Two Treatises Against the Papists, Article rebutted 27
The 27. article conteyneth 5. demandes.
1 Moreouer let any man proue vntounto me, that the true & onelyonly Church of God, may at any time be voyd of God his spirite.
THe true and onelyonly Church of Christ, can neuer be voyd of God his spirite, and yet she may erre from the truth, and be deceiued, in some thinges, euen as there is no true Christian man that is voyd of God his spirite, for he that hath not the spirite of Christ, is none of his. Rom. 8. yet may eueryevery true Christian erre, and be deceaued in some things, according to the saying of the Scripture, eueryevery man is a lyar. Wherefore the whole Church militant consisting of men, which are all lyars, may erre all togither, as eueryevery part thereof, although neither the whole Church nor any true member thereof be voyd of God his spirite.
2 Or falsely interprete any sentence of holy Scripture.
THis gentle offer must needes be taken, I will proue vntounto you, that the church of Rome, hath falsely interpreted diuers sentences of scripture, and therefore by that which she hath done, it cannot be doubted but that she may do it. S. Augustine was in this error, that he thought Infantes must receiue the sacrament of the body and bloude of Christ, vnderunder paine of damnation, and was deceiued by false interpretation of this scripture: Except ye eate the fleshe of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloude &c. Ioan. 6. This error and false interpretation, he affirmeth to be common to all the Westerne church, & to Pope Innocent him selfe. Contra duas epist. Pelag. ad Bonifacium lib. 2. cap. 4. & cōtra Iulianum lib. 1. cap. 2. Furthermore the second Councell of Nice, how many textes of scripture doth it falsely interprete, which it were to tedious to repete, yet for examples sake I will reherse some of them. God made man to his owne image Gen. 1. therefore we must hauehave images in the church. No man lighteth a candle and setteth it vnderunder a bushell Math. 5. therefore images must be set vponupon the altars. As we hauehave heard, so we hauehave seene in the City of our God, Psal. 48. that is: God must not be knowen by onelyonly hearing of his worde, but also by sight of images. If these be not true interpretations I reporte me to you. Beside these, I will bring you a sentence of holy Scripture, not onelyonly falsely interpreted in sence, but also falsified in wordes, and concerning not a small matter, but euen one of the cheefe articles of our Faith. It is written in the 10. chapter of the Gospell after S. Iohn the 29. verse foreign. My Father which gaue thē vntounto me (speaking of his sheep) is greater than all. This sentence, hath the Councell of Laterane, holden vnderunder Pope Innocent the 3. where were present 70. Metropolitanes, 400. Bishops, 12. Abbates, and 800. Priors commentualles in all 1300. Prelats, falsified in wordes, after this maner, Pater quod dedit mihi, maius est omnibus, that is: That which the Father hath geuen me, is greater than all. This sentence they alleage, to proue that God the Father begetting his Sonne from euerlasting, gaue his owne substance vntounto him, the wordes be in the 2. Canon. Pater enim ab aeterno filium generando, suam substantiam ei dedit, iuxta quod ipse testatur: Pater quod dedit mihi, maius est omnibus. At dici non potest, quod partem suae substantiae illi dederit, & partem retinuerit ipse sibi, cum substantia Patris indiuisibilis sit &c. that is to say: For the Father, begetting his sonne, from euerlasting, gaue him his owne substance, according as he himselfe witnesseth: that which the Father gaue me, is greater than all. But it can not be said, that he gaue him part of his substance, and kept parte vntounto him selfe, when as the substance of the Father is indiuisible &c. Goe your wayes now and perswade vsus, that your church can not interprete any sentence of the scripture, falsely, when the Laterane Councell, which is your represented church hath thus both falsefied, and falsely interpreted, this scripture. Perswade men, that they may safely leane to the interpretation of your church, when among a thousand and three hundred Prelates, gathered canonically in a Councell, not one was founde that coulde espie such grosse abusing of the worde of God, but let it passe in a Canon, vnderunder the name of the whole Councell. Perswade men, that in all controuersies, & condemning of errors, they must be ruled by the determination of your Church, When the Fathers of the Laterane Councell, can not confute the error of Ioachim Abbot, concerning the Diuinitie of Christ, but by falsefying and false interpreting of scripture. These few examples of an infinite numbre, I hauehave set forth, because they are sufficient, both to satisfie your chalenge, and to perswade the simple, that the church of Rome may falsely interprete the scripture, which you woulde beare them in hande were impossible.
3 Or induce any error among the people.
THe true and onelyonly church of God, is so guided by God his spirite and direct…d by his worde that she can not induce any damnable error to continue. Yet, as it is declared before, she hath no such priuilege graunted, but that she may be deceiued, in some thinges: for her knowledge is vnperfect, and her prophecying is vnperfect. 1. Cor. 13. And it is true that S. Augustine sayeth: euen the whole church is taught to saye: Forgeue vsus our trespasses. And if generall Councells be the church represented (as you Papistes doe teache) S. Augustine plainely affirmeth that they may erre: De Baptismo contra Donatistas, lib. 2. cap. 2. Quis autem nesciat sanctam scripturam Canonicam tam veteris quam noui Testamenti &c. And who knoweth not, that the holy Canonicall scripture, as well of the olde, as of the newe Testament, is conteined within her certeine boundes: and that it is so preferred, before all later writinges of byshops, that of it, no man may in any wise doubt, or dispute, whether it be true, or whether it be right, what so euer is knowen to be written therin: and that the writings of bishops, which hauehave bene written, or are now in writinge, maye be reprehended, if they hauehave gonne astraie, any thing from the trueth, both by the saying that is perhaps more wise, of any man, that is more skilfull in that matter, and by the more graue authoritie and wisedom of other better learned bishops, and also by Councells: and that euen those Councells which are gathered in eueryevery region or prouince, ought to geue place without all doubt, to the authoritie of the generall Councells, which are gathered out of all the Christian worlde: and that euen the very generall Councells, may often be amended, the former by the later, when as by any triall of thinges, that is opened, which before was shut, and that is knowen which before was hidden, without any swelling of wicked pride, without any stubbernesse of arrogance, without any contention of peuishe enuie: with holy Humility, with Catholike peace, with Christian charity. Thus farre, S. Augustine, which cleerely affirmeth, that generall Councells may often erre, which maye often be amended, but that the authority of God his worde, is to be preferred before the writinges of all Doctors, and Decrees of all Councells, and that it onelyonly can not erre. The Councell of Carthage the 3. ca. 23. determined, that all prayers at the altar, shoulde be directed onelyonly to the Father, and not to the Sonne, or the holy Ghost, whether this be an error to define that it is vnlawfull to pray to God the Sonne, and God the holy Ghost, let eueryevery man iudge. But you will except, that this was a prouinciall Synode, and not a generall Councell. But I aunswere you, it hath the authoritie of a generall Councell, because it was confirmed in the sixt generall Councell holden at Constantinople in Trullo. And as for the Popish church, that it maye erre, what neede we better proofe than the prayer, which it maketh, after the ending of eueryevery generall Councell, Precamur scilicet vt ignorantiae parcas & errori indulgeas, that is we praye truely that thou wouldest spare our ignorance & pardō our error. And againe, Et quia conscientia remordente tabescimus, ne aut ignorantia, nos traxerit in errorom, aut praeceps forsitan voluntas impulerit a Iustitia declinare, ob hoc te poscimus, te rogamus, vt si quid offensionis in hac Concilij celebritate attraximus, condonare, & remissibile facere digneris. that is: And because we are greued with remorce of conscience, lest either ignorance hauehave drawen vsus into error, or perhaps rash will hath driuen vsus to decline from Iustice, therefore we praye thee, we beseech thee, that if we hauehave drawen vntounto vsus any offence in the celebration of this Councell, thou wouldest vouche safe to pardon, and to make it remissible &c. If it be impossible for the generall Councell to erre, what neede they pray to God to pardon their error, and when their owne conscience condemneth them and compelleth them to confesse, and that before God, that they may erre, what impudence is it in any man, to contend that they can not erre? Furthermore the second Councell of Nice, determined that Angels, and soules of men had bodies, were visible, and circumscriptible, and therefore might be painted, and this it affirmeth to be the iudgement of the Catholike church, Con. Nice. 2. Actione 5. If this be not to induce an error, to make men beleue that Angells and spirites hauehave bodies visible and circumscriptible, there was neuer anye error sence the worlde beganne. Finally, when they say the Pope can not erre, they acknowledge that such generall Councells as condemned Popes, for heretikes, did erre, as the sixt generall Councell of Constantinople in Trullo, which condemned and accursed Pope Honorius for an heretike, Actione 13. Euen as Pope Leo, the 2. did also, as appeareth in his epistle, to the Emperour Constantine. Also the Councell of Constance did erre, which condemned Pope Iohn the 23. for denying the immortality of the soule, and the resurrection of the body. Session. 11. which Councell, Pope Iohn him selfe affirmed to be most holy, and that it coulde not erre. Session. 12. And the Councell of Basile did erre, which deposed Pope Eugenius, the 4. Session. 34. the same Councell being confirmed by Pope Nicolas the 5. Session 43. If you say: these two last Councells did not erre, in condemning and deposing these Popes: Then the great generall, and OEcumenicall Councell of Ferraria, and Florence, did erre, in disallowing the determination of these Councells. Thus it is manifest that the Romish church, which they them selues confesse, to be represented in a generall Councell, may erre, which hath so often erred. And if it may erre, and be deceiued it selfe, what man is he, that neede to doubt: Whether it maye induce any error among the people.
4 Or approue any vnprofitable or hurtefull vsage among Christians.
IF the church had not approued many vnprofitable and hurtefull vsages, among the people in S. Augustines time, what neede had he to complaine, that many of God his cōmaundemēts, were litle regarded, & mans presumptions so highely esteemed, Sed hoc nimis doleo &c. But herewithall I am to much greued, that many thinges which in God his booke are most holsomly commanded are lesse regarded, and all thinges are so full of so many presumptions, that he is more greuousely reproued, which in his vtas hath touched the earth, with his bare foote, that he that hath buried his minde in dronkennesse. Therefore if it be an vnprofitable and hurtefull vsage, to preferre mans traditions before God his commaundementes, the Church in S. Augustines time approued an vnprofitable and hurtefull vsage. Furthermore, if the Church can not approue an vnprofitable or hurtefull vsage, wherefore are so many ceremonies, as were approued in S. Augustines and S. Ambroses times, abrogated and disanulled, either because they were vnprofitable, or else hurtful. Last of all, what superstitious vsages, doth the church of Rome still approue? euen such as the wiser sort of Papistes are ashamed of.
5 Or that she suffereth any man, damnably abusing her religion, without open reprehension thereof, proue any of these thinges, and I recant.
THe true Church of Christ, in such places as she is, suffereth no man damnably abusing her Religion, with out open …eprehension, as in the dayes of VValdo, VVickleffe, Husse, &c. whereof sufficient mention is made before, but because she is not in all places at all times, many men, yea whole nations, may damnably erre, and not be reprehended of her, As all the Mahometistes, which occupie the greatest part of the world, who doth, or hath alwaies openly reprehended them. And the Romish Church, can well enough abide, ye true Religion of Christ, to be damnably abused, not onelyonly without reprehension, but also with allowing: For when the Friars, Dominicanes, & Franciscans, had forged a newe Gospell, out of the doctrine of Ioa…himus, and the visions of Cyril, which they called the Gospell of the holy Ghost, the Gospell that should endure hereafter, the euerlasting Gospell: which diuilish gospell they affirmed to be so much more perfect, then the Gospell of Christ: as the Sunne is more perfect then the Moone, & a kernell of a nut, before the shell: yet did not the Church of Rome, once reprehend it. So that it was cultiued 55, yeares, and at length set forth to be openly expounded in the Vniuersitie of Paris, Anno Dom. 1255. without open reprehension of any, but such as were counted heretikes for their labour, As Gulielmus de S. Amore, Gerardus Sagurellus, &c. And finally, when the matter was brought before the Pope, Anno Dom. 1256. by Gulielmus de S. Amore, and other sent from the Vniuersitie of Paris, the Pope and the Cardinalls, tooke o…der that it shoulde be priuily burned, and not openly reprehended, for shaming their orders. Mathaeus Paris. Whereby it is clearely proued, that the Romish Church hath suffered wicked men, damnably to abuse Religion, without open or priuie reprehension for the space of 55. yeares, and at length without open reprehension, when there was no remedie but it must needes be reprehended, wherefore if there be any grace in you, you will recant.