A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 3
The third motiue is the eyght Demaunde.
Name of Protestantes, Nicolaites, Papists, a name of late put on vsus by Heretikes. Rechabites, Christians, and Catholikes are all Bristowe.one. S. Hieroms motiue name, as of Protestantes, Homousians: Name of Franciscanes. &c.
Whosoeuer in respect of ye doctrine which they professe Fulk. e(saith Bristow) hauehave a new name made of some mās name, or otherwise taken up, wherby they terme themselues, and are cōmonly termed and knowen thereby, vndoubtedly are heretiques. Therefore Lutherans, Caluinistes, Precisians, Puritanes, vnspotted brethren are heretiques, euen as the Nicolaitanes were. I deny ye conclusion. For there are none of vsus that terme our selues Lutheranes, Caluinistes, Precisianes, Puritanes, vnspotted brethren &c. The name of Protestants, if any doe vse, is not in respect of the doctrine wee professe, but in respect of a protestation made against the decree of Spire in Germanie. Neither is it otherwise acknowledged of vsus, then the name of Nazatites, was of the Apostles, the names of Homousians, Caesarians, & Caecilianists, was of the Christians in the time of the heresies of Arrius & Macedonius, Eunomius, Donatus &c. Paule was accused by Tertullus Act. 24. to be a chiefe Capteine of the heresie of the Nazarites, whereunto he answered: This … confesse, that according to that way which they call heresie, doe I worship the God of my Fathers. That heretique which did write the vnperfect worke vponupon S. Matthewes Gospel, which goeth vnderunder the name of S. Chrysostome, in Cap. …4. Hom. 48. thus writeth of … true Christians. Hęresis Homoousianorum, nō solùm Christi eccl…siae aduersatur, sed & omnibus haeresibus non similiter sapientibus. The heresie of the Homousians, is not only aduersarie to the Church of Christ, but also to all other heresies that bee not of their minde. Here note, that the Arrians did giuegive a newe name to the true Christians, in respect of their doctrine wherof they were not ashamed. For Homousians signifieth them, that acknowledged the Father and the Sonne to be of the same substance. And ouer this note also: that the Arrian heretique did brag as much of the name of the Church then, as the Popish heretiques do nowe. Basil in his Epist. 73. testifieth the same of the Arrians. Cęterum & Nicaenam fidem calumniantur, nósque Homousiastas probrosè vocant, propterea quod in ea fide fil um Dei vnigenitū cum Deo ac patre Homousion confitemur. Moreouer, they slaunder the faith of the Nicen Counsel, and call vsus reprochfully Homoousians, bycause that in that fayth we confesse the onelyonly begotten sonne of God to be of the same substance with the Father.
But Bristow sayth, it is a rule that the ancient Fathers alwayes gaue the people to knowe Heretikes thereby if they had any such name. Hieronyme Aduers. Luciferiā. sayth, Sicubi audieris, &c. If any where thou heare, thē which are sayd to be of Christ, to be tearmed not of our Lorde Iesus Christe, but of some other, as Massionites, Valentinians, Montenses, Camputes, knowe thou, that they are not the Church of Christ, but the Sinagog of Antichrist. But he belyeth Hierome, for he giueth not the name only as a sufficiēt note, but before the words by Bristow cited, he writeth, In illa esse ecclesia permanendum, quae ab apostolis fundata, vsus que ad diem hanc durat. We must tarie in that Church, which being founded by the Apostles, continueth vntounto this day. And immediately after Bristowes pretended rule. Ex hoc enim ipso quod postea constituti sunt, eos se esse iudicant, quos futuros apostolus praenunciauit. For euen by this, that they are set afterward, they shewe themselues to be the same, whome the Apostle foreshewed to come. By these wordes it is euident, that Hieronymes rule runneth not onelyonly vppon the name, howsoeuer it beginneth, but of the late spring of Heretikes, whose doctrine being not founded by the Apostles hath a later beginning after them. The names of Franciscanes, Dominicanes, Benedictines &c. whiche certayne sects of Papistes giuegive vntounto themselues, Bristow sayth, they hauehave not for any speciall doctrine brought in by their Patrones, and therefore they be no names of Heretikes. But I reply, that beside that diuers of these …ectes distent in poyntes of doctrine, as the Dominicanes and Franciscanes aboute Originall si…ne. And to omitte the …uelphes and Gibellines, dissenting about the authoritie of the Pope and the Emperour, the greatest question in Popery, euen those sectes of Benedictines, Augustines, Dominicanes &c. did al take their names, eyther of that man, or that order, whiche they held to be the perfection of Religion, consisting not in keeping the commaundementes of God, as Bristowe like a wyse man affirmeth, whiche all Christian men ought to endeuour, but in keeping the traditions and constitutions of men, standing in garments, in meates, in gesture, in ceremonies, & outward obseruatiōs. wherfore they can not so lightly be acquitted of Heresie, euen by Hieronymies owne rule, and last of all by the example of the name of Rechabites, who had their name of their family, and not of any Sect in perfection. The name of Papists (saith Bristow) is lately put vpō vsus by heretiks, the like say we of the names of Lutheranes, &c. put vponupon vsus by them. The saying of Augustine, De vtilitate credendi, Cap. 7. toucheth vsus not, that Heretikes dare not denye their names by whiche they are called, for we vtterly denye all names by which we are called, in respect of our Religion, to be drawen from men, and aunswere onelyonly to the name of Christians. And as for the name of Catholikes, which Bristow maketh all one with the name of Christians, being added to the name of Christians to distinguish true Christians from Heretikes, which are counterfet Christians, we do embrace it: but if from this righte meaning of the name, it bee drawen to signifye a people, whiche by only glorying in that name, despise al true Christianitie grounded vppon the holy and diuine Scriptures, as Bristow seemeth to make it, then is it no better thā a name of Heretikes, and so the name of Catholikes, boasted of by them that refuse to be members of ye holy Catholike Church, turneth to their owne reproch, euen as the name of the Apostolikes was to them, whiche bragged of the name of the Apostles, but were indeed no true followers of ye Apostles, no more than the Papistes be true Catholikes.
In the eyght Demaund, he would know why we call them not Gregorians, or Leonians, of some one Pope, but Papists of the generall name of the Pope. I answer, bicause they mainteine not one heresie only of one mā, but a general heresie and Apostasie from Christ, wherof the Pope is ye head, whom no more foolishly then falsly Bristowe saith to hauehave bene alwayes since the Apostles time. If he presse vsus, that we make not dangerous, to acknowledge the name of Protestants, I confesse, yt when nothing is vnderstod by that name, but men which professe that true doctrine which we doe, we greatly striue not for the name. S. Paul him selfe openly acknowledged yt he was a Phause, when nothing was vnderstood… by the name but one that beleeued the resurrection of the dead, although yt terme of Pharisee was otherwise the name of a sect of heretiques, which mainteined many damnable errours, from which the Apostle was most free. Last of all Augustine in Breui. Coll. cum Donatist. Coll 3. dici counteth all these three motiues of the name of Catholoques. Heretiques, and Protestants, to be but dilatorie shifts of the Heretiques, not sound arguments of the Christian Catholiques. Vbi cognitor cùm dixisset, hoc Catholi…i probare debebuat, ortus est iterù moratorius conflictus, de Catholico nomine & Donatistarum & Caecilianistaris. When the Iudge or Commissioner had said: This the Catholiques ought to proue: there arose againe a dilatorie conflict about the name of Catholique, and of the Donatistes, and of the Caecilianistes. The Donatistes which were heretiques, chalenged to them selues the name of Catholiques, as the Papistes do against vsus, the true Christians they called Heretiques and Caecilianistes, as the Papistes call vsus. Heretiques, Protestants. Lutherans, &c. but these were but dilatorie deuises of Heretiques, to auoyd the true trial, which as the Catholikes in the forenamed conference confessed, was onelyonly by ye Scriptures.