¶The firste Chapter

CAluin your Patriarch doth laie to our charge a great and an outra­gious boldnes, saying (according to his opinion) that we haue introdu­ced or taken in hande the ministerie of Iesus Christe, without being cal­led to it by him that did institute Aa­ron in the saide estate. And because that he himselfe can better then I ex­presse his complaint or accusation, I thinke it beste to set foorth his owne writinges, which, according to his disciples opinions, are of great force and vertue. In his booke of Insti. ca. 18. Art. 58. His wordes, as you may reade, are these. Seing that the Pa­pistes heare S. Paule saye, that no per­son ought to take vpon him, or vsurpe the name and the honoure of Priest­hoode, Heb. 5. [Page] but he that is called to it as Aaron was. And that Iesus Christe tooke it not vpon him selfe, but did o­beye the vocation of his father, ei­ther they ought to shewe, that God is the Author and institutour of their priesthood, or els they must confesse, that they are not called of God, seing that of their owne boldenes they haue taken it in hande.

These are Caluins wordes, by the which the reader maye gather, that Caluin doeth enioyne vs to render him an accoumpt of oure vocation. And although that it be so, that by the Ciuill lawe one ought to trye the righte of the possession, L. Si quis ad se ad leg. lul. de nil. publ. &c before he come to demaunde it, and the spoyle (as we are to him and his fe­lowes, as touching oure Temples and Reuennues in manye places) ought to be restored agayne before the sute proceede: Yet, releassing this, that the lawe doeth alowe vs, [Page 2] we are content to aunswere to his demaund: adding this request therto that both you that are his disciples, and he, doo make readie your papers to aunswere vs the like as touching yours. But before I proceede in mine aunswere (vnder correction of a man that thinkes to haue suche good eyes) me seemeth, that his argu­ment is but very simple: to sai, that of we cannot shewe, that God is the Authour of our Priesthood, that we should be constrained to confesse, that it is not of God, seeing that without being called, we take it vpon vs. For, what reason is there, I praye you, in this? for although it were so, that of our owne priuate power and au­thoritie, without being called, wee shoulde take it vppon vs, it shoulde not folowe by that, that it is not of God. For by that reason one mighte saye, that GOD was not the [Page] authour of the priesthood of Aaron, seing that Dathan, Num. 16. Abyron, and O­zias tooke it vpon thē of their owne boldenes: 2. Paral. 26 the which is not true. And as touching this, that he saieth, that our order of priesthood is not of God, we will proue that false in some other place, but at this time we must treat of our vocation, to aunswere him & his complices, howe and by what vertue we exercise our ministerie. We are called to this estate, accor­ding to the ordinarie way: that is to saye, by the right succession of Bis­shops and Pastors, and by the conti­nuance of one Catholique faith, deri­ued from the Apostles to our dayes, without the interruption of it vni­uersallye: for in diuers places of the worlde it hath bene euer cleere and certaine, manifestlye shining like the light set on the table, Math. 5. to geue light to all those of the house, and not vnder the busshell, to be shadowed with [Page 3] darknes. Ephe. 4. S. Paule, after that he had recited by order the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchie, I meane, of the Apostles, Prophetes and Euangelists, he doth declare at the last the cause why they were instituted, being for the edifica­tion of the misticall body of Christe, the which is the Catholique Church, vntill (saith he) that in the vnitie of faith we go to meete him. He taketh his similitude of many that come frō diuerse wayes, and meete all in one waye. And thus he meanes, that the spirituall edification of the Churche, ordeined of Bishops, Pastours and Doctours, shall endure, vntill that the Gospell be preached through all nations. By the effecte of the whiche Gospell, both Frenche, Spanish, En­glish, Greeke, Persian, Arabian, La­tines, and Barbares, with manye o­ther nations which were to tedious to name, haue met together, hauing of great antiquitie, all one kinde of [Page] Catholike faith by the Apostles and their successors for euer. As the sonne of God, before he suffered, did attaine and arriue to the perfection of his age: euen so, his misticall body of the Churche shall continue in this world, vntill it be perfect in his members, and that the number of the chosen be accomplished. And euē as a materiall building cannot be perfectly atchie­ued without continuance of worke­men and Masons: euen so the spiri­tuall building of the Churche cannot be atchieued without the succession of Bishops and Pastors, preaching, or causing the worde of God to be preached, which is the verye spiritual building, the which hath bene euer common and visible in the Churche, according to the prophecie of Esaye. Sap. 61. who meaning to declare the care that God taketh as touching the preseruation of his Churche, he did saye, as it were representing the [Page 4] state of Hierusalem. I haue establi­shed and ordeined watchemen vpon the walles, the whiche shall neuer holde their peace, neither daye nor night. These watchemen are those, that haue announced to vs our sal­uation: They are the trompettes of Iesus Christe, which neuer haue left their sounding in the true Churche of God, from the Apostles time vnto this present daye.

¶The .2. Chapter.

SAint Paule foloweth this discourse in the fourth Chapiter vnto the E­phesians, where as he doeth declare vnto vs the fruit that doth procede of this succession of Pastors, and of the perseuerance of the reasonable sheepe in one kinde of spirituall doctrine, called the vnitie of fayth. For he say­eth, that God established this or­der to that ende, that we shoulde [Page] not be like light childrē, caried away with euerye blast of false doctrine, through the subtilitie of men, & their craftie wordes, full of deceipte. In these wordes you doo see, howe the Apostle doeth declare vnto vs the counsaile and the intention of the ho­lye Ghoste: I meane, that we should be constant in our fayth, the which is grounded vpon the worde of God, & interpreted and declared vnto vs by the Doctours and Pastors, that suc­cessiuely haue continued in one kinde of faith and Catholike religion, from the firste time that it was preached, without turning with euery winde, but rather that we ought to stande firme and stable. Here is to be noted, that when the Apostle doth tell, how he hath lefte vs pastors and doctors, to warne vs of the subtilitie of false teachers, he doth vse a certain greeke worde very apte for this purpose, the which hath in Englishe the significa­tion, [Page 5] of the playing or cogging at dise. And euen as he that hath no great skill, if he playe with suche a one, he will soone loose his money, because the other can cast what he wil: Euen so, if a simple man, being vnlearned, doo chaunce to talke with such a one as can cog, or (to speake plainely) fals­ly interprete the Scriptures, he may soone be deceaued: as we see it dayly happen to many, that playe awaye and put in hazarde the rest of al their spirituall inheritaunce, I meane, the faith, which hath beene lefte to them by their fathers, from age to age, since Christes time. Thus haue the Arrians, the Nestorians, and diuers other heretikes deceiued many a mā, as I will shewe more at large here­after.

The .3. Chapter.

THe place that I haue quoted of the Apostle doth shew, howe dan­gerous [Page] a thinge it is to fall into the handes of such Coggers of the scrip­tures, and likewise howe certaine a thinge it is, to folowe the interpreta­tion of the auncient Doctours, stan­ding to that, that euer the Catholike Churche hath taught, and not to turne at euery blast. Vpon this mat­ter one Vincentius Lyrinensis, who florished aboue a thousande yeres a­gone, Lib. con. haer. he saith thus: If anye man per­chaunce demaunde, saying: Since that the rules of the Scripture are certaine and sufficient of them selues: And what neede haue we then of the authoritie of the Churche? He aun­swereth: For that (sayeth he) that the secretes and misteries of the holye Scriptures are such, that euery man doeth not vnderstande them, and in­terprete them after one sorte, but that of one place this man and that man shall seeme to mainteyne their opi­nions, being cleane contrary one to [Page 6] another, so that, looke howe manye men, so many interpretations: For, one way it is interpreted by Nestori­us, another waye by Arrius, another way by Sabellius, and so forth, accor­ding to diuers heresies that haue ri­sen from time to time. And therefore it is necessarye for the knowledge of the trueth, among so manye errours, to drawe the right line of the Pro­pheticall and Apostolicall interpreta­tion, according to the rule and true sense of the Catholike Churche.

This is the learned opinion of this auncient father Vincentius Lyrinen­sis.

¶The .4. Chapter.

WHose discourse doeth make me remember the Complaynt that the Soule doeth make vnto her Spouse IESVS CHRISTE, [Page] being both represented, Canti. 1. by Salomō, and his legitimate spouse. I praye thee (saith she) O my dere frende, tell me in what place thou doest lye and rest at noone dayes, for I woulde be very glad and desirous to folowe the flockes of thy felowes? The which is as much to say, as if she meant thus: I see many sheperdes in these moun­tains, which haue great aboundance of sheepe, I see those of the Romane Church, I see Donatistes, I see No­uatians, or, to speake of our time, I see one flocke folowe Luther, another flocke folowe Zuinglius, another fo­low Caluin, another the Anabaptists, another the Sacramentaries, and so forth diuers others, of whom when I demaunde particulerly, Whose is this flocke? they doo al aunswer me, It is of Christ, and euery one saieth, this is the Catholike Churche, euery one doeth saye, that he is his felowe, that is to saye, as touching the guy­ding [Page 7] of his flock. Now it is not possi­ble, that they doo all teache the truth, considering howe they vary amonge them selues: therfore I do desire thee to tell me, where thou doest rest thy selfe at noone dayes? that is as much to saye, teache me, which is the true Catholike Churche, which doth cele­brate the true misterie of the Crosse, which is the place, where thou wast nayled at noone dayes, being nayled both handes and feete? Heare nowe the aunswer of Iesus Christe: If thou doest not know the place where I rest, O moste beautifull among all women, folowe thou the pathe that thy flocke hath made before thee, set­ting thy tabernacle or thy lodge, hard by the tabernacle of thy Shepherds. If we well note, and vnderstande this aunswere, it will learne vs that, that shal suffise to kepe vs frō rūning euer astray. The sense is this: O thou Christian, which art troubled in thy [Page] conscience, not knowing, because of so many heresyes, which waye thou shalt goe, or howe thou shalt decerne the true religion from other false doc­trine, take my counsaile, the which is, to folowe steppe by steppe the flocke that went before thee. If that a thousande, or two thousand sheepe runne ouer a plaine, those that come afterwarde, doo not they know well the path that is made before them? doo not they discerne the waye that the firste went? Yes surely, although there be no Sheperd to guide them. And if thou doest aunswere, that this doth not suffise, for I doo see diuers pathes, I see the pathe of the Calui­nistes, the path of the Lutherans, and the pathe of those of the Romane Churche: but yet doo not I knowe which flocke I should chose. To this I answere thus: Canti. 1. Set thy Taberna­cle by the Tabernacle of the Shep­herdes, and of thy Pastors, I mean, [Page 8] that I woulde haue thee to leane to that flocke, that can leade thee from age to age, and from yere to yere, vnto the Crosse of Iesus Christ, on the which he was nailed at noone dayes: and there it is where thou oughtest to quiet thy selfe and thy conscience. Then to beginne: If thou doest aske the Caluinistes, Where is the true fayth (the which, as they saye, doeth consiste in the true prea­ching of the worde of the Lorde, and in the administration of the Sacramentes, according to the in­stitution of Iesus Christe) they will aunswere: It is at Geneua, the Lu­therans will aunswere, At Wittem­berge, and the Anabaptistes will aun­swere at Monasterium: The Vbiqui­taries, they will aunswere, At Tu­binge: and the Trinitaries, At Petri­cone: and so consequently of the rest. And then pursue, and aske farther, where it was twentye yeares [Page] agone? They will say, in the saide Ci­ties: but if thou come to demaunde of them, wher it was a hundred or two hundred yeres agone, if they are a­shamed anye thing at all to lye, they will not aunswere at all, for there is none of them, that can deny, but that Luther, who beganne to preache his newe Gospell the yere. 1517. was the firste beginner of all these troubles, & the father of all those that teache this reformed religion. Then is it farre frō that place, where thy frend was nai­led at middaie, or where he was cru­cifyed aboue. 1500. yeres agone, be­fore the newe Churche was dreampt of. And therefore thou maiest easelye perceaue, that this flock cannot leade thee to the place that thou doest de­sire: and consequently, that is not the flocke that we shoulde folowe. Then let vs com vnto the Romane Church, & demaund, where was this flock an hundred yeres agone? They wil aun­swere [Page 9] thee, In Fraunce, Spaine, En­glande, Germanie, and so ouer all Christendom. And if thou aske, where it was. 500. yeres agone, they will say, In the saide places. And a thou­sande yeres agone likewise: and like­wise, a thousande and fiue hundred yeres agone. This flocke then will not leaue thee by the waye, as the o­thers doo, but it will leade thee vnto the very time of the death and passi­on of Christe, by continuaunce of one doctrine, and by succession of pastors, which Salomon doth call the taber­nacle of the Shepherdes: And there­fore this is the place where thou must seeke thy Tabernacle, and quiet thy conscience to the ende, that thou be not a lost sheepe, and that thou be not readie to turne at euery blast of newe doctrine, that our newe Coggers of the Scriptures doo set forth, to de­ceaue the simple sheepe.

¶The .5. Chapter.

THe like vnto this is confirmed by Vincentius Lyrinensis (of whom we haue spoken before) for he saith in the booke aboue named that that person ought to be estemed a true Catholike, that hath nothing in greater commendation then y ^e true religion of the Catholike faith: yea, al­though it were the wisest man in the world, and the greatest Philosopher, & the fairest speaker that euer was, if he came to speake against the olde doctrine that hath bene taught vs of our forefathers, time out of mind, we ought (saith he) to disdaine that lear­ned Clarke with all his philosophie & cunning, and to hold our selues to the auncient opinion of the Churche, the which hath continued vntill this pre­sent day. And if that nowe one should bring a newe doctrine, that was not hearde of before, contrary vnto that, [Page 10] that hath euer ben taught in y ^e Chur­che, say, y ^t it doth not apperteine vnto the state of the Catholike faith, & that it is no religion, but a temptatiō. And therfore, if we wilbe saued, we ought to liue and dye in that faith that hath continued by succession of Pastours, euen from Christes time vnto these dayes. Lib. 4. contra haeres. cap. 65. S. Irenaeus a very famous wri­ter, in his fourth booke against here­sies, the. 65. Chapter, who was with­in a fewe yeres of the Apostles, Arch­bishop of Lions, writeth the veri like, saying that the true faith and the true knowledge of God, is the doctrine of the Apostles, and the auncient estate of the Church throughout the world, according to the succession of those Bishops, vnto whom only the Apo­stles committed the custodye of the Churche throughout the worlde, the which (sayeth he) is come to vs. This sayde Irenaeus doeth write in his thyrde booke, and seconde [Page] Chapiter, that he and his felowes did withstande the Valentinians and the Marcionistes, which were great he­retikes, by the traditions of the Apo­stles, that is to saye, the doctrine not written, but receued from age to age of the Apostles, and so continued till their time. He saith likewise: vnto the Traditions which are of the Apo­stles, and that by succession of pastors haue bene vsed in the Churche, we do persuade & prouoke those that speake against Traditions. He writes as much more in the thirde Chapter of the saide booke: Forasmuch (sayth he) as it were to tedious to set forth in one booke the Successours of all the Churches, and to tell them one by one, we doo ouerthrowe those, that for vayne glorie doo seeke to gather disciples together, teaching them contrary to that that doth apperteyn vn­to the Traditions of the Apostles, the which we doo shewe to them by the [Page 11] saide Traditions, and by the faith that hath bene taught and is come to vs by succession of the Bishops of the great and auncient Church of Rome, the which was founded by the two glorious Martyrs and Apostles, S. Peter and S. Paule. These are his wordes in his thirde booke aduersus haereses, the fyfth Chapter. And at the beginning of the saide Chapter he saith thus: All those that will vnder­stand the truth, may presently regard the traditions of the Apostles, which are manifest throughout the world, and we cannot coumpt the number of those that haue bene instituted and ordeyned Bishops in the Churche, & their Successoures till our dayes, which haue neither knowen nor tau­ghte anye thing like vnto the fables and tales that these doo preache vn­to vs. &c. Not without cause wee may nowe a dayes say the like of the Lutherans, Caluinistes, & other sectes [Page] of our time. After this he doeth set forth all the Popes of Rome, from S. Peter vnto Eleutherius, which was Pope in his time. And he did affirme, that that number did suffise to proue, that the doctrine of Marcian and Va­lentinian was false and very hurtfull, because that it was vnknowen, or at the least not receaued or approued by the Churche, being vnder the gouer­naunce of any of those Popes. Then with greater reason ought prescriptiō to take place against a new doctrine, which hath beene vnknowen this 1500. yeres, or at the least, if any bo­die sought to publishe it, he was con­demned as a false pernitious heretike

¶The .6. Chapter.

S. Augustine in his Epistle. 365. a­bout the like matter, doeth set forth all the Popes by order, which haue bene from S. Peters time vntil Anasta­sius, which was pope in his time, and [Page 12] by his continuall succession he doeth proue, that the doctrine of y ^e Donatists is heretical, because that none of those popes which he did recite, nor no part of the Churche did receaue it. I pray you, maye not we saye the like by the Caluinistes and other heretikes. The saide S. Augustine in the Epistle that he doth call Epistola fundamenti. Cap. 4. doeth write the reasons that did keepe him vnder the obedience of the Catholike Romane Church. And amonge other, he doeth alleage the common consent of all nations, and the continuall succession of Bishops. And in his booke which he made a­gainst the aduersarie of the olde and newe lawe, he doeth name the succes­sion of the bishops, as most certain to answer to that that we sayd before of S. Paul: Ephe. 1. I mean, y ^t he would not haue vs to be wauering & doubtfull in our doctrin, but y ^t we should be firm & sta­ble, y ^e which stablenes is obteined by [Page] the knowledge and intelligence of the Scriptures, according to the tra­ditions of the Churche, and the suc­cession of the Apostles and Bishops. The Churche (saieth S. Augustine) frō the Apostles time hath continued through the certaine succession of the Bishops, vntill our dayes.

¶The .7. Chapter.

YOu doo studie as muche as you canne, to reiect our succession, and not without cause, knowing that this onely doeth suffise to ouerthrowe all the heresies of those new reformed Gospellers. Caluin, as the moste ap­parant, doth seeke to proue that our reason is of no force, because that the Greekes haue had euer succession of Pastours, and yet we doo not holde them as Catholikes. But if the Rea­der doo well note that, that we haue alreadie sayde, he shall finde the aun­swere vnto this obiection, I meane, because that the Greekes haue not [Page 13] had succession and continuaunce of doctrine, called vnitie of fayth by the Apostles, the which ought euer to be ioyned to the continuaunce of the Pastors, to shew the true recog­nisaunce of the Catholike religion. There is none that doo study & reade of those matters, but that doo know the vnconstant faith of the Greekes, as touching the proceeding of the ho­lye ghoste: the which errour they had abiured at the last Councell of Flo­rence, and yet notwithstanding they did turne to it againe, besides diuers other light thinges, to speake mode­ratelye, which are not approued by their auncient fathers, S. Iohn Chri­sostome, S. Cirill, S. Basil, and Athana­sius, nor yet by our aduersaries at this present time. The which errours I haue no neede to set foorth in this booke: for my intent is but to speake of that, that prickes vs at hande, be­cause of ill neighborhood. Some doo [Page] alleage vnto vs the negligence of our pastors, and their ill liues, for y ^e which cause they say, that the mētioned suc­cession cannot take place. But this argument is of no force: For althogh that the carelesse liues of some Bis­shops and ecclesiasticall persons haue bene so great and so hurtfull vnto the blud of our Sauior Christ (I mean, to the soules bought with it) yet not­withstanding that, the Churche hath not lost the succession & continuaunce of one doctrine, as touching the ad­ministration of the Sacramentes by those that were deputed by the Bis­shops. If one should see a Prelate do­ing nothing, and his lieftenant doing all, which of those two woulde you take to be Bishop? they haue both de­uided their charges: the one receueth the profite, the other takes all the payne. If they be both content, what losse doo you feele? he that hath anye interest, let him valewe the damage. [Page 14] And although that the negligence of the Bishop be not excusable before God with the diligence of the depu­tie, nor his conscience cleere, yet this ought to suffise, that though his faul­tes be through negligence, or through euil liuing, yet that ought not to per­turbe the assurance of our doctrin, the which wee haue taught vs by the word of God, interpreted by the true doctours, that haue bene before vs, a­greing in vnitie of faith, as I haue alredie said: For neither the naughti­nes of Achas, Num. 1. nor of Ioram, nor of diuers other great sinners, which are inrolled in the booke of the generation of Iesus Christe, were not able to withstande the fulfil­ling of the promise of God made to Abraham, that is to sai, that he would be borne of this line: Euen so, the ill liues and conuersatiō of diuers wic­ked Popes, that haue folowed af­ter Saint Peter, haue neuer beene [Page] able to moue Christe to breake his promise, that is to saye, that the fayth of his Churche shoulde neuer fayle, Math. 16. and that the gates of hell, (that is to saye) of infidelitie, which are the portes of damnation, should neuer preuaile against it. Esa. 58. Our aduersaries therefore, that take suche great paines to set forth in golden le­gends the liues of the wicked popes that haue beene since S. Peters time, thinking thereby to ouerthrowe the succession of the Catholike ecclesiasti­call fayth, doo no lesse offende God, then if they should go about to proue the promise of God made to the Pa­triarches to be vaine, because of the euill liues of their successours. There­fore those that doo reproche vnto vs now, that the popes of our dayes are not altogether so holy as S. Peter, we do cōfesse it. But they cannot deny, or they wil cōfesse vnto vs, that y ^e aboue named euil kings, Achaz, Ioram, Ma­nasses, [Page 15] Amon, Iechonias, and others did leade no suche holy liues, as Abra­ham, Isaac, Iacob, or Dauid: and yet notwithstanding those euill kinges haue beene set forth in the generation of our Sauiour, as the Fathers of the iust Iesus Christe. Let them iudge thē that haue any wit, whether this be a great foly or no, to see howe these craftie Coggers of the Scriptures should make many simple persons re­fuse to be the Popes spiritual childrē, because they were sinners, seeking thereby to ouerthrowe all the aunci­ent customes of the Churche.

¶The .8. Chapter.

VPon Moyses Chayre there sitteth (sayeth oure Sauiour Christe) who? not the godliest menne of the worlde, but the Scribes and Phari­ses: Doo that they saye, but not that that they doo. But if our newe Gos­pellers had beene in those dayes, they [Page] woulde haue tolde Christe, that his commaundement was not to be ob­serued, because the liues of Anna and Cayphas were not correspondent vn­to those of Moyses and Aaron: for the firste came to the vocation of priest­hood, being called of God: but the last attained to it by the vocation of their purses, and yet notwithstan­ding, rather then our Sauiour wold breake this harmonie of the misticall body of the Churche, he was not on­lye content to permit, that Caiphas should execute his office (although he was vnworthye, as one that came to it by Simony) but rather he did con­firme his Pontificate with the gifte of the spirite of prophecying, with the which he was as fullye inspired as e­uer was Dauid, Esay, or any of y ^e rest, & al to teache vs that, that I haue al­readie said: I meane, that the Eccle­siastical order, & the administration of the Sacramentes, doo not consist in [Page 16] the good or euill liues of the Pastors, but only of God and of his worde, in­terpreted by them. As touching that that appertaineth to our health, God hath no regarde to the life of the ma­gistrate temporall or ecclesiastical: for he can aswell serue him with an euill person to doo good to the common wealth, as of a good, as the godlye prophecies of the wicked Balaam doo wel witnes. Num. 24. And here is to be noted, that when we talke of the succession of Bishops, and of the doc­trine continuing in the Churche, we doo not meane onely to talke of the Popes, but of all the Bishops and o­ther hauing Ecclesiasticall charges, not onely at Rome, but through all other places, where the true prea­ching, and right administratiō of the Sacraments be vsed. And therefore you doo pretende in vaine, to proue, that the aboue mentioned succession [Page] hath beene interrupted by the dissen­tion of Popes and Antipopes, and by the Ciuill warres that haue beene at Rome in times past. For althoughe that the Sea of Rome was vacant for a time, the Chaires of the Bishops in Fraunce, Spaine, Englande, and ouer all Christendome were not va­cant, they did not for their debates let to administer the precious body of Iesus Christ, and the rest of the Sa­cramentes, to preache and teache the people, doing manye other godlye deedes. And to be briefe, the Ciuil dis­sention at Rome did not cause the rest of the people throughout Christen­dome to breake the vnitie of their fayth, which they helde before their discordes. The ambition of the popes of Rome was in nothing preiudiciall vnto those that helde the integritie of their fayth, nor through the reason of their yl gouernāce our sauiour Christ did not lose his rightful inheritaunce.

¶The .9. Chapter.

NOwe seing that we haue yelded you a full accompt of our vocatiō to the ministery: if we may be so bold, I thinke it is no great presumption to demaunde the like of yours. For euen as Caluin hath heretofore called vpon vs to haue vs proue, that wee are the children of God, or otherwise he woulde absolutelye affirme, that God can not be called the authour of our vocation to the ministery. We say likewise, that if you doo not shewe the like of yours, you shall geue vs leaue (although it be against youre willes) to saye that yours commeth not from God, but from the procure­ment of his aduersarye.

Tertulian, who, as you knowe, aboue 1200. yeres agone, speaking against suche as you are, in his booke de prae­script. haeret. doth write these words. Edant origines Ecclesiarum suarum, e­uoluent [Page] ordinem Episcoporum suorū per successiones ab initio decurrentem. Hoc enim modo Ecclesiae Apostolicae cursus suos deferunt, sicut Romano­rum Clementem Episcopum à Petro ordinatum: id proinde, vti (que) et coeteri, exhibeant, quos ab Apostolis in Epis­copalibus constitutos, Apostolico se­mine radices habeant.

You see well by these wordes, howe that Tertulian doeth continue with the succession of the Pastours, the which he doeth affirme to be necessa­rye, saying: that you, and such as you are, ought not to be receiued to the ministerie of the Church, nor to teach the people, contrary to the ecclesiasti­call order, except that you shewe the antiquitie of your table. And it is ne­cessary (saith he) that you recken your Pastors and Bishops by order, and howe they haue succeeded one after another: for this is the waye that the Churches doo maintaine their right. [Page 18] The saide Tertulian doth ground his similitude vppon the custome of the Ciuill gouernaunce. For when that those yare princes or Lordes doo sur­uaye their landes, the subiectes are bounde to shewe, what bandes they holde of them, setting it all forth by accompt, shewing by what tenure they holde their copie, and whether it be demeanes or freeholde, comming by inheritance or bought: they ought likewise to name him that had it be­fore, and by their owne title to ouer­throwe all other persons that maye make claime vnto it. According to this paterne and order we haue ge­uen you accompt of our inheritance, although we were not bounde to it, setting before your eyes the simili­tude of Salomon, by whom our Sa­uiour Iesus Christe is represented. That same Salomon doeth geue the sheepe that runnes astray counsaile, to set his Tabernacle by the Taber­nacle [Page] of the Sheperdes, and to folow their flocke, vntil he come to the place where Christe was nailed on the Crosse at noone dayes. The whiche counsell, as the moste certaine (accor­ding to Tertulian his opinion) we doo folowe, thinking it sufficient, to keepe vs firmely in the right and auncient Catholike fayth. For we that are the sheepe of Christe, doo folow, as tou­ching our religiō, the steppes that our fathers led before vs, and, as it were, going vp vppon the ladder of Iacob. Gen. 28. we mount by degree and degree, I meane, from yeere to yeere, and from age to age, vntill that we come to S. Saturim, S. Denice, S. Mar­cial, and S. Gratian, which were those that did firste teache the Catholike faith in Tholose, in Paris, and to those of Guyenna and Lorayne, and so con­sequently to all the rest of the Sain­tes, that firste did teache the Catho­like fayth through all Christendome, [Page 19] whom we doo call in iudgement be­fore God, to defend that fayth which they haue geuen vs, from hande to hande, they may call vppon the Apo­stles which sent them, and the Apo­stles may direct thēselues to Christe, who by the mouth of his moste lo­uing Apostle doth commaunde vs to continue in that that was taught vs at the beginning. 1. Ioan. 2. And so we shall continue and rest with the Fa­ther, the Sonne and the holy Ghost. And if any body doth come to teache vs anye other doctrine, then that which hath bene taught vs at the be­ginning: I doo not saye, written in booke, but printed in our hearts, that he be holden as an Anathema, Galat. 1. or an excommunicate person, yea, although it were an Angell of heauen. The which doeth perswade vs, not to re­ceaue your newe doctrine or Gospell, but to keepe our selues vnder the go­uernaunce of our olde Pastours and [Page] Bishops, without hauing any respect to their euill or good liues: for as tou­ching our faith and saluation, that doth unport nothing. The good and holye liues of Iesus Christe and his Apostles hath profited nothing, nei­ther to the obstinate Iewes, nor to the vnbeleuing Gentiles: Nor in the like case the depraued life of manye euil Bishops that haue bene at Rome and in other places haue not shut the dores of heauen against those that are true Catholikes, and leade perti­culer liues, the which are two princi­pall poyntes that doo quiet our con­sciences: I meane, the one, that we beleue that, that our Pastours & the vniuersall Church haue beleued these thousande and fiue hundred yeres: and the other, that their euill liues cannot hurt vs. For as the Apostle doth saye, Euery man shall beare his owne bundell.

¶The .10. Chapter.

NOwe to turne vnto the taking of your accompts, may it please you to shewe vs, howe you haue folowed the steppes of the flocke of Christ, ac­cording to the counsell that we gaue to his reasonable sheepe, as we haue sayde before, Who hath taught you the way that you doo folowe? what doctours were your first tutors? who hath taught you, that the precious body of our Sauiour is not really in the Sacrament of the Aultare? who hath taught the doctrine (or, if it be not grief vnto you, heresy) which you wold haue vs to receiue as a Gospel? I know before hand, that you wil al­leage me Iesus Christe, and his holy Apostles, whose steppes you doo pro­fesse to folow, preching euery wher, y ^t there is no difference betweene your Church (or to say truth, Sinagog) & the church of y ^e Apostles. But I pray, [Page] Let me vnderstand by what means you canne ioyne your selues vnto the Churche of the Apostles, seing that you condemne and cut off all the Christians that haue beene and are betweene you and them. For to veri­fye this, I will alleage no other but your owne workes: for Caluin in his Institutions at the Treatise of the Supper of the Lord, speaking of the oblation of the body of our Sauiour Christe, as it was offered in olde time, he doeth write punctually these wordes: Caluinus, in sua institutione tradita de Coena Domini. I finde (sayth he) that those of olde time haue chaunged this fashion, otherwise then the Institution of our Sauiour did re­quire, seing that their supper did repre­sent a certaine spectacle of a straunge Inuention, or at the least, of a newe maner. There is nothing more sure vn­to the faythfull, then for them to holde them selues vnto the pure ordinance of [Page 21] the Lorde, by whom it was called a supper, to the ende, that onely his au­thoritie may be our rule. Yet it is true, that when I consider their good mea­ning, and that their intent was, neuer to derogate from the onely sacrifice of Christe, I dare not condemne them of folye, and yet I thinke, that one cannot excuse them, that they haue not some­what fayled in the exteriour forme: for they haue folowed more the Cerimo­nies of the Iewes, then the order of Ie­sus Christe did permit. And this is the point, in which they ought to be resis­ted: for they haue conformed to muche vnto the olde Testament, not conten­ting themselues with the simple insti­tution of Christe, they haue to muche inclined themselues vnto the shadow­ed Ceremonies of the Iewes lawe.

These are Caluins words. The Rea­der may by them see well, howe this noble Reformer of the Gospell doeth correct al ages and Churches, be they [Page] of Martyrs, Confessors, Doctours, In­terpreters, Preachers, or anye others, from the Apostles time vnto our age, yet doth he not deny, but that hauing some regard of their simple ignorāce, he is content to be so good to them, as for this time not to condemne their error or impietie, because that which they did was with a good intent: but yet fearing, that the bearing thē to muche fauour woulde trouble his conscience, he geueth sentence against them, saying, that they ought to be re­sisted, because they were not content with the onely institution of Christe, but rather, that in this case they haue folowed the shadows of the Iewes. Nowe, for my part, I thinke Caluin and his felowes so scrupulous, that they would not ioyn themselues vn­to persons that are spotted w ^t Iew­ish Ceremonies. And because that all maner of people, howe wise soeuer they were, frō the Apostles time vntil [Page 22] our dayes, haue fallen into this error, he doth counsel my masters his defor­med folowers (according to his sen­tence) to folowe none of them at all, but only the pure worde of the Lord, preached by Iesus Christe, and by his aboue mentioned Apostles.

¶The .11. Chapter.

YOu doo knowe very well, that S. Paule doth compare many times y ^e misticall body of the Churche vnto a natural body, seing y ^t Iesus Christ is y ^e head, vnto whō the body is ioined by ioints, bones, & sinews. If one should then demaund of you, howe the feete are ioined to y ^e head, you wil answere me, by the legs, which are next vnto y ^e feete. And if I aske you, how the legs are ioined to y ^e hed, you wil answere, by y ^e ioints and by y ^e reins of y ^e back, & so consequently frō member to mem­ber. 1. Cor. 10. I do beleue, that we are al of one accorde, that the ende of the world is at hande, and so consequentlye, that [Page] we are the lowermost part of the bo­dy, so that we are the feete or the leg­ges. Then my masters, you that haue made so fine an Anotomie of the Masse, at my request make another of the ministerie of your congregation. If you should see such another as A­pelles, that would paint a man, and that he had drawen his head, and without painting the rest of his bo­dye, he had set his feete vnder his eares, what would you say to suche a Table? ( Spectatum admissi risum te­neatis amici:) Would you not thinke, that he was a simple painter, or els a great Iester? Euen so doo you de­serue, that one should laugh at youre ministerie: For you will ioyne youre Churche (if it may be so called) vnto the Churche of the Apostles, without setting forth any members betweene them. You take but scant measure, when you will cut of al the Bishops, Pastors and doctors that haue bene [Page 23] from the Apostles time til our dayes, they being the members that folowe the head of the Churche. This maye well be called a newe Religion, or to say the truth, it is a meere presumpti­on, to flye without winges, or to clymbe without a ladder. And I say to you againe, that this is not the waye to folowe the Counsell of the great Shepherde that I mentioned before, who doth say to vs, that if we will not misse the way of the Catho­likes, we ought to folow the flocke of those shepe that haue gone before vs, that is to saye, that we should recken by succession the Pastors that haue succeeded in continuance of one kind of doctrine, the which, as we haue shewed, the Catholike Churche doth, and hath euer done.

¶The .12. Chapter.

AS touching the rest, you haue ac­customed in your ministerie, to vse [Page] the imposition, or laying on of hands, and you saye, that it is an auncient and honest Ceremonie, Exod. 29. In this you say y ^e truth. For as we reade, of great antiquitie this Cerimonie hath beene vsed, aswell in the olde lawe, as in the lawe of grace. And vnto that did re­dounde the imposition of handes laid vpon the Wether that was brought to the immolation of the Sacrifice of Moyses lawe: Leuit. 4. to declare, Num. 8. &. 17. that those that are ordeined vnto the seruice of God, and vnto the ministerie of the Church, ought to retaine the like Ce­remonie: & so the Israelites did laye their handes vppon the Leuites, and Moyses likewise did laye his handes vpon Iosua, whē he was made a cap­tain of the Israelites, who did repre­sent y ^e Church of Christ. The apostles haue vsed y ^e like, as we find, wher we read, Act. 8. 19. &. 13. that S. Peter and S. Iohn did lay their handes vpon the Christiā people of Samaria, & S. Paule vpon the Ephesi­ans, [Page 24] and likewise the Apostles vpon y ^e seuen Deacons, & vpon S. Paule and Barnabas. Tim. [...]. S. Paule doeth admonishe Timothe, not to despise the grace that he had receued by y ^e impositiō of han­des, & that he should set forth the gifte of God that he had receiued with the imposition of the handes of S. Paul vpō him. A &. 7. He doth likewise cōmaunde him, not to vse this impositiō of hāds w ^tout discretiō, to y ^e end that he do not cōmunicat w ^t y ^e sin of another. Caluin according to these authorities in his institutiō booke ( Ar. 8. ca. 50.) of faith doth cōmaund y ^e like to be vsed in his Churche. It doth appere (saith he) that the Apostles haue vsed no other Cere­monie in the vocation to the ministery but this imposition of handes. Now I thinke, y ^t thei tooke this custom of the Iewes, who did present vnto god by y ^e imposition of hands that, that they wold blesse & cōsecrate. After this sort Iacob (Gen. 48.) whē he would blesse [Page] Ephraim and Manasses, he laide his handes vpon their heades. Our Sa­uiour did the like vppon the litle chil­dren, when he did praye. Math. 19. And as I thinke, it was all to one ende ordeined in the lawe: and there­fore, the Apostles, by the imposition of handes, did signifye, that they did of­fer vnto God him, that they did re­ceaue into the ministerie, althoughe they did vse it likewise with those, vnto whom they did distribute the visible giftes of the holy Ghost. How so euer it be, they haue vsed this so­lemnitie as many times, as they did ordeyne any body to the ministerie of the Churche, as we see by example, aswell touching the Pastours and doctours, as the Deacons. Now, al­though there be no special commaun­dement, as touching the imposition of handes: yet notwithstanding, see­ing that we reade, that the Apostles did vse it continuallye, that which [Page 25] they did vse so diligently ought to be vnto vs as a precept. And surely, it is a profitable thing, to set forth to the people the dignitie of the Ministerie by suche a Ceremonie, and to make him know, that is thus ordeyned mi­nister, that he apperteyneth no more to himselfe, but that he is dedicated to the Seruice of God and of his Churche. &c. Thus, seing that Caluin doth confesse the imposition of han­des to be so necessary for the ministe­rie of the Churche, and that it is ap­proued, aswell by the lawe of nature, as by the lawe of Moyses or of the Gospell, Answere vs then, who was he, that laide his handes vpon Cal­uin, to safe conduct the charge of his conscience? You will aunswere me, Zuinglius, or Oecolampadius, or the o­thers of his time. And if by chaunce one would be so curious, as to pursue this demaund, mounting a litle high­er: I meane, to know of whom these [Page] abouenamed haue receued their bles­sing and imposition of handes, I thinke you will not name the Apo­stles, if you will not haue euery man to laughe at your follye: for there is none so simple, but doeth knowe, that they died aboue. 1500. yeres agone. And seing that your patriarch hath made vs so goodly an oration, as tou­ching this imposition of handes, affir­ming it to be necessarye, both by the lawe of Nature, the lawe of Moyses, and the lawe of Grace howe doeth it come to passe, that Zuinglius hath not vsed it, to confirme his ministerie.

¶The .13. Chapter.

If that the good doctour S. Ciprian had bene in these our dayes, Cip. 1. epist. cap. 6. might he not well haue saide against youre Schollers, that which he did write against Nouatus? there needed no o­ther, but in steede of Nouatus to put in Caluinus or Zuinglius, et nomine [Page 26] mu tato, de vobis fabula narrabitur.

Seing that the saide S. Ciprian doth holde & affirme, that Nouatus oughte to be accompted as no Bishop, be­cause he succeded no bodie, but rather that he did make himselfe a Bishop, without anye imposition of handes. Then to what purpose, I praye you, are ye of the opinion, that Caluin and Zuinglius are such faithful ministers, considering that they are as far from prouing y ^t confirmation of their mini­sterie, as euer was Nouatus. You wil answer me, y ^t you haue no nede of the impositiō of hāds of y ^e Papists, super­stitious Idolaters & Infidels. But this maketh your cause neuer y ^e bet­ter: for if you are so scrupulous by na­ture, that it goeth against your cōsci­ences to come to kneele to our Bis­shops, you shuld (I say in times past) haue required your ancient ministers to haue geuē you a warrant for y ^e cō ­firmatiō of your estate, whē one doth [Page] demaund of you, since when your re­ligion begon, you are not content, to claime the beginning from the Apo­stles, but rather, stepping hardly for­warde, ye are not content to staye at Dauid or Abraham, but you must nee­des fetche it from Abell, yea, from A­dam. And if one should spurre you for­warde, you would go, I knowe not whether. Then seing that your Churche is so auncient, and that it hath indured till our dayes (if we wil beleeue you) it is not like to be true, that it hath beene destitute altoge­ther of ministers: for although it be so that God did greatly afflicte the Is­raelites with the captiuitie of Babi­lon, yet did he neuer leue them with­out comfort of good doctours, suche as Daniel, Ezechias, Abdias, and ma­ny others: Euen so you, that thinke in your owne heades, to be the people of God, I cannot thinke (if it be so) he would so haue geuen you ouer, as to [Page 27] want ministers to comfort you in your afflictions, and to ordeyne your ministerie, by the imposition of han­des, What stayes you, that you doo not go to them, seing that you haue nothing to do with oures? And if you say, that you haue done so, doo vs so muche plesure, as to let vs heare their names, and in what time they did florishe, or otherwise you may pardon vs, if we geue no credite to your fay­ned imaginations.

¶The .14. Chapter.

CAluin doth alleage to vs, that the Apostles doo saye, that is, that no body ought to take vpon him the ho­nour of the high priesthood, except he be called to it as Aaron was, mea­ning by that to conclude, that of our owne authoritie wee haue vsurped the dignitie of priesthood. We haue aunswered him at large of our voca­tion by the succession of Pastors ioy­ned [Page] with the imposition of handes. I doe demaunde of him, or of his, if they can make any true answer to the like obiection. You do lay to our charge the yl liues of our Popes & Bishops, and the naughtines that you pretend to find in our Preachers: but al those inuectiues serue to no other purpose, but to shewe howe you keepe a lear­ned schoole of rayling, the which pre­heminence we do yelde to you with­out any debate or processe, for ye may attribute that vnto your selues as your owne by right, in steede of the imposition of hands, which ye want. But in one thing to my iudgement you are greatly ouerseene, and that is this: Why doe ye not fyll bothe sides of your Booke, in the one you sette foorth at large without omit­ting anye poynte of their yll dooin­ges, all the naughtie lyues of oure [Page 28] Pastours and Byshoppes: but the other sydes of the leaues are emptie, you shoulde haue written on them the holye lyues of your Ministers succeeding one after an other this thousande and fiue hundred yeeres. When the Popes Bonifacius and Gregorius didde gouerne yll their Seates at Rome, whiche were the good and holy Ministers that dyd their duety at Geneua? When our Doctours dyd preache agaynst god in times paste, in what part or vn­der what signe were your Mini­sters lodged, that dyd then preache the pure woorde of the Lorde: yf they dydde hyde them selues, they dydde not followe the pure worde of the Lorde, the whiche you say is necessarie too knowe the true and faythfull beleeuers. For Christe doth say, Matthewe. 10. That hee [Page] that shall denye him before men, him will he denie before his father in hea­uen. And S Paul doth say: Rom. 10. That with the heart one doth beleue to Iustice, and with the mouth one must confesse to saluation. But to say the truth, your religion was not then founde out, and the Grandfathers & great Grandfathers of Caluin had neuer dreampt of the heresyes that now their reformed childe hath set so newly abroche. And therefore thinke it not straunge, if that those people that are not light headed, send you to preache in newe found landes, as one that hath here at home geuen mani­festly iudgement against himself, con­fessing, as we haue alleaged aboue, that the Churche of God hath vsed the imposition of handes, yours hath not done so: & therfore it doth folowe, that it is not of God, and that, that doth folow consequently, is, that it is of the deuill. For we knowe, that you [Page 29] alowe no Purgatorie, I meane, no meane betweene them both.

¶The .15. Chapter.

YOu will saye to me, that this ar­gument ought to take place in an ordinarie Commission, but yours is extraordinarie, as that was of the Prophetes of the olde Testament, whom God did sende to correct the Scribes and Pharises: and that euē so God hath inspired you and others of your sect to the like effect, that is to saye, to correct the superstitious liues and doctrine of the Papistes Idola­ters: and by this, as farre, as I can see, ye are Commissaries of God in his behalfe: and ye may say wel with S. Paule (although ye haue not bene rauished vnto the third heauen) that ye are not sent by man or of man, Gal. 1. but by the authoritie of oure Sauiour Christe. But what woulde you saye, if we shoulde speake against it, as a [Page] number doo, and that to reuenge this quarel, we should write against your Commission, we might well aide our selues with a Sillogisme of our sa­uiour Christe, if we woulde come to pleade the matter, Ioh. 6. which is this: He that is of God, doth obey the worde of God: but you doo not obey the worde of God, therefore ye are not of God. I knowe that you wil denye the Mi­nor, and therefore it doeth appertaine to vs to proue it. Christe doeth saye: Giue vnto Coesar that, Mat. 22. that appertey­neth to Coesar: and to God that, that apperteyneth to God. That is to saye, to speake familiarlye, Geue Geneua vnto his Lorde, and the Bishopricke vnto his Bishop. Nowe, you doo not obeye this commaundement, and therefore, as one that doeth not ap­perteyne vnto God, you haue proui­ded your selfe a newe master. And because we woulde not haue some to thinke, that we that are not of the [Page 30] countrey doo beare false witnes a­gainst you, or, that we doo it with­out hauing anye interest vnto the matter: I am sure, that all the world doeth knowe, that ye haue set all Fraunce in as ill an estate, as ye haue done the dukedome of Sauoye: In that that appertayneth to y ^e Church, is there any Bishoprick or dioces left, where ye haue not sought with all youre power to preache youre holye doctrine? where haue ye forgotten, that, that Saint Paule doeth saye, whiche is: Rom. 10. Howe shall they preache, if they are not sent? What righte haue you, to come to reape other mennes corne? Doo not you remem­ber that, that Tertulian doeth write against youre elders that did perse­cute the Catholike Churche, against whom he sayeth in his booke de praescriptione haereticorum: What are ye, and from whence doo ye come? [Page] By what right, O Marcian, doest thou cut downe my wood? why doest thou, O Apelles, remoue my landes? And a litle after he sayeth: The place is mine, I haue bene thus long time in possessi­on, and before thee I haue good title and euidence, to mainteine my right, of those, to whom it did appertayne, which lefte it me by inheritaunce from the Apostles. etc. Our Churche of Fraunce, which is one of the princi­pall members of all the Catholike Churche, might with good cause say vnto you the like. And I praye, what would you answere? you cannot de­nye, but that aboue a thousand yeres before ye were borne, that the fayth in which ye were baptized, and the which you haue falselye denied, was planted, I doo not saye, in this onelye kingdome of Fraunce, but ouer all Christendome. If you pretende anye right to the contrary, shewe the rea­son of your possession by the euidence [Page 31] of the auncient doctours, and after come to demaund it, as I haue saide before: I meane, that you should yeld the ecclesiasticall gouernment, which you haue vsurped in manye places with to great libertie of conscience, & licence to doo euill, which is the very death of the soule, as Saint Augustine doth say. Epist. 166. And after that ye haue restored Fraunce to his olde estate, then there wilbe more appa­raunce of the matter, that ye are sent to preache the true worde of God, then there is now. But in this estate that ye are, although that God had geuen you commission (the which he neuer thought) he would haue called it backe, because of your noble actes. Theodosius and Arcades, whiche in old time were Emperours of Rome, (L. si quis in tantam. cod. vnde vi.) did establish or make an Edict, that if the true owner or lorde of a thing should vse any force, or to seeke by the waye [Page] of violence (without staying for the sentence of the Iudge) to get possessi­on of his owne from another man, yea, although the other had no right to it, he shoulde not onely lose the pos­session, but likewise the propertie: but if it were founde, that he that did enter by force, had no right to the Mannur, he should not onely be de­priued of it, but moreouer he shoulde be condemned to geue as much more of his owne vnto him, against whom he had vsed the force, as the thinge was valued at, that he sought to vsurpe. If one shoulde call you, my masters the newe refourmed Gos­pellers, to such a reckening, ye might well packe vp your pipes, and trans­porte your fidelye into another coun­trey, for you shoulde haue no other remedie, but to runne awaye with the goodes, and preache pouertie.

¶The .16. Chapter.

FOr your defence you alleage no other reason but youre good zeale, and your ardent Aposto­lical affection, the which hath moued you to sowe this seede of sedition. You saye, that the fielde is great, and there are fewe good reapers, but if you marke that, that doth folowe af­terwarde, and to take the counsaile of the wise: Christe doeth not com­maunde therefore, that euerye one shoulde take his sickle, and goe, and cut downe other mennes corne. But he sayeth: Mat. 15. Praye the master of the worke, to the ende, that he sende more woorkemenne to his vine. He doeth teache vs, that if we see anye estate out of order, we shoulde praye to God to redresse it: And in the meane time we ought to correct and amend our own liues: for if euery man were [Page] for him selfe, God would be for vs all. Yet, notwithstanding this, it is not reasonable, that vnder the colour of a good zeale, a seruant shoulde take in hand an acte of so great importance, without expresse commaundement of his master, as it is saide. But now that we are come to talke of your good zeale (if it please you) let vs knowe, if those ardent flames of cha­ritie haue so inflamed you, that you haue ouerthrowen the Chaires of the negligent Pastors and Bishops, and in their roomes ye haue collocated your ministers in euery place, where ye could beare any swaye, as it doeth appere in many townes and Cities in this Realme. I doo not doubt, but that you will doo the best that ye can to doo the like with the rest, I mean, aswell Temporall as Spiritual. For euē as God (of whom ye speake so of­ten) doeth make no exception of per­sons, euen so you, that call your selues [Page 33] his Lieuetenants wil make no diffe­rence betwene the euyl estates & the good. Euery one doth know that the administration of iustice is very ho­nourable before God, and that there be many in this vocation that would not for any thing do any wrong vnto the widowe & fatherlesse childe, and yet we see and knowe by experience, that ther are many others that with­out any conscience, doe take brybes and offer wrong, both to the father­les and to the widowe, the whiche crimes are no lesse in that estate, then the careles liuing of the Bishops and Pastors. So that I thinke by this, that he that hath geuen you charge and power to turne the Byshops out of their seates, y ^e Curates out of their benefices, and the Monkes & Abbots out of their Abbeys, because of their euil liuings: would likewise extende your commission, to put downe Lor­des, Knightes, Iudges and Gentle­men, [Page] because of the corrupt liues of many of them. And to make an ende of the reformation, your holy Ghoste, and those zealous flames of the spi­rite, woulde moue you to goe a litle higher: for there is nothing done, but the spirite may amend it. Against the great trees, striue the great windes, and against great dignities great a­buses. It is not vnknowen to all mē, that ther are good and godly Catho­like princes and kinges, whiche are surely to the people the great giftes of God: but likewise one cannot denye, but that there hath beene and are di­uers ill princes that do gouerne their people carelesly and without Iustice. And if by chaunce your Gospell shuld fal into some kingdom, wher y ^e prince were not so sage nor so wise as you would haue him: in your conscience, what wold you do to him? I think, y ^t that very zeal (if you could) that hath moued you, vnder y ^e coulor of a refor- [Page 34] Gospell, to trouble so muche our state, woulde likewise commaunde you, to dispossesse those kinges that do abuse their owne kingdoms, euen aswel as to depriue those Bishoppes that doo abuse their bishoprickes. But, O Lorde, what a Gospell is this, if it be permitted, y ^t the people shall call their princes to accompt, or, that they may correct their superiours vnder y ^e color of a reformed gospel, what seditions, troubles & warres shal we see ouer al Christendome? we shal see fulfilled, to our great harme, y ^e prophecie of Esay, who saieth: Cap. 3. The people shall seeke to rayse one against another, and euerye one against his neibour, the yong man shal disdain the old, and the ignoble the noble. etc. But what coulor soeuer ye cloke your new gospel w ^tal, ye run far wide frō him that doth cōmaund vs to obeye all creatures for the loue of God. Rom. 13. He doeth not regarde, whe­ther they doo acquite their charge [Page] or no, for the obedience of the inferi­ours is not limitted by the duty of the superiours. Rom. 13. All power doth come of God, sayth the Apostle, and he that resisteth that power, doth resiste the ordinance of God, and they that doo with say it, acquire for them selues dā ­nation for euer. He doth make no di­stinction of persons, whether it be a Magistrate Ecclesiastical or tempo­ral, whether it be a king or a Pope, a Bishop or a Lorde, he doth talke generally of al powers that are esta­blished by God, to make vs liue in peace & tranquilitie. God had not chosen of his good wil Caesar the Empe­rour of Rome to be king of Ierusalē, as he did choose Saul, Dauid, Salomon and the rest, for of his owne ambition and vnsaciable cupiditie, he had vsur­ped the kingdome apperteyning to the house of Dauid: yet our Sauiour did commaund that they should pay him tribute. Math. 22. The whiche [Page 35] commaundement he him selfe did ful­fyl to teache others obedience. God did like wise permit that the wicked king Nabuchodonozor shuld destroy the kingdome of Hierusalem, to pu­nishe the wickednes of those that dwelt in it. And although he had in­uaded the kingdome of Iuda, to the which he had no title nor right, yet doth god protest that he gaue it him, and he wylleth and doth commaund that they should obey him, euen as yf he were the best prince of the world. Beholde (sayth God by the Prophet Ieremie, Cap. 27.) you shal tel your Lordes that I make the earth, the men, and the beastes that walke on the face of the earth, through my great strength and mightie arme, and I haue geuen it to whom it pleaseth me: And so nowe I haue geuen al these Lands and coun­treys to Nabuchodonozor my seruant king of Babylon. Besides this, I haue geuen him the beastes and the feelds to [Page] serue him, his sonne, and his sons son, vntill the time of his earth come: also of him many people and great kinges shal com, and shal ordein, that the king­dome, or the people that shall not serue Nabuchodonozor kinge of Babilon, I will visite that people (saith the lord) with the sworde, pestilēce, and hunger, vntill that I consume them in his han­des. etc. But if you my masters the newe reformers of the Gospell had ben in those dayes, what would haue bridled your burning zeale? Coulde ye not with a litle better cause re­port of Nabuchodonozor that, that ye report of the Pope: for who is that Nabuchodonozor, that wee shoulde submit our selues vnto him? He is not a king, he is not a Tiraunt, he is not an Emperoure, but a Robber, a Cut­throte, more cruell then any kinde of wilde beaste. Is it not by him, that the Prophetes haue represented the spoyler of nations? for God, when he [Page 36] woulde cause Esaye to talke of the fall of Lucifer, Cap. 14. he doeth discrye it vn­der the person of Nabuchodonozor: then howe will you haue vs to sub­mitte our selues to be subiect vnto him, whom God doeth liken, not one­lye to a deuill, but to the Captayne of all the deuilles of hell? Manye causes doo perswade vs, not to obey him. Firste, his wicked and abhomi­nable life. Secondlye, our religion, for we beleeue in God, that created heauen and earth: but as for him, he is more then a woorshipper of I­doles, for he is one that called him selfe a God. Thirdelye, he is not of the line of Dauid, by whom God hadde promised to establishe his Kingedome, for he was a straun­ger, and suche a one as got into the kingdome by force, making him selfe a king, not by righteous election, but by violent compulsion, so that, [Page] considering all these things ye might well, according to your zeale, haue found fault with his raigne, but god would haue stopped your mouthes, saying as I haue written aboue, I haue created al things, and I giue them to whom it pleaseth me. Or as he saith in Iob, Cap. 34. It is I that cause Hypocri­tes to reigne, to punish the sinnes of the people. Or as he sayth in the. 4. of Daniel, I haue the preheminence ouer the kingdomes of men, and I geue thē to whom it pleaseth me. And he that speaketh agaynst him that is put in authoritie, although he be as euyl as Nabuchodonozor, he shal perishe tho­rough the sworde, famine, or pesti­lence, or that that is worse, through eternall death. These are the very wordes that god spake by the Pro­phet, Math. 11. and therfore sayth Christ, Come vnto me, and learne in my schole, for I am humble and mylde of hart, I haue obeyed Pylate, and Annas, and Cay­phas, [Page 37] I haue suffered the sentence of death, and haue bene nayled betweene two theeues, and I toke it paciently for your sakes. Learne of me to be my dis­ciples in the schoole of humilitie, and you shal find rest in your spirites. The which true rest in deede is for euery man to examine diligently his owne conscience, and to commit to God the consciences of his Superiours.

¶The .17. Chapter.

ANy man may easilye perceaue by this discourse, that you haue no great reason, in saying that that you say, & much lesse to doo that that you preache, I meane, to beginne the re­formation of the Church by the way of force, the which is a thing contra­rye to all lawes diuine and humane, Cod. vt nemo in sua causa iud. which defende that one shoulde be Iudge in his owne cause: and you will not onely be a Iudge, but a par­tie, resembling in this him that gaue [Page] the blowe to Christe, Ioh. 15. vnto whom the aunswere was made, If wee haue done yll, proue it before the Iudge, seeing that you are our accu­sers. If you saye, that God hath ge­uen you power, to knowe, to iudge, and to exempt, that is to saye, to driue vs out of our possession, and to cause the people to forsake that religion, which they haue mainteyned these 1500, yeres and vpwardes, shew vs your commissiō w ^t as sure a warrant, as so great a matter doth require, see­ing that you saye, that ye are sent ex­traordinarily, as Moyses was to re­deme the children of Israel out of the captiuity of Egipt, that is to sai, accor­ding vnto your interpretation, y ^e chil­dren of God, and the true faithful out of the false religion of the Papists, of y ^t which the Pope Antichriste, & worse then Pharao, is the head and master. Thus ye vse to expound and morali­ [...]te the figures of the olde Testa­ment, [Page 38] in fauoure of the Catholike Churche: yet is it so, that when God spake vnto you about so zealous a thing as this, ye forgat one thing that doeth hinder greatlye youre Com­missiō. You should haue shewed god, y ^t the Commissiō which he gaue you, was like to breede no lesse mischief a­mongst the Papistes, then Moyses did among y ^t Egiptians. For I am sure (if any to try you, wold take your othe) that you woulde sweare, that the Pope is as yll as Pharao, and we as harde hearted as the Egyptians. Therefore, why did ye not demaund of him a Rodde to conuert into a Serpent, and to passe drye foote ouer the redde Sea? Whye did ye not re­quire at his hande, that it mighte please him to authorize his worde preached by youre ministers with Signes, miracles and tokens, as he did, when he sente youre felowes the Apostles, seeinge that you [Page] are Prophetes, howe commeth it to passe, that you haue not foreseene, that we would not beleue you: for who is he (although he were a deuil) that could not say as muche. But we haue one disauowe which God hath geuen to manye, which doo report that they doo come from him, whiche doth greatly ouerthrowe the autho­ritie of your commission. He doth say in the .14. of Hieremie, The Prophets preache falsely in my name, I haue not sent them, I haue not commaunded them, nor I haue not spoken vnto thē: but they prophecie vnto you false visi­ons and naughtie diuinations, to de­ceaue your heartes. And likewise in the .27. Chapiter, I haue not sent them (saith the Lord God) and they prophe­cie in my name falselye, to thintent I should forsake you, and that aswell you as your prophetes should perishe. Item in the .29. Let not your Pro­phetes seduce you, that are amongest [Page 39] you, nor your Southsayers, and doo not marke the dreames that ye dreame, for they doo prophecie falselye vnto you in my name, seing that I haue not sent them, saith the Lorde. etc. So that, although it wer true, that God hath sent you (as it is false) we might with a iust cause pretend an excuse of ignorance, and to saye with great as­suraunce that, Gen. 20. that Abymilech sayde vnto God, where he threatned that he woulde kill him, because he kepte Abrahams wife. O Lorde God (sayde he) would you kill a poore simple nati­on? Shall it be sayde, that we beleue all those that fayne to come in youre name? haue not you commaunded vs by the Apostle, That we shoulde not beleue euery spirite: 1. Ioh. 4. and that the Angel of darknes doth transfourme himselfe into an Angell of light? Haue not you commaunded to be written, that we should beware which way we take, & that suche a waye doth seeme good, [Page] the whiche notwithstanding doeth leade vnto damnation and perdition. If any, saying, that he is our princes seruant, should come to demaunde a summe of mony in his masters name and that he had neither his hand nor his seale to warrant his demaunde, would not we sende him awaye like a false merchant, fering that he wold deceaue vs? then with greater reason ought we to feare the committing of our faith, and the hope of our saluati­on into their hands, whom we know not, nor that cannot shewe any mira­cles, to confirme their preaching, as y ^e Apostles did. Mat. 28. Qui confirmabant ser­monem, sequentibus signis. That is, which did confyrme their preaching with Signes or miracles folowing: why do not they sai, as he said, whose successors they professe to be, the signs of my commission & Apostleship haue bene accomplished among you with signes and miracles. 2. Cor. 12.

¶The .18. Chapter.

YOu do aunswere vs, as y ^t Iewes were answered by Christe, when they did demaund him to shew some Miracles: Mat. 12. The generation adulterous and peruerse doeth demaunde signes, but no signe shalbe geuen them. etc. But this comparison can not be ap­plyed vnto vs, for we are not so hard of beliefe as the Iewes, nor you such faithful messengers of God, as Christ was, of whom the Iewes did de­maunde some signes of obstinate ha­tred, after thei had sene so many lame healed, so many blinde receiue their sight, so many deafe heare, & so many dispossest that had spirites: but as for you, we haue sene your cōmission not to haue extended so far, as to restore a flie to life againe, or to heale a lame goose, although that greater matters are required to confirme so straunge and so new a reformed Gospel. These [Page] wordes doo make you mad, crying out and preching in euery place, that your Churche ought not to be called newe, but rather, that it is olde and Apostolicall, and that your doctrine is the verye same that S. Peter and S. Paule did preache. And to drawe the simple people to beleue that, that you saye, you doo declare your faith, say­ing that you doo beleue, & doo preach, that there is one God in Trinitie of persons, and the second, which is our Sauiour became manne from the wombe of the virgin, and that he suffered and did rise againe, and to be briefe, you shewe, that you haue profi­ted in your religion, for you haue bene but fortie yeeres (which is the time since it began) in learning the great Creede, & the Pater noster, the whiche you coulde not learne in a thousande and fyue hundred of ours. But in all this you say nothing to the purpose: for we doo not demaunde of you, [Page 41] whether you can well your Cathe­chisme, the which you hauing learned of vs, you teache to others. And as Sampson saide: Iud. 15. If you had not labored with my Cowe, ye would ne­uer haue hit my Riddle. That is to sai, That if that our Churche had not nursed or taught you, which are her rebellious children, you woulde haue knowen nothing: for it is of our Churche, that you haue learned the principles of your faith. She is the Cowe that hath nourished Caluin in a Chanonrie of Noyon, & Theodore de Bexa in the Priorie of Louinnam harde by Paris: and consequentlye all the other ministers, which haue lear­ned all that they knowe, at the Con­uent of S. Fraunces, S. Dominick, S. Augustine, and of S. Bennet, where ye were nourished spirituallye, as tou­ching your doctrine: and temporally, as touching the mainteyning of your studie, at the charge of that Church, [Page] against the which ye doo nowe so striue, as the Camels, whiche some­time rewarde their masters for their good keeping with yerking & biting: so that coulor it howe you list, ye can­not denye, but that ye set forth newe deuises. For althogh it is so, that your heresyes (which to please the eares of the vnlearned, ye call the refourmed Gospel and pure worde of God) haue bene in times past, yet they were bu­ried in the very depth of hell, and you haue raised them againe, cloked with newe coulors. But although it were so, that your doctrine were not new, but very olde, yet ought not you to be more priuiledged thē Moyses and the Prophetes, whose simple and playne wordes the world would not beleue, although they preached no new doc­trine, no more then you say that you doo. Moyses did shewe manye mira­cles in Egipt, 24. and why? was the prin­cipall cause to deliuer the children of Israell out of y ^e captiuitie of Pharao? [Page 42] No surelye: for to what purpose, I pray you, shuld God shewe such great power and might against a simple worme of earth? Is it like to be true, that he shoulde moue the whole hea­uens with suche great darkenes, Exod. 19. to send so many notable plages, to bring him to yeld, which had confessed his wickednes, for the torment that he suffered with the flyes, the frogges, & Grashoppers? Surely no, he himselfe doth shew the cause, it is to the ende, that my name be knowen ouer al the earth: that is to say, that men shoulde know, that he is God. If we come to the Apostles, we shall fynde likewise, that their doctrine was not new: for when they began to preache, vnto the Gentiles & Idolaters, they did not at y ^e first preach Iesus Christ, but thei did seeke to blot out of y ^e mindes of y ^e sim­ple people, y ^e foolishe opinion that they had in y ^e multitude of gods, & to teach thē, that there was but one god, who [Page] had created the heauen & earth, who sendeth rayne in time of neede, and all thinges els that are required for the sustenance of in. This is y ^e doctrin that S. Paule did preach, as we reade in the Actes. Act. 14. This doctrine was not newe amonge men, although it were so, that they were Paynims: for not onely in Moyses lawe, nor in the law of Grace, but euen by the lawe of Na­ture God hath bene knowen, euen of those which were not of the familie of Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, vnto whō the promise of the Incarnation of Christe was made. Of this doth A­bimilech the king of Gerar bear wit­nes, who did excuse himselfe before god, for the wife of Abraham: he could neuer haue knowen, howe to talke thus with God, if he had not knowē him. Besydes this, he made Abraham to sweare by the inuocation of the saide God, Gen. 20. that neither he, nor his heires shoulde suffer any damage by [Page 43] his posteritie. Gen. 24. Bathuell did likewise knowe God, when he confessed, that he was the authour of the mariage of his daughter with Abrahams son: euen so Abimilech the king of the Pa­lestines, and Phicol & Ochosath sayde vnto Isaac: We heare that God is w ^t thee, and therefore we are come to make alliance together. Iud. 2. Adonibezeth, although he were a Gentile, did not he confesse one God, when he sayde, that he had geuē him y ^e selfe same pu­nishment that he had geuē y ^e. 70. kin­ges? Iob & al his frends, althogh they were Gentiles, haue auouched one God to be the Creator of heauen and earth, euen aswell as the Israelites, as it doeth appere by the discourse of the saide Iob. If we reade the histo­ries of the Paynims, we shal find, that they bear witnes of one God among themselues. Diogenes Laertius in the liues of the Philosophers, doth write, that the Emperoure Adrian did de­maunde [Page] of a philosopher called Secun­dus, what God was. He aunswered: God is an immortall spirite, incompre­hensible, conteyning all the worlde, a light, and a soueraine goodnes. True it is, that this Secundus was bolder to speake of God, then another Philoso­pher called Simenides, of whō Tullie doth write in his fyrst booke De natu­ra deorum, vnto whom, when the ty­rāt Hyero did demaūd of him, what God was, and that he had geuē him diuers dayes of respit to answer him, at y ^e last he saide, that he did acknow­ledge in him an infinite of all thinges. Cicero himself in the fyrst question of his Tusculanes, doth gouerne & geue the being to all things. And in diuers places of that worke he doth wel ex­presse, y ^t he knew well, that there was one God, & that y ^e gods that the Gen­tiles did worship, wer but mortal mē, And in the saide booke he saieth, that we know God by his workes, in the [Page 44] which he doth not much differ frō Dauid, saying: That the heuens declare the glory of God, Psal. 18. and the firmament doth anoūce his works. And in y ^e. 40. chap­ter of Esay, whē god did talke with y ^e Gentiles, he did cal his works to bere witnes of his greatnes. Lift vp your eyes (saith he) and beholde who hath made this. Sap. 13. And y ^e Sage doth say, y ^t men through their vaniti haue not knowē God by his works. Rom. 1. And S. Paul doth absolutely cōdemne thē, saying, y ^e thei can procure no excuse of ignorance, for the inuisible things (such as is the di­uinitie of God) may be knowe by the visible thinges. And therfore they are vnexcusable, hauing hidden the truth of God to vniustice: for after that they haue knowen him, they haue not geuen him that thankes and ho­nour, that they should haue done, but they haue beene deceaued through their owne subtilitie, & making a pro­fession of knowledge, they haue beene [Page] founde foolishe and ignoraunt. S. Au­gustine. 8. lib. de Ciu. dei. ca. 24. doeth reckē Mercurius, called Hermes Tri­megistus, among these, forasmuche as he did continue in his owne erroure, although he knewe by that (that one may see in his owne writinges) that his auncetours did erre greatly in y ^e making and worshipping of so many Gods.

¶The .20. Chapter.

LActantius Firmianus in his booke of his diuine Institutions. Cap. 5. writing against the Gentiles, doeth proue, that there is but one God, and he doeth alleage as witnesses all the olde learned Philosophers, suche as Thales, Milesius, Pithagoras, Anaxa­goras, Cleanthus, Anaximeus, Crysip­pus, Heno, Plato, Aristotel, Seneca, & others. Octauius likewise, a christian Orator, disputing against Caecilius, as then a Gentile, doeth alleage like­wise, [Page 45] to confounde these olde Philo­sophers, and he doeth adde more, Xe­nophon, Spensippus, Demaritus, Stra­to, Act. 12. Theophrastus and many more. S. Paule likewise, preaching to the Athe­nians, doth protest, that he doth teach them no newe thing, but rather him whom they did worship, and did not knowe. By the which it is plainelye to be seene, that the Apostles did not announce vnto the people any newe lawe, for it was verye olde, and not­withstanding, they did confirme it with miracles. And if you saye, that although those learned Philosophers had a knowledge of God, as it doeth appere by their workes: yet there is founde in them no mention of Iesus Christe, and therfore, that it was ne­cessary to approue that doctrine with signes and miracles. But contrary­wise, that you in your newe refour­med Gospell, doo preache the olde A­postolicall lawe, I doo aunswere you [Page] to this, that the .9. Sybilles did speake of his comming and byrth, euen as playnly as any of the Prophetes: and amongst other Sybilla Erithrea did as fully prophesie of the comming of our Sauiour to iudge the quicke and the dead, as any other prophet, as S. Augustine doth testifie. Li. 1. de ciui. dei. cap. 23. Likewise of his death and passion, and of the myracles he should doo before his death. The Oracles of the false goddes haue likewise decla­red vnto the Gentiles the comming of Christe, as Lactantius Firmianus doth write, Lib. [...]. ca. 15. lib. 4. cap. 15. in his booke of the deuine institutions. Nicepho­rus in like maner dothe write howe Augustus Caesar sacrifising to the God Apollo, Pythius in his temple coulde get no other but a very breefe aunswere, then Caesar dyd demaund why he coulde not make him then as fullye aunswere as he did at o­ther tymes, Apollo was constray­ned [Page 46] to saye the trueth, the whyche was, that a young Hebrewe childe borne of late did commaunded him to retire him selfe into his hell, vnto whom he was forced to yeelde obe­diently, forasmuche as he was god, and gouernour of the other goddes, and therefore that he did counsel the sayde Caesar quietly to retyre him­selfe, and to make no more adoe: the verses are these,

¶The .21. Chapter.

THus you see that Iesus christ was anounced among the gentiles be­fore the cōming of the Apostles, who notwithstanding this dyd not let [Page] to set forth the doctrine that they wer sent to preache, with many notable miracles, although they did not reach but that doctrine that was verye an­cient: And although that their doc­trine was newe and vnknowen to the Gentiles, yet you cannot alleage, that it was so vnto the Iewes: for they being studied & learned in Moy­ses lawe, they hearde nothing of the Apostles, but had bene prophecied by the Prophetes. Doeth not S. Paule say at the beginning of his Epistle to the Romanes, that he was seperated to preache the Gospel, the which God promised by the holye Scriptures. S. Peter talking with the Iewes, Act. 3. doeth geue them plainelye to vnderstande, that his was no newe doctrine, be­cause y ^t he did preach Iesus Christe, of whom Moyses had prophecied longe before, saying thus. God shall rayse a Prophete among your brethren, Deut. 16. you shall obey him as you doo me, and he [Page 47] that doth refuse it, shalbe put to death. S. Peter saith afterwarde: All the pro­phetes that haue beene from Samuell vnto this time, doo announce vnto you these dayes, that is to saye, the doctrine that we doo preache. That that the Apostles did preach vnto the Iewes, that is to wit, the remissiō of their sinnes, by the death and passion of Christe, it was no newe thing: for as S. Peter sayde vnto Cornelius, Act. 10. All the Prophetes haue witnessed, that these that beleue in him, shall obteyne remission of their sins: for it had bene so prophecied by Esay. cap. 55. vnto y ^e people, aboue .800. yeres, saying that he had layed vpon his sonne all oure iniquities, as it doeth appere in his booke, in the which he doth shew him selfe more an Euangelist then a Pro­phete: for there he doth write the tor­ments of our Sauiour, euen as if he had bene present at his passiō. Dauid likewise doth talk of y ^e like, where he [Page] doeth mention, the extreme afflic­tion of our Redeemer, and of the gal, the Isope, and the Vinager. Daniel did not onely discrye the death of our Sauiour, but therewithall, the verye time that he shoulde come. And to be briefe, all the Prophetes haue announced vnto the Iewes that, that the Apostles did preache vnto them. Nowe, if we desire to knowe why this olde doctrine preached, as­well to the gentiles as to the Iewes by the Apostles, was confirmed with many miracles, which they did in the name of God, who sent them, the cause is this: the deuill had so ob­scured and hidden the truth ouer all nations, that superstitious Idolatrye had taken place in steede of the true seruice of God, so y ^t y ^e poore Painims did not put their trust in one God, but in a multitude of goddes. And in like maner, the true religion geuen by god to y ^e Israelites, had ben troubled, [Page 48] and almoste cleane abolished by the traditions of the Scribes and Pha­rises, in the which they did truste, for the iustification and remission of theyr synnes. The like doo you re­porte of vs, and of your great curte­sye yee are content to matche vs with the superstitious Iewes, and Idolatrous Paynims, plating your selues in the degree of the pure Gos­pellers, and the true children of God, taking vppon you the Succession of the Apostles, and calling youre Congregation, the true Catholike and Apostolicall Churche. This soundes notablye well, but seeing that youre cause is absolutelye to re­fourme the Churche, as they didde, preaching the auncient doctrine of God, as they did, and dealing with superstitious Idolaters, that cleaue more to the traditions of menne, then vnto the pure worde of god, as [Page] the Iewes. Seing thē, that our case is reported vnto the similitude of the Iewes, and yours to the Apostles & Prophetes, howe comes it to passe, that you doo not as they did, seeing that you are sent from one master? Why doo ye not make your commis­sion appere by signes and miracles, seeing that God hath euer done the like heretofore, when he hath sent the like Commission to yours?

¶The .22. Chapter.

YOu doo coniure vs by the name of the liuing God, to receaue youre Gospell and pure word of God, or els you doo threaten vs, that you will shake off the dust of your feet in testi­monie against vs, because that wee will not beleue your wordes. But in this matter ye doo alleage a wronge text: for we were very simple, if we shoulde forsake or remoue the founda­tion of our Churche, vppon suche an [Page 49] occasion as I will shewe by this dis­course that doeth folowe, I am sure that you are not ignorant, howe that Luther, after he began to preache, his Gospell was not founde barren: for immediatlye after his beginning, he did ingender another Gospeller, that is to wyt, Andrew Coralstadius, and from thence was produced another, called Zuinglius, & of Zuinglius, Oe­colampadius. Then, Thomas Munce­rus, considering, that he had no lesse the gifte of the spirite then the rest, he began to forge a newe Gospell of the Anabaptists, with y ^e which he thought to gratifye the Towne of Milhouse, who had receaued alreadie the Gos­pell of Luther. But the Senate of that Towne, being weried alreadye with to many straunge Gospels, they aduertised Luther your fyrste Apostle of it. And he wrote to them againe, that Thomas Muncerus ought not to be receaued, if he could not proue his [Page] vocation by some miracle. And if you demaunde where I haue founde this, I saye to you, not in the workes of some lying Papist, but in the Commentaryes of youre deere His­toriographer master Sleydon, Li. 8. fo. 4. who hath so good a grace in his writing, and is so moued with the trueth of his spirite, that he doth omit nothing in his Historie, but that, that doeth go agaynst himselfe, and the professours of his religion. I doo wishe those that doo vnderstande the Latine, to reade this aunswere of Luther in the Commentaries them selues, and for the rest, I will set it forth, translated, not by me, but by a minister of youre owne sect, called Robert Preuost, who dwelleth in a segnorie of Berne. Ac­cording to his translation, the wordes are these. Luther was of opinion, that the Senate of Milhouse should do very well and wisely, to demaunde of Mun­cer, who had geuen him commission to teache, and who had called him vnto [Page 50] it. If he say, that it is God, let them de­maunde of him, to shewe some signe or miracle to proue his vocation: and yf he could not do it, that they should ba­nishe him: for it is common to God, to declare his will by some miracle, at any time when he will haue the com­mon custome and order chaunged.

These are the wordes of Luther. We ought to yeelde that that is right to euery body, and not depriue any man of the praise that he doth deserue. And so I say, all the Catholike Churche is bound to geue prayse and thankes to Luther, for y ^e memorable good & wise counsel that he hath geuē, for he hath taught vs, how we shal expel & ouer­throw, not only y ^e heresies that he did preache vnto vs, but likewise yours, & those of all the rest. For if it be so, that euery time that god will chaunge the ordinarie custome (suche as ours) to an extraordinarye (suche as yours) there ought miracles to be shewed by [Page] those that come extraordinarily. By this good & godly aduise, we knowe, that Martin Luther, nor none of you all, which doo come extraordinarily, as he did, do come from God, but ra­ther from the prince of darknes. Cal­uin doth confirme this opinion of Lu­ther, as touching the vocation of the ministerie: for vpon the thirde Chap­ter of S. Luke, in his harmonie, he do­eth say thus, None ought to attribute vnto himselfe by authoritie any office, forasmuch as it is great temeritie: such persons did nothing of them selues ex­cept it were, being called to it by God. Of this we gather, we ought to en­terprise nothing of our selues: for if that the great Prophets haue atten­ded to be called of God, what are those, that in these dayes take it vpon them of them selues, we ought to an­swere, that they are presumptuous fe­lowes. &c. like vnto Caluin and his fe­lowes.

¶The .23. Chapter.

ALthough that by the testimonie of your owne doctoures ye are con­demned, yet you doo still mainteyne your yll cause, saying, that ye ought to be receaued to preache the Gospell extraordinarily, that is to saye, with­out the commission of the Pastors & Bishops, being those that are sent vs by the permission and ordinaunce of God. And you say, to mainteine your Commission extraordinarie, that you haue y ^e holye Scriptures, which you doo alleage, the which alone ought in this behalfe to be of more credite, then all the miracles that euer the A­postles did. For it maye so chaunce, y ^t by subtill deuises and impostures of the deuill, miracles maye be falselye counterfaited, but not the Scripture which is the touchstone of the truth, as it shalbe seene by experience, when the childe of perdition, otherwise cal­led [Page] Antichriste shall come. For he, to confyrme his saying, shall shewe such great Signes and Miracles, that the verye electe shoulde be seduced, if it were possible. Nowe to aunswere vnto this, which is a notable waye to deceaue the simple and vnlearned, I say, that if the alleaging of Scrip­tures shoulde maynteyne you, and fauoure your cause so muche as you doo saye, our syde were driuen to harde shiftes: for then we might bee blamed before the seate of God, not onely for not receyuing your Gospell, but likewise, for refusinge the Gos­pell of diuers heretikes that haue beene manye hundred yeeres before you were borne: which did all alleage the Scriptures, as it doeth appere by the three passages written vnto the Hebrewes aboue mentioned. Cap. 6. 10. &. 12. By the whiche the Nouatians did pre­tende, to verifye, that the mercye of [Page 52] God was denyed vnto him, that did offende after his Baptisme, ioyned with that that is written in the fyrst booke of the Kinges. If man (sayde the good Helye) doeth sinne agaynst man, he maye agree with him agayne: but yf he come to offende God, who shall he be that shall praye for his sinne? Did not the Arrians alleage Scrip­tures, to maynteyne, that Christe was not God and manne? Yes sure­lye, as manye places or more then the Catholikes. Saint Augustine doth write in his booke De haeresibus, ad Quoduultdeum, That there was in his tyme a certayne secte of he­retikes that taughte, that for a man to be saued, he ought to be gelded. And they did alleage the nynetenth Chapiter of Saint Mathewe, where CHRISTE doeth prayse the Ennuches, whiche haue gelded theym selues for the Kinge­dome [Page] of heauen. And if a man were disposed to forge another heresye like this, he might soone finde scripture to mainteyne it, being yll interpreted: for he doth commaund, that we shoulde pull out our eyes, and to cut off our handes and feete euerye time, that through them we are scandalizated: for (saith he) it were better for one to enter blinde or lame into the king­dome of heauen, then to be condem­ned, hauing all our members: so that, taking these words as they are plain­ly written, we ought to cut the mem­bers from our body. Besydes this, he that would forge an heresie somwhat more pleasaunt and easye, one might soone doo it: the which is, that for to go to Paradise, we haue no neede of hose, shoes or money, because that our Sauiour did so commaund it to his Apostles. An here­sie of the Puritans. One may likewise proue by the Gospell, that we haue no neede of Magistrates nor other Superiours, [Page 53] forasmuch as our Sauiour hath said, that one is your Lorde and master, namely Christe. Moreouer, a manne maye proue by Scripture, that one ought to retayne nothing vnto him selfe, if any other demaunde it, foras­muche as it is written, If one de­maunde of you your coate, you ought not onely to geue it, but your dublet also: and if that one geue vs a box on the eare, it is not inough to take it pa­tiently, but we must turne the other cheeke also. Iouinian a great heretike, did teache, that a Christian after his baptisme doth no more offende God, yea, that he coulde not, although he would. Who would not hate suche a blasphemous error as this? yet if the alleaging of the Scriptures ought to suffise, he maye be preferred before master Caluin as more auncient: for he doth alleage S. Iohn in his fyrst E­pistle, Cap. 5. who saith: We knowe, that he that is borne of God, doeth not sin, for [Page] the generation of God doeth preserue him, and the yll spirite shall not touche him. And in the same Epistle he say­eth: Cap. 3. Euery man that is borne of God, that is to saye, baptised, he doeth not sinne, for the seede of God doth dwell in him, and he cannot sinne, for he is borne of god. S. Augustine doth write in his .89. Epist. ad Hilarium, that the Pelagians and Maniches, amonge o­ther heresyes that they did main­teyne, they sayde, that it was impos­sible for riche men to enter into Pa­radise, vntill they had solde all their goodes, and geuen them to the poore, and that all things ought to be com­mon. The which doctrine is easily to be mainteyned by the Scripture yll vnderstoode: Math. ca. 10. &, 16. for our Sauiour doth saye, that for to be his Disciples, we must forsake and renounce all that we haue, in testimonie of the which the fyrste Christians at Ierusalem did sell all their possessions, and pre­sented [Page 54] the money of them to the A­postles to geue to the poore. And that that is worse, the Adamites did main­teyne a greater errour then this, and more brutishe, the which is, that all mens wiues should be common, and they did call this the true Gospel, and the pure worde of God, alleaging for it the fyrst & eyght of Genesis, where God doth saye: Increase and multi­plye, and replenishe the earth. If you doo saye, that this is a foolishe opi­nion, I confesse it to be so: but that ve­ry Churche which hath condemned this heresye of theirs, doeth likewise condemne yours. When the deuil de­termined to fight with Christe, he thought he could in no wise ayde him selfe so well, as with the holy Scrip­ture, perswading him, that the best way for him to shewe him selfe to be the sonne of God was to breake his necke, castinge himselfe downe from the Pinnacle of the Tem­Temple. [Page] And he did alleage this text saying, Psal. 90. as it is written: That the An­gels of God shoulde so preserue him, that he shoulde not hurt his foote a­gainst the stones, folowing that Da­uid saide. And if I should go about to write al the places of Scripture that the heretikes haue alleaged, to main­teyne their horrible errours, I thinke surely, I might make a bigger booke then the Bible.

¶The .24. Chapter.

YF that the sonne doo hate the fa­ther, or the father the son: or if the wife doo hate the husband, or the hus­band the wife, they may take y ^e word of God, yll vnderstoode, to defende their cause: for he doth cōmaunde vs, that we shall hate those that are nee­rest vnto vs, as vnder the payne of not entring into Paradise, if we doo contrarye. But this ought to be vn­derstoode, that we ought not to pre­ferre [Page 55] the loue of any creature, howe neere soeuer they be to vs, before the loue of God. In like maner, he that will saye, that we shoulde not eate of y ^e blud of those beasts that ar smothe­red, he may soone alleage the Scrip­ture for it, which doeth saye, That at the Councell that the Apostles helde at Ierusalem, being present the holye Ghoste, this ordinance was made, as we reade in the .15. Chapter of the Actes. And if that one should take in hande to bring all the places of scrip­ture, that the heretikes haue alleaged to mainteyne their opinions, I dare boldly saye, that he shall fynde it an endlesse piece of worke. For amonge so great a number of false prophetes, there hath bene very fewe, or almoste none, but they haue sought to main­teyne their opinions by Scripture, drawing the places, as it were by vi­olence, to a depraued and a corrupte sense, being this the maner of inter­preting [Page] of the Scriptures, called at this day the pure worde of God, by those that haue professed to be as long as they liue, enemies to the trueth. The learned and auncient Doctour Epiphanius, in his fyrst booke against heresyes, doeth alleage, as touchinge this matter, a verye familier exam­ple, saying, that if some good Caruer had made the Image of a king, ador­ned with manye Iewelles and pre­cious stones, and that another should come afterward, and should take the same Iewels & precious stones, and make with them the Image of a Foxe or a Dogge, and that he should saye: Beholde, here is the Image of a king, woulde not euery body laugh him to scorne, and say, that he did it in mockerie, or els, that he were mad? Yes surely: for although they be the same Iewelles, and that very stuffe, wherewith was made the Image of the kinge, yet, because that this [Page 56] other workeman hath taken them awaye, and fashioned them after another sorte, it ought no more to be called the Image of a king, but the picture of a foxe or a dogge. Euen thus is it with the holye Scrip­tures, whiche were lefte vs by the Apostles and Prophetes, for to paint in riche coulours the Image of the great kinge of glorye: but seeinge that you take those precious stones from the Image of this kinge, and doo appropriate them vnto the Image of a foxe, making them serue to cloake youre heresyes withall, it ought no more to be called the worde of God, nor the holye Scripture, but the woorde of menne, and false doctrine. And therefore, yf you will haue it to beare the fyrste name, you must set it in the fyrst estate, that is to saye, that it ought to be inter­preted by him, that did firste indite it. [Page] It is not by the will of man, sayth S. Peter. Epist. 2. Ca. 1. That the prophe­cie was brought, but by the inspirati­on of the holy Ghoste, that holye per­sons haue spoken. &c. I knowe well, that you attribute the intelligence of the Scripture vnto your Sinagog: But howe shall we beleue, that the holy Ghoste doth dwell more in you, then in all the vniuersall Churche, which hath continued from the pas­sion of Christ, vntil this time? I pray, doo so much as aunswere me, if you my masters be the lodging of the ho­lye Ghoste, where did he make his re­sidence before ye were borne? I know already your aunswere, the which is, In the heartes of the faithfull. And where were those faythfull? Marye, where the holy Ghoste was. Answer thus still, and ye shalbe sure, that ye shall not be ouertakē: for it is as good as to playe Handie dandie, and so ye shall accomplishe the olde Prouerbe, [Page 57] the which sayeth: It is as farre from Douer to Caleys, as from Caleys to Douer. But to the ende that all the worlde may see the great hazarde of eternall damnation that those runne into, that are so ready to beleue euery body, thinking that they are assured of their health, forasmuche as those that seduce them, say beholde, there is the Scripture, it is the pure worde of God and the verye Gospell, I will set forth some heresyes, that haue bene in times past condemned by the Ca­tholike Churche: the which notwith­standing haue bene aswell, yea, and more largelye confyrmed by Scrip­ture, then you can confyrme anye of yours.

¶The .25. Chapter.

THe Catholike Church continually hath faythfully holden, and doeth hold, that our Sauiour Iesus Christ is true God and man, hauing taken [Page] naturall fleshe in the wombe of the virgin Marye, whollye like vnto ours, as touching the corporal essence, that is to saye, excepted onelye sinne, the which bodye he did fourme of the verye fleshe and substaunce of his mother, by the operation of the holye Ghoste, who hath wrought so nota­ble and excellent a woorke, that two contrary or diuers natures are mira­culouslye ioyned and vnited in one person, without confusion or conuer­sion of the one substaunce into the o­ther, but by coniunction and vnion of them both, called by the diuines, Hypostatique. This doctrine hath e­uer beene receaued and holden by the Churche in equall degree of trueth and reuerence, with the rest of the poyntes of religion, which nowe you seeke to abolishe. And notwith­standing this, diuers Ministers and Preachers deriued from the sacred [Page 58] consistoryes of Valentinus, Photinus, Manes, Theodorus, Nestorius, Apolli­naris, Eutichus, Macharius, Eutioche­us, besydes a great number of other famous heretikes that I cannot here name, haue sought to teache the con­trarye, saying, that they were sent from him that sent the Apostles, to refourme the Churche, not by the Traditions of men, which you call Papisticall, but by the pure worde of God. For euen like you, my masters, did Valentinus and his felowes begin the refourmed Churche, taking vpon them the correction of all the Magi­strates and Fathers in times past, saying that they did abuse the people, because that they taught, that Iesus Christe had taken fleshe and bloud of the Virgin Marye, saying, that this was a great errour: the whiche ought to be refourmed, and that the people shoulde beleeue, that he brought his bodye from heauen, [Page] and that he caused it to passe through the wombe of the virgin Marye, as the water doth through the chanell. This Gospell was very straunge, yet the saide Valentinus did not want Scripture, as you haue to confyrme it, interpreting it, euē as you do inter­prete here in Fraunce. He did alleage for his text the thirde of Iohn, where Christe doth saye: No person is ascen­ded to heauen, but he that did descende from heauen. And therefore did he mainteine, that seing Christ is in hea­uen, and descended from heauen, that he tooke no fleshe of the virgin Ma­rye. Nestorius another notable here­tike, did linke his Gospel to Apollina­ris opinion in this case, seperating the manhood from God, and saying that the sonne of man ought not to be cal­led GOD: for seeing (saide A­pollinaris) that this man is descen­ded from heauen, it doth folowe, that he tooke no fleshe of the virgin: and [Page 59] besydes this, Ioh. 6. Christe saith: I am des­cended from heauen, not to doo my will, but the will of my father. Here he doeth not speake, as one that is God, for if it were so, he woulde haue no other will but the will of his fa­ther, and so he doth speake like a mā. And he sayeth, that he is descended from heauen: for the which cause this same Valentinus did take the conclu­sion of this Gospel to his aduantage, for the third authoritie that is writ­ten in the fyrste to the Corinthians, where S. Paule sayth: the fyrst manne is of earth earthlye, the seconde is of heauen heauenly. The which passage or place is as fyt to serue Valentinus opinion, as al the places that you, and all those that holde your opinion can alleage.

¶The .22. Chapter.

ANother Minister likewise called Apollinaris folowed after these, [Page] sent by the said master, and yet accor­ding to his saying, he did preache the pure word of God, affirming that the Churche ought to be reformed, which had beleued, y ^t the two natures were conteined in Iesus Christe, & that the true religion was, to beleeue, as it is written in the first of Iohn, that the word was in deede becom flesh, or cō ­uerted into fleshe: And to confyrme this, he did alleage y ^e said place, wher S. Iohn doth say: And the worde was made flesh: & whē the Catholikes did reply against him, saying that y ^t verbe or word tooke fleshe, and not as tou­ching the conuersion of one substance into another: he did fortifie his Gos­pell with another text, where S. Iohn doth write of the mariage at Canaa, where the water was chaunged in­to wine, that is to saye, as touching the verye substaunce of the water, which was turned into wine: Euen so sayth he, that it became at the very [Page 60] Incarnation of Christe, alleaging that that we haue sayde, And y ^e word was made fleshe. Arrius, whiche was the moste famous heretike that euer hath beene, did pretende to verifye an other Gospell: and his was, that our Sauiour Christe had not taken at his Incarnation, a perfecte soule, as other men haue, but that he had only a body, and that his diuinitie did sup­plye the absence of his soule. Of this opinion was Apollinaris, Theodorus, Mossnestenus: and Nestorius came after, and they did blame the Catho­like Churche, because it did teache the sayde vnion, called, as I haue sayde, Hipostaticque, that is to saye, of the two natures in one person. And they did alleage for their argument a very subtill reason, the which was, that God did inhabite within the body of our sauiour, as he did within a Temple, that is to say, by grace, and [Page] not by being vnited together. And therefore, euen as it were a great fol­lye, to say that God is a Temple, that so it is to saye, that God is a manne. This Gospell did seeme verye newe, yet did not they want Scripture to mainteyne it, and that more plainer, then euer I coulde see anye place, to mainteyne your heresyes. Christe did saye vnto y ^e Iewes: Ioh. 2. Vndoe this Tem­ple, and in three dayes I will builde it againe. He meant it by the Temple of his bodye, saith S. Iohn. Then the bo­dye of Iesus Christe is the Temple of god, & god is not his tēple. See whe­ther this be not a notable argument to deceaue the simple man that is not vsed to reade howe the doctours ex­pounde these hard places. And more­ouer they did alleage S. Paule in the fyrst to the Colossians, where he doth saye, that the plenitude or fulnes of diuinitie doth dwell in Iesus Christe corporally, they doo alleage this place [Page 61] greatly to their purpose, to proue, that God is a Temple, that is to saye, by grace, and not being vnited. For the thirde place they take the. 8. of Iohn, where Christe doth saye: He that hath sent me, is with me, and he hath not left me alone. And therefore Theodorus & his felowes did conclude, that there was no more vnion betweene the di­uinitie and humanitie of our Saui­our, then there is betweene God and vs. 1. Cor 5. Of the which S. Paul doth speake, where he sayeth: He that is ioyned to God, is made one spirite with him.

¶The .27. Chapter

IT doeth suffise, that one maye see by these felowes, howe soone one that is yll disposed may alleage scrip­ture in corrupt sense, to mainteyne suche heresyes as these, the whiche I will not stay to confute: for (thankes be to God) they doo not reigne nowe, for they haue perished and their au­authours, [Page] as you shall and your fo­lowers, if ye doo not repent in time. And besydes this, our doctours haue fullye aunswered by textes of Scrip­tures these olde heresyes, as you may see in al y ^e auncient ecclesiasticall wri­ters, and confuted them, not onelye with pithye reasons, but with the true worde of God, and the authori­tie of diuers generall Councels. And if I haue noted here some part, both of their authours, and of them, to shew, how they did seeke to confyrme their damnable opinions, I doo it, only to warne the simple people, that they shoulde not so soone geue eare to false Pastors, which haue nothing in their mouthes but the holye Scrip­ture, and the pure worde of God, co­uering the cuppes of their poyson with the golde and pretious stones which they haue taken from the I­mage of the eternall kinge, to painte [Page 62] those subtill Foxes that will leade them all to damnation. And therefore in the name of God I doo desyre those that are not much vsed to reade the Scriptures, nor to heare how the Churche and the Doctours doo ex­pounde the harde places, to beware, howe they reade them, for feare of fal­ling into errour, taking onely the let­ter, which manye times hath a con­trarye sense to that that is outward­lye written. For if so manye men of great learning and excellent vnder­standing haue found such great rocks in this rough sea, which haue manye times ouerthrowen their ships: howe daungerous then must it needes be vnto those that will take it in hande so doubtfull a nauigation, hauing li­tle skill or none at all. But as for you my masters of the contrarye syde, you canne sayle with all tides and al winds geuing y ^e gouernance of y ^e ship [Page] or the guiding of the sterne, without consideration to all kinde of people. We haue at this daye in Fraunce (I will not say in Englande) many that haue the holy spirite, Interpreters of the Scriptures: And forsooth, what are they? Mary Pedlers, Cobblers, Tanners, Bankrouts, Runnegates, and suche others: which hauing no o­ther liuing, sue to my Lorde Bishop, and he makes them ministers, being not one of them, but hath the holy spi­rite: for assoone as they can saye, the Lorde, and rayle vpon the Pope, the Bishops, and al the learned men that haue bene in times past, Oh, these are great doctors, no place of Scripture to them is harde, all the auncient doc­tours were men, and the generall Councels did erre. I knowe, that you doo mainteine your opinion with the saying of Christe, Ioh. 8. alleaging it as o­ther heretikes haue done, the whiche is, That the heauenly father hath hid [Page 63] these high and profound things from the great Clerkes, and hath reuealed them vnto the meeke and humble. This is true, but it ought to be vn­derstoode, to the humble and meeke of spirite, and not to those which trust so much to their owne wittes, beinge puffed vp with arrogant ignoraunce, that they thinke to knowe more in three dayes reading, then the Doc­tours coulde in fyftie yeres studie, fai­ning themselues to be like the Apo­stles, as if that god, gouerned by their appetites, did sende euery month the feast of Pentecost.

¶The .28. Chapter.

I Praye Syrs, since you are so abso­lute, aunswere me to this obiection: Is it good to beleeue all maner of people, that doo alleage the Scrip­tures, or no? If ye saye, yea, why doo not you beleue the abouenamed Va­lentinus, Apollinaris, Hebion, Cherin­tus [Page] and Nestorius, with diuers others that haue sought to mainteyne their errours with the newe and olde Te­stament. If you saye no, but that we ought rather to folowe the counsell of S. Iohn in his fyrste Epistle, cap. 4. The which is, not to beleue euery spi­rite, but that we ought to proue, whe­ther it be of God or no: What proufe will you shewe vs of yours? Shewe the priuiledge that you haue, by the which God doth enioyne vs to beleue your Gospell, rather then the Gospell of the Pelagians, Nouatians, Nestori­ans, and other suche false Apostles, considering that they haue alleaged the Scriptures aswell as you. If you saye, that they were heretikes, a­busers of the people, and rauishing wolues cloathed in lambes Skins, and false Interpreters of the Scrip­tures, all this is certaine: But what though the like reporte goeth of you? Ye saye, that ye are sent from God, [Page 64] to refourme the Churche, They saye as muche. They preached, that the Pope was Antichriste, shewinge themselues verye eloquent in detrac­ting and rayling against y ^e Catholike Romane Churche, you doo the like. At euery worde they did alleage the Scriptures in their Sermons, to confyrme their doctrine, as you do for yours. That that they preached, was called by them the Gospell, and the pure worde of the Lord: these are the very tearmes that you vse amonge your holye prophetes: they haue beene condemned as heretikes by the gene­rall Councels, you are so likewise. They did appeal vnto the pure word of God, you doo the like: Yet are they proued to be false cogging knaues, and so shall you. Then seing there is so great an vniformitie betweene you, vppon what grounde shall we confyrme that reason that shoulde condemne theym as heretikes, [Page] and allowe you for Catholikes. S. Au­gustine in his Epistle .161. did put vn­to a Donatist called Honoratus this probleme: We desire thee, not to think it much to aunswere vs to this: what cause doest thou knowe, or what thing hath there bene done, that hath made Christ lose his inheritance, spred ouer all the worlde, to come to be con­tayned only in Affrick, & there only to remayne? We put the like question to Caluin, Beza, Virett, and the rest, that it may please them to tell vs, if that by chaunce they haue ben aduertised, through what occasion our Sauiour Christ hath lost his inheritaunce, that is to saye, the Churche spread ouer all the worlde, to remaine nowe in the latter dayes, with a company of rude Swizers, or in two or three corners besydes, and not among the rest, (for there is a great number of good Ca­tholikes) what badge can ye shewe, or what signe to make vs know, that [Page 65] you are the successors of the Apostles of Christe? If that the Scriptures that you alleage, ought to be a suffici­ent proufe, we are content to accepte it, if you will be content to graunt the like vnto the abouenamed here­tikes, whiche haue fortifyed their campe with as manye places more, then you doo alleage. Nowe if that (notwithstanding the Scriptures by them alleaged) you doo condemne them as heretikes, because that they did interprete them contrary to that that the Churche doth teache (and to say truth, you can imagine no other excuse) to what purpose doo you take vpon you the names of Catholikes, seeing that you commit the like of­fence? The diuersities of those old he­resyes grounded vppon the Scrip­tures yll interpreted, doo teache vs, that we shoulde not permit the noyse of youre reformed Gospell that soun­deth so shrill, to make vs reele from [Page] our auncient fayth, and without go­ing so farre to seek that that we haue so neere at hande. Let vs talke of the present time, howe many contrarye sectes doth there reigne? howe many heades of heresyes? Some are Lu­therans, some Anabaptists, some Puri­tans, some Protestants, some Precisians, and all these do fortifye their campes with Scriptures, to fight one a­gainst another. The Zuinglians and the Caluinists on the other syde doo write, that all these doo erre, and they proue it by Scripture. The Anabap­tists laughe at all the rest. The Pro­phetes Celestes, which is another secte, doo no lesse, grounding theym selues vppon their reuelations, be­cause that Dauid sayeth: Psal. 84. Heare what the Lorde doeth speake in me. The Deists or Trinitaries, which are come last of all, crye out and saye, that all they are heretikes, and they proue it [Page 66] by the olde and newe Testament. I praye nowe tell me, which of al these shall I receaue, seeing that they doo all alleage the holye Scriptures? If we receaue some and not all, those that are refused will saye, that we of­fer them wronge: for they haue their shoppes stored with as good stuffe of the Scriptures, and as wel alleaged as all the rest. If we receaue them all, it will be a renewing of the olde confusion of Babilon, through the ne­glecting of so manye Gospels. If you saye, that we oughte to folowe those that conforme them selues moste vn­to the pure worde of God, that will come to one ende: for if I doo de­maunde of you, how we shall know whiche do conforme theym selues moste vnto the truthe, you aunswere me, that it must be done by the grace of the holye Ghoste, sent by the Lorde, yf with a true hearte [Page] he is inuocated of the faythfull. See­ing you knowe so well the way how to agree together, howe comes it to passe, that you haue not vsed it this fortie or fiftie yeres, which are the pre­cinctes of the time, since your aunci­ent Churche beganne: seeing that you haue assembled so manye times toge­ther, why haue ye not prayed vnto the Lorde, to sende the spirite of truth to make peace amongst his Apostles? I thinke that you are not so vnsham­faste, that you will denye the quarels and debates that haue risen amonge you: I doo not saye, in light wordes, but in great battailes, in rayling pro­cesses, in horrible excommunications, sent from the Churches of the Luthe­rans vnto the Caluinists, and from the Caluinists vnto the Lutherans, as I haue set foorth at large in the booke that I made of the Sacrament: and therefore ye are greatlye ouerseene, that ye haue not inuocated the spirite [Page 67] of the Lorde, as Caluin hath taught you in his Cathechisme, to the ende that you may come to some accorde.

¶The .29. Chapter.

NOwe to turne againe to our for­mer purpose, if it were so, that of our owne free deliberation we were minded to forsake our Catholike reli­gion, the iniurious disputations that you vse amonge your selues, were suf­ficient, to make vs to suspende oure iudgement, without leaning to anye of both parties, vntill that we coulde see you more resolute in youre opini­ons, being the hardest matter, the knowing in what countrey the resi­dence shoulde be kepte for that mat­ter. You haue geuē absolute sentence, saying, that the Catholike Churche hath erred, euen from the Apostles time vnto this present, in praying to God for the soules of those that are deade, constituted in a thirde place called Purgatorye. You shoulde, me [Page] thinke, at the least allowe a thirde place, although it be not that, to re­ceaue the soules of those, whose con­sciences you haue so troubled, that they knowe nowe, neither what is their faith, nor of what religion they should be: for whē they reade Luthers workes they are Lutherans, whē they meete with Caluins workes they are Caluinists, and at the last they do not know, which side in deede is y ^e truest, being both false: and therfore I think it were good, that a sequestration were made, that neyther God nor the Deuill might haue parte of their soules, till there were a farther inqui­rye made of suche a number of sects, and that some good and honest arbi­tratour might geue iudgement as concerning which partie hath moste right. And in the meane while I be­seeche God, to open so the eyes of the people, that they maye see both youre errours and their owne, and that [Page 68] through the aboundaunce of their sinnes he permit them not to fall into an Heathenisme, vnto the which you doo seeke to drawe them with so ma­nye contrary Gospels.

¶The .30. Chapter.

IT doth appere well by that that I haue saide, howe the assuraunce of your vocation to the ministerie is but founded vpon sande, forasmuche as you doo seeke particulerly a contrary meaning euery one to his owne per­ticuler sense, being not this the waye that an extraordinarye minister sent from God, shoulde vse to confyrme his doctrine: for this hath beene the custome of all olde heretikes, as I haue alreadye sayde. There is a verye great difference betweene setting foorth the Scripture to refourme ones religion, & to reforme ones con­ditions: for when there is any questiō [Page] of the refourming of ones maners, there is no neede to regarde, whether the doctrine be newe or olde: for (as the Apostle sayth) let euery man take it to his owne sense: but when it is to be talked of, as touching ones fayth, the Catholike ought greatlye to be­ware of singuler interpretations, and to holde them as very suspitious. He ought to folowe the sentence that is holden and taught by the auncient Catholike Churche, without making any accompt of all these new deuises: for euen as, when one will repaire an olde house, he dares commit it to anye Mason, although his cunning be but small: but if the foundation must be touched, he will seeke the best ma­sters he can fynde: Euen so, when one will correct me for my euill life or con­ditions, although that it be so, that he that seeks to reforme me be not of the wisest of the worlde, and that he al­leage to me some place or figure of [Page 69] the Sceipture, not altogether to the purpose, yet all this ought to turne to me to one effect: for I know his mea­ning, although he cannot well expresse it, the which is to haue me chaunge my naughtie life, and to leaue my yll conditions. But when he shall come to touche my fayth, and to perswade me from that that all my auncetours did euer holde, frō that that y ^e Catho­like Churche deriued from the Apo­stles hath holden and doth holde, and from that that both the Scripture, and the generall Councels, and all the auncient doctours teache and af­fyrme: In the repayre of this founda­tion I ought to trust none but euen the verye best, I meane not one or two, but all these that I haue named. And now, if you say, that they maye all erre, I praye, remember the olde prouerbe that saith: He is a foole that thinkes that he onely is wise, and all the other fooles, and that it is more [Page] agreable to reason, y ^t one onely should erre, then one great multitude: for as thei say commonly, two eyes see more then one, and fowre more then two.

¶The .31. Chapter

OVr Sauiour Christe did approue his vocation after another sort thē you doo yours. Searche (saith he) the Scriptures, Ioh. 5. for they beare witnes of me: he doth not say, y ^t they ar Iudges, as you saye, for you will haue none o­ther arbitrator but the word of God. You knowe, that they are two diffe­rent thinges, to beare witnes, and to be a Iudge, & yet the scriptures of the old Testament doo conteine, not only the veritie of the doctrine of our Sa­uiour Christ, but therwithall the very sufficient probation of his person, to teache vs the true worde of God, & to ouerthrow & destroy the whole king­dome of Sathan, as it is plainlye seene by those that list to looke vppon the oracles of the olde patriarchs and [Page 70] Prophetes. It is written in the third of Genesis, that God saide vnto the woman that her seede shoulde breake downe y ^e serpents head. And likewise in the said booke ther is mentiō made of this diuine seede of Abraham: Gen. ca. 12 15. 19. 22. &. 24. & in the. 15. and. 53. Chapters of Esay, & in the. 2. Psalme Dauid doth talke of it. And in like maner Daniell, Moyses & Aaron with al the rest of the prophets in their sacrifices haue very perfectly painted the comming and passion of our Sauiour. Moyses left written in the prophecie of Iacob, that y ^e Messias should come, when the Royall scepter and the administration of it should be taken from the line of Iuda. Daniell was not content to saye as the rest, that he should come, but he did assign the very time, that is to say, by the se­uentie two weeks, counting from the fourth yere of the reigne of Zedechias, vntill y ^e time that our Sauiour was nayled vpon the Crosse, y ^e which time [Page] was iust fyue hundred yeres. Then, seeing that Christe came at the verye prescribed time, he might well haue sayde vnto the Iewes, that the scrip­tures did beare witnes of him. But yet to say the truth, if he had done no other but this, he had not fully appro­ued his vocation, to condemne their incredulitie. For they might haue said vnto him: We know well, that by the saying of the olde prophetes the Mes­sias should come of the line of Iacob, about this time, forasmuche as the Scepter of this kingdome is taken from the line of Iuda, to be deliuered vnto Herode: But what though, is this a good consequence: the Messias ought to come about this time, there­fore it is I? No no, shewe vs your Commission, let vs see some Signes, howe we shall knowe it: for if wee shoulde receaue you as our king, it may be, that some other woulde come and craue the like, saying that wee [Page 71] were abused. Our Sauiour Christe sore fearing this obiection, tooke ano­ther witnes w ^t him besydes the scrip­ture, I meane his Miracles. The workes that I doo (sayth Christe) in the name of my father, Ioh. 5. beare witnes of me. The like proufe is made, when S. Iohn Baptist sent his Disciples to our Sauiour, Mat. 11. to haue him teache the true beliefe that they should haue in him: this question was put to him, Art thou he that shoulde come, or ought we to attende for some other? Go your wayes (sayde Christe) and tell Iohn what ye haue hearde and seene. The blinde receaue their sight, the lame do walk vpright, the dumbe speake, the deafe heare, the lepers are cured, the dead are raised againe, and the poore are preched vnto, the which is as much to say as, tell Iohn, that I am the true Messias, and that he ought to attende no other. I doo ve­rifye my doctrine both by the Scrip­ture [Page] and by Miracles. For firste Esay doeth write, that when the Messias shoulde come, he should doo the Mi­racles aboue mentioned. Then, seeing that I haue done them in youre pre­sence, it foloweth, that I am he that should come. Thus you see Sirs, that both the Scripture and Miracles were necessarye for the confyrmation of the comming of Christe amonge the Iewes, who were neuer harder of beliefe then we are, according to your opinion: and therefore blame vs not, if we sende you packing like Coggers of the Scriptures, the which doo neither beare witnes of your comming, nor yet doo any mira­cles, the which two things and more are necessary to make vs beleue your reformed Gospell.

¶The .32. Chapter.

YOu doo alleage the inuincible pa­tience of your holye Martyrs in [Page 72] times past, for at this present, if it ple­sed God that you did martyrizate no more soules with your false preching, then there are bodyes that suffer for your doctrine, your sect were nothing so daungerous as it is. You glorye in your Martyrs of times past, which haue sealed with their owne bloud the doctrine of that holye Citie Gene­ua. But in this ye are much deceaued, for S. Iohn Chrisostome in his fyrste oration against the Iewes doth say, That the payne doeth not make the Martyr, but the cause: for otherwise the theeues and murderers might clayme the like title, although they suffer for another cause: for we ho­nour and loue the Martys (saith he) not for the tormentes that they doo suffer, but for that it is for Christe, and that they suffer for Iustice. And S. Augustine in his fyrste booke contra Epistolam Parmeniani, Capit. septi­mo, writing agaynst some of your [Page] felowes that presumed to be Mar­tyrs, he doth say, that euery one is not a Martyr that is punished by the Emperour, or by the king for matters of religion, otherwise (saith he) the de­uils might attribute vnto themselues the glorye of martyrdome, because they suffered persecution at the chri­stian Emperours handes, when tho­roughout the worlde, their Idolles were pulled downe, and they caste out, and those that did offer sacrifice vnto them greuouslye punished: then (saith he) the Iustice is not certaine through the passion, or for hauing suf­fered death: but the death and passion is glorious, when it is for the sustay­ning of the true fayth. And therefore (sayeth he) our Sauiour, because he would not haue the simple deceaued vnder this coulour of truth, he did not onely saye: Blessed are those that suffer (but he added) for Iustice. But this can in no wise be attributed vn­vnto [Page 73] those heretikes that suffer, to se­perate the vnion and concorde of the Catholike Churche. And in his booke de vnitate Ecclesiae, contra Epistolam Petiliani, he doth write, that the Do­natists, which were a sect of heretikes that reigned in his time, to confyrme their doctrine, they did not attende, that others should put them to death, but they did cast them selues downe from high places: Others did burne them selues in the fyre, to be honored after their death as Martyrs: and that is more, they did threaten men, if they woulde not kill them. S. Ciprian in like maner doth write in the fyrste booke of his Epistles, in the fyrste Epistle, that though an heretike suf­fer death for Christe, that doeth not confyrme him as a Martyr, but that his death is the verye punishment of his error, and that he cannot go to heauen, which is the mansion of the humble: for seing that he doth sepe­rate [Page] himselfe from the house of peace, which is the Churche (ye know well of what Churche he doth speake) that he cannot be receaued into heauen. &c All those that haue written the histo­ryes of the Bohemians, doo saye, that in the time of one Zischa a martiall minister of the heresye of the Hebo­rites or Hussites, there were a certaine sect of heretikes called Adamites, like vnto the olde heresye of the Nichola­ites: for they did say, as these doo, that mens wiues should be common, and they went al naked, euery one taking the woman he liked best, whom he did carye vnto their minister, and be­fore him he did saye, The holy Ghoste doth inspire me to lye with this per­son: then the saide reuerent father did geue him his blessing, saying: Increase and multiplye, & so they went awaye. This abouenamed Zischa, althoughe he had done a number of wicked dee­des, yet he determined to abolish and [Page 74] take away this sect, and so he caused two women to be burnt for this ab­hominatiō, the which two (notwith­standing the torment of the fyre) did sing & geue thankes to God, for that it had pleased him to permit them do dy for so holy and so iust a quarell. Did not Michaell Seruet, who was once master Caluins derling, rather desyre to suffer at Geneua, then he wold con­fesse, that Christe was God? and yet, notwithstanding his great patience, (or to say the truth, deuillishe obstina­cie) cannot be sufficient to make him a Martyr, nor to perswade you, to be­leeue his doctrine. There is a certaine minister of the Lutherans called Ioa­chim Westphall, who in a woorke of his doth mocke at Caluin, who did vaunt, that within these fyue yeres a­boue an hundred had suffred death, to sustayne the Gospell of Geneua: & he doth aunswer him at large, prouing y ^t the sect & doctrin of y ^e said place ought [Page] not to be approued for the multitude of false martyres, for the Anabaptists whom he doth iustly condemne, haue had of their sect a great many more, for in lesse then three yeres there hath suffred a great number more thē euer there did suffer of Caluinistes in fyue­teene. And to conclude this matter, the sayde Westfal. doth say, that the diuel hath his Martyrs (euen as wel as god) with whom like a good Ser­geant he doth marche, geuing the vauntward vnto the martyrs of the Caluenistes that haue suffered at Ge­neua. So that if one demaund of the Lutherans, whyther goe those that dye in the religion of Caluin, of Beza, or of the Anabaptistes? they saye, To the Diuel. And if one demaund of the Caluenists in like maner, Whither go the Anabaptists and the Lutherans? they say in likewise, To the diuel. And who would put the like question to the Anabaptists, I am assured they [Page 75] would say as the others, To the Di­uel. For my part I beleeue you, I as­sure you, all three, And seeing that ye agree so wel, that one serue for an o­thers harbēger, we were very fooles if we should stay your passage, but let you go al to the diuel for companie, for I thinke if you were al gone, our de­bates would cease, and hel would be so ful, that the diuel would long for no more.

¶The .33. Chapter.

THere is a certayne minister of the Lutherans called Heshusius, the which within these three yeres hath made a booke agaynst Caluine, Peter Boquin, Theodore de Beza, and Guliel mus Elcimalcius: & he sayth amongst other things, that Carolstadius, Zuen feldius, Caluine, and Beza doo shewe wel the vncertayntie of their fayth by the diuersities of opinions that there is amongst thē, the which fault (saith [Page] he) doth proceede of this, that they haue forsakē the true sense of the scrip­ture to folowe the opinions of their owne heades. And in that very booke the sayde Author doth giue the lye to Caluin, because that in that he wrote agaynst the abouenamed Westphal, he sayth that Martin Luther and his adherentes did acknowledge him as their brother, y ^e which thing he main­teynes to be false. Thus seeing ye a­gree together like dogges and cattes, and that al these sects haue confirmed their false doctrine with the shedding of their owne blood, it is best to con­clude, as we haue said before, That it is not the payne nor the torment that doth make the righteous martyr, ex­cept we should say, that diuers con­trary messaungers are sent from one master, the which is notoriously false, for that good king from whom the truth doth come in deede, hath so good a memorie, that he doth neuer [Page 76] send contrary messangers, but rather his faythful seruauntes doo al with one voyce and one accorde honour him, as the father of our Sauiour Iesus Christe.

¶The .34. Chapter.

SOme of your godly sect (to verifie that the vocation of your ministery doth come of God) doo set before our eyes the holynes of those newe Chri­stians, that is to say, how they neuer sweare, but yea for yea, and no for no, that they do no wrōg to no man, that they do neither rob nor steale, but that they are cōtent with y ^t that god hath sent thē, & that they ar very charitable to the poore: then seeing y ^t our Sauior doth say, that one shal know the tree by y ^e fruit, we ought to cōfes (sai they) y ^t the tree being good, the fruit is good y ^t is to say, their religion is good, seing that by y ^e grace of god it doth produce such swete & pleasant fruit. I answer you first to this, y ^t our sauior doth not [Page] geue general rules, but that that most commonly doth happen, as when he sayth, Luk. 6 that of the abundāce of the hart the mouth speaketh, woulde you af­fyrme by this, that his meaning was vniuersally? God forbid that he that is the author of al truth should meane so starke a lye. Do you not remember what speach he did vse to the Phari­seys, Mat. 15. when he said, This people do ho­nor me with their mouthes, but their harts are farre from me? you see that this sentence is contrarie to the other, if you do not vnderstand it as I haue said, that is to say, that many times a mā doth vtter that that is in his hart: as a Ruffian takes great pleasure to talke of quarels, a proude person to talke of hautie enterprises, a couetous man to talke of ryches or gaynes, and so it is of al other sinnes. But with al this a man may not affyrme truly, that hypocrisie doth neuer reigne in their harts, whose mouthes are ful of [Page 77] Gods word. Dani. 15 The Iudges of S. Susan, had not they God and his lawes in their mouthes, and the diuel in their hartes? Iohn. 18. We haue a law (said the Ie­wes and Pharisees agaynst Christ) and according to this lawe giuen vs by Moyses, he ought to dye. The zeale of Iustice did sound in their mouthes, and hatefull enuy did dwell in their hartes. And therefore you see many times that man doth speake contrary to that that he thinketh, and euen so it is of y ^e sentence of our Sauiour, whē he sayth, that by the fruite one shall know the tree. For many times natu­rally the fruite is good, although the tree be worth nothing, as the famous liues and workes of diuers heathen Philosophers doo witnesse, of whom the holynes and scrupulositie of con­science was suche, that I do beleeue assuredly that at the day of Iudgmēt a great number of Christians which leade Paynims liues, wilbe confoun­ded [Page] with the example of those men that knew not god. Thus of the first, the fruite is good, but the trees are worth nothing, for their religion was false & Idolatrous, applying as S. Paul doth say, Rom. 1. the trueth of God to vnrighteousnes. And as for the secōd, the trees are good, beeing graft vp­pon the true Catholique Religion, but the fruites doo degenerate from the stocke.

¶The .35. Chapter.

IF that the sence of this Prouerbe be harde for you to disgest, I am con­tent to stay vntill your stomacke be somewhat better, assuring myself that you can interprete it no waye vnto your aduauntage. There is nothing more certaine then the good tree to beare good fruite, if one doth not make him change his owne nature, but if one doo graffe vpon it some Crabstocke or some other kynde of [Page 78] wilde fruite, the tree can beare no other but Crabbes or wyldinges: Euen so we Chrystian persons, who are the trees of God planted by the pleasaunt fountayne of his grace, and purged with the holy water of Baptisme to beare fruite at our sea­son, so that we take euer to prospet withall, the dewe of his grace that planted vs, I meane, the fayth of our Sauiour Iesus Christe, so long we beare good fruite, as it is sayd before, alleaging the 3. of S. Iohn, yll vnder­stoode by Iouinian, He that is borne of God doth not sinne, for the generation of God doth preserue him, & the eni­my of our health shal not touche him. And in the sayde Chapter he sayth a­gayne, All men, or euery man that is borne of God doth not sinne, for the seede of God is in him, and he can not sinne, because he is borne of God. By this it is not ment that Baptis­me (the which he doth cal the beeing [Page] borne of God) doth take away from man the power or libertie to do euyl, for if he wyl degenerat from the grace that he hath receaued by the Sacra­ment of regeneration, & that in steede of growing graft vpon the stocke of the loue of God, which is the true life that he will fructifie towards his death and destruction, in this case he is no more the sonne of God, for as Christe sayth, Iohn. 8. If ye be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. But as he doth cōtinue and hath this good wyl, which was taught by the Angel vnto the Shepheards, & that he doth continue, hauing the grace that was inspired in him by the holy ghost at his baptisme, so long he doth not sinne vnto eternal death, for the generation of God, that is to say, the grace receyued by this holy Sacra­ment, doth so defend him, that the di­uel can not persecute him to death, be­ing not able to preuayle agaynst him, [Page 79] and as long as this good seede, which is the word of god, doth dwel in him, he cannot sinne, and if he did sinne, the sede would no longer remaine in him. The holy ghost sayth, Sap. 1. The wise man shal refuse the hypocrite and dissem­bler, and shal depart from the vayne and craftie cogitations, and therefore the grace of God and sinne can not dwel togeather, nor we oughte not thinke S. Iohns wordes straunge, in that he sayth, That he that is borne of God doth not sin, for it is as much to say, as that one can not serue two masters, and that he that serueth god can not serue the diuel. 1. Cor. 10. For S. Paul sayth, You can not assist at the Table of god and of the diuel altogether, for what communication is there be­tweene Iustice and Iniquitie, or be­tweene Iesus Christ & Belial. And he that doth loue this world declareth him selfe an enemy vnto God. And a little before he had sayd, He that doth [Page] commit sinne, is the sonne of the deuil, the which doeth not affyrme, that a sinner cannot be the sonne of God, if he repent and do penaunce: but in the meane while, he that is in actuall sin, or hath a minde to doo euil, is as then not the sonne of God, but the sonne of the deuill. The good tree doeth not beare yll fruite: for although the fruit doo rot or perishe vpon the tree, that corruption doeth not proceede of the tree, but of the wormes, byrdes, or of some other kinde of vermine: & there­fore, when they saye, that by the fruite we shall knowe the tree, and by the workes the faith, this ought to be vn­derstood, when the fruite doth ripe in season, & that it hath the naturall hu­mour and propertie of the tree. And in a man, that he haue the influence of the true fayth, and not otherwise: for euen as the rotten fruite hanging vp­pon the tree, doth not digresse nothing from the good Stocke: euen so the yil [Page 80] workes of vs that are Christians, ought not to stayne our holy and Ca­tholike religion. For the corruption of our yll fruites commeth of our selues, and not of our religion, the whiche doth defende vs from doing that we do, I meane, to sweare, to blaspheme, to commit adultery, to doo anye man wronge, or to offende God any way. He that doeth desyre then by the fruit, to knowe whether the tree of our religion be good, he ought not to bende his eyes to looke vpon the rot­ten fruite, as if that were sufficient to proue the goodnes of the tree: but let him looke vppon the good fruites, Suche are all the Doctours, aswell of the Greeke as Latine Churche, so manye good Emperours and vertu­ous Kinges, Princes, Dukes and erles, which haue reigned in France, Spayne, Germany and Englande, and ouer all the worlde, and haue [Page] dyed in the fayth, leauing their wor­kes to bear witnes of their good frui­tes. The which haue buylded so ma­ny fayre hospitals, to helpe and releue the poore, so many goodly Colleges to enterteyne fatherles children at their bookes, so many foundations & wor­kes for the common wealth, and that haue buylded so manye sumptuous Abbeys and houses of Religion, the whiche you with your godly zeale haue not only robbed & spoyled, but that that is more odious, you haue pulled thē cleane down, to deface the memory of our Auncesters, and to ac­quite al these which are notable mo­numentes, you brag of the good dee­des that your good Christians doo, which are much like vnto the gaynes of those that vse to cogge at dise, for al­though they winne much it is neuer seene: or like the Iewes, whiche to color their horrible cruelty in putting our Sauiour vniustly to death, they [Page 81] went and bought with the money that they gaue to Iudas a field to bury the dead. And so you hauing robbed & spoyled from the religious houses and Abbeyes more then you are able to restore, you thinke to acquite it all with geuing a litle to the poore. No, no, these deuises are but vaine, yf by the fruite the tree be knowen (as Christe sayth) let them that haue any iudgement, looke vpon the fruit of our trees, and then iudge, whether they be good or no.

¶The .36. Chapter.

NOwe seing that you haue visited our gardein, If a man may be so bolde, I pray lend vs the keyes, that we maye in like maner visite yours, & that we may see the fruits of your re­ligiō. Reade all y ^e histories writtē frō the Passion of Christe to our dayes, and you shall fynd, that all those sects that haue left our Romane Churche, [Page] haue done more mischiese in one yere, being seperated from the said Church, then they did in an hundred yeres be­fore. But because our meaning is not to recite all the acts of your predeces­sors, enemies to the Catholike church, it shall suffise to make a short discourse of those that haue bene of late dayes, I meane the Bohemians or Hussites, whose folowers you doo affyrm your selues to be: for in your godly booke of Martyrs, you haue placed Iohn Hus as the fyrste Martyr of your auncient Church (who was burnt for an here­tike about a. 120. yeeres agone) euen as wee accoumpt S. Steuen to be the fyrst Martyr of our Churche. Nowe, to knowe, whether ye be of the opini­on of the Hussites or no, that I leaue for some other time, and for this pre­sent I am content to condescende to that that you haue written, I mean, that Iohn Hus did preache your Gos­pell, and made a number of such faith­full [Page 82] persons as you are, and that he suffered death to sustaine your religi­on. Then let vs see, what good fruite this did produce vnto vs: Those that haue written the stories of Boheme, and amonge others Eneas Siluius, do testifye, that in the yere of our Lorde God. 1418. there was a certaine monke that became an Hussite in the Citie of Prage, which is the Me­tropolitane of that Kingdome, the which accompanied with a number of companions as zealous as himself, they did execute so horrible a crueltie, that eleuen of the principall Magi­strates were driuen to flee from the Citie, to saue their lyues, and seuen more (for in all they were. 18.) beinge taken by them, they did cast them out at the windowes of their owne hou­ses, & did kill them with their speares as they fell. This was done, Sigis­mondus being then Emperoure, in the time of Martine the fyrste [Page] Pope of Rome of that name, & Vne­slaus being then king of Boheme. The next yere after the death of this sayde Vneslaus, they did spoyle al the mona­steries, Abbeyes and Churches of the sayde kingdome. And among others, one Iohn Zischa, who was their cap­taine in the Citie of Prage, he made them all passe through the edge of the swerde, without sparing man, womā or childe. And the like was done in a­nother Towne of the saide kingdom called Messim, the yere. 1423. It wer to tedious to write all their cruelties, they did not care, whether those of their company wer of their sect or no, for some were Idumeans, some Pale­stines, some Moabites, and some other Amelecites: euen as of your bountifull goodnes ye call all those that will not be of your sect, Papists, Infidels, Hi­pocrites and Idolaters: and therfore we may iustly say, that you are their right heyres apparant, although ye [Page 83] haue gone somewhat before them, & (as our Sauiour saide) accomplished the measures of your fathers by the heroicall actes that you haue done in this (almoste desolate) kingdome of Fraunce, there needeth no other wit­nes to proue it, but the testimonie of your owne eyes & eares, which haue heard and seene more almoste thē any man can write. Therefore I beseeche you, not to reproche anye more the a­buses of our ecclesiasticall ministers: for although it be so, that they haue neede of some reformation, yet I doo thinke it is necessarye to choose some better stayed persons then you are, for you haue done more harme in fyue yeres, then ours haue done in a. 1500. S. Augustine in the fyrste booke of the Citie of God, doeth magnifye in the Christians behalfe the diuine fauoure of God: for he doth write, that when the Gothes did destroye & spoyle the Citie of Rome, the Romanes (althogh [Page] they were not Christian) did retyre them selues for their sauegard into the Churches and Temples of the Mar­tyrs. And the Gothes being but a bar­barous nation, had that respect to God, that they neuer durst nor wolde enter into those holy places to doo thē any displeasure. You which make so great profession of the Gospell, haue shewed your selues a great deal more cruell then those barbarous people: for they did pardon all those that went to the Temples, and you haue in ma­nye places spoyled the Churches, and murdered all those that ye founde in thē, so y ^t one might wel say to you that that Optatus Myleuitanus in his book con. Parm. Donatist. the which was, y ^t the Donatists ought to be content (& you likewise) to haue wounded the members of the Church, and to haue deuided the people of God, at the least you should haue spared the aul­tares and the temples, & not to make warre against the stones.

¶The .37. Chapter.

YOu make vs but a verye slender aunswer, saying, that we wer the first, & that you doo no other but that that we haue taught you. If wee should say the contrary, I know who should say the truth: but to auoide all quarels, the best is (folowing y ^e coun­cell of our Sauior) to geue you more then you demaund. Let vs put y ^e case, that we should confesse to be the first, doth it folowe therfore, y ^t your matter is good? I pray do but consider y ^e ver­dict that you both geue of your selues & of vs. We are (according to your sa­cred gospel & Apostolical iudgement) no other but poor & simple Infidels, & superstitious Idolaters: but contrari­wise, you are Apostles, Prophetes, E­uangelists, y ^e true childrē of God. Se­ing thē, that god hath shewed you so much fauoure, and poured vppon you the bountifull giftes of his grace, howe haue ye sought so cruellye to [Page] reuenge your selues against his ex­presse commaundement. Is this the waye of reformation, to shewe your selues as yll as we or worse? seinge that the matter falleth out so plainly, I pray you be not so obstinate, geue place vnto the best to reforme the rest, for to be worse then you I think none can be founde. You my masters, that can make such tedious sermons, and rayle at large against our Popes and Bishops, whye doo you passe ouer so lightly the faultes of your ministers? you set out gloriously the titles of A­postles, Prophets, Euangelists, & ex­traordinarie messengers of God for your selues: as good Godfathers ye now christen our popes & bishops, cal­ling them rauening and greedie de­uouring wolues. In this ye do great­lye abuse the intellection of the scrip­tures: for if you marke well that that our Sauiour doth saye, Iohn. 10. ye shall find, that ye runne farre wide of the text, [Page 85] and the similitude of the wolfe doth full well appertayne vnto your mini­sterie. There he doth declare the diffe­rence that is betwixt the good shep­herde and the bad (which he doth call Mercenarium) & the wolfe. The good Shepherde is he, that doeth hazarde and venture his life for his flock: The yll Shepherde is he, that taketh the milke and the wool from the sheepe, & letteth them rome without taking a­nye care to keepe them. The wolues seeing them rome abrode, scatered frō the flocke, doth deuoure all those that are yll kept. The good Shepherde is our Sauiour Christe and his Apo­stles, and all the good Bishops that did florishe in olde time, and al the ho­lye Confessors and martyrs that haue liued in the golden age, when y ^e bloud of our Sauiour Christe was yet hot boyling in their heartes. The yll shep­herdes haue folowed after, whiche haue not cared for their sheepe. The [Page] wolues (which are the heretikes) see­ing this haue scatered the sheepe out of the fould of Christ, which is the ca­tholike Church, where they had bene borne spiritually, that is to saye, rege­nerated w ^t the grace of the holy ghost, & the Sacrament of baptisme, to fo­low the sectes of perdition. If all our Shepheardes had bene as carefull to keepe their flockes as they ought to haue bene, your Congregation had neuer ben so strongly builded as it is at this day in Fraunce. And therefore you offer your Churche (if it maye be so called) great wronge, when you speake against the abuses of ours, for our sinnes haue bene and are the prin­cipall foundation of your buildinge. And euen as the worme is nourished in the Aposteme with the yll humors, euen so you feede of our faultes, and are nourished with our sinnes, youre fyre burnes with our wood: and if we woulde amende our liues, I knowe [Page 86] howe soone your religion woulde de­caye. And therefore our Pastors are not wolues, but they haue permitted the wolues to deuoure their sheepe, and so they shall aunswere for them before the throne of the eternall Iudge, who doth aduertise them by the Prophete Ezechiell, that they shal aunswere for all the mischiefes that happen vnto their sheepe, manye of the which are scabbed and full of diseases: and therefore I would haue you to cause some bodye to choose a­mong yours and ours those that are best,, to the ende, that through this di­uision, and your ayde, we maye take the rest. I thinke, that if anye thing condemne vs, it wilbe this cause, for­asmuch as we haue continued in that doctrine which was preached vnto vs at the firste, as you your selues can not denye, if you will confesse the truth.

¶The .38. Chapter.

ALl our auncient doctours, aswell of the Greeke, as of the Latine Churche since the Apostles time, and the Christians of all the foure quar­ters of the world, which wer in those dayes, haue made their promises and vowes vnto God, euen as we doo now, & at their baptisme they did vse euen those very Ceremonies that we do, with the self same exorcismes, ad­iurations and annoyntings, that we doo vse in our Catholike Churche, which you call Papisticall: & to proue this true, we wil bring y ^e said aunciēt doctours as witnesses, if it please you to read the places that we wil quote. Tertulian (who liued verye neere the Apostles time) doeth make mention in his booke that he intituled, De re­surrectione carnis, of the annoynting vsed at the Baptisme, and of the re­nouncing the deuil and all his pompe. [Page 87] In his booke De corona militis, he doth speake of the thirde dipping vn­der the water, in the name of the fa­ther, the sonne, and the holye Ghoste. S. Ciprian the Martyr, who was a­boue. 1300. yeres agone, doth write in the second volume of his Epistles, Epist. 12. how they did vse in his time to geue the holye Chrisme vnto the children that were baptised. Origen in his twelfth Homilie, and in diuers other places of his works doth make mention of the renouncing of the de­uill at ones baptisme, and of the ma­king of the signe of the Crosse vppon childrens faces when they were chri­stened. S. Iohn Chrisostome in his. 12. Homilie, vpon the fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians. Cap. 4. And in his fyrste Homilie vppon the fyrste Chapter to the Ephesians, he doth make mention of the sayde renunciation made from the deuill and all his workes. Reade I pray, if it be your pleasure, S. Aug. [Page] in Psal. 31. Aug. li. 15. contra Iulia. Pe­lag. li. 1. Cap. 2. Item de nuptiis et con­cupiscentia. Lib. 1. Cap. 20. In Ioannē, tract 33. In Canonicam Ioannis, tract. 3. et Tractat. 6. Et de ecclesi. dogmat. Cap. 31. De Simbolo, lib. 1. Cap. 7. et lib. 2. Cap. 11. Et libro de his qui initi­antur sacris. Cap. 1. Basilius de Spiritu Sancto, Cap. 15. et. 75. Arnobius in Ps. 27. All these Doctoures, which were aboue a thousande yeeres agone, if you reade in them the places that heere I haue quoted, you shall fynde, that they did vse at the Baptisme of their children those verye Cerimo­nyes that we doo nowe vse, and that you doo so mislike. And as for Con­fession, before the receauing of the Sacrament, our Sauiour Christe doeth teache vs, that the Ecclesiasti­call Ministers haue authoritie to bynde and forgeue sinnes. Ioh. 20. S. Ciprian in his fyfth Sermon De lapsis, Mat. 16. Ori­gen vppon the thirtie and seuenth [Page 88] Psalme, and in Leuit. Hom. 2. S. Au­gustine lib. 2. de visitatione infirmorum Cap. 4. S. Ciril. libro. 12. in Ioannem, Cap. 56. S. Hierom in Ecclesi. Cap. 10. All these Doctours, according to the Scriptures, in these places doo con­fyrme auriculer confession. And as for praying vnto the Saintes in Para­dise to helpe vs with their prayers, reade Origen, in his thirde Homilie vpon the Canticles, and in his second booke vppon Iob, and in his eyght booke in Ecclesi. Reade Chrisostome, in his eyght Homilie vppon the Epi­stle to the Ephesians, the fourth Chap­ter, and S. Augustine, in his twentie booke against Faustinus, the one and twentie Chapter, and Saint Hierom against Vigilantius. All these make mention of the praying vnto the Saintes. And for praying for the deade, Reade Tertulian in his booke De Monogonia, and in his booke De Corona militis, and Saint Ciprian [Page] ad plebem Furnensem, and in the fyrst booke of his Epistles: and Origen in Hieremiam. Hom. 12. Item in Epist. ad Ro. lib. 8. cap. 11. Reade Chrisostome, in his third Homilie vpon the Epistle of S. Paule to the Philippians, and S. Aug. li. 2. de gen. against the Mani­ches, Cap. 20. and in the Incheridion ad Laurent. Cap. 110. Item, libro de cu­ra pro mortuis agenda. All these Doc­tours, whose workes haue continued these. 1200. yeeres, doo teache vs all these thinges that nowe we doo ob­serue, the which they left in writing by the ordinaunce of God, to confute suche heretikes as you are.

¶The .39. Chapter.

ANd if I did not thinke, that it would be to tedious for the Rea­der, I woulde set forth the rest of our Catholike doctrine, & the confyrma­tion of it by the testimonie of suche a number, of not onely Doctours, but [Page 89] therewith al holy Confessors & Mar­tyrs, which haue suffered for our reli­gion, and that haue taught vs, both by worde of mouth, and by writing, all that we doo vse at this daye, tea­ching vs to liue and dye in it and for it. I would haue you answere me vn­to this: Doo you thinke, that they be in heauen or in hell? I know wel, that meere scrupulositie of conscience will make you not expresse plainelye that, that your works doo teache, and that you will remit this questiō to y ^e iudge­ment of God. But this is not to the purpose, for I do not demaund of you any absolute aunswere, as if you had bene in heuen or hell to see it: but this, to vtter in your conscience, what you thinke of those that haue holden, mainteyned and confessed our fayth (whom you call Infidels and super­stitious Papistes) are they condem­ned? If you say, yea, Then wherefore was the bloud of Christe shed on the [Page] Crosse? it had bene better that he had neuer suffred, if this were true. If you saye, that God woulde be mercifull to them, because their error proceeded of ignoraunce, and so, that he will haue pitie of vs, because of ours. But I knowe, that you will say, that we are nowe vnexcusable, because that wee do refuse the truth that you do preach. By the selfe same reason our aunce­sters can alleage before God no good excuse, forasmuch as they do make no accompt of the receauing of such mi­nisters as you are, and that haue pre­ched the like Gospell that you doo an­nounce vnto vs. S. Hierome and al the Christians of his time are then con­demned, because they woulde not re­ceaue the Gospell of Vigilantius, who did euen as you doo preache, that we shoulde not allowe the exposition of the doctours, nor honour the relicques of Martyrs. S. Augustine is likewise condemned, because he wrote & prea­ched [Page 90] against the Arrians, who taught as you do, that it is an offence to pray for the dead. And to be briefe, if that which you doo preach ought to be cal­led the Gospel and true word of God, since the Apostles time ther hath bene neuer a Christian Doctour in the Church: for they haue all taught the contrarye to your forged Gospell, as euery man may see, that will take the payne, but to looke in their workes, or to reade those places that are quoted by me and diuers others that haue confuted your heresies manye a hun­dred yeere agone by their authorities. Let them then that haue any eyes, beholde the hazarde that ye runne in­to, and so manye others throughout the worlde, which folowe your opini­on. If one shoulde come to accuse another of falsehoode, and that before he be assured of this matter, where­with he did seeke to attaynt the de­fendaunt, woulde not one thinke [Page] his matter verye great, or his know­ledge very small, to run headlong into the daunger of that crime, which, if he could not proue, he shoulde be con­demned for himselfe. What then shall become of you, O most simple sheepe, which seeke with fayned arguments to condemne, not one or two, but all y ^e Christians and Catholikes that haue bene in this worlde since the Passion of Christ, the which haue refused and reproued your doctrine as hereticall, & haue taught vs this that wee holde at this day? But now to aunswer vn­to that that was mentioned a litle be­fore, and that which a number of your flocke haue told me, when I haue cō ­ferred with them, which is, that the errour of our predecessours was not imputed vnto thē, forasmuch as these good simple people went to worke af­ter the grossest sort, thinking to doo well, and that as then they did not vnderstande well the truth, which is [Page 91] nowe brought to light through your Gospell. I saye, that in this ye are de­ceaued more then halfe the value of your religion: for before some of them dyed, they had forgotten more then e­uer you haue learned, for all that, that you know you haue learned it of their bookes (or stollen it, to say the truth) interpreting both their workes and y ^e Scriptures contrary to the truth of their meaning. And although it were so that they had al erred, your colored excuse of simplicitie could auaile them nothing, for the worde of God would accuse them. 2. Cor. 4. If the Gospell (saith S. Paule) had bene hidden, it hath bene hidden to those that haue perished, the spirites of the which the God of this world hath blinded: then if that those vnto whom the truth hath beene hid­dē haue perished, wherfore doth your excuse serue them? This being true, as it is moste like, I meane, y ^t they haue not erred, nor that you onely shalbe sa­ued, [Page] and they all condemned. To my iudgement our auncesters w ^t all their simplicitie did neuer erre so muche as your disciples doo, to folowe such ma­sters, as condemne that faith that the catholike church hath taught & main­teyned these. 1500, yeres, to mainteyn those heresies that haue bene buried in hel many an hundred yere agone, and nowe are called vp againe by Martin Luther, Caluin and his felowes.

¶The .40. Chapter.

YF that by a good and a right title your disciples call them selues the children of god, this makes me beleue that the saying of our Sauiour is ful­filled in them, Luk. 16. y ^e which is, The childrē of this world are wiser in their gene­ration then the children of light: To proue this true, we see this daily expe­rience: for a wise worldly man when he doth put out his money to gayne, he will not trust the promise so soone [Page 92] of one or two or three, as he will doo the bondes of a whole Towne or Ci­tie that should warrant or assure his gayne. But you nor your disciples haue not done thus, but rather y ^e con­trarye. It had bene better for you to haue fyrste put youre fayth and truste in God, beleeuing that he hath geuen his holye spirite, and declared the meaning as touching the Scriptures vnto the Catholike Churche, and not to hazarde the hope of your saluation, putting it into the handes of Luther, Zuinglius, Oecolampadius, and three or fowre other such pelting merchan­tes, which haue newly set vp shoppes at Wittemberge, Geneua and Losane, which one of these dayes we shall see bankruptes, as their predecessours haue bene before them, the which af­ter that they had deceaued the poore simple Catholikes, and gayned some of their soules for the deuill, they haue at the laste solde all theyr [Page] their honestie and credite, so that at this daye, except that it be those that reade the auncient historyes, no bodye els doth remember, that euer they li­ued in the world. You are come now last of al to make vp their merchaun­dise, but your credite can hardlye be good before God: for you shall haue a­gainst you all the auncient Catholike Churche, which hath continued visi­ble since the comming of Christe vnto this daye, all the doctours of all the v­niuersities, all the Empires, King­domes and priuate state throughout all the worlde, which haue receaued & honoured this doctrine, that you call Papistical. And if you saye, that you will not trust men, but the very word of the Lord, we agree to the like, that we ought all to beleue the Scripture, but we vary about the interpretation, for you interprete it after one sort, and we after another: you expounde it af­ter a new sort, and the Catholike [Page 93] Churche doth folowe the olde exposi­tion of the auncient Doctours and traditions which you haue forsaken: or to saye the truth, your Ministers haue led the sheepe astraye from the olde flocke, at the departing from the which they haue bene all scatered a­broade, some folowing Luther, some Caluine, some the Anabaptists, and so forth, for the which the Popes and kinges and others that haue had the gouernment of the Churche, shal an­swere at the last day of iudgement, for as much as while they slept, you haue come and sowed weedes among the good corne. Then seeing you are the sheepe that rome astray, what excuse can they make before God, that wil­fully folowe your steppes? We con­fesse, that we are the poore sheepe of God that haue continued with oure olde flocke stedfast and whole, as tou­ching our religion, but verye weake & sickly as touching our maners: that is [Page] to say, full of sinnes and vices, atten­ding some sage phisitions to heale vs, and good pastors to keepe vs, casting out the chaffe from the corne, I mean, cutting off those abuses that are of­fensiue not to suche scrupulous consci­ences as you haue, but vnto him that doth threaten them for the carelesse liues of their sheepe, and so to continue in that auncient fayth that by succes­sion of pastors we haue receued from the Apostles.

¶The .41. Chapter.

I Knowe well, that you wil take this confessiō of mine to your aduantage, saying that for feare of being infected with our superstitious diseases, you haue seperated your selues frō y ^e com­mon flocke: but if you do consider my firste wordes, they haue barred you al maner of wayes to reply iustly: for I haue already said, that althogh we be sickly and weake sheepe, as touching our doings or maners, yet, in regarde [Page 94] of our fayth (thankes be to God) we are safe and sounde, keeping still that integritie of religion that by succession of pastors we haue receaued from the Apostles, without adding or dimini­shing any thing to the grounde of our catholike beliefe: for as for ceremonies the Church hath vsed thē euer as tou­ching y ^t time & the place, to y ^e honor of god, & edification of our neighbor: and therfore, if you did seperate your selues from our kind of liuing, to leade a holy solitarye life, as y ^e holy Heremites and saintes haue done in times past, forsa­king y ^e conuersatiō of y ^e cōmon people, to liue in contemplation, w ^tout sepera­ting thē selues frō y ^e cōmunion of the Churche, in the which they haue bene baptised, and had receaued their faith, your doings had ben as much worthi of praise in that respect, as nowe they are damnable, considering howe you forsake the common tabernacle, with­in the which both you and we haue receaued the Sacraments of regene­ration, [Page] and our spirituall foode alto­gether. And to the ende that no bodye runne astray from the right path that he should folowe, the good Christian ought to fixe in his minde this resolu­tion, I mean, to serue God, and to liue in the Catholike fayth, commonlye or priuately: for when there is any que­stion put, as touching the life, the com­mon way, Mat. 7. as Christe doth saye, doeth leade one to perdition, and the narow waye doth guide vnto the port of sal­uation. But if one speake of religion, the contrarye is verifyed: for the com­mon way is the way of health, & the priuate way is the path of damnati­on. The Prophete Dauid in the. 24. Psalme, had a regarde to this, when he prayed god to teach him his waies by the religion, and his pathes, by the maners and customes.

¶The .42. Chapter.

NOw to turne to the partition that [Page 95] we haue vpon the. 34. and. 37. of Eze­chiell, and vppon the tenth of Iohn, it is playne, that we are the flockes of weake and sickly sheepe: and your dis­ciples are the sheepe that runne this way and that way astraye: those that are our yll prelats take vpon them the title of Mercenarij pastoris, but vnto your Ministers the titles of deuou­ring wolues, may be applyed with­out any scrupulositie of conscience: for you watche to none other intent, but to make the sheepe runne out of the fold, and to deuour them, because that our pastors haue not taken care to keepe them. And although they bee not excusable, aswell for their silence, as for their naughtie liues, I see not your Patriarchs and zealous Mini­sters amende muche them selues, the faultes that they finde in vs: for be­sydes the true and certayne experi­ence that we haue had by the tryall that we haue seene to our coste in this [Page] Realme within these fyue or six yeres, I haue read full manye a golden Le­gend of your sacred martyrs and holy Bishops, which do not altogether re­dound to the honor of your pretended reformed Church. And among others Theodore de Beza Caluins successor in the Pontificate seate of the holy Citie of Geneua, of whom suche thinges are preached abrode, that if the one halfe of them be true, he is scant so good a man as S. Iohn Baptist. And because I woulde not haue you to mislike them for their religion, I will not al­leage, to verifye this, anye Catholike authour, but some of Luthers Suc­cessours your fyrste founder, who taught you to write so learnedlye (I woulde saye raylinglye) againste the Churche of Rome. In his booke of the true body of Christ in the sacrif. written in Latin. Tilemanus Heshu­sius a Minister of the Lutherans, in the booke that I haue alreadye no­ted, doeth openlye accuse the sayde Be­za [Page 96] of great infamye, that he did not onely content the fansie of his minde, with leading a luxurious and a licen­tious life, and to stayne his vow with a bolte of adulterous loue, but that that is worse, he himselfe hath set forth in writing al his lasciuious acts, the which (saith he) he hath songe in sacrilege ryme to the Instrument, to manifest his synne to the whole sight of the worlde. And in that very booke he doth say, that Beza, who (as I haue tolde you) is a Bishop of the holy Citie of Geneua, is an infamous monster, whose naughty life any man maye reade set forth by himselfe in his owne Epigrams: & notwithstanding (sayth he) to heare him speake, you woulde thinke he were Saint Iohn Baptist, for he can talke of nothinge but of his holye life. This same very Minister in the booke where he wri­teth these thinges, he doeth laye to [Page] Bezas charge that he tooke with him to Geneua another mans wife, with­out the knowledge of her husbande, whose name was Candida. Thus see­ing by the verye testimonie of those that are our enemies, & that are your brethren, as touching the seeking to ouerthrowe the Catholike Churche. The principall pillers of your Church are bawdes, theeues and adulterers, ruffins: why doo ye not firste begin to reforme your selues, to this intent, that when we see, that you haue taken the blocke out of your own eyes, we may be the better content, that you should spye the mote in ours. Remember that our Sauiour sayth in the Gospel, that the phisition ought to cure himselfe.

¶The .43. Chapter.

YOu that can saye so well, that one ought to liue according to y ^e scrip­ture, and that you will by it refourme vs, why do ye not beginne with your [Page 97] selues, to geue vs the better example. From whence come so many kinde of vsuries and excessiue interests as you doo vse? You call our Churche abho­minable and adulterous. He that is among you without sinne, let him cast the fyrste stone. You doo abhorre oure Idols (as you terme them, talking of our Images) howe commeth it to passe then, that some of youres should come so neere vs that are Idolaters, as to rob our Churches, and to carye away the Images and reliques, and to go and sell them in other places? But nowe to make an ende of this discourse, although it were so, that your woorkes were the best of the worlde, yea, whollye without spot or sinne (as some of you doo affyrme) yet were not they sufficient to moue vs to chaunge our religion, nor to forsake that that our forefathers haue taught vs: for although it be so, that our Sa­uiour Christe was as iust and as in­nocent [Page] as any can be, hath beene, or e­uer shalbe, yet neyther his holy life, nor the Scriptures that he did alleage, to proue his comming by the authoritie of the Prophetes, nor the testimonie of S. Iohn Baptist: all these thinges to­gether wer not sufficient to perswade the Iewes to forsake their old lawes, and to receaue the Gospell, without the testimonie of the great miracles that he did in their presence. He doeth confesse this plainely, where he sayth: If I had not done in their presence the workes and miracles that neuer any had done, they should haue no sin. This sentence is moste notable and woorthy to be grauen in the heartes of all Catholikes, to assure their con­sciences which are troubled with such diuersitie of opinions. For although it were so, that you my masters were the honestest men of the worlde, sent from God to teache and preache a true doctrine, yet shoulde we be excu­sable [Page 98] before God for not receauing of your commission, euen as the Iewes had bene for not receuing of our Sa­uiour Christe, if he had not done so manye miracles. For we knowe no cause, why you shoulde be more priui­leged then Christe. And seing that you haue shewed nothing to verifye it this waye, and that the Scriptures make no mention of your vocation, nor you shewe no miracles, and that your liues are at the least as yll as ours: what moues you to be so bolde and so vnshamefaced, as to threaten vs with eternall damnation, if we re­ceaue not your hereticall doctrine, the which is so full of discordes and diui­sions, that one maye easilye gather by this, from whence it came, and whi­ther it doeth leade one, although yee haue nothing in your mouthes, but the Gospell & the worde of the Lorde? and as S. Augustine sayde vnto your semblables. Sola personat apud vos [Page] veritatis pollicitatio. I say no more at this time, but that I beseeche God to drawe you as nere to vs as you are farre from vs, and to inspire youre mindes to turne to the flock of Christ, the which, both to your owne harme and ours you haue forsaken.