Answer to a Jesuit, Part 8 – Part 9
¶ANSWER.
TO this Epilog and argumēt gathered thereof, we answer only this:Nota. That of a manifest lie, there can no treuth be concluded▪ His manifest and impudent lie we say,Tyries impudē cie. is, That he affirmes, That in that Kirk in the which he is, there is continuall succession of doctrine: and that the selfsame which is preached now hes bene taugh in all ages. This we affirme is a moste impudent lie. For now, & of late yeares it hath bene taught and of the people receaued, that the Messe was a …acrifice propitiatorie for the sinnis of the quick & the dead: That the Pape was the head of y• Kirk, & such other heades of moste heretical doctrine, approued in the Papisticall Kirk.
W…ich heades we affirme wer vnknowē in the age of the Apostles, or yet of the Fathers that immediately followed them.
And for the probation thereof, we desyre their wrytingis to be produced, euer beginning at them who wer appointed of God to preache, and to plant the veriti… in the world. We are not bound to cr… dite whatsoeuer the Fathers hauehave spoken: But our faith (as is befoir said) is buylded vponupon the sure Rock Iesus Christ,Ephes. 2. and vpō the fundatioun of the Apostles and Prophetes. So far as any Fathers aggre therewith, we reuerently do imbrase it: But if the Fathers hauehave affirmed any thing with out the warrand of the written word of ye Eternall our God, To whose only voce the sheap of his pasture ar bound: It is as laughfull to vsus to reiect that which proceadeth from man and not from God,Nota. as it is easie to them to affirme it. Maister Tyrie may know that we vse the wordes of the Ancientis.
It appeareth to vsus be the hole progres of Maister Tyries letter,The effect of Tyries letter. that he and his factioun, can acknowledge no Kirk, which in all ages hes not bene visible to the eyes of men: hauing lykwise a visible succession. For first he affirmes, that the Kirk whereof the Prophet Isaias speakes,His affirmationis should be manifest and visible through all the world. And heare last he alledgeth that we can cum in no place where we sall not find that Religion spred: at the least in many persones. And thereof he concludes, that if we can not proue the lyke of our Religion: It followis that it is not the trew Religion.
If Maister Tyrie recant not this assertiō he must correct his crede.Answer to his affirmationes. Aud where vniuersally befor we vse to say credo sanctam ecclesiam. &c.Nota. He must say video sauctam ecclesiam. For if there be no kirk vponupon the face of the earth, but that which is visible, and th…t which may be shawen first, be certane notes external, then superfluous and vane it wer to vsus to say, I beleue the holy K…rk vniuersall: but confidētly we might affirme, I see y• holy kirk. If Master Tyrie will say we may bothe se & beleue, and be our sight our Faith may be strengthned. For Thomas saw y• woū des in the handes, … and syde of Christ Iesus, and beleued: and so may we se the Kirk and yet bele…e it. If we should grāt so far to M…ister Tyrie, yet wer his argument nothing helped. For the question is not, whether that we may noti…ie those thinges that we ar bound to beleleue. But the question is, if that we are not bound to beleue those thinge…, which somtymes ar vtterly … from the external senses of men. M…ster Tyrie will acknowledge no kirk except that which hes bene and is visible. We in the cōtrare acknowledge and reuerence the spous of Chiist Iesus,Apocal. …. somtymes exyled from the world, receauing somtymes the wynges of an Egle, that she may fle to the wyldernes: Whereof God and not of man, she hath her place prepared. We reuerence her wt doeth complane, that she hath bene desolate, barrane, a captiue, and a wanderer to and fro. That spous of Iesus Christ brages so lytle of her succession, visible to mānes eyes,Isai. 49. that she is reft in admiration, who should hauehave nurished her Children, during the tyme of her baniwement. If master Tyrie be so well sene in the ancient Wryters, as in his wryting he wold shaw him self to be, then can he not be ignorāt that it is not without great caus that the holy Goste hath taught vsus to say:Note diligently. I beleue the holy Kirk vniuersall. To wit, becaus that oftentymes it is, that the Kirk militāt is so afflicted. Yea, the bewtie thereof is so obscured, to the most part of the worlde, that the Synagoge of Sathan vsurpes the tytle of the trew Kirk: and Babilone is preferred to Ierusalem.Psalm. 74. So that the elect are compelled to compleane and say. We s… not our owen signes, now is there no Prophet any moir amonges vsus. Let the dayes of Helyas and his cōplaint witnes whether that the Kirk of God is alwayes so visible, that it may be pointed furth wt the finger of man. Thus we wryte shortly to giuegive occasion to Maister Tyrie, and to such as are blinded with that errour, moir deaply to considder that artickle of their beleue, and not so rashely to condempne such as God of his mercy calles frō darknes to light. Now to the rest of his letter.
TYRIES LETTER.
THair is sum I knaw perchance for laik outher of gude discourse or wit measures the veritie of the thing thay follow be the warldly succes thay hauehave in the following of it. Bot surely I cā not esteme zow to be of that rank, and gif ze wer, I wald exhort zow to reid amangis the rest the seuintene and twa Psalme, and ye hundreth fourtie and thre Psalme. Quhairby ze wil easily vnderstand, that nouther the prosperous succes of zour part (in warldly thinges I mene) preifis it that ze follow to be of veritie, nor zit our decay and aduersitie makis our part to be conuicted, ze rather the mater being considderit as it aught to be, zour prosperitie is rather a manifest argument of Goddis wraith nor of ony treuth of veritie. For it is said be ane godly, haly and cunning man ane xj. hundreth zeir by past, Quod nihil infelicius felicitate peccantium, quia & penalis nutritur impunitas & mala voluntas velut interior hostis roboratur. &c.