A quartron of reasons, composed by Doctor Hill, vnquartered, and prooued a quartron of follies: by Francis Dillingham, Bachelour of Diuinitie. August, in Senten ...

The 18. reason: False Prophets and teachers. (Book 18)

As the Prophets and Apostles and Christ himselfe foretolde, that in the later daies there should come false Prophets, so we find it by experience. Now let vs see whether the notes of false Pro∣phets agree to your selues, or vnto vs. To prooue that they agree vnto vs, you frame this reason.

• They which come vnsent, are false prophets.
• But the Protestants come vnsent. ergo.

The assumption is prooued because we haue neither ordinary, or extraordinarie callings. Extraordinar••e calling we haue none, because we worke no miracles, that we haue no ordinarie calling it is plaine.

I answer, that Luther, Zuinglius, and some others were ordai∣ned

Elders by your selues. And therefore they were called ordina∣rily. According to your calling if they were Elders they might preach true doctrine, for I hope you ordained not them to preach false doctrine. If they lost their ordination because they renoun∣ced poperie, then haue you lost yours much more, because you haue renounced Christs doctrine. But I thinke you will not say that they lost their ordination, because of your indelible character, the Sacraments which imprint this cannot be repealed, one of which you make Orders. But I would not haue you to thinke that we esteeme so much of your calling, as that we regard it beeing corrupt. The wicked asked Christ for his authoritie, Mat. 21. He that preacheth the Apostles doctrine hath authoritie enough: the estate of this church beeing corrupted so, that he cannot haue that calling which he would. He that is sent to preach may not hold his tongue, and tarrie till your Lord the Pope and his mitred fathers can intēd to consent. But you require miracles. I answer, that Iohn Bapt. did no miracle. Thom. 3. 3••. quaest. art. 2. resp. ad. 2. giueth this reason. Si Iohannes signa fecisset, homines ex aequ•• Iohanni & Christo attendissent. If Iohn had done any miracles, men would haue equal∣ly attended to him and to Christ. It is sufficient that our doctrine is confirmed by Christs miracles. Further M. Doctor our preach∣ers were called by the Christian Magistrates whose allowance they had, which to be warrantable your selues cannot denie. But why doe I followe this point any further? Coster a papist con∣fesseth that, Quanquam pleri{que} haereticorum Episcopi, presbyteri, & do∣ctores ex ordine munus & officium docendi acceperunt, nulli tamen fa∣cultas data est noua decreta fabricandi, sed hoc tantùm candidè & sin∣cerè tradendi, quod ei qui misit probatur. Although many Bishops, Elders, and Doctors of haeretickes, haue receiued orderly the dutie to teach, yet to no man is power giuen to make newe opinions, but sincerely to deliuer that which is approoued vn∣to him that sent him. Wherefore you reiect our calling, prooue that we coyned newe opinions.* 1.1 Origen taught before he was ordained Elder, when the Church was sound; Demetrius repre∣hended Alexander Bishop of Hierusalem, and Theodistus of Caesarea for suffering him so to doe; but they defend themselues and shewe that it may be done, ad commodandum fratribus, to pro∣fit the brethren. If this might be done in Constituta Ecclesia, in an established Church: bowe much more might it be suffered when

as Ecclesia sit constituenda, the church is to be constituted. Thus ha∣uing defended the calling of protestants, let vs see what notes of hereticks and false prophets the scriptures giue. Paul in the first of Tim. and 4. chap. giueth these notes of false Prophets, to forbidde marriages, and to command abstinence from meates. Where are these to be found at this day? in papists or protestants? in protestāts no man will affirme. The Manichees did not simply forbid mar∣riage, neither condemned they simply meats. For Auditores qui appellantur apud Manichaeos, & carnibus vescuntur, & si voluerint vxores habent. Their hearers did eate flesh, and if they would had wiues. It remaineth then that these notes be found in Papists. An∣other note of false prophets is to draw men to the seruice of idols, Deut. 13.2. Doth this agree any way to Protestants, who abandō all monuments of Idolatrie? to the Papists it agreeth, because they teach that the very wood of the Crosse is to be worshipped with diuine honour. Polidor Virgil. lib. 6. cap. 13. speaking of worship∣ping Saints images, saith, Haec pars pietatis parum differt ab impieta∣te, this pietie differeth little from impietie. The third note of false teachers is to despise Dominion as Iude speaketh, vers. 8. doth not the Pope so, who will not be subiect to the Emperour, no not to a generall Councell? as Witnesseth Eugenius who would not yeeld to the Councel of Basil. Yea the papists suborne traytours to mur∣der their lawfull Prince, as their own writings prooue. The booke I haue named before.

The fourth note of false Apostles is to teach iustification by the works of the lawe, as it is manifest by the Epistle of Paul to the Galat. Doe we so, or the papists? neither can the papists answer that Paul excludeth the workes of nature onely, and not of grace. For Paul excludeth not onely the workes of nature, but the workes of the ceremoniall and morall lawe, as it is plaine. For who can ima∣gine that the Galathians beeing instructed in Christ, would whol∣ly exclude him from iustification, and seeke for iustification either by the works of nature, or by the ceremoniall law without Christ.

Fiftly, the false Prophets speake visions of their own hearts. Ierem. 23.16. so doe the papists deceiue people with lying visions & doctrines of men, as I haue proued. They teach that the Pope cannot erre, that he is aboue Councels; where hath the Lord euer taught these things in his word? Not to stād vpon any more notes of false Apostles & Prophets, I desire thee Christian Reader to

iudge euen thine owne selfe, whether the scripture hath not set downe these notes, and whether they can any way agree to the Protestants or no.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Eus••b. l. 6. 1••. cap.