A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 44
The 44. Motiue is the 49. demaund.
The Church that all Chrsstes enemies fight against. Englande Bristoweioyneth with Christes enemyes againste Christendome. VVhat Religion the Iowes impunge as the Religion of Christ. Christ is to bee beleeued for conuerting of Emperours and powers from their Idols to serue his seruauntes. The Church is euerlasting and visible. Saincte Augustines motiue. Emperors turned from their Idols and praying at Peeters sepulchre, and the Christianitie of humane lawes. Sainct Augustine of our Religion, Protestants bee of many olde heresies.
The popish Church was not persecuted by the heathen Emperous, but the Catholike church of Christ, Fulke.The popish Church is not of so great antiquitie, that shee had then any shewe in the worlde, although the misterie of iniquitie did then woorke and euen in the Apostles time. The Heathens, Turks and Iewes, doe no more hate the popish church; then they doe the church of God which is in England. The warres against the Turke be at this day maintained by the states of Germany, which are of our religiō aswel as by the Papists, That there is no publike ayde sent against the Turk out of England, it is not in any allowaunce of Turkish religion but because the state seeth it not necessary neither was there any publike ayde sente an hundreth yeeres be ore the reuolte from Papistrie. And yet euen in the Queenes maiesties raigne, there hath gone ayde out of England against Soliman which died at the siege of Segesto, where diuers noble Gentlemen of Englande goinge on their owne charges as Bizia testifieth wan more true glory then they that 2. or 3. hundred yeeres before vponupon a superstitious vowe were signed with the crosse to fight against the Saracens, for the possession of the earthly Ierusalem. How often shall I aunswer, that the first christian Emperours were not conuerted from Idolatry to Christianitie by the popish Church, but the later Christian Emperours, by her hauehave bene peruerted from the true worship of God, vntounto Idolatry. That the Emperours being conuerted from Idolatry, did pray at Peter the fishermans sepulchre (as Augustine sayth) it sheweth the vertue of ye Gospel of Christ that had made so great alteration in them, but nothing at all proueth the authoritie or any error of the popish Church, for Augustine sayth not that they prayed vntounto Peter, but at the sepulcher of Peter, meaning in the Church that was builded vponupon the place, that was supposed to be the buriall of Peter. The lawes that those Emperours made against Idolaters, may well serue against the Papistes, wc are as grosse in all kindes of Idolatry as the Gentills for the most part were. Finally it was not ye popish Church, but the Church of Christ, that suppressed the heresies of the Arrians, Sabellians, Nestorians &c. But Iouinian did let out of hell Priestes and Nunnes mariage, which gate not the Church of Protestantes, but our Church (sayth Bristow) hath stopped. The Church that striued against Iouinian, was nether for mariage of Priestes, of whom many thowsands were maryed in that tyme, yea and a thowsande yeares after, nor yet for mariage of such as had vowed virginitie, and could not contayne, when both Epiphanius the hatchet of heresies, and Hierome that greatest aduersary of Iouinian, agree that they ought to marye. Epiph. cont. Apostolicoshaer. 61. Hierom ad Demetriadem.
Nether were Epiphanius, Philaster, and Augustine, which disalow the opinion of Aerius, concerning prayers for the dead, members of the popish church, for this one error which they held, seeing they hold the principall substance of religion against the Papists, and agreeable to the word of God. That Bristow sayth in the demaund, VVe count Turkes, Iewes, and very Atheistes for our frendes and all that be not Papistes, it is a most detestable slaunder. The Anabaptistes burned in Smithfield were no Papistes, the blasphemer of Christ lately burned at Norwiche was no Papist, whose sharpe execution sheweth, that heretikes, blasphemers, and Atheistes, when they are discouered, finde no friendship at the handes of Christes Church, but such as they deserue. Finally the Easterne Church, which of long tyme hath bene separated from the Romish communion, hath as great enemies of the Turkes, heathen and Iewes, as the Popish Church hath, yet will not the Papistes allow it for the Catholike Church.