Reply Against Gilbert Brown, Table of contents – Section 1
The principall points handled in this firſt part, are theſe
1. THat the Kirk of Rome is not the Catholick Kirk, in no reſpect, as they vaunt of themſelues, but a particular Kirk: and that impure, rotten, dead, & Antichriſtian.
2. That the Kirk of Chriſt both may erre, and hes erred in al ages, before the law vnderunder the law, in the time of Chriſt, after his aſcenſion, in all ages, aſwell ſeverallie, as iointly, in councels both Prouinciall, and generall: and that the Kirk of Rome, and their heades the Popes of Rome, hes moſt foullie erred.
3. That the falſet of the Religion of the Kirk of Rome may be ſufficientlie made manifeſt by comparing the doctrine of the Kirk of Rome, with the doctrine of Chriſt and his Apoſtles, ſet downe in the Scripture, ſuppoſe all the reſt of the circumſtances of changes and mutations, as the firſt perſon, time place and ſo forth be not diſtinctly ſet down in hiſtories.
4. The authour, time, place, and ſo forth of the reſte of the circumſtances of the change of the doctrine of the Kirk of Rome, is ſet downe diſtinctlie▪ firſt, as the Scripture foretolde it, and alſo ſome of the auncients and hiſtoriographers, in ſome particular heades, hes noted out theſe circumſtances.
5. That our Religion was neither firſt invented by Martine Luther, nor yet firſt preached by him, but was inſt tuted by Chriſt in his Scripture, and was profeſſed by his Apoſtles, and the Primitiue Kirk, and the true Kirk of Chriſt in all ages. And that hee departed not from the true Kirk, but from the ſocietie of Babel, and the peſt of that Antichriſtian kingdome: & that he had the Lord Ieſus, his Apoſtles, and all the primitiue Kirk, and all theſe that profeſſed the true Religion, to be his predeceſſors.
6. Who ſhould be ſupreeme iudge in all controverſies of religion: to wit, the Lord Ieſus in his word, and not the Pope and his councell, as they ſay: and the true cauſe wherfore they decline the Lord, both to be Iudge in his word, & witneſſe in his authentick ſcripture the Hebrew and Greeke fountaines, and will hauehave none to be iudges, but themſelues, their owne Popes, the fathers and forgers of their owne religion, becauſe they both knowe in their conſcience that the principall points of their doctrine is not written, or warranted in the Scriptures of God. And alſo ſome of themſelues through the forcible conviction of the trueth, hes bene compelled to grant, and to ſet it downe in write, that the principall pointes and foundaments of their Religion, hes not their authour, origen, nor beginning in the ſcripture, nor cannot be warranted and defended by the ſame: and therefore they knowe aſſuredlie, that if the Popes be not admitted to be iudge in their owne cauſe, their Religion will be gone.
7. That the whole certaintie of all their doctrine and religion, and of the doctrine of the Scriptures, by their owne confeſſion, depends vponupon the teſtimonie of the preſent Kirk: that is, the preſent Popes, and his Cleargie: and that the certaintie both of our doctrine, that it is of God, and alſo of the diuinitie of the Scriptures, depends not vponupon the teſtimonie of the Kirk of Rome, for that were a weake threed, nor of the teſtimonie of anie Kirk only or principallie, but vponupon other moſt infallible grounds.
8. Sundry points of doctrine controuerted amongſt vsus, whilk were caſten in as examples by M. Gilbert, to proue that his religion was warranted in the Scripture, and ours not warranted by the ſame As 1. the abſolute neceſſitie of Baptiſme. 2. Freewill, and the poſſibilitie to keepe the commandements of God abſolutelie and perfitely. 3. Tranſubſtantiation. 4. The authority of Prieſts to forgiue ſinnes. 5. The Sacraments of extreame vnction, impoſition of hands, and of marriage. 6. That the band of marriage is d ſſoluble for the cauſe of adulterie. 7. Merites of workes. 8, Works of ſupererogation. 9 Chriſts locall deſcenſion to Hell. 10. Iuſtification by works. All whilks are moſt euidentlie convicted and confuted by the teſtimonies of the Scripture: and manie of them alſo by the teſtimonies of the auncient Fathers, and ſome of their owne teſtimonies of Popes, Cardinals, Doctors, and others.
9. That Fathers cannot be iudges of the controuerſies of Religion, not yet the expoſition of the Scriptures ſhould be tried by them: but onlie the Scripture to be exponed by Scripture: and their expoſitions in ſo far forth to be embraced, as they aggree with them. And that both becauſe they may erre, hes erred, and alſo their expoſitions diſſents one from another: and this is proued both by the teſtimonies of ſome of the Fathers and ſome of the moſte learned Papiſts
10. That the Apocrypha is not Canonicall Scripture, whilk is alſo prooued by the teſtimonies of ſome of their owne Popes, Cardinalles, and Doctors.
11. That the defection foretolde in the Scripture in the …ime of the Antichriſt, ſhould be a vniuerſall defection of all ſorts, except the elect.
12. That the Kirk of Chriſt in the time of the Antichriſts defection and tyrannie, ſhoulde be redacted to a ſmall handfull, and ſhould be latent, & lurke, for to eſcape his cruelty and tyrannie.
13. That the ſpace of 1260. daies wherein the Antichriſt ſhould raigne, and the nomber of the true Witneſſes of God that ſhould preach the truth all that time, the ſpace of their preaching, their cloathing, the place of the ignominious handling of their carcaſes, and their reviving and aſcending vp to heauen, as they are ſet downe in the Reuelation, is to be vnderſtood not literallie, as Maiſter Gilbert does, but figuratiuelie after the cuſtome of theſe prophecies in this Revelation.
14. That the Popes are not the head of the Kirk, nor acknowledged by the Kirks in al ages to be the head thereof: but his Monarchie is condemned by Chriſt Ieſus, and his Apoſtles in his word, by the Fathers of the Primitiue Kirk, by fiue ſundry Prouinciall councels, and by nine generall Councels, and by fiue Vniuerſities, and by the Kirks of Grecia, Aſia, Moſcouia, Aethiopia, Boeme, Piemont, and all the reformed Kirks throughout Europe, ſo that if it were but put to an aſſiſe of theſe, his Monarchie would be condemned.
15. That the Catholick Kirk is inviſible, and in what reſpects we affirme ſhe is inviſible, & that the particular viſible Kirks heir, may be obſcured, rare, and brought to ſik a few handfull, that they are not openlie knowne and ſeene to all: but onlie ſome of them amongeſt themſelues, and ſome of them to their perſecuters, as it was foretolde in the Scriptures of God in the time of the Antichriſt, and as it hes bene accompliſhed in the time of Popery.
16. That our Religion was preached and profeſſed in all ages, by Chriſt, his Apoſtles, the primitiue Kirk, the auncient Fathers, and by ſundrie in the middes of Poperie, who were condemned and perſecuted, and put to death manie of them, for ſpeaking againſt their doctrine, and that manie hundreth yeares before Ma…tine Luther, & ſome immediatlie before him.
17. That we hauehave renued no old condemned hereſies, but theſe that he aſcriues to vsus, either are not hereſies in deid, but warranted by the Scripture, or elſe we doe condemne them as hereſies, and deteſts them more then they: wherof ſome of them doth alſo better aggree to themſelues.
18. That they are they in verie truth, who hes renewed the old hereſies, of old hereticks whilk are condemned in the word of God, and that to the number of 40 and moe.
A replie againſt Maiſter Gilbert Browne prieſt.
M. Gilbert Browne.
Ane anſwere to ane certaine Libell or Writing, ſent by M. IOHN WELSCHE to ane Catholicke, Tytle.as ane anſwere to ane obiection of the Romane Kirk. &c.
I receaued ane little skroll, whilk was ſent to you by M. Iohn Welſche Miniſter at Kirkeudbricht, in the whilk, there is meikle promiſed, and little done. And becauſe it may appeare to ſome to be ſomething, I will (God willing) anſwere the ſame in particular.
M. Iohn Welſche Reply.
AS to your iudgement and cenſure of this my anſwere to your obiection, wherein ye think there is meikle promiſed and little done: I doe not regard it, for ſo long as your harte is bewitched with the pleaſures of Babell, your light is but darknes: ſo while the Lorde annoynt your eyes, with that eye-ſalue promiſed in the Reuelation. 3. and purge your harte by faith, ye cannot diſcerne of thinges different, and giuegive vpright iudgement. What I promiſed, I am now by the grace of God readie to performe. And whether it was ſome-thing or nothing, meikle or little, that I did, let work beare witnes, and let them that loues the trueth iudge.