A refutation of sundry reprehensions, cauils, and false sleightes, by which M. Whitaker laboureth to deface the late English translation, and Catholike annotations of the new Testament, and the booke of Discouery of heretical corruptions. By William Rainolds, student of diuinitie in the English Colledge at Rhemes

THE PREFACE TO THE READER.

BEING appointed by those vnder whose gouernement I haue put my selfe, and to whose direction I haue wil∣lingly committed whatsoeuer facul∣tie or abilitie is in me, for the benefite of our countrie and reducing to the fold of Christs Catholike church the soules of our poore countrymen so mi∣serably seduced: appointed I say by such my Superiors to examine and answere M. W. booke of Antichrist, first & principally so far forth as tou∣ched this Seminarie, that is, the Trans∣lation of the new Testament lately published, with the Annotatiōs there∣of, and M. Martins Discouerie of their heretical corruptions, next and after∣ward the other argument concerning Antichrist: I confesse my self to haue bene so loth to take the matter in hand, as ether my duetie and obedi∣ence suffered, or the loue and charitie of my countrymen and brethren per∣mitted.

One reason was, because I sawe many in this societie, for good zeale

and forwardnes, as willing, and for ripe knowledge in diuinitie more able, to vndertake and dispatch a greater matter then that. An other reason was, because I thought I could not without some iniurie done to Ca∣tholikes, dispute against that sauage & barbarous paradox, making sometime the order & successiō of Popes to be Antichrist, as M. VV. doth in one page, sometime the whole Catholike and vniuersal Church vvhereof the Pope is head, to be An∣tichrist, as he affirmeth within 5. lines after: ether of which in the iudgment of any Catholike, is as notorious and palpable a lie, as any of Lucians True Histories. So that, as if a man would with sage reasons go about to disproue some of those toies which he reporteth, As that his ship being taken vp with a strong wind, & caried in the ayre seuen dayes & seuen nights, thē arriued at an Iland in the middest of the ayre, where he saw a terrible battayle fought, and many a thousand slayne, and yet the field whereon both camps pitched was nothing els but the web or wea∣uing of spiders, which is not to be marueiled at, spiders being as big there as prety Ilandes are with vs here: that

afterward he came to a land where mē tooke their eyes out of their heads at night time, or otherwise whē they meāt not to vse them, & put them vp in cases, at other conueniēt seasons they tooke them out thence & put them on againe: & such like stuffe, of riuers of wine; & seas of milke, and Ilands of cheese &c. as if (I say) a mā would go about with sober reasons to refute these reports, he should thereby note his auditory of smale wit & discretion, who nee∣ded helpe to find out such incredible fables: the very like is to be deemed of this idle inuention concerning An∣tichrist in the iudgment of al Catho∣likes: Lucians fables being no more false, vnreasonable, and vnprobable against nature and philosophie, then this deuise is peeuish, lying, absurd, vncredible and vnpossible, against Christian faith and diuinitie.

A greater reason was, for that I vt∣terly abhorred in the middest of my course of studies and better exercises, to spend any good houres ether in reading or refuting heretical bookes, which neuer edifie to vertue, deuoti∣on and saluation, but distract mens mindes from the meditation of al

such religious spiritual and heauenly exercise, and fil their heads only with contentions, disputes, and brawles of wordes, Pugnis verborum, as the Apos∣tle calleth them, the end where of (as Tertullian of old noted) is common∣ly no other, but to wearie our selues, offend the readers, and exasperate the aduersarie, whose proud spirite of contempt and contradiction is lightly incorrigible. And of this I make the more sure reckening, if at this present I write ought against our English aduersaries, because by certaine expe∣rience of things past, I see assuredly what must be looked for in time to come. For as they passe other com∣mon heretikes, in pride, arrogancie, and good opinion of them selues, and the same ioyned with intolerable ig∣norance, euen in the first principles of our religion, so for this reason they bluntly dash into any kind of absurditie, be it neuer so foule and blasphemous. As, that the image of Christ is as very an Idol, as the image of Venus or Iu¦piter: that S. Peter vvas neuer at Rome: that Christ is not begottē of the substāce of his father: that he is, not god of god the father, but god of him selfe: that he was a Priest

and offered sacrifice to his father according to his diuinitie. vvherevnto may be ad∣ded that The succession of popes is Anti∣christ, or if that like you not, then that The vniuersal Church is Antichrist. such strange articles in our religion, that Christian men ought rathet to stop their eares and shut vp their eyes from hearing them or reading them, then expect any ansvver or refutation of them. And vvho vvould not be gre∣ued to put pen to paper, whē he know∣eth he shal be troubled vvith multipli∣catiō of such vnreasonable assertions? of such old, rotten, & execrable here∣sies? such propositions, as euery Chri∣stian man naturally doth abhor, al aū∣cient stories & monuments vniuersal∣ly vvithout exception reiect and refel, al aūcient churches and coūcels since the time of Arrius vvith one vniforme consent haue accursed & cōdemned.

But the chiefe and maine cause why I most of al lothed this maner of wri∣ting, vvas, because I find in our aduer∣saries doctrine no kind of stay or assu∣rance, no maner of certaintie or sted∣fastnes, their vvhole faith being like Maie flovvers, for some few monethes or yeres florishing and in estimation,

vvhich vvithin a short space after wy∣thereth avvay, & is of them selues neg∣lected, changed, and forsaken. And thē vvhereas to dispute seriously of any matter, requireth some certaine groū∣des, fountaines, or heads of disputati∣on, vvherevnto euery man of learning ought to stand, as we see in al other sci∣ences, of Logike, Philosophie, Law, any kind of learning humane or diuine, these men haue quite remoued and abolished al such, and haue brought the whole course of their diuinitie, to an idle, lose, vaine, & fantastical kynd of talking, consisting most in denial of principles of religion, where he is counted best diuine, that can main∣taine talke longest: he is counted to beare the bel away, that most arro∣gantly can preferre him self before al other, be they few or many, old or new, particular Synodes or general Councels, yea many times & common¦ly before the vniuersal and Catholike Church, the holy scriptures, and Spi∣rite of God him self. So that as the first of these two, that is, their mutabili∣ty in faith, withdraweth me frō al dea∣ling with them, as men altogether irreligious, vnchristian and godles,

so the second, that is, the want of al sound arguments of disputation, as much discourageth me from writing vnto them, as men altogether vngroū∣ded, vnlearned, & contentious, such as loue to mainteine an endles talke of al things, but haue no order or forme to cōclude & resolue of any thing. These two partes I wil declare and make ma∣nifest by a fevv examples.

[ 1] In England, what point of religion is by statute more carefully prouided for, by seueritie of punishment more vrged, by preaching or writing more aduaunced, by al meanes possible more beaten in to the heads of the subiectes, then the Princes supremacie in causes ecclesiastical? for denial whereof so many true and faithful subiectes in our memory haue suffered death. Yet on the cōtrary syde, the subiectes of Scot∣land were wel allowed to restraine, or (to speake playnly) to keepe in capti∣uitie their owne Soueraine, for inter∣medling in the Churches affaires, as appeareth by their Iustification not long sithence published in their lan∣guage, where the author thereof, and the ministers vse these wordes: The discipline of the kirke was openly impugned

vvhen as the king by the persvvasion of the enemies of the kirke vvas induced to make him self and his priuie councel iudges in the cognition of matters mere ecclesiastical, and concerning the doctrine of the preachers, and to take vpon him vvhatsoeuer iurisdiction the Pope vsurped there in of old, yea and more ouer to discharge the general assembly & al pastors vvithin this realme to proceede to the sentence of excommunication, also to suspēd the same. At the last some preachers haue bene stopped by commaundement &c. This is the faith & gospel in Scotland, and in England how freely the Purita∣nes inueigh against that spiritual pri∣macie, let their bookes cōmonly prin∣ted testifie, namely the great volume of M. Cartewright against D. Whitg. wherein at large he discourseth that that part of the English faith a carieth with it infinite absurdities, b is against the doctrine of the Apostles, c mon∣struous in diuinitie, d iniurious to Christ, against the primitiue and Apo∣stolike Church, and the vvritten word of God, yea vvhere he pronounceth boldly, that whiles the common pro∣testantes of England go about to gra∣tifie princes with this spoile of Christ, they leaue thē no place in the Church

of Christ.

[ 2] Touching the doctrine of baptisme, then which nothing is more necessary, as being the gate of al other sacramēts, and the first entrance of christianitie, the Communion bookes commonly printed cōmend and allow this faith, That by that sacrament children be regene∣rate, and graffed in to the body of Christes congregation, and made partakers of the death of our Sauiour. And the minister chargeth the people presēt not to doubte, but earnestly to beleeue, that Christ vvil sa∣uorably receaue those present infants vvith the armes of his mercie, that he vvil geue vnto them the blessing of eternal life, and make them partakers of euerlasting ioye. Yet cōtrarywise in the Tovver disputation the doctors there teach That al those vvhich are baptised, are not the sonnes of God, because they haue not al the spirite of adoption: and children bapt••sed if they be not gods elect, baptisme can not make them his children, and so many dying immedi∣atly after baptisme are notwithstāding assuredly damned.

[ 3] The Communion booke turned into latin and printed at London by Thomas Vautrollerius the yere 1574 Cum priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis,

wherein they would seeme to notifie their faith to the rest of Christendome, touching priuate baptisme ministred in houses by lay men or womē in case of necessitie, willeth al men to assure them selues that a child after that sort is lawfully and perfitly baptised. And touching the parties ministring that sacrament it saith, Ego vos certiores facio, quod rectè praestitistis officium vestrum in bacre etc. I assure you, you haue vvel perfor∣med your duety in this matter, and kept a right order in the baptizing of this infant, vvho being borne in original sinne, and the vvrath of God, novv by the lauer of regene∣ratiō in baptisme, is ascribed into the nūber of Gods children, and made heyre of eternal life. Yet M. VVhitaker in this booke teacheth the contrary, and saith it is the heresie of the Pepusians and Marci∣onites, to permit womē such authori∣tie, euen in case of necessitie, which he calleth fained and imaginarie, thereby signifying plainly, that he beleeueth with the Anabaptistes that baptisme is not necessarie for the washing away of original sinne. And the Communiō booke also, imprinted three yeres after, vz, the yere 1577 by Richard Iugge printer to the Quenes Maiestie Cum

priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis, drawing neere to the doctrine of the Anabap∣tistes and the practise of the church of Geneua, where such priuate bap∣tisme is vtterly disliked & quite abo∣lished, altogether leaueth out that whole Tracte of priuate baptisme.

[ 4] The same first booke published in latin, touching the sacramēt of Confir∣mation, containeth this good & catho∣like doctrine, that Confirmatio illis adhi∣betur qui iam baptizati sunt, vt per im∣positionem manuum et orationem, vires et defensionem accipiant contra omnes insul∣tus peccati, mundi, et diaboli. Confirma∣tion is applied to them vvhich are novv baptized, that by imposition of hands and praier, they may receaue strength & defense against the inuasions of sinne, the vvorld, and the deuil. In the later Communion booke, these wordes, as likewise the whole Tracte appertaining to Cōfir∣mation is cleane omitted. The reason whereof can be no other, then that the Church of England in this point hath altered her faith, and ioyneth more neerely then heretofore, to the order of Geneua where (as witnesseth M. Cart.) though it were somtimes allowed, yet afterwardes vpon better

aduise, M. Caluin cheefe Superinten∣dent there, thrust it cleane out of the church.

[ 5] Touching the article of Christes descending into hel, the Communion booke and Creede turned into ryme and sung commonly in their congre∣gations, beareth the word in hand, that they beleeue as doth the Church catholike: yet others by publike wri∣ting and disputation refelling that ar∣ticle, geue vs iust occasion to suppose, that they beleeue vvith Caluin in that point, vvho acknovvlegeth no other descent of Christ into hel, but his paine vpon the Crosse, vvhere yet aliue he vvas damned in soule, or (as he spea∣keth) sustayned the paines of a damned spi∣rit vvithout any difference, but that his torments were not eternal, as theirs are.

[ 6] In their Communion they sing and say publikely, That Christ is the only be∣gotten sonne of God, begotten of his father before al vvorldes, God of God, light of light, very God of very God, of one substance vvith the father. Yet M.W. defending the Autotheisme of Caluin, and affir∣ming Christ to be begotten not of his fathers substance but of his person,

and to be God of him selfe▪ not God of God, besides the abominable here∣sie vvhich in so sayng he maintai∣neth, he also manifestly gainsaith the publike confession vvhich in their Communion booke they seeme to holde.

[ 7] In Germany it is lawful for the Lu∣theranes to take armes, and wage bat∣tayle, and bid defiance, and renounce al obediēce to the Emperour: likewise for the Gewes in Flanders, & the Hu∣gonots in France against their seueral princes: and the principal diuines, yea Luther him self, that Elias, Apostle and Euangelist, after long deliberation wel liked that the Protestants should in warlike maner bande them selues against the Emperour, and those that died in such warres were of the chiefe preachers accounted for Saintes and martirs. And it was resolued by al the states Ecclesiastical and Temporal of the Lutheran religiō against Charles the Emperour, that Quia religioni moli∣tur exitium atque libertati, causam praebet, cur ipsum oppugnemus bona conscientia. Cū enim in eum casum res deuenit, licet resistere, sicut & sacris & prophanis historiis demon∣strari potest. Becaue the Emperour intendeth

the ouerthrovv of religion and libertie, he geueth vs cause to vvarre against him vvith safe conscience. For vvhen the matter cōmeth to that issue, it is lavvful to resist, as it may be proued both by sacred and prophane sto∣ries. And Beza in his epistle to the Quenes maiestie, holdeth those Frēch Protestants who died in warre against their king, for Saints & Martirs, vvho by their bloud consecrated happely to God the first foundation of Christian religion, vvhich vvas then to be restored in Fraunce. And vvhat preacher vvas there in England of any name, vvho in pub∣like sermons commended not their cause, as iust, agreable to al lavves hu∣mane and diuine, and therefore in al respectes allovvable. Likevvise M. Fox doth extolle and magnifie the most barbarous and Turkish factes committed by the Bohemiā heretikes, rebelling against their Prince for the gospel and religion of Iohn Husse. For whereas the Emperour Sigismund be∣ing then in Germanie had said, That he vvould shortly come into Bohemia, and rule the kingdome after the same order as his father Charles had done before him: the Hussites or Protestantes (I vse M. Foxes ovvne vvordes) vnderstanding thereby

that their sect and religion should be vtterly banished, vvhich vvas not begonne during the raigne of the said Charles, they rebelled out of hand, which rebelliō in his whole storie he much cōmendeth. So that the Lutheranes of Germany m••y lawfully take armes against their Emperour for defense of Lutheranisme, and the Caluinistes of Frāce may warre against their King to bring into that realme the religion of Caluine, and the Hussites of Bohem••a may rebelle a∣gainst their soueraine Prince for the re∣ligion of Iohn Husse and Hierom of Prage, far more differing from the Protestante then from the Catholike, and by like right and reason euery other sect may do the like for furthering & increasing their seueral faithes and religions And yet in England, in••ocent men, who ne∣uer in fact attempted ought, and neuer in word approued any such disloyaltie against the Princes estate, being drawē by craftie circumuention to say, that in certaine cases, as if the Prince should fal to professiō of Arrianisme, Turcisme or Atheisme, the sub••ecte might vvith∣dravv his obedience, vvere therevpon defamed for heynous traytours, and the same imagined supposal published

at the time of their death as a matter deseruing most extreme punishment.

[ 8] In Quene Maries time, the English Protestants retired to Geneua set out sundry bookes, wherein by manifold textes of scripture both of the old testa¦ment & the new, they excluded womē frō al regiment & Princely iurisdiction euen in matters temporal, which they accounted & called monstruous, vnna∣tural, against the law of God and man, and therefore in no wise to be suffered. Yet al this notwithstanding, the next yere folowing, the same men found it agreable to al scripture and al lawes, that a woman might haue supreme au∣thoritie, not only in matters temporal and ciuil, but also in spiritual and ec∣clesiastical, and by terrible punishmēt euen of extreme and exquisite death were content to bynde the subiectes generally to this point of beleefe, yet with this distinction, that the Nobilitie and Barons of the realme should be exempted from the same. as though they might haue a faith d••uers from others of the same realme, or one and the selfe same faith, might be necessarie and not necessarie, true and false, enlar∣ged and restrained, according to the

diuers degrees of nobilitie and cōmu∣naltie.

[ 9] Briefly concerning the whole forme of their ecclesiastical Seruice, in the first Communion booke it is thus ap∣pointed, that The minister at the time of the Communion, and at al other times in his ministratiō, shal vse such ornamentes in the church, as vvere in vse by authoritie of Par∣lament in the second yere of the reigne of King Edvvard the sixt. I appeale now to the knowledge of euery man, how wel that acte of Parlament is obserued through out the realme, in how many Cathedral or parish churches those ornamentes are reserued, whether eue∣ry priuate minister by his owne autho∣ritie in the time of his ministration disdaine not such ornamentes, vsing only such apparel as is most vulgar & prophane.

[ 10] I omit other particular differences of feastes, of holy daies, of crossing in baptisme, of communicating the sicke &c. in which their continual alteration is wel knowen by their day∣ly practise, and their verie Communi∣on bookes printed in diuers yeres. Only I wish the reader of his owne wisedom and consideration, to marke

the general chaunges, which from time to time our realme hath fallen in∣to, since this schisme first began there. In the later yeres of king Henry the eight, we were touch••ng many pointes Catholikes, as the Parlament hold••n the yere 1540 doth testifie, wherein by authoritie of Parlament these arti∣cles were accorded and agreed vpon.

That there is the real presence of Christes natural body and bloud in the most blessed sacrament, vnder the formes of bread and v••yne.

That the Communion in both kindes is not necessarie ad salutem, by the lavv of God, to al persons.

That priestes after the order of priesthod by the lavv of God may not marry.

That vovves of chastitie or vvydovvhead made to God aduisedly, ought to be obserued by the lavv of God.

That priuate Masses are to be continued and admitted in the kinges English church, & congregation, as vvhereby good christian people do receaue both many and goodly con∣solations and benefites, and it is agreable al∣so to Gods lavv.

That auricular Confession is expedient and necessary to be retained and continued, vsed, and frequented, in the church of God.

In the same Parlament and by the same authoritie Euery man sayng, publishing, preaching, teaching, affirming, declaring, disputing, arguing or holding opinion a∣gainst the first of these articles, is adiudged a manifest heretike. &c. misbeleuers in the other, are with great rigor correc∣ted and reformed.

This was the state of religion left by king Henry, after whose death in the time of his sonne, vpon very ••ight occasion was quite disanulled al this that the father had by parlament Actes and statutes so carefully established. For streight vpon his fathers funerals king Edward (saith M. Fox) being but a child (of nine or ten yere) by the instinct of his vncle the Lord protector and Cran∣mer, by consent of parlament did first abo∣lish these six articles, and then set forth a second booke of Reformation, and after that a third (as the religion had dayly more en∣crease) more perfite then the first, vnder the title and authoritie of his name. After which sort the Zuinglian religion be∣ing placed, with much dissension and alteration held out for the time of that Prince, and was of the next, with like authoritie of Parlamēt reiected & abolished. But being restored againe,

in the beginning of the Q. Maiesties reigne, from that tyme hetherto how the body of the realme hath more and more degenerated from that Zuingli∣anisme to Puritanisme, which (as D. Whitg. wel proueth) is the very next degree to Anabaptisme, what infinite numbers in euery shyre (as their owne writers record) are ioyned to t••e Fa∣milie of loue, which is a mere abnega∣tion of Christianitie, what swarmes of Atheistes haue sprung vp, with which (as D. Whig. telleth vs) their English congregation is r••plenished, this I leaue to the knowledge, remem∣brance, experience, and eye sight of the discrete reader.

If I should note the varietie and difference betwene our Protestantes, and the Protestantes of other nations, as of Germany, Polonia, Zuitzerland, and France, I should neuer make an end, because most true it is, there is no one article of faith, ether touching the blessed Trinitie, Christes incarna∣tion and passion, resurrection, & as∣censiō, touching the person of the ho∣ly Ghost, or touching his office: there is no one sacrament, as the Eucharist, Baptisme, Forgeuenes of sinnes in pe∣nance,

confession of sinnes to a priest, Holy orders: there is no one rite or ce∣remonie ether touching gouernement or di••cipline of the church, wherein they disagree not.

These few examples, which I haue brought, conteining matters of such weight, That princes are heads of the church and are not: that baptisme re∣mitteth sinnes and remitteth not: that priuate baptisme is lawful and vnlaw∣ful: Confirmation allowed and disal∣lowed: Christs descending into hel graunted and denied: that he is God of his father, and yet is God of him self: that al kinds of Religions may for their conscience sake take armes against their prince, yet Catholikes may not in any case or for any cause make supposal of such a matter: that women are barred by the law of God from exercising authority ouer men euen in matters ciuil, and ag••ine, that women by the law of God haue supre∣macy ouer the cleargy, bishops and archbishops, euē in matters most diui∣ne & spiritual: that copes and such like ornamentes are to be vsed in church seruice, and are to be abolished and burned as monumentes of Idolatrie:

that by like authoritie of parlaments, diuers and contrary faithes are con∣firmed and ratified: These few exam∣ples, I say, al appearing manifest∣ly in the practise and behauiour of one litle Iland, and in the compasse of a few yeres, al notoriously to be seene in perusing a few english bookes and writers, declare sufficiently how true that is which D. Whiteg. aff••rmeth of the Puritans, and we find as true in all sortes of Protestants, that commonly such as once diuide them selues from the Church, fal from errour to errour vvithout st••y: they declare sufficiently, how true that is which I affirme, ••••at these mē haue no certaintie or stabili••ie of faith, & ther∣fore hard it is fo•• vs to know, what to ref•••• or dispute a••a••nst, whereas we find such continu••l chaunge and va∣rietie.

Yet al this notwithstanding, albeit they haue one faith for Germany, an other for Eng••and, and in England, one for the South, an other for the North, one for the fathers reigne, an other for the sonnes, one for the bro∣ther, an other for the sister: and vnder the ••ame Prince, one for the beginning of her reigne, an other for the time en∣suing,

one for the nobilitie, an other for the commonaltie, one for the pub∣like church, another for their priuate houses, one in their Cōmunion booke, an other in their seueral writinges: al∣though they haue Annuas and menstruas sides as S. Hilary and S. Basil said of the Arrians, euery yere and somtimes eue∣ry moneth a new faith, yet gladly could we deuoure the paine to finde out and learne such their yerely & monethly faithes, that by refelling them we might saue those christian sowles, which through the same, monethly & dayly and hourely, perish euerlastingly had we not a far greater d••fficultie in lear∣ning out what maner of argumentes are of force and allowable amongst them for refu••ing of the same.

Among Catholikes, in al scholes and Vniuersities, in al bookes & writings, argumentes drawen from the scrip∣tures of God, from the Traditions of the Apostles, from the Authoritie of the Catholike Church, of general Councels, of the auncient Doctors & fathers, of the supreme Pastors of the Church geuing sentence definitiue in any controuersie, these al and singular are of such weight and estimation, that

ech one cōuinceth the aduersarie part, and no Catholike dare euer resist or oppose him self, if he heare the voice and sentence of any one of al these, and besides these, other argumentes in di∣uinitie we can not poss••bly deuise any. Vse any of al these in disputation with the Protestant, he careth not for them, nether wil be bound to them farther then it liketh his owne lust and fansie.

[ 1] Approue the Inuocation & helpe of Angels by the authoritie of Tobias, the free wil of man by the booke of Ecclesiasticus, they answere, Litle care vve for the example of Raphael the Angel mentioned in Tobie, nether acknovvledge vve those seuē Angels vvhereof he speaketh. As litle accompt make I of the place of Ec∣clesiasticus, nether vvil I beleeue the freedom of mans vvil, though he affirme it a hundred times. [ 2] And as for the Traditions of the Apostles besides the written word, it is their very profession to contemne them. and who is there of them al that euer wrote any booke of c••mmon places, who hath not a large treatise particularly against them.

[ 3] Alleage against thē general Councels, they answere, If this be a sufficient profe to say, such a Coūcel decreed so, such a doctor

said so, there is almost nothing so true but I can impugne, nothing so false but I can make true. and vvel assured I am, that by the••r meanes the principal groundes of our faith may be shaken.

[ 4] Alleage the auncient fathers, not one or other, but al together affirming one and the self same thing, they answere, If you argue from the vvitnesse of men, be they neuer so learned and auncient, vve yelde no more to their vvordes in cause of faith and religion, then vve perceaue to be agreable to scripture. Nether thinke you your self to haue proued any thing, although you bring against vs the vvhole consent and svvarme of fathers, except that vvhich they say, be iustified not by the voice of men but of God himself. And it is their common maner as to make smale accompt of any author that is against them, so least of al of the old auncient fathers whom some of them are not ashamed in most despite∣ful sort to cal Pillorie doctors.

But this their behauiour towards the auncient fathers and Doctors that be of our Church may seeme in the iudgement of many to stand with rea∣son. For why (may it be said) should they be bound to our Austins, Hierōs. and Cyprians, more then we wil be

[ 5] [ 6] bound to their Luthers, Caluins and Melanchthons? At the least then (say we) they ought to be ruled by doctors of their owne, such as they cal and ho∣nour for a Apostles & Eua••ge••istes of their new church and beleefe. Yet when the authoritie of such is pressed against them, it weigheth no deeper, then of those other, whom they cal pillorie doctors. For how freely contemne they Martin Luther? how freely reiect they Hulderike Zuinglius? VVe receaue M. Caluin (saith T.C.) and vveigh of him, as of the notablest instrument that the lord hath st••rred vp for the purging of his chur∣ches, and restoring of the playne and sincere interpretation of the scriptures, vvhich hath bene since the Apostles time. And yet vve do not so reade his workes, that vve beleeue any thing to be true, because he saith it, but so far as vve cā esteeme, that that vvhich he saith doth agree vvith the Canonical scriptures. The very self same answere geueth the contrary part, whē the same mans iudgement is obiected against him. I reuerence M. Caluin (saith D.W.) as a singular man, and a vvorthy instrument in Christes church. But I am not so vvholy addicted vnto him that I vvil contemne o∣ther mens iudgmentes in diuers points not

fully agreing vvith him &c. vvhen as in my opinion they come neerer to the true mea∣ning and sense of scripture then he doth.

And because the course of this new diuinitie is now brought to rest most of al on the credit of these reuerēd fathers and doctors, and in steede of the aun∣cient forme of alleaging▪ T. us saith S. Chrysostom, thus S. Augustin, thus S. Basil, the fashion is now to alleage, Thus saith M. Ca••uin, thus M. Bucer, thus M. Bullinger: therefore thorough varietie somewhat to avoyde tedi∣ousnes, and not greue to much the eares of their auditors by flat deny∣al, diuers wayes and reasons haue they, to passe ouer when they please the authoritie of such their owne doctors and maisters. One way and the same very playne is to refuse them, because they were men. As for example. If you presse me vvith M. Mar∣tyrs and M. Bucers authoritie, I first say they vvere men, and therefore though other∣vvise very vvatchful, yet such as slept som∣tymes. A second way is, because they had some other error, as, M. Bucer (you say) allovveth priuate baptisme, and con∣sequently the baptisme by vvomen. It may be, that as M. Bucer although othervvise

very learned hath other grosse absurdities, so he may haue that. A third, because some other doctor of as good credite and estimation, is of a contratie opini∣on. as, M. Musculus a learned man is of your iudgement. and M. Caluin as learned as he, and diuers other are of that iudgment that I haue alleaged. This is no great profe on your side, nor reprofe of ours. A fourth and the same most sure, is to chalenge the libertie of the gospel, and there∣fore not to admitte their verdict but at pleasure. as, Touching M. Bucers, M. Bul∣lingers & Illyricus allovvance of holy daies, if they allovv them in such sort as M. Doctor vrgeth, then that good leaue vvhich they geue the Churches to dissent from thē in that point, I do take it graunted vnto me being one of the same church. Although as touching M. Bullinger, it is to be obserued that since the time he wrote so, there are aboue 35 yeres, since vvhich time although he hold stal, that the feastes dedicated vnto the lord, as of the Natiuitie, Easter and Pentecost may be kept, yet he denieth flatly that it is lavvful to keepe holy the dayes of the Apostles.

[ 7] If these serue not the turne, a man would thinke their martyrs, those who were so ful of the spirite, that they wil∣lingly shead their bloud and suffered

death by fier for conf••irmation of their faith, these mens testimonie should be irrefragable, for iustifying of those pointes especially for which they lost their liues. But nether want they their old ordinary meanes to shift of the authoritie of these martyrs were they neuer so glorious. For although they vvere excellent personages (say they) yet their knovvledge vvas in part, and although they brought many thinges to light, yet they being sent out in the morning, or euer the sunne of the gospel vvas risen so high, might ouersee many thinges, vvhich those that are not so sharpe of sight as they vvere, may see &c. And if they had died for this or that article, yet the authoritie of their martyr∣dome could not take avvay from vs this libertye, that vve haue to enquire of the cause of their death. Martyrs may not be said to seale their errors vvith their bloud, or vvith the glory of their martir∣dome preiudice those which vvrite or speake against their errors. For this is to oppose the bloud of men to the bloud of the sonne of God.

[ 8] What remayneth now for the last cast, but the maiestie not of one or other doctor, or of a few martyrs, but of great and ample reformed churches, as of

France of Germany, of Zurike or Ge∣neu••? & yet euen these also, passe with like maner of answere. And they haue as general a rule to reiect such, as they haue the poorest doctor that com¦meth in their way. As for exaple, when other reformed churches are brought to reforme the disorders of the English church, To vvhich reformed church (saith the ansvverer) vvil you haue the church of England framed? or vvhy should not other reformed churches as vvel frame them selues vnto vs? For vve are as vvel assured of our doctrine, and haue as good groundes & reasons for our doing as they haue, except you vvil bring in a nevv Rome, appoint vs an other head church, and create a nevv Pope, by vvhom vve must be in al thinges directed. And againe. I haue told you, and novv I tel you againe, that there is no cause, vvhy this church of England, ether for truth of doctrine, sinceritie of publike diuine ser∣uice, and other policie, should geue place to any church in Christendome. England is not bound to the example of ether France or Scot∣land, I say truely, that vve are not bound to their examples.

These be al the places and corners of argumentes, vvhich ••n their diuini∣tie by any search vve can find out.

For although they haue amongst them Popes, I meane such ministers as affect and vsurpe Papal and more then Papal authoritie, as the a Tigu∣rines against Luther, and b other Zuin∣glians against the Lutherans common∣ly inueigh for such arrogant behaui∣our, and c the gouernours of Berna being them selues Sacr••mentaries vsed to cal Caluin Pope of Geneua for his lordlyn••s and sway which there he bare, and d Caluin writeth of Ioachim Westphalus, that in sending forth condemnations and excommunicati∣ons against the churches of his sect, he passed al the Popes officers, Omnes Papae scri∣bas et datar••os superat, and the e Germane Lutheranes of one fashion, accuse their felow Lutherans of an other fashion, that they play the Popes, and practise ouer them a nevv dominion of Antichrist, and that al their doings sauour of a very Papacie, and the Puritanes commonly name the Archbishop of Canterbury the perie Pope of England,f and g D. Whit∣gift sheweth wel, that euery Puritane minister laboureth to haue in and ouer his owne parish more then Papal iu∣risdiction, yea, that they seeke to trans∣fer the authoritie both of Pope, Prince,

Archbishop, and Bishop, to them selues, & bring the prince and nobilitie into a very ser∣uitude, so as the Protestant churches want no Popes, but haue them after an other sort, and in far more abun∣dance then haue the Catholikes: yet because these Popes of theirs differ nothing from the doctors, of whom before I haue spoken, no seueral or distinct kind of argument can be dra∣wen from their primacie.

And as for general Councels, so far are they from euer hauing any, that I verely suppose, they can not so much as in their fansie and imagination con∣ceaue how any one should be euer ga∣thered. For hauing no one head amōgst them who should take order for any such assembly, hauing no consent and vnitie among the members who should labour to the helping forward of such a cōpany, being diuided into so many churches, sectes, and congre∣gations, they can neuer resolue, ether who should be the President in such a Coūcel, or who should be the actors or disputers, or of what strength the Canons should be, or who should haue the execution of them. And when al cōmeth to al, the libertie of

the gospel which maketh euery man iudge of other fathers, doctors, and auncient Councels, wil geue like free∣dom to euery particular man, to take like iudgement and controle ouer the fathers of such a Councel.

Wherefore these being al the meanes and waies which we haue to reason or write against them, and these being their fashions of answering, as we find in euery Germane, Zuitzer, or French Protestant, albeit for the readers ease and more facility of iudgement I haue exemplified the same by two or three of our English writers, such as I take to be common in most mens hands, if now a man list to draw these their an∣sweres into a certaine methode, we shal find that they containe for euery vnlearned & bold ••angler, an vniuersal forme and art of reiecting whatsoeuer Theological argument he may be pressed withal, and of reducing the supreme conclusion and resolution to his owne singular fansie and wilfulnes. Against many bookes of Scripture he is taught to say, that they are supersti∣tious, and therefore he vvil not beleeue vvhat they teach, though it be affirmed in them a hundred times. Against Coūcels,

that they are not to be admitted, be∣cause by them the principal groundes of his faith are shaken. Nether yet the aunci∣ent doctors, vnto whom he yeldeth no more in cause of faith and religion, then him self perceaueth to be agreable to scrip∣ture. And touching the late doctors and writers of his owne church and gospel, although in courtly and hono∣rable termes he magnifie them far aboue the other, yet nether to their iudgment wil he stand, farther then he can esteeme that which they teach, to agree with the canonical scripture, when as in his opinion they geue the true sense and meaning thereof. And vvhereas to refuse any, it is sufficient to say, that he vvas a man, or, he had some other error, or, some other is of a contra∣ry iudgement, which neuer wanteth a∣mongst doctors guided by so contrary spirites, or, they geue the churches leaue to dissent from them, vvhich I take graunted vnto me being one of the same church, vvho can be so simple as to be tyed to one or other doctor, hauing so manifold rea∣sons to refuse them al? And as for their martyrs, whose names should be most reuerend, and iudgement most weigh∣ty, they also are reduced in to the same

order and obedience with the rest. For their martyrdom may not take avvay, from the Protestant, this libertie that he hath to enquire of the cause of their death, or preiudice him in speaking against their errors. for this is to oppose the bloud of men, to the bloud of the sonne of God. And those martyrs being sent out in the morning before the sunne of the Gospel vvas risen so high, ouersaw many thin∣ges, which these men see now, which liue as it were at noonetide, in the most cleare beames & light of the same gospel. Which comparison expressing most ap••ly their continual proceeding and running forward to new pointes and articles of faith, al••o before hand instructeth their after cōmers to keepe on the like course, which they see these their predecessors to haue begōne. For as those Protestants, who liued twenty yeres since, and bragged then of the cleare light of the gospel, are now cast backe by these men in to a darksome kynd of twylight, vnto whō the sunne was not yet risen: so the posteritie who shal liue ten or twēty yeres after these, are by like example informed to turne ouer this present age, vnto that obscu∣ritie of the day dawning, and chalenge

vnto them selues the brightsomnes of the noone light. And the same may e∣uery age and sect say, as it marcheth farther & farther on in newnes of here∣sie. & last of al, the authoritie of whole Churches and prouinces is as lightly shaken of as any of the rest, for so much as England is not bound to folovv France or Germany, more then France or Germa∣ny is bound to folovv England & ech Sect of Protestants is as vvel assured of his doctrine, and hath as good groundes and rea∣sons for it as hath any other. & to chalēge such authoritie to the church of any prouince, is to bring in plaine papistry and make that Church, Romish and Antichistian.

Iudge thou now (Christian reader) what hold or stay we haue in disputing with these felowes, whom thou seest to cast away and refuse al groundes of disputation, such as are vsed ether in our church or in their owne: and how far these men be growē to a headstrōg desperatnes beyond the maner of al the aūcient heretikes. For when S. Au∣stin and the old fathers had to dispute with such, as Donatistes, Arriās, Mani∣chees, Pelagians, and others, they vr∣ged them with the authoritie of a Gods

Church, with the iudgement of the b Sea Apostolike, the c Succession of bishops in the same, with the determi∣nation ofd general Councels, finally with the name e Catholike, and that which was so called of al men, and the heretikes seemed to be moued there∣with and acknowledge such maner of argument. But the heretikes of our time contēning impudently al these, Church, Sea Apostolike, Succession of bishops, general Councels, and whatsoeuer els may be inuented, are come so far, that they now despise and treade vnder foote the name f Catholike, which the Apostles by diuine wisdome found out, and by their Creede sancti∣fied & appropriated to true Christiās, members of Christs only, Catholike, and Apostolike Church. in so much that in the sinode holdē at Altemburg betwene the Diuines of the Palsgraue of Rhene and the Duke of VVirtem∣berg, when one part brought forth a text of Luther against the aduersaries, they perusing the place at large, and finding there the word (Catholike) streightwaies reiect the whole as cor∣rupt and counterfaite, because Luther was neuer vvont to vse that vvord. Ista

verba (catholicè intellecta) non sapiunt phrasin Lutheri, say they, and vpon this only reason conclude that booke not to haue bene made by him.

And yet would to God our aduersaries could be content to yelde to the very scriptures them selues, such peeces I meane and bookes as they leaue vnto vs, and hetherto with vs acknow∣ledge for Canonical VVou••d to G••d they could frame them selues humbly to admitte such scriptures, when of thē selues they are playne for vs & against them. For so surely bu••ld••d is the Ca∣tholike cause, that by such helpe she is able sufficiently to defend her selfe and confound the aduersaries. But whereas besides the re••usal of al the forenamed witnesses both of our church and of their owne, as though none euer besydes them selues in par∣ticular, no Saint or man ether in hea∣uē or earth, had wit, learning, or grace, whereas (I say) besides al this they ex∣pound the same scriptures by plaine partialitie, fantasie, & frensye, where∣as they make them selues the only ar∣biters, both what bookes are Canoni∣cal, what Apocriphal, and which is the true sense of them, whereas in exami∣ning

the sense they runne sometime from greeke to latin, sometime from l••tin to greeke, sometimes vrge one or other greeke example against innume∣rable latin, sometimes prosse one or other fathers reading against al greeke, commonly corrupt the sense both of latin and greeke, & sticke only to cer∣taine heretical versions made by their maisters in fauour of their seueral he∣resies: whereas they are growē to such extreme folly, hardnes, & impudency, it may seeme nothing els but wast of vvords to deale vvith men▪ whom con¦tention, pride, ignorance, malice and obstinacie against the Church and her pastors hath so pitifully blinded.

Novv if I may vvith the readers pa∣tience descend from this vvhich I speake generally of the English prote∣stants, to apply the same more speci∣ally vnto the party vvhose booke I haue to examine, it shal both iustifie more clearly that which hetherto hath bene said touching their irreligion & want of faith, and withal set forth the practise of those proud and arrogant rules of answering, which I before haue noted, and besides shew what stuffe is contained in his booke of

Antichrist, wherein he so vainely and insolently triumpheth.

It hath bene an old disease of aunci∣ent heretikes, first of al to inuade the cheefe pastors of the church, that they being remoued from the gouernment, them selues might more freely spoyle the flocke, as witnesseth S. Cyprian. And for like reason their maner hath bene more malitiously to barke at the Sea Apostolike, as saith S. Austin. In this, as in many other mad partes the heretikes of our age haue not only matched, but also far surmounted the heretikes of auncient time. For when as vpon their first breach from the church, & spreading of this new here∣sie, they were reproued by their cheefe pastor and gouernor: vpon malice, and spite, and desire of reuenge, they brast forth into this rayling, to cal him Anti∣christ, not meaning for al that to cal him Antichrist in such a sēse, as the church and faith of Christian men vnderstan∣deth, vvhen vve speake of Antichrist vvhich shal come in the end of the vvorld, and of vvhom S. Paule to the Thessalonians, and the scriptures in some other places specially do meane, but in such a general sense, as S. Iohn

intendeth whē he saith, that novv there are many Antichristes. and vvho so deni∣eth Christ to haue come in flesh, he is An∣tichrist. But the later Protestants go∣ing beyond their maisters (as com∣monly it fareth in euery heresie) to make their cause more plausible, and iustifie their schismatical departure from the church more assuredly, haue taken vp the proposition in the more extreme and desperate sense, and now hold the Pope of Rome to be that singular Antichrist, of whom S. Paule and some other of the Apostles fore∣prophecied. This wicked, and shame∣les assertion being refuted at sundry times and of sundry men, namely of D. Sanders, not only as false & vnpro∣bable, but also as heathenish & vnpos∣sible, M. Whitaker hath now taken vpon him to make a reply against his argumentes and maintaine that for∣mer assertion of his brethren: but after such a sort, as partly argueth in him want of al religiō and conscience, partly declareth him to haue deepely impressed in his harte a vvonderful pride and cōtempt of al others, a prin∣cipal note and marke of Antichrist. And to beginne vvith the later, I vvil

shortly runne ouer one or tvvo of the first demonstrations, and M. W. ansvveres framed there vnto.

First of al D. Sanders disputeth, that the succession of the Romane bishops can not be Antichrist, because Antichrist is one man, vvhich he con∣firmeth by sundrie good testmonies of scripture, vvherevnto he ioyneth the vniuersal consent of al the auncient fathers. His vvordes are, Denique omnes sancti patres, Graeci, Latini, Syri, quiper tot saecula vel in Oriente, vel in Occidente vel in Aquilone, vel in Meridie vixerunt, secun∣dùm fidem & traditionem ab Apostol••s ac∣ceptā, de Antichristo locuti sunt velut de ho∣m••ne vno. Briefly al the holy fathers, Greeke, Latin, Syrian, vvho for so many ages liued ether in the East, or VVest, or North, or South, according to the faith and tradition recea∣ued from the Apostles, haue spoken of An∣tichrist as of one man. VVhat is M. VV. answere to this? After certaine cauils made to the places of scripture, thus at a clappe, he dischargeth the fathers writing according to the faith which they receaued of Apostles. VVe repose no such confidence in the fathers vvritings, that vve take any certaine profe of our re∣ligion from them, because vve place all our

faith and religion, not in humane but in di∣uine authoritie. If therefore thou bring vs, vvhat some one father hath thought, or vvhat the fathers vniuersally al together haue deliuered, the same except it be appro∣ued by testimonies of scriptures, it auaileth nothing, it gaineth nothing, it conuinceth no∣thing. For the fathers are such vvitnesses, as they also haue neede of the scriptures to be their vvitnesses. If deceaued by error they geue forth their testimonie disagreing from scriptures, albeit they may be pardoned er∣ring for vvant of vvisedome, vve can not be pardoned, if because they erred, vve also vvil erre vvith them. The fathers for the most part thought that Antichrist should be but one man. but in that as in many other things they erred, ether because they yelded to much to the common opinion concerning Anti∣christ, ether because they vveighed not the scriptures so diligently as they ought, &c. In these his vvordes (Christian reader) thou maist see the very image & prin∣cipal part of Antichrist. For preferring him self before the vniuersal primitiue Church of al the fathers then vvriting and expounding the scriptures, & tea∣ching Antichrist to be one man, Accor∣ding to the faith receaued of the Apostles, he manifestly preferreth him self be∣fore

the holy Ghost the ruler and dir••∣ctor of the Apostles and that Aposto∣lical Church, according to Christes most assured & infallible promise. & vvhat is this els, but to extolle him selfe aboue God, Super omne quod dici∣tur Deus, vvhich is one of the special markes of Antichrist? And yet this Antichristian arrogancy in treading vnder his feete al fathers, al churches, al antiquitie, is the very maine groūde of al the rest of his answeres. As for example.

M.D. Sanders second demonstration is this. The Church of Rome can not possibly be the Seate of Antichrist, be∣cause it is that Seate, vvhich hath most faithfully kept, & diligently enlarged the faith of Christ, against al Antichri∣stes. This he proueth by S Ignatius, S. Policarpus, S. Ireneus, Tertullian, O∣rigen, SS. Cyprian, Athanasius, Am∣brose, Hierom, Optatus, Austin, Ciril, Prosper, Gregory, &c. by al good and learned vvriters that florished vvithin the first six hundred yeres. That it cō∣tinued the same faith, and departed not from it in any point the last nyne hun∣dred yeres, he proueth by S. Isidorus, by Theodorus, by S. Beda, Regino,

S. Lanfrancus, Rupertus, S. Bernard, the general Councels of Laterane, of Lions, of Vienna, of Constance, of Flo∣rence, the most sufficient authoritie that cā be alleaged in the vvorld. Now vvhat is M.VV. ansvvere to this? The fathers of the first six hundred yeres he graunteth to haue spoken truely, for so much as al this vvhile that Church was very pure & excellent, and main∣tained inuiolably the faith deliuered by the Apostles S. Peter, and S. Paule, and briefly vvas of al other Churches most notable and florishing, omnium ecclesiarum praestantissima florentissimaquè. But touching the later nyne hundred yeres he maketh so great a difference, as betvvene the hovvse of God and a den of theeues, betvvene a liue man, and a dead carcas. Thus he speaketh. Although the auncient Romane Church receaued Christ most of al, and those that vvere in the socie∣tie of the Romane Church defended the Chri∣stian faith most valiantly, yet these prayses appertaine nothing to the present Romane Church vvhich refuseth Christ him selfe, & furiously assaulteth the Christian faith. I am vides, Sandere, tuae demēstrationi se∣curim esse inflictam, quando a prima eccle∣sia Romana quae fuit optima et purissima

tuam hanc distinguo &c. Novv thou seest M. Sanders thy demonstration knocked on the head vvith a hatchet, vvhereas from the first Romane church, vvhich vvas best and purest, I distinguish this thy Romane church vvhich a man may truly ca•• the synagoge of Satan.

Now this being in deede the very hatchet of his ansvvere (as he calleth it) and vvhereby he choppeth of the necke of D. Sanders demonstration, and vvhich therefore it principally standeth him in hand to proue, let the reader consider, if he bring any pro∣babilitie, any argument, storie, father, Councel, authoritie, any kind of rea∣son other then his ovvne naked and peeuish asseueration. Only he varieth as boyes in grammar scholes, that his assertion by many pretie phrases, as that Rome is degenerated into a bastard faith. that our Popes are altogether vnlike to the auncient Popes. that novv there is an other forme of faith in Rome, an other reli∣gion. that our Popes possesse the same place vvith those auncient, but haue lost their faith many hundred yeres since. that in the Romane church novv nothing remay∣neth of old Rome besides the name. that of old, soueraine vvas the authoritie of the

Romane Sea amongst al people, both for the goodlynes of the citie, and puritie of religion and constancie of the men. but novv none of these thinges remayneth &c. Thus in e∣uery page welnye he affirmeth, & sayth, & telleth vs againe & againe, that thus it is departed, and thus it is degenera∣ted, and thus it hath altered the faith, and is become the synagoge of Anti∣christ. Against vvhich ridiculous and childish babling, vvhen his aduersary obiecteth those Confessors, Martirs, Historiographers & Sayntes, that li∣ued since S. Gregories time, together vvith the general Councels the very flovver of Christianitie, he vvith one railing blast turneth them al a side, sa∣yng he admitteth them not, because they al, more or lesse receaued the marke of the beast. Aske him a reason why he so rayleth, consider what authoritie he opposeth against these, reason thou findest none, authoritie thou findest none. Only as kings and princes ratifie their edictes and Proclamations with their owne only name Teste meipso, so this man confirmeth his answeres with the sole authoritie of Guilielmus VVhita∣kerus, which being put in the fronte of euery answere, is in deede the very pith

and effect of al the answeres folowing.

And therefore whereas he saith If vve shal receaue for vvitnesses al those men 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to Antichrist, vve shal neuer haue end of contending, I say if it may be lawful for euery heretike thus to deare, with such wodden or lea••en hatchers to cut of the synewes of such strong and forcible demonstrations, thus so answeare reason with rayling, and graue authoritie with Luciferlike ar∣rogancy, if the Trin••tariās, Lutherans, Anabaptistes, or Arriās, may haue like libertie to auoyde the whole army of Christes Catholike Church: Arrianis∣me wil neuer be rooted out, Luthera∣nisme wil neuer haue end, the Ana∣baptistes and Trinitarians can not pos∣sibly be maystred, the worst of these being able to say for him selfe at the least as much as doth the Zuinglian in defence of his Zuinglianisme.

And this is the verie forme, fashi∣on, maner, and substance of his answere to the next demonstration. where to S. Austin and S. Hierome, reaching Peters chayre and succession of Priests in that Sea to be the very rocke vvhich the proud gates of hel•• ouercome nor, which thing they affirme vpon manifest war∣rant

of Christes wordes, he answe∣reth vpon warrant of his owne vvord, that that succession of priestes is not the rocke, & the gates of hel haue pre∣vayled against that church, so as the faith vvhich somtimes florished there, novv appeareth no vvhere in it, & long since is departed into other places. Whereas D. S. repl••eth, this to be false, and and that church euer to haue reteyned the same true faith, and neuer to haue brought in any heresie or made any chaunge of doctrine, vvhich he proueth by al his∣toriographers that euer liued in the church, Eusebius, Prosper, Beda, Re∣gino, Marianus Scotus, Schafnabur∣gensis, Zonaras, Nicephorus, Ced••e∣nus, Sigebertus, Gotfridus, Viterbi∣ensis, Trithemius and many others, a∣gainst them al this only censure he op∣poseth, Historias vestras Sandere non mo∣ramur, vve regard not M. Sanders your sto∣ries, and yet him selfe for his ovvne side b••ingeth not so much as one story. So that against scriptures reason, coun∣cels, fathers old and nevv, historiogra∣phers, al kynd of vvriters, him selfe e∣uer cometh in as an omnipotent and vniuersal Apostl••, Doctor, Father &c. as though in his only vvord consisted

more pith, then vvas in al mens that e∣uer liued since Christes time.

And now somwhat farther to descrie the incredible vanitie, folie, pride and selfe loue of the mā, let the reader note the grosse and barbarous impossibilitie of that paradox, vvhich by this his su∣preme authoritie he vvould defend. He graunteth the Church of Rome, to haue bene pure, godly & christian, for six hundred yeres after Christ, as be∣fore hath bene declared. VVhen then grew it to be so impure, wicked; and Antichristian? ten yeres after. For thus he writeth: Six hundred and ten yeres after Christ or there about, Bonifacius the third gouerned the Romane church. VVhat vvas he? to ansvvere truly, very Antichrist. In which wordes ioyned together, thus much he saith in effect, That whereas within the space of ten or twelue yeres before, the Romane church was religious and euangeli∣cal, in such sense as they vnderstand it, that is, abhorred the Popes vniuersal iurisdiction as Antichristian, and limi∣ted his power within the precinctes of his owne Patriarkship, reuerenced euery prince as supreme head of the church within his owne dominion,

detested the sacrifice of the masse as in∣iurious to the death of Christ, ac∣knowledged no iustification but by only faith, allowed mariage of priestes and religious persons as agreable to the libertie of the gospel, held for sa∣cramentes none other but Baptisme & the Eucharist, and Baptisme an only signe not remitting synnes, and the Eucharist a sole figure, from which the truth of Christes body was as far distant as heauen is from earth, and so forth according to the rest of the articles of their reformed faith: with∣in the decourse of so few yeres, al these thinges were turned vpside downe, & the contrary faith planted in steede thereof. That is, the Romane church of late so sound and perfite, sodaynly be∣came most corrupt and impure. she approued the vniuersal authoritie of the Romane Bishop, and appointed no boundes or limites to his iurisdicti∣on, which was mere Antichristian. she tooke from Princes their Supremacie, she brought in the sacrifice of the masse, and highly aduaunced it against the death and sacrifice of Christ. she acknowledged iustification to pro∣ceede not of only faith, but of workes

also. she established the single life of priestes and votaries, and condemned their mariages as sacrilegious and ex∣ecrable. for two sacramentes she ad∣mitted seuen. to baptisme she attribu∣ted remission of sinnes, and in the Eu∣charist she beleeued the real and sub∣stantial veritie of Christes presence, & so forth according to the articles of Catholike religion, or papistrie, as these men terme it.

Now whereas thus much is compri∣sed in their paradox of making the suc∣cession of the Romane bishops Anti∣christ, whereas such weight lieth in the matter, which of it selfe to common intendement is so absurd, vnreasonable and in deede vnpossible, whereas we also bring forth Fathers, Councels, and Doctors auouching the contrary ga∣ther thou (Christian reader) whether vve haue not iust cause vtterly to dis∣credite them in this so blunt, & sensles assertiō, vntil we see their Chronicles, their monumēts, their ātiquities, some maner warrāt besides their owne in a matter of such importance. Whereas they allow vs no such, and yet chalenge to be credited vpon their owne vvord, assure they selfe (reader) their dealing

in this behalfe is not only foolish, vn∣learned, and ignorant, but also inhu∣mane, furious and diabolical.

Notwithstanding whereas M.W. besides those former profes which to any indifferent man may seeme more then sufficient, requireth of vs farther declaratiō, that in these later ages the Romane church hath not departed from that faith, which in her first time she professed, to content him (if any thing m••y content him) and make more euident the inuincible equitie of the Catholike cause, I wil proue the same by such ••istoriographers, as him selfe (I trust) wil allow for vpright, and nothing fauorable to our cause. Those witnesses I meane to be, first of al him selfe, and then, Iohn Calum, Peter Martyr, Martin Luther, Flacius Illyri∣cus, with such other pillers & founders of his owne congregation. Out of him self this I gather. That to haue bene the true and Christian faith, which the Romane church ma••ntained the first fiue hundred yeres, at what time that church vvas must pure & excellent, & pre∣serued inuiolabl•• the fa••th deliuered by S. Peter and S. Paule. This proposition is commonly found almost in euery page

of M.W. answere to the second Demō∣stration. Out of the other, Caluin, Lu∣ther &c. this I gather, that the Romane church in her first & primitiue puritie maintained and beleeued the Popes Supremacie, the sacrifice at the masse, the same to be auailable for the dead, priesthode, the real presence &c. no lesse then we do now. This thou shalt find witnessed by their seueral confes∣sions, and approued at large hereafter in places conuenient. The conclusion hereof rising is this, first that these are no pointes of false or Antichristiā doc¦trine, but such as Peter & Paule taught the primitiue Romane church. Next that the later Romane church hath not departed from the former, but hath kept inuiolably the self same faith without chaunge or alteration. And so the false supposal whereupon this booke standeth, being by such euidēce refuted, the rest of the building must needes come to ground.

Now I say farther, that this point which M.W. taketh for a most certaine and cleare veritie, that is, the fal of the vniuersal church (for after the fal of the Romane church, they can shew none that stoode, and it is their general

both preaching and writing, that she corrupted the whole world with her errors) and her apostasie from Christ these later hundred yeres, vpon which (as I haue said) dependeth the verie substance of this his booke, is an absur∣ditie in Christian religion, so foule, monstruous, and abominable, that it can not be defended of any man, except he first of al deny the very incarnation of Christ, his preaching, his death and passion, his eternal kingdome & priest∣hod, the sending of the holy Ghost, the entier summe of all whatsoeuer hath bene written by the Apostles, or foretold by the prophetes. For to what end was Christes incarnation, but to ioyne him selfe vnto a Church, from which he would neuer be separated? To what end was his preaching but to erect and instruct such a Church? To what end his death and passion, but to redeeme & sanctifie such a Church, & leaue vnto it an euerlasting remedie to blot out her sinnes and offences? How is he an eternal king, who hath not an eternal people obeyng him and obser∣uing his lawes? how an eternal priest, whose priesthod and sacrifice for so many hundred yeres was applied to

none, & auailed for none? and to what pu••pose was the holy Ghost sent, but to remayne vvith the church for euer, and leade her into al truth? And vvhat is the summe of the gospels, but a de∣claration that Christ by him self, by the holy Ghost, by his Apostles, founded such a church, in vvhich his wil should euermore be openly preached, his sa∣cramentes rightly euermore ministred, true faith and religion alvvaies pre∣serued, a certain vvay for conuerting infidels to the faith, for cōfuting errors and heresies be continued, and al true Christiās maintained by lawful past••rs in vnitie of his true faith against al blastes of vaine doctrine, euen vntil his coming to the general iudgement. Finally that such a citie and common welth it should be, so cōstant, so strōg, so vnmoueable, that it should vpholde the glorie and name of Christ, •• gainst Princes, against Potentates, against Kings and Emperours, against al the force of the world & the deuil, though they al with might and mayne applyed their whole power to the suppressing and rooting out of it.

And the self same is the effect of al the auncient Prophetes, that the prea∣chers

of Christes catholike church should neuer cease day nor night to preach the truth: that howsoeuer dark∣nes couered al other nations, yet the light there of should neuer be extin∣guished: that the spirite of God and truth of doctrine should neuer depart from it, but remayne in it frō one gene∣ration to an other euen for euer: that it should neuer be brought in to a na∣row roume, as was the synagoge of the Iewes, but should be diffunded tho∣rough al prouīces of the earth: that the course of heauen, of the sunne, of day and night should rather faile, then priests and preachers of the new testa∣ment: that albeit other monarchies had an end & were altered, as the Assyrians, the Persians, the Macedonians, the Romanes, yet this should neuer suffer any such a teration, but should stand vnchange••ble for euer. Wherefore to affirme that this Church hath failed, is to affirme, that Christ, his Apostles, & Prophetes, are al liers, that what soeuer is written in the old and new testamēt, is all vaine and fabulous.

For touch••ng the straunge deuise of an inuisible church, which some of them haue of late imagined, it is no∣thing

els, but a mere poetical fansie: a fansie vvhich consisteth only vpō their ovvne vvord and credite, for profe vvhereof they neuer yet brought any scripture, coūcel, father, doctor, chro∣nicler, or writer, nor euer shal be able: a fansie by which any sect neuer so hor∣rible, may defend them selues to be a Church as wel as they: a fansie framed and patched together of mere contra∣rieties and contradictions: a fantastical opiniō which being long since abando∣ned of the learned protestants in other countries as most vvicked and pestilēt, is novv (I knovv not vpon vvhat mi∣serie and necessitie) receaued of our English Diuines. VVhensoeuer vve thinke of the church (saith Melanchthon) let vs beholde the company of such men as are ga∣thered together, vvhich is the visible church: nether let vs dreame, that the elect of God are to be found in any other place, then in this visible societie. For nether vvil God be cal∣led vpon or acknovvledged, othervvise then he hath reuealed him self, nether hath he reuealed him self els vvhere, saue only in the visible church, in vvhich only the voice of the gospel soundeth. Nether let vs imagine of any other inuisible church, but let vs knovv, that the voice of the gospel must

sound openly amongst men, according as it is vvritten Psal. 18, Their sound is gone forth in to al the earth. Let vs knovv, that the mi∣nistery of the gospel must be publike, and haue publike assemblies, as it is sayd Ephes. 4. Let vs ioyne our selues to this company, let vs be citizens and members of this visible con∣gregation, as vve are commaunded in the 25. and 83. Psalme. VVhich places and other the like, speake not of Platoes Idea, but of a visible church, &c. And in sundry other places refelling this mad fansie, he euer con∣cludeth, Necesse est fateri esse visibilem Ec∣clesiam, de qua filius Dei, &c. It is of necessi∣tie that vve confesse a visible church, where∣of the sonne of God saith, Matth. 18, Dic eccle∣siae, Tel the church, & vvhereof Paule saith 1. Cor. 4, VVe are made a spectacle to the vvhole vvorld, to angels, and to men. VVhat a spectacle I beseech you is that vvhich is not seene? and whereunto tendeth this mon∣struous speach, vvhich denieth the visible church? Delet omnia testimonia antiquita∣tis, abolet iudicia, facit 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 infinitam, & illam Cyclopum politiā, in qua•• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 vt est apud Euripidem. It abo∣lisheth al testimonies of antiquitie, it taketh avvay al iudgementes, it causeth an endles confusion, and induceth a common vvelth of vnruly ruffians or Atheists, vvherein no

one careth for an other.

And Caluin interpreteth the article of our creede, Credo Ecclesiam Catholicā, of the Catholike visible Church. & saith furthermore, that the knowledge ther∣of is so necessary, that there is no hope of life by grace in this world, except we be conceaued, brought forth, nou∣rished, a••d ruled by her, so long as we liue. Adde quod extra eius gremium nullae est sp••randa peccatorū remissio, neque vlla salus, teste Iesai. c. 37. vers. 32. Ioel. ca. 2. v. 32. Ezechiel. ca. 13. v. 9. psal. 106. v. 4. Adde here vnto that out of the lap of this (visible church) no pardon of synnes is to be hoped for, nor any saluation, as vvitnesse Isaie, Ioel, Ezechiel, and the Prophete Dauid.

And Oecolāpadius writing vpō the Prophete Isaie, and those wordes, ca. 2. Fluent ad eum omnes gentes, Create is the dignitie (saith he) of the Christian church aboue the synagoge of the Ievves, in that it shal be most populous, and of al na∣tions, sundry shal ioyne them selues vnto it abundantly. VVherefore let the Ievves be ashamed, vvhich thinke them selues alone to be the sonnes of Abraham. Avvay with the Montanistes, vvhich say that they alone haue receaued the holy Ghost. Confounded

be the Donatistes &c. hovv much should vve vvithdravv and take from the church catholike, if vve beleeued these men? And againe vpon Ieremie. God here speaketh of the eternitie of Christes kingdome, and svveareth that as his league is stedfast with the sunne and moone, vvith sommer and vvynter, vvith day and night, so also he vvil performe that vvhich he promised to Christ, that he shal haue kinges and priestes, and that for euer, and that not a fevv, but as the starres of heauen and the sand of the sea, both for their dignitie and puritie, and also for their multitude. The like wordes he hath, and confirmeth the same by sundry places of scripture, in Isai. ca. 64 v 13. Daniel. ca. 2. v. 44. Za∣char. ca. 2. v. 1.2.3. et ca. 7. v. 13.14.15. et ca. 12. v. 6.7.

And Illyricus gathereth very wel out of the first chap. of S. Matth. that the true church in the middest of al persecut••ōs, destructions of cities. Cō∣mon welthes, and peoples, is not only preserued miraculously by gods spe∣cial ayde & protection, but also Osten∣dit ista series (saith he) ecclesiam et religi∣onem verā habere certas historias suae origi∣nis et progressus. This genealogie proueth, that the true church and religion hath assu∣red

historyes of her beginning and encrease. I passe ouer very many places of these and other learned Protestantes, Bren∣tius, Lauatherus, Luther, Bullinger, who in their Commentaries vpon the scriptures refel this sauage opinion of our english Protestants, by infinite and the same very euident places of scripture.

And wonder it were (if any thing were wonderful in men forsaken of God, and geuen ouer to their ovvne sense) hovv these men do not per∣ceaue, yea and feele the most sensible contradiction, which disputing of this question, and of Christes real presence in the sacrament, they runne into. For here they charge vs, that we take from Christ the truth of his bo∣dy and deny his incarnation, because we say it is inuisible and not cir∣cumscribed with a certaine place, which they say are proprieties so es∣sential to humane nature, that the very glorified body of our Sauiour re∣mayneth not a body, if it wante them. Of this argument M. VV. insulteth and triumpheth in this booke, Hoc ar∣gumentum (saith he to M, Martin) im∣petus tuos non pertimescit, This argument

feareth not your forces. Yet talking of the Church militant, which consisteth of a number of bodies, by nature, mortal, by essential proprietie, visible and bound to a certaine place, by Christes ordinance dispersed thorough al quar∣ters of the world, this Church (they say) was a true church, and yet inuisi∣ble, consisted of Emperours, Priests, nations and peoples, and yet circum∣scribed with no certaine place, appea∣ring in no certaine citie, prouince, or kingdome: so tying most ethnically, the glorious, celestial, deified and su∣pernatural body of Christ, to the base rules of corruptible philosophie, from which they exempt the mortal bodies of men, which by the law of God and nature are subiect therevnto.

But to returne to the fal of the vni∣uersal Church, vpō the ruines whereof M.W. booke in particular, & this new congregation in general is buylt and standeth, the issue of that doctrine is no other, nether possibly can be, but a flat abnegation of Christ & Christianitie, as the writings of our aduersaries ioy∣ned with their practise declare abun∣dantly to al those, who lyst to open their eyes and take a litle paines to learne

that which so deepely it importeth them to know.

And to this purpose notable is the storie of Dauid George the Hollander, who being expelled from the low countries for the Sacramentarie he∣resie, and for the same cause honora∣bly receaued and intertained by them of Basile being then of the same reli∣gion, and many yeres wel esteemed of in that citie, after proceeded so far in the gospel, that he tooke to him self the name and office of Christ, and ac∣compted our Sauiour for a seducer and deceauer, and secretly drew ma∣ny to his opinion. For which cause, three yeres after his death, the rulers of that Citie tooke the body out of his graue and burned it, and withal set out the whole storie of his life, fayth, and death, and the rest appertaining to his condemnation and their owne defence. This man by what reason principally was he lead into that Tur∣kish madnes? forsooth his cheefe rea∣son was this, as in the same booke ap∣peareth. If that Christ had bene the true Christ, then the Church erected by him should haue continued for euer. But now we see, and it is mani∣fest,

that the Romish bishop, that An∣tichrist, hath surpressed and ouerthro∣wen many hundred yeres since the church, which that Christ erected. Hereof it foloweth, that he was not the true Messias, but a lying maister and a false prophet.

And Sebastianus Castalio in the preface of his bible dedicated to king Edward, what doth he els, but closely deny Christ to be the true Messias, when vpon this very ground of the churches fal, he thus discourseth. First he laieth for a foundation, the excel∣lencies and prerogatiues of the church which should be established by the Messias, as her quietnes and vnitie in religion described by Michaeas, cap. 4. That the earth should be so replenished vvith the knovvledge of our Lord, as the sea is vvith vvaters. Esai 11. And againe cap. 60. VVhereas thou were forsaken, en∣uied and vnfrequented, I vvil make the (saith God) to arise into an euerlasting height, so as thou shalt sucke the milke of other nations and the brestes of princes, and thou shalt knovv that I thy God am thy sa¦uiour and defender. Thy sunne shal no more go dovvne, nor thy moone leese her light, for our lord shal be thy light which euer shal cō¦tinue.

After this sort much more he hath touching the churches happy estate and continuance, as before hath bene noted. Then looking to the effect and accomplishment of these promi∣ses according to Protestantes learning and iudgement, he protesteth expresse∣ly, that this excellencie and felicitie promised to the church of Christians by the cōming of Messias, the more he considereth the scriptures, the lesse he findeth the same as yet to haue bene performed, howsoeuer a man vnder∣stand those places alleaged. Whereof he frameth this argument. Equidem aut haec sutura esse fatēdum est, aut iam fuisse, aut deus accusandus mendacit. Quod si quis fuisse dicet, quaeram ex eo, quādo fuerint. Si dicet Apostolorum tempore, quaeram, cur nec vndiquaque perfecta fuerit, et tam cito ex••∣leuerit dei cognitio ac pietas, quae et aeterna et marinis vndis abundantior fuerat pro∣missa. Truly vve must confesse, ether that these thinges shal be performed hereafter, or haue bene already, or God is to be accu∣sed of lying. If a man ansvvere me, that they haue bene performed, I vvil demaund of him, vvhen? If he say, in the time of the Apostles, I vvil demaund hovv it chaun∣ceth, that nether thē the knovvledge of God

and true religion vvas altogether perfite, and aftervvardes in so short a space vani∣shed avvay, vvhich vvas promised to be eternal, and more abundant then the flud∣des of the sea.

Which argument of his, if we marke wel, and euery part thereof, it is easely perceaued, that he concludeth those thinges not to haue bene performed in the Church of the new testamēt, which al prophetes foretold should be per∣formed at the comming of the Mes∣sias. For whereas he driueth the summe of al to one of these three necessary consequentes, ether that God is a lyer, ether that the Church erected by Christ should euer stand in the sight of the world, and euer florish with most a∣bundāt knowledge of the wil of God, or that such a Church shal be founded hereafter by the Messias: and then re∣moueth the first, which the nature of euery man abhorreth to heare, then denieth the second, according to the general scope of the protestants doc∣trine, which affirmeth the Church for these thousand yeres passed to haue bene drowned in palpable darkenes, su¦perstition, and idolatry, what remai∣neth but to approue the third, vz, that

the things foretold to be wrought by the Messias, are not yet accomplished, but shal be hereafter. which is as much as in euidēt termes to say, that the Mes∣sias is not yet come, or Christ is not the true Messias, who hath performed no∣thing of that which was his part and office according to the oracles of the Prophetes.

This if I would prosequute at large by shewing into vvhat straightes, and shameful and miserable shiftes some principal Protestants, for example Caluin and Luther disputing vvith the Iewes haue bene brought, by reason of this detestable supposition, that the church so many hundred yeres hath failed, the reader could not but ab∣horre and detest euen to the gates of hel this damnable heresie, which vpon pretense of reforming the church and making al thinges pure and perfite, doth in deede ioyne with the Turkes and Iewes, and thrust men headlong to the very denial of Christes Incar∣nation. And most certaine it is, we can neuer against the Iewes maintayne Christ to be the true Messias, if we put this paradox of the Protestants to be true, that Christes church within

so few yeres after his departure was suppressed & trode vnder foote by the Pope. And this one reason, to passe by al other, wil iustifie the same to their eternal confusion: that whereas by the incarnation and cōming of Christ the church of Christians should be enlarged infinitely in al kingdomes, prouinces, and cities, aboue the sina∣goge of the Iewes, which after that time should be narrow, contemptible, remayning in a few, and nothing com∣parable to that other, by the Protes∣tants faith this is turned cleane contra∣rie. For in any age or time of these la∣ter thovvsand yeres, it is easie to shew by sufficient authoritie of cronicles & histories, that the Ievves haue had their knovven and visible sinagoges in the most notable places and prouinces of the vvorld, in Greece, in Constan∣tinople, in Germanie, in Mantua, in Venice, in Paris, in England, in Spaine in Portugal: vvhereas for many ages they can not name vnder the cope of heauen any kingdome, prouince, citie, tovvne, village, house or sheepecote, where the church of christ hath appea∣red, if we esteeme the same according as they now by their preaching and

writing describe it.

And therefore whereas M. W. ob∣iecteth commonly, that Doctor San∣ders denying the Pope to be Antichrist and defending that an other shal come hereafter, withdraweth men from consideration of the true Antichrist to a false and fayned one, on the con∣trary side let the reader take this for a veritie as certaine and sure as the Gospel, that he and his, vpon such pre∣tense of a false and imagined Anti∣christ, of late daies conceaued and brought forth in the fātastical braines of a few heretical miscreantes, vpon pretense of bringing men a neerer way to heauen then euer their forefa∣thers went, vpon pretense of framing a church more pure, more sincere, more perfite & Apostolical then was in the world before, I say, vpon these false and lying reasons, they withdraw men frō the only true, auncient, Ca∣tholike & Apostolike church, wherein they were baptised, to their manifold, scattered, & diuided apostatical con∣gregations: they leade men out of the way where only saluarion is to be loo∣ked for, and place them there, where remaining they are most certaine and

assured of euerlasting damnation of body and soule. Yea as appeareth by the course of their doctrine, the drift of their preaching and writing, and experiment of their brethren, vnder the veile and shadow of this their Antichristian doctrine, they induce mē to beleeue that al scripture is false, that the prophetes were lyers, that the A∣postles were deceauers, that Christ was a false teacher and seducer, & not the Messias described by the pro∣phetes, that Iudaisme standeth vpon better groundes then Christianisme: which conclusion they can neuer a∣voyde, except first they abandon and reuoke this their doctrine of Anti∣christ suppressing the Church, as false and execrable.

And as for the Popes of Rome, whom this man wil needes haue to be Antichrist, this I dare say boldly and stand to the arbitrement of any reaso∣nable and indifferent Protestant that by experience knoweth Rome, and England, the demeanure of the bishops who of late haue gouerned there, as for example, Pius 4. Pius 5. and Gre∣gorius 13. and our Superintendents, who in the same tyme haue ruled in

England. Let Antichrist be described in such sort and with such qualities as the scripture describeth him. After∣ward let there be laid in equal balance that which the world knoweth by publike vew and experience to haue bene in the foresaid bishops, their feare of Gods iudgement testified by their whole order of life, their much praier, their infinite almes, their ius∣tice towards al, their singular care to remedie the vvoundes of the Christi∣an vvorld, and gather into one the scat∣tered flocke of Christ, vvherein they haue spared no trauail or charges. Lay vvithal the publike and knovven lose∣nes in many of our English Superintē∣dents, the contempt of Gods iudge∣mentes, so much as may be gathered by their external behauiour & maner of liuing, their oppressiō of the poore, their infinite auarice, their few pray∣ers, their lightnes, their carnalitie, and whatsoeuer els is better knowen to the people where they liue then to me: let these thinges I say be weighed by the iudgement of any reasonable Pro∣testant, and I doubt not but he wil conf••sse, that if in the tyme of the fore∣named Popes, the Sea of Rome was

possessed of Antichrist, in the same season many bishops Seas in England were possessed of double and triple Antichrists.

I come now to speake of the secōd part, vz, the want of religion and con∣science which M. W. sheweth in this his answere, wherein I must be the shorter, because I haue stayd somewhat long in the first. His want of cōscience as in sundry other pointes, so in this I note especially, that whereas he pre∣tendeth to set downe M. D. Sanders arguments fully and entierly, and so to frame his answere accordingly, he in many and the same of best moment performeth nothing lesse then that which he most pretendeth.

M. Iewel amongst many false practi∣ses, vsed this as one very apt to beguile the simple, and whereby I thinke at this present very many learned men are deceaued. That is, frō the discourse of his aduersary, he would cut out & remoue frō the sight of the reader, the principal strength, were it Scripture, Councels, Fathers, or reasō, whereby the aduersary iustified his cause, & after shufle vp some od talke & impertinent allegatiōs against the rest. For exāple

let the Defence of the Apologie of the English church serue, vvhere there is no matter seriously handled, from the first beginning to the last line of the booke, but the very pith and most for∣cible partes, as it vvere the ioyntes and sinevves are thus taken avvay and left out of the booke: sometime vvhole and many pages together, sometime half pages, sometime fovver or fiue lines in a side, sometime vvhole sen∣tences or peeces of sentēces, according as he thought requisite for the bette∣ring of his cause, and disgracing of his aduersarie: & yet notvvithstanding, he peeceth and patcheth vp the rest, as though it vvere the ful and perfite dis∣course of D. Harding. This is as much as if some bragging Thraso appointed to combat vvith his enemy, should at the time of fight, cause his enemy to be tied vp in prison, and shevve his chi∣ualry vpon a man made of cloutes. this is in steede of a body, to fight with a shadovv. I vvil not exemplifie this by any particularitie, because I can as∣sure the reader by certaine experiēce, let him in that booke fal vpon vvhat place he list, he shal hardly misse an example.

This very practise hath M.W. lear∣ned of him, and putteth it in vre in this his answere to D. Sanders demonstra∣tions. For wheresoeuer D.S. disputeth most firmely out of scriptures and rea∣sons grounded there on, & multitude of fathers agreing in the exposition of the scriptures, wheresoeuer he preuē∣teth the cauils of the aduersaries and forestoppeth the common arguments which they make for the cōtrary parte, there M. W. diligently and carefully taketh order to cut and leaue out al such peeces, that he may haue the more libertie to runne at randon, and talke his pleasure of the rest. So for example, in the seuenth demonstration he lea∣ueth out in the middle, almost halfe a side of D. Sanders, a pece of very good importance for the fortifying of his argument. In the tenth demonstration where D. Sanders preuenteth and an∣swereth their obiections, and where in deede he fully cōfuteth before hand the substance of M. W. replie, there a whole page is leaft out. And the self same part he plaieth in the thirtenth demonstration, leauing out almost two entier pages where in like maner his replie was before hand thoroughly dis∣charged.

So in the sixtenth demonstra∣tion he omitteth almost a side of the argument, where D. Sanders conuin∣ceth the Protestants of contradiction to them selues, and proueth them to play the part of Antichrists for corrup¦ting the verie letter of scripture at their pleasure.

And to passe by the like false demea∣nure in other places, and to make a litle stay vpon one only example, in the 36 demonstratiō he so wickedly beha∣ueth him selfe, as the reader can neuer otherwise iudge of him, then that he is a mā wicked, vnconscionable, with∣out al feare, of God. or regard of man, geuen only to continue talke and serue the time, without any care to search out the truth. D. Sanders there disputeth thus. Christ instituted a true & real sacrifice at his last supper. This he proueth by scriptures, reasons drawen out of the scriptures, & fathers inter∣preting the scriptures. This sacrifice An∣tichrist shal abrogate & take avvay. This he proueth also by fathers expoūding the scriptures, and gathering so much of Daniels Prophecie. These be the parts of which he concludeth the Pope not to be Antichrist, who taketh

not away that sacrifice, but defendeth & wel alloweth it. Nowhere wōderful it is to note, what mangling, and defa∣cing, and peecing, and patching he v∣seth in setting downe this demōstratiō. In the first paragraph of D. Sanders fiue lines he leaueth out, wherein is compared the state of the Iewes and Christians touching the law and sacri∣fice. Then shufling in fower lines, he furthwith leaueth out almost a whole side of a leafe, where D.S. by good rea∣sons, conference of Scriptures, and fa∣thers, proueth the Masse to be the sa∣crifice of the new testament. and then putting in one line of S. Ireneus cited by D.S. and leauing out many lines folowing of the same author, and per∣taining as much to the matter, omit∣ting withal D.S. discourse therevpon, he furthwith ioyneth an other place of S. Ireneus cited likewise by D.S. but after his maner cutting of at the least the one halfe: and omitting D.S. argu∣ment therevpon, as also a notable place of Hippolitus the Martyr (wri∣ting, that in the time of Antichrist the holy churches shal be like vnto poore cottages, and the pretious body and bloud of Christ shal not be extant in

those daies, the Masse shal be abolished &c. al which he saith is nothing to the purpose) whereas D. S. bringeth in a large place of S. Hierom, he setteth downe one peece of a line, and leaueth out ten times as much ensuing, and the same most to the purpose. And fi∣nally vsing the like treachery tovvards S. Chrysostom (cited as the rest by D. S.) from vvhom he croppeth the greater part and the most necessary, thus he maketh vp his ansvvere to the 36. demonstration.

And that the reader imagine not the places of those fathers, S. Ireneus, S. Hierom, & S. Chrisost. to be ydle & needeles, let him know, that they are such, as whereby D. Sanders proueth directly one of his principal proposi∣tions, that Antichrist shal abrogate & take away the sacrifice of the nevv te∣stament according to the prophecie of Daniel. Finally in the 38 demonstra∣tion where the argument is framed, that the best princes haue alwaies fa∣uoured the Sea of Rome, as Constanti∣nus Magnus, Theodosius, Martianus, Carolus Magnus, Ludouicus Pius, &c. & persecutors, tyrannes, and wicked princes haue most dishonoured it, as

Constantius, Iulianus, Valens, Ana∣stasius, Theodoricus &c. the answere is made, by cutting away al this out of the booke, and thrusting in a tale of a tub, that Cardinals & bishops be kings who much honour the Pope.

This maner of answering is not to search out the truth, as becometh Di∣uines, or to bring men into the right way, as is the dutie of Christians, but only to keepe mens heads in musing & expectation of new bookes, to make them mispend their time, to keepe the printers occupied, and as it were to walke and talke on a stage for no other purpose but to passe away the time. This is truly to be Carnifex papiri, A murderer of paper, as Illyricus cōmonly calleth the Zuinglians. this is in deede to be Miserabilis librifex, A miserable bookevvright, as Luther malapertly na∣meth king Henry, a learned prince and of famous memory. This is thorough∣ly to approue and iustifie that which Luther in the beginning, sentenced a∣gainst Zuinglius and Oecolampadius the fathers of the Sacramentarie Gos∣pel, & vvhich frō thē (as it may seeme) hath descended to their posteritie. Isti boni spiritus (saith he) si parū admodū

rethoricantur &c. These good (sacramēta∣rie) sprites if they can a litle play the Rheto∣cians, though they touch not any one argu∣ment, yet thinke they of them selues that they haue ansvvered the matter passing vvel & sayd much to the purpose, et putant causam suam consistere in scriptione mul∣torum librorū, et in cōmaculatione pap ri. and they suppose that their cause stādeth in vvri∣ting of many bookes & blotting of much paper.

And no doubt it proceeded of some like crafte, that M.W. against vs & our English translation of the Testament, wrote his reprehension in latin, to the end pardy, that nether our common countrimen vnderstanding only the English, should know those faultes which he reproueth in latin, nor straū∣gers vnderstāding only his latin, know how iustly he refelleth that which was written in English. Whereby notwith∣standing he might obtayne thus much, that both sortes should heare tel of some errors noted and refuted, but what they were, and how wel, how truly and substantially the refutation was made, nether the one nor the other should be able to examine, much lesse to iudge: the rest that vnderstand both tonges (vvho only may espie his vn∣iust

accusations, defaultes, and igno∣rances) being not so many, nor alwaies so diligent, nor at any time so free, as to compare his latin pretensed reprofe vvith the truth set dovvne in English. For so much as the aduersaries novv against their old pretense of honoring and allovving holy scriptures, cruelly punish the readers and keepers of them, & spoile men of the nevv Testa∣ment it self: the translation and notes vvhereof they shal neuer be able to re∣proue, as vve inuincibly to the eternal shame of heresie haue reproued theirs. And yet these men that vvil not suffer our translation to be read of such as vnderstand it, with fayned hypocrisie protest that it nothing harmeth their cause, and wish that straungers could reade it also.

These (Christian reader) are the false fleightes, of lying, of dissembling, of bragging, of remouing groundes of disputation, of denying sundry principal partes of faith, of continual altering their faith, of preferring thē selues before al men, of taking to them selues in particular, the supreme iudgement both of al scriptures, & the true sense thereof, these be the difficul¦ties,

which may dissuade and withdraw any man from writing or disputing against such sophistical wranglers. yet because we may not vpō any loth som∣nes in our owne behalfe, or lost la∣bour in respect of thē, omit to do good to others, whō we may any waye pro∣fite, here thou hast so much as appertai∣neth to the defence of the Discouerie, of the Translation, and Annotations of the new testament. The rest shal folow hereafter, if those who haue the re∣giment of my life & studies, shal thinke the tyme not euil spent, in refelling so vnseemely, so vnprobable, and vn∣christian an argument.

Notes

• Contra Sand. pa. 5. in fine.
• Ib. pa. 6. in principio.
• M.W. know∣eth not wel what that Antichrist is, against whom he writeth.
• Lucian de vera histo∣ria. lib. 1.
• Cyclades.
• Lucians historical verities & the Protes∣tants Euan∣gelical veri¦ties are of like nature and proba∣bilitie.
• Much good time spent in reading or refuting heretical bookes.
• 1. Tim. 6.
• Tertul. de praescript.
• Heretikes are gene∣rally proude and ignorāt. 2. Timoth. 6. v. 4.
• W. contra Sand. pag. 250.

  See after chap. 7. pag. 130.131. Whit. con∣tra Camp. pag. 154. Ibi pag. 153.
• Fulke con. Mart. pag. 64, 65. in sine. Supra. pa. 4.
• A strange proposition to say, the church is Antichrist.
• In the Pro¦testants faith there is no cer∣certaintie.
• In their writing and disputing there is no ground.
• That the Protestan∣tes haue no certaine fayth.
• The Prince supreme head of the church.
• The Prince not supreme head of the church.
• A declara∣tion of the iust &c. Printed by special com¦maunde∣ment and licence ••no ••532.
• a

  pag. 411.
• Cart. in his second re∣ply.
• b

  412.
• c

  413.
• d

  414.
• Ibi. 419
• Communi∣on booke in the forme of publike baptisme.
• Baptisme remitteth sinnes.
• Baptisme re¦mitteth not sinnes.

  Tower dis∣putatiō the second day.
• Priuate bap¦tisme allow¦ed.
• Priuate bap∣tisme disal∣lowed.

  M. W. con∣tra Sander. pag. 276.278
• Ficta quae∣dam neces∣sitas.
• Great diffe∣rence and cōtrarietie in the Com∣munion bookes.
• The sacra∣mēt of con∣firmation admitted.
• Refused.
• T.C. pa. 174, apud Whitg. pag. 785.
• Christ de∣scended in∣to hel.
• Christ des∣cended not into hel. Carlile.
• Caluin In∣stit. aedit. anno. 1553. ca. 7 ¶. 28. et in postre. aeditione. l. 2. c 16. ¶. 9.
• Christs diui∣nitie graun∣ted.
• Christs diui∣nitie denyed M. Whit. contra Cam∣pian. pag. 25.2.153.154.
• Sleid. Co••••▪ 17. an. 1546.
• Rebellion against prin∣ces iustified and com∣mended.
• Ibidem lib. 8. an. 1531. fol. 124.
• Ibid. lib. 22. an. 1550. fol. 411.
• Sleid. li. 18 anno 1546 fol. 320.
• Beza ad D. Elizabeth. Angl. Regi. in praefat. noui testa∣ment. aedit. 1565.
• Fox Actes and monu∣mentes. pa. 250.255.257
• Ibi. pa. 251.252.
• a pa. 250. ad 260.
• Vbi supra. pag. 250.
• Ibi. pag. 260
• Gilbie. Goodman &c.

  Womē may beare no rule ouer men in mat∣ters tempo∣ral.

  The bo••kes were p••in∣ted at Ge∣neua, the yere 1558.
• yere 1559.
• Women may beare rule ouer men, in al matters tem¦poral and spiritual.
• The Com∣munion booke in the begin∣ning before morning praier.
• Copes and such like ornaments approued.
• Cōdemned.
• General chaunges and contra∣rieties in faith.
• Fo•• actes & monumētes pag. 586.
• Real pre∣sence.
• Communiō in one kynd
• Mariage of priests vn∣lawful.
• Vowes of chastitie.
• Priuate masse.
• Auricular confession.
• These arti∣cles were according to the law of God in king Hen∣ries time.
• Ibi. pag 587
• The same ar¦ticles were contrarie to the law of God in king Edwards time.
• Fox vbi su. in historia Cranmeri pag. 1473.
• A realme pitifully or∣dered, where a chyld of 9 yeres old may by or∣der of law ouerthrow al religion. Chaunge vpō chaūge.
• D. Whitg. Defens••a pa. 31. vsque ad 51.
• Ibi. pag. 178
• Infinite dif∣ference be∣twene our English protestants and those of other na∣tions.
• Whit. Def. Tract 1. p. 74
• A rule most assured.
• Groundes or heads of disputation
• In the pro∣testants wri¦ting or dis∣puting there is no groūd.
• Scripture denyed. Whit. con∣tra Camp. pag. 17.
• Traditions of the Apo∣stles deny∣ed.
• General Councels denyed.
• T.C. pag. 16. apud. D. Wh. Tract. 2. p. 95
• Of this see more chap. 3.5.7.17. & after in the praeface.
• Auncient doctors of the Catho∣like Church denyed. Whit. cōtra Sand. pa. 92.
• then we per¦ceaue to be agreable to scripture.
• Si vel into∣grum patrū Senatum in nos com∣moueris. D. Whitg. Trac. 2. p. 112
• The aunci••t fathers pil∣lorie doc∣tors.
• New Euan∣gelistes Apo¦stles & do∣ctors of their owne church de∣nyed.
• a

  D Whitg. defens. &c. Tract. 4 c ••••. p. 230. Vide ibid. pa. 217.
• Vbi supra Tract 2. c. 4. pag. 111.
• So far as we ••an esteeme
• Ibi. Tract. 3. ca. 7. pa. 201.
• When as in my opinion
• A great fal in diuinitie from the au¦thoritie of Saintes, to the authori∣tie of these Maisters.
• Ibid. pa. 291
• Ibid. Tract. 9 pag. 522.
• Ibi. Tract. 1. pag. 67.
• Vbi supra Tract. 10. c 6. pag 549.
• It is to ob∣serued that protestants seldome abyde 35 yeres in one opiniō.
• Martyrs of their owne faith and gospel de∣nyed.
• D. VVhitg. Tract. 21. c. 1. pag. 710.
• Martyrs may not take frō any protestant his libertie to be supre∣me iudge.
• Whole churches of their owne religion denied.
• Ibi. Tract. 9. ca. 1. pa. 481.
• Al protestāt churches be they neuer so contrary are assured of the truth.
• Ibid cap. 2. pag. 491.
• Ib. Tract 20. pag. 704.
• a

  Orthod. cō∣fess. Eccles. Tigur. fol. 105.106.107
• b

  Cal. admo∣nitio. tertia ad Westpha. p. 114. Zuin. tom 2 in Exegesi ad Luth. fo 327
• c

  Histo de la vie de Calu. &c. chap. 12.
• d

  Calu. vbi supra. pag. 5.
• e

  Collo. Al∣temburgen∣se fol. 404.
• Nouum An∣tichristi do∣minium. Redolent Papatum. Ibi. fol. 535.
• f

  Apud D.W. Tract. 18. pa. 685.
• g

  Ibi. Tract. 11. pag. 559.
• Ibi. pag. 560.
• In stede of one true lawful Pope the prote∣stants haue many tiran¦nical popes
• The prote∣stants can neuer haue any general Councel.
• The prote∣stants maner of answe∣ring, & redu∣cing al to their owne singular ar∣biterment.
• An apt com¦parison, de∣claring that the prote∣stāts nether haue, nether can haue any stay in their reli∣gion.
• The prote∣stants of our age, in bold denyal of al things far exceede the heretikes of auncient time.
• a

  Aug. de vtil. cred. ca. 17. contra epis. Fundament. ca. 4 contra Crescon. li 4. cap. 61. & alibi passim
• b

  August. de pec. orig. li. 2. cap. 7.8.9. epist. 90.92.95.106.157. vide Possid. in vita Aug. lib. 1. ca. 18.
• c

  Aug. epist. 165.166. & Psal. contra partem Do∣nati Tom. 7. in principio
• d

  Aug. cōtra ••ulian. lib. 3 c. 1. con Do∣natist. lib. 4. cap. 7.
• e

  Aug. cont. epis. Funda. ca. 4▪ & Trac. 32. in loan.
• f

  See Beza in praef. test. noui an. 1565. dicat. princ. Con∣densi. and Musculus in praefatio. Io corum com∣munium.
• The prote∣stants at defiāce with the name Catholike.
• Colloq. Al∣temb. in res. ad excusat. corrup. fol. 154.
• The prote∣stants admit not the very scriptures.
• See after cha. 13. & 14.
• Ciprian epist. 55.
• Aug. de vtilit. cred. cap. 17.
• How the protestants fel to cal the Pope Antichrist.
• 2. Thess. 2.
• 1. Iohn. 2. v. 18. Ibi. 5. v. 2.3.
• The forme and maner of M. W. answering.
• Pag. 2.
• Al the fa∣thers vni∣uersally, fo∣lowing ther in the tradi∣tion of the Apostles, say that An∣tichrist is one cer∣taine man.
• pag. 21.
• They al erre 〈◊〉〈◊〉 so sayng.
• Patr•••• etiā simul vni∣uersi.
• Al the fa∣thers wāted wit and lear¦ning, in comparison of the pro¦testants.
• A special marke of Anchrist.
• 2. Thess. 2. v. 4.
• Pag. 25.
• The second demonstra∣tion, that the succes∣siō of Popes can not be Antichrist.
• The āswere
• pa. 35.36.37 38.39.40.42.43.
• Marke this wel.

  A veritie manifest & confessed.
• pag. 4••.
• pag. 32:
• pag. 33.
• A falsitie euident which neuer was & neuer wil be pro∣ued.
• Beggerly stuffe.
• pag. 34. pag. 35. pag. 3••.
• pag. 37.
• pag. 38.
• pag. 40.
• Reason.
• Rayling. pag. 44.
• Ibid. pa. 44.
• If other kinds of pro¦testants vse the like li∣bertie, no heresie can euer be re∣pressed.
• The third demonstra∣tion.
• Ibid. pag. 54.
• Matth. 16. Luc. 22. See the an∣notations in the new Test. vpon these places.
• Pag. 61.62.
• Pag. 54.
• pag. 6••.
• The impos∣sibilitie of M. W. para∣dox, that the Pope is An∣tichrist.
• pag. 66.
• A wonder∣ful chaunge vpon the sudden in al the Christiā world▪ and yet more wonderful that no man should note it.
• That the Romane Church of the later thowsand yeres hath not chaun∣ged the faith which she had the first fiue hūdred.
• Before pag. 47.
• Chap. 4.7.10.11.
• Cal. insti. li. 4. c. 18. ¶ 18. Omnes re∣ges terrae & populos, à summo vs∣que ad no∣uissimum ••••••briauit.
• To affirme with the protestants that the vniuersal church hath failed, is to deny Christs incarnation and al scrip∣ture.
• Ose. 2. v. 19.20. Eph. 5. f. g.
• Ioā 17. v. 19. Eph. 2. v. 14. &c.
• Ps. 2. v. 6. 1 Tim. 6. v. 15. Hebr. 7.
• Act. 2. Iôā. 24. v. 16.
• Mat. ca. 28▪ v. 20. Marc. 4. v. 32 1. Cor. 11 v. 26. Mat. 5 v 14.15. 1. Tim. 3. v. 15 Luc. 24. v. 47 Act 15. 2. Timoth. 3 v. 9. Ephes. 4. b c
• Mat. 10. v. 17 Mat. 16 v 18. Apoc. 20. v. 9.
• Esa. 62 v. 6.
• Esa. 60 v. 2.3.
• Ibid. v. 20. c. 62. v 4. c. 59. vers. 21.
• Ibi. c 60. a▪ b▪ & ca 2. v 2. Psal. 2. v. 8. & psal. 71. v. 8.11.17.
• Ierem 33 c. d. e. psal 88. v. 34.35 &c.
• Daniel 2. v. 44.
• Tower dis∣putations, the second day.
• The inuisi∣ble church a poetical fansie.
• Melanch. in locis com. c. de Ecclesia aedit. 1561.
• The scrip∣ture kno∣weth no church but the visible.
• Idem in prae¦fat. lib. Cor∣pus doctri∣nae Christia∣nae in Eccle∣siis Saxon. & Misnicis principis elector••s Saxon. im∣press. Lipsiae anno 1561. Vide eundē in Repetit. Confes. Au∣gust. offeren¦dae Sinodo•• Tridentinae anno. 51. ca. de ecclesia. Et in resp. ad impios articulos Bauaricae Inquisitio, quest. 3.
• The prote∣stants inui∣sible church
• Calv. insti¦tut. lib. 4. ca. 1. ¶ 2. No saluatiō out ••f the visible church.
• Ibid. ¶ 4.
• Oecolāp. in Isa. c. 2. v. 2.
• Idem in Ie∣remiam ca. 33. v. 29.
• Kinges and Priestes ne∣uer fayle in the church.
• Illyr. glossa in Math. ca. 1. v. 1. Some such stories of the Protes∣tantes church, what state it had 600. or 700 yeres agoe, were worth the seing.
• Brēt. in Luc. c. 17. hom. 19 Lauath. in Ezechiel ca. 20. v. 39.40. Luth. Tom. 4 in Isa. ca. 9. &c. 52. & 53. & 60. Bul. in Apo. Concio. 62. & 87.
• Notable forgetful∣nes and con¦tradiction.
• See after pa. 177.178
• After pa. 349.350.
• Cal libel. de necessit. reformandae ecclesiae.
• To say that the church hath fayled, is to make Christ a ly∣er and de∣ceauer.
• ab an. 1544. ad 1556.
• Yere 1559. The storie of Dauid Ge∣orge set forth by them of Ba∣sile.
• If Christ had bene the true Messias, his church had neuer fay∣led.
• Castalios discourse that Christ is not the true Messi∣as.
• The light of the church shal neuer be extin∣guished.
• Quò magis libros sa∣cros consi∣dero, eo mi∣nus hacte∣nus praesti∣tum video. vtcumque illa oracula intelligas.
• An argumēt worthy to be consyde∣red.
• Caluin in Daniel. ca. 2. v. 44. Lut. To. 7. li. de Iudaeis. &c.

  The Protes∣tants vnder pretence of more puri∣tie, driue men to Iu∣daisme and Turkery.
• Esa. 49. per tot. ca. 2. v. 3.4.
• Esa. 54. v. 1. cal. 4. v. 27. see before pag. 59
• The end of M.W. do∣ctrine tou∣ching Anti∣christ.
• If the Pope of Rome be Antichrist, there be many worse Antichrist•• in the world
• M. Iewels maner of answering D. Harding.
• He leaueth out the best part of D. Hardings booke.
• An vncon∣scionable way of an∣swering.
• Apud. San∣der. pa. 764.
• Sander. pa. 767.
• Ibid. pag. 770.771.
• ••••g. 774.
• Vnreasona∣ble mang∣ling. corrup∣ting, and falsifying.
• Apud San∣der. pa. 785.
• Apud Sand. pag. 789.
• Illyr.
• Luther.
• Luther. To. 7. Defensio &c. contra fanaticos sacramen∣tariorum spiritus. fo. 381.
• The Pro∣testants for∣bid the rea∣ding of scripture.
• See after pa. 459.