A discouerie and batterie of the great fort of vnwritten traditions otherwise, an examination of the Counsell of Trent, touching the decree of Traditions. Done by Martinus Chemnitius in Latine, and translated into Englishe by R.V.

That the general Councels without the worde of God, are not sufficient to make Articles of our fayth. CAP. III.

EƲsebius in his ecclesiasticall historie, lib. 1. Cap. 8. The head rulers of the Churche, for∣getting Gods commaundements were in∣flamed one agaynste another with con∣tention, zeale, enuye, pryde, malice, and hatred, so that they thoughte rather that they occupied the roome of Tirantes then of Priestes. And also, forgetting Christian humilitie and sinceritie, they did celebrate the holy mysteries with vnholy handes.

Gregorie Nazianzen to Procopius. Vndoubtedly I thinke thus, if I must needes write the truth, that al assemblies of Bishops are to be es∣chued. For I neuer saw good ende of any synode, that did not rather bring in euils, then put them away: for the lustes of strife and desire, and of Lordship raigne there.

Augustine in his seconde booke and thirde chapter againste the Donatists. The Councels, whiche are kepte through euery region or prouince, without all cloakings, oughte to giue place to the generall councels, which are made of all Christendome: yea and the former generall Counsels, oughte ofte times to bee reformed by the latter councelles, if anye thing in them doe chaunce to erre from the truth.

Augustine against Maximinum the Bishop of the Arrianes. lib. 3 Ca. 4. But now neither ought I to aleage the counsel of Nice, nor thou the counsel of Arimine, to take aduauntage thereby: for neither am I bound nor held by the authoritie of this, nor thou of that. Let matter with matter, cause with cause, or reason with reason, trye the matter by the aucthoritie of Scriptures, not proper witnesses to any of vs, but indifferent witnesses for vs both.

Gerson. Wee ought rather beleeue the saying of any teacher, armed with the Canonycall Scripture, then the Popes determinati∣on.

The same. More credite is to be giuen to a man, that is singularlye learned in the Scripture, bringing foorth catholick authoritie, then to the generall councell.

Panormitan in cap. significasti. A simple lay man, bringing foorth the scriptures, is to be beleeued rather then an whole Counsell. For a counsell may erre, as it hath afore times erred, as did the counsell of Melchildense and Aquisgranum, of contracting of Matrimonie. The Councell of Constance among other Articles of Iohn Hus and Hie∣rome of Prage, vniustly condemned, condemned also this Article for heresie: that the two natures (that is) the diuine and humanitie be one Christ, which is a necessarie article of our faith, expressed in the Creed of Athanasius called Qui cunque vult, where it is reade: The righte Fayth is, that we beleeue and confesse, that our Lord Iesus Christe the sonne of God is God and man, and a little after: Like as the reasona∣ble soule and the flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ: the same is also decreede by the counsell of Nice and diuers other catho∣like counsels, and it is the doctrine of the Church at this time. Finallye it may be prooued by the expresse word of God, and yet these malici∣ous Cleargie were not ashamed to condemn the same for an heresie.

¶ Note here gentle Reader, vnto what shamelesse and detestable he∣resies their popish, yea Antichristian generall counsels haue fallen, of the which they boast so much, that they cannot erre, and wherevpon chiefly they build all their errours and heresies. Moreouer the moste part of the good lawes and Canons be in maner altogither abrogated and no where kept: part whereof I shall ex∣presse.

Canons of the Apostles and Counsels not kept nor vsed.

LEt not a Bishop, Priest or Deacon, by any meanes put awaye his owne wyfe vnder pretence of religi∣on: but if he doe, let him bee excommunicated: and if he so continue let him be deposed.

Canon. 4. Let no Bishoppe, Priestor Deacon bee receaued into an other Bishops Diocese, with∣out a testimoniall of his good behauiour: and when they haue deli∣uered their writings, let them be diligently examined if they be god∣ly Preachers.

¶ If these 2 lawes were throughly executed by indifferent Iudges being no Priests, the realm of England should not swarm so full of rū∣agates, adulterous, & sodomicall Priestes. For in Wales for their cradle crownes payd to the Ordinarie, they kept their concubines or harlots openly: & in England many great beneficed men keepe their harlots at rack and maunger without any punishment, excepte it be by bri∣bing of the ordinaries priuily: and all shame set aside, they haue their own knowne bastardes wayting vppon them in sighte of the whole world. But the poore purgatorie Priests whē they be taken in opē ad∣ulterie, flee from east to west, from north to south, frō Diocese to Dio∣cese, & there be receaued without any letters testimonial at al: where they be taken for honest & chast Priests. But if the rich Priests were de priued of al their promotiōs, so oft as they be known to be fornicators (as they ought to be) & the pore Priests not receaued into any strange diocese, without testimonie of his honest demeanour, from his for∣mer ordinarie: you should scarcely finde Priestes: for euery third be benefice of England, & the Priests thēselues would be the first earnest suters that they might haue their lawfull wiues of their owne: but as long as they be their own iudges (according to the old prouerbe, one skabbed horse gnappeth another) what for fauor & friendship what for money & for slaūdering of their order: they winke one at anothers faults, & help to cloke the same insomuch, that within my memorie, which is aboue 30 yeares, & also by enformation of other, that be 20. yeres elder thē I, I could neuer perceaue or learn, that any one Priest, vnder the Popes kingdome, was euer punished for aduoutrie by his

ordinarie. And yet not long ago, a Petycanon of a Cathedrall Church in England was accused of buggerie, by three boyes of the gramer schole, to the vicedeane or subdeane of the same Church, a man not vnlike to a monke called Iodocus: of whome Erasmus maketh men∣tion, that he were worthy to walke openly with a bell and a cockes combe, if he were not set forth vnder the holy habet of a monke. But when he perceaued, that the saide Priest could not purge himselfe of the foresaide crime, he priuely payed him his quarters wages before hand, and suffered him to depart withoute farther tryall of the sayde crime: and now he ietteth in london, with side gowne and sarcenet tippet, as good a virgin prieste as the beste. If I should but breefely touch all the Histories, that I haue knowen of the incontinencye of Priests, it would growe to a worke thrise greater, then all my whole booke, and it would mak some of the proudest of them to blushe, if they be not past all shame: but I will not blot my good paper with so euill matter: although they bee not ashamed openly to blotte and stain their own names with crymes, worthy of such reproch and ig∣nominy.

Let not any Bishop, Priest or Deacon, in any wise take vpon him any secular businesse: but if he doe, let him be excommunicated.

¶ But now such shamelesse contemners they be of their own lawes, which they so greatly extoll and bind all other to keepe: that they be hunters, faukoners, stewardes, surueyars and receiuers to al great men, yea and to the Bishopes themselues.

If any Priest or Deacon, or any other of the number of Priesthood, do not receaue at the communion let him shew his cause: if it be rea∣sonable, let him bee pardoned: if not, let him be depriued from the Communion.

It is meete to put of from the communion al Christen men (which enter into the Church, and heare the Scriptures, but continue not in prayer vntil masse be done: nor receaue there the holy communion:) as disturbers, of the quietnesse of the Church.

¶ By these two Canons be subuerted, and vtterly ouerthrowne, all priuate masses, where the Priest onely receiueth.

Let the olde custom continnue still in Egipt, Libia and Pentapoly, that the Byshop of Alexandrye haue power ouer all these: for as much as the Bishop of Rome hath a lyke custome. At Antioche also, and other prouinces: let their honour bee reserued to euery Church. Because there be some that kneele at their prayers on the Sonday and in whitson weeke: be it therefore ordeined by this holy counsell, that

all men stande at their prayers, for so muche as it is a conuenient cu∣stome, fit to be kept in all Churches.

¶ But now Antichrist of Rome, contrarie to this decree, hath extol∣led himselfe aboue his fellow Bishops, as Gods Vicar, yea rather as God himselfe: and taketh vpon him authoritie ouer Kinges and Em∣perours, and sitteth in the temple of God, that is, in the consciences of men, and causeth his decrees to be more regarded then Gods lawes, yea and for money he dispenseth with Gods lawes and all other, gi∣uing men licence to breake them.

If any Priest be found eating in a common Alehouse, let him be ex∣communicated.

If any man iudge that a maried Priest ought not to offer, as it were for his mariage sake: and for that cause doe abstaine from his obla∣tion, let him be excommunicated.

¶ But now maried Priestes be excommunicated, and except they will forsake their lawfull wiues, they shall be burned therefore.

For as much as there are some, which pray standing, both on the Sonday and in Whitson weeke: it is therefore ordayned by this holy counsel, that because it is a cōuenient custome, & agreeable through∣out all churches, that mē should make their prayers to God standing.

¶ This law is no where kept.

Let no Priest be made before 30 yeares, yea though he bee of an honest life, but let him tarry to the time appointed: for the Lord was baptized at 20 yeares and then preached.

¶ How this law is kept, the whole world may iudge, for the Cardi∣nall of Loreine was made about the 12 yeare of his age. And Pope Clement made two of his Nephews Cardinals, being very boyes. And of late in the Popes Kingdome children haue bene made Archedea∣cons, and Deanes of Cathedrall Churches.

No man may be receaued to baptisme in Lent, after two weekes.

Bread ought not to be offered in lent but in the saturday and Son∣day.

¶ He speaketh of the bread of the holye Communion. But who keepeth these lawes.

Lay men ought not to sing any made and commonly vsed songs in the Church, nor reade any booke beside the Canon: but onely the canonical bookes of the new and old testament, those bookes which ought to be read and receaued for authoritie, those bookes, which be deuided from the bookes called Apocripha, in the great Bible. Vnto the whiche Saint Ciprian, Hierome, Austen, with all the olde writers agree.

¶ But the third Counsell of Carthage added to these the bookes of Wisedome, Ecclesiasticus, Tobie, Iudith, Hester, and the Bookes of the Machabees, vnto which later Counsell, the Papistes cleaue with tooth and nayle, & therevpon stay their purgatorie, praying to faints, with diuerse other errors and heresies: contrary to the elder and bet∣ter counsels. Hereby you may most easily perceaue, how shameful∣ly their generall counsels haue erred, as well in the iudgement of the Scriptures, as also in necessarie articles of our fayth and good maners. Yea and the chiefest and ouldest counsels be (as Anacharsis sayde of the lawes made by Solon for the Athenians) like to copwebs, wherein smal flies, gnats, and Miges be taken, and deuoured of the spiders: but great Hornettes and Humblebees flie through and breake them, without any daunger or hurt. And generally there is no lawes regar∣ded, kept or maintained among them: but suche as make (as they turne them) pro pane lucrando, that is, for their dignities, immunities or liberties and profites. Wherefore the wordes of our Sauiour Christ may be rightly verified of them: they lay heauie and importable bur∣thens on other mens shoulders, but will not once mooue them with their finger. For all their lawes be but nets to take and kill the poore fishes, and to fill their owne paun∣ches.

Notes

• They vvere ga∣thered in the spirite of pride and enuy, and not in the spirite of meekenesse and loue.
• Note these vvordes diligent¦ly, and forget them not.
• Counsails are not of such au∣thoritie, that vvhatsoeuer they decree, must be holden for truth.
• The scripture must trie all.
• Mark this.
• Reade ye Papists, and be no longer ignorant.
• Counsels maye and doe erre oft times.
• Reade the Psalm.
• Canon 3.
• O vvhat a coure is this, that in suspicion of here∣sie acquiteth no man, and in cause of adultery con∣demneth no priest, be his crime neuer so o∣penly knovvne.
• Cano. 7.
• Cano. 9.
• Cano. 10.
• The counsel of nice, cano. 6.
• The counsel of nice cano. 20.
• The Counsell of Nice. 6.
• The Counsell of Gansgrense.
• Ibidem. 7.
• The Counsell of Neocesario.
• The Counsell of Laodicia.
• Ibidem.
• Ibidem.
• Mat. 23.