A Brief Confutation of a Popish Discourse, Part 1 · Answer 9
The nienth Reason.
THe last reasō is the example of Infidels & heretikes, al which procure to seperat thēselues frō thē of the cōtrary religiō, in ye act of prayer &c. Which exāple of it self mée think is a simple reasō to teach true Christiās what they ought to doe. And especially whē it is brought to proue, y• mē ought not to ioyne thēselues wt the cō gregatiō of the faithful, which by none other reason is disproued to be ye true church, but by a lewd & vnlearned suppositiō. But the Procestāts thēselues (saith he) are recusants also in other countries. Yea & very good cause why they should, seing they ought to absteyne frō idolatry & superstitiō which is committed dayly in the popish churches. But therby (saith he) It appeareth: that they goe quite against their own doctrine & example in Englād, which obiect the same to catholikes, as disobedience, obstinacy, and rebellious dealing within other countries, they themselues both teach and practise.▪ Alas poore Sophister, this is sorie stuffe. The true Christians teach and practise that they maye not be defiled with idolatry, therfore heretiks be not disobedient, obstinate and rebellious, when they refuse to communicate wt the true church & submit thēselnes to ye godly lawes of a christiā magistrat. Yet the madde man pleaseth himselfe so much in this absurd cōscience, y• after he hath alleadged a large cofession of one Iohn Gardiner to proue y• Protestants refuse to communicate with papists, he saith. This Reason onelyonly may suffice any reasonable man, especially, the Protestant, except he wil mislike with his owne doctrine, which condemneth me of hypocrisie, dissimulation, and renouncing of Christ and his gospel, If I present but my only body, to the churches of thē, whose religion, I am not perswaded to bee true. As though the Prince & Magistrats, y• execute the lawes for cōming to church, would hauehave the papists to come like hypocrits, dissēblers, & counterfeiters, & not rather y• they may heare the word of God preached, be instructed, beléeue, and be saued. But why may not this argument of exāple be retorted vpō his own neck…. The Protestants recusants in other countries are not allowed by the papists (but against their wil) to alleadge their conscience for their refusall, but are eyther compelled to conforme themselues to Popery, or else are cruelly put to death. No more shoulde the pretence of conscience excuse the papistes, but that theyApoc. 18▪ should… receiue the same measure which they meate to others, and of ye cup which they hauehave mingled to other, be made to drink a double portion them selues. After this he putteth a case and question whether he might resort to such assemblies, as should be pretended to be kept in her maiesties honour, but indéede wee greately to her dishonour, vponupon any in…itation of friendes, or commaundement of authoritie, and how her maiestie might iustly conceiue of him, in such resorting▪ in the ende, He concludeth, that in the assemblies of the Protestantes, in their church: he shall heare the maiestie of God dishonored, his sonne slaundered, his holy woord falsefied. O monstruous inuention, Is Gods maiestie dishonoured, where he alone is taught to be honored serued, obeyed, glorified in all things? Is his sōne stādered, which is taught to be our only spiritual king, prophet, & high priest, sauiour, redéemer, mediator, aduocat, & head of his church? Is his holy word falsified, which is set forth to be the only sufficiēt rule, directiō & doctrine to instruct vsus in all trueth. As for y• impugning of Gods church, d…screditing of his saintes & martyrs▪ reuiling of his bishops, & pastours, and seduction of his people into heresy, are méere flaunders, as voyde of trueth, as they are of proofe. And therfore the comparison & example which followeth as they may serue where truth is defended against heresy: so are they altogether preposterous, where heresy is mainteined against true religiō. But now he maketh an answere to an obiectiō, and saith▪ Neither sufficeth it to say, that those suppositions are false, and that there are not such things committed against God at the Protestants churches & seruices: for howsoeuer that be (wherof I disput not, nor yet, I being in hart of another Religion, must needs thinke, not only them, but also al other Religions whatsoeuer to commit the same, as I know they doe also thinke of mine. The conclusion is, that they must not doe anything against their conscience, vponupon dissimulation &c. Wherto I yéelde, but it is the Magistrates duety to prouide, by doctrine & penaltie, that their conscience may be better instructed, especially séeing this their Patrone, groundeth all his reasons vponupon false suppositions, whereof hée will not dispute, because hee knoweth hee is not able to defende them. And therfore the Prince and Magistrats can no more be mo ued with these niene Reasons, not to procéede in ex…cution of the godly lawes, then the Iudge on the benche can bee mooued by as many reasons, that shew no more, but how haynous a thing it is to condemne an innocent, to forbeare pronouncing of sentence against one that is conuicted at the barre of felony. The reasons thus vnreasonably discoursed, hee gathereth out of the same, certayne shorte conclusions, which because they are all aunsweared before, I will not now stand to repeate the answeres, only where any new matter occurreth, I wil briefely note it vponupon the first conclusion: hée aunsweareth another conclusion, that no power vppon earth canne dispense with goyng too Churche, whiche is prohibited by the law of GOD and nature. Here hee biddeth open warre to the Canonists, which defend that the Pope may dispense almost with al matters. And sée wée not in his dispensations for marriage, that a man may marry his brother or sisters daughter,Leuit. 18. which is contrary both to the law of God and nature, that the Pope doeth dispense with suche marriage, what the Pope did offer by his letters to her Maiesty, I neuer heard it reported whiche he saith is geuen out by some greate men. But I hauehave heard of them, whiche a…firmed that they hauehave séene, the Popish Dispensation, y• for time of Schisme, a Priest might go to Church & more thē that.
In the 3. conclusion is contayned a case with 4. qualifications, in which a papist might lawfully goe to Church, namely, for some méere, particular, knowne, tēporall businesse, without geuing any signe of reuerence and honor to their seruice. Which is nothing to y• purpose or matter in questiō, whiche is, whether Papists y• are so obstinate ye they wil not bee taught, are to bee compelled eyther to yéelde too instruction, or too suffer punishment vntill they shalbée willing.
In the later end he shameth not to repeat, that his meaning was to geue some satisfaction to her Maiestie, and the Right Honorable of her councell, touching the Principles (he should rather hauehave said the petition of principles) which catholikes hauehave, to refuse that conformity, which is demaunded at their handes. Nay rather her Maiesty and Councell, when they sée that Papistes hauehave no reasons to yéelde for their obstinacie, but such as stand vppon so vnreasonable suppositions, as no man liuing, would graunt against his cause and religion, they may bee better encouraged to proceede in punishing that contumacie, which is not grounded vpō any approoued reason or authority of Gods worde, but vponupon the méere wilfulnesse and suppositions of wicked and vngodly men, whiche howsoeuer béeyng nowe disappointed of the intended massacres and treasonable purposes, they woulde be taken for honest and true subiects, yet can they not perswade any wise man, that they depending vppon the oracle of Antichrist, who hath taken vponupon him, like a proude Instrument of Satan, to depose her Maiesty from her royal throne, and to discharg a… her subiects of theyr duetie and obedience to her highnes, may be true or faithful subiect to their Prince, except they doe vtterly renounce and defie the Pope.
The first part of this treatise beeing ended, I knowe not what friende of his, maketh his excuse for omission of the second & thirde part promised in the beginning, whereof the one was, what way or meanes Papistes may vse too remedie or ease themselues, of this afflictiō now layde vponupon them, for their conscience. The other if that way or meanes doe not preuayle, then howe they ought too beare and indure the same, These parts the writer (saith he) part ly by euill disposition of body, and partly by other sodayne busines falling vponupon him, hée was inforced to leaue out.
But the contents of the second parte which is missing should be to shew (as hée sayth) How the only way which catholiks hauehave of remedie or easement in these their afflictions, is prayer & humble recoursevnto the good nature, mercy, & wisedome of the Queenes Maiesty: confuting the custome of al heretikes, which in eueryevery countrie where they are contraried, seeke to molest and disturbe by rebellion, their Lords and heades. What neede the confutation in writing, when wee hauehave séene it in practise of déedes. Let the rebellion in the north serue for a good example, to confute all heretikes that rebell against their Princes. Let the procurement of inuasion of the Queenes dominions by the Italians and Spaniards vnderunder the Popes banner displaied in field and vponupon fort, declare, what humble recourse they make by petition, yea let a whole hundreth (I thinke) of practises, within these. 22. yeeres, (whereof her maiestie and her honourable councell are priuie, and by Gods grace hauehave preuented them) declare that the onelyonly remedie which Papistes séeke, is by prayer to God. As for treasons, poysons, wilchcraftes, coniurations, and other deuilish d…uises, hauehave they not procéeded, from them y• seek none other meanes of remedie, but by instāt prayer to God. And humble supplications to her highnesse? But the Heretikes (saith hee) teache the same to be Lawfull, the one of them saying: for which he quoteth Luther in assertione Artic. damn. in Bull. Leon, 10. and Wickeliffe Counsaile of Cons…antia Sess. 8. & lib. 4. Trial. cap. 36. That Christians are bound to no Princes lawes, and therefore it is lawfull for the subiects to rise against their Princes, and punish them at their pleasures if they rule amisse.
This detestable slander indéed, is most vniustly laid vpō Wickliffe in y• wicked councel of Constantia, 40. yeres after he was dead, which is manifestly disproued▪ by his owne woorkes yet extant to be séenè, in which he teacheth the contrary, but it is a slander, without all colour, y• Luther should so teach, except it were whē he was a Papist. The other for which he quoteth▪ Caluin. lib. 4. institut. 10. part. 5.) is charged to say, That howsoeuer the prince ruleth wel or euill, yet his lawes binde not the subiectes to obey in conscience, but onelyonly for feare of temporall punishment, so that if the subiect were of abilitie, to resist the prince, he might without sinne doe the same. Let any man that will turne the booke, and if he finde in Caluine these words, or in the doctrine of them, let him boldely condemne Caluine, not onelyonly for an heretike, but also for a common enemy of mankinde. That whiche Caluine speaketh, of the spirituall libertye of a Christian mans conscience, whiche must bee kept wholly in subiection vntounto God, how maliciously this lewd writer draweth to such seditious heresies, fiue hundreth places in Caluins woorks directly condemning all rebellion, sedition, and murmuring against Magistrates, and exacting obedience vntounto them, not onelyonly for feare, but also for conscience sake, doe most abundantly demonstrate. But what the doctrine of the Papistes is concerning obedience, to lawfull Magistrates, let the Bull of Pius Quintus and the same repeated by Gregorius 13. against her Maiestie, sufficiently beare witnesse. Except you wil say these Popes, for geuing such Bulles, and al Popes for clayming and practising such authority, are Heretikes. If your popish doctrine, and practise had béene agaynst rebellion, why did not your Pope excōmunicate the procurers and stirrers vp of y• rebellion in the North? or, if he lacked time because it was suppressed before knowledge coulde come vntounto him. Tel vsus I pray you, how many of the knowne rebelles that fledde ouer the Sea, hauehave byn excōmunicated for raysing war against the Prince, in her owne dominions? Doeth not your open acceptation of them, without any penance or satisfa…ion, declare that your church well liked of their traiterous fact? Yea, from whence proceeded the whole traiterous attempt, but from the Popes approbation and promises. You deceiue your selues to much, when you thinke to take the charge and crime of rebellion and treason from your owne consciences, and to lay it vppon Luther and Caluines backes, and imagine you shoulde finde credite among wise men. There were other secrete causes why this second part was omitted, as there be other meanes of easement, whiche you daily séeke, and therefore doe allow, whatsoeuer you pretende to the contrary.
As for the third parte of considerations and comforte were to small purpose, except you did first prooue the cause of your suffering to be good and godly: for not the paine, but the cause maketh a Martyr. Which séeing you are not able to defend, you suffer not as Christians, but as euill doers, not as humble Martyrs, but as obstinate and rebellious Heretikes.
God be praysed.
¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas Daw son at the three Cranes in the Vinetree for George Byshop.
End of the text · William Fulke, A Brief Confutation of a Popish Discourse (1581)