A Retentive to Stay Good Christians, Title page · Motive 5
The 4. and 5. motiues are included in the 10. demaund.
Miracles dogmatica…, a marke of true doctrine for the sacrifice Bristow.of the Masse, for purgatory. Deuills expelled with a Masse by a Priest of S. Augustines, who was of our religion. S. Bede of our religion. Masse sayd for the dead oftentimes to redemption both of body and soule. The saerament of the altare sticked by the Iewes bleedeth. M…rkes and m…nasteries. Visions for our religion. An Englishe woman miraculously cured of late by the blessed sacrament. Holy water. Masse confirmed by miracles in Afrike, Englande and Brabant.
Bristow diuideth miracles into dogmaticall and personall. Fulke.Of the first sort he setteth this conclusion. VVhosoeuer hauehave at any time set them selues against, any doctrine confirmed by miracle, they hauehave bene against the truth. There can to this no instans be giuen: our doctrine which they resist hath bene confirmed by miracles, therefore plaine it is that they are enemies of the truth.
Doe you heare this shameles beast, say, there can be no instans giuen against his proposition? When ye Lord himselfe giueth an expresse law, against a false prophet, which sheweth signes or miracles. Deut. 13. Did not Iannes and Iambres wh…ch resisted moses, worke miracles: doth not our Sauiour Christ prophecy that many false christes and false prophets should arise and worke such great signes and miracles, as (if it were possible, the very elect should be deceiued. Matth. 24. Doth not S. Paule prophecy, that the comming of Antichrist shalbe according to the working of Satan, in all power and lying signes and miracles, and therefore no maruel if Bristow bragge, that he can fill whole volumes with them? But miracles are not the triall, but the confirmation of doctrine, which must be tried onelyonly by the Scriptures of God: without the authoritie whereof, no miracles ought to moue vsus to giuegive credit, and much lesse any miracles may moue vsus to beleue any doctrine which is against it. But yet let vsus consider of such miracles as Bristow rehearseth.
First for the sacrifice of the Masse, and for purgatory. August. de ciuit. Dei lib. 22. cap. 8. writeth, that in a Ferme house of one Hesperius, was great hurt and trouble by euill spirits, which at the prayers of a certaine Priest or elder of Augustines Chutch, was staied & ceased. There is no word of deuills expelled with a Masse, or with the sacrifice of ye Masse. That which in Bristowes eare soundeth that way, is Perre …it vnus, &c. One went thether, he offered there the sacrifice of the body of Christ, praying with all his power, that the same vexation might ceasse: But Augustine by offring the sacrifice of Christes body, meaneth nothing, but ministring of the communion, as that holy action was then figuratiuely called, but yet nether the Masse, nor the sacrifice thereof, was at that time inuented, as I hauehave often & plentifully shewed els where, and namely against Heskins lib. …. cap. 22. That he nameth the sacrifice of the body of Christ, it is not sufficient to proue him of Bristowes religion, greater cause hauehave we to chalenge him to be of our religion, when he calleth the sacrament the signe of the body of Christ, and sayth, that Christ will not giuegive vsus that body which was borne of the virgine, and crucified &c. contra Adimant. In Ioann tract. …0. cap. 12.
From Augustine he passeth to a tale reported in Bedes historie of a captiue, whose chaines were loosed at such time, as his brother which was a Monke and Priest sayd masse for him, by which reporte, Bede sayth, many were moued to pray, giuegive almes or offer the sacrifice of the holy oblation for the deliuerie of their frendes which were departed out of this world a sorie motiue without the autoritie of Gods word, which albeit it was credited of Bede, as diuerse other fables were, yet may we doubt of the truth of it, and although it were true that such a feate was wrought, yet it can not establish a doctrine contrarie to the holy Scriptures. And notwithstanding that Bede liuing in a corrupttime, holdeth many errors of Papistrie, yet I hauehave shewed against Stapletons sortresse, that he holdeth not all, not many of the chiefest.
After this miracle of Bede, he beginneth the storie of our countrye woman, which hauinge plaied the harlot in London, and running ouer into Flanders to seeke the knaue that got her with childe, was made lame with childbearing, so that one legge was shorter then an other by more then halfe a foote, sayth Bristow. But after often shrift, and other holy exercises of Poperie, in time of a masse, she was restored to health by the sacrament of miracle. I doubt not but the masters of Bridewell (neere which place she dwelled sometime) which hauehave done as great cures as that, coulde hauehave healed her of her lamenes, without the sacrament of miracle. In rehearsall of this doggetricke miracle, he interlaceth an other as monstruous a lye as this. That the pixe being stollen by a Iew, & the cakes sticked in despight among the Iewes, did bleede aboundantly, that a druncken woman a Iew borne, and christned, being admonished by an Angell in a vision, restored that pixe with three hostes in it to her gostly father, from whom they were translated to S. Gudulaes church in Bruxells, where they are kept vntill this day, from the yere of our Lord 1369. which is moe then 200. yeares agoe. The like fable they hauehave at the Monasterie of Billets in Paris, where they hauehave a cruse full of the miraculous blood, which issued out of the masse cake so sticked by the Iewes: which are euen as great miracles, as the blood of Ha…les was in England. For if the Papists durst for their credit, cō mit those miraculous hostes and blood vntounto indifferent vewe and custodie, where no fraude might be vsed, I durst aduenture my life, (which is almost all that I hauehave to leese) that within lesse then two yeares, they shall either be founde to consist of a counterfait matter that is perdurable, or els they shall putrefie and rotte… which they woulde beare vsus in hande, hauehave continued more then two hundreth yeares: In the demaund and in the next motiue m… ̄tiō is made of miracles wrought in Ind…a and by Pius quintus the Pope at Rome which either are lyes, or iuggling casts of counterfeating coseners. But if they or their Pope hauehave any such power, as they bragge of, why come they not in the face of their aduersa…es, & challenge them, as Helias did the Priests of Baal, and in open sight of their enemies shewe their mightie miracles: and not prate of wonders done in the Indes, of which they may lye, where there is none to controlle them, or wrought, among them selues, where we can …udge nothing of them, but counterfeating and cosening, with which practises they hauehave bene taken & t…ied too often, to gaine any credit with any that hauehave any wisedom in them.