A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 31
The 31. motiue is the 41. demaund.
Sending and teaching of all diuine truth. Caluins errors about the trinitie. The ignoraunce of Protestants. Such was Iew elr ignoraunce also, that Christe is a prieste according to Bristow.his Godhead. Vniuersities of Heretiks, & Catholikes. Degrees taken in Vniuersities of Heretiks are ad nihillated. The ignorance of Protestants, the cause partely why there be so many Atheistes in England. The Churches learning, wisdome, and continuance. S. Augustines Motiue.
This Motiue conteineth nothing but an immederate arrogant bragge of their studying and teaching of Fulke.trueth, with the great learning of their Doctors and Vniuersities: and a proude disdamefull vpbraiding of our Doctors and vniuersities, of much ignorance and lacke of learning. Which comparison if it had beene vttered by a man of excellent learning, had beene the lesse odious, but beeing made by such a blinde Baiarde and blockheadded asse, as is this Bristowe, it is moste intollerable. Caluiue (saith he) through ignoraunce, erred about the Trinitie, saying, That Gods Sonne is foreign that is God of him selfe, whereby it followeth ineuitably that there be two Gods. For this slaunderous and foolish cauill, he citeth Institut. lib. 1. cap. 13. Num. 23. &c. where is no such word nor matter, but a confutation of Heretikes, that denyed the very essens of the deitie of Christ, he cyteth also Geneb. de trinit. lib. 1. pa. 43. Where if the woorde foreign be vsed, as I know not whether it be, yet vndoutedly no such thing is ment thereby as Bristow bableth. For foreign maye signifie him that is very God himselfe, although begotten of God the father, euē as Gregory Nazianzene in his Booke of the holy Ghost, or De theologia lib. 5. calleth the holy Ghost foreign the Lorde himselfe, whereof it followeth not that there be two or three Lords, or that the holy ghost proceedeth not from the father and the sonne. Likewise he calleth him foreign. Light it selfe and Life: that is very light and very life, and yet he denyeth not that he is light, proceeding from light. Wherefore this is an vnlearned cauil against Caluine, who more soūdly, substantially & learnedly hath written of the blessed trinitie, then all the Dunces, Aquines, Alberts, & the whole rablement of Scholemen, of whome Bristow so vainely doth brag, were euer able to attaine vntounto, who with their sophistrie and barbarousnes hauehave rather darkened, then sette foorth the cleere light of those most excellent and diuine misteries. The like impudent cauil, he bringeth against M. Iewel, whome no man I think without laughter can read, to be charged with ignorāce by blūdering Bristow, for affirmiug Christ to be a prieste according to his deitie, whōe the Apostle expresly saith, by his eternall spirit to hauehave offred himself. Heb. 9. ve. 11. As for the comparisons betweene the Vniuersities of Papistes and ours, how vaine it is, all that be learned & of indifferent iudgement can testifie. And concerning degrees and ciuil titles of dignitie taken in our vniuersities, beeing nothing else but test…monies of their learning which receiue them, we think them better beeing confirmed by the Princes authoritie, from whom all cidignities euen by ciuil law are deriued, then such as are either giuen or confirmed by the Popes leaden Bulles. The Atheists & other vnreligious mindes in England, are not nourished by the ignorance of the Protestants, but detested by their godly and learned iudgement. But if where there be most Atheists there is greatest ignorance, then euen in Italy & at Rome vnderunder the Popes nose, where be most Atheists of any regiō almost in the world, is greatest ignorance. Where open blasphemies are as common, yea oftentimes in the Popes mouth, as the praises of God are among true christians. What trau…ller in Italy is ignorant of this, whether he be protestant, Papist, or Newter. Last of all, if the Chuches wisdome, learning, & continuance, was S. Augustines motiue, the folly, barbarousnes, & late shining of the popish Church, is a motiue to make vsus think that it is not the church of Christ. For Bristowes brags are not sufficient to carry away all credit of learning to popish doctors & Vniuersities, whose orders and readings he doth the rather commend to be so excellent, that men wc knew him of late, with periury to hauehave taken degrees in Philosophie, should not meruaile that he is so sudenly transformed into so great a doctor of diuinitie, euē by once hearing the cause of Diuinitie, which he supposeth none of our doctors knoweth what it meaneth, such a goodly matter is foreign whereby a manne maketh moste account of that he hath learned last. But albeit the question be not of learning but of trueth, yet if it would please the Papists to try the learning of our doctors & Vniuersities, vnderunder indifferent iudges, I doubt not but they should be found equall vntounto theirs, that I say not in many things they should be found superiour.