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It appeareth by that hath benne already saide, that the Gospel of Christe is now misliked, & doubted of you, as it was in Olde times of the Infidels, and Hea∣thens.* 1.1 Chrysostome there of saithe thus, Venit Gentilis, & dicit, vellem fieri Chri∣stianus: Sed nescio, cui adhaeream. Multae inter vos sunt pugnae, Seditiones, ac
tumuitus. Nescio,* 1.2 quod dogma eligam, quod praeferam. Singuli dicunt, Ego Verum dico: The Infidel, or Heathen commeth, and saithe, I vvoulde be a Christian man: but I knovve not, vvhom I should folovve. There is mutche strife, and dissenssion, and trouble emongest you. I cannot tel, vvhat Doctrine to chuse, to set before other. For euery one of you vvil saie: I saie the Truthe. As ye agrée wel with them in Fourme of Woordes, so, I praie God, ye agree not with them in Faith, & Sprite, & contempte of God. The same Chrysostome speaking, not onely of the Heretiques, but also of the Faithful Christians, that were in his time, saith thus▪* 1.3 Hanc ob causam ridiculi facti sumus, & Gentibus, & Iudaeis: dum Ecclesia in mil∣le partes discinditur: For this cause wee are scorned, and laught at, bothe of Iewes, and Gentiles: while as the Churche is thus rente into a thousande partes.
Therefore it was not amisse, M. Hardinge, to demaunde you this question, whiche of these sides ye woulde haue folowed: and whiche of al these Gospelles ye would haue beleeued. For it maie wel be thought, that being minded as they were, ye woulde haue answeared, as they did.
But ye saie, yée woulde rather haue saide, as S. Hierome sommetime saide to Pope Damasus, touchinge the Heresies, whiche he founde in Syria.
If ye woulde vse S. Hieromes answeare, M. Hardinge, & saie vnto the Pope, as S. Hierome saide, Perhaps ye shoulde deserue no greate thankes for your la∣boure. For S. Hierome in that selfe same place, biside sundrie others, vtterly de∣nieth the Primacie of the Bishop of Rome.* 1.4 His woordes be plaine, Ego Nullum Primum, nisi Christum, sequens, Beatitudini tuae, id est, Cathedrae Petri Communio∣ne Consocior: I folovving no First Man, (that is to saie, No Heade, or Chiefe) but Onely Christe, am ioined as a felovve in Communion vnto thy Blessednesse, that is to saie, to Peters Chaire. S. Hierome telleth the Pope, He knoweth No Firste, No Chiefe, No Heade, no not the Pope him selfe, but onely Christe. Againe, he saithe not, I am thral, and subiecte to thy commaundementes: But, I am ioi∣ned,* 1.5 as a Felovve, in Communion vnto thy Blessednesse. Felowship wil hardly stande with that Vniuersal power, whiche you imagine, the Pope ought to haue ouer the whole Churche of God. Verily the Pope him selfe would take it in scorne, if you this daie woulde folowe S. Hierome, and cal him your Felowe.
But S. Hierome saithe, He agreeth in Faithe, and Religion with Damasus. And what greate marueile is this, that beinge a Godly Learned man, he woulde leaue Vitalis, and Meletius, and other Heretiques, and ioine him selfe to that Bi∣shop, whom he knewe to be Godly, & Catholique? Hereof he writeth thus him selfe, Vineam Christi exterminant vulpes: Vt inter lacus contritos, qui aquam non habent, dif∣ficilè,* 1.6 vbi Fons Signatus, & Horrus ille Conclusus sit, possit intelligi. Ideò mihi Cathedram Petri, & Fidem Apostoli Ore laudatam censui consulendam: The Foxes destroie the Vineyarde of Christe: so that emonge these broken cesternes, that haue no Water, it is harde to vnderstande, where is that Sealed Fountaine, and that Enclosed Orchard. There∣fore I thought it good, to herken to S. Peters Chaire, and to that Faithe, whiche was com∣mended by the Apostles mouthe.
S. Hierome from his youthe was brought vp in Rome: He was Christened in Rome: He had benne a Studente in Rome: He had taught a Schole in Rome: He had benne Secretarie to Damasus the Bishop of Rome: He was a Prieste of Rome: And of late they haue furnished him with a Cardinalles Hatte, as if he had benne a Cardinal of Rome:* 1.7 And as it is thought by somme, sauinge for somme displeasure, that certaine of the Cleregie had conceiued against him, he was like to be chosen the Bishop of Rome. What greate maruelle therefore is it, if he had somme special affection to the See of Rome? Alphonsus de Castro sa••the,
That the Franciscane Freers be sworne to Duns:* 1.8 and that he hearde a Domini∣cane Freere saie openly in his Sermon, that he was to be suspected, as an Here∣tique,* 1.9 that in any thinge dissented from Thomas of Aquine. There is noman lightly, but hathe a special credite in somme One man before al others.
But how holdeth this Argumente, M. Hardinge: S. Hierome ioined with a Godly Bishop: Ergo, Wée muste ioine with a wicked Bishop? Or, S. Hierome a∣gréed in Faithe, and Religion with Damasus: Ergo, wée muste agrée with one, that doothe al thinges of pourpose contrarie to Damasus. So might you saie, The Godly people of the Iewes were bounde to obeie Aaron, and Moses: Ergo, al others, that folowed afterwarde, were likewise bounde to obeie Annas, and Caiphas.
The Faithe of Christe, M. Hardinge, goeth not alwaies by Succession. The Bishoppes of Rome haue benne Arians, Nestorians, Monothelites, and other∣wise founde in horrible Heresies: as hereafter shalbe shewed. Woulde ye in sutche cases haue recourse to him, that sitteth in Peters Chaire? Would ye saie to sutch a one, You are the Salte of the Earthe: You are the Light of the Worlde? Woulde ye saie, This is the Faithe, that was commended by the Apostles Mouthe?
Truely, S. Hierome him selfe, when he saw Abuses, or Errours mainteined in the Churche of Rome, made smal accoumpte of S. Peters Chaire. For thus he saithe,* 1.10 Quid mihi profers Vnius Vrbis Consuetudinem? Potentia Diuitiarum, & paupertatis humilitas, vel sublimiorem, vel inferiorem Episcopum non facit. Coeterùm omnes Apostolorum Successores sunt. VVhat telleste thou me of the Custome of that One Cittie (of Rome?) The Power of Richesse, and the humilitie of Pouertie, cannot make a Bishop either Higher, or Lower. Al Bishoppes are the Successours of the Apostles.
As for Luther, Zuinglius, Peter Martyr, Caluine, & others, ye saie, ye know them not. Neither dooth it so greatly force, whom you liste to knowe. God geeue you Grace to knowe your sel••••s.* 1.11 The Lorde is hable to knowe his owne.
Touching the dissensions in Religion, which ye imagine to be emongest vs, I wil saie nothinge. It gréeueth you ful soare, to sée, that in al the Articles of the Faithe, and in the whole Substance of Doctrine, wée doo so quietly ioine togeather. The Ancient Father Leo,* 1.12 of the like case, saith thus▪ Diabolus Gentium vocatione Cruciatur, & quotidiana potestatis suae destructione torquetur: dolens vtique se deseri, & Verum Regem in locis omnibus adorari. Parat fraudes: Fingit dissensiones: The Diuel is soare greeued with the callinge of the Heathens (to the Faithe) and with the daily decreasinge of his power: sorowing to see him selfe foresaken, and (Christe) the True Kinge to be woorshipped in al places. Therefore he diuiseth guiles: and imagineth dissen∣sions.
Chryso. in Acta. Homil. 33.
Dissensi∣ons emōg the Fa∣thers.
Chryso. in Epist. ad Galat. Cap. 1.
Hieronym ad Damasum. Nullum Primū.
Beatitudini tuae Communione Consoctor.
Hieronym ad Damasum.
In Vita Hieron.
Recourse to Peters. Chaire.
Alphonsus Ad∣uers. Haeres. Li. 1. Cap. 7.
Hierony. ad Euagrium.
2. Tim. 2.
Leo in Epipha∣nia, Sermo. 6.