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The purenesse that we boast of, is the innocencie of our fauiour Christ, who shal couer al our vnpurenesse, and not impute it vnto vs. And for so much as fayth purisieth the heart, we doubt not but God of his goodnesse hath begon our sanctificatiō, & hope that he wil make an end of it euē vntu ye day of our Lorde Iesus. Albeit we hold diuers points more purely thā they do, which impugne
them, yet I knowe none that by comparison hathe either sayde or written, that all these that thinke as we doe in those poyntes, are more holy, and more vnblameable in lyfe, than any of those that thinke otherwyse. If we saye that in those poyntes whiche we holde from them, that we thinke soundlyer than they doe, we are ready to proue it, if we saye also, that we lyue not so offen∣siuely to the worlde commonly, by getting (a) 1.1 so many liuinges into oure handes, as woulde finde foure or fyue good learned able Ministers, all the world will beare vs witnesse. Other pure∣nesse we take not vpon vs. And therefore, as the name was first by the Papistes maliciously in∣uented, so is it of you very vnbrotherly confirmed. Whereas you saye, that they are Puritanes, whiche suppose the Churche whiche they haue deuised, to be without all impuritie, if you meane without sinne, you doe notably sclaunder them, and it is already answered. If you meane that those are Puritanes or Catharanes, whiche doe set foorthe a true and perfecte paterne or plat∣forme of reforming the Churche, then the marke of this heresie reacheth vnto those, whiche made the booke of common prayer, (b) 1.2 whiche you saye is a perfecte and absolute rule to gouerne this Churche, wherein nothing is wanting, or too little, nor nothing running ouer, nor too muche. As for the Catharanes (whiche were the same that are otherwise called Nouatians) I knowe no suche opinion they had, and they whome you charge, are as farre from their corruption, as you bee.
You haue sayde vnto me in one place of your booke, Quid verba audiam cumfacta videam? euen so I saye to you, for why will they not come to oure Sermens, or to oure Churches? why will they not communicate with vs in oure Sacramentes? not salute vs in the stréetes? nay spitte in our faces, and openly reuile vs? whye haue they their secrete conuenticles? You knowe all this to be true in a number of them. I knowe not why they shoulde doe so, excepte they thinke them selues to be contaminated by hearing vs preache, or by comming to our Churches, or by com∣municating otherwyse with vs. Whiche if they doe, it argueth that they persuade them selues not onely of suche an outwarde perfection, but of suche an inwarde pu∣ritie also, that they may as iustly for the same be called Puritanes, as the Nouatians* 1.3 were. You knowe that the first occasion why Nouatus did separate him selfe from the Churche, was bicause he coulde not obtayne the Bishoprike of Rome, whiche he ambitiously desired. You knowe also that his pretence was bicause the Bishops dyd receyue those into the Churche, whiche had fallen in the time of persecution. Afterwardes he fell into greater and mo absurdities, for commonly suche as once deuide them selues from the Churche, fall from errour to errour, without staye. This Nouatus thoughe he séemed to condemne ambition in all other men, yet was he most ambitious him selfe: thoughe he by vehement othes denied him selfe to desire a Bishoprike, yet did he most gréedily séeke for it: though he boasted of more perfec∣tion in lyfe, and of a more perfecte platforme of a Churche than he thoughte o∣thers had, yet was it nothing so. He was the firste that I reade of, that forseeke his* 1.4 ministerie, and that sayde, Se nolle amplius presbyterum esse, sed alterius Philosophiae stu∣diosum: that he woulde no longer be a Minister, but a student in other Philosophie. Reade Eusebius in his sixte booke of his Ecclesiasticall historie, Cap. 43 and Nicephorus in his sixte booke also, and third chapter. Surely the storie of Nouatus is worthy to be noted, bycause there be so many at these dayes, which do not so much differ from him in opi∣nions, as they agrée with him in conditions.
You affirme that I saye, The booke of common prayer to be a perfecte and absolute rule to gouerne this Churche, wherin nothing is wanting or too little, nor nothing running ouer, or too muche. If I haue sayd any suche thing, quote the place, that the Reader may con∣sider of it, and knowe that you speake the truthe. But if I neuer eyther spake, or writte any suche thing, then are you a false witnesse, and I haue to desire the Reader to consider of the reste of your sclaunderous reportes, according to the truthe of this. I haue learned with Sainct Augustine to giue this reuerence onely to the wryters of Canonicali Scriptures, that I thinke none of them to haue* 1.5 erred in wryting. And I doe firmely beléeue, that onely the bookes of the Cano∣nicall Scripture, are of that absolutenesse, and perfection, that nothing maye be ta∣ken
awaye from them, nothing added to them. I doe not thinke the Communion booke to be such, but that it may admitte alteration. I doe not beléeue it to bée so perfecte, but that there maye be bothe added to it, and taken from it. But thys I saye, that it is a godly booke, withoute any errour in substance of doctrine, and no∣thing in it (that I knowe) agaynst the worde of God: and those imperfections, or rather motes that you saye to be in it, not to be suche, that any godly man oughte to stirre vp any contention in the Churche for them, muche lesse to make a schisme, and least of all to deuide him selfe from the Churche. This is my opinion of that booke, whiche vnlesse by learning and good authoritie I iustifie, let me haue the blame and shame of it. I will not enter into your heartes, to iudge what you thinke of your inwarde puritie, (whiche notwith∣standing in comparison you haue in this present place arrogated vnto your selues) that very perfection of an outwarde platforme of a Churche whiche you chalenge vnto your selues, is one steppe to Nouatianisme, and well deserueth the name of Ca∣tharisme.
And yet some of you haue a competent num∣ber, without do∣ing any duetie at them.
An vntruthe, for I do not saye so in any place.
The qualities of Nouatus, and cause of his heresie.
Nouatus the first that for∣sooke his mi∣nisterie.
The canoni∣call scriptures are only abso∣lute & perfect.