A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 16 – Motive 17
The 16. motiue is the 30. Demaunde.
Their owne Doctors. The dis…orde of Protestants. Luther Bristow.…ondemneth our Pretestantes. Carolstadians, Zwinglians, and Caluinists. Luther corrupteth the Scripture to helpe his heresie of the breade to be Christes body. The head of the church to be a Layman is against the Magdeburgenses and Caluine. The prophecie fulfilled in the accorde of the Protestants and Puritants Parliament religion. The inconstancy of Protestants. VVhat an impudent attempt is chaunge of religion. True Christianitie by Luther is vnderunder the Popedome.
The discorde of our owne Doctors: Bristowe would hauehave to be a Motiue against vsus. As though it were not Fulke.as great a motiue against them, whose Doctors dissent as much as ours. To omit all other controuersies, when will they bee agreed whether the Pope bee aboue the Councell or the Councell aboue the Pope. In which discention they hauehave not onelyonly Doctor against Doctor, but also Councell against Councell, and Pope against Pope, and Cardinall against Cardinall, as Constance and Basill against Ferraria & Florence. Nicolaus & Felix with th…ir Cardinals, against, Eugenius and and his Cardinals. But now let vsus see what discorde he findeth in our Doctors. Luther condemneth the Protestants, Car…stadians, Zw…nglians & Caluinistes in the cause of the Sacrame…t, The more was his immoderate heate and bitter zeale to be blamed, and their Christian modestie to be commended, which notwitstanding his ouermuch vehemency in maintayning his error, yet accepted h…m alwayes as a brother. The corruption of the Scripture wherwith he chargeth Luther, is a slaunder of his owne, for Luther altred no wordes of Scripture, but declared his vnderstanding of them, when he said, Take bread and eate …his is my body. And this is the only discorde that he can proue betweene the professors of the truth For it is a meere sophistry of the ambiguitie of the worde head of the Church, that maketh that shewe of contrarietie betweene the Magdeburgenses, Caluine, and vsus, who in sence and meaning therof, doe perfectly agree as I hauehave often shewed. And Bristowe cannot altogether deny where he derideth the Parliament Religion, and inconstancie of Protestants for chaunging the title of head into gouernour, and then expounding the gouernment by iniunction. Whereas in neither of bothe titles was any other meaning of the godly sorte in the time of King Henry, Kinge Edwarde or her Maiestie, then is contayned in that exposition. In deede Stephen Gardiner (as Caluine reporteth) at Ratisbone, abused the title of supreme head, not more wickedly thē absurdly to defend all Papistrie, which thē was not abolished by king Henry. And against that grosse errour of Gardiner writeth Caluine and not against our vnderstanding of that tytle. But the Apologie prophecieth that shortely the Lutherans and Zwinglians should bee accorded, which is fulfilled in the accorde of the Protestantes and Puritanes, who in the demaunde he sayth doe abhorre the tytle of supremacie, If I knewe whome he did meane by Puritanes, I might aunsweare him the better, but seeing hee maketh Protestantes and Puritanes members of a diuision, If hee recken the Puritanes for such as bee no Protestantes, let them aunsweare for them selues. If he calles them Puritanes which desire to hauehave the Church thorowly reformed, there is no such dissention betweene them, but that they all agree in the Articles of Faith, maintayne brotherly concorde one with an other, notwithstanding in diuersitie of opinions concerning the matters and manner of reformation. But what an impudent attempte is chaunge of Religion, hee will shewe vsus out of Luther, which writing againste the Anabaptistes Anno 1528. affirmeth that much Christianitie, and true Christianitie is vnderunder the Popedome. If chaunge of Religion bee so impudent an attempte, why were the Papistes finding Religion quietly establyshed by lawe, so impudent in Queene Maryes time, not only to attempte but also to bring to passe in deede an alteration of Religion. But the Popish Religion was true Christianitie by Luthers confession. I aunswere, Luther did meane nothing lesse by that confession, then to defende any parte of Popery to bee Christianitie, but writinge against the Anabaptistes which woulde hauehave all thinges abolyshed which the Papistes vsed, he sheweth that such partes and Articles of Christianitie, which in generall confession and acknowledging of the authoritie of the Scriptures, the Papistes hauehave common with vsus, are not therefore to bee reiected, because of them they hauehave bene abused. Otherwise it is a poore Mo…iue vntounto Popery, that Luther by these or any other woordes did euer minister vntounto you.
The 17. Motiue is the 11. Demaunde.
The Catholike faith in England mightely planted & lightly Bristow.changed. S. Augustine the Apostle of Englishmen of what Religion and authoritie. Miracles for our whole Religion. Sainte Bede of our Religion. His story to be read of Englishmen. Images and Crosses confirmed by miracle. Prophecyes and visions for our Religion.
The Catholike Faith was purely planted in this Fulke.Island by the Apostles euen in the raigne of Tiberius, as restineth Gildas, sixe hundreth yeeres before Augustine came from Rome, bringing in deede with him the principall groundes of Christianitie, and with all, much Monkish superstition. But that the Religion of Papis…rie differeth in as many pointes from that which Augustine planted, as Augustines doth from oures, I hauehave prooued abundantly, in aunsweare to Stapletons Fortresse, and breefely in the Table of differences. And in such poyntes wherein wee differ from Augustine, I hauehave proued that Augustine differed from the Apostles. As for his Miracles affirmed by the Saxons, and denied by the Briton writers, shall still remaine in controuersie for me. As also his prophecie so tearmed by the Saxons, which the Britons affi…me to be a threatening of crueltie, which he himselfe procured to be executed on the poore Students & …ergie of Bangor.
In the demaunde, Bristow would knowe of vsus whether the Britains by Eleutherius were cōuerted to one faith, and the Saxons by Gregory and Augustine vntounto an other. But I hauehave shewed before that the Britanes were not cōuerted by Elutherius, although perhaps the Church, which was more then an hundreth yeares of age in his tyme, might by him of charitie be confirmed in truth, or admonished to beware of such heretikes as then troubled the Church abroade. But I deny that Eleutherius maynteyned all that superstition, which Augustine brought in. And I affirme that … Britons church in Augustines tyme, differed in more things then in the celebration of Easter, from the Romish Churche, as I hauehave shewed in that confutation of Stapleton, euen by testimony of Bede him selfe: Although I will not deny, but there might be some corruption euen amonge the Britayns also, as there were that maynteyned the heresie of the Pelagians. Wherefore into that Catholike faith, which was first mightely planted in this lande by the Apostles of Christ, and not of Gregorie, through the most weightie argumentes taken of the auctority of the holy Scriptures, is this realme by the great merciemercy of God, returned, from the schi…me and heresie of Antichrist, & so I hope shall remaine, euen vntil the second comming of Christ.