A Brief Confutation of a Popish Discourse, Part 1 · Reason 6 – Answer 6
The sixth Reason.
THE sixth cause, why a Catholike may not come to churche, is, because…. Dissimulation. he cannot come without dissimulation. The which, in matters of conscience and religion, is treacherie to God Almightie, and a very dangerous matter. For as the worthie father S. Ambrose saith. It may be lawfull sometimes in a monie matter, to holde thy peace, but in gods Ambro. lib. 2. …ffi. cap. 24.cause, where there is danger in communicating with his enimies, to dis semble only, is no small sinne. The reason whereof, is that sore saying of Christes owne mouth. He that is not with me is against me As thoughMat. 22. hee had saide, Hee that dissembleth, and knowing me and my cause to be oppressed, holdeth his peace, and defendeth mee not, I will holde him in the number of my enimies, that are against me. According to the which rule of Christ S. Iohn (which well knew the inward and secrete meaningIohn. 12. of Christ) speaking of certaine noble men and gentlemen of Iury. The which did beleeue in Christ, but durst not confesse him openly for feare of the Iewes. Condemneth them of a great and damnable mortall sinne against the first commandement for the same saying, that by this act, they shewed that they loued the glory of men, more then the glory of God. By the which example, we see, that we do wilfully dishonor God, and con sequently, commit damnable treason against him, when wee doe for any feare or temporall respect, dissemble our faith, & hold our peace againstDissemblinge in Religion is … against God. our consciences. The which thing Saint Paul considering, he layeth down vntounto vsus a generall rule. Ore fit confessio ad salutem, To be saued we mustRom. 10. Aug. de. Fi. & sim. …ap. 1. needes confesse our faith by mouth, or open speeche: vppon the which wordes S. Austen saith. We cannot be saued out of this wicked and malignant worlde, except we indeuouring to saue our neighbours (besides beleeuing) doe also professe our faith by mouth, which we beare in our hearts, the which faith of ours, wee must prouide by godly and wary watchfulnesse, that it be not in any respect hurt or violated, by the craf tie subtiltie of Heretikes. Note his admonition, let it not be in any respectThe subtiltie of Heretikes. violated with craftie subtiltie. As for example, by causing a man to yeelde a little against his conscience to goe once to churche, to stay but a little there, to hauehave seruice in his owne house, or the like: In the which, if a man might say (as commonly they doe say in euil meates) that a litle, wil do but a litle hurt, it were more tollerable. But seeing the matter standeth as it doth, in poysons, wherof eueryevery litle dram wil be thy bane: No maruel though men shew thēselues more scrupulous. Heare the iudgement of a whole cleargie in the Primatiue church, and alleadged by S. Cyprian the Martyr of Christ, Whereas the whole misterie of faith, is vnderstood to Cler. Rom. apud Cyp. epist. 31.consist in the confessing of the name of Christ, he that hath sought false sleights for excuse thereof, hath nowe denied it: and he that wil seeme to hauehave fulfilled such statutes and lawes, as are set foorth against the Gospel, in so doing he hath obeied them in very deed: For asmuch, as he woulde hauehave it seeme that he hath obeied them. Heere you see nowe, allVVho dissembleth his faith, … it. dissembling of our faith taken, for denying our faith: and al seeming to be condemned for doing. The which that old valiant champion of God, Eliazarus, ful wel knewe, when he rather chose to die, then to seeme to eate a peace of flesh (albeit he did it not in deede) cōtrary to the law of god. And2. Mach▪ 6. the reason hee giueth for it, is this, It is not fitte for our age to faine. O good Eliazarus, if it were not fit for thy age, to faine or dissemble in matters of religion, what shall wee say of our age, wherein, for manye respectes, wee are more bounde too confesse our Lorde, and Maister, and his catholike Religion, then thou wert? For that wee hauehave receiued more benefites at his handes, and ha…e seeneLuc. 11. howe hee confessed vsus before his enimies and ours, and could not beBl…sbing at Christes ca…se is damnable. brought by any feare or torment to denie vsus. Bu… well, their wil bee wicked men, and dissembling christians stil: Yet notwithstanding, Gods law must stande, set downe by Christe his owne mouth. Hee that shal blush or be ashamed of me and my sayings, of him shall the sonne of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his maiestie, and in the maiestie of his Father, and o… his holy angels. Hee doeth not onelyonly say, if we do denie him, but if wee doe blushe, or be ashamed to confesse him: whiche consideration made the Apostles, and other seruantes of Christe, so peremptorilie to proceede in confessing openly their faith, with what danger soeuer it were. And S. Paul giueth a reason of it, when he saith, … be vntounto me except▪ I do preach the gospel. That is, except I cōfesse it, except I set it forth1. Cor. 9. what danger bodily soeuer come thereof. And in the Actes of the Apostles, the high Priestes and Magistrates commaunded not the Apostles toAct. 4. bee of their religion, nor yet to come to their seruice, in their sinagogues, but onelyonly to holde their peace. And that they shoulde not speake or teache any more in the name of Iesus. But the apostles vtterly denied to obey that cōandement, and in the chapter folowing, being taken again for not obeying, were asked in open iudgement by the Magistrates thus. We commaunded you straightly to teach no more in this name, and how Act. 5.chanseth it, that you hauehave filled all Ierusalem with this doctrine. And Peter answered with the rest of the Apostles, Wee must rather obey God, then men. As who should s…y, that if they shoulde hauehave graunted to dissemble and not to speake openly, they shoulde hauehave denied God in obeiyng men more then him.
What if the high Priestes and Magistrates shoulde hauehave saide vntounto…arke this suppo sition and apply it … our time. them: wel, wee are content that you liue with your conscience, so you keepe it to your selues, and trouble not the state, and so that you wil (for obedience sake) sometime come to our s…agogues shewing your selues conformable men to our proceedings. Nay, what if they shoulde hauehave saide: Some of you also, for outward shewe, (keeping alwaies your consciences to your selues) must flee this odious name of Christians, and seeme to communicate now and then with vsus, in our sacrifices and ceremonies:The manner of dissembling schismat…es liuely expressed. wee are content also, that some of you shalbe our officers and Iustices of peace, counsellours and the like, so that you will sometimes, (for orders sake) punishe some of those vndiscreete felowes of your religion, which cannot be content to keepe their consciences to themselues: so you wil also giuegive some pretie sharpe charge in your circuites, sessions,O … …ssembling. this is done by many in England. Lining to a mans ovvne conscience, by leauing hi… …eife no conscience. and assemblies, (alwayes keeping your consciences to your selues) and if some of you also wil some times step vp into the Pulpet, and speake three or foure earnest woordes against this religion, it shal be verie grateful vntounto vsus, especially if you wil affirme i… with an othe which wee hauehave deuised for the same purpose: and this doing, wee assure you, that you shal liue quietly to your owne consciences, and we shal account you for good subiectes. If, I say, the Magistrates of Iurie at that time should hauehave giuen to the Apostles and other Christians this sweete charme: doe you thinke that they could hauehave abidden to heare it al out, whose hearts did rise and swel at two woordes only that they spoke, for the intreating of them to holde their peace? And yet many a thousand now in Englande, beeing as throughly perswaded in heart of the truth of the catholike religion as the Apostles and other Christians at that time were of theirs, are content notwithstanding, to heare, digest, admit, and execute, al, or most part of these thinges recited, contrarie to the saide religion. And yet besides al this (which is more to be wondred at) they are not ashamed to persuade them selues that they shal one day come to that glorie wherein the Apostles nowe are. But this is desperate presumption. And therefore we see whatDesperate presumption▪ a iust cause this is, for a catholike to refuse to come to the churches of the contrarie religion.
The sixth reason.
THe sixt cause (hée saieth) why a catholike may not come to church, is because he cannot come without dissimulation. Therefore, let the Popishe Catholike leaue his dissimulation, and become a good Christian, rather then to leaue the Church, and become an obstinate Schismatike. In this reason, as in the rest, certeine leaues are spent in shewing, that God abhorreth dissembling and will not hold them guiltlesse, which holde their peace when he is …ishonoured, and are ashamed clearely to confesse Christ and his trueth before men, &c. But that the going to Protestantes Churches, is a deniall of Christ, a dissimulation of his truth, or any such matter, there is nothing at all brought to proue it. But sée I pray you, his …ditious insinuation, which hée maketh in his fonde supposition, which hée woulde hauehave to be applied to our time: what if the high Priestes and Magistrates, shoulde hauehave saide to Peter and the Astles: Well wee are content that you liue with your consciences, so you keepe it to your selues and trouble not the state, and so that you will for obedience sake sometime come to our Synagogues, shewing your selues conformable men to our proceedinges. Nay, what if they shoulde hauehave saide, Some of you also, for outward shewe (keeping alwayes your consciences to your selues) must bee this odious name of Christians, and seeme to communicate nowe and then with vsus, in our sacrifices, and ceremonies: Wee are content also that some of you shalbe our Officers and Iustices of peace, Councellers and the like, so that you wil sometimes (for order sake) punishe some of those indiscreete fellowes of your religion, which cannot be content to keepe their consciences to them selues: so you wil also giuegive some pretie sharpe charge, in your Circuites, Sessions, and assemblies (alwayes keeping your consciences to your selues) and if some of you also wilsometimes steppe vp into the Pulpet, and speake three or foure earnest woordes against this religion, It shalbee verie gratefull vntounto vsus, especially, if you wil affirme it with an oth, which we hauehave deuised for the same purpose: and this doing wee assure you, that you shal liue quietly to your owne consciences, and wee shal account you for good subiectes. This trayterous supposition, which you will vsus to apply to our time, and note in the Margent, to be the maner of dissembling Schismatikes, liuely expressed, to be done, by many in Englande: declareth howe reuerently you thinke & speake, and would hauehave ignorant persons to conceiue of her Maiestie, and the principall Officers and Magistrates of the realme, that shée with them, not onelyonly exhorteth men to dissimulation, false meaning and periurie, but also that her Maiestie is content, to hauehave such hypocrites, and false forsworne persons, to be her Officers, and Iustices, yea her Councellers and Prelates of the Church. No meruaile, if you protest of your duetifulnesse, and obedience, which thus villainously conceiue and write of her excellent Maiestie, and call her to the reading of it, which were too intollerable to be iudged, of any person of wisedome and honestie, of howe lowe degrée and calling soeuer hée were. It is hard therefore to susteine a counterfeit person long. For euen while you declayme against dissimulation, you hauehave discouered your selfe to bee an horrible dissembler.