A Confutation of a Popish and Slanderous Libel, Treatise · Answer 5
The aunswere.
In your fowerth consideration, you should hauehave likewise considered, that suche thynges, as are graunted of bothe partes, nede small proofe, and that those matters, whiche are in controuersie, should be substancially cōfirmed. As for example. How necessarie vnitie is for the Churche of Christe, no manne doubteth, so it bee in truthe, and not in falshed: for there is vnitie emong the mooste wicked, but not in truthe, and honestie.
On the other side, that there be fiue sacramentes, more then the boke alloweth, that there is a carnall presence in the Sacrament of the Lordes bodie, and bloude, that there is, or ought to be, a Sacrifice in the masse, ye bring not one worde of proof.
Concernyng Ceremonies, whiche you call traditions of the Apostles, you saie in deede a little, although to little purpose, and yet so confusely, and out of all good order, that you seme rather to confounde, then to instructe your simple reader, for what an hochpotte is this? in the middes of your Sacramentes, and Sacramentalles, to choppe in praiers for the deade, and inuocation of sainctes, whiche bée articles of doctrine, and not Ceremoniall obseruations. Againe, when you hauehave rehersed by name, diuers Ceremonies, as oile, and chrisme in Baptisme, your maner of confirmation, the signe of the Crosse, and all other your Sacramentalls, and Ceremonies, you bryng in certain broken, and vnperfecte sentences of Doctours, whiche speake generally of Ceremonies, vsed in the churche in their age: and doe not shew that your Ceremonies were vsed then in suche maner, as you vse them now: which is a meere mockerie of your readers. For wheras you doe comprehende thē all, vnderunder the name of Traditions of the Apostles, if you be a man of suche learning, as you would seme to be, I dare saie in your behalfe, you will bee ashamed to come to triall of this poincte, that you vse all those Ceremonies, that were vsed in the tyme of those doctors, whose names you alledge or that al your Ceremonies, were vsed in the tymes of those Doctours, vponupon whose aucthorities you would seme to grounde. But to cōsider your groundes particularly, that Augustine, whom you call saincte Augustine, was an vnlearned Monke, as appereth by his questions, propounded to Pope Gregorie, that came into this land, to corrupte the sinceritie of faithe, whiche the Britons had receiued, euen from the Apostles, aboute sixe hundred yeres after Christe, and liued twoo hundred yeres at the least, after the aunciente father sainct Augustine bushoppe of Hippo in Affrica, of whose pride and folie, you maie reade in Galfridus Monumeth. Matheus Westmin. and others. And truthe it is, that muche superstition, and false doctrine, he brought in, and by tyrannie mainteined, as our stories witnesse, but not all that you holde at this tyme, for your religion, in all pointes, is nothyng so old. And as for Beda, he liued longe after Augustine. But where you affirme, that all youre Ceremonies hauehave been alwaies approued, vsed, and allowed, throughout the vniuersall churche of Christe, I can no longer forbeare you, you saie more then all the Papistes in the worlde, will be able to proue.
Touchyng sainct Augustine, although the place by you alledged, is not to be foūd in his vndoubted writyngs, yet I confesse that he speaketh fauourably of Ceremonies cōmonly vsed, to be quietly suffered, and borne withall, rather then vnitie to bee broken. But what maketh this, for your Ceremonies, whiche you teache to bee necessarie for saluation, and meritorious: whiche if thei had been in saincte Augustines tyme, or that men had so taught of theim, there is no doubte, but he would hauehave vtterly misliked theim, as hereafter in place more conueniente, I shall plainly declare. In your next sentēce out of sainct Augustine also, I must néedes tel you, you plaie the suttle Marchaunt, to sett for the counterfeict ware, in steede of true marchandice, for Augustine neuer was of that opinion, that the Church hath the full aucthoritie of her husbande Christ, and such gouernemente of the holy Ghost, that she cannot consente, but vntounto true thynges, neither hath he any suche wordes in al his workes. For it is well knowen, that the boke de dogmaticis ecclesiasticis, out of which this sentence séemeth to bee borrowed, is not accompted among the Authenticall workes of Augustine, but forged of muche later time, and falsly fathered vponupon S. Augustine, to steale credite from his name, whiche it could not obtain of it self.
And yet if this saiyng were graunted to bée true, it perteineth nothyng to your church, which is the Sinagoge of Sathan, and not the Churche of Christe. Concernyng your thirde testimonie of sainct Augustine, I can hardely thinke that saincte Augustine, would hauehave an vniformitie of Ceremonies, in praier, and administratiō of the Sacramentes throughout all the worlde, because I am able to shewe his aucthoritie to the contrary, as in his. 118. epistle to Ianuarius, he discourseth at large. And whereas you saie, that the chaunge of the maner of praiyng, hath broughte in chaunge of faithe in this lande, it is cleane contrary, for the diuersitie of faithe, teacheth vsus to praie, otherwise then you vse, for inuocation commeth of faithe, as witnesseth sainct Paule. Roma. 10.
The testimonie of saincte Ambrose, although you declare not, where a manne should finde it, maketh little for your purpose. For we agrée with hym, that Schismatikes are to be abhorred, but wée will not graunt to you, that wée are Schismatikes, as long as wée knowe, that wée are members of Christe. The testimonie of Tertuliane concernyng custome, if it bee faithfully rehearsed of you, I se not what it maketh for you. For although laudable customes, maie be obserued, without searchyng their beginnyng, what is that, to your Ceremonies, whiche containe manifeste impietie? For you your self will not bee so madde, to allowe all customes, seyng many are contrary to the worde of GOD. And although Tertuliane was to muche addicted to the maintainyng of Ceremonies, and customes in some places, yet otherwhiles he either expoundeth his meanyng, or correcteth his errour, as in his booke De virginibus velandis, where he writeth in these woordes. Hoc exigere veritatem, cui nemo praescribere potest, non spacium temporum, non patrocinia personarum, non priuilegium regionum. Ex his enim fere consuetudo initium ab aliqua ignorantia vel simplicitate sortita, in vsum per successionem corroboratur, & ita aduersus veritatē vindicatur. Sed dominus noster Christus, veritatē se, nō consuetudinē cognominauit. Si semper christus & prior omnibus: aeque veritas sempiterna & antiqua res, viderint ergo quibus nouū est, quod sibi vetus est.
Haereses non tam nouitas quam veritas reuincit. Quodcū que aduersus veritatem sapit hoc erit haeresis, etiam vetus consuetudo. That is to saie. This the truthe requireth, againste whiche no man can prescribe, not the continuance of tyme, not the defence of persones, not the priuiledge of any regions. For of these, custome takyng her beginnyng, for the moste parte, through ignoraunce, and simplicitie, is confirmed into an vsage, by succession, and so is bosted of against the truthe. But Christ our Lorde called hymself the truthe, and not the custome, if Christ were alwaies, and before all, truthe is, as eternall, and aunciente a thyng as he. Lette them bee well aduised therefore, to whom that is compted new, whiche of hym is coumpted old. Heresies (saieth he) not so muche their noueltie, as truthe doeth conuict, for what soeuer soū deth against the truthe, that shalbe an heresie, yea though it be an old custome. By this testimonie of Tertuliane, eueryevery man maie see, what he thought of old custome, when it was alledged to deface the truthe, and of what customes he speaketh, when he commendeth customes, namely suche as agree with the truthe, and not eueryevery blinde, & superstitious Ceremonie, wherof a greate nomber were inuented, many hundreth yeres after his death.