The third part of the Defence of the Reformed Catholike against Doct. Bishops Second part of the Reformation of a Catholike, as the same was first guilefully published vnder that name, conteining only a large and most malicious preface to the reader, and an answer to M. Perkins his aduertisement to Romane Catholicks, &c. Whereunto is added an aduertisement for the time concerning the said Doct. Bishops reproofe, lately published against a little piece of the answer to his epistle to the King, with an answer to some few exceptions taken against the same, by M. T. Higgons latley become a proselyte of the Church of Rome. By R. Abbot Doctor of Diuinitie.

22. W. BISHOP.

I come now to the men that are elected to serue the Lord there. Be not many of them (for the whole corps I will not touch) such as Ieroboam was glad to choose, when he made a Schisme in Israel: to wit, de extremis populi, qui non erant de filijs Leui: not lawfull successors of the true Priests, but o∣thers of the baser sort of the people, and them commonly that are notable, either for ignorance or some other odde qualitie? and must they not also fill their good patrons hands with some feeling commoditie, before they can get a benefice? And so be∣ginning with simonie, linked with periurie (for the poore fel∣lowes must neuerthelesse sweare, that they come freely to their benefice) are they not like to proceed on holily? As for the vow of chastitie, the daily seruice and often fasting, which Ca∣tholike

Priests are bound vnto; they by the sweet libertie of the new Gospell, doe exchange into solacing themselues with their yoke-fellowes: this of the common sort of their Ministers. With their preachers I will not meddle for feare of offence▪ yet if any desire to know how they behaue themselues in other coun∣tries, they may read the censure of a zealous learned preacher, one of their owne companions; who amongst many other things writeth thus of them. * 1.1 When you come to preachers, who bragge that they haue the word of God, you shall finde certaine of them manifest liars, others drunkards, some vsu∣rers and foule-mouthed slanderers, some persecutours and betraiers of harmelesse persons. How some of them behaue themselues, and by what meanes they get their wiues, and what kinde of wiues they haue, that I leaue to the Lord and them. They liue an idle, slothfull and voluptuous life: by fraud and flattery they feed themselues of the spoiles of Antichrist (he meaneth the benefices taken from the Pa∣pists) and doe Preach iust as the earthly and carnall Magi∣strate desireth to heare, and will permit, &c. So much, and not a little more, speaketh one great Master of the late refer∣mation, concerning his Euangelicall brethren. Are not these goodly lampes of the new Gospell, and likely persons to be chosen by Christ, to giue light to others, and to reforme the world•• But peraduenture they haue in some secret corners, certaine deuout religious soules, who in an austere retired life, doe with continuall teares bewaile the sinnes of the rest, and make inces∣sant sute vnto the Almighty, for a generall pardon of the whole. Would to God they had, but I feare me that they be of their in∣uisible congregati••o, or rather none such to be found amongst them. For those neligious houses, which our Ancesters had built for such godlyrand vertuous people, who (forsaking both father, mother, all their kinne and acquaintance, and flying from all the pleasures and preferments, which this transitorie world could yeeld them) gaue themselues wholly to the holy ex∣ercises of humilitie, chastitie, pouertie, and all sorts of morti∣fication: these Monasteries (I say) and all that professed in them

a retired religious life, the Protestants haue beaten downe and banished, and haue not in their places erected any other, for the singular godly men or women of their religion; Which doth most euidently argue, that there is in them small zeale, and rare pra∣ctise, of any such extraordinary piety and deuotion. Surely it must needes be a strange Christian congregation, that holdeth them for no tollerable members of their common-weale, whom Christ specially chuseth to serue him day and night; and by whose holy example and most feruent praiers, all other Christi∣ans do finde themselues much edified, and mightily protected. So that briefly, whether you consider the persons that serue God, or the place where hee is serued, or the manner of his di∣uine sernice, the Catholike religion doth in euery point surpasse the Protestant by many degrees. Thus much in answer vnto Master PERKINS obiection of Atheisme against vs, the which I esteemed fittest for this Preface, being a matter of so great moment, and therefore most worthy to be examined and considered of apart, with mature iudgement. Now to the rest of his questions, according to his owne order.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Menno l. de Christ fide. ti∣tul. de fide mu∣lieris Cananeae.