A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 29 – Motive 30
The 29. motiue.
Protestantes them selues take thinges vponupon our churches credit. The churches auctority. S. Augustines motiue. VVhat Br…s…ow.Sor. pture the Protestants deny.
Although we did receaue such things, as he reherseth vponupon their churches credit, it followeth not, that theirs Fulke.is the true church, for we receaue nothing from them, without dew exammation. The Scriptures we receaue not, vponupon the only credit of the Popish church, but vponupon the credit of ye vniuersall church of Christ. The creedes, articles of doctrine, tearmes of person trinitie, consubstantiality, Sacraments &c. we receaue, because they be consonant to the Scriptures, & not because the church of Rome tell…th …s they be true. As for the auctoritie of the church, which he sayth was S. Augustines motiue, to beleue the Gospell, was not a single or sole motiue, but a commotiue or an argument that with other argumēts did moue him, for the sayth not moueret but commoueret: and so it is with vsus. Prouided alwayes that the Popish church be no taken for that Catholike or vniuersall church. VVhat then (sayth Bristow) was it the Protestants church whereof Augustine ment? or can you hold laughter when the question is asked? No verily, for when the Protestants church, that it is now so called in this age, like as it was called the Homousians church in Augustines time, is a member of the Catholike vniuersall church of Christ, and so proued by the holy Scriptures, it is a ridiculous thing to doubt whether it were the popish church which is but an hereticall assembly, departed from the vniuersall church long since Augustines departure out of this life. But Bristow will proue, that the church at whose commanndement Augustine beleued the Gospell, was not the Protestāts church, because that church commaunded him to beleue the bookes of Toby, Iudith. VVisdome, Ecclesiasticus, & the Machabees to be canonicallscripture, which the church of Protestantes doth denye. But what it Augustine were deceiued? to thinke he hearde the voice of the Catholike church when he did not, shall the Protestantes churche be condemned? S. Hierome who if the church of Rome were the Catholike church, was more like to heare her voice, because he was a Priest of the church of Rome, telleth vsus a cleane contrary tale. For thus he writeth, In praefat. in Prouerbia. Sicut ergo Iudith, & Tobiae, & Machabaeorum libros legit quidem ecclesia, sed eos inter Canonicas scripturas non recipit: sic & haec duo volumina leg at ad aedificationem plebis, non ad auctoritatem ecclesiasticorum dogmatum confirmandam. Therfore as the Church in deade readeth the bookes of Iudith and Tobias and of the Macchabees, but yet she receiueth them not among the Canonicall scriptures, so she may reade these two Bookes (speaking of the booke of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus) for the edifying of the common people, but not for confirming the authoritie of Ecclesiasticall doctrine. Doth the Church of Protestants iudge otherwise of these Bookes, then that Church which thus instructed Hierome? What then? I must say as Bristowe doth, S. Hierome and the Catholike Church in his time of our Religion. The Church of Rome now is of an other iudgement, then the Church of Rome was then, ergo it is not now that it was then. But whereas Bristowe chargeth vsus to to deny, or at least to leaue indifferent the Canticles of Salomon. The Epistle to the Hebrues, The Epistles of Saint Iames, S Peter, S. Iohn, Sainct Iude, with the Apocalips, it is a diuelish slaunder, as God knoweth and the wo…ld can beare vsus witnesse.
The 30. Motiue is the 36. and 37. demaŭd.
Storehouse of the Scriptures. Tht Iewes Religion chaunged into ours by Christ. The Churches learning and wisdome. The Church store. S. Irenaeus motiue.Bristowe,
Bristowe demaundeth whether the Popish Church receiuing the Scriptures of the olde and newe Testament Fulke.from Christ, hath not kept them faithfully without adding, minishing, or corrupting. I aunswere no, for the Popish church receiueth none of Christ, but the catholike church of Christ. Againe the popish Church hath added whole bokes to the canon which the chuch of the Iewes neuer receiued, nor the vniuersall Church of Christ. But those Bokes (saith Bristow) hath the Protestants church robbed vsus of, wc are allowed by approued Councels. You heard in the last motiue Hieromes iudgement of those bookes, whervnto agreeth the coū cel of Laodi…ea cap. 59. Augustine receiueth the boks of Macchabees but with condition of sobrietie in the reader or hearer. Aug… consec. …pist. Gaudent. cap. 13. Last of al the popish church, either of fraud or negligence, hath corrupted an exceeding great number of textes of the scripture in her vulgar latine translation, wc she receueth as only authentical. The very first promise of the gospel is corrupted and falsyfied. For wheras the trueth is Ipsum contret caput …, the same seede shall broose thine head, the popish translation hath Ipsa the same woman. Gen 3. Wheras he saith, the Protestants church for this 100. yeeres (as we cōfesse our selues) occupyed no bible, nor had any thing to do with the scriptures, he lieth out of al measure, for the church of Christ hath alwaies had the scriptures, & in eueryevery nation where it was, it had thē in their mother toung. How many Bibles are yet extant written in parchmēt. 3 or 4. hundreth yeeres past in the English toung, beside other in the Saxon language. The like are to be proued to hauehave ben in al places where the Churches were gathered as in France, Italy, Bohemia. &c. Finally, whatsoeuer he bableth of their Church to be the store house of the Scriptures & trueth, the like may be said of the greke Church which they cōdemne as schismaticall & hereticall, therefore this storehouse is no Motiue, to proue the Romish Sinagogue to be the church of God. In the 37. demaund he asketh whether as wel Protestants as other, doe not condemne the old writers errors & other heresies of Heretiks which made great shew of scriptures by the rule of ye popish churchs faith. I answere, the Protestants out of the scriptures, do & can disproue such shew of scriptures made by maisters of error, & are no more moued by the popish churches authoritie, then the Apostles were moued by authoritie of the Iewish Synagogue, to reproue all the grosse Idolatrie and snperstition of the Gentiles. Therfore the popish Church is not Depositorium Diues, that rich storehouse of trueth, which was S. Ireneus motiue.