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 FIRST REASON: Of Prophesies. (Book 1)

IF M. Doctor had contended, pondere argu∣mentorum, and not multitudine, with sound ar∣guments, and not with a multitude; he might happily haue perswaded some to his religion: whereas now by reason of the weaknes of his reasons, he hath rather hindred many from the same, then moooued any vnto it. That which is commonly said of pictures, hath a fit place in this worke of do∣ctor Hill, Picturae eminus, non comminus videndae, pictures are faire a farre off, but if the eye draw neare them, there is no shew of them.

Before I come to the matter, I will examine the title of his booke, in which he hath placed a peece of holy Scripture, taken out of S. Peter,* 1.1 who willeth all men to be readie to giue an answer of that hope which is in them: what then is become of the vnfolden faith of Papists, who will haue simple men to answer, that they beleeue as the Church beleeueth? S. Peter speaketh of the hope that is in them, not out of them, in themselues, not in another. In a word, to say they beleeue as the Church beleeueth, is an answer fit for all heretikes. Furthermore, out of this place of S. Peter, we ga∣ther that Christian men haue a hope in them, yet Pope Iohn the 23. denied the immortalitie of the soule. Bellarmine had rather discredit the Councill of Constance, in which this is reported, then confesse an errour. There is one thing yet to be touched in his answer vnto the coppie of a letter, in which he protesteth his loy∣altie to our late gracious Queene Elizabeth. May we trust him? If I should demaund of him, whether he alloweth the Bull of Pius Quintus or no, it may be I should pose him. The Papists teach that the Pope may depose Princes, and yet they will be good sub∣iects.

If he answereth that he is not a Papist in this point: where is his Vnitie, of which he vaunteth in one of his reasons? Parrie con∣fessed that euery word in Doctor Allens booke was a warrant to a prepared minde.* 1.2 It taught that Kings may be excommunicated, depriued, and violently handled: it prooueth that all warre vnder∣taken for Religion is honourable. Thus M. Doctor you see we haue cause to doubt of your loyaltie, but I leaue that to God Al∣mightie who searcheth the hearts of all men, and come to your Reasons.

In answering your arguments I purpose to draw them to syl∣logismes, your first argument hath in it this syllogisme.

• They which make the prophesies of Christ to be false, hold a false religion:
• But the Protestants make the prophesies of Christ to be false:
• Ergo they hold a false religion.

I denie the assumption, which you prooue out of the 12. of Iohn, where Christ foretelleth that he will draw all men vnto him; but by the Protestants doctrine Christ hath not done so. Ergo.

I denie the assumption againe, for exposition of which place of holy writ,* 1.3 I produce Augustine, who writeth thus. Quae omnia? nisi ex quibus Ille eijcitur foras. non autem dixit omnes, sed omnia, non enim omnium est sides. What all but those out of which Sathan is cast? he said not all men, but all things, for all men haue not faith. Againe Augustine writeth thus. Aut si omnia, ipsi homines intelligendi sunt, omnia praedestinata ad salutem possumus dicere. If by all things all men are meant, we may vnderstand all the predestinate vnto saluation.

Your other Scriptures foretell the calling of the Gentiles, which we confesse. To proceede in this argument, was not Christ true in his promise, when as Act. 1.15. the Church was but about a hundred and twentie soules? here is no great number, and yet this small number was in a chamber. In the 13. of the Reuel. v. 3. the whole earth wondered at the beast, yet is Christ true in his promise. In your Apologie of English fugitiues, thus you shall finde it written. The whole world did runne from Christ after Iulian to plaine Paganisme, after Valens to Arrianisme. The Rhe∣mists vpon the second of the Thessalonians, acknowledge a re∣uolt from the Church. Nazianzen in his oration of Cyprian saith, that Cyprianus in temporibus Decij solus è Christianis est relictus. S.

Cyprian in Decius his time was the onely Christian.* 1.4 The Arrian Emperour speaketh thus vnto Liberius, Quota pars tu es orbis ter∣rarum; qui solus facis cum homine scelerato, & orbis terrarum, & mun∣di ••otius pacem dissoluis? What part of the world art thou that one∣ly takest part with the wicked man, and dissoluest the peace of the whole earth? Liberius answereth, Non diminuitur solitudine mea verbum sidei, nam & olim tres soli fuere qui edicto resisterent. In that I am left alone, the word of faith is not diminished, for in times past, there were three onely which resisted the kings edict. Thus euery man may see Christ true in his promise, though the church be not alwaies glorious in outward appearance. I will now retort the ar∣gument vpon the Papists themselues;

• They which hold that the faith of Christ may be wholly ex∣tinguished, make the promises of Christ vntrue:
• But the Papist holdeth that the faith of Christ may be whol∣ly extinguished. Ergo.

The assumption is auouched by Dominicus Asote, who saith,* 1.5 as te∣stifieth Bellarmine himselfe, that extinct a fide per discessionem ab A∣postolica sede, totus mundus vanus erit, the faith beeing extinguished by a departure from the Apostolicall See, the whole world shall be vaine. I may speake therefore of this Doctor, as Tullie doth to one, Ea in alterum ne dicas, quae cum tibi responsa sunt, erubescas: vtter not these things against another, which when they are answered, will make thee ashamed. Now I come to vntruths which are a∣uouched in this chapter. First, he chargeth vs that we affirme, that almost all nations haue beene in Lucifer his thraldome vntill this our age in which Luther came to expell Lucifer. Secondly he af∣firmeth that in our countrey of England, it is most manifest, that all were Papists without exception, frō the first christening there∣of vntill this age of king Henrie the eight. M. Doctor, haue you lost your forehead? was Iohn Wickliff a Papist? I perswade my selfe you dare not affirme it. Againe, this land receiued the faith in the Apostles time, as witnesseth Tertullian in his book against the Iewes. But the Apostles preached not Poperie. Did the Apostles teach the halfe communion? who but blind would affirme it? A∣gaine, in Pope Gregories time, this land differed in ceremonies, & in celebration of the Masse from Rome, asb 1.6 Aquinas teacheth: who list to read more of this point, may be referred vnto D. Fulks ouerthrow of Stapletons fortresse. Thus I haue answered this first

cauill of the Doctor against our religion, for I passe by the title that he giueth to Lucifer calling him the master deuill. The diffe∣rence of deuills I leaue to Papists to set forth, who are sometimes too familiar with them,* 1.7 as Silvester, who was made Pope by the helpe of the deuill.

Luther his speach concerning the restoring of the Gospel, must be vnderstood comparatiuely: the Gospel was before his time, but it was not, in tanta luce, in such brightnes, as it hath beene since, and I trust it shall more and more increase ingratijs Papistarum, whether the Papists will or no. They may presse the truth, but they shall neuer oppresse it: they may vaunt of veritie, but they must winne the cause by force of arguments.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Pe••. 3.
• * 1.2

  Do••t. Bill. 704.
• * 1.3

  in hunc locum.
• * 1.4

  Th••oph. lib. 1. cap. 16. Read Aug. in 128 psal. and Te••tul e••hor. ad Ca••i & Pa∣ci••nus in part. ad po••ni.
• * 1.5

  Lib. 3. d•• Pap••. cap. 17.
• b 1.6

  2. 2. 93 quaest, art. 1. arg. 3.
• * 1.7

  Tasc. temp.