The touch-stone of the reformed Ghospell. Wherin sundry chiefe heads and tenets of the protestants doctrine (obiected by them commonly against the Catholicks) are briefly refuted. By the expresse texts of the protestants owne Bible, set forth and approued by the Church of England. With the ancient fathers Iudgments thereon, in confirmation of the Catholike Doctrine

TO THE CATHOLIQVE READER HEALTH, AND ENCOVRAGEMENT in his Holy Fayth.

COurteous Reader before thou peruse this litle Booke, I would intreate thee, to reade these ensuing points very necessary to serue thy selfe of, with fruit and profit.

1. The first point is, that in the Textes of Scriptures alledged throghout this Treatise, it is not specified out of which English Bible, the said passages are extra∣cted,

for as much, as this were ouer troublesome vnto thee, sith En∣gland hath set forth within these few yeares past, a great number of seuerall sorts of Bibles, much diffe∣ring one from another; So that our Aduersaries (to whome I wish from very hart, as I do to thee, that this litle Booke may prooue profitable) haue not all one sort of Bibles themselues. Notwithstan∣ding know for certaine, that they are all faithfully taken forth of the Bibles in quarto, & octauo, printed at London by Robert Barker, anno 1615. So as if by chance any one shall shew thee some other Bible wherein they be not set downe, word, for word, as heere thou findest; yet rest assured, and out of doubt, that thou shalt find them so written, & faithfully cited

out of the foresaid Edition of Ro∣bert Barker, set forth by his Ma∣iesties speciall Commandement.

2. The second point is, That thou admire the splēdor of Truth, the which is such, and so passing bright, that notwithstanding our Aduersaries mayne, and serious endeauours to obscure the same, by so many varieties of Transla∣tiōs, & by such a number of grosse corruptions and falsifications; yet neuertheles their condemnation is so expressely set downe in this their owne Bible, and is so cleere to all the world, that nothing els is needfull heerto, but that thou know to reade, and haue thine eyes to behold the same, at the ope∣ning of this their Booke. This cannot choose but be an exceeding comfort vnto Catholikes agaynst

their Aduersaries, concerning the vprightnes of their cause, to offer to be tryed, and to confound them by their owne Bible: the Translation whereof, notwith∣standing doth in a number of pla∣ces, and particularly in many of those that are in question, swarue and differ notoriously from the authenticall Latin, and to the in∣credible disparagement, darkning, and obscuring of the Catholique cause. Neuer did yet (nor I pre∣sume dare) our Aduersaries offer to giue the like aduantage vnto vs, as to stand to be tried by our Translations, and that in aboue fifty maine Heads, and Points of Doctrine, that are this day in con∣trouersy between vs.

3. The third point is, That when thou shalt vrge, or alleadge

any passage, in fauour of thine owne faith and doctrine; if any one returne their charge, be it by way of recrimination and blaming of the Roman Church, or by allead∣ging some obscure texts, and those ill vnderstoode, to counterpoyze such as are brought by thee; do thou shew them amiably, that this is not to proceed in due order, nor to deale with thee as they ought, in oposing a passage darke, & obs∣cure, to confund another that is most cleare and euident. For example, when we set before their eies these few words (as cleare as the Sunne at Noone day) Take, eate, this is my body, this is my bloud which shall be shed for you &c. (Marc. 14.25.) they will straight suppose to haue found another important place, yea, and

to haue giuen vnto vs the ouer∣throw, if they presently do reply, that our Sauiour saith in S. Iohn 6.63. The flesh profiteth nothing, the wordes that I speake vnto you, they are spirit, and they are life; a passage far more obscure, then that which is in question, & which affirmeth nothing lesse, then that which they pretend to prooue therby. For how absurd were it to say, that the flesh of Christ pro∣fiteth nothing? And if (as they themselues say) we must interpret one passage by another, then doubtles it is better to explicate an obscure one, by one that is clere, then one that is cleere, by a passage obscure: and that one text giue place to many, rather then many giue place to one.

4. The fourth point is, That if

they shall reiect any of the passages which thou producest, pretending the same to be Apocriphall; know that to preuent this obiection, no such Scriptures as they cal Apocri∣phall are here produced alone, but that allwayes there goe accom∣panied with them others that be Canonicall, euen by their owne confession: and so far forth as Apo∣criphall Scriptures, shall, and do agree with Canonicall, they them∣selues, by their owne Rule, are bound to receiue them. Which will also stop their mouth, in their common pretence of Conference of places; for rarely hast thou heere lesse then three, or foure seuerall passages cited at large (besides references) for the proofe of euery seuerall point: All our Aduersaries put togeather, being neuer able,

in their defence, to do the like; that is, to produce so many in num∣ber, so expresse and cleere, and for so great a number of Controuer∣sies, as are heere disputed, and cou∣ched in so litle a Treatise.

5. The fift point is, that if they shall contend with thee, not about the wordes themselues, as being cleere, but about the sense and meaning of them; for such places, I say, as may be subiect to this ca∣uill, thou shalt forthwith haue re∣course vnto that which the Scrip∣tures call, The Rule of Faith, to wit, vnto the euer-constant and vniforme Iudgemēt of the Church and Ancient Fathers, who in eue∣ry age since Christ, haue vnder∣stood the points in question, in that sense which Catholiques do. An example wherof thou maist

lay downe before them, out of that learned Treatise, intituled, The Summary of Controuersies, debating the question of the Bles∣sed Sacrament. Which thou ha∣uing done, bid them do the like, and thou wilt yield vnto them; (a thing which they can neuer do in their defence.) So as, no man of reason will reiect this Rule, groun∣ded so cleerly in holy Scripture, and preferre the priuate interpre∣tation of some silly Cobler before S. Chrysostome, of a Baker before S. Basill, of some Tinker before Tertullian, or of any Nouellist whatsoeuer, before the iudgement of the Church, and the whole streame of ancient Fathers.

This point therfore being •••• important, shall be the first, which I will fortify, and proue by the

word of God in this present Trea∣tise, I meane this Rule; and ther∣fore in no wise forget, allwayes to inuolue thine Aduersary within this Rule, as often as he shall be∣come so vnruly, and thou shalt be sure to get the victory.

6. The sixt, & last point is, That I heere protest, in the presence of God (whome I call to witnes in this behalfe, and pray thee also to call vpon, for the saluation and reduction of all those that walke astray) that it is not in the power of any one, no not of all our Ad∣uersaries that are in England, to find in their owne Bible, one only expresse Text, I say one only, I say, in their owne Bible, by which they cā possibly proue, one only point of their false Doctrine, without their vsuall art of adding, diminishing,

chopping or changing it by some interpretation, or other: which yet should be to alter the Text it selfe, and to employ mans fancy, insteed of the pure word; a thing by their owne Confession, flatly forbidden vnto them, protesting, that the Word of God, doth in such sort containe all that which is ne∣cessary to saluation, that it is not lawfull neither for men, nor An∣gells, to adde, diminish, or alter ought therof; and commanding their followers and adherents, vt∣terly to renounce all Antiquity, Custome, Multitude, Humane, Wisedome, Iudgement, Decrees, Edicts, Counsailes, Visions, yea and Miracles themselues, to the contrary.