A confutation of a popishe, and sclaunderous libelle in forme of an apologie: geuen out into the courte, and spread abrode in diuerse other places of the realme. VVritten by VVilliam Fulke, Bacheler in Diuinitie, and felowe of S. Ihons Colledge in Cambridge.

The aunswere.

In this your fowerth argumente, if it

maie bee called an argumente, you huddle vp a number of Ceremonies, together, all whiche out of Basile, you would proue to bee Traditions of the Apostles. In deede Basile in the. xxvij. Chapiter of his booke De spiritu sancto, is driuē to this shifte, that either he must acknowledge many suche vnfruictfull Ceremonies, as in his tyme were crepte into the churche, to be vnpro∣fitable, or els to flie to the tradition of vn∣written verities. The same in effecte cea∣ceth Augustine, and yet neither of bothe, was so ignoraunte, but that at suche time as thei did throughly consider, either the dignitie of the holie scriptures, or the na∣tures of suche humaine Traditions, thei iudged otherwise of the whole matter. For Basile in his moralles Diffinit. xxvi. saieth. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 &c. that it beho∣ueth euery woorde, and deede, to bee auc∣thorised by the testimonie of the scripture inspired of God, bothe for the certaine per∣swasion of the good, and the confusion of the euill. And in the 8. diffini. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. &c. If all that is not of faith, is synne, as the Apostle saieth, and faithe is of hearyng, and hearyng by the woorde

of God, what so euer is beside the diuine scripture, beyng not of faithe, is synne. V∣pon whiche conclusion, a manne maie in∣ferre, that all suche Traditions, as Basile before defended, beyng beside the scriptu∣res, ar sinne. The same Basile in his brief diffinitions to this question, whether it be profitable for theim, that come newlie to the faithe, immediately to bee instructed out of the scriptures? Maketh this aun∣swere. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. &c. It is bothe conueniente, and necessarie, that e∣uery manne far his necessarie vse, should learne out of the diuine scriptures, bothe that he maie bee certainely perswaded in his Religion, and also, that he bee not be∣fore accustomed to humaine Traditions. Let this therfore suffice for sainct Basile to aunswere hymself.

Saincte Augustine also in his 118. Epi∣stle, where he speaketh moste fauourably for Traditions, hath these woordes. Sed hoc nimis doleo, quod multa quae in diuinis li∣bris saluberrimè praecepta sunt, minus curantur & tam multis praesumptionibus, sic plena sint omnia, vt grauius corripiatur, qui per octauas suas terram nudo pede tetigerit, quam qui mē∣tem

vinolentia sipelire est. But this (saieth Augustine) dooeth greue me to muche, that many thinges, whiche in Gods boke, are moste wholsemly commaunded, are lesse regarded, and all thynges are so full of presumptions, that he is more sharpe∣ly reproued, whiche hath touched the yearth with his bare foote, in tyme of his vtas, then he that hath buried his mynde with dronkennes.

And in the same place he saieth, of Tra∣ditions: Quamuis enim ne{que} hoc inueniri pos∣sit, quomodo contra fidem sint: ipsam tamen re∣ligionem, quam paucissimis, & manifestissimis celebrationum Sacramentis, misericordia dei esse liberam voluit, seruilibus oneribus premunt, vt tolerabilior sit conditio Iudaeorum qui etiam si tempus libertatis non agnouerint, legalibus ta¦men sarcinis, nō humanis praesumptionibus sub∣ijciuntur. that is to saie. For although this can not bee founde, how thei are contrary to the faithe, yet thei oppresse with scla∣uishe burdeins, the religion it self, whiche the mercie of God, would haue to bée free, with moste fewe, and manifeste Sacra∣mentes of celebrations: So that the state of the Iewes, is more tollerable then

ours: for although thei haue not acknow∣ledged the tyme of libertie, yet thei are subiecte to burthens laied on theim by the lawe, not to humaine presumptions.

By this you see Augustines right iud∣gemente, of suche vnprofitable Ceremo∣nies, and Traditions. Whiche althoughe Basile, and he cōiecture, and gesse to haue béen receiued of the Apostles, because thei knewe none other originall of theim, yet it dooeth not followe, that thei were deli∣uered by the Apostles in deede. For many of theim (if your owne aucthours dooe not lye) were instituted by diuers Popes of Rome, long after the age of the Apostles. And some it is plaine, were inuented by heretikes. For the firste that we read of, in any auncient, and authenticall writer, that hadde in reuerence the signe of the Crosse, were the Valentiniane heretikes as witnesseth Irenaeus, libri primi. Capit. 1. whiche thei called Oron crucem confirmati∣uam, the strengthenyng Crosse. And abu∣sed the testimonies of sainct Paule, as you Papistes doe, where he saieth verbum cru∣cis. &c. The woorde, or preachyng of the crosse, & mihi non eueniat gloriari. &c. God

forbidde that I should reioyce, but in the Crosse of Christe. But afterwarde true Christians vsed that signe, to testifie vn∣to Heathen menne, that thei were Chri∣stians, and were not ashamed of the igno∣minious death of Christ, whiche the Gē∣tiles did dispightfully caste in their teeth, and at length it grewe to a meare super∣stition, and laste of all, to moste horrible Idolatrie, when the Image of the Crosse was worshipped, sensed, and praied vnto.

Praier towarde the Easte, was vsed of the Christians, in the aunciente Church, to testifie, that thei differed from the Ie∣wes, who praied towarde the West, least thei should seem to worshippe the Sunne risyng, as the Gentiles did. And although woordes of inuocation were vsed, at the shewyng of the bread, and the Cuppe, yet was there no inuocation, of the Sacra∣mentall breade and Cuppe, but of God.

Of the other Ceremonies, of anoinc∣tyng, and thrise dipping, hath been spoken before. That the Apostles vsed no suche blessyng of the water of Baptisme, as you doe, it is manifeste, when thei Baptised in euery Riuer, and Brooke that thei came

to. In dedè thei did cōsecrate the water for that time, when they vsed it to serue for y^e holy vse, but did putte no holines into it which should remain after that baptisme was ministred with it, as you doe. As for the stipulatiō of renouncyng the deuill. &c. is in dede y^e doctrine of the Apostles. Hebr. v. (whiche we retain) although you saie in the ende, we do not. As for salte, spettle, & cōiuration, or exorcisme, thei ar altogeher superfluous, at this tyme. Of exorcisme, there was some vse in the auncient chur∣che, but of salte, & spittle, which neuer are not mentioned in that place of Basile. As there were many possessed with Deuills, so there was some, that that had this po∣wer of the holie ghost, to caste out Deuils whiche were called exoreistes, as witnes∣seth S. Cypriane in his fowerth boke, and Epis. vij. ad Magnū. Quod hodie etiā geritur vt per exorcistas, voce humana, & potestate di∣uina, flagelletur et vratur, et torqueatur diabo∣lus. Et cū exire, et hoēs dei dimittere saepe dicat, & in eo tamē quod dixerit fallat, & id quod per Pharaonē prius gestū est eodem, mendacio obsti∣nationis, et fraudis exerceat: Cū tamen ad aquā salutarē, at{que} ad baptismi sanctificationā veni∣tur,

scire debemus & fidere, quia illic diabolus opprimitur, & homo dicatus diuina indulgentia liberatur, that is: Which thing also, is doen at this day, that by the exorcistes, through the voice of a man, and the power of God, the deuil is scourged, burned, and tormen∣ted. And although he saith oftētimes, that he goeth out, & letteth go the men of God, and yet in so saying deceiueth, & practiseth the same thing, that was dooen before by Pharao, with the same lye of obstinacie, & deceipt: yet whē we come to the wholsom water, and sanctification of Baptisme, we muste knowe, and beleue, that there, the Deuill is oppressed, and the man, whiche is there dedicated, is by the mercie of god deliuered. This one testimonie emong a number is sufficient, to declare bothe, that there was in the Churche, menne indued with the gifte of castyng out Deuilles, whiche visibly, and sensibly did possesse menne: and that Exorcisme at Baptisme, was vsed for none other ende, but to deli∣uer suche as were possessed, and could not be deliuered by the Exorcistes, before thei were baptised, not y^t euery persone which was Baptised hadde neede of exorcisme,

but onely suche as were vexed with vn∣cleane spirites. And seyng that gifte of ca∣styng out Deuilles, doeth no more conti∣newe in the Churche, and thei that are to be Baptised, are not possessed with De∣uilles, it were not onely vngodlines, but also méere madnesse, for such to take vpō them that power, whiche haue it not, or if thei had it, to exercise it, where there is no neede of it.