A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 15
The 15. motiue conteineth the 15. 16. and 20. demaundes.
Martyrs. S. Stephen of our religion. Pilgrimage. Churches Bristow.confirmed by vision. M…racles for reliques and for necessitie of childrens baptis…ne. Confirming of children, the custome and practise of Gods church. Foxes martyrs. Mirac…es for our martyrs.
Al martyrs that euer suffred fot the testimony of true Fulke.religion, since Abel, were numbred of one true church, euen of the same that we are. But Bristow would binde vsus to the Saincts in the calender, termed by L. Humfrey Sāct…li, which terme yea & a worse, might serue a number of thē. Notwithstanding so many of those calēddred & canonized Sainctes as be Saincts in heauen and not firebrands in hell, were of that church which is builded vponupon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, Iesus Christ being the head corner stone. And therefore it is a foolish request, that we should name any one of thē, which was of our faith. But it is a pleasant pastime, to heare howe Bristow proueth S. Stephen to be of his religion. It is manifest (sayth he) that he is of the religion of the rest of the martyrs, meaning Papistes, because it is proued, that he as well as they, had heard & helped thē, which prayed to them, which worshipped their reliques, & went a pilgrimage to their churches, & he specially reuealing by vision, the place where his reliques were hidden with the reliques of S. Gamaliel, & S. Nicodemus: vntounto one Lucian, a Priest of …erusalem, which wrote in Greeke the history of his inuention. To this inuention, I answere, that it is an inuention of the deuill, either by meanes of him that counterfaited the vision, or by sending a stronge illusion, & so … say generally of all such miracles and visions, as are alleaged, to proue any doctrine contrarie to the holy Scriptures. As for the vanitie of this epistell of Lucian, it be wrayeth it selfe in that he maketh Gamaliel the Pharizee, so great a Sainct, who for any thing that we can read in the holy Scripture, was neuer a Christian. S. Paule in the 22. of the Actes, appealeth to the knowledge of the Iewes, that he was brought vp in Iudaisme, vnderunder Gamaliel, which if after he had bene conuerted to Christianity it shoulde hauehave bene greatly suspected that S. Paule had bene noselled vp by him, and not conuerted by a vision from heauen, as his intent was to shew.
From this counterfait stuffe of Lucians epistell, he sendeth vsus to the new founde sermons of Augustine, to whom he would get credit, by Augustines owne report, De ciuit. 22. ca. 8. but in vaine, for Augustine speaketh not of any such sermons, but only, when report of a miracle was brought vntounto him, that he went vntounto the church & spake a few things of the matter. And touching all such miracles as he reporteth of Stephen, his conclusion is this, God was glorified by them, and the faith for which Stephen died, was magnified. But of worshipping of reliques, pilgrimage &c. there is no mention, and yet that chapter of miracles, as Ludouicus Viues doth confesse, is notably corrupted, as appeared to him, by ancient copies. The conclusion was, Quid erat in cordibus exultantium nisi fides Christi, pro qua Stephani sanguis fusus est? What was in the hartes of them that reioysed, but the faith of Christ, for which the blood of Stephen was shed?
The miracle which Bristow reporteth out of the 38. Serm. in diuus & 96. in noua editione to proue the necessitie of baptisme for infants & the practise of the church for confirmation of children, & praying to S. Stephen is an impudēt fiction, as appeareth manifestly by this, that he calleth a sucking babe Catechumenu, one that was instructed in Christian religion, which could not possibly be, before he was of yeares of capacity. Secondly the infants ofChristian parents, in Augustins time, were baptised as sone as they were borne, & taried not vntil they were Catechumeni, that is enstructed. Thirdly the woman in this fable, praying to S. Stephen, perswadeth him to know the purpose of her hart, which the word of God affirmeth to be known only to God. As impudent as the deuiser of that fable was, is Bristow, who citeth out of Augustine De …nitat. eccles. cap. 16. a few words rent a sunder from the rest, cōcerning miracles, which the whole discourse, sheweth to be plainly against him, as you may read in this aunswere in the 8. motiue of visions. After this followeth a comparison of Foxes martyrs, with the Popish martyrs, Videlicet the good Earle of Northumberlande, Storie, Feltons, Nortons, VVodhouse, Plomtree, and so many hundrethes of the Northerne men, all rebells and traytors, yet (saith he) approued by miracles vndoubted, but what miracles, he sheweth not. To these he addeth Fisher, More, the Charterhouse monkes &c. whose cause being sufficiently discussed by M. Foxe, I referre to the iudgemēt of indifferent readers. But this I can not omit that the traiterous Papist, flaūdereth our state, not only for publike execution of open rebelles and errant traytors, but also with priuie murthering, by poysoning, whipping, and famishing. From all suspition of which wicked practises, God be praised, the states that are professors of the Go…pell, hauehave alwayes bene as free, as the Papists both by storie & liuing testimonie may be proued giltie of thē. And where hee specially chargeth that learned and reuerend Father M. Elmer now Byshop of London, with this deuilishe practise, notinge these woordes in the margent, Let Elmer remember his Tragedie of the Scottishfriere at Lincolne. As I knowe not what coulour he hath for so great and haynous a slaū der, so I nothing doubt, but that the same is vtterly false and vntrue, as a thousand more slaunders and lyes, Wherein the Papists, as Children of the Father of lyes hauehave so great delight. To conclude, seeing not the paine, but the cause maketh a martyr, whosoeuer hauehave suffred for treason and rebellion, may well be accounted Martirs of the Popisn Church, but the church of Christe condemneth such for enemies of Christes kingdome and inheritours of eternal destructi…, except they repent and obtaine merciemercy for their horrible wickednes. And seeing patient suffring is by Bristows owne confession, a gift of God, vntounto all true Martirs, such as were manifestly voide of patience, can be no true Martirs, as were most of these rebels & traitors, & Story by name. Who for all his glorious tale, in the time of his most deserued execution by quartering, was so impatiēt that he did not only rore and cry like a helhounde, but also strake the executioner doing his office, and resisted as long as strength did serue him, beeing kept downe by three or foure men, vntil he was deade. O patient martir of the popish church. In the 15. & 16. demaund, he asketh vsus whether we hauehave not read in Chrysostome, Augustine, & others, that they vsed this argument to proue the diuinitie of Christ, that he hath aduanced his seruants to such honor, that they are prayed vntounto, & their graues honored of kings & Emperors, & that miracles are wrought by the reliqus of their Saints, I answere we read sōe such thing, although not altogither as Bristow reporteth, nor to yt end. But what if amōg a great nūber of forcible aguments, they vsed also some such persuasions? shuld their reasoning be a preiudice to the truth of God reueled out of the Scriptures: whervnto if those holy man had had as great regarde as they wishe other men to hauehave in their writing, and not suffred them selues to be carried away with common plausible errors, they should easely hauehave espyed that they gayned not so much in resoning so against the Painims, as they gaue occasion of superstition among the Christians.
And to aunswere the xx. demaunde, we are content to bee tryed by that doctrine for which the auncient Martyrs Irenaeus, Cyprian, Laurens &c. suffred persecution and Martyrdom, which was for no pointe of Popery but true christianitie, yet wil we not be tryed by all poyntes of doctrine which they did holde, for that it is certaine, some of them had their errors which the Papists them selues doe not holde, as Irenaeus is charged by Eusebius. l. b. 3. cap 39, to be a follower of the Chiliastes. Cyprian did openly in a councel, maintaine rebaptising of them which were baptised by Heretikes. Againe wee resuse not the tryall of that docttine for which the Christians were persecuted by the Arrians in Africa, notwithstanding the terme of Missa vsed by Victor that writeth that Story, by which tearme in that time, not the popish Masse (which then was not made, either in matter or forme) but the celebration of the Communion and memory of the sacrifice of Christ, commonly called in deede, but vnproperly a sacrifice, yet will we not be tryed by all that they holde, for diuerse errors of prayer for the deade and to the dead, were then receiued, neithet will the Papistes be tryed by that Religion they helde in all pointes. For then were Byshops married. Lib. 2. &, 3. Then the Praiers were in the vulgar tounge, and all the people sunge Himnes togither, lib. 2. There is no reason therefore that the Papists shoulde call vsus to such a tryall as they dare not abide them selues.