The Safe Way Leading All Christians, Section 8
Sect. 8. The Teſtimonies of our Aduerſaries touching the Antiquitie and vniuerſalitie of the Proteſtant faith in generall.
IN the meane time I will call the Church of Rome for a witneſſe to our cauſe, and if ſhe do not plainly confeſſe the Antiquitie of our Tenets, and the Noueltie of her owne. If ſhe herſelfe do not proclaime the vniuerſalitie of our faith: if ſhe do not confeſſe that we are both in the more certaine and ſafer way in the Proteſtant Church, I will neither refuſe the name, nor the puniſhment due to hereſie.
He therfore that ſhall queſtion vsus where our Church was before Luther, let him looke backe into the Primitiue Church; nay let him but looke into the boſome of the preſent Romane Church, and there he ſhall find and confeſſe, that if euer Antiquitie and Vniuerſality were marks of the true Church, of right and neceſſitie they muſt belong to ours.The Creede of the Apoſtles, Nicene Councell, Athanaſius, Piu… the fourth. Looke into the foure Creedes which the Church of Rome profeſſeth, and you ſhall finde three of thoſe Creeds are taught and beleeued in our Church, and theſe by our aduerſaries confeſſion were inſtituted by the Apoſtles and the Fathers of the Primitiue Church, not created by Luther. Looke into the ſeauen Sacraments which the Church of Rome holdeth, and you ſhall acknowledge that two of thoſe Sacraments are profeſſed by vsus; and theſe by our aduerſaries confeſſion were inſtituted by Chriſt, not broached by Luther. Looke into the Canon of our Bible, and you ſhall obſerue that 22. books of Canonicall Scripture which our Church alloweth, were vniuerſally receiued in all ages, and are approued at this day by the Church of Rome, for Canonical Scripture not deuiſed by Luther. Looke into the firſt ſeuen generall Councels, and you …hall confeſſe, that the firſt 4. generall Councels are rati…ed by our Church and Acts of Parliament,Eliz. 1. not called by Luther. Looke into the Traditions of the Church, and you ſhal ſee and confeſſe that all the Apoſtolicall Traditions which were vniuerſally receiued, and which the Church of Rome confeſſeth at this day to bee Apoſtolicall, are deſcended from the Apoſtles to vsus, not deriued from Luther. Looke into our booke of Common Prayer, and compare it with the ancient Lyturgies, and it will appeare the ſame formes of Prayer (for ſubſtance) were read and publiſhed in a known tongue in the ancient Churches, not broached by Luther. Looke into the ordination & calling of Paſtors, and it will appeare that the ſame eſſentiall forme of ordination which at this day is practiſed in our Church, was vſed by the Apoſtles & their ſucceſſors, not deuiſed by Luther. If therefore the three Creeds, the two principall Sacraments of the Church, the 22. bookes of Canonicall Scripture, the firſt foure generall Councels, the Apoſtolique Traditions, the ancient Lyturgies, the ordination of Paſtors: If, I ſay, all theſe were anciently taught and vniuerſally receiued in all ages in the boſome of the Romane Church, euen by the teſtimonies of our aduerſaries themſelues, it is but a ſilly and ſenſleſſe queſtion to demand of vsus where our Church was before Luther.
The poſitiue doctrine which we teach is contained in a few principall points, & thoſe alſo hauehave Antiquity and Vniuerſality with the Conſent of the Romane Church: The points in controuerſie which are ſub Iudice, in queſtion, are for the moſt part, (if not) all additions to the Church, and certainely frō thoſe additions and new Articles of faith, the queſtion doth truly and properly reſult vponupon themſelues: Where was your Church (that is) Where was your Trent doctrine and Articles of the Romane Creed receiued de Fide before Luther?
But admit our doctrine lay inuolued in the boſome of the Romane Church (which no Romaniſt can deny) I ſay admit it became hidden as good corne couered with chaffe, or as fine gold ouerlayed with a greater quantitie of droſſe, was it therefore new and vnknowne, becauſe Poperie ſought by a preuailing faction to obſcure it? was there no good corne in the Granary of the Church, becauſe till Luthers dayes it was not ſeuered from the chaffe? no pure gold becauſe our aduerſaries would not refine it by the fire of Gods word? If the chaffe and droſſe be ours, or if our Church ſauour of nothing but Noueltie and hereſie, (as ſome of theſe men pretend) let them remoue from the boſome of their owne Church, that new and hereticall doctrine which they ſay was neuer heard of before Luther, and tell mee if their Church will not prooue a poore & ſenſleſſe carkaſſe, & a dead body without a ſoule. Take away the three Creeds which we profeſſe, our two Sacraments, the 22. bookes of Canonicall Scripture, the Apoſtolicall Traditions, the foure firſt general Councels, and tell me (ſuch light chaffe & new hereſies as they how ſtile them, being remoued) if their twelue new Articles, their fiue baſe Sacraments, the Apoſtolicall Scriptures, their vnwritten verities and Traditions will make a true viſible Church.
It is true that wee denie their additions there (aliquod amplius) becauſe they are grounded on humane authoritie, and want the foundation of the Scriptures, wee denie Purgatorie, Inuocation of Saints, Works of Supererrogation, worſhip of Images, and the like: and if our Religion be therfore termed Negatiue for deniall of thoſe things, who ſees not but for the like reaſon they themſelues wil ſtand guiltie of the ſame aſperſion? Do not they denie the ſubſtance of bread after Conſecration? doe not they denie the Scriptures to the Laitie? Marriage to the Prieſts? the Cup to the Lay people? the Supremacie to their Soueraigne in his own dominions? and may not we for theſe and the like reaſons proteſt againſt them, that therfore theirs is a Negatiue Religion?
But that the world may know wee obtrude not theſe things by way of recrimination, it ſhall appeare by their owne confeſſion, the Traditions which we deny, are declined by the beſt learned amongſt themſelues. Nay more, they doe not onelyonly acknowledge thoſe things which we hold, but the moſt ingenious of them are aſhamed alſo of thoſe additions which wee denie: As for inſtance, we charge them with the worſhip of Images, they denie it, or leaſtwiſe excuſe their manner of adoration; but they condemne not vsus for not worſhipping: We accuſe them for praying in an vnknowne tongue, they excuſe it, that God knowes the meaning of the heart: but they do not condemne vsus for praying with the ſpirit and with vnderſtanding. Wee condemne them for adoring the elements of bread and wine in the Sacrament, becauſe it depends vponupon the intention of the Prieſt: they excuſe it,Jnnocentius the third, Adoro te ſi tu es Chriſtus. that they adore vponupon condition, If the conſecrated bread be Chriſt, but they doe not cōdemne vsus for adoring Chriſts reall body in heauen: we accuſe them for taking away the Cup from the Lay people: they excuſe it, that it was not taken vp by the Commandement of the Biſhops, Coster. Enchirid. de commun. ſub vtra que ſpecie. Anno 1414.but it crept in, the Biſhops winking thereat (ſaith Coſterus) but they did not condemne vsus for following Chriſts example, and receiuing in both kinds. Laſtly, we accuſe them for their priuate Maſſes, contrarie to Chriſts inſtitution and the cuſtome of the Primitiue Church;Harding in B. Jewel, ca. Priuat Maſſe they excuſe it, That it is through their own default and negligence, whereof (ſaith Maſter Harding) the godly and faithfull people, ſince the time of the Primitiue Church, hauehave much complained: and which is remarkable and comfortable to all beleeuing Proteſtants, we charge them with flat idolatrie, in the adoration of the Sacrament, in Reliques, in Saints, in Images, and howſoeuer they excuſe themſelues, in diſtinguiſhing their manner of adoration: yet, I ſay, to our endleſſe comfort be it ſpoken, they cannot charge vsus in the poſitiue doctrine of our Church, no not with the leaſt ſuſpition of idolatrie.