A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 8
The 8. motiue is the 4. demaunde.
Scriptures denied by the Protestantes, what scriptures they deny, praying for the dead confirmed by scripture, & pray or of Bristow.saintes for vsus, fayth onelyonly aganst the scripture. Reall presence of Christ in the sacrament confirmed by scripture. No scripture, is against the Catholikes but all is for them.
VVhosoeuer hauehave taught doctrine (saith Bristow) so plainly repugnant to the holy Scriptures, that for maintenaunce Fulke.thereof they were faine to deny bookes of the holy Scriptures, or to say the Scriptures to hauehave bene falsified and corrupted, they were heretikes: and such are the Protestantes, therefore they are heretikes: Howe proue you the Protestants to be suche? Marie sayth Bristow first they deny the Canonicall most certayne Scripture of the Machabees, for none other cause, but that it is playne against their heresies, maynteyning prayer for the dead and prayer of Sainctes for vsus. This is a lowde lye, for we shewe many causes, why we reiect that prophane writing of Iasons abridger, beside the auctoritie of the Iewish church before Christ, and the primitiue church after Christ as I hauehave declared against the secōd booke of Allens defence cap. 3. But in defense of the booke of Machabees to be Canonical, Bristow wilsay as S. Augustine sayd to certeyne that denyed a testimony of the booke of wisedom de praedest. Non debuit. They should not reiect the saying of the booke of wisedom which in the church of Christ hath deserued so long a rew of yeares to be recited in the steppe of the readers of the church of Christ and with worship of diuine auctoritie to be heard of all Christians from the Bishops to the lowest sorte of lay men &c. And againe. Et Etiam temporibus &c. Euen the notable interpreters that were next to the Apostles times, when they brought forth that booke for witnes, beleued that they brought nothing but a diuine testimonie.
Touching this defense, first I aske of Bristow, how he can proue that the booke of Machabees, hath had such continuaunce of credit? Secondly howe this saying of Augustine cōcerning the booke of wisedom, can be true when Hierome plainly reiecteth it, as not Canonicall praefat. in Prouerb. Thirdly I demaunde how Bristow can defend his maior, if we admitte this saying of Augustine to be true, for not Pelagius as Allen sayth expressely, nor any Pelagians as Bristow seemeth to meane, but such as defended the Catholike faith against Pelagius, reiected this saying of the booke of Wisedome, which booke also we refuse, although not for that saying and what one article of our doctrine doth that booke impugne? nay rather there is testimonies therein manifest aga…st Images, against Purgatory and merites, yet can not we therefore allow the writings of Ph…lo a …ew since Christes time, for the canonicall Scripture of Salomon, whose title it sal…ly beareth.
But to proceede, Luther denyeth the Epistic of S. Iames, because it is against his heresie of instfication by faith onelyonly. We allowe not Luther, neither did he allow him self therein, for he retracteth it afterward. Yet is not Eusebius counted an heretike which vtterly reiecteth that Epistle. Lib. 2. cap. 23.
But to goe on, Beza doth say, that S. Lukes Gospell is falsified, because it mainteyneth the reall presence of Christ in the sacramet, where he sayth, Hic est calix this is the chalice, which is shed for you. This is an impudent slaunder, which I hauehave aunswered against Saūders rocke of the church, in his ninthe marke of an Antichristiā, where it is handled at large, and thether I referre the Reader. To conclude, Bristow saith, no Scriptures is against the Catholikes but all for them, because they must obediently receiue and beleue all Scriptures canonicall. But what obedience and beliefe they attribute to the canonicall Scriptures, it is plaine by this, that they dare not abide the triall by them, but flie from them to traditions as Bristow doth euen in the next motiue, as though the Scriptures inspired of God were not sufficient both to teache all truth, and to confute all errors.
In the demaund this moti…e is handled somewhat otherwise, for there we are examined, whether in the cō ference of Carthage Augustine and his fellowes did not proue by Scripture, that a visible Church should beginne at Hierusalem which shoulde continue visibly to the ende of the world. I aunswer, they proued sufficiently, that the preaching of the gospell beginning at Hierusalem, should gather the Church out of all partes of the world, and therefore the faction of Donatus, which begonne in Africa & was not to be found but in a corner of Africa, could not be the Church of Christ. But of a visible Church to continue visibly in manner as Bristow demaundeth, there was no controuersie in that conference, and therefore no proofe thereof brought out of the Scriptures.