A Confutation of a Popish and Slanderous Libel, Treatise · Answer 6
The aunswere.
In that you will not dissemble against your conscience, if you doe not dissemble, but speake as you thinke, you are to bee commended: but if your conscience, as you saie, is not yet perswaded, you are by no meanes to bée excused, for in this so cleare light of the Gospell, you could not bee so blind, if you did not obstinately close your iyes, from receiuyng the Sunne beames into theim.
And whereas you thinke it not reason, to departe from the vnitie of the churche, nor to condemne the vniuersall Churche vnheard, you stande vponupon a false grounde, as you dooe alwaies, that the Popishe Churche, is that vniuersall Churche, but that you shall neuer be able to proue. For was the Popishe churche at any tyme, or is it nowe vniuersalle? But the Romishe churche, you will saie, is alwaies vniuersall, though it hauehave neuer so many enemies. But I can shewe you by saincte Augustines iudgemente, that the vniuersall Churche, maie bee without the Romishe churche. For writyng to Casulane. Epi. 86. he hath these woordes, speakyng of one that defended the Ceremonies, & custome of the Romishe churche, against the whole catholike Churche. Quod vtinam sic quaereret, aut sic affirmaret, vt toto terrarum orbe diffusam, exceptis Romanis & adhuc paucis occidentalibus, apertissimè nō blasphemaret ecclesiam. that is to saie: whiche thyng I would he did seeke in suche maner, or so affirme, that he did not moste manifestly thereby, blaspheme the churche, dispersed through out the whole worlde, excepte the Romanes, and a fewe other Westerne Churches. Doe you not here see, that when the Romishe churche, with a fewe other that agréed with her are exempted, the vniuersall churche of Christe still remaineth, by sainct Augustines iudgemente? and that if the Romishe Churche, departe from the whole Catholike Churche, the Romishe Churche is a Schismatike, as it is at this daie, and hath been a long time, euen since Antichriste sette vp his seate there, and made a generall departyng from the faith of Christ, which sainct Paule prophesieth should come to passe. ij. Thessal. ij. All the whiche tyme, though there were but few that continued in true faithe, and honouryng of God, yet those fewe, wheresoeuer thei were scattered in all the worlde, wer the true catholike Churche of Christ, and were alwaies ioigned together in Christe their heade, by vnitie of true religion.
And whereas you saie, your Churche is vnhearde, I maruaile what you meane, for what can the Pope, or any of her proctours, saie in her defence, but it hath been hearde, and confuted by the scriptures? Whiche thing hath caused, the most part of the regions of Europe this daie, to forsake your Hereticall, Schismaticall, and Antichristian Churche of Rome, and to ioigne them selues to the true Catholike, and Apostolike churche of Christ, whiche approueth all her doctrine, out of the holie Scriptures, and by the same reproueth all your heresies, and erronious opinions: the iudgement, and triall of whiche holy Canonicall scriptures, you neuer yet durst abide. It is not therefore any priuate condemnation, whiche is pronounced out of Gods woorde, against heresies, whose aucthoritie in all thynges is highest, and of al menne to bee obeied. Finally, where you affirme, that the churche of Christe, was not destitute of the holy Ghoste, I agree with you, but that your Churche, is the Churche of Christe, I maie in no wise acknowledge. And truthe it is, that the true Churche did alwaies reclaime, against the heresies of your church, as thei sprong vp and increased in the worlde, and receiued that reward, whiche true Prophetes hauehave accustomed to receiue of wicked tyrantes namely, persecution, imprisonmente, and cruell death, as appeared in Bertramus, Marsilius of Padua, Pauperes de Lugduno, Iohannes de Gandauo, Bruno Andegauensis, Iohannes Wickleue, Iohannes Hus, Hieronimus de Praga. &c. all whiche with many other, in seuerall times, & places, reproued, and confuted your false Churche, and the errours thereof, some in Italie, some in Fraunce, some in Flaunders, some in Germanie, some in Bohemia, and some in Englande, and for the moste part, were either murthered, or otherwise cruelly persecuted for their labours. But yet the heresies of your church, did not escape vnspoken against, and confuted by them.