Examination of those Plausible Appearances in the Romish Church, Chapter 6
CHAP: VI. That the cause of those of the Reformed Religion hath beene condemned in the Romish Church, vponupon bare preiudices, without ev…r beeing throughly examined.
THey of the Church of Rome hauehave incurred this suspition, in condemning the Reformed Religion without considering it, and examining it to the bottome. They auoid both the hearing of our sermons, and reading of our writings: they neither reade, nor meditate vponupon the holy scripture. The high esteeme which they hauehave both of the learning, and honestly of their Doctors, hath preuailed thus farre with them, that they hauehave chosen them for Iudges, in a cause wherein themselues are parties. Parties accused not of a pettie fault, but of a crime, a sacriledge, an impiety in causing the revolt of Israel. If this accusation be false it were an easie and effectuall course to silence it, if they would but lay open to the publick view the weaknes, and impertinencie of the reasons. Why are they so affraid to heare it? why is it a kind of sacriledge amongst them to be busied in so serious, and so holy a meditation? Why is it made a shriving matter to hauehave but thought of it? Who made these ordinances? Who instituted this so wary a discipline? What was their plot in it? What benefit expect they from it? If the Pope be innocent, why made he this prohibition? Is it the part of innocency, or of guiltines to entreate, yea command that the accusation should not be heard? This manner of proceeding tendes it to iustifie himselfe, or rather to auoid, and escape iudgement? doubtlesse he doth as good as openly confesse that he is affraid of it. If wee had vsed such a subtile methode in our proceedings, wee shoulde hauehave afforded iust matter of presumption against our selues, that wee went not that way to worke honestly, bona fide, but driuen to it by an ill conscience.
It's true indeed that in their schooles, and writings they sometimes mention our accusation, but for that they ought the more to be suspected of it. For he who hindreth his accuser from being vnderstood, and taking the accusation out of his mouth, will propose it himselfe, secretly giueth vsus leaue to presume, tha… hee disguiseth it, that he may the more easily shift it off.
It's also the common and continuall complaint of those of the Reformed Religion, that their accusation is neuer proposed but mangled, and counterfeit, that their faith is represented by its enemies, out of its naturall shape. That their Adversaries in their disputations against them, doe but quarrell with their owne fictions, and combate with puppets of their owne making. That they represent some prints, and lineaments of our doctrine, but not in their true decencie, and proportiō, like certaine looking-glasses which represēting the visage mishapen, yet after a sort preserue something of the hue and complexion. So they hauing vnderunder taken …s they say to paint our deformities yet they will not suffer any one to looke vsus in the face. What may be thought of the cunning, or ingenuity of that Painter which would hauehave vsus iudge of his picture without comparing it to the originall? They cite, and reade our bookes in the chaire, as the false accusers of Christ, with their cavilling sophistry, alleaged his words to a contrary sence. But if they deale fairely, and say no more then what is true, why giuegive they not their people leaue to looke, and consider at their leasure whether matters are so or no? Why is the meere curiositie of reading, and hearing our workes accounted a sinne…? What a wild contradiction, what a strange confusion is this, to cite our bookes and forbid the reading of thē? But the naturall lazinesse of mē maketh this both excusable, & plausible. For to referre the people to our writings seemeth vntounto them, a token of assurance in their Doctour, this assurance, or rather boldnesse serueth them also for a note of conscionable dealing, and withall the prohibition of troubling themselues about this matter, easeth them of a labour. They are glad to heare our bookes cited, that they may not seeme so vnreasonable, as to condemne vsus vponupon other mens words; they are as glad to be forbid to examine the citations, that they may be discharged of such a trouble. So the lazie merchant relyeth vponupon his factour, and the vnworthy Councellor vponupon his clarke, so long as the one looketh now and then to some accounts, the other to an extract of the processe, but carelesly, hand over head: and both of them say, the one of his factour, the other of his clerke, that they are sufficient, and conscionable men made both for their Masters profit, and ease, they willingly perswade thēselues so, that they may sleepe the quietlier.