Defense of Perkins Book Called a Reformed Catholic, Front matter · Author to the reader – Answer to prologue
speaker W. P. THE AVTHOR TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
BY a Reformed Catholike, I vnderstand any one that holds the same necessarie heades of religion with the Roman Church: yet so, as he pares off and reiects all errours in doctrine whereby the said religion is corrupted. How this may be done, I hauehave begun to make some little declaration in this small Treatise: the intent whereof is to shew how neere we may come to the present church of Rome in sundrie points of religion: and wherein we must for euer dissent.
My purpose in penning this small discourse is threefold. The first is, to confute all such Politikes as hold and maintaine, that our religion, & that of the Roman Church differ not in substance, and consequently that they may be reconciled: yet my meaning is not here to condemne any Pacification that tends to perswade the Roman Church to our religion. The second is, that the Papists which thinke so basely of our religion, may be won to a better liking of it: when they shall see how neere we come vntounto them in sundrie points. The third, that the common Protestant might in some part see & conceiue the point of difference betweene vsus and the Church of Rome: and know in what manner and how farre forth, we condemne the opinions of the said Church.
I craue pardon for the order which I vse, in handling the seuer all points. For I hauehave set them downe one by one, as they came to minde, not respecting the lawes of Method. If any Papist shall say that I hauehave not alleadged their opinions aright, I answere, that their bookes be at hand, and I can iustifie what I hauehave said.
Thus crauing thine acceptation for this my paines, and wishing vntounto thee the increase of knowledge, and louelove of pure and sound religion, I take my leaue and make an ende.
speaker D. B. P. AN ANSWERE TO THE Preface.
VPONUPON your preface to the Reader I will not stand, because it toucheth no point of controuersie: let it be declared in your next, what you meane, when you desire your reformed Catholike to hold the same necessarie I hauehave shevved you.heades of Religion with the Romane Church: for if the Romane. Church doth erre in the matter of faith, and iustification; in the number and vertue of the Sacraments; in the bookes and interpretation of the word of God; if she raze the foundation and make Christ a Pseudochrist, and an Idoll; to omitte twenty other e…rors in substantial points of faith, as in this your small discourse you would perswade: there will remaine verie few necessarie heades of Religion for them to agree in. And be you well assured, that you are so wide from winning Catholikes by this your worke, to a better liking of your Religion: that you hauehave taken the high way, to lead them to a farre greater dislike of it; by teaching, that in so many materiall points it differeth so farre from theirs. For all Catholikes hold for most assured, that which the most auncient, learned and holie Doctor Athanasius in his creede deliuereth in the 2. vers. The name Catholike, makes not your Religion Catholike.VVhichWhich Catholike faith vnlesse eueryevery man obserue wholy and inuiolably, (not omitting, or shrinking from any one article of it) vvithout doubt he shall perish euerlastingly. If S. Basil that reuerent and blessed Father of the Church, doth hold it the dutie of euerie good Christian, rather to loose his life, then to condescend to the alteration of any one syllable in matter of faith: you may be sure that we Catholikes cannot but carrie a Theod. 4. hist. cap. 17.verie base conceipt of your doctrine: who goe about vnderunder the ouerworne and thredbare cloake of reformation, to deface and corrupt the purer and greater part of Christian Religion: especially when they shall perceiue the most points of your pretended reformation, to be nothing else but olde rotten condemned heresies, new scoured vp and furbushed, and so in shew made more saleable vntounto the vnskilfull, as in this treatise shall be proued in eueryevery Chapter.
speaker A. W. TO THE REFORMATION OF THE PREFACE.
THere are many necessarie heads of saluation, wherein we and you agree. 1. The Trinitie: 2. Redemption by Christ against all Iewes and Heathen: 3. The Godhead of Christ against Arius: 4. The vnitie of his person against Nestorius: 5. The truth of his Manhood (though by consequence you ouerthrow it) against Eutyches: 6. The Godhead of the holy Ghost against Macedonius: and many other. Which I alleage not, to make any Papist beleeue, that the differences betwixt vsus and you are few, or small: but to shew, that Master Perkins speakes not against reason. We are perswaded, that no man may shrinke from the truth of that which is deliuered in Athanasius Creede; though we dare not peremptorily condemne eueryevery man, that hath not a distinct knowledge and beleefe of eueryevery one of the seuerall articles. We are wholy of I asils iudgement, that eueryevery Th…et. …es. lib. … cap 17. Qu… in sa…s … e ducati, ne vnā quidem …yllabam diuino… dogma… prodi …unt.one ought rather to lose his life, than to suffer any one syllable of Gods truth in the Scripture to be betrayed; and therefore wee forbeare to ioyne with the Church of Antichrist, which preferres a corrupt translation, before the text it selfe.
speaker W. P. REVEL. 18. 3. And I heard another voyce from heauen say, Goe out of her my people, that ye be not pertakers of her sinnes, and receiue not of her plagues.
speaker D. B. P. ANSWERE TO THE Prologue.
THE learned know it to be a fault, to make that the entrie vntounto our discourse, which may as properly fit him, that pleadeth against vsus: …xordium Commune.but to vse that for our proeme, which in true sence hath nothing for vsus, nay rather beareth stronglie for our aduersarie, must needs argue great want of iudgement: Such is the sentence aboue cited out of S. John by M. Perkins: for it being trulie vnderstood, is so farre off from terrifying any one from the Catholike Romane Church, as it doth vehementlie exhort all to fire vntounto it, by forsaking their wicked companie that are banded against it.