemnation of this Su­premacie, more expressely, then yet I haue said. To conclude, the Emperours haue called generall Councils, & the patriarks and. Metropolitanes, those that were Nationall and prouincial. They that were Patriarkes euery one was president ouer the See of his patriarchshippe, and not the Bishoppe of Rome, nor his deputies in general councils. The patriarks or chiefe Bishoppes went not to seeke their Palls [Page]at Rome, but were Canonically elected o­uer those places. The Bishoppe of Rome (as appeareth by those Epistles them selues of Gregorye the great) when hee was chosen,Greg. Anast. lib. 1. epist. 25. & lib. 6. epist. 169. exhibited vnto them the con­fession of hys fayth, by a Synodall Epi­stle, as they did to him. Eche one of them had an Ecclesiasticall iudgement ouer his owne, and none appealed from them, no not the Bishoppes them selues beyond the Sea, who had no Patriarke in the Sea of Rome. I demaunde then by what marke they can shewe vs that Su­premacy in the aunciēt Primitiue church, be it, but by the positiue lawe of man: And yet notwithstanding wee see the course from time to time, and from Coun­cill to Councill, vntill the yeere of our LORD sixe hundred and more, when Phocas the Emperour killed his master Maurice, and inuaded the Empire: and to get fauour of the Romanes, after so cursed and detestable murther, gayned Boni­face the third, their Bishop, declaring him to be head of the Church, and Bishoppe of Bishoppes, against that that Gregory his predecessour had a litle before so hotelye [Page]fought against. If the Church had bene so long time without a head, what did the members then? And if Iesus Christ were the head then, why lesse nowe: Also whēce commeth it, that when the Bishoppe of Rome was not acknowledged for such a one, it had such strength, and alwayes af­terwards grewe weaker and decayed: A­gaine, is it not notable, that all the aunci­ent Churche was ignorant of so healthfull a doctrine, hidden in the holy Scripture, and that Boniface the third shoulde be the firste that shoulde fynde it out: That such so necessary priuiledges should be concea­led for the space of sixe hundred yeeres, in the most happy ages, and to the most quick sighted persons, which euer were: That so many Christian Emperors should make no account of it, and one Phocas, an exe­crable murtherer, should be y^e first to giue authority vnto it? But as the papacie must needes spring of the ruines of Rome, & the second beast of the Carrion of the first, so also must it needes he, that the supremacie of the Bishop of Rome, as that of the first kings was, must bee founded and buylded vpon murther.

Against these decrees of the generall councills, they blush not to alledge vnto vs those goodly bookes of Clement, whereof we haue spoken a litle before: that same ri­diculous epistle of Anaclet,Distinct. 22▪ c. sacrosanct. 12. q. 1. cap. rogamus. That Cephas is asmuch to say as head of the church: that same authentical reuelation of Pope Mar­cellus, of Peters seate to be remoued from Antioch to Rome,Cardinal Cusan lib. 2. cap. vlt. and such other begger­ly trumperie of that decree, which some e­uen of their owne side do deride: Also cer­taine other epistles of Pope Leo, who la­boureth therby, asmuch as he can, to make vs credit the latine Church. But we know that none must be iudge in his owne cause, and if, as Gerson & Panormitan say, One lay man may set himselfe (hauing the holy Scripture on his side) against a vvhole ge­nerall councill vvhich erreth from it: By a more strong reason maye the whole primi­tiue Church oppose it selfe, & all the whole Scripture (hauing al the general councils on her side, that were for the space of 600. yeres) against y^e tyrānie of one man alone, which cannot alledge any thing but his owne ambition, yea & against the decretall epistles of some Popes, & yet for the most [Page]part, but shuffled in vnder the name of some of the auncient fathers.

The ambi­tion of the bishop of Rome.I will not denie notwithstanding, that a good time the bishops of Rome had not attempted to establishe a spirituall monar­chie at Rome, according to the example of the temporall, which made them to be en­uied. For the Church of God began by Abel, as Saint Augustine saith, and Ba­bylon by Cain, and likewise it is not to be doubted, but that very quicklye after the foundations of the Christian Church were layde, Sathan layd also the foundations of Antichrist.1. Cor. 1. 2. Thess. 2. In Paul his time the my­sterie of iniquitie began to worke, when one said that hee was of Apollo, another that he was of Paul, and another of Ce­phas. Victor the bishop of Rome enter­prised to excommunicate all Asia for the feast of Easter,Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 20. Ireneus e­pist. 24. Cyprianus lib. 4. Epi. 6. but he was most liuely re­prooued by Irenee. Steuen also recei­ued the schismatiques of Affricke, against the Sentence of the Churche, that they should not appeale beyond the Sea: but Cyprian calleth him proud and ignorant, and the councill of Affricke holden about the selfe same time, setteth it selfe against [Page]him. Iulius in the time of Constantine beganne to establishe his Empire, but the councill of Nice limitted him his power, bringing him to the bound and skantling of others. Yea,Concil. Car­thag. 6. cap. 5.4.101.105. in the sixth council of Car­thage, where Saint Augustine was pre­sent, three bishops of Rome one after ano­ther were so impudent, as to falsifie a de­cree of the council of Nice, bringing foorth in steade thereof, the articles of the coun­cill of Sardes, yet corrupted and falsified, pretending that from all parts, men might appeale to the bishop of Rome. But the fathers of the councill had learned well to saye, that they would not beleeue those productions, and therfore sent to the origi­nalls, and they being seene, they pronoun­ced the quite contrary. Leo the first recei­ued Eutyches condemned by Flauianus the bishop of Constantinople, & for a time mainteyned him against him, whereupon his heresie first tooke footing and grewe, which might then at once haue bene quen­ched. But none approued this vsurpation. To be short, in the time of Chrysostome, this ambition was so great amongest them, that he complained, that to obteine [Page]supremacie, the bishops of Rome had filled the Churches with blood, & had defiled the Supper of the Lord with murthers, vntill they had vtterly for it destroyed whole ci­ties. And he that will see the ciuil warres, (for they likewise name them) which were at Rome betweene Damasus and Vrsici­us, in the time of Saint Hierome, whether of them should be bishop, and afterwards betweene Laurence and Symmachus,Ruffinus lib. 12 cap. 10. hist Eccle. Amianus Marc. lib. 27. Lib. Pontifi­calis. he maye reade them in Ruffinus, Amian Marcellin, and their owne Pontificall it selfe. And howsoeuer it were, all the con­tentions that were made by the bishops of Rome in the auncient Church, yea, till the time of the murthering of Phocas for the supremacie, looke how many they were, they were alwaies arguments from age to age, and as determined sentences against them, in so much that they alwayes lost their cause, whatsoeuer instāce they made, or whatsoeuer diligence they vsed in plea­ding of it.

Rome hath had the chiefe place, and how.But they will obiecte vnto me, that ne­uerthelesse the bishop of Rome hath helde the chiefe place amongst the Patriarches. I agree thereto, but yet I deuie that it [Page]was to commaunde others. And in deede, it is expressely said, that he shall not be cal­led vniuersall bishop,Cap. prim. sedis & cap. Nullus dist. 99. but onely the bishop of the first See. I say moreouer, that this is not in respect that he was the successour of S. Peter, and lesse by vertue of those places alledged out of the holy Scripture. But because that in seates there must be a first & a second place according to humame order, I say that this was ordeyned, in con­sideration of that order, wherby the citie of Rome was set aboue others. If it had bene by the Scriptures, it should haue bene a wonderfull thing, that for 600. yeeres to­gether, these mysteries should haue bene hidden from the Church. If in respecte of the founder, why not rather at Antioche, and at Alexandria, after Gregorie,Gregor. in Regist. 91. e­pist. ad Alex­andr. episco. Cusan. lib. 1. cap. 6. & 13. or to all other bishopricks, after Cusan, who saith y^t all bishops are Peters successors, equall in y^e essentiall dignitie, although they differ in the administration and gouernment, as the bishops of Spaine themselues haue dispu­ted in the last councill of Trent: More­ouer that Hierusalem should be the first and not the fourth, seeing the Saluation of the world did there gouerne: Or why [Page]is Antioche, whereof Saint Peter was bishop, put after Alexandria, which can al­ledge nothing but the succession of Saint Marke his disciple: To be short, what hurt hath Saint Iohn the welbeloued dis­ciple of our Lord done vnto them, who so long time preached in Ephesus, which not­withstanding is not nombred amongst the patriarchall cities: Or what newe Apo­stle hath founded Constantinople, three hundred yeres after the death of our Lord, to attribute vnto it the second See: But there is none that hath but a litle iudge­ment, that doth not well enough marke, that all the preeminences of these Sees rather proceede from the rancke and pla­ces, which their cities holde, then from the establishment of Christian religion.

Rome was then the seat of the Empire, and the glorie of all the world: good lear­ning there flourished: it was the chiefe of all the peoples of the earth: and therefore when all the bishops were gathered toge­ther, they gaue the bishop of Rome the first place for ciuilitie and courtesies sake. Likewise wee reade in the histories, that Alexandria and Antioch were after Rome [Page]the most famous cities, and according to that degree which their gouernours helde, they also helde their bishopprickes. And concerning Ierusalem, that was so great­ly accompted of, for the first originall of true Religion, and therefore likewise was not reckoned in the least place: for Plinie calleth it the head of all the East: but yet her place was ill kept, after she had lost her first glorie. Afterwards Constantinople came to be builded, which was called the second Rome. And then also we see the councill of Constantinople, where there were sixe hundreth bishops,Socrat. hist. tripart. lib. 9. cap. 13.22. dist. Cō ­stantinopo­lis. Authe­nique 231. who gaue vn­to it the second place, which had not bene done, if they had had regard to the degree of the founder, and not to the degree of the citie, by reason of whose might also, this dignitie was confirmed vnto it by the Emperour Iustinian. Aquila in Italie was called the second Rome. Also there was a Patriarchship there established, yea Rauenna it selfe, was a long time holden not to be subiecte to Rome, and it had her owne Cardinalls apart and by them­selues, and as Venice beganne to growe great, so it had the Patriarchship of Grado [Page]for it. To be short, he that shall marke from countrey to countrey, the erection of patri­archships and archbishopricks, he shal finde no other consideration then this, the same that Pope Lucinus saith, alledged by Gra­tian, That at the first they instituted Pri­mates of the Church according to tempo­rall policie. Distinct. 80. In decreto, Dist. 121. cap Decretis. Also Pope Clement himselfe saith: That where there were chiefe Priests of the Painims, there they established Pri­mats of Christians, See from whence su­premacie, & Popish su­perioritie first sprang by the Pa­pists owne confession. Lombard. lib. 4. dist. 24. Conc. Chal­cedon. cap. 1. & 12. the which is repeated in the same wordes by Peter Lombard in his fourth booke of Sentences. The coun­cill of Chalcedon, (wherein notwithstan­ding the earnest requests of Pope Leo the first, the second See was giuen to the Ci­tie Constantinople,) vseth also the same woordes: The fathers vpon good righte with one consent agreed, that the priui­ledge of the first See should belong vnto olde Rome, because of the Empire there, and wee also moued with the same con­sideration, agree that the second shalbe at new Rome. And in the 12. Act of the same council, the reasoning betwixt the bishop of Nice, & of Basianopolis, is grounded vpon the dignitie of the cities. And to cut of all [Page]such controuersies, this Canon was there passed: That these Cities onely shoulde be holden for Metropolitans, Concilium Taurin. cap. 8 to which Kings and Princes had done this honor by their statutes. And the Council of Thurin there addeth: That if the earthly superioritie were translated from one Citie to ano­ther, that then the right of the Archbisho­prick should be translated likewise. To be short, when the seate of the Empire was translated to newe Rome, that is to say, to Constantinople, we see that the Bishop of that place by & by tooke vnto himselfe the primacie, whereof they held euen as much as they coulde: and when that murtherer Phocas declared the Bishop of Rome to be head of al churches,Platina in vita Bonifa­cii. Platine saith plain­ly, that it was in consideration that Rome was the auncient seate of the Empire: whereon Constantinople was but the pil­lar, as others say, propter principalitatem vrbis, for the principalitie of the Citie. Be­holde then, that the pretended primacie of Rome, neyther proceeded from the ordi­nance of Christ, nor from the priuiledge of Peter, but from Romulus, and his succes­sors, who there erected an Empire, Non [Page]inquam a Petra, neque a Petro, sed a Saxo Tarpeio: 93. & 95. di­stinct. Hosti ensis in sum­ma de maio­ritate, & obed entia, & glossa in can Nouo & 2. q 7. puto Cardinal. Cusanus lib. 2. cap. 13. I say neither from the rocke, nor from Peter, but from the rocke of Tarpei­us, whereupon Rome was builded, the which their owne Canonists confesse, see­ing trueth giueth them hell for theyr re­wardes, Quod omnis maioritas & mino­ritas, etiam Papatus est de iure positiuo, that is to say, That all degrees both small and great, yea the popedome it selfe, they are from the positiue lavve, and of mans ordinance. I knowe very well, that they haue a decree of Pope Innocentius, which sayth, that it is not necessary to change the ecclesiasticall preheminence, according to the Ciuill: but this forsooth was at such a time, when the good man himselfe feared, least the Empire shoulde withdrawe all the honor into the East, and he thought it expedient (which thing also his successors did very well knowe and finde) to builde their greatnes & glory of the ruines of the Westerne Empire. And againe, the decree of one man is not to be preferred before so many Councils, seeing y^t (as some of them haue said) the decretals haue no authoritie, by the meere will of y^e Pope, that is to say, [Page]absolutely: but only so farre foorth, as they are agreeable to the Canons of the Coun­cils.Card. Cus. lib. 2. cap. 14. If they wyll yet alledge vnto me, that the constitutions & policies of the Church of Rome haue bin receiued by many other Churches, I wyll answere them no other­wise, then was answered by those profes­sors of diuinitie in Paris,Arti. Sorbo­nae Parisien. contra Papā Bonifaci. 8. three hundred yeeres passed, when there was controuer­sies betweene our kings & the Pope, & by Marsilius of Padua about y^e same time, the Pope making warre vpon the Empe­rors of Germany,Marsil Pa­tauinus in lib defensor pacis 2. par­te. cap. 18. which gaue boldnesse to the trueth to speake freely: to witte, that in the beginning men might be gouerned after it, because learning there florished: no otherwise then as the vniuersitie of Or­leans, or of Angers, oftentimes conforme themselues to that of Paris: as also y^e Ro­manes borrowed in deede their lawes from the twelue tables of the Grekes: And yet by vertue thereof, the Grekes shoulde not well ground to pretend themselues superi­ors to the Romanes, and likewise the Ro­manes, if therefore they should pretend to be superiors ouer other Bishops.

Nowe concerning y^e name Pope, which [Page]is giuen vnto him, they that haue read, know that it was common, not onely to al Bishops, but also euen to elders in all the auncient Church.Epist. Cypr. Dionis. Alex­ander. Hier. August. Greg. Sido­nii. Apol. Acta Conci­liorum. He that wil see this mat­ter more plaine, let him reade the Epistles of Saint Cyprian, of Saint Denis of A­lexandria, lib. 2. E­pist. 6.25. &c. of Saint Augustine, of Saint Hierome, of Sidonius Apollinaris, of Saint Gregorie himselfe, and the actes of the Councils, where men may finde them full. And in deede the Greekes call theyr Priests at this day (Papous) and the Ger­maines (Pfaff) which they that vnderstand the tongue,Suidas in dict. papas doe deriue from this name Papa, which after Suidas signifieth Fa­ther, in the language of y^e Sicilians. Now concerning the name Pontifex, Athanas. in prima orati­one contra Arrianos. Irenee called Saint Iohn the high Bishop, and Athanasius calleth all the Bishops by that name, and Ruffinus calleth Athanasius the great Bishop:Ruffinus lib. 1. cap. 26. and he that will reade the auncient Fathers, shall finde nothyng more often then this. Nowe if they will al­leadge their Cardinals,Gregor. E­pist. 15. & 77 & 79. lib. 1. & Grego. in Registro. lib. 4. they shall not finde one worde of them in the olde Church, vn­lesse in this signification: the Cardinall Priest, that is to say, a Bishop, or rather [Page]the Curate of some parish of the Bisho­prick, as in very deede all are at this day, ey­ther Curates or Deacons of some one or other parish of Rome. And in deede in the Councils they were set last, as in the sixt Councill of Carthage, and in the Councill of Gregory. Whatsoeuer it is, thei can say of it, it is certaine that Innocent the fourth, about the yeere of our Lorde, 1244. gaue vnto them the priuiledge of the red hatte, and scarlet robe, and to ride on horsebacke: and in the yeere 1470. Paul the seconde confirmed it, and Clemens the fift is gone so farre in his Clementines, that he cau­seth them to goe before all the princes of the earth. These inuentions then, were not found in the florishing state of the Church, but after that it became subiect to the am­bition of one man alone.

the grou [...] of y^e Pope. Chro. Mat­tini. Platin. in vi­ta Bonif. 3.We haue then founde, that the Pope of Rome hath beene declared head of the Church, a litle after 600 yeeres, not by the tradition of Christ, or of his Apostles, but by y^e treason of Phocas, not by any Coun­cill of the Church, but by the conspiracy of a seruant against his master, who to recon­cile himselfe with the people of Rome, or­dained [Page]his Bishop with that title, which Gregorie his predecessor had lefte for Antichrist, and the Pope on the other side proclaimed him selfe Emperour in steade of Mauritius, whom he had slaine. This goodly ordinance of Phocas was confirmed by a pettie Councill,Sigebertus in Chronic. which Boniface caused to be holden at Rome, when there were none present but the Latines, who desired no better. And afterwardes by another holden in Af­frike, in the yeere 642. when the Arabi­ans were turmoiled with many inuasions: whereupon they began to inscribe the let­ters of Pope Theodorus, To the holy fa­ther of fathers, and soueraigne prince of prelates, &c. and so we see by histories, from degree to degree, howe this monster hath growen euen to full height, frō which he must tumble downe headlong. The Emperours of Grece, who were then as banisht out of Italy, to keepe the Italians in obedience, they left vnto them the hand­ling of their affaires, in such sort notwith­standing, that they were constrained to confirme their election by the Emperour, and to date their wrytinges according to [Page]the indiction and yeere of their Empyre. But euen as the Emperors grewe weake by the enterprises of the Persians in the Easte,Sigon. lib. 2. de regno I­tali. Guicciardi­nus in Con­cionibus. so grewe the Pope strong in the West, so as about the yeere 680. Pope Benedict the second caused himselfe to be exempted from all the imperiall iurisdicti­on, by Constantine the fourth, called the Bearded. About that time beganne great strifes in the Greke and Latine Church a­bout Images, whereupon encreased super­stition together with ignorance. The Grekes were of minde to throw thē down: the Pope in despite of them woulde holde them vp. This strife much encreased his might: for vnder the shadowe hereof, he ex­communicated Leo Isauricus, called Chassimage, of breaking Images, and for­bade all the people of Italy, vpon paine of excommunication, to pay him any impost, that is to say, he chased the Emperour to Constantinople, and setteth himselfe in full libertie of all that quarter. And in deede then ceassed the Exarchates, that is, Dukedomes so called, that had endured sixe hundred yeeres, that were as the lieu­tenants of the Emperor in a part of Italy. [Page]The Emperors of Constantinople driuen away, the Lombards thereupō did inuade the kingdome of Italie. The Pope more feared them, then those whom he had dri­uen away, because that they were his more nie neighbours. At that time there gouer­ned in Fraunce the race of Martel, very desirous to aspire. The Pope therefore putteth himselfe into the protection of the Frenchmen, against the Lombards, and Pepin the sonne of Martel, he passeth into Italie with the powers of France, who vanquisheth them. The issue was, y^t Pope Zacharie in recōpence, dispenseth with the Frenchmen for theyr othe made to theyr natural prince Chilperick, who left the go­uernement to y^e Martels, more subtil then himselfe, and crowned Pepin chiefe of the palaces of the king of France, forbidding the princes and people of France, vpon paine of excommunication, to choose any other then of Pepins race. Contrariwise, Pepin giueth vnto him the dukedome or lieutenantship of Rauenna & Pentapolis, which contained 29. Cities,C. Adrianus d. 63. &c. Ego Ludoui. codem. onely reser­uing vnto himself the soueraigntie, and the power to choose the Popes, y^e which lawes [Page]were afterwardes released by Lewys, the sonne of Charles y^e great, although y^t some Emperours put them in practise after­wards, as the histories are ful thereof. And so likewise behold him the head of the spiri­tualtie, because he mainteyned y^e murtherer of his master and temporall Lord, because he crowned a subiect in the place of his na­tural prince: & this beginning of the tem­poraltie grewe vp by the controuersies of the houses of Aniou and Arragon in Ita­lie, and afterwardes of the Emperours of Germanie, and of the kings of Fraunce, till it came to that state wherein we nowe see it in these last times.

This was after the time that the key of knowledge, which Christ promised to S. Peter, was changed into y^e key of power, & the ecclesiastical censure was employed to excōmunicate all princes, peoples & king­domes which would not obey them, vntill they had left them for a pray, and cut them of from saluatiō, without acception of any persons. This was in that time, that these gaye interpretations were bred: That all povver vvas giuen to Christ by the father, asvvel in heauen as in earth: Therefore the [Page]Pope absolutely commandeth both one & other. Also God translateth kingdomes from one nation to another: Ergo, y^e Pope hath power to establish, and to put downe, as it seemeth good vnto him, whereupon Kings and Emperours of blinde zeale be­gan to kisse his feete,Lib. 7. decre­tal. de sen­tentia & re­iudicata. both present and by their letters, and to hold his stirrop. This was in that time also that Pope Boniface the eighth caused this to passe as an article of faith:Extraua­gant. Vnam Catholicam Ecclesiam. That the Pope is soueraigne both of the spiritualtie and temporaltie, shew­ing himselfe in a Iubilie, with a key in one hand, and a sword in another: that Pope Clement the fift his successour, not content to commaunde Kinges and Emperours,Clemens 5. in Clement. pastoralis. Idem in re­scripto. This wri­ting is kept ac Vi­enna in Dauphin, and in Ex­trauagant. cadem. tooke vpon him by an expresse Bull to cō ­maunde Angels, that they should execute his will. To be short, one hath concluded and decided at Rota, that is to say, in the Parliament of Popes at Rome, that God holdeth for wel done, all that is done of the Pope: that his will is the rule of all right and righteousnes: that he can absolutely do in this world all that God can do, see­ing he is all and aboue all thinges: That if he change his purpose,Decisiones Rotae. Baldus it is to be presumed [Page]that God changeth his: that when he sen­deth thousands of his brethren to hell,Franciscus de Ripa. Philippus Decius Ho­stiensis. Carolus de Ruiuo. Ioannes de Anania, & cap. distinct. 10. cap. Si Papa. none may therein reproue him: that his power extendeth it selfe to heauen and earth, yea and to hell: that none maye appeale from him to God: that he may ordeine against the epistles of Saint Paul, as greater then Saint Paul, and against the old Testa­ment, as greater then any authors thereof. And yet one man hath gone further, for one hath disputed whether he may ordeine any thing contrary to the Gospell: Whe­ther he haue not yet more power then S. Peter: Whether he were simplie a man, or as God. To be short, the deuil hath pas­sed so far in this mysterie of iniquitie,Erasmus in 1. epist. ad Tim. cap. 1. that one disputed in the schooles a litle before Luther came, and somewhat after, whe­ther the Pope participated not with both natures, the diuine & humane with Iesus Christ. And what could the deuil say more if he had come in the flesh to haue destroyed the Church: And yet notwithstanding the people do worship this monster, & the prin­ces of y^e earth do clap their hands at him, & destroy their kingdomes to serue his lust, & sacrifice yet euery day their poore subiects [Page]for a sacrifice of a sweete smelling sauor at his feete. Who would haue beleeued this, except the Spirite of God had foretold it: and who will beleeue it after vs, when the selfe same spirite shall haue destroyed him? But which is more marueilous, when the power of the bishop of Rome was intole­rable, he neuer durst alledge in the coun­cills, and in the face of the old Church, one only text of Scripture to groūd his supre­macy on. And now y^t it is so much beyond the bounds, that it spurneth y^e earth vnder feete thereof, that it threatneth heauen, that it aduaunceth it selfe so farre that it may be aboue God himselfe, they are so impudent and so shamelesse, (but so she must be that is an harlot) that they alledge S. Peters See, and the word of God, and the keyes which were promised to him, as though there were no more eyes in the world to reade, nor sense in men to iudge. Let them not therefore ground their tyrannie vpon this, (Dabo tibi, I wil giue thee) which Ie­sus Christ spake to S. Peter: For betwene the kingdome of Christ and the tyrannie of the Pope, there is no likenes or agreement. But rather, if they wil ground themselues [Page]vpon some text of Scripture, let them al­ledge y^t Tibi dabo, I will giue thee, which sathan vsed to Iesus Christ. I wil giue thee (saith hee) all the kingdomes which thou seest, if thou vvilt worship mee. That is for worshipping the deuil, they haue that they haue, and not for any other title they can alledge.

But I suppose, that nowe with the li­cence of all the Readers, I maye conclude by these proofes conteyned in these two chapiters, that which followeth: That the essentiall head of the Catholique Church is Iesus Christ our Lord: That vnder him all the Apostles were equal in dignitie and power: That after them the bishops are equall amongst themselues, & euery one in his Ministerie occupieth y^e place of Christ: That none may be the Ministeriall head of the Church: That the Pope of Rome can pretend this title, neither by Gods law nor mans: That y^e first roume that he had, was by reason of the dignitie of y^e citie, but that all that was more, was from the deuill and by vsurpation. Whereupon it followeth, that in regard of the ministerial head of the Church, he could not pretend to be lesse sub­iect [Page]to error, then other bishops and patri­arkes, neither the latine Church lesse then those of Greece & others of y^e East. And so we returne, notw^tstanding their exception, to our former cōclusion: That the articles grounded vpon the authoritie of the Pope and the church of Rome are ouerthrowne, and al their traditions & inuentions subiect to the examination of the holy Scripture, as are the doctrines of all other Churches.

That the Pope in affirming himselfe to be head of the Churche, and not being so in deede, is the Antichrist in the Church: and that he cannot be receiued vvith any o­ther, then the papistical doctrine. CHAP. IX.

THE Pope not being head of the Church, as he saith he is, and hauing no other titles to prooue this gene­rall Lieutenant shippe which he so proudly exerciseth, we saye that he is the plague of the whole body, a tyraunt in the common weale, & Antichrist in the church. And for to prooue this, I will not enter in­to the particular explication of those pre­dictions, which are in Daniel,Daniel. in y^e epistle [Page]to the Thessalonians, & in the Apocalypse,2. Thess. 2. Apoca. which in times past were darckened, but now are made cleere. For also many lear­ned men, not onely of our time, but 300. yeres agoe, haue made those bookes plaine amiddest the ignorance of y^e world, & cruel­tie of the Pope. But I saye, that although he were not so liuely painted out vnto vs, as he is in those foresaid places, yet his doc­trine ought to make vs knowe, that he is the very Antichrist, with whom y^e Church was threatned, and that there could not be in Christēdome any thing more pernicious then y^t doctrine which he hath brought in.

First, to take away al doubt, the Scrip­ture speaketh vnto vs of many Antichrists. For euery hereticke which setteth himselfe against the truth, he is in very deed an An­tichrist: but it speaketh vnto vs of one a­mongst others, who shall haue his seate in the Church of God, and shall vsurpe Gods place: who as Origen saith,Origen Ho­mil. 30. in Matt. must be y^e great Antichrist among other Antichrists. This is he of whom we haue now to speake.

Secondly when y^e Scripture speaketh of Antichrist, it saith, that it shalbe an Apo­stacie or a falling backe from the faith. Al­so, [Page]that that mysterie of iniquitie began to worke in Paul his time,2. Thess. 2. and that it should no otherwise be destroyed, but by the com­ming of Iesus Christ.Apoca. 13.15.16.17. Againe, that he must builde his greatnes, vpon the ruine of the Romane Empire, and giue life to that lost beast, that is to say, as all the auncient fa­thers haue expounded, to this Empire, and namely S. Augustine in the xx. booke of the citie of God:Aug. lib. 20. de ciuitate Dei, cap. 19. Chrysost. in epist. ad Thess. Ho. 2. & Chrysostome vpon that place, where S. Paul handleth this mat­ter. And we knowe that the Romane Em­pire fell by litle & litle, and peece by peece. It foloweth then that Antichrist is not one man alone, which must come at one instant of time, but is an estate, seat and succession of men, an Empire lifted vp against Iesus Christ: as we see the Scripture, vnder the name of certaine beastes, to describe Em­pires. And this also is the interpretation of S. Augustine vpon that place.

Thirdly, Antichrist is called that false prophet, vomiting out blasphemies against the most highest. His Empire therefore consisteth in false doctrine, & not in armes: he is called a woman & an whore: he shall therefore wind in himselfe, and come in by [Page]pleasaunt wayes, sleightes and flatteries, deceyuing men through his crafte, & draw­ing them to his spiritual whordome, which is idolatrie. He is also called the sonne of perdition, as Iudas. Againe, he shall not assayle the Church by open force, but he shall betray her with a kisse, and shall not enter by the breach, or by a strong scaling ladder, but by counterfaiting the keyes by painted Emblemes, and secretly like a thiefe. And in very deede the Empires which consisted in forces and armes, they are figured in the scriptures vnder y^e name of Wolues, Lyons, Beares, and such other rauening beastes, whereas for this, ye haue but women, whoredomes, cuppes, drinc­kings, enchantments, that is to say, de­ceipts, crafts, and subtilties: whereupon the schoolemen themselues haue conclu­ded, that this chiefe Antichrist, which is here described, can neither be Mahomet, nor the Empire of the Turkes.

Fourthly, he is properly called Anti­christ, and not Antithee, y^t is to say, contra­ry to Christ the Mediator, and not simply against God: therefore particularly he shal be against Christ Iesus our Lorde. And all [Page]the doctrine of Christ consisteth in the of­fice of the Mediatorship, & in the benefit of his death and passion. This then shall be the speciall doctrine that he will chiefely labour to abolish. It is oftentimes saide, that he shall sitte in the Church of God, be­ing there acknowledged as God. Nowe it is certaine, that if he shoulde say that he were Christ, or shoulde preach directly a­gainst Christ, the Church would not suf­fer this in the middest of her, nor suffer him to raigne.Apoc. 13.11. Mat. 7.15. 2. Cor. 11.14. It is likewise said, That he shall haue tvvo hornes like to the lambe, spea­king notvvithstanding as the Dragon, that is to say, he shall counterfaite the doc­trine and holinesse of Christ, although he speake nothing but impieties, as Satan doeth. It foloweth therefore, to make these markes to agree together, that it must be that Antichrist, of whom nowe the con­trouersie is, that he must speake in shewe as Christ, but in deede and in effect against Christ, and honoring him in wordes, and yet as much as lieth in him, robbing him of his glorie. And that he is the true Antichrist, of whom the question is, who vnder the shadowe of [Page]Christ, shall ouerthrowe his doctrine, and put him selfe in Christ his place, Saint Augustine handling this matter, doeth no otherwyse vnderstande it.August in Epist. Iohn. tract. 3. & 6. Let vs not regarde (saith he) the tongue, but the deede: Antichrist is a lyer, which ma­keth profession of Christ, and yet de­nieth him in effect. And a litle after, Howe sayest thou that I denye him in effect? Because Christ (sayth he) is come in the flesh, to the ende that he should die for vs. Chrysostome sayth,Chrysost. in Mat. Homil. 49. That he must be knowen by his doctrine, and neyther by titles, miracles, nor wordes of holinesse. Saint Hilary sayth,Hilar. ad Auxenti. That Antichrist shal­be contrary to Christ, vnder opinion of an hypocriticall and faigned godlinesse. And in another place, O ye fooles, who are mooued and rauished, and caught in loue with woordes, and gorgeous see­linges of Churches: Doe ye doubt, that this shall one day be the seate of Anti­christe? It behooueth vs nowe therefore to consider, who it is that sitteth in the Church, who speaketh more of Christ, and leaste esteemeth him, who more honoureth him with trayterous kysses, [Page]and blasphemeth more against his cōming, who in the chaire of Christ, is more against Christ: for this same vndoubtly is the true Antichrist.

Let vs begin at the person of the Pope. Christ hath declared that his kingdome was not of this world,The doc­trine of the Pope, and the doc­trine of Antichrist. that he fledde, when they would haue made him a kyng, that he rendred obedience euen vnto the least ma­gistrates, and commaunded all those that were his, to doe after his example. Con­trariwise the Pope sayth, that he is king of the whole earth, disposeth of all Empyres, treadeth Emperors vnder his feete, bur­neth with fyre, and condemneth to hell all those that wyll not acknowledge him for such a one. And all this, because Christ hath said, Al power is giuen to me of the father, aswell in heauen as in earth: I aske of any one, what similitude and likenes there is betweene these two, and if this be not, in alleadging Iesus Christ, to mocke Christ himselfe? Againe, Christ being God, and the sonne of the eternall God, vouchsafed to abase himselfe lower then Angels, and vnder men themselues to worke the sal­uation of the worlde: and a man quite [Page]contrary lyfteth vp himselfe aboue kyngs, and aboue the Angels, and aboue the hea­uens of heauens, and hath caused men to dispute, that he is not simply a man, but a partaker of the diuine nature with Christ, and that he hath the fountaine and roote of the spirite of Christ in him. To be short, whereas Christ submitted himselfe vnder heauen, earth and hell, he will commaund Kings, Angels and deuils: and all this, vnder colour of the key of the word, which Christ hath deliuered to his ministers. I aske, God being made man for the saluati­on of the worlde, howe it can be, that this man, which maketh himselfe God, shoulde be any other, then that sonne of perdition, come for the perdition of the worlde?

But we must see, howe he hath asmuch as laye in him, made voide the comming of the Messiah, the crosse of Christ, and the saluation we haue by the same. We feele in our selues, that man continually doeth nothyng but offend God, and that it is as possible for vs, of our own nature, to keepe our selues therefrom, as to stay our pulse, or to holde in the winde of our breath. These offences also are so infinite, being [Page]and blasphemeth more against his cōming, who in the chaire of Christ, is more against Christ: for this same vndoubtly is the true Antichrist.

Let vs begin at the person of the Pope. Christ hath declared that his kingdome was not of this world,The doc­trine of the Pope, and the doc­trine of Antichrist. that he fledde, when they would haue made him a kyng, that he rendred obedience euen vnto the least ma­gistrates, and commaunded all those that were his, to doe after his example. Con­trariwise the Pope sayth, that he is king of the whole earth, disposeth of all Empyres, treadeth Emperors vnder his feete, bur­neth with fyre, and condemneth to hell all those that wyll not acknowledge him for such a one. And all this, because Christ hath said, Al power is giuen to me of the father, aswell in heauen as in earth: I aske of any one, what similitude and likenes there is betweene these two, and if this be not, in alleadging Iesus Christ, to mocke Christ himselfe? Againe, Christ being God, and the sonne of the eternall God, vouchsafed to abase himselfe lower then Angels, and vnder men themselues to worke the sal­uation of the worlde: and a man quite [Page]contrary lyfteth vp himselfe aboue kyngs, and aboue the Angels, and aboue the hea­uens of heauens, and hath caused men to dispute, that he is not simply a man, but a partaker of the diuine nature with Christ, and that he hath the fountaine and roote of the spirite of Christ in him. To be short, whereas Christ submitted himselfe vnder heauen, earth and hell, he will commaund Kings, Angels and deuils: and all this, vnder colour of the key of the word, which Christ hath deliuered to his ministers. I aske, God being made man for the saluati­on of the worlde, howe it can be, that this man, which maketh himselfe God, shoulde be any other, then that sonne of perdition, come for the perdition of the worlde?

But we must see, howe he hath asmuch as laye in him, made voide the comming of the Messiah, the crosse of Christ, and the saluation we haue by the same. We feele in our selues, that man continually doeth nothyng but offend God, and that it is as possible for vs, of our own nature, to keepe our selues therefrom, as to stay our pulse, or to holde in the winde of our breath. These offences also are so infinite, being [Page]committed against him which is infinite, that they deserue an infinite punishment, whereto all the men in the world together are not able to satisfie. It must needes be therefore, that the sonne of God in person must descend from heauen, to satisfie by his infinite merite, for our infinite demerites: and not one man coulde euer hope for the mercie of the Father, if his iustice had not bene executed vpon his owne sonne. This is that which all the holy Scripture tea­cheth vs, that Christ was sent for the salua­tion of the worlde: that he is the onely and alone Sauiour thereof: that he was slaine from the beginning of the worlde, for the saluation of those that beleeue in him, &c. And this is it wherein consisteth all the be­nefite of the comming of Christ, and all the treasure of the Church. But see howe this good gouernour of the Church dis­penseth with this: First of all he hath bu­ried the scripture in forgetfulnesse, forbid­ding the readyng thereof vnto the people, leauing them nothing but Rosaires, Le­gends of Saints, and such other baggage, that is to say, asmuch as lyeth in him, he hath put out the light, to the ende that his [Page]illusions might be the more of force a­middest the darkenesse. And we haue seene many burned, onely and simply for ha­uing read it. Moreouer, whereas the lawe was giuen to conuince a man of sinne, and the Gospel to teache him the remedie in Christ, the Popes doctors haue taught, that a man, as he is of his owne nature, can loue God aboue all thinges: that it is possible for him to fulfill the lawe: and that at the first, man was saued by keeping the naturall law, afterwards by fulfylling the lawe of Moses, & now Christians by kee­ping the Gospel. If it be so, what shall be­come of that S. Paul sayth, That the law engendreth sinne: that it is come vpon vs, Galat. 3.19 Rom. 3.20. & 5.2. & 7.7. to multiplie transgressions? &c. Also what shal the Gospel haue aboue y^e law? Christ aboue the shadowes? And wherefore shall not his cōming change y^e lawe into grace? Nowe to turne away the people from theyr Physition, there is no shorter and readier meane, then to perswade them that they are whole, or if they felt in any sort theyr disease, that they might cure them selues without any Physition. This is that, from whēce are sprung these [Page]goodly pharisaicall propositions:Fr. Asotus in Catholic. sidei asser­tione. that all the acte of charitie, absolutely deserueth euerlastyng lyfe: that a man may worke his owne saluation in this world, and these gay distinctions, de congruo, & de condig­no, of congruence, and condignitie, which altogether destroy the comming of y^e Mes­siah. And they haue gone so farre, that the more deuout sort bought the merites of Fryers, and Monkes, which they called workes of supererogation, that is to say, that these Fryers had ynough to merite Paradise: so as a man might not onely of himselfe be saued, but he myght buye his saluation by the workes of another.

And yet notwithstandyng all this, sinne is in such sort engrauen in man, that it is felt in those that are most blockish, and therefore the most part seeke yet the Phy­sition, and can neuer content themselues with it. But behold an other craft of Anti­christ, to abolish the comming of the Messi­ah: whereas they should onely be directed to Christ the onely Physition for sinners, he directeth them to men, and by litle and litle (so well he acquiteth himselfe) they are altogether directed to himselfe. [Page]Iesus Christ sayeth vnto all, Call vpon me. He stretcheth out his armes to euery one, he preuenteth vs with his mercie, he draweth vs to him selfe, as it were by strong hande. In stead of shewing vs him, the Pope sendeth vs to the virgine Marie and to Saynts, and to their merites, as though all they together, in all their lyfe, could deserue any thing but death, or hope for any thing after their death but hel fire, without the death of Iesus Christ our Lorde. To this ende, so shamelesse they were in this kingdome of darknesse, that they corrupted the firste promise which God made to our Fathers concerning Christ to come,Genes. [...]. which should bruse the head of the Serpent, transferring it to the virgine Marie. Also they attributed and applied to her al y^t which is spoken of the Father and the Sonne in Dauids Psal­ter: In te domina speraui. Miserere mei Domina. Dixit dominus dominae meae, Sede mater mea a dextris meis &c. In thee haue I trusted O Lady. Haue mercy vpon me, O Lady. The Lorde hath sayd to my Lady, Sitte, my mother, at my right [Page]hand &c. In such sorte, that these blasphe­mies, which they called, Our Ladyes houres, were the chiefe deuotion of those that were most deuout. Howe seeing the virgine Marie was put in Christe his place, I aske what remayned for him? And if for bringing foorth a childe, shee had accomplished the saluation of those that call vpon her, why then, what neede was there that he should deliuer him­selfe to death for vs? From the selfe same roote sprong the fourteene Saints, that we must call vpon in the time of our necessitie, the patrones of eche pro­fession, the Physitions for euery disease, that we must woorship by vowes, Pil­grimages and Offrings, and their Ima­ges with censinges, payntings, and all kyndes of woorshppinges, so that the Church of Rome had goddes, not as the Iewish Church had,Iere. 2.18. according to the nomber of their Citties, but almost ac­cording to the nomber of their citizens. Whereupon the saluation of the worlde was parted amongst so many persons, that the worlde knewe nothing of the [Page]onely saluation (I saye) of him, who by his death had purchased lyfe for vs, to witte, of Iesus Christe our Lorde. To helpe sinnes which are the diseases of the soule, we had the merites of Sayntes both quicke and dead, whereof a great nomber (as Saynt Augustine sayeth) is in hell, or at least were in daunger to be there. For remedy agaynst daun­gers of the bodye, as sickenesses, losses, fyre, shipwrackes, stripes, woundes, prysons, wee had Sayntes to looke to euery of these, as had the Paynims, one onely thing remayned to our Sautour, That in the conclusion of prayer, hee was by custome named without anie thinking vpon him, as it were in the stile of a notarie. What shall wee saye more of the abominable impietie, that the popedome had brought in amongst Christians: He founde out for vs a Saynt Frauncis,Flosculi be­ati Frācisci. Conformi­tates Frācis­ci. Vinea S. Francisci. Thom. lib. 4. distinct. 4. articul. 3. as it were a newe Christe, of whom menne haue taught these opinions, bothe by preachyng and imprinted bookes sette foorth by their priuiledge: That hee coulde saue [Page]all men that shall liue after him to the end of the worlde, through his merits, from euerlasting death: That he that shal take the habite or apparel of Saint Frauncis,Barnardinus in Rosario Floscuit be­ati Frācisci. hath the same vertue as to be clothed with Christ through Baptisme: That to die, or to be buried in his habite, deliuereth from the paynes of purgatorie. To be short, cō ­paring Iesus Christ with him, they make him in all things farre inferiour. And to the ende women should not haue lesse pri­uiledge then men, they haue taught that the virgine Marie, by the merite of her virginitie, might saue all women that should put their trust in her, and that Saynt Claire came at the same time that Saynt Frauncis did, to saue all those that should call vpon her, to the ende of the worlde. And what would haue bene y^e ende of these blasphemies, if men had not resisted them? Do we thinke there would haue bene any mention of Christ in our dayes: I doe not tell you any fables. The bookes that men made foure hundred or fiue hundred yeeres agoe, are full of such like doctrine, which hitherto they dare not disalowe. These were the readings [Page]of the schooles, and of the most notable chaires, when Luther beganne to reueyle Antichrist. And yet further, beholde the absolution they gaue to their penitentia­ries: The passion of Christ, and the me­rits of the blessed virgine Marie, of Saynt Peter, of Saynt Paul, and of other hee Sayntes, and shee Saintes of paradise, be vnto thee in remission of thy sinnes: wher­by the Franciscane Fryers do insepara­bly ioyne Saynt Frauncis with Iesus Christ. See then howe the Popes, con­trarie to the worde of God, and vniforme doctrine of all the auncient Fathers, haue taught the people, the remission of their sinnes in Iesus Christ alone, and him crucified, who notwithstanding is so suffi­cient for our saluation, that Saint Paul sayd, he neither knewe, nor would knowe any other thing.

But as the Pope and his supporters had turned away the people from Christ, to the virgine Marie, and from the vir­gine Marie, to the Apostles, and from the Apostles, to olde Sayntes, and from the olde Sayntes to newe, whom they haue canonized according to their fantasie, and [Page]after to their Temples, Chappels, Se­pulchres, Bones, Relikes and Images: Finally, they haue gone so farre astraye, that by litle and litle, he drewe all to him­selfe, and by processe of time, wholly put him selfe in the place of Iesus Christ our Lorde. The bloud of Iesus Christ, shed vpon the tree of the Crosse, is the satis­faction for the sinnes of all those that be­leeue in him. This is the onely marke of all the olde and newe Testament. But the Pope, the contemner of all religi­on, bare the worlde in hande, that he was the treasourer of this great raunsome payde for our sinnes: And that to be par­taker thereof, we must come vnto him: And he will distribute this benefite to whom he thinketh good. And thereupon euery man began to bye saluation of him, which the onely bloud of Iesus Christ had purchased for vs, and no other thing could purchase it. If thou hadst commit­ted all the faultes in the worlde, thou mightest haue had recourse to the Popes pardones and indulgences. All offences, euen to murthers, incestes, Sodomitries, were taxed, and set at a certaine summe of [Page]money, and paying that, the Pope would giue you full remission thereof. This par­don was ratified and deliuered to him that would giue most, and the booke of taxes doth confirme it, which was imprinted by their owne consent, before the light of the Gospell was made cleare agayne in these last ages. These indulgences they solde first to certaine persons, and after to families, and afterwardes to townes: And after, they were sold to common wealths and whole kingdomes, without excepti­on of any persons, yea, for the terme of foure thousande yeeres of true pardon. The doctrine of Christ was: He that shall beleeue in me, shall haue remission of sinnes. That of the Popes: Hee that shall giue mee money, there shall be no hell for him. If he had any enemy, he sent him to hell bounde hande and foote, yea, whole kingdomes and nations. If you desired paradise, he commaunded the Angelles to carry you thither, and all your parentes and friendes,Bulla Cle­mentis quae exat Vien­nae. as ap­peareth by the Bull of Clement the fift, for the knightes of the order of S. Iohn [Page]at Hierusalem. If any feared purgatorie, hauing committed all the mischiefes in the worlde, yea hauing lien with the vir­gin Marie, as the preachers of the par­dons in Germany say, assoone as one hath cast siluer into the basen, their soules were by and by set at libertie therefrō.Tikelius in­dulgentia­rius in libel­lo. Yea they came so farre, and the bookes of y^e Popes doctors doe seale it, that one disputed in the schooles, that the Pope had power vt­terly to abolish, and to quenche the fyre of purgatory: yea more: that the Pope was more mercifull then Iesus Christ, seeing we reade not in the scripture, y^t he deliue­red any person from the paines of purga­torie, whereas the Pope through his mer­cie, deliuereth euerie daye an infinit num­ber out of it. They that yet cleaue vnto him, if they reade this, they will won­der and hardly be brought to beleeue this, because that after Antichrist was opened to the worlde, he hath endeuoured to hyde his hornes.Eras. in epist. ad Timot. cap. 1. But the learned haue read and maye reade, and those that are aged haue seene, and the bookes are yet extant and in vse, that euerie one may see. Yea, but some will saye, In the middest [Page]of Poperie men haue alwaies beleeued the true God, and they haue alwayes taught that Iesus Christ is God, the eternal sonne of God, and the doctrine of the Trinitie was alwaies amongst them entire & sound &c. Ha, I pray you what auaileth it a sinner to knowe that there is one God a ryghte­ous iudge, but alwayes to feele a hel: And what shall it auaile him that knoweth that Christe the sonne of God, came into the worlde to conuince it of sinne, vnlesse he knowe likewise, that through his death he hath deliuered all those that beleeue in him from euerlasting death, and that he hath ouercome the Deuill and abolished hell for him: The onely ende of the com­ming of Christ, was the office of the me­diatourship betwixt Gods ryghteousnesse and mens sinnes. And he that taketh to him selfe, or transferreth to any other, the office of this mediation, he abolisheth the commyng of Christe. Nowe I de­maunde who this is, but he that is crow­ned with the triple crowne, worshipped of Kyngs and Princes, that openeth hea­uen, and shutteth hell, that kyndleth, and quencheth purgatorie as he thinkes [Page]good: But let vs goe further. Iesus Christ hath left vnto vs two Sacraments, for the badges and markes of his. The Pope will haue his Sacramēts & markes apart & by himself, and in greater number. And to the ende that his may be more e­stemed then Christes, he hath prophaned them with all kinde of prophanations. We holde baptisme as an entraunce into the couenaunt of God.Thomas lib. 4. distinct. 4. Artic. [...]. Barnard. in Rosario. He hath applyed it to Belles in mockery, and hath enwrapped it with infinit superstitions. But which is more, to aduaunce himselfe aboue Christ, he hath taught by his Doctors, that the same grace which descendeth vpon him that is baptized, descendeth also vpon him which taketh a monkes habite. That this habite giues him full remission both from the trespas and punishment of all his for­mer sinnes, which is more then that of originall sinne: and that so often, as there commeth vnto him, but an instinct or purpose alwayes to continue in this ha­bite, it is to him as a newe baptisme. Concerning the supper, which is the com­munion of the body and blood of Christ, he hath taken the one halfe from the people, [Page]contrary to y^e expresse institutiō of Christ, & the continuall vsage of the Church, for the space of a thousand yeeres: He hath taught that he may change & abolishe the Sacra­ments of Christ, & institute newe, & he hath turned the Supper of our Lorde into such abominable idolatrie, as amongst the Pai­nims & Heathen was neuer seene the like. After new mediatours, a new Christ, new Sacramentes, what remayneth there fur­ther, but a new Gospel?Euang. Cy­ril. Anno. 1192. Nowe about the yeere one thousand, one hundred, nynetie and two, they made a newe Gospel, vnder the name of a Carmelite named Cyrillus, by the which they taught, That God the fa­ther gouerned in the time of the law, & the Sonne in the time of grace: but now by y^e cōming of the foure orders of mendicants or begging friers, the holy Ghost began to reigne, & should reigne til y^e end of y^e world, and that they onely which beleeued this newe Gospel, shoulde be saued. And had not the LORD by his infinite mer­cie, stirred vp the Waldenses and certayne other good people to resist this monster, no doubt there had not bin any more men­tiō of Christ in the world. I omit a thousād [Page]other false doctrines, which men may reade else where, onely contenting my selfe, to haue shewed that the Pope hath turned Christians away from Christe, asmuch as he coulde for his life, and abolished the fruite of his comming, which is the proper and peculiar office of Antichrist. Now if so be it the Christiā Church be not otherwise ioyned with Christ, then by his office of mediation, as the body is to the head by the necke, what could Antichrist do more, then to take the Church by the throte, & stran­gle it? Concerning y^e Iewes & y^e Turkes, wherof the one sort for hauing bin so long without Prophets, and the other for the ri­diculous and foolish doctrine of their Alco­ran, might haue bene conuerted to y^e true Christ: they haue seene such impietie in Popes, and in their courts: such con­tempt of religion among them of theyr owne coate, and such outragious Idola­trie amongst Christians, that both the one and the other, among whome nothing is more expressely forbidden, then Idolatrie, haue had thereby Christiā religion in great detestation, & one sort of thē be stiffe in Iu­daisme, & the other perswade thē selues, y^t [Page]all religion is nothing else but an instru­ment of policie. I aske then for conclusion, for what worse we shoulde looke from An­tichrist, thē to make Christ vnprofitable to Christians, & abhominable to Iewes and Painims? shall we waite til he preach A­theisme, and godlesnesse in Temples? yea, but they which see but the sunne & moone, and the order of all thinges, will spit in his face. What then? till he preach the gods of the Romanes? And what difference shal we make betweene the worship of Castor and Pollux, & that of Saint Ratherin and of Saint Nicholas, seeing that both the one & the other, maketh vs quite to forget our saluation? And forasmuch as he hath left preaching in the Temple, of which it must needes be y^t he tooke possession: it fo­loweth therefore y^t the Pope, & none other is Antichrist, who vnder y^e name of Christ, hath spoyled Christ of his place.

Nowe adde vnto his doctrine,August. [...] ciuitate [...]. lib. 18. cap. 2. Hierorym. ad Marcel­lam in prae­fat. lib. de sancto spir [...] ­tu. Card. Cusa [...]. lib. 2. cap. vltimo. which is the essentiall marke, the circumstances of persons, Simoniakes, Magicians, A­theists, whoremasters and Sodomites: of the place where Antichrist should be, to wit, in y^e citie with seuen hilles, described in the [Page]Apocalypse, of the times of sixe hundreth sixtie sixe, which falleth out iustly to the time that the Pope made himselfe to be ac­knowledged for vniuersal Bishop, exempt from the subiection of any other, and there can remaine no more doubt, y^t this shoulde not be he.

That the Pope is Antichrist euen by y^e auncient fathers.Nowe if any man would yet demaunde testimonies of the auncient fathers from tyme to tyme, first we haue this, that all the doctrine of the olde Church, is expresse­ly contrarie to the doctrine of the Popes, which we haue before mentioned, they not beyng able anye maner of way, to staye or settle them selues thereon. And concernyng the markes, although they spoke of them afarre of, yet they drawe so nye thereto, that those which they delyuer vnto vs, to knowe hym by, cannot be vnderstoode of any other then of him alone.

Saint Irenee,Ireneus lib. 3. who is a most auncient doctor of the Church, the scholler of Po­lycarpe, and Polycarpe of Saint Iohn, who wrote the Apocalypse, disputing of Antichrist, sawe him no where else, but in the Citie of Rome, and in the Romishe [Page]Church. For namely (he saith) that the latine Church shoulde be his seate, and that he proueth after the opinion of his predecessours by the nomber of 666. men­tioned in the Apocalypse,Apoca. 13. which was foūd in these wordes ( [...]) and ( [...]) that is to say, latine, and the la­tine Church. I alledge not this to play the Cabalist vpon letters, but to shew that then they sawe, that this monster must be borne at Rome, which we see at this daye through the speciall grace of GOD, to decaye and totter. Saint Chrysostome vpon the Epistle to the Thessalonians: Towardes the declyning or decaying (saith he) of the Romane Empire, Chrysost. in epist. ad Thessalo. hom. 2. Anti­christ shall come, and not without cause. For this Empire beyng so renoumed, none will easely be subiect vnto it. But this being destroyed, hee shall inuade the power of the Empire being voyde, and shall take it to hym selfe, in so­much as hee wyll take vppon hym the Empire both of God and men: For as all kyngdomes which were before the Romane Empire, were destroyed: euen so [Page]shal the kingdome of the Romanes be de­stroyed by Antichrist, and he by Christe, & after that he shall haue no more power. Homil. 49. in Mat. cap. 24. The same teacheth, that he shall cōe vnder the visard of holines, and of myracles, of su­perstitions, & counterfet godlinesse. Now I reporte me to all that haue read histo­ries, if the Pope haue not growen and come to it, by the ruine of the Romane Empire, and if it were by any other way, then fayned religion. Saint Hylary: Take heede (sayth he) of Antichrist. Hylarius ad Auxentium. It is a vilennie, that you should be so mad at the walles. You abuse your selues in reueren­cing goodly buyldyngs, for the Church of God: For that is the place where Anti­christ shall haue his seate. It must not therefore be, that we search for him, as some suppose, amongest the Barbarous, but in the most cleare and manifest place of the visible Church.Hieronymus in prefat. lib. De sancto spiritu. Saint Hierome the Minister writing vnto Marcella: This Babylon (saith he) and this vvhore clothed vvith Purple, vvhich is paynted foorth vnto vs in the Apocalypse, can signifie no other thing vnto vs, but Rome: and he repeateth the same in the lyfe of Saint [Page]Marke: and Cusan the Cardinall addeth:Cusan Card. lib. 2. de cō ­cordia Ca­tholica. cap. vltimo. August. lib. 18. De Ciui­tate dei. ca. 2. & lib. 20. cap. 19. That Bede and all the auncient interpre­ters haue so expounded it. Saynt Augu­stine: Babylon is the first Rome, & Rome the second Babylon. Also, expoūding that place of Saint Paul in the second to the Thessalonians: Antichrist shall come to­wardes the ending of the Romane Em­pire, and he shall not be a prince or one man alone, but a multitude of men are belonging vnto him, who together with him shalbe called Antichrist, and he shall sitte in the Temple of God, as though he and his were the Church of God it selfe. Idem lib. de Antichristo. And in another place: He shall renewe I­dolatrie, he shall scatter the doctrine of the Gospell, and to this ende he shal keepe Magicians, Coniurers, and Enchaunt­ters, &c. Nowe euery one knoweth the false miracles, wherewith he hath abused y^e people, to lead them away frō Christ. And he that will see howe many of the Popes came to their popedome by magicke and sorcerie, that is to saye, howe they were created by the deuill, and no more succes­sours of Peter, but of Simon the Magi­cian: Let them reade that which their [Page]owne story wryters haue written thereof: as Cardinall Benno,In vitis Gre­gorij 7. Ioan­nis 19. & Syl­uest. 2. &c. Peter y^e Praemon­stratensis. Monke, Volateran, Sabellicus and Platina, which I willingly omitte, least I make the readers quake for horror of such wic­kednesse. Saynt Gregorie Byshop of Rome, as hee was more neere vnto it then others, so hath he spoken therof more clearely then those that went before him. Let it not seeme a light thing (sayeth he) vnto thee, Gregor. lib. 16. Epist. 30. ad Mauritiū Imperatorē. that Antichrist shall auouche himselfe to be God: For I say confident­lye and boldely vnto you, that vvhosoe­uer shall call himselfe vniuersall Bishoppe or Minister, and vvilbe so called, hee is the very forerūner of Antichrist. Item Epist. 78. lib. 4. & Epist. 83. &c. In other places he sayth, That he is Lucifer, vvhich aduaunceth himselfe aboue Angels, and vvill sette himselfe at the right hande of God: That this is to bring to ruine the vvhole Church &c. Nowe he spake this the more frankely, because it was at that time that the Byshoppe of Constantino­ple attributed vnto himselfe that title. But beholde that a litle after his death, his vni­uersall foretelling was accomplished in the person of Pope Boniface the thirde, [Page]his successour, who, to accomplishe that, that the Spirite of God had foretolde vs by his Apostles, doth so much preuaile by his threatninges, that he obtayneth that title of Phocas the Emperour, the mur­therer of Mauritius and his children, and the Popes following, haue buylded thereupon alwayes after. Agaynst this open Apostasie, then all the Churches of Greece, Dace, Illyricum &c. did oppose themselues, euen to the accusing of Pope Symmachus before Theodoricus the king of the Gothes, for that he vaunted himselfe not to be subiect to the repre­hension of any. Spayne and Englande also were a long time without receyuing the legates of Rome. One Claudius By­shop of Thurine, in the time of Charles the great, wrote very learnedly agaynst the Popes Supremacie, and agaynst his doctrine: yea, about the reygne of Hugh Capet,Concilium Rhemense sub Capeto. there was a Councill helde at Rheims, which denyed vnto him al obedience, and pronounced him to bee Antichrist. But finally, as it was bredde of the superfluous and euill humoures [Page]of the Church, so it was skilfull to nou­rishe it selfe of the factions, enmities and diuisions of Christendome, that one in des­pite of other, haue suffered all to goe to wracke.

Bernard in Cantic. Can­tic. serm. 33. & 77. In all his Epistles to Henry the Bishop of Sons.Nowe if wee shall reade that which Saynt Bernard wrote of the state of the Church in his time, about the yere of our Lorde 1140. aswell in his Epistles, as in his bookes of considerations to Pope Eugenius, they are nothing but lamen­tations of the ruine of the Church, like to those of Ieremie, of the Church vnder the captiuitie of Babylon, or thundringes a­gainst y^e tyranny of Antichrist, who shewed him selfe in his time. He sayeth, That the Popes Court is a parke of deuils: That they vsurpe an vnlawfull and an intolera­ble authoritie: That there was not any more shewe of Peters succession: That the Bishops of his time, were marchantes en­riched with the riches of the vvhore: That in steade of keeping the spouse of Christ, they made port sale of her, and prostitu­ted and layde her open to all the lechers of the world, to commit fornication vvith her. And a litle after, hauing sayde vpon [Page]the 91. Psalme,Item super Psal. 91. That Antichrist shall haue his seat in the South part, he addeth: What differeth then the estate of our Church, from that same pestilēt estate which wal­keth in darkenes? What differeth it more from the seate of Antichrist? Therefore yours (sayth he) is in very deede the state of Antichrist. He made three expresse Sa­tyres agaynst the Pope & court of Rome: and he that would alledge al that is writtē to that end, he must here put in his whole bookes. Nowe after the manifest Aposta­sie and falling awaye of the popedome, the Church of Rome hath not brought forth so excellent a man as he was.

Francis Pe­trarcha in E­pist. Epist. 5.14.17.18.19. &c.Frauncis Petrarch the Archdeacon of Parma, and a Chanon of Padua, lyued a­bout the yeere 1350. whom we may call, in al kinde of good learning, The light of his age. But I wil not say howe he deci­freth out y^e court of Rome in his Sonets, vnder y^e name of Babylō, calling it whore, the schoole of error, and the Temple of heresie: for some will saye, that much is permitted to poetrie: but I beseeche the readers to reade his latine Epistles, which are full of grauitie, zeale and doctrine. He [Page]sayth there in plaine termes, That in the Pope and his shauelings, there is ney­ther fayth, godlinesse nor trueth: That the Popes chaire, is the chaire of lying: That this is a falling awaye of a people, which vnder the banner of Christ rebell against Christe, and fight for Satan: That they esteeme the Gospel but for fables, and the promises of the life to come, for dreames. He compareth the Pope to Iu­das, who betrayed Iesus Christe with a kisse: and his clergie to the Iewes, which sayd vnto him, Aue Rex Iudaeorū, Al haile king of the Iewes: his prelates to the Pha­risies, who in mockerye clothed him with purple, and afterwardes crucified him in the moūt of Caluery. And after he sayth: Denie it nowe if thou canst, that thou art she which the holy Euangelist Iohn sawe in the spirit, set downe vpō the great waters. Thou art, & none other, that Babylon, the mother of the whoredomes of the earth: Thou art drunken vvith the bloud of the Martyrs of Iesus. Thou art she vvhich hast made all the kings of the earth drūken vvith the Cuppe of thy poy­son. If thou deny it, shew vs some other, to [Page]vvhom these thinges maye better agree: If thou canst not, then vvayte for that to fall vpō thine ovvne head, vvhich Iohn the Euāgelist addeth a litle after: She is fallen, Babylon the great, and is made an habita­tion of deuils &c. But what do I say, Wayt for it? Yea: thou hast it already. For hovv much better is the sonne of perdition, then the deuill? Thou art in very deed a king­dome of deuils, vvhich reigne in the midst of thee in mans shape. And in another place, Let it not (my friend) euer grieue thee, to returne from these princes of darkenesse. And in deede, vvhat vvouldest thou see in the Court of Rome? Christ in exile? Antichrist reigning in his stead? Beelzebub the iudge? Woolues let loose? The Lambes in the stockes? Ah good God, vvho shall deliuer the vvorlde from this oppression? Who shall gather toge­ther the sheepe? Who shall vanquishe these vvicked Pastors? Shall there neuer be a limitation and end of this intolera­ble mischiefe? Now when there was such that durst crye so lowde, wee may be sure, that there were many more that lamented [Page]in their heartes. To be short, the most no­table spirits that the worlde brought forth, in the most ignorant ages, and in the grea­test thicknes of darkenes, they perceyued this, some more clerely, and others as it were through a clowde, vnlesse it were some such as ambition and glorie of the worlde had blynded: Insomuch that when abomination was come to his full toppe, God raysed vp Iohn Hus, Hierome of Prage, Wickliefe, Luther and others, which haue so lowdly published and pro­claymed it, that all the worlde doth vn­derstād it. And what will we more: With leaue of those good Fathers of the Coun­cill not long agoe holden at Trent, we may make this Syllogisme.

Whosoeuer wilbe called the vniuersal Bishop, he is the forerunner of Antichrist, the father of the sonne of pryde, and a ve­ry Lucifer, saith Saint Gregory y^e Pope, and principall Doctor of the Church of Rome.

But Boniface the thirde his successour, tooke this title, they which followed him, haue continued it, and haue encreased it more & more. And the Councill of Trent [Page]excommunicateth all those, that will not acknowledge him for vniuersall Byshop.

Ergo the Pope is Antichrist, and al they are holden for excommunicate by the Councill of Trent, that doe not acknow­ledge him for Antichrist.

Yea, but the clergie of Rome wil say, If the Pope were the Antichrist, whereof the Church was before threatned, we which are the Church, shoulde haue knowen him. Contrarywise, I say vnto you, that if you had knowen him for Antichrist, he had not bene Antichrist. This is that which the Pharises saide when Christ came: If this were Christ, who shoulde knowe him bet­ter then we: We haue the Church, we haue the Scriptures: we are the interpre­ters therof: We are the eyes of the people: It cannot escape vs, that we shoulde not knowe it. And yet in meane time the counsel of Hierusalem condemned & cruci­fied the Messiah for a deceiuer, & the great Rabbies and Masters, with an infinit nom­ber of the people, a little while after, follo­wed y^t same miserable Barcosba to ruine & destruction, and acknowledged him for the true Messiah. To y^e end (saith our sauiour) [Page]that the worde of Isai the Prophet might be fulfilled:Isai. 53.10. Isai. 6.9. Ioh. 12.40. Who hath beleeued our word? and to whom hath thine arme bene mani­fested? They haue eyes but they see not. They haue eares but they vnderstand not. The Lorde hath blynded their eyes, and hardened their heart &c. And nowe I say vnto you, that the selfe same is come vp­on you, vpon you (I say) who boast of the name of the Church, in the knowledge of Antichrist. For he is come with all the signes & wonders, that the spirite of God hath foreshewed vnto vs, in y^e same place, at the same time, by y^e same way, & in the same apparell. There is nothing that doth not agree vnto him, neyther that can agree to any other, but to him. In meane time the Church, that is to say, the Romane clergie, haue receiued him for their Spouse. The Council of Trent haue declared him to be God in earth, excommunicating al those y^t wil not cleaue vnto him: and the princes of the earth haue lent him their armes to per­secute, and to murther those who woulde make him knowen to the worlde. And wherfore? Because this word of God must be fulfilled, which he hath spoken by the [Page]mouth of his Apostles:2. Thes. 2. Apoca. 14. &. 18. He shall sit in the Temple of God, boasting himselfe as if he were God. He shal make drūk al the kings of the earth. He shall abuse & deceiue all the world, because they haue not loued y^e truth. God shal giue thē vp into a strong illusion, to the end they may beleeue lies. And euen lyke as the Coūcil of Hierusalē cōdemned Christ, so the Coūcil of Trent haue appro­ued Antichrist. The clergie crucified salua­tion it selfe: & the clergie hath adored their perdition. The great doctors of the lawe were therein blynd, because Christ shewed them a spiritual kingdome, in steade of the temporall that they waited for: And y^e pre­lates of y^e Romish Church haue taken plea­sure to shutte their eyes, because Antichrist hath brought them a temporall kingdome, wherein they intend to dwel. But notwith­standing death, the crosse, and the conspira­cies of all the worlde, the spirituall king­dome of Christ was victorious ouer all the kingdomes of the earth. And notwith­standing the temporall kingdome of Anti­christ, & all his adorations, and conspiracies of al y^e kings & princes of this world, which labour to vphold him, it must needs be, that [Page]he be destroyed by the breath of Christ his mouth, and that he fall, and vtterly perish.

What be­came of our fathersThey demaunde hereupon, What then became of our fathers, after so long time that this tyrannie of Antichrist came into the Church? Of the great Rabbies and masters who aske this question, I aske them what they haue done therein, of them, I say, who had their soules in keeping, and who had taken charge, and who knew wel howe to heape vp great riches, & to builde them gaye houses? I aske also againe of them, what became of the poore people of all the East Churches, who were farre greater then the Latines, whom the Pope by his excommunications sent to hell by whole millions, for the space of sixe or 700 yeeres after that? To be short, I may send thē to that which our Sauiour sayth, that when the Sonne of man shall come to destroye Antichrist by the Spirite of his mouth, it shall be as the dayes of Noah, or of Lot in Sodom, that there shalbe no more, neither fayth nor loue in the worlde. But to the poore people who haue bene deceiued by Antichrist and his [Page]mayntayners, I aunswere after another sorte.

First, that this false doctrine of Anti­christ, came not in all at once, but en­creased by little and little, till it grewe to his full measure and heape, so as it was not so deadly in the beginning, as to­wardes the ende thereof when it came to his strength. But when it was most strong, and in the greatest ruffe, God al­wayes reserued many in al coūtries, which mourned vnder his tyrannie, yea and some also that cryed out as loude as they coulde, by theyr wrytynges, as we haue already shewed. And in deede xxv. yeeres agoe, one woulde haue sayde that there was not so much, as one to be had in France which knewe Antichriste, and his doctrine. And yet notwithstanding, at the first liber­tie which was graunted to the townes, they were founde verye full of such people.

Secondly, as our aduersaries make a dif­ference betweene the Church and the peo­ple, snatching the name of the Church onely to the prelates, which should be com­mon to all Christians: so we likewise do [Page]well put a difference, betweene the people cleauyng to the Churche of Rome, and the faction of Antichriste, betweene them who liue vnder the popedome, and the vphol­ders and maintayners of the Pope: be­tweene the enchanters, & those that are en­chanted: betweene the Pharises, whome Christe calleth generation of vipers, and that poore sicke woman, whom he yet cal­led the daughter of Abraham. We saye that among that poore people, which was so long tyme deceiued vnder the darknesse of Antichriste, there was a parte of the bo­dye of the visible Church: But that the Pope and his mainteyners are the bane of it, which styfleth and choketh these poore people, as much as lieth in it. We saye that this was the Church of Christe, but that Antichriste helde it by the throte, to the ende that that saluation and life which floweth from Christe, might not be pow­red vppon it: That it was a flocke of Christ, but gouerned partly by hyrelings, and partly by woolues. In the people we consider y^e members of y^e vniuersall church: but in the scabbes & infections which doe hide them, we marke the poyson of the [Page]papacie: and in their buddes, the whore­domes that the church of Rome hath com­mitted with Antichriste. To be short, we saye that the people were of the Christian common weale: but the Pope with his fac­tion, a proud seditious Catiline, to destroy and to set it on fire: whom Cicero very wel calleth a plague, and not a member of the common weale. And in deede, as of euill dyet, and superfluitie there is engendred in mās body an impostume, (which yet notwithstanding is not the body, nor any part of the body, but a disease, and very often­times the death of the body) euen so, sayth Salust, that of the superfluitie of the com­mon weale, Catiline was bred: euen so we saye that of the delightes, superfluities, and idlenesse of the Church of Rome, Anti­christe is bredde in it, who yet is neyther the Church nor any part of the Church, but is the disease and pestilence it selfe of the Church, which had so infected and festered the whole bodie, that there appea­red no more health nor soundnesse therein, and had bin altogether the death of the bo­die, had not God of his singular mercie opened the same vnto vs.

Thirdly, we say that this empoysoner with his complices, hath cast into the foun­taine of life, that is to say, into the doc­trine of saluation in Iesus Christe, all the poyson he coulde deuise, and that he hath infected with his venime, the most dainty meates which God had giuen for the nou­rishment of his people. But that GOD hath giuen grace to some to absteine from it, to some in tyme to vomit it vp againe, to others to mingle it with the meate, and to certaine to ouercome it by the soundnes of their complexion: in such sort that many haue dayly escaped it, notwithstanding his accursed intention and purpose. For ex­ample, we knowe that the most part of the people haue byn ignorant of those mischie­uous doctrines, which the schoolemen haue left by writing, that is to say, of the prin­cipal blasphemies of the papacie. Also, that the more parte haue neuer beleeued, that they coulde merite euerlasting life by their owne workes, whatsoeuer men preached vnto them thereof. Againe, albeit that through custome and ignorance they went to Saints and Images, and frequented Masses and pylgrimages: yet notwith­standing, [Page]in their conflictes of death, they alwayes principally claue to the Crosse of Iesus Christ, and al the Franciscans prea­ching in their eares, the habite & vanishing toyes of S. Frauncis, could not pull it a­way from them.In vita Ber­nard. lib. 1. cap. 12 & lib. 5. cap. 2. in epist. quam scripserat ante mortē ad Arnold. Idem serm. 61. in Cātica. We haue an example in S. Bernard himselfe, and we haue seene many more in our tyme. S. Bernard in certaine places sauoureth of the contagion of his time, as it was hard he should doe o­therwise. But see his refuge when he was tempted of the Deuill, in his last dayes. I confesse (sayth he) that I am not worthie of it. I know that I cannot by mine ovvne workes obtaine the kingdome of heauen. But my Lord hath obtained it by a double right, by inheritance from the Father, and by the merite of his passion. Novve he is contented vvith the one, and giueth mee the other. And vvhen I attribute it to my selfe, by the gift vvhich he hath made vnto me thereof, I cannot be confounded. And in another place: My merite is the mercie of the Lord. And I am not poore in merits, because he is riche in his mercies. I haue greatly sinned, but I vvill comfort my selfe in the stripes of my Lord. Euen so likewise [Page]we assure our selues in the mercy of God, that a great nōber held y^e foūdation in Ie­sus Christ,1. Cor. 3. wherof the Apostle speaketh, al­beit Antichrist shooke it, & as it were, ende­uored to ouerturne it in thē, all y^t he might.

Finally, we say with S. Cyprian, That if my predecessors, Cypr. lib. 2. epist. 3. either by ignorance or by simplicitie, (holding notvvithstanding the foundation) haue not kept and holden that which our Lord hath taught them by his exāple & aucthoritie, (as it is most cer­taine they did not) that the mercie of our Lord might pardon thē. But as this good Doctor addeth: That we cannot hope for the like, beyng admonished at this day, and instructed by him. But this matter shall be for the chapter following.

That euery one is bound to separate him­selfe from the Communion of Antichrist, and that the Romanists are Schisma­tikes, and not they which separate themselues from them. CHAP. X.

THe matters beyng as wee haue be­fore proued, there shall be no great neede now that we render a reason [Page]for that we haue withdrawen our selues frō the cōmunion of y^e Pope,Fugite idola 1. Iohn. 5. & frō those false worshippes, which he hath foysted into the Church. For seeing that he is Antichrist, of whom y^e Church is warned & threatned, & his synagogue is y^t same Babylō of idola­try,Apoc. 14.9. & 18.3. out of which we haue an expresse cōmā ­demēt to come, if we wil not be partakers of her sins & plagues, & drinke of the cup of y^e wrath of God, which is prepared for her, we should be iustly charged w^t a very vile & abominable faulte, if we shoulde vse our selues otherwise. And in deede, if it were lawfull for the true citizens of Rome, the citie being vnder the power of the Gaules, to retire themselues into the litle towne of Veies with Camillus, and if all the aunci­entes haue iudged that then the common weale was at Veies, albeit the walles were still about Rome: by a stronger rea­son wee ought to retire from the Temple which Antichrist hath inuaded, and propha­ned with so many pollutions, not beyng able at the first dashe to dryue him awaye: so that hauing gathered together the true seruaunts and champions of Iesus Christ from vnder his clawes, we shall by the [Page]grace of God be strong ynough, to dryue him from thence, and there to place againe the true seruice of God. And if he be to be holden for a traitor, and to be accompted guyltie of hie treason, that followeth the armie and ensigne of a Vicegerent or ge­nerall Lieutenant, which is reuolted from his Prince, much more shoulde we be trai­tors against the honour of our God, and to him who hath vouchsafed to saue vs by his owne blood, if we should fight against him vnder Antichrist, who hath inuaded his place: and shoulde any maner of way take his part, yea seeing that it is a false title, & they are false ensignes that he vsurpeth of generall lieutenantship, he beyng nothing more in Christendome, then the least Bi­shops. But notwithstanding, to satisfie all the doubtes that may arise about this mat­ter, I am content to hādle it more largely.

When it pleased God to giue vs grace to know the false Cōmission of the Pope, by vertue whereof he made himselfe head of the Church, and that by examination as­well of his doctrine, as of those markes which he ought to haue, we found euident­ly, that this is the Antichrist, & none other: [Page]they, who were called to preach the trueth, haue preached in the Church, they which had charge to teache, haue declared & pub­lished it by bookes, and many to whome God gaue zeale & courage, haue protested it alowde and clearely, euen amiddest the flaming fire. Some haue shewed it to the people and common weales. Some cryed it out in the eares of princes. Some haue offered to verifie the impietie of his doc­trine in a free generall Councill.In Concilio Constanti­ensi. In the Councill, in stead of disputing by the holy Scriptures, they haue refused the Scrip­tures: in stead of hearkening to their quick reasons, according to faith, they haue bur­ned them quicke against the faith. And to the ende, they shoulde neuer haue occasion to hope for a free Councill, and should not dare vnder the safe conduits of any to come thither, they haue passed therein an article, That faith and promise is not to be kept with heretikes. Afterwardes all this not­withstanding, we haue alwayes required a free Council, where they haue condemned vs without euer calling for vs. Some haue answered vs for all: That these were mat­ters done long ago, whereof we should not [Page]speake any more. They haue cut vs quite of from the Church of Rome, & haue pro­ceeded agaynst vs by fire and fagot, by the sworde, by warres, & by massacres & cruell murthers. Finally, we see that they will giue no place to our worde, y^t they will not giue vs audience in a Council, that they ex­cōmunicate & chase vs from the Church of Rome. Therfore following the example of the Apostles, when they were excōmunica­ted from the Iewish synagogue for hauing preached Christ: we haue begun to gather our selues together to serue the Lord, first secretly & in corners, & afterwardes more freely: & neither can we communicate with those Idolatries brought in by Antichrist, nor at the first dash driue him from his seat, for that the Princes of the earth with their power vpholde him: & therefore we are en­forced to deliuer our selues, & all those that wil hearken vnto vs, from his seruitude & bondage. Nowe I aske, what our aduersa­ries can finde fault with in this our doyng, either in the matter it selfe, or in the maner of our proceeding? If they looke vpon the matter, we separāt our selues not for light matters, but for manifest idolatrie, for ma­king voyd the crosse of Christ, for perditiō, [Page]which reigneth in the place of saluatiō. To be short, we withdraw our selues from this prince of cōfusion, who is reuolted back a­gainst our Lord. And we report vs euen to their own iudgement, whether they thinke it not lawful to separate our selues frō the cōmunion of Antichrist, sitting in y^e chayre of Iesus Christ. For if euery one wynke therat, who shal discouer him? and if euery one cleaue vnto him, who shal chase him a­way? and if all the world hold their peace, where is the spirit of the mouth of the Lord which shal destroy him? Nowe if they shall deny y^t he is Antichrist, we wil submit our selues to proue it, & then there is no questiō of our separation, but of our doctrine. If they will reproue vs for the maner of our proceeding, therein condemning vs, they condemne the Apostles, who hauing ouer­runne all Israel, ran into a thousande dan­gers, to the end they might make Christ to be receyued into his owne house, & in the middest of the temple: & finally, perceyuing thēselues to be stopped euery way by open force, by excōmunications, imprisonments, &c. they receyued him secretely into their priuate houses, and did preach him in smal [Page]assemblies, till at last they brought all the worlde into his subiection. But notwith­standing this, they crie out, that wee haue broken the Communion of the Church: that we haue set altar agaynst altar: that we are Schismatikes, &c. which were the outcries of the Pharises against the Apo­stles, You violate the Temple, the altar, the lawe, &c. And hereupon kings and nati­ons haue armed themselues on all sides a­gainst vs. This therefore is the thing that we must presently make answere vnto.

The Com­munion of the Church.First, the Communion of the Church doeth not consist in a locall vnion, neyther the separation, in remouing of places: For there are a great many without, if we looke to the place, who yet are within according to charitie, and many againe in place, that yet if we consider faith, are without: but the true Christian Communion consisteth in the vnion of faith, and in the vnion of charitie, which S. Augustine calleth the nerenesse, or rather the neyghbourhoode and dwelling together (as I may say) of hearts, and agreement in doctrine: and the true separation, in the diuersitie or contra­rietis of the selfe same things. Nowe con­cerning [Page]the vnion of faith, it consisteth in that heauenly doctrine, which is compre­hended vnto vs in the olde and new Testa­ment, tending onely to this poynt, to make vs feele our sinne, and to shewe vs a reme­die therfore, in one onely Iesus Christ cru­cified. And this is that, for which, according to the example of all the auncient seruants of God, we suffer and are killed, and for withdrawing our selues from vnder the yoke of Antichrist, that shamefully trea­deth it vnder his feete, we are persecuted, excommunicated, and murthered. We are therefore vnited in the faith, with the Pa­triarkes, Prophetes, Apostles, Martyrs, auncient Doctors, and generally with the whole Church that was before the lawe, vnder the lawe, and vnder Grace, yea and vnder the tyrannie of Antichrist. If they will denie it, we wil submitte our selues to proue it: There is not therefore any more question to cauill at our separation, which is nothing else but as an escape, to the ende to resort to true doctrine: and if they con­fesse it, denying vs to be vnited with them, they confesse then, that they are not vnited with the ancient fathers, and therfore they [Page]ought not to thinke it straunge, that we re­nounce the communion of the Papacie.

Concerning the Communion of chari­tie or loue, which consisteth in suffering and bearing the euilles one of another, & in not lightly condemning one another: we holde all them for the true members of Christ, which worship one God in spirit & in trueth, and hope for their saluatiō in one Iesus Christ alone, the sonne of God come in the fleshe, and crucified for the sinnes of the worlde, which is the foundation of sal­uation to all men. We desire all vnion and agreement with them, in whatsoeuer coun­tries and regions they are, and whatsoeuer corruptions may be yet remaining amōgst them, not onely in maner, but also in cer­tayne poyntes of doctrine, bewayling the bodyly seruitude which they endure, and praying the Father of lyght, that it wyll please him to enlighten them more & more by his holy spirit. Contrary wise euery mā knoweth, that the Popes Consistorie hath excōmunicated al the East Churches, 600 yeres agone, only for this, that they would not submit themselues to the Bishoppe of Rome, which is an article that concerneth [Page]only but his ambition, and that the Pope hath left them to be inuaded of the Turke, in despite whereof they had rather endure all extremitie, then to acknowledge him to be head of the Church. And concerning the vnion of charitie amongst them which yet cleaue to the Pope, there is nothing more deare vnto them, then their own liues, & we haue bene put to the fire, water & sword, for opening the trueth vnto them, & praying God euery day, that he wil enlighten them by his spirit. On the other side, the Romish Consistory doth pursue vs by al meanes to death, and that by the space of these three score yeeres and more, and so many people continually groning for a free generall Council, they haue not had onely so much charitie, as to grant vs eyther generall or nationall, to deliuer vs from the error they pretend vs to be in, answering for al (& that to so many princes, who haue iudged it ne­cessary) That these matters are already de­cided, and ought not any more to come in question. this is euery way a friuolous an­swere, as wee haue shewed before. But I demaunde, what Parliament is it, yea e­uen amongst the heathen, so barbarous, [Page]and so farre from humanitie, which for the agreeing of two persons onely, woulde re­fuse to handle againe a processe, whereof there had bene a determinate sentence gi­uen by the Parliament before? This ther­fore is in y^e Romish Cōsistory, where there is manifest doubt of their doctrine, or else foule and shamefull lacke of charitie, and that in such a wayghtie case, as concerneth the saluation of the more part of Christen­dome. To be short, we agree and are knitte together in the doctrine of the Bible, with all Christians, but we reiect the pestilent gloses and traditiōs of the Pope: we haue bene willing brotherly to communicate the trueth to our brethren, with the danger of our life, in the middest of their Chur­ches: and contrarywise the Pope, in stead of hearkening vnto vs, fearing to be disco­uered, hath excommunicated, chased and driuen vs out. It is therfore the Pope and his greasie ones, which haue broken the Communion of the vniuersall Church, & not we, who to keepe vs in, are readie to submitte our selues to al reason, & to abide all dangers.Altar a­gainst al­tar.

Secōdly, that they alledge altar against [Page]altar, if we shall consider the nature of the Christian Church, it is not much from the purpose. In auncient tyme vnder the law,Exod. 29. there was but one Temple, and one altar, without which they were forbidden to sa­crifice: whereupon we see yet, that the Iewes which were scattered throughout the world, myght not sacrifice. And there­fore those which set vp altars in Dan and Bethel, albeit that they had not sacrificed but to the true God, and according to the sacrifices ordayned in the lawe, yet they were guiltie of death, because they had bro­ken the expresse ordinaunce of God, who woulde haue obedience and not sacrifice: and because that in Iesus Christ to come, figured by one citie of Hierusalem, by one Temple, and by one altar, they ought to withdrawe themselues from the societie of all other people. This is the cause, that we reade not that the Prophetes established a­ny order of the seruice of God in any other place, although that the Temple of Hieru­salem were defiled with idolatrie, but ra­ther that they preached opēly against those which mayntained it, & yet without sacri­ficing any where else. But by the cōming [Page]of Iesus Christ, as we haue often sayde, it is altogether otherwyse. For all the worlde is Hierusalem, the temple, and the altar of the Lorde. We pray not any lon­ger towardes the East: but on euery side to which we turne vs, wee turne to God, we looke alwayes to Iesus Christ. When therefore the Apostles preaching Christ, coulde not be receyued into Hierusalem preaching Christ in the temple, they prea­ched him in houses, and when they were yet dryuen away, they shooke of the duste of their feete, in witnesse agaynst them, and went and preached else where. When also they were forewarned by the holie Ghost, of Gods vengeance to come vp­on that Citie that had crucified Christ the anoynted, they made no difficultie, sayeth Eusebius,Euseb. in hi­stor. Eccles. lib. 3. cap. 5. to withdrawe the assemblie, that is to say, the true Ierusalem, and the true children of Abraham from thence, & to ga­ther them together into the little towne of Pella neere Iordan.Pella a lit­tis towne nece Ior­dan. If therefore the tem­ples of Constantinople are turned into the temples and Churches of Mahomet. Christians may serue God, and sacrifice to him the sacrifices of prayse and thankes­giuing [Page]at Pera harde by Constantinople.Pera a lit­tle towne ouer against Constanti­nople, whi­ther the Christians with drewe thēse lues, when the Turke tooke Cō ­stantinople And if Antichrist bee sette downe in the Church of Rome amiddest his temples, we may serue Christ in the porche, and if we may not preache agaynst him vnder the roofe of the Church, we wyll doe it vnder the roofe of heauen, which is euen aswell the Temple of the Lorde. And this is the cause, why (being forbidden by kings and Princes vpon payne of rebellion to preache in Temples, agaynst the Idola­trie which is there committed, and agayne beyng likewyse expressely commaunded by God to auoyde Idoles, and to publishe the trueth) wee haue gathered the true faithfull thyther, where we myght serue God together, according to his worde, and we haue withdrawen Hierusalem in­to the towne of Pella, by the example of the Apostles, and according to the li­bertie which Iesus Christ hath gyuen to the Vniuersall Church. But by separa­ting our selues from Rome, we haue re­mayned in the heauenly Ierusalem, founded vpon the doctrine of the Apo­stles, from which it hath separated it selfe, and wee haue not buylt an altar [Page]against the altar of the Lorde (for Rome is not the peculiar seate of the Lords altar) but rather an altar of Christ against the al­tar of Antichrist, a temple of lyuing stones founded vpon the chiefe master stone of the corner, agaynst the temples of idoles, buyl­ded vpon the stone of offence, which is An­tichrist. There is therefore a notable diffe­rence betweene Hierualem and Rome: and consequently it is one thing to separat from the faction of Rome, that can hardly deserue the name of a member, and an o­ther, from the Catholique and Vniuersall Church. Hierusalem was the Temple of the Lord, and at this day the whole worlde is his Temple: in comparison of which, Rome is nothing. To Hierusalem was promised the Sonne of God, to Rome the sonne of perdition. And from this peculiar Temple of God, the Apostles withdrewe themselues, for that it refused saluation, yea that they myght not perishe in her de­struction, they remoued the Christians in­to another place. From the cōmunication or fellowshippe therefore of the Church of Rome, which worshippeth and vpholdeth perdition, wee holde our selues bounde to [Page]withdrawe our selues, if we will not draw vpon vs the heauy vēgeance of God,Apoc. 13.18. which is prepared for all those that remaine therein.

It is one thing for a man to withdrawe him selfe from the Papacie, & another from the Church.Thirdlye, it is one thing to withdrawe our selues from the papacie, and another thing to goe away from the poore Church that is there holden vnder captiuitie. Euen altogether like, as it is one thing, to flie from a Citie, and another, to flie from the pestilence that is in the Citie. And it is one thing for a man to withdrawe him selfe from the common Wealth, and another, from the power of a tyranne that vsurpeth the common weale. They that flie the pe­stilence, are ready to come to the Citye a­gaine when the plague is gone, and they that auoide tyrannie, are readye to ioyne them selues againe to the Citizens that were vnder tyrannie, as soone as it shall be banished. Yea which is more, they are in the Citye, and in the Common weale, in heart and spirite, suffering together with their fellowe Burgesses and Citizens, be­wayling their bondage, and purchasing their deliuerance, by all the meanes they can deuise, where as the tyrants that keepe [Page]that Citie, & they y^t are there, seeme rather to be shut vp frō all cōmunaltie or fellow­ship, not onely of the common weale, but also, as Cicero sayeth, from all mankinde, euen as Thrasibulus was, beeing gone a­side frō Philes, during the time that thir­tie Tyrantes did teare in pieces the com­mon weale of Athens: And as Camillus at Veies, during the time that the Gaules wasted the citie of Rome: And as Athana­sius also, & a fewe of the best sort with him at Rome, during the time that the Arriās, beeing fauoured of Constantius the Em­peror, spoyled and infected his Church of Alexandria. And euē so likewise we at this daye, in right are of the poore Church of Fraūce, of Italie, and other places, which Antichrist holdeth by y^e throte, to cause thē to abandon their saluation. And assoone as Antichrist and his mayntainers shal be gone, with al the infection which they haue brought into the church: we shalbe altoge­ther ready to draw neere vnto thē, to ioyne with them as nye as euer wee did, and to runne to the Churches with them, & there to reioyce together for their deliuerance. Let y^e wolfe be gone out of their fold, & be­hold vs al ready to enter in. In meane time [Page]we wil pray vnto god to driue him away, y^t it wil please him to deliuer thē from vnder his claw, & will shew thē this mercie, & we wil enforce our selues all y^t we can, to deli­uer thē. To be short,Tertul. in lib de praescrip. contra hae­reticos. we are kuit w^t them in doctrine, if they haue regard to the aunciēt doctrine of y^e Church of Rome: but we cō ­dēne y^t of the popes, where w^t he oppresseth their consciences. Also we are in true cha­ritie: for what greater charity cā there be in y^e world, thē to rid y^e world of such a one: But we renounce y^t Tyranne, which stran­gleth their soules: and seeing that God by his singular grace hath deliuered ours frō him, we proclayme opē warre against him for their sakes, with all our heartes.

The Pope a schisma­tike euen by the canō lawe.These things beeing wel considered, it is very easy for vs to distinguish who are schismatikes, that is to say, the aucthors of y^t separation which was made in our time in y^e west churches, either we or our enemies.

The canon lawe sayeth,24. q. 1. Nor. afferamus. & q. 3. & ibi­glossa & do­ctores. that Schisme must not be considered neither in the nom­ber nor place, but by the cause, & that he is a schismatike, which is y^e cause of schisme, & not he which beginneth y^e separation, e­uen altogether like as he which denyeth the lawe is the cause of processe, and not he [Page]which first beganne. Now we haue requi­red the pope and his prelates to reforme the Church according to the Scriptures, and to the auncient forme, desiring to re­maine vnited with our brethren: and in steade of agreeing vnto vs, they haue ex­communicated vs, without euer hearing vs. The prelates therefore of the Romaine Church are the Schismatikes, and not we who demaunde nothing else but Reforma­tion to make vs at one.

Also the Canon sayeth, that the essenti­all and materiall cause of all Schisme is want of charity.August. ad­uersus Cres­conium Grammat. & Donatist. passim. Nowe, for our parts we haue offred our liues to death, to recouer our brethren from errour: and contrari­wise the prelates of Rome, to drawe vs frō that they say we are, what earnest request soeuer we could make, they would yet ne­uer graunt vnto vs a free Councill. But when they haue called vs to their assem­blies, it was to burne vs, and not to teach vs: and all their Councils were but con­spiracies to kill vs, and not consultations to heale vs. And therefore the lacke of cha­ritie is in them, and so consequently the cause of Schisme.

Also the Canon lawe teacheth vs,Doctores Bononienses in concil. de schismate Benedict. 13 & Greg. 12. Item apnel Theodor. a Nien lib 3 Cusanus de concordia Cathol. lib 1.14. cap. 2.24. q. 1. Non afferamus. & q. 3. inter Schisma. 7. q. 1. Nona­tianus cum glossa & ca. sequen. 24. q. 1 in summa & cap. dicimus in glossa 2. Anno 1407. 15. q. 6. nos sanctoruin & can. iura tos iuncta declaration. Innocentii de doctrina veritatis. 19. distinct. Anastasius & cap. nulli 79. dist. cap. si quis pecu­niam. 2. q. 7. Sacerdos & ibid. glossa. that is to saye, the Pope him selfe: That the Pope, which suffreth a controuersie to waxe olde in the church concerning salua­tion, he is one that seeketh after deuision & heresie. And that if he be required to helpe it by a generall Councill, and do it not, of Apostolique which he should be, he maketh him selfe an Apostata and Schismatike, That as from such a one, the Cardinalles, Prelates, Priestes, peoples and prouinces ought to separate them selues, for that, as­much as lyeth in him, he suffreth the peo­ple & children that are borne to growe vn­der two heads, & into two churches. That all those that winke in that matter, special­ly hauing a charge, and a calling to with­stand it, they are partakers with his faulte, and are schismatikes as well as hee, not­withstanding all their othes, homages & obligations, which they haue made vnto him. And in deede by the counsell of the di­uines of Paris, folowing the foresaid coū ­sell, king Charles the sixte declared him selfe, his realme & all his subiects to be se­parated from the cōmunion of pope Iohn the 22. & afterwards by the same counsell [Page]cut of him selfe from the obedience of Be­nedict the thirtenth,Literae Aca­dem. Parisi­en. apud Theodor. de Nien. tract. 6. cap. 14.15. & lib. 3. cap. 34. Item in libr. Nemus vni­onis cap. 7. Chronica Gaguini in Carolo. 6. & from Gregory the 12. admonishing and requiring all prin­ces to do the like: For that (saith he in his protestation) they will mainteine diuisi­ons in the Churche by their tretcheries, and vvill not submit themselues to the or­dinarie meane of a free councill, and to the determination of the church. Now it was eight score yeeres agoe, that this strife be­gan in the Church, & after threescore yeres or thereabouts, it was spread ouer all Eu­rope. The princes and people called still for a free councill, and alwayes, sometimes by one meane, sometimes by another the Popes went scot free. During all which time they sought all the wayes they could for their liues, ordinary & extraordinary, to make an end of vs. They therefore & their mainteiners (though y^e saluation of Chri­stendome was not in controuersie, as now it is) are by their own canons foūd schisma­tikes, & they who haue winked at it, fautors of schisme: & they who haue w^t drawē them­selues frō their obedience, (admit that their Popes had bene sometime heads of the Church, & no Antichrists) are grounded in [Page]the trueth, exempted from all suspicion of schisme, and blamelesse of all the mischiefes and disorders, which through schisme haue arisen in Christendome. Now cōtrariwise, if as we hold the Pope be Antichrist, & the papall doctrine contrary to saluatiō in Ie­sus Christ, and al the seruice that they do in al the churches y^t acknowledge him, which they cal y^e church of Rome, polluted w^t ido­latrie, thē there needs no longer disputatiō, whether men do well to separate thēselues from him, or no: but rather to conclude ful and wholly, That we are traitors to God, who hath created vs: to Christ, who hath sa­ued & regenerated vs: to the Church, who hath borne vs: to be short, to our brethren & to our selues, if we protest not against his blasphemies, if we withdraw not our selues from his obedience, if we renounce not his cōmunion: to be shorte, if we do not our vt­termost to make him knowē to euery one, and to deliuer the world from his tyrannie.

Hereupon thei obiect vnto vs, y^t Moses, for the idolatry cōmitted amongst the peo­ple of Israel to y^e golden Calfe,Exod. 33. separated not himself. I graūt it. But they must adde that Moses chid Aaron, chastised y^e people, [Page]ground the golden calfe into powder, and cast it into the water. There was no cause then that he should flye Idolatrie, because hee coulde driue it out. Nowe wee will not bee more scrupulous then Moyses. Let them suffer vs to beate their Idols to powder, & to cast Idolatrie out of their Church, and we will aske no better, to remaine still with them. They will yet further reproch vs, that Christ haunted the temple notwithstanding the marchandize that was there committed: there is a great difference betweene the marchandize that was there, and the idolatrie that at this day hath place in the Church of Rome. But a­gaine let them suffer vs, as the Iewes did our sauiour Christ, to whippe out the mar­chants of the whore, that buy and sel mens soules by their simonies, out of the church, and we are all ready to frequent it. To conclude, they cast vs in y^e teeth, that Iere­inie preached in Topheth, where abomina­ble idolatrie was cōmitted:Ierem. 19. they ought al­so to adde that which the text saith expresly, that he preached there against idolatrie. Al­so that Amos the Prophet prophesied in Bethel in Amasias his chappel:Amos. 5. they should [Page]adde thē, that this was to signifie vnto him the horrible vengeance that God had pre­pared to fal vpon his head. Also that the man of God prophecied wel in Bethel,2. King. 13. in Ieroboams time: but they should also adde that this was to signifie vnto him, that his Priestes should one day be sacrificed vpon the same altar. But we will yet say more vnto them. Let thē but suffer vs to preach in theyr Churches amongst theyr Idols, we wil make them to fal downe at the only worde of God, without euer touching or laying hande vpon them. Let them but suffer vs to place the arke of God, and his holy couenant in the midst of their Tem­ples,1. Sam. 5. and they shall within a short space finde al their Dagons in peeces. We re­fuse not then to goe to preach there. For this is it, we desire with all our heartes to make the trueth knowen vnto euery one. But we can not come there and holde our peace: for accursed is he, which heareth his God blasphemed, without protesting against it, and seeth his brother deceyued, and doeth not direct him. But we, after the example of Ieremie, of Amos, and of the man of God, wil protest before kinges, be­fore [Page]peoples, yea in y^e face of al their abomi natiōs, & we haue done it, & haue sealed our protestatiōs w^t our own blood. But we wil not sacrifice after their exāple, vpō y^e altar y^t king Achas caused to be made after the pa­terne of y^e altar of Damascus, although y^t Vrias y^e hie priest wincke at it. Much lesse wil we worship in Dan & Bethel: For they neuer did it: we wil not (I say) cōmunicate in any wise w^t the sacriledges & impieties brought in by Antichrist: for this were great wickednes to do it, & treason against God to cōceale it, & more then sensles bloc­kishnes to all, not to search it out, & inexcu­sable blindnes, in y^e light which at this day shineth euery where, to communicate with these workes of darkenesse.

Why we receiue the baptisme of y^e church of Rome.Moreouer, they obiect vnto vs: If you hold y^e pope for Antich. & our seruice for idolatry, how thē do you receiue our baptism: or if you holde y^t for good, howe is it y^t you cōmunicate not w^t our Church: First God hath had such pity of his church, y^t he hath suffred antichr. to chāge nothing in y^e bapt. of Christ, in y^t which is of the substāce ther­of, although he had bewrapped it w^t many superstitiōs, altogether like as he suffered [Page]not circūcision, which was y^e marke of the couenāt, to be quite abolished, neither a­mōgst y^e Samaritās nor in Iuda, whatsoe­uer idolatry was there cōmitted. We say then y^t y^e church of Rome, through baptism, brought forth childrē to god, but y^t through her idolatries she nourished thē vp to y^e de­uil, altogether like as Ezech. saith,Ezech. 16. y^t Ieru­salē & Samaria engēdred childrē to God, as an adultrous womā doth to her husbād, vntil she be diuorced, but afterwards she sa­crificed thē to Moloch, y^t is, to false gods.

Augustus passim de baptismate contra Do­natistas.Secōdly, we say w^t S. Aug. y^t it is not y^e heretike y^t baptizeth, as long as baptisme remaineth soūd, but Christ by y^e hand of y^e heretike, wherein we folow y^e practise of y^e primitiue church, & y^e determination of y^e 1. coūcil of Nice:Concil. Ni­cenum. That they which were bap­tized by heretikes, renoūcing their heresie, they shall not bee rebaptized, except those y^t haue bene baptized by y^e Samosatens, who kept not y^e essētial words of baptisme, whō (to speak properly) they do not rebap­tize, because w^t out these, they coulde neuer be baptized: but by the grace of God, wee haue bene baptized in y^e name of God, and not in y^e name of Antichrist, or of his idols.

Thirdly, baptisme in our infācie brought vs into y^e house of God, but it is not enough to be receyued into his familie, if we serue him not according to his commandemēts. For then we depriue our selues of the be­nefite receyued by baptisme, the which (as S. Augustine sayeth) is turned into our greater condemnation. This therefore is vnto vs as the law of nature in a common weale, which bindeth vs to the duetie of good citizens: & of simple & plaine enemies that we shoulde be, we become traytors, and parricides, if we serue a Tyrant which hath inuaded it,Parri­cides are they that kill their owne pa­rents and kinsfolks. and if we beare armes a­gainst the Lawes thereof. For albeit we be borne vnder tyrannie, yet we are borne for the common weale, and enrouled in the Register of Citizens, & not w^tin the lists of the tyrants slaues, yea euen though the ty­rant or his officers keepe y^e Register. Now to the Citizen, which is borne vnder tyran­ny, who hath serued a tyrant, & who after­wardes acknowledging his fault, w^tdraw­eth himselfe to the defenders of the cōmon libertie, there is no neede of newe letters of his naturall birth, although by his for­mer deedes, he made himselfe vnworthie. [Page]So likewise we say, that to him which is bound vnder the popedom, who hath main­tained Antichrist, and ioyned himselfe to his faction, and to euery other Heritique, which hath fought against Christ, there ne­deth no second Baptisme, when he retur­neth to his dutie. For albeit he had renoun­ced Christ, yet Christ hath not renounced the right he hath ouer him, and his Bap­tisme is so little defaced, that of a simple e­nemy which he should haue bin w^tout Bap­tisme, he is become a traitor, and guiltie of hie treason against his maiestie. And there­fore there needeth nothing but an vtter a­bolishment of his fault, and not a renuing of his baptisme.

Fourthly. Yea, but there is no baptisme but in the Church, and when you separate your selues frō vs, you then separate your selues frō the church. The answere. There is no Baptisme but in the Church, and we deny not also, that the Church of Rome is a Church. For in that we affirme that An­tichrist ruleth there, we consequently hold y^t it is the Churche, inasmuch as he can not sit any where but in the Church. But it is one thing, to separate our selues from the [Page]Church of Rome defiled by Antichrist, and another thing to depart from the cōmuni­on of the vniuersall church, as we haue al­ready declared. Againe we depart not frō the tēple, but from the idolatry cōmitted in the temple, nor from the cōmon weale, but frō the tyrāny which oppresseth the cōmon wealth, nor from the city, but from y^e pesti­lence which infecteth y^e city, nor frō the cō ­munion & fellowship of the people (to whō we wish al happines & saluatiō) but frō the conspiracie of Antichrist & of his maintei­ners: we therefore renounce not their bap­tisme, but we ratifie it. By the same we are bound to serue God, & to renounce the de­uil: & following the same, we seeke to serue God according to his word, & renounce all idoles. By these letters of natural birth, we are bound to mainteine the lawes of y^e an­cient christian cōmon wealth, which is the church: & folowing thē, we set vp againe before vs y^e law of God y^e only lawgiuer of the church, & would deliuer y^e church frō al new impositions & burdens, which Anti­christ hath laid vpon their consciences. By baptisme we haue made an oth vnto christ, & the pope would turne our seruice from [Page]Christ, to his idols & to him selfe: we ther­fore set Christ against Antichrist, and the church against his cōspiracy. And this is y^t for which by the grace of God, we haue bin baptized into the Church, how tyrannicall and disordered soeuer it hath bene.

But y^e ministers therof, whō you pretēs to be of Antichr. they haue baptized you. In deed they haue put water on my head, but Christ hath baptized me. The tyran or his officers, which he hath established after his fashion, haue made me lift vp my hande, & giue him an oth: but they haue made me to make it to y^e cōmon welth, & not to y^e tyran, in the name of Christ, & not in the name of Antichrist. The forme of the othe hath re­mained entire & sound, albeit y^e estate were chāged. To folow therfore y^e tenor of mine oth, I will retire my selfe into the army of true citizēs, & I wil seek out y^e true church in y^e place, wherunto it hath w^tdrawē it self, & I will renounce the communion of An­tichrist, who vnder colour of mine oth, ma­keth me to breake mine othe.

To conclude this point.1. Iohn. 5. Apoc. 14. It is sayde vnto vs, Preach the trueth. We haue done it: but they haue excommunicated vs. It is said consequently vnto vs, Flye from [Page]idoles, and departe out of Babylon. We haue done it: but yet then, when the ob­stinacie of men against the trueth, hath compelled vs. Finally, after the example of the Apostles, beeing shut out of Chur­ches by the magistrate, we haue gathered together the faithful into houses, and haue builded the true Ierusalem atPella a litle towne by Iorden, wherin the Christians were pre­serued whē Ierusalem was de­stroyed. Pella. If men marke this deede in it selfe, they can­not finde faulte with it: For wee stande grounded vpon the expresse woorde of GOD. Nowe if anye man further saye, howsoeuer it ought to be done, that yet it belonged not vnto our Ministers to do it: There is no farther question but of their vocation and calling, which shalbe handled in the chapter next following.

That the Ministers of the reformed chur­ches haue a lawfull calling to re­forme the Church. CHAP XI.

FOrasmuch as our aduersaries cā nei­ther deny the corruption, which is en­tred into the Church, nor the tyranny of Antichrist with other things de­pending [Page]therof, from the which we go about by the word of God, to set it free: to the end to hold vs from entring to the groūd of this matter, & from ripping it vp againe, they at lēgth vse this pretty shift, & aske vs whatcal­ling our ministers haue to reforme y^e church, & to preach in it?1. King 12.24. This is euen y^e same y^t Zid­kiiah the false prophet saide vnto Micheas, What way went y^e spirit of y^e Lord frō me, to speake to thee? And y^e Pharises to Iesus Christ, Thou art a Carpēters sonne, & who hath sent thee? To whō we may answere in one word w^t Iesus Christ, The words which we preach, beare witnes of vs. They likewise cast in our teeth their long succession, That they are y^e children of Abraham, S. Peters heires &c. To whō Iesus Christ hath an­swered for vs, Ye are Abrahās seede, Io. 8. 2. Thes. 2. but the deuil is your father, from whō ye are come. & s. Paul: Brethrē, be not deceiued, for Anti­christ shall sit & be vvorshipped in the tēple of God. But forasmuch as hertofore they haue made whole books vpon this point, it is needefull to handle this more largely.

When fire shall take holde of any Citie or towne, or an enemie shall scale it in the night, if the least Burgesse shall giue an a­larme, [Page]yea admitte it be but a straunger, whiles the watchmen sleepe, no man will demaund by what tytle he did it, and much lesse punish him for it: but rather men wyll runne to the water, and to the walles, they will see where it is, and euery one accepteth him thankfully that warned them. When contrariwyse, we discouer Antichrist sitting in the Church, whō we haue submitted our selues to conuince, before y^e face of a Coun­cill, and in his owne presence: in steade of hearing vs, of examining our reasons, of go­ing to the holy Scriptures, where he is liue­ly painted out, they fall to examine vs of our condition, and by what authoritie we aduer­tise them, yea they put vs to a worse death, then if we had betraied the common wealth. If the gouernours of some places shoulde doe the like, when men giue them aduer­tisements, what place shoulde not soone fall into the handes of the enemies? And what prince is there that would not hold them for traitors, and iudge that they had conspired with his enemies? There is no question here of our condition & qualities, but of the quali­ties of Antichrist, & of his doctrine. It stan­deth with the duetie of those that warne vs, [Page]and it concerneth the saluation of all, and of our selues. If the aduertisement and war­ning be true, it is y^e saluation of the Church, if it be false, it is ours. The questiō is then, to examine the circumstaunces of y^e warning, and not the qualities and condition of those that warne vs. In the conspiracie of Cati­line, the Senate lent theyr eare to a base woman, agaynst the greatest. And when the Gaules would by night haue inuaded y^e Ca­pitole of Rome, the watchmen spake not a worde, and the dogges were dumbe: there was nothing but the Geese that cryed, and yet euery man ranne thither, and made ac­compt therof: and had not this gagling bin, this notable Citie, which afterwardes con­quered the whole world, had byn lost. When therefore we shal be y^e most vile & contemp­tiple of y^e Church, we deserue to be heard, yea seeing we desire not to speake in y^e eare, as slaunderers, but in the face of y^e Church, yea in the eare of himself y^t hath accused vs, not frō our selues, but frō God. Cōcerning y^e reformatiō of the Church, after the scatte­ring which the Pope & his haue made in it, we knowe y^t there must be a lawful callyng, but we maintayne our selues to be therein [Page]better warranted and grounded then they, who haue nothyng but theyr boasting and vaunting, although they haue y^e greatest ti­tles & honors in y^e world to be on theyr side.

The cal­ling of the first refor­mers of the Church in our time.If therefore our aduersaries aske vs, what was the calling of our first Ministers, which refourmed the Church in these last times, we answere that it was the same vo­cation and succession, whereof they them­selues doe bragge: but the same vocation which they abused, our men haue endeuou­red to vse will, and to that vaine succession wherewith they decked themselues, they haue added the succession of true doctrine, which they had corrupted: without which all succession is nothing els, but a continu­ing of abuse and error. Wickleife, Iohn Hus, Luther, Zwinglius, Decolompadi­us, Bucer, and others of that schoole (from whence the Ministers which haue gathered Churches from vnder Antichrist, are des­cended) were Priests (as they cal them) and doctors in diuinitie. As Priests & Pastors, they had charge to preach y^e trueth vnto the people, & to minister the Sacraments vnto them, according to y^e institutiō of our Lord. As doctors, they were called to expound di­uinitie [Page]in their readings, & in theyr bookes, and they were bounde by y^e ordinary othe of al vniuersities, to declare y^e trueth vnto the Church, to confute al doctrines repugnant against y^e word of God, and what then might to expell it. Now in their time, they found y^t y^e word of God was hid vnto y^e people: that the honor which was due to God alone, was turned to men, & to Images: that the blood of Christ was troden vnder foote: that the sacrament of the supper was partly turned into Idolatry, & partly denyed to the poore people. To be short, y^t all the holy scripture was prophaned & poysoned with the Popes gloses, & popish interpretations. And when they shewed these thinges to y^e Bishops and Metropolitans, according to the order of their Church, they made no rekoning of thē, they were the first y^t persecuted thē, because they themselues were the infected parte of the Church. I aske therefore, if theyr vo­cation commaunded them not to goe far­ther, to witte, to preach the trueth vnto the people, and purely to administer the holy Sacraments? And if they had done other­wyse, whether they had not bin forsakers of theyr calling, contenmers of theyr othe [Page]made vnto God, and abusers of the people? Both two therefore, (say I) both our aduer­saries, and our first ministers had one and the same ordinarie & outward calling. But herein is the difference, that that which ours haue followed, the other haue forsaken: that which ours haue done of duetie by reason of their charge, the other haue cōcealed. Ours haue ledde their sheepe vpon y^e mountaines of Israel into good pastures:Ezech. 34. the others haue deuoured them, or els left them for a pray to the beastes of the field, or els driuen them to the fennes and marishes where they haue starued. A magistrate shall be called to the gouernment of a common wealth, where he shall finde the good lawes corrup­ted by the negligence or malice of those that went before, his Courts full of iniustice, the offices subiect to factions, briberies and cor­ruptions: and he would reforme all this, and bring it to the censure of the lawes. He that will further nowe aske him, by what right he doth this, should he not make him self a laughing stocke, because he followeth steppe by steppe his calling? He hath not sworne to mainteyne abuses, but rather to mainteyne the lawes, and to prouide euery [Page]way that he can, for the good and preserua­tion of the Common wealth. Nowe con­trarywise, if he wincke at that which is euil, he should doe directly contrary to his cal­ling. Euen so likewise haue our first Mi­nisters done, first requiring reformation, and afterwards putting to their handes ac­cording to their duetie. And if we could aske of y^e Apostles, who are their true successors: they would not tel vs, Such as haue a triple crowne, or such a cope, or such a miter, but those that preach the word of God after our example. For so had they learned of the true master,Matth. 1. That he which doth the wil of God his father, is his mother, his sister and his brother. At the preaching of these first men, the pastors of the Churches were awake­ned in England, in Bohemia, in Germanie, in Scotland, in Denmarke, in Sweden­land, and afterwardes many in Fraunce, in Spaine, and in Italie it selfe, and these were sent to bethinke them of their duetie. Consequently some whole Realmes were reformed: the bishops themselues, that there had preached lyes, preached the trueth in the selfe same Church & pulpit. Of these for the most part, if our aduersaries will demaund [Page]succession, it is on their side, for they haue succeeded from bishop to bishop, frō the first which preached there the Gospell. If they aske a vocation, why, it is euen their owne: for they were called to be bishopps and pa­stors, and they haue performed the office, which they had forsaken. The difference therefore, as we haue said, is in this onely point, that they feede the people with pescod shales, and the others in the pasture of life: they defile their flockes with the filthines­ses of Antichrist, and these wash them in the blood of Iesus Christ. Beholde then, con­cerning the calling of our first Ministers, which hath whatsoeuer may be good, in the pretended calling of our aduersaries: and this point further: That our men lawfully exercise it, and the other do but withhold it in vnrighteousnesse. And although some of our men, as in so corrupt a state of the Church (as we haue seene it in our time) without wayting for their calling, or allow­ance of them that vnder the title of pastors, oppressed the Lords flocke, were called by those Churches, to which they vowed their ministery: yet this ought no more to be thought straunge, then in a free common [Page]wealth, where the people without wayting either for y^e consent or voyces of those that playe y^e tyrants, shal haue chosen according to the lawes, good and lawful magistrates.

The calling of those which came after­wards.Concerning the vocation of Ministers which were sent by the former, and since by vs, we haue herein obserued the example of the Apostles, and the canons of the primi­tiue Church. If the question be of their persons, we haue lawfully examined both their doctrine and maners. And this is the rule of Saint Paul,1. Tim 3.2. That a bishop must be apt to teach, and blamelesse: If of the per­sons which make this examination, why, it was not one man alone, but many mini­sters, bishops and elders duely called before to this Church, that is to say,Titus. 1.9 the Presby­terie or eldershippe, as Saint Paul calleth it, or as Saint Cyprian calleth it,1 Tim. 5. & Tit. 1. the eccle­siasticall Senate. During this examina­tion, whereupon dependeth the election, the Church continueth in prayer and fasting, as we reade in the ordeining of elders in the Acts. Being found meet,Acts. 14.23. they are published to the people, to the end that if any man hath ought to say against their election, he might repaire before y^e assemblie, as we reade was [Page]practised in the olde Church,Lampridius in Alexādro. euen by y^e testi­mony of Paynims. Finally by the cōsent of al the people, they lay their hands vpon thē, they giue thē aucthoritie to preach, which is the only ceremonie that y^e Apostles vsed, by imitation of the Church of the Iewes,Acts. 19.6. after which they began to administer the word & sacraments in the Church. This is that the auncient Canons saye, That the minister of the Church must be ordeined by the electi­on of the Clergie, In Concil. Laodic. cap. 12. In Concil. Parisi. cap. 8. & by the consent of the people: That a Bishop should not be chosen vvithout a nomber of bishops, &c. At the re­quest of the Clergie, that is to say, of the el­ders, & vvith the consent of the people. A­gaine,Rabanus in gloss. sexto cap. Actuum Can. Nullus. cap. in ordin. distinct. 61. cap. Sacror. distinct. 63. Leo Papa e­pist. 87. & 90. that they which are come to a bishop­ricke by mony or fauour, they should not be holden for Bishops, neyther haue any right to ordeyne others. Nowe wee report our selues to the church of Rome it selfe, who are more canonically elected, they or we, & whether these canons haue not bene altoge­ther contemned amongst them, for the space of more then these 800. yeres. If the questiō be of bishops, either ordeyning or ordeyned, they come to their Byshoprickes eyther through fauor of the princes court, or else by [Page]the subtilties of y^e court of Rome, or by pay­ing of mony. And there be, who are made bi­shops for y^e seruice of theyr predecessors, be­fore they were borne, at y^t time when it was doubtful, whether they should be male or fe­male, man or womā. The thing it self spea­keth, & euery man seeth it, & knoweth it, be­fore I can speake of it. If of y^e examination which is made, by this a mā may iudge what it is like to be, whē he seeth a great part of y^e bishops of y^e church of Rome, that know not whether their Masse be in Greke or Latine: & their liues are so knowē (I touch not those few that behaue thēselues better) that theyr Cardinals,In the ar­ticles that were pre­sented by the Cardi­nals the reformers of Pope Paul. 3. Cypriā. lib. 1 Epist. 3. August. Epist. 110. chosen in the time of Pope Paul the thyrd for a reformation, confesse in theyr articles, that for theyr wicked liues and hor­rible outrages, the name of God was blas­phemed throughout all nations. If of y^e con­sent of y^e people, which S. Cyprian so much requireth, & which we see so wel put in prac­tise in y^e person of Eradius y^t was S. Augu­stines successor, they present their bishops to the people, not to haue their consent to ap­proue thē, but to cause thē to worship them, for fashion sake only, and not altogether in good earnest. Now if we come to the simple [Page]priestes,Euseb. lib. 6. cap. 29. de elect Fabri. Theodoret. lib 1. cap. 9. the ignorant bishops do yet make them of the most ignorant, and of the most vitious, worse then themselues, so that the time whereof y^e Prophet complayneth, hath endured a long time in y^e Church, that who­soeuer would, might consecrate his hand. We ministers therefore at this day, haue the same succession that their bishops had. For from the first that reformed the Churches, no man could take it away, & vnto this they haue further added y^e continuall successiō of the true doctrine. But their vocation is farre better, and more canonical: for besides that they were ordeined, by those that the church of Rome had ordeined, they are ordeined ac­cording to the example of the Apostles, and auncient canons, which Antichrist and his mainteyners haue vtterly disanulled, wher­as examining the election of the Romish bishops, you shal haue much a do to find one, that may rightly be called a bishop.

Against this which hath bene said, nothing can be alledged, vnlesse it be, that these first reformers of y^e Church, Iohn Hus, Luther, Zwinglius, Decolompadius & others, from whom ours are descēded, they were not bi­shops, but onely priestes & doctors. To this [Page]we answere,A bishop and an el­der are all one. That a Minister & a Bishop in the primitiue Church were al one, and that if there be any difference at this day in their titles and myters, yet that in their essentiall dignitie, they differ not a whitte. S. Paule sayeth to Titus, I left thee in Candie, to the end thou shouldest ordeyne elders in euery citie. And afterwards,Titus. 1. willing to shew him howe he shoulde gouerne there, he addeth: For it behoueth that a Bishop be faultlesse, &c. Also it is sayd in the Actes,Acts. 20.17. & 28. That he sent to seeke the Elders or Seniors of Ephesus. But marke the waighty exhortation he ma­keth to them, Take heede, sayth he, to your selues, & to the vvhole flock, ouer vvhich the holy Ghost hath made you Bishoppes or o­uerseers. To the Philippi­ans. In the Epistle to the Philippians he saluteth the Deacons and Bishoppes of that citie, that is to saye, the auncients. S. Peter also exhorting the Bishops or elders,1. Pet. 5. Graecè [...], as beeing bishops. Ephes. 4. Feede (saith he) the flock vvhich is commit­ted vnto you, hauing an eye ouer them as Bishoppes or ouerseers, &c. And in deede where Saint Paul rekoneth vp the names of all the degrees in the Church, he maketh no mention of bishops, but onely of pastors and doctors, & to the elders it is said, Feede, [Page]teach, & doe the duetie of Bishops. It is then most apparent, that elders (whome you call priests) & Bishops were all one.Irenaeus ex Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 26. & epist. 24. And Irene­us also calleth Anicetus, Pius, & Hyginus Bishops of Rome, no otherwise then by the name elders. This is that S. Hierom saith in a certayne Epistle, handling this matter: Among our ancients, Bishop & elder vvere both one, but the one is the name of age, the other of office or dignitie, as the Apo­stle hath plainly shevved vs. Hieronym. in epist. ad Euandrum. And in another place: Before one sayd, I hold of Cephas, & I of Apollo, &c. all things vvere gouerned in the Church by the cōmon aduise of the Seniors or elders. Aftervvardes to auoyde Schismes, aduise vvas giuen, that one should be chosen aboue others. In 1. cap. ad Titū fusissi­me. But as on the one side the elders are subiect vnto him, so on the other side they must knovv, in that that he is aboue the elders, it is by custome, and not by the Lords ordināce. Ambro. in 4. ad Ephesisios. S. Ambrose ex­poūding the 4. of the Ephe. where y^e degrees of the Church are largely handled: The Bi­shops (sayeth he) vvere called at the first, El­ders, vvherupon one succeeded another, &c. And vpon Timoth. A Bishop is none other but a chief elder. Idem in 1. ad Timoth. S. Gregory in his epistles [Page]calleth the Bishops, Elders & Cardinalles,Greg. lib. 1. epist. 15.77.79. Et lib. 2. epist. 6.25. &c. that is to saye, the chiefe: and Iustinian the Emperour, in his Deconomical lawes, cal­leth them Reuerende, because they differ nothing from Elders in their essential dig­nitie, but only in this, that they kept the first place in the administratiō of Gods seruice, that is to saye, in order and Ceremonie. Gratian in his decretals saith plainly,Distinct. 93. & 95. olim. That the superioritie of the Bishop, and the distri­bution of his dioces is from mans lavve, & not from the institution of the Apostles. Peter Lombarde repeateth it in the same wordes. And M. Iohn of Paris,Pet. Lomb. lib. 4. senten. distinct. 24. Magist. Ioh. Parisi. cap. 3. lib. de pote­state regia & Papali. a doctor of the Sorbonists, of the order of Iacobins, in his booke of y^e kingly & papal power, which the whole facultie of diuinitie approued at y^t time, goeth further: For concerning the es­sentiall dignitie of the ministerie, which he calleth y^e power of the ecclesiastical gouern­mēt ouer y^e people, he maintayneth that the priests are equal to y^e Popes thēselues, & he proueth it, because in their orders they vse y^e same words y^t they vse in y^e orders of bishops & Apostles: Receiue the holy Ghost, vvhat­soeuer ye bind on earth, shalbe boūd in hea­uen, &c. To be short, Cardinall Cusan him­selfe [Page]maintaineth, that y^e popedome, the state of Bishopricks,Cardinal. Cusan. lib. 2. cap. 13 de concord. Ca­tholie. Ostiensis in summa de maioritate & obedient. & glossa. in cap. 9 & 2. q. 7. puto. y^t is to say, al their de­grees both great & smal, they are not ordey­ned of God, but of men. That all Priestes according to the ordinance of our Lord are equal: & that they were likewise ordeined of men for y^e better, to wit, to auoyde diuision. But whē this better was turned into worse, & this which men had ordeyned to bring m̄e to God, serued to turne thē away frō God, then, the cause ceasing, these positiue lawes should also cease, & mē should be brought to y^e first institution. And therfore marke (saith he) y^t in time of necessitie, whē the Pope hath excōmunicated w^t an euill purpose, the least priest may absolue him, whosoeuer he be, frō his excōmunication. Behold therefore, that in that the B. is aboue an elder, it is but frō mans lawe, & for order, which is no longer order, when it is the cause of disorder.

Consequently we saye,That mini­sters & el­ders haue power to lay on their handes. 1. Tim. [...]. that those elders haue power to laye on their handes, and to ordayne pastors. That they had so in the A­postles tyme, it is most cleare. Neglect not (sayth Saint Paul) the gift that is in thee, which is giuen to prophecie with the impo­sition [Page]of the handes of the Eldership, that is to say, of the assemblie of Seniors or elders. And againe, Timothie ordeined him selfe. & forasmuch as a Bishop & elder were al one, if by the scripture the Byshops take this power to themselues, aswel might the Mi­nisters & Elders: & if they deny it to the mi­nisters & elders, they deny it to themselues. In deede in y^e olde time this argument was cōmon in the Church: He might baptize,Magister setent. lib. 4. distinct. 25. he might minister the Lordes body, ergo he might lay on his hands. Also, when they or­deined an elder, y^e B. holding his hand ouer his head, al y^e other elders drew neere & layd on their hands together, & held them vpō y^e head of him whō they so ordeyned, as it ap­peareth in many places of Gratians decre­tals,Can presby­ter. distinct. 23. apud Gra­tianā. which was to keepe their right in gi­uing of orders, & to shew that although the Bishop had the charge of this action, that notwithstanding it was equall amōgst thē, & that he could not do it of himselfe alone. And certaine of their owne haue disputed this same question 300. yeres since.Marsil. Pa­ta li. 2. ca. 17. And if the ambition of Bishops, & the negligence of the Ministers & Elders haue confoūded all thinges, & abolished y^e order of y^e church, [Page]we must labour as much as wee can, to bring it in againe. And if the Bishoppe, of a companion, which he ought to be, is become a tyrant ouer the ministers & elders, why, it belongeth to those that are true ministers and elders, to exercise the duetie which is left vnto them. And if the primacie of the Bishop, brought in by men, haue led men to perdition, (which order we do not altoge­ther disalowe, if it be rightly obserued) why then, by the equalitie of ministers and Elders instituted of God, they must bee brought againe to saluation. To be short, the first Bishops of the Christian Church were but elders: and our first ministers were el­ders: & the elders by the institutiō of the A­postles, had authoritie to lay on their hādes, according to which also ours were ordeined: ministers therefore ordeined by them are well ordained, and their vocation can not in any wise be cauilled at, or slaundered. Nowe if any thinke them contemptible in comparison of the great prelates of the Church of Rome: Caiphas in deede was reuecenced of the worlde, whereas Cephas had neither golde nor siluer. Paul being a persecuter, was in great credit, and Paul [Page]being an Apostle, gotte his liuing with his owne hands. Also, God is wont to confoūd the great and mightie things of the world, through thinges which seeme small. And many of ours followe y^e pouertie of Christ, which might be honoured, yea and were so sometimes, amōgst the chiefe vpholders of Antichrist. It is not therfore to the purpose, to aske miracles of vs for the approuing of our calling: For if we must shew some, then must they also, for that is ordinarie. But if by vertue of their calling, they haue taken vpon them to preache newe doctrine, why then, let them suffer vs by vertue of the same, to restore the auncient. And if they say it is ours that is newe, and not theirs, why then, there is no more question of our cal­ling, but of our doctrine, and therefore we must passe through all these suburbes, and come directlye to the conference of these two.

In meane time, these were the goodlye fetches, that hyndered the fruite of the conference at Poissy, from whence all Fraunce wayted for some singular good thing, & yet this is that, vpon which at this day the Iesuites do ground their principall [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page]defence. When any say vnto them, Shew me purgatorie, and transubstantiation, and the inuocation of Sayntes,Miracles. or any thing which draweth neere to the Scriptures, they saye vnto vs, Worke miracles. Euen so likewise Satan said vnto Iesus Christ: If thou be the sonne of God, cast thy selfe downe from the toppe of the pina­cle &c. being as ready to haue turned vn­to him, if he had done it, as if he had done nothing. But our Sauiour, who could haue done greater things, confuted him onely by the scriptures. So likewise the Pharises aske him for signes, albeit he wrought inow, & those wonderful. But if he cast out deuils, this was (say they) by the power of y^e deuil. If he did thē in earth, they aske thē frō hea­uen: & if y^e heauen it selfe should speake, to giue authoritie to his vocatiō, thē they said, What thūder is this? Likewise they say vn­to him vpon the Crosse,Iohn. 12. If thou be y^e sonne of God, helpe thy selfe &c. and when he stept out of y^e Sepulchre, ouerth wart those gross-headed watchmen, they said y^t he was stolne away. To be short, euen so in asking mira­cles of vs nowe, they are wholy bent to say, if we should do them, y^t we were the Anti­christs, [Page]which should deceyue the worlde by signes & miracles, & that therfore we ought not to be beleeued. But as y^e Pharises, whē Christ suffered vpon the Crosse, in steade of asking him miracles, had done a great deale better, to meditate vpon this place of Isaie, He was wounded for our transgressions,Isai. 53.he was smitten for our iniquities, and with his stripes were we healed: So should it be much better for our masters, to searche out of the holy scriptures, the true markes of Antichrist, and deepely to thinke vpon this great miracle, which God hath wrought in our time without miracles, abolishing by y^e onely breath of his mouth, and by the off­scouring of the world, that horrible mōster, who so lōg time hath caused himselfe to be worshipped in the worlde.

When the Lawe was published by Mo­ses, we reade that then he wrought mira­cles. When there was a matter of iudge­ment also betwixt God and Baal, God wrought miracles by Elias. But when Io­sias the king, & Helkias the Priest brought foorth the booke of the Lawe, which had bene buried eyther by the negligence or malice of the teachers, and that they threw [Page]out the idoles which men had brought into the Temple of God: when Esdras the Scribe and Priest restored the seruice of God, after the captiuitie of Babylon, we reade not that they wrought any miracles: the reason thereof is very cleare. Moses had published a newe Lawe to the people. And Elias had to do with a people, that openly had renounced the lawe. Contrary­wise Iosias, Helkias, & Esdras onely kept the lawe, and according to that reformed the Church, and had to do with a people that beleeued, and would yeeld vnto it: yea, with a people who were taught by the lawe, to beleeue the lawe against all miracles.Deut. 13. In like maner when Christ brought the Gos­pell, he wrought miracles: but we finde not when any pastor of the Church hath required the reformation of some abuses of the Councilles which entred therein­to, that hee was requested to worke mira­cles. Of Saynt Bernarde, who cryed so lowde agaynst the corruption of his time, and who sighed so sore after the reforma­tion of the Churche, they asked none. Nowe the reformation we aske, is of ma­ny things, according to y^t corruption which [Page]so long agoe is entred into al things. To be short, this should be a great miracle vnto vs, that an Angel should bring vs from hea­uen a newe Gospell:Galat. 1. and yet notwithstan­ding, the Gospel forbiddeth vs vpon paine of damnation to beleeue it: we are not those then that must worke miracles. For we preache nothing but saluation in one one­ly Iesus Christ, confirmed by the miracles of Christe, and of his Apostles. But it be­longeth to Antichrist to do them, who prea­cheth saluation by mans works, by monkes merites, and by his owne indulgences and pardons, who hath brought vs in a newe Christ, and a newe Gospel, which the deuil hath confirmed and sealed to the worlde, by straunge signes & wonders, & lying mira­cles, whereof all oratories & Chappels not long sithens boasted & vaunted: which when Christe was borne, vanished altogether to nothing, as he made the oracles of the de­uil to do when he was borne into the world. And I aske thē nowe of their conscience, if we came w^t miracles, whether our aduersa­ries would beleeue our Doctrine, which nowe so boldely they condemne to the fyre? If they saye, No: why then, they abuse the [Page]people, when they aske vs for them, as though without miracles our Doctrine ought not to be receyued, and as though they were by and by ready, if we had these, quietly to allowe it. If they saye they would, we ought not then to marueil, if agaynst Christe, they haue receyued Anti­christ, seeing the deuill hath authorized him by his miracles, forasmuch as all Chri­stians were forewarned by the spirite of God,2. Thess. 2. that he should woorke strange and monstruous thinges, whereupon notwith­standing they ought not to staye: and con­trarywise, that Christ must destroye him by the spirite of his mouth, that is to saye, by y^e onely preaching of his worde, to which his spirite giueth effect and power.

Nowe if they wil yet stiffely holde an opi­nion of miracles, one poore Fryer, with the onely sounde of the woorde of God, hath in one moment shaken al the foundati­ons of this Babylonical Empire, which see­med to be so well fensed against all the iniu­ries of the time. And in what time? euen thē when y^e Pope, as a god, had al y^e earth at his cōmaūdemēt, at y^t time when he was adored & worshipped of kings, & serued of Empe­rours, [Page]when he tooke away & gaue Empires at his pleasure, when to inquire of his do­ings, was (as they say) to touch the holy mountaine, & to open mouth against heauē. Euen hee (at whose voyce otherwise our most mightiest Kings haue trēbled in their thrones) at the voyce of a man, in respect of men, contemptible, hath trembled in his throne, and can not vntill this daye be qui­eted. With the ayde of a fewe of his com­panions, and of the same estate, he hath withdrawen the greatest parte of Chri­stendome from vnder his power: he hath deliuered frō this deuill that possessed them, not only mē, or cities, but euen whole king­domes: he hath by the word of God opened the eyes of a thousand millions of persons, that were blinde, euen from their birth. And although the only word of God preached by his seruaunts, hath done these great mar­ueiles, you yet denie that God worketh mi­racles. Yea rather this is the miracle of mi­racles, that this great miracle is wrought without miracles. We haue seene in our time many Bethulias, many Senacheribs, many Herodes, and many Dioclesians. We haue seene Gyants dashed against the [Page]stones: we make no reconing of these things, because we haue seene thē, but those that come after vs shal wonder at them. And who would haue said, I pray you, that after the 24. day of August in the yere 1572. that euer there shoulde againe any mention be made of vs in Fraunce? We were as dead & buried, they had rolled such a great stone vpon vs, to keepe vs downe: on euery side they were in armes about our graues. God contrariwise from all these same lets, restored vs life to praise him: and to make all the earth ashamed in their slie purposes, he woulde that euen the aduersaries of our religion them selues should remoue y^e stone, and reaching out their hands vnto vs, should drawe vs out of the graue againe. Nowe, if as the Pharises, they will yet aske vs for a signe from heauen, then during the time that these horrible murthers continued tho­rowe out Fraunce, there began to appeare in the firmament this newe starre, whereof sithens the creation of y^e world the like hath not bene seene, but at the birth of our Lorde Iesus Christ. All the worlde sawe it three yeres together. Al Astrologers wondred at it, and are yet amazed to thinke of it. The [Page]wise mē of y^e world, which beleeue al things to be eternall, beganne from thenceforth to worshippe one Creator. And what shall we thinke that it signifieth vnto vs, but that se­conde birth of Iesus Christ in the earth, by the preaching of his word? But you wil say, We haue seene yet nothing. And contrari­wise, yo [...]r affayres in stead to be aduaunced, go backward. Well. The starre which was followed of the wise men, was thirtie yeeres before it shewed his effect: and when that ef­fect was accomplished, it was by the fleshe of one man, of whom mē made no accompt, and by the shame of a crosse, that seemed to haue enclosed the whole Diuinitie in one Tombe. Notwithstanding, after that the di­uel had cast out his fire against the Apostles and disciples of Christ, & that he had raysed against them infinite persecutions, it must needes be in the end that he yelde himselfe, & that al y^e earth acknowledge their Lord. Let the earth therefore do what it will, the word of God endureth for euer. And it must be that Antichrist perish, & be discomfited by y^e breath of the mouth of Christ, & that he be a­bolished by the brightnesse of his comming. All kings, and al the earth can do nothing a­gainst [Page]this determination. But I beseech the Almightie, that it will please him to in­spire into the heartes of all Kings and peo­ples, a true desire of knowing the trueth, & to search for their saluation: a true zeale to bring Christendome againe to true vnitie vnder the obedience of Christ: a true aff [...] on to reigne and to liue in him, as they raigne and liue by him: to the ende that Kings being well obeyed of their people, and the people well commaunded of their Kinges, we may see in our dayes one one­lye Iesus Christ, acknowledged of all peo­ples & Kinges, to be y^e King of Kinges, and Lord of Lordes and in his Church the onely mediatour, fauiour, and Lawegiuer.

Amen.