A Brief Confutation of a Popish Discourse, Part 1 · Reason 3 – Answer 3
The third Reason
THe thirde reason why a Catholike may not come to churche, is,…. A … be…vvixt religion and religion. for that going or not going to the church, is made a signe nowe in Englande distinctiue, betwixt religion, and religion, that is, betwixt a Catholike, and a Schismatike. So that a catholike by going thether, doeth directly denye his religion. For the better vnderstanding whereof, wee must note that the Professour of any religion may bee knowne by three wayes: first, by woordes: professing him selfe to be of that…. … of prosessing a mans …eligion. religion: secondly, by woorkes, or deedes proper to that religion: thirdly, by some signe or marke appointed to signifie that religion. As for example, In Italy a Iewe may bee knowne, First, by his woordes, if hee woulde professe him selfe to bee of that religion. Secondly, by woorkes proper to Iudaysme, as by keeping the Saterday, holy day, by circumcysing his children, and the like. Thirdly, by a notorious signe appointed to distinguishe that religion from all others, which is, to weare on his head a yeallow …ppe. Nowe, as these three, are wayes to professe this religion, so if a man of an other religion, (for example) a Christian, should yeeld to vse any of these thinges, hee should sinne greeuously, and in effect deny his fayth. And as for the first, if hee shoulde professe him selfe to bee a Iewe, it is euident that he denieth thereby his Christianitie. And as for the other two waies, it cannot be denied: for the circum…ysing of thy children, and the wearing of a yeallowe cappe, doeth as plainely in that countrie tel men that thou art a Iewe, as if thou diddest proclaime it at the market: euen as… this example. the bush at the Tauerne doore, doeth tel the goers by, that there is wyne to be solde within.
But nowe, that the going to Church is in the realme of Englande a plaine and an apparant signe of a Schismatike, that is to say, of a conformable man (as they cal him) to the Protestants proceedinges: it is manifestlyVVhy going … the Church is a denying of the Catholike religion. to be proued. First, by the commaundement to go to Church eueryevery Holiday, to heare seruice, and by the exaction of the same commaundement. For (that it is the commaunders meaning, by that act, as by a proper signe, to hauehave men shewe them selues conformable to that religion) it cannot bee denied. For otherwise, to what ende are they commaunded vppon suche dayes, and at such a certaine time, and for suche a purpose to goe thither. Againe, it is proued by the exaction of this lawe: For whe… a catholike doeth come before the Commissioners, there is nothing asked of him, but when hee was at church, and if hee wil promis… to goe to church, commonly they account him a sufficient conformable man, (that is to hauehave yelded sufficiently vntounto them.) Furthermore, the multitude of them, which hauehave of long time abidden imprisonment, and nowe in greater number do for this only thing, in the sight & knowledge, not only of Englande, but also of al Christendome, and of the enemies of the same in the worlde besides, doeth make this abstaining from churche to bee a proper and peculiar signe of a true catholike, nowe, if it were not before: and the yeelding in the same, (especially if a man be called to publike trial about it) to be a flat and …uident denying of God, and of his… this reason. fayth. For what doeth make a thing to be a proper and peculiar signe, but the iudgement and opinion of men? The bush of the Tauerne, is a signe of wine, because m…n commonly take it so. In like maner the yea…ow bonet of a Iew: the yealow torbant, of a Turke: and the like. Euen so, seeing the whole world, at this day, doeth take the absteming from Protestantes Churches, to bee the only external signe of a true catholike: and seeing the Protestantes them selues do… make it so: also, seeing that the going to Church is the contrarie signe, it followeth, that if going to church were of it selfe before lawful, it were now made by this, a peculier signe distinctiue betwixt religion and religion, and so, vtterly vnlawful.
I wil put an example of the Primatiue church, wherein the wearing of a garland was lawful for al souldiers, vntil the Emperours, and the common opinion of men, had abridged it onelyonly to infidel sould…ers, to distinguish them thereby, in honour, from christian souldiers. And then, after that (as Tertullian proo…eth) it was no longer lawful for christian souldiersTert. lib. de Cor. mili. to weare them, for that the wearing therof, was a denial of the christianAn example to …he Purpose. fayth. Wherevppon, wee reade that a certaine christian souldie… offered him selfe rather to suffer death, then to weare one of them: as appeareth in the same booke of Tertullian. But now, much more is the thing vnlawfull in our case. For that the going to the Protestantes churches (which is a catholike must presume to be heretical) was neuer a thing of it selfe lawful, (as I wil hereafter proue) which the wearing of a garland was: and therfore much lesse now to be tollerated, seeing besides this, it is also made a signe distinctiue, as I hauehave alreadie prooued.
The third reason.
THe third reason is not vnlike his brethren, that went before, which all holde of a necessarie supposition, or els they inforce no necessarie conclusion. This third reason is for that going or not going to the Church is made a signe, nowe in Englande, and a distinctiue note betwixt religion and religion, betwixt a Catholicke and a schismatike, as the wearing of a yellow Cappe, is the marke of a Iewe in Italy. I yéeld it is so, and therfore going to Church, is the externall note of a Catholike, & not going to Church, is the marke of a Schismatike & Heretike. But what go I about to breake, the adamantine necessitie of the former supposition? Then let it stand, and sée howe it is fastened to the cause, in controuersie.
That the going to Church is the playne and apparant signe of a Schismatike, that is to say, of a conformable man (as they call him) to the Protestantes proceedinges, it is manifestly to bee prooued. In déede it is necessarie to bée prooued, if you will hauehave the argument, of auoiding the distinct marke of Schismatikes, to agrée with Protestantes. Howe then doe you proue it? First by the commandement and exaction of the same, for going to Church. In déed this proueth the meaning of the cōmanders to be, y• they woulde hauehave all true Christians, whō you call the Protestants to bée discerned from heretikes and schismatikes by this marke. But that all Protestants are heereby proued to bée schismatikes, it is as farre of as euer it was, and as néere as euer it shalbe. But the reason of exaction, mightily doeth prooue it. For when a Catholike doeth come before the Commissioners, there is nothing asked of him, but when hee was at Churche, and if hee will promise to goe to Churche, commonly they account him a sufficient conformable man, (that is to hauehave yeelded sufficiently vntounto them) It were (I gesse) hard to proue, that eueryevery Papist which commeth before the Commissioners, is examined of that one Article of comming to Churche. And if it were graunted, that to bée one question which is asked of him when hee was at Churche? yet that nothing els is asked of any that commeth before them, I thinke there is no man will beléeue you, though you woulde swere it. And if some of whose conformitie there is hope, by promising to goe to the Churche. where they may bée instructed, are for a season vrged no further: yet that they are commonly accounted to bée conformable men, and thought to hauehave yéelded sufficiently vntoo the Commissioners: I dare say, neither the Commissioners who best know their owne thoughts wil acknowledge so much: and their contrary practise, is often séene in many, and you your selfe complaine of it, that they exact of many to communicate, & to take the oth, whiche is more then onelyonly going to Churche. But the long imprisonment of many, doeth make this absteining from the Church to bée a proper and peculiar signe of a true Catholike. No verily: but of an obstinate herctike. For not y• imprisonment, but the cause for which they suffer, must argue them to bée true Catholikes, whiche cause séeing it is lefte without defence or proofe, sau… only a poore, naked and beggerly supposition to stande vponupon, it followeth not that going to Churche is the note of a Schismatike, but not going to Churche rather argueth a Schistike or an Heretike.