Demands to be propounded of Catholickes to the heretikes by Richard Bristow ... ; taken partly out of his late English booke of Motiues to the Catholicke faith, partely out of his printed Latin booke of the same matter.

The 33. Demaund. VVhere Christ worketh.

VVHETHER it be not our Church onely, which now, and euer, is so blessed of God, and so embrued with Christes Blood, that she hath grace in her Sacra∣ments (as well for remission of sinnes after Baptisme, as of sinnes before Baptisme; to the vnspeak∣able comfort of all that be heauy loaden) merite in her workes, force in her word, power in her teaching, so that shee breedeth deuotion, turneth to Religion, & to the search of saluation, strange∣ly altereth the hartes of men: yea her children therfore being the saddest sorte of people, men of best order in all families, townes, and citties, for all goodnes best belo∣ued both of God and man. And whether with the Protestantes,

all be not cleane contrarie: No preaching of Penance, no grace in Sacraments, nothing but sinne in good workes although they be done in Christ, no power to bring vnder Diuels, no blessing no com∣forte. And their folowers therfore easie to be noted by their ill con∣ditions: All persons as they fall from order and godlinesse, more neare they become to their Reli∣gion: a generall obseruation, that all men, as they returne to our Church, bettered and amended; as they fall to their Synagogue, much worsed & more then afore corrupted. And yet be they neuer so wicked & flagitious, haue they Onely Faith, and (no doubt) they shall be saued. And what Faith, I pray you? Not our Christian faith, which is conteined in the articles of our Creed, and such

like: but a speciall Faith, or an vndoubted perswasion that he is predestinate. For who soeuer so perswadeth him selfe, doubting no more therof thē he doth of one God, and of Christs birth & death and other Articles of the Creed: he (they say) most certainly is pre∣destinate and shall be saued, and his sinnes are thereby remitted. And it is (forsooth) a goodly com∣fortable way, because it teacheth men to bee soe certaine. But in truth and in deed (if it be a litle examined) no greater teaching of vncertaintie. For (say we vnto them) not onely English Prote∣stantes, but also any wicked man cōtinuing in his wickednes, may firmely persuade him selfe that he is predestinate, and all other Heretiks of this time do so teach and so persuade them selues, euē

those two Anabaptistes also whō for dānable creatures, thēselues of late did burne in Smithfielde. How thē teach you, that the said faith or persuasiō saueth all? here∣vnto they say, that such Heretiks and wicked persons can not haue this wonderfull faith: because it cannot be without true doctrine nor without good workes. But (say we) they persuade thē selues? and they will sweare, yea and die in it, yea (and which is greatest of al) they know, that they so per∣suade thē selues: as who know∣eth not, when he persuadeth him selfe of any thing, as of One God of Christ, and so forth; O say our Protestants (and the like say the others of them to) but they do not soe perswade them selues. And where (I pray you) is now becom this great certaintie? the matter

being brought now to this passe, that (by their owne saying of one another) no man can tell when he is certaine: in so much that also of any one of their owne fellowes standing now in true doctrine (as they esteeme it) & in good works and so persuading himselfe to be predestinate; if he fall hereafter, they must then and wil say of him that he did not afore persuade him selfe: and so none of them all can say to day that he is certayne, be∣cause he cannot tell what he shall doe to morrow. Is not here then (trow you) a greate certaintie? (that I vse no other reason against this vaine & sinfull point of their doctrine, being yet the grounde∣worke of all theire innouations.) Well, whatsoeuer they say, eue∣ry man seeth, that all Heretikes & naughtie packes may, and that

some of euery sorte do thus per∣suade & assure themselues. And we (on the otherside) be sure, (& that not by our only bare persua∣sion, as they see by this Booke) that none of them all so cōtinuing shall be saued. And therfore best it were for them to confesse the vanitie of their new special faith, and to returne to the Catholicke faith, and so liuing through the grace of Christ in good workes, to hope assuredly for saluatiō, wher∣of now most vainely they do pre∣sume: or rather in deed they nei∣ther hope nor presume, but think verely that there is no saluation at all, vsing therfore their owne religion, as if they thought it, and as it is indeed, no religion at all, as now at length the wiser sorte & principall of the Realme haue proued infinite waies by experi∣ence

of their doinges, according to our Sauiours true prophecie, * 1.1 Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos. By their fruites, you shall knowe them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mat. 7.