Truths Triumph Over Trent, Preface
The Preface to the Reader.
CHristian Reader, loe here the two great mysteries laid open; the one of Godlinesse, the summe where of is Christ, beleeued on in the World: the other of Iniquity, the head whereof is Antichrist, beleeued on of the World. Two Mysteries incompatible, as light and darknesse. They are the two bounders, disterminating Ierusalem from Babylon. This Mysterie of iniquity, I meane, the Romish doctrine of Iustification, is the head-doctrine, or source, whence all their meritorious satisfactions doe flow. And Bellarmine, with other Pontificians,Bellarmin. de Iustif. l. 1. c. 4. confesseth, Iustification to bee the maine Cardo or hinge, whereon hangeth the whole body of controuersies betweene them and the Pretestants. Nor was it for nothing, that the Councell of Trent so improued all their skill and strength, to oppose and oppresse the true Catholicke doctrine of Iustification, as whereby the Papall magnificence and the gaine of the Romish Craftsmen for their Diana, Act. 19.was endangered. So that this their Abortiue was a hatching for seuen moneths; so long was this Babylonish Ra… wherewith they would force heauen gates, a hammering in the Trent-forge: so as the History noteth, that the mostHist. Con… Trid. lib. …. expert in the Church affirmed, That if all the … ▪ assembled from the Apostles times to that, were summed vp together, they could not make vp so many Articles as the Trent-Fathers had amassed together, in this one sixt Session of that Synod, the best part whereof also they were beholden to Aristotle for. And no maruaile they were so puzzled, for they were to encounter sundry difficulties: as first, the euidence of Scriptures: secondly, the concent of ancient Fathers: thirdly, the powerfull preaching and writings of Luther. fourthly, the dissent of their Schoolemen; and fiftly, the diuision of the Councell it selfe, some being Thomists, some Scotists, some Dominicans, some Franciscans. To satisfie and reconcile all which, was more than an Herculean labour. But what could be difficult to the Papall Omnipotencie, who could send his holy Ghost post from Rome to Trent in a Cloake-bagge, which loosed all knots, and decided all doubts? Nor had the Pope wanting in that Councell the most pregnant wits in the Pontifician world, be…aes a numerous multitude of new titular Bishops (as titular for learning as liuing) to lay on load of down right voyces, to conclude and ratifie whatsoeuer the Pope with his Cardinals in their Conclaue at Rome, and his dextrous instruments in the Councell, had with no lesse sweat than artifice, contriued. For the first maine obstacle, the euidence of Scripture, they are faine to collegue, and speake it faire, and borrow from it certaine broad Phylacteries, wouen with Scripture phrases, wherewith the Babylonish where partly decks her shamelesse forehead, and partly adornes the cobwebbe Robe of her counterfeit selfe-Iustification: as Coelestis Pater: Iesus Christ, the Sun Concil. Trid. Se…. 6. Proem. cap. 2. 5. 7.of righteousnesse, the author and finisher of our faith: The Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, sent his sonne to redeeme Iewes and Gentiles, and that all might receiue adoption of sonnes: Him hath God sent forth to be apropitiation for our sinnes in his bloud: for this Redemption we ought to giuegive thanks. And ch. 7. The Me…itorious cause of our Iustification is our Lord Iesus Christ &c. O holy Councell! Will any suspect the Serpent to lurke vnderunder such flowers of Paradise? Or that they goe about to betray Christ with H…yle Master? But in this their profound hypocrisie lyeth the whole Mysterie of Iniquity; Sitamen hypocrisis dici debet, quae iam latere prae abundantia non valet, & prae Be…n. Serm. … Clerum. Et super Cant. Serm. 33.impudentiâ non quaerit; as Bernard saith of Romes Clergy in his time. If that may be called hypocrisie, which neither for the abundancy of it can, nor for the impudencie of it cares to conceale it selfe. Thus by egregious hypocrisie Arrius deluded the Councell of Nice, confessing Christ to be God of God, yet denyed his consubst…ntiality with the Father. Thus the second Councell of Nice, summoned to decree the erection and veneration of Images, makes a goodly Preface, giuing thankes to God that they were deliuered from Idols. Thus Augustine confesseth how he was seduced by the Manichaean hypocrisie. Thus dealeth the Trent Councell. And besides her hypocrisie, her impudencie displayes it selfe, while in this Councell, Rome alters the Rule of Faith, addes her Traditions, Decretals and Canons, as a party and equall rule with Scripture, guelds the Scriptures of their mas…uline authoritieSee Bulla Pii super confirmatione Con… Trid. & super Forma iuramenti profes… nis fidei. and genuine sense, closing vp all in the Cabinet of the Popes breast, where lodgeth his Infallibilitie. And thus the sacred Scriptures, which, till that Idolatrous Councell of Trent, were held the sole and entire Catholicke Canon and rule of Faith, must now draw in the Popes yoake with his sophisticat… Traditions. Now, the pure gold and siluer of Gods word must goe no longer for currant, vnlesse it be stamped in the Popes owne Mynt, and subiect also to be abased or inhansed at his pleasure. Now, the waters of life are of noforce, vnlesse distilled through the Popes Limbeck; nor those riuers of Paradise medicinable, if they flow not from the sacred Minerals of the Romish Mountaines. Thus in effect the Romish Amazon cuts off the right pap of Scripture, which yeelds the sincere milke, reseruing only the left to suckle her Paplings withall, as that Lupa did Romes founder Romulus; or, at least, the right Pap is so patched to that slepmothers breast, as it yeelds no other milke, but such as relisheth of the corrupt complexion of the Popes infallibility. Thus the first Rubbe is remoued, the Scriptures, which are made cock-sure for the Pope.
2 For Luther, they could easily hisse him out for an arch▪ heretick, and blast and brand with Anathema those euident truths by him deliuered. So that hard it was to iudge, whether fared worse, Luther for the truths sake, or the truth for Luthers.
3 For the consent of ancient Fathers, the most they stand vponupon is S. Augustine, who indeed writ more of this diuine mysterie, than all the rest put together. But the Councell could easily euade him, saying (as Catarinus about Predestination) that S. Aug. his opinion therin was nouel, neuer heard of before his time: or, that S. Aug. was drawn to speake many things awry, through heat of disputation against the Pelagians: or (as Vega) Non necesse est &c, It is not necessary to beleeue all S. Aug. his arguments to be demonstratiue, or altogether to stand in force. Thus all the Fathers corne, though growing from the field of Scriptures, proues but chaffe, comming once to be sisted in the mysticall, if not aLuke 2… ▪ …1.Satanicall sanne of this actiue Councell.
4. & 5. For the dissenting Schoolemen, and those Dominicans and Franciscans in this Councell, whereof Vega and Soto were the two Standard-bearers, and bore a great sway therein, it behooued the Councell, to heepe good quarter with them, and to vse all their witts, eyther to reconcile them, or with some pretty equiuocations to please all parties. For this purpose, Marcellus, Priest, intituled of the holy Crosse, President of the Councell, Cardinall and Apostolicall Legate à latere, whose wits were as ve… satilous, as his titles magnificent and various: after much sweat spent in chopping and changing, peecing and payring, after an hundred Congregations, wherein these matters were canuased Pro & Con: at length licked the Decrees and Canons to that forme, that each side was pleased, and Marcellus applauded on all hands; when each Sect might from the same Delphick Oracle pick out his owne meaning. Thus came these Trent Decrees to be like a curious Picture, which eueryevery one in the Roome imagineth to looke directly vponupon him. Or like an indented Table-Picture vponupon a Wall, wherein the one side of the Roome may behold the face of a man, the other, of a woman, and they in the midst, of an Owle. Thus Soto and Vega, who in the time of this Session, writ each a Volume of this Subiect, though in some smaller points different▪ in their opinions, which they grounded vponupon the Decrees, and dedicated to the Councell, were both well pleased; yet no otherwise reconciled, but, as Herod and Pi…ate, Brethren in euill, to crucifie Christ. The writing of which two Champions of Trent: I hauehave mostly all along this Treatise, confuted.
Thus, as S. Ambrose saith, Fucum faciunt, qui non Amb. de fide l. 1. c. 8.audent explicare, quod sentiunt censoriè, They do but iuggle, that dare not set downe in plaine termes, what they captiously conceiue. And as Hierome against the Pelagian Hereticks: Sola haec haeresis, quae publicè erubescit Hier. ad Ctesiph. de libero arbitr. contra Pelag. Ep. 3.loqui, quod scripto docere non metuit: This only is heresie, which blusheth to speake that publickly, that it feares not to teach secretly. But, as there hee saith, Ecclesiae victoria est, vos apertè dicere, quod sentitis; sententias vestras prodidisse, superasse est: It is the Churches victory for you to speake plainly, as you think; to detect your opinions, is to confute them. But we hauehave assayed to pull off Romes vizard, and to make the Whore naked. Her figge-leaue-righteousnesse will not salue her sinne, or hide her shame. Only I cannot but lament, to see many of my brethren, the sonnes of my mother in show, to stand vp to plead for Baal. Is it the symptome of this our age, wherein there is so much learning and so little sound knowledge in the Mysterie of Christ, or wherein the Spirit of the world is so predominant, that men are so transported with an vnnaturall zeale and louelove to Babylon? But Wisedome is iustified of her children. And now I begin to conceiue the reason, why the Iesuites pennes are of late so silent: surely because they see ours sopoynant in one anothers sides, while our Mother-Church bleeds for it. But those that be the true Ministers of Christ, will say with S. Paul, Wee cannot speake any thing against the truth, but for the truth. Now I could heartily wish, that my brethren of the Ministry would imploy the greater part of their paines in preaching and pressing this maine Doctrine of Iustification: It would be a maine Bulwarke to batter Babels Tower, whereby she would scale heauen with her merits. And for Antichrist, I wonder to see such a deepe silence of him. Doth the Councell of Laterans Decree dare vsus, not to mention Antichrists comming? Otherwise to presse Iesuites with the point of Antichrist, would easily stop their mouthes, while they would put vsus to show the vninterrupted lineall ped…gree of the Professors of our Religion from the Apostles, all along downeward to Luther. Alas, this is but a poore shift to gaine time, and to cause vsus to put vp our weapons against them. We can easily descry the pearles of our Religion, strawed all along in the bottome of those muddy streames of Popery. We can discouer the starres, which hauehave giuen light in all ages of the Church, notwithstanding all Romes mysts, labouring to eclipse them. And although iniury of time had consumed with fire our particular euidences, yet we finde them registred in the Court-rowles of Scripture, which no fire, nor moth shall consume.
But not to detaine you too long in the Porch of this larger edifice; know Christian Reader, that this poore Worke hath lien by me licensed for the Presse a pretty space. It was borrowed from the interrupted succisiue houres of my Court-attendance. If it displease many, I passe not so much, if it may profite some; and therein shall I prayse God. This is the fruit of all my labour: I seeke no reward, so I may shun reproofe. What can be said in opposition to this truth, or any other by me deliuered, in speciall against the Synagogue of Rome; I shall be ready to maintaine if occasion require, in ampler maner, if I may hauehave alike liberty with my Antagonists. I say no more for the present, but commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you vp, and to giuegive you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Thine in Christ, H. B.