A Brief Confutation of a Popish Discourse, Part 1 · Section
HE beginneth with a large Periode, and stately style, as though hée were endyting of a Proclamation, or an A…te of Parliament, with a long breath, stretched Lunges and full mouth. That the Queenes moste excellent Maiesty, the Honourable Lordes of her Priuie Counsell and other the learned and wyse of E…glande maye see- Quid tanto dignum feret hic Promissor hiatu? Parturiunt montes nascetur ridiculus mus. What will this large promiser, bring foorthe woorthy of so wide a gaping? The Mountaynes are in trauell a ridiculous Mouse shall bee borne anon: For what in Gods name, shall all the Learned and wise in Englande sée? Beside her Maiestie and her honorable C…unsell. Forsooth. That the refusall of going too the churche of so many thousand Catholikes at this day, in that realme is not vppon d…oyaltie or stubborne obstinacie as their aduersaries giuegive it out. A m…tter indeede woorthie of so greate a presence as you summoned before you, to defend so ma…y thousand Catholikes, as in that realme make refusall to goe to Church. …ut aduise your selfe well, whether your Checke roule doe not deceiue you, and by a Cyphar too muche, make you insteede of a se…e hundreds, too sette downe so manye thousandes. Or if your friende, more woorshipfull then true of his woorde, in certifiyng you of manye thousandes of Gentlemen imprisoned whose defense you take in hande …oo make, hath deceyued you, you séeme to bee a manne altogether vnme…te, to speake in the eares of her mo…e excellent Maiestie, and the Honourable Lords of her Priuie Connsell (that I cléene omitte, all the wyse, and Learned of Englande) whiche are so lighte of credite, too imagine that so manye thousande Gentlemen of this Realme, shoulde professe suche obstinacie, after so manye yéeres teaching too refuse obedience too her Maiesties Lawes touching Religion, when so fewe of anye calling, repugned at the firste publishing of the same. Or if you make a wilfull Lye (because I cannot thinke so basely of youre witte, too bée deceiued in so playne a matter) not onelye her Maiestie and Honourable Counsell, but all the wise and Learned of England, maye easily gesse, what trueth they shall looke for in the rest of your discourse, when so manifest a fal…ood is contayned in your firste sentence: and what purpose you followed in faygning the refusall of so manye thousaundes, whiche if they were all registred, will not muche excéede the le…e number of hundereds.
Well, too omitte the number, the cause you say of their refusall is not as their Aduersaries geue out: But vppon conscience and greate reason, and for the auoyding of manifest perill of eternall damnation, whiche they shoulde incurre in yeelding too that, whiche is demaunded at theyr handes. And that all the wise and learned of the Lande, with the Prince and her Counsel, maye sée this to be so, I (saith hee) hauehave put downe some causes and reasons here following.
…erily yo… hauehave taken a greate péece of woorke in hande, and …hosen no mean…, Iudges, therefore it standeth you in hande, to bring substantiall prooues.
Let vsus heare therefore how you begin. Your Margent noteth A necessary suppositiō, your text runneth in these woordes. But first o… all, it is to be noted, that my reasons (to the end they may conuince) are to be supposed to proceede from a Catholike minde, that is from a man which in his conscience is throughly perswaded, that onelyonly the catholike Romaine religion is trueth, and that all other newe doctrines, and religions are false religions, as al new Gods, are false Gods. Certaynely it is a necessary supposition, without the which, al your reasons are not woorth a …igge, and it is such a supposition, as if it might hauehave byn allowed vntounto Arius, Macedonius, or Eutyches &c. Their reasons might hauehave conuinced all their aduersaries. Suppose an He…etike to bee a Catholike, and heresie to bee truth, and Arius was a good Priest, Macedonius was an holy Bishop, E…yches was a reuerend Abbot. Truely I was deceiued, whē I Prognosticated in y• beginning that the trauell of the mountanes would bring foorth a litle mouse. For behold they hauehave brought …oorth a great Monster, a necessary supposition, y• this writers reasons (to the end they may cō uince, are to bee supposed to procéede from a Catholike minde. No maruell, though you blewe the Trumpet, and made a lowd noise: That the Queenes most excellent Maiestie, the Honourable Lordes of her priuie Counsell, and all other the learned, and wise of England might sée, that all your niene reasons, to the ende they may conuince, must be supposed to procéede from a man that is persuaded, that only the Catholike Romayne religion is trueth, and all other new doctrines and religions are false. But why doe you oppose the Catholike Romayne Religion, to all other new doctrines? When by the Catholike Romayne religion, you meane the present Popishe religion, and not the auncient Romayne religion, which was the Catholike religion of all true Christians. I sée wel, as we must first of all suppose you to be a true Catholik, so wee must secondly suppose, the present Popishe Heresie, to be the auncient Romayne and vniuersall religion, of al the Catholike Church of Christ. These suppositions will doe you greate pleasure, to the ende (as you saye) that your reasons maye conuince. But by such suppositions, the théefe that standeth at the barre, with as good reason may bee acquited, and the I…dge that … on the benche, by the … bee cond… ned. After this necessary supposition, followeth a profitable diuision, of Catholikes, whereof there are twoo sortes in Englande: One of them whiche although they iudge that all participation, with all other Religions is noughte, yet for feare, or fauour, or for some worldly cause they are content to communicate with them, in all, or some thinges, by him named, As in deede, or in shewe, by othe, by Sacramentes, by going to theyr prayers & seruice, or otherwise. These hee pronounceth t… bée out of all doubte, in a damnable case, for this hée all…adgeth Augustine, Saint Paule, Thomas of Aquine &c. And it is verie true, that whosoeuer doeth contrary to his conscience, …ee it iustly or falsely perswaded. sinneth damnablye, but when hee proceedeth further, to charge such with sinne agaynst the holye Ghost, whereof our Sauiour Christe sayeth, that it shall ne…r be forgeuen in this worlde, nor in the worlde to come, hee pronounceth not onelye a fals…, but also an vnle…ed Iudgemente,Math. 12. Mark. 3. Luk…. 12. and euen contrarie too himselfe, and tho…e principles whiche hee alloweth: For although hée sinne verie grieuously whiche sinneth wilfully agaynst his owne Conscience, yet hée sinneth not alwayes irremisibly: For hée that knoweth M…ther, Adulterie, and suche like … offences too …ee damnable, and yet wilfully, his conscience reclaiming, béeyng ouercome of yre or lust, or suchother wicked affection, doth committe them, doeth not by and by committe sinne agaynst the holie Ghoste: but by the grace of GOD, may bée renewed by repentance. The same is too bee saide of them, that dissemble their profession, and outwardly communicate with Idolaters and Heretikes, but not woorse then the…s, nor halfe so ill, is the case of dissembling Papistes, whiche beside their ignoraunce and false perswasion whiche resteth in supposition, this manne himselfe confesseth, for feare or fauour, or other worldlye cause, too doe that whiche is contrarie too theire corrupte Conscience and erroneous perswasion. Which is the sinne of humane …railtie, and not of malicious contumelie, and blas…mie against the grace and spirite of GOD. Neither doth Augustine who… hee cyteth vppon the fiftie foure Psalme, maintayne his cruel and desperate Censure: who… w…Wrdes …. then hee …. …: Cum … esse! qu… …, …, nonne vi…us discendis … inferos? If thou diddest descende, when thou werte deade, thou shouldest not knowe what thou …. … when th… knowest that too bee euill whiche tho…doest, … not … quicke … This … the … in the thirde Person. Hee that knoweth the thinges too bee yll that he doeth, and yer doeth them, he goeth dow… quicke into Hell. Whiche hee woulde hauehave vsus to suppose, … Augus… hadde spoken, of all sinn… whiche is a… …, of the Princes and … of the … of the Do…atistes, whom therefore hee sayeth to hauehave gone quicke into Hell, because they wilfully and mali…iously agaynst theyr knowledge, and of … a … and … in the … of … As … in the prouidence of God … in Hell.
For this … … maketh be…wéene the followers and the … the … of that … … a …. &c. … … ded to … come vppon them; whiche … conse…ted …. And what those Capraynes and …? Let them goe downe quicke … hell; because they handle the Scriptures, and knowe w…l by reading daylye; howe the Catholicke … is … all the whole worlde, that all Contiadiction … bee founde …or their Schisme▪ …y … it well▪ and therefore they goe downe quicke vntounto Hell &c. By this it is euident, that Augustine spe…keth not of all them▪ that sinne agaynst knowledge, but of …, …: … of … and not of infirm… tio … although the sinne agaynst the holye Ghost bée …death, death, and denyed to be pardoned, yet it followeth not (as … discourser concludeth) that all dissem… Papistes in Englande, … hee termeth dissembling … … …, … in that … receaue … to … like … against the … and … of knowledge, whiche … nothing … an … and …. … in … able … (although …, … too make yt a more haynous case:) whiche (as hée sayeth) Knowe … to bee directly agaynst other mens consci…ces, and yet doe … them to doe it. As to … …aynst they… will, to … they▪ … But … … gaynst their will? Sh… wée hauehave nowe a newe Paradore y• wil may▪ bee compelled? Sure I am that no man … compelled to receyue or …, that will not, although mea…es are vsed to make them …, that … not▪ And who that …, of … that are not willing … eth that they are directly agaynst their Consci…ce w…n they doe them, or rather maye not saf…lye thinke theyr C…nscience is no … that they maye doe them, when … and … so much … But … it, that they … and that … is … cause for …, that they receyue, … and …weare, all in … shall cre… of Godly lawes cease, because Hypocrites will not obey them, but with dissimulation? yet it wée may beleeue this Patr…ne of our Re…usantes, hée prot…steth, saying.
Surely as I am nowe mynded, I woulde not for tenne thousande wordes, compell a Iewe to sweare that there were a Blessed Trinitie. For albeeyt the thinge bee neuer so true, yet shoulde hee bee damned, for swearing agaynst his conscience▪ and I for compelling … too committe s… heynous and grieuous a sin. You doe well to … of …, that you maye … to …, when you … better …. And sure I am, that either you are a … from all your fellow Papistes, or if the law were in youre hande, … we a p…ctise contrary to this protestation, for lesse then …. But I pray …, that hauehave so … other … that you … not compell … …oe … the same … it …, … and godly, hauehave you not the same scrupulosttie, in forbidding them to doe anie thing which in their conscience, they are perswaded, they ought to doe? I thinke you woulde not for tenne thousande worldes, … a … to be circumcised, …or a … to woorship …, … a Moabit… to offer his … in Sacrifice, nor any … from d…yng anye th…g, whiche in their conscience they thinke they are bounds to doe. If you woulde compell them to omitte that whiche they beléeue to bee good, because you … it … euill▪ why will you not compell them to doe that whiche you … to … good, although they thinke … to be euill? But if … a sinne not o…lye of it selfe, deser…ng da…ation, but … excluded from all hope of remission, to compell men to doe …nye thing against theyr conscience, although their consciences bee naughte, and the thing neuer so good, how… ca…e you exc…ise the generall practise of Papistes, whiche compell Prote…auntes with more grie…s paynes, then anye are compelled of vsus▪ …oo sweare obedience to the Pope, too heare Masse, too acknowledge transubstantiation, and other … whiche you knowe, …s … too bée directly agaynst their con…nce, as … knowe, or can knowe that any of such … where… Papistes are compelled, is against their conscience? But I perceiue, that if you continue as you are nowe mynded, and that all Papistes woulde reforme theire iudgement according to your mynde, we should hauehave a my…der gou…rnement of Papistes wher…soeuer they rule, then hitherto was euer knowne too bée, since Papistrie hadde her firste beginning. And as you are nowe mynded, you woulde condemne the greate manne, who made the great Supper, Luke. 14: Because hee commaunded his seruauntes to compell … come … him, and Augustine whiche heereof gathereth, that it was the du…tie of Magistrates to compell Heretikes too th… hearing of Gods woorde in the Churche, and communicating with the faythfull. You woulde con… Iosiah, who caused all that were …ounde in Ierusalem, and Beniam… to sta…d to the …, that he made, …ith … Lord, & compe…ed that were … in …, to … the … their God 2. …. 34. Among which multitude, it is not like, … many did in their censciences better like of Idolatre, then of Gods worship, and that the word of compulsion plainely declareth: for it appertaineth to them that are vnwilling, and not to them that are prompt and redy to obey.
But let vsus weigh the cause, why you would not for so many thousand worldes, compell a Iew to swere to the blessed trinitie, you say, because hee should be damned for swearing agaynst his conscience, although the thing be neuer so true. And what if he sweare not, but continue still obstinate in his Iudaisme, shal he escape damnation? But if after he hauehave béene instructed in the faith of the holye trinitie, or hauehave had instruction offred him, and yet stil contēneth y• same, is not y• magistrate bound to compell him, eyther to acknowledge Christ, or to punish him for his obstinarie? By which punishment, if he be compelled to heare the doctrine, which before he dispysed, there is hope hée maye bée wonne to beléeue it, or if aster longe teaching he bée further vrged too confesse it, experience (as Augustine testifieth, of manye Donatistes) doeth shewe, that although hée did first professe it by compulsion, hée maye by Gods grace, woorking in him, afterwarde imbrace it willingly.
Wherefore the compulsion pretended to bee vsed, is neyther so daungerous to them that are compelled, nor so hurtefull to them that muste vse it, being the last refuge to bring vngodly persons to repentaunce, by threatning and executingof punishment, which contemne & despyse all gentle and fatherly admonishment. Which, if it will not preuayle, but that of some, it is borne out with obstinacie, of other pretended by hypocricis, the Magistrate hath discharged his dutie, the offendor hath not founde damnation, which hée should hauehave … raped. Albeit by contumacie, or dissimulation, hée hauehave … creased the same. Now followeth the other parte of the diuision, for the first, and the persons contayned therin our discourser refuseth to deale with all, as of whome, there is no ho…e, because they are damned in this lyfe, they are no christians, and much …sse catholikes.
But there are another sor…e of catholyes, which … they iudge as the former …, that alother religious beside their own …, and … …able, yet doe they not thinke, but that for some world… … for … th…ir offices, …, …, and other like, they may in some of the former things a… lest wise in going to church shewe themselues conformable, to the … of them of the …, …. For reformi…g of thos… mens wrong, and perrillo… … a…ons, these nine reasons following, vnderunder the necessary supposition before sayde, are franied.