Two Treatises Against the Papists, Article rebutted 7
The 7. article conteineth 3. demaundes.
1 Further I aske them, what Church that is, which hath brought forth out of her wombe, so many noble personages, of Martyrs, Confessors, Doctors, Virgines, and holy Sainctes, of all sortes, all which both they and we doe outwardly professe, by the continuance of the Callendare, which yet is vsed eueryevery where, to be Sainctes in heauen.
FVrther I aunswere you, that all true Sainctes, whether they were Patriarches, Prophets, Apostles, Euāgelistes, Martyrs, Confessors, Doctors, Scholars, Virgins, wiues, widowes, married, or vnmarried, are all children of that Church, in whose fellowship we reioyce to be, and are our deare brethren and sistern begotten in Iesu Christ by the gospell, and we all hold of one head Iesus Christ, as members of his mysticall body. We all beleue to be receaued into that glory that they are, by the onelyonly meane that they were, that is by the merciemercy of God in Christ Iesus. But as for the continuance of the Callendar, we hauehave litle respect vntounto it, yea no regard at all, to vse it either as a recorde, or as a register of those whom we acknowledge to be Sainctes in heauen. Let the Prince make you aunswere, for the continuance of such callēders, for we hauehave not to do with them. Neuerthelesse because you speake of a Callendar, that is vsed eueryevery where, you declare that you hauehave small experience in Callendars, for eueryevery cuntry hath them diuers in most dayes, except holy dayes, and in some cuntry Callendars, such dayes are festiuall to those Saincts, that hauehave not their names in Callendars of other cuntries, yea it may be doubted whether they hauehave their names in the booke of life. If you sawe a Bohemians Callendar, perhaps if you shoulde see Iohn Hus, and Ierom of Prage, which your church condemned for heretikes, and hauehave as solemne feastes, in the Callender as Peter and Paule, wherefore we acknowledge those to be Sainctes in deede, not whose names are continued in the Callendars of men, but are written in the booke of life of the Lambe, that was slaine from the beginning of the worlde. Apoc. 13.
2 And if it can be proued by any man of the Protestancy, that these were either, of the Protestants Congregation, or beleefe when they were aliue.
IT is sufficiently proued against you, of the Papistrie, that all they, whome we acknowledge to be Sainctes in heauen, are members of the same mysticall bodie of Christ, that we are, and hold the onelyonly foundation that we hold, which is Iesus Christ, and although some of them, builded straw and stubble vponupon the same foundation, yet the Lorde hath not imputed it vntounto them. But wheras the Patriarches, Prophetes, and Apostles were cheefe lightes and pillers of the church of Christ, the daye is yet to come, and euer shalbe, that all you of the Papistrie, shalbe able to charge vsus with one pointe of our faith, contrary to the doctrine of the Patriarches, Prophetes, and Apostles.
3 Or canonized and allowed for Sainctes by the Protestantes Church, when they were deade, or by any other Church, then I recant.
OVr Church doth take all them that shew the fruicts of a liuely faith, to be Sainctes, while they be aliue, as well as after their death, and we say with Dauid: All my delight is in the Sainctes, that are in the earth Psal. 16. and with S. Paule: VVe labour to comprehend with all Sainctes, what is the length, breadth, depth, and heigth, and to know the louelove of Christ. Ephes. 3. Finally the scripture teacheth vsus, to call all them that are sanctified in the bloude of Christ, and called to the felowship of the Gospell, holy and Sainctes of God. 1. Cor. 1. Ephes. 1. &c. Wherefore, your Popish church doth great iniury to the Sainctes of God, first, because she doth not so accompt them while they liue, and secondly, because she referreth the canonization of them only to ye Pope, who not for their holy life, maketh them Sainctes, but for the holy honger of golde, as appeare by Pope Iuly 2. who woulde not canonize king Henry the sixt, at the request of king Henry the seuenth, vnderunder an vnreasonable summe of money. If that summe of money had bene paide, he shoulde hauehave bene a sainct, though he had not deserued, not for his vertue. And because that summe of money was not paide, he might not be canonized, although his godlinesse neuer so much deserued. Againe of what force your Canonization is to be esteemed, we may learne by a fact of Pope Boniface the 8. who condemned, digged vp, and burned the bodie of Hermannus in Ferraria, 30. yeares after his buriall, who had bene worshipped for a sainct aboue 20. yeares before, as witnesseth Platina and other. Gregorie the seuenth canonized Pope Liberius, which was an Arrian, as S. Hieronym testifieth, Moreouer if I shoulde likewise demande of you, what Pope canonized Peter, Paule, and the rest of the Apostles, yea most of the Martyrs of the primitiue Church, you shall neuer be able to shew me either what Pope did it, or that any Pope did it: For seeing none may canonize but the Pope in your church, and you can not proue that the Pope hath canonized the Apostles and cheefe Martyrs, you can not proue that your church hath canonized the Apostles and principall Martyrs. But it is manifest that your canonization is taken from the heathen Senate of Rome, which chalenged authority to make Gods, whome they them selues thought best. And if I shoulde rippe vp the most parte of those Sainctes, which hauehave bene canonically canonized by the Pope, it were an easie matter to finde them heretikes, traitors, Necromancers, Whoremongers, and whores, as you may reade in Bales Votaries aboundantly, beleuing his reporte no farther than he alleageth his Author, where you maye finde it. Wherefore it were wisedome for you, not to depend vponupon the Pope his Canonization, but vponupon God his approbation, and to recante.