Concerning a Book by Christopher Lawne, Text 6
THE IVDGMENT OF M. FRANCIS IVNIVS concerning the Church of Rome.
Lib. ſingulari de Eccleſ. contra Bellarminum, cap. 17. And in his vvorks printed in fol. p. 1018.1019. &c.
Of the Church of Rome.
BEing to treat of the Church of Rome, vve wil firſt unty the knot of the aequivocatiō of the word, before we determine of the thing it ſelf; that all men may better perceiue, what it is, that is at this day called in queſtion amongſt us. For very many are deceived vvith the homonymie or aequivocation of the verie word, and unavvares inſnare themſelues and others, by the ignorance of the deceitfulnes in the ſpeach.
The church of Rome therefore is properly ſo called, or abuſiuely, by the miſterming or abuſing of the name; both as it is called a church, & as it is called the Romane church. For as it is called the Romane church, ſometymes it properly ſignifyeth the companie vvhichwhich is at Rome, as Paul ſpake, vvriting to the Romanes: ſometimes it ſignifieth abuſiuely, all the churches on the earth, that cleaue to the Romane church, according to the forme of doctrine, and conſtitution thereof. But vve vvill treat of the church as it is indeede the church of Rome: and the things vvhichwhich vve ſhall ſpeak of this church, the ſame may the godly reader by proportion underſtand of the church ſo called by abuſe of ſpeach.
Now as it is called a Church (vvhichwhich thing chiefly is in controverſie) it is ſo termed three maner of vvayes: as a ſubject; as an accident growing to the ſubject; and as the ſubject together vvith that his accident. As a ſubject, it is the ſimple or ſingle Church of Rome; As an accident growing upon the ſubject, is the papacie, or the papall hierarchie, vvhichwhich they call eccleſiaſticall. As a ſubject compounded with his accident, it is the church of Rome become papall, or under the Pope, that is to ſay corrupt, as I may ſo ſpeake, by that lavvles or unnaturall ſhoot of the Pope, ſpringing out of the ſtock. Novv of each of theſe vve vvill conſider ſo briefly as may be, one after another.
The Church of Rome when it is conſidered as a ſubject, it hath tvvo parts; the paſtors and the flock of Chriſt: for vvhichwhich church the Apoſtle of old gaue thanks to God by Ieſus Chriſt, becauſe her fayth vvas publiſhed throughout the vvhole vvorld. Rom. 1, 8. And for vvhichwhich vve alſo dayly aske of God in our prayers, that he vvould informe it to vvorſhip him by his ſpirit in the Goſpel of his ſonne, & to eſtabliſh it in fayth. Neyther doe vve deny this ſubject to be at Rome, by the merciemercy of God, even at this day, becauſe vve truſt there is God calling, perſons called, and the calling it ſelf yet in her: the meeting of vvhichwhich things together in one giveth being to a church,Chap. 8. &c. as before vve ſhewed.
But touching the papacie, or the papall hierarchie, which they are vvoont to call eccleſiaſticall, vve doe not ſay that it is the church properly ſo called, but an accident grovving unto the church, and ſuch as covertly vvorketh againſt the life, and health of the Church. That it is not the church properly, is proved by the very definition of the papacie, and of the Church of God. For the papacie according to his generall, is an order: the church is a companie or an aſſemblie. The papacie by his difference, is an order poſitiue, humane or from men, and naught; The church is an aſſemblie divine or from God, by divine authoritie, vvith reaſon united together. Novv thoſe things which differ both in their generall, and in their eſſentiall difference, and in their neceſſarie conditions or properties, they cannot be one and the ſame thing. And that the papacie is an accident grovving upon the Church, experience it ſelf ſpeaketh. For the ſubject is before his accident, which is contigent and ſeparable: The church vvas many ages vvhen the papacie vvas not: The papacie came to the church contingently (beſide the being of the Church) and ſo may be ſeparated from it, as at this time alſo there are churches, vvhere the papacie is not, & there vvill be churches ſtill hereafter vvithout the papacie. Therefore the papacie is not the church, but it is an evill grovving up in the church, a peſtilence, a dropſie, the gangrene in the bodie, deceiptfully working againſt the life and health of it, and therefore moſt noyſomely eating up the liuely and wholſome moyſture of the church. But of this vvhole matter, vve hauehave ſpoken in the 3. Controverſie, & in this fourth we are to ſpeak of it hereafter.
Therefore concerning the other vvhichwhich remayneth let us ſee, whether the papall Romane church, or that which is of the pope, be the church. The opinions vvhichwhich are about this matter are divers. The popiſh generation cry out vvith full mouth, that it is abſolutely the church. Others not beholding a different regard of the papacie, from that vvhichwhich is the church, deny it to be the church. VVe relying both on the nature of the thing, and on the authoritie of the Scripture, doe put a difference. The nature of the thing doth teach, that the church is one thing, and that the papacie is another, as vve ſpake a litle before. The authoritie of the Scripture teacheth the church, but it teacheth not the papacie: therefore they are divers things. For they delude undoubtedly, I ſay they delude, vvhichwhich require at our hands one definition of the ſubject & of the accident, as of one ſingular thing, or obtrude it on us. For thus muſt vve ſay, The papall church, as it hath that in it vvhichwhich belongeth to the definition of a church, it is a church; but as it hath in it the evill grovven unto it, which vve call the papacie, in that reſpect it is not a church, but a faultie, defloured and a corrupt church, and dravving on to deſtruction.
Let us make it playne by a ſimilitude. The bodie it ſelf is one thing, the corruption or putrefaction in the bodie another thing, and the corrupted or puttrefied bodie another thing. The bodie is the ſubject, the corruption or putrefaction is the evill accident cleaving unto the ſubject, the corrupted or putrifyed bodie is compounded of them both. There is both the bodie, and putrefaction in the putrified bodie. So is a bodie that is ſvvolne vvith the vvater, cauſing the dropſie. Both are together, and yet ſo together, as eyther one of the two, or both together muſt needs periſh. If the nature of the bodie be ſtronger, the corruption and dropſie vvater decayeth: but if the corruption or dropſie prevayle, there is moſt certaine deſtruction of thē both. So is the church of God: for in it ſelf it is the bodie of Ieſus Chriſt. If a deadly diſeaſe grovve upon it, both are then together, the bodie and the diſeaſe in the bodie. If the purging medicine of the grace of God (for nothing is here naturall) be of the more efficacie, the diſeaſe then is vanquiſhed and decayeth: but if the diſeaſe prevayle, then both of them (the bodie and the diſeaſe) muſt needs come to an end. For ſuch is the condition of the diſeaſe: it both feedeth it ſelf on the dodie decaying, and deſtroyeth it ſelf together vvith the bodie.
After this maner therfore doe we eſteeme of the church of Rome, vvhichwhich they call the papall or popiſh Church. There is the Church, there is the papacie, and there is the papall Church. As there is the Church, it is the ſubject of God: as there is the papacie, there is the diſeaſe of man: as it is the papall church, there is a fight betvveen the church and the papacie, that will deſtroy eyther one of them apart, or both together. If God ſhall giuegive it the purging medicine of his grace, by meanes vvhereof the papacie, the accidentarie evill decaye and periſh; it is vvell: but if the papacie, that moſt faultie and corrupt order, and deadly accident prevayle, it vvill bring deſtruction to both of them, both to the church and to it ſelf, by the judgment of God.
And this novv in the memorie of our fathers and our ovvne vve ſee to hauehave befallen many churches, vvhichwhich claue faſt unto that Romane church. For when it ſeemed good unto God more clearely to inkindle the torch of the goſpel, and to ſcatter the papall ſmokes by his ſpirit, there remayned churches returning by his grace to a better conſtitution and ſtronger health, & that vvhichwhich is of the pope departeth vaniſhing avvay through his ovvne corruption: but when as God ſent not that purging medicine of his divine grace into the bodie of any church, then the popiſh corrupt blood got ſtrength more and more, which vvill be to that church deadly deſtruction, unles God of his merciemercy provide a remedie. In the remembrance and conſcience of this benefit, doe our churches fitly ſing vvith the Prophet, Bleſſed, be the Lord which hath not giuen us for a praye unto their teeth. Our ſoule is eſcaped even as a bird out of the ſnare of the foulers: the ſnare is broken, and we are delivered. Our help is in the name of the Lord, &c. Pſal. 124.
VVherefore in my judgment they ſpeak prepoſterouſly, vvho aske vvhether the church be in the papacie: becauſe on the contrarie it ſhould be asked, vvhether the papacie be in the church. For the ſubject is not in the, accident, but the accident in the ſubject, vvhoſe being, is an in being, or to be in a thing, as men commonly ſpeake. And that the papacie is in the church, as the order or eſtate of apoſtaſie in the houſe and citie of God, is as certaine, as that of the Apoſtle is certaine, 2 Theſ. 2. that the man of ſinne, the ſonne of perdition ſitteth in the temple of God, vvith his vvhole order or ranke of apoſtates: and not on the other ſide, that the temple of God conſiſteth in that order and number of apoſtates, vvhichwhich is a thing moſt ſtraunge & furtheſt off. But the terme of the papacie taken doubly and aequivocally, deceiveth them in ſuch fort as here before vve ſhevved concerning the Romane popiſh Church. For under the name of the papacie (vvhichwhich is a foule corrupt order) they comprehend the ſubject it ſelf, which is annoyed vvith that corruptiō, not diſtinguiſhing aright between theſe things.
As therfore, if any ſhould deny that to be a bodie, which lyeth in a deadly ſort ſvvollen vvith the vvater of the dropſie, or ſhould affirme that vvater which choketh the bodie, to be the bodie it ſelf, ſhould in both theſe be deceived in his judgment: ſo alſo are both deceived, as vvell they vvhichwhich deny it to be the church, becauſe the papacie is in it, as they vvhichwhich avouch the papacie to be the church it ſelf, vvhichwhich we hauehave before diſproved. The papacie is a poyſon in the church, vvhichwhich poyſon muſt needs be vomited out, if it vvill be preſerved: or els the church vvill be extinguiſhed by it, if it ſuffer that poyſon to prevayle, and poſſeſſe all the veynes of the bodie.
But how can ſhe be the church, (will ſome ſay) in which the papacie is? To witte, as there is the bodie, in which a diſeaſe vvorketh. But becauſe the papacie is a deadly corruption, the more that the papacie getteth ſtrength, the more the church is vveakned: the increaſe of the one, is the decreaſe of the other. And hence it cōmeth to paſſe, that in the churches vvhichwhich are called popiſh, ſome are more healthie, & ſome more unhealthie then others: the more healthie are thoſe, which hauehave leſſe of the papacie, & more of the church: and thoſe are the more unhealthie which hauehave more of the papacie & leſſe of the church: and of this kinde, I doubt not that church to be, vvhichwhich at this day is at Rome. For it had long agoe giuen up the ghoſt, if God by the impoſition of his grace and long ſuffring had not nouriſhed and kept it vvarme.
Notvvithſtanding that vve may giuegive content unto their mindes, vvhichwhich doe not yet reach unto theſe things, or thinke that they are more ſubtily then truly ſpoken of the church vvhichwhich they call the papall or popiſh church: let us anſvver this queſtion in fevv vvords, from the regard of all particular churches, as they are among men, or in conſideration of things humane. Everie church, vvhichwhich in deed is a Church, is conſidered tvvo vvayes, on Gods behalf (as they ſpeake) and on our behalf. On Gods behalf, it is altogether a church, vvhereſoever there is found a companie called of God, vvith his calling by the ſpirit and the holie Scripture, and the miniſterie of perſons ordeyned for holie things, and divine actions. On our behalf there is no Church at all, (although it be ſo of God, as vve hauehave ſayd) to vvhichwhich there doth not cleaue corruption, concerning the perſons, things, actions, and finally the vvhole miniſterie of man ordeyned by God. And that vvhichwhich is on Gods part, is not taken away by our default, ſo long as it ſeemeth good unto the Lord, to acknovvledge it for his Church, & call it with his calling, by the ſpirit, & holie Scripture, & the miniſterie. For ſhall the unbeleeſ of mē, (ſaith the Apoſtle, Ro. 3.3.) make the ſayth of God without effect? ſhal the vveaknes of mā make voyde the truth of God? or his imperfectiō the perfection of God? Farre be it off: yea let God be true & everie man a lyer, ſayth the Apoſtle in the ſame place.
VVe vvill make the matter playne by an example and ſimilitude out of the vvords of Ieremie, chap. 3. A vvife being filthie vvith adulteries, if her husband vvill pardon her, and conſent to receiue her, and to dvvell vvith her, ſhe abideth ſtill the vvife of her husband, not by her ovvne deede doone (for ſhe hath broken wedlock, vvhat in her vvas) but by the benefit or goodnes of her husband. So a Church overflovving not onelyonly vvith lighter infirmities, but alſo vvith heavie adulteries, on her part in deed ſhould ceaſe to be a vvife, but ſhe ceaſeth not on her husbands part. For touching the election, as the Apoſtle ſayth, Rom. 11.28. ſhe is beloved for the fathers ſakes, ſpeaking of the church of the Iewes. It is a church ſo long as God calling her proclaymeth that vvhichwhich is in Ier. 3.13. OnelyOnly acknowledge thine iniquitie, that thou hast tranſgreſſed againſt the Lord thy God, and hast ſcattered thy waies to the ſtraungers under everie green tree, and ye hauehave not obeyed my voyce, ſayth the Lord. Turne, ô backſlyding people, ſayth the Lord, for I am maryed unto you, & I will take you &c. It is ſo long a church, as God proteſting calleth upon it departing from him and being rebellious, as it is in Eſa. 50, 1. Where is the bil of your mothers divercement, wherewith I put her away? or who is there of my creditours to whom I ſould you? &c. The church then at length ceaſeth to be a church, vvhen God ceaſeth to call it back, & taketh avvay the evidence of that holie marriage, that is, the holie Scripture, out of the hand of the adulteres, and her that is ſtubburne, teſtifying that the matrimonie is diſſolved on his part, and ſo receiveth the covenant of grace unto himſelf. It is not for any man, to deny that to be a church, which God calleth a church. Neyther is it for any man, to call that a church, vvhichwhich God, having giuen the bil of divorce, and taken avvay the draught of the mariage contract, denyeth ſo to be.
And after this maner doe vve eſteeme of the Church in vvhichwhich the papacie is. God calleth her vvith his calling, by his ſpirit, and vvord, and the publike records of that holie mariage (vvhichwhich vve call the holie Scripture) and the miniſterie, and things, and holy actions, vvhichwhich before vve hauehave briefly reckoned up. Theſe things doe remayne to that church moſt manifeſtly, on Gods behalf. But in that on the behalf of men all theſe things and holie actions, together vvith the verie perſons themſelues, abound and overflovve, vvith moſt grievous & deadly corruptions, that is the ſinne of men, not the fault of God; vvhoſe grace & truth is perfected in infirmitie. On Gods part, ſhe is yet called Hammi, my people, and Ruchama, finding merciemercy, which moſt truly on her part, might be called Lo hammi, not my people, and Lo ruchama, not obteyning merciemercy, as vve read in Hoſea the Prophet. But vve rely upon the merciemercy of God, and according to his grace revealed, vve ſpeake our minde, or vve giuegive our ſentence concerning a church erring and going aſtray.
But this Church hath everie thing in it corrupt. I confeſſe it. But in that it hath all the divine things in the Scritures, it is of God: in that it hath them all corrupt, that is of it ſelf: in that it hath all the divine things, it is a church, in that it hath the ſame all corrupt, it is a corrupt church. The church is not taken avvay by corruption, unles it be totall (as they ſpeak) vvhichwhich they call deſtruction. A corruption that is in part doth not take avvay a Church, but vveaken it. The Church of Rome hath all things corrupt, but not altogether: this is not a deſtruction, but is to be called a corruption of it in part.
For (to proſecute theſe heads particularly, vvhichwhich vvee hauehave briefly noted in the conſideration of the Church) God by the alone preſence of himſelf calling, doth lay the foundation of the Church, in Chriſt the head thereof. The church of Rome addeth another foundation to this foundation, and to this head another nevv head (vvhereupon it is called papall or popiſh) vvherein it may likevviſe reſt. The calling is to God alone; in the church of Rome there is calling to others vvith God, and the calling upon them. Here is calling by the ſpirit and Scripture alone, vvhence it receiveth the miniſterie, & delivereth nothing more, thē that vvhichwhich it hath received from the Lord: there it receiveth a miniſterie from the ſpirit of Chriſt, & of the Pope, from the Scripture, and the ragged traditions of men: here finally the perſons, things and actions are caried, according to the doctrine of the Spirit, & the Scripture onelyonly: there all things are taken and exerciſed out of the Popes changeable ſhoppe, and at his beck (as they ſay) they ſtand and fall. So all the marks on Gods behalf are in it: but for it ſelf, on it ovvne part (as they ſay) there is no marke intire, no marke that is not corrupt by the papall poyſonfull ſorcerie, and the order of all things moſt miſerably perverted. For vvhichwhich cauſe in Lyons in France, a certayne Frier did merrily preach to the people, vvhen he ſayd the Hugonots (for ſo they are called in France) did conſent vvith the church of Rome in all their articles of fayth, but there was one ſhrevvd vvord, the vvord OnelyOnly, at the crack vvhereof vvarre vvas inkindled, for they beleeue onelyonly vvhat the rule of fayth hath out of the holie Scriptures: but the church of Rome requireth more unto fayth then is eyther conteyned in the rule of fayth, or in the holie Scriptures, becauſe ſuch is the authoritie of the Church.
Theſe things being vvell underſtood, all men vvill eaſely perceiue hovv that church, in reſpect of God or on Gods part, is yet a church; but of it ſelf is moſt corrupt, & very nere to deſtruction. But here doe ariſe tvvo doubts & difficulties, by vvhichwhich the mindes of many are troubled. The firſt doubt is, vvhat vve are to judge of the members of that church: The latter vvhat the dutie of them is vvho are in that church, and ſee the great corruptions thereof.
To the firſt queſtion we anſvver on this manner. A threefold judgment had neede meet together in this cauſe: the firſt, of truth; the ſecond, of charitie; the third, of prudence or vviſdome. The judgment of truth is of the common condition of the church, by vvhichwhich vve judge frō the calling of God, that as yet ſhe is a church. The judgement of charitie is of the ſeverall mēbers of the church, by vvhichwhich we preſume they be members of the church, whilſt they are called vvith the calling of God, and are in this way as David calleth it Pſal. 2. The judgement of prudence or vviſdome, is that by vvhichwhich vve diſcerne and diſtinguiſh perſons, things and actions divine from humane, good ones from evill, true ones from falſe, and the degrees of theſe alſo amongſt themſelues. For as of things & actions, ſo alſo of perſons ſome are corrupting through ignorance infirmitie, or malice vvholly, or in part; others are corrupted, euen in the ſimplicitie of their hearts as the Scripture ſpeaketh: and of theſe there are a great number, of vvhom it vvere ungodly to eſteeme that they vvere not of the church of God. Of ſuch as doe corrupt we muſt take heed, Mat. 7. of the corrupted, vvho yet are ſtill corrupted vve muſt hauehave compaſſion. But the Church verely is not to be judged of the maner of either of theſe. for Chriſt ſaith not, ye ſhall not knovve the Church, but by their fruits of doctrine and life ye ſhall knowe them, Mat. 7.20. And vvithout doubt, they doe very unvviſely who judge of the truth of a church, by the particular life or doctrine of any men, vvho ever they be, eſpecially of private men: for the calling of God maketh the church, not the aſſenting anſvver of the men that are in it: as on the other ſide the church ceaſeth not to be a church for the refuſal, or denial of men, vvhereſoever the calling of God is. Novv let us come to the ſecond demaund.
VVhat is the dutie of thoſe (vvilt thou ſay) that are in the Popiſh Church, and ſee the grievous corruptions of it? Their dutie is ſuch as of thoſe children, vvhichwhich dvvell together vvith their adulterous mother: for God uſed this ſimilitude in Eſaie and Ieremie, as vve hauehave ſeene before. A vviſe ſonne vvill even from his heart abhorre the ſinne of his mother, he vvill vvith ſpeach and ſigne call back his mother from evil, and he vvill abſteyne himſelf from it: and in all things he vvill cleaue to his father, he vvill ſtand to his judgement, he vvill obey his vvil: and vvhile he can by reaſon of his mother, he vvill cleaue unto her, next after his father: but vvhiles by reaſon of her he can not doe it vvith good conſcience, for the ſpirituall and bodily injurie of her,Cloſet or Inner roome. he vvill betake himſelf into the chamber of his father, vvhere alſo the church is the mother of us all. Gal. 4.26. For this is not a good conſequent, if one depart from this or that church, therefore he doth altogether departe from the church. He but trifles vvho doth ſo from a particular, conclude univerſally. A part of the fleſh if it be divided or cut aſunder from another part by a vvound received, is not ſtraight vvay to be thought to be ſeparate or cut off from the vvhole bodie: for it is cutte aſunder, and the mouth of the vvound openeth, but neyther part is therfore diſjoyned from the bodie. A godly ſonne therefore ought to cleaue to his father and mother joyntly, ſo long as vvith good conſcience he can: but becauſe he cānot vvith ſound fayth and conſcience hauehave fellovvſhip with the unfrutefull vvorks of darkenes, Eph. 5, 11. he rather leaving his mother, cleaveth to God his father, & our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, then that he vvill defile himſelf vvith thoſe foule deedes of his mother.
And this did our aunceſtors religiouſly, vvhom the popiſh tyrannie for ſome ages hath exerciſed. The godly vvhichwhich vvere at Rome, and other vvhere in the church vvhichwhich they call the Romane church abuſiuely, firſt learned to abhorre even from their ſoule, the ſinnes of their mother, vvhen once they began to hauehave right underſtanding; by vvords and ſignes they modeſtly called her back from her naughtie deeds, vvhiles ſhe vvould beare them, they carefully abſteyned themſelues from all communication of evill, yet in all things cleaving to their father, from vvhom, in vvhom, by vvhom, & for whom are all things, ſtanding to his judgment, and obeying his vvill: finally they did ſo long cleaue to their mother next after their father, vvhilſt by her they could ſo doe vvith intire fayth and conſcience, and their ovvne ſalvation. But vvhen they could not longer vvith good fayth and conſcience ſo doe, by reaſon of the violent tyrannie, and the ſpirituall & corporall injurie of their furious mother, then being aſhamed with her ſhamefulnes & reſting ſilent, they betooke themſelues into their fathers boſome and his inner roome, albeit that ſhe purſued them outragiouſly: leaſt they being aſhamed of her, ſhould be ſayd to ſhame her, as ſtrumpets are uſually vvoont to doe.
For which cauſes, I doe humbly beſeech God the Father of our Lord Ieſus, that he would both by his ſaving calling informe, direct and care for his church, and vvhatſoever belongeth to his church, & that he would alſo teach everie one that is in it his truth, and the truth of his church: and that he vvould ſo vvorke, as they vviſely abſteyning from all evils, eſpecially from thoſe vvhichwhich the ſonne of perdition, and author of the apoſtaſie hath brought in, and taking heed of the ſpirit of lyes, & the efficacie of his errour, they may religiouſly cleaue unto the Father and his good things, in everie of them, and to their mother next after the father (or ſo farre as ſhe accordeth vvith the Father): that increaſing in his truth, pietie, fayth & louelove they may beſtovve and employe all their ſtudies to the edification of the church, the ſalvation of all, and the glorie of that our heavenly Father. &c.
God the Father and the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, by that eternall ſpirit of his eternall truth, bring to paſſe, that the wiles of Sathan being driven avvay, vve may all grovve dayly in Chriſt, in the church, and in the truth of Chriſt and the Church, and that vve may more and more confirme one another in louelove unfayned, to his glorie and the common ſalvation of us all. Amen.
HItherto Mr. Iunius. VVith whom agreeth Amandus Polanus, noting ſome errours of Bellarmines about Antichriſt) in his Cōmentarie upon Ezech. 39. at the ende thereof, pag. 733. VVhere he ſayth thus, The Meſſias of the Iewes is not Antichriſt, but a falſe Christ, whereas the great Antichrist, of whom the Scriptures foretell, ſhall profeſſe himſelf to be a Chriſtian, and under the name of Chriſt fight against Chriſt, becauſe he muſt ſitte in the Temple of God, 2 Theſ. 2.4. in the Temple (I ſay) not Iewiſh or at Ieruſalem, but Chriſtian, that is, in the Chriſtian Church: as Chryſoſtome teacheth, and Theophylact, Ambroſe, Hilarius, Hierome, Theodoret, Oecumenius, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas alſo. See the teſtimonies (ſayth he) in our Catholick Symphonie, chap. 23. Theſ. 3.
And Bartholomeus Keckermannus, ſpeaking in a treatiſe of his, of the properties of the church, inferreth thus thereupon, and ſayth: Now if we examine the Popiſh church according to theſe proprieties, it will appeare that it is not a pure Church, but verie corrupt, like as a rotten apple is in deed an apple, but corrupt: & as a man corrupted with the plague is a man, but not a ſound man. Keckerman. Praeparat. ad ſacram ſynaxin. pag. 83.
And divers other the like ſayings out of theſe and other writers of this age might be alledged, but theſe may ſuffice: ſpecially ſeeing vve build not our ſayth on man, but onelyonly on the vvord of God. Yet vve thought it not amiſſe to ſhevv vvhat others at this daye thinke of this matter: not onelyonly for the reaſon noted herebefore at the beginning, but becauſe alſo we doubt not, but by this meanes the light of the truth vvill be more cleared, for the better information of ſuch as louelove the truth in ſinceritie; and the follie of others more repreſſed, vvho (being caryed vvith praejudice or malice againſt us) open their mouthes vvide not onelyonly againſt us, but even againſt the truth it ſelf that is teſtified by us. VVhom vve deſire that even for their ovvne good they vvill be perſvvaded novv at length better to examine and ponder all the matters aforeſayd, then as yet they hauehave done.
ANd thus hauehave I hitherto noted dovvne ſuch things, as concerne our publike eſtate, and the foreſayd diviſion ſo much ſpoken of in this book. Novv although for the perſonall injuries & reproches abounding in the ſame book, I had thought to hauehave paſſed them over vvith the Advertiſement formerly giuen thereabout: yet ſeeing we underſtand, that both here & in our ovvne countrey vve are greatly abuſed about M. Studley in particular, and ſome matters concerning him, vvhereabout himſelf alſo is much traduced: I hauehave therefore thought it not amiſſe to inſert ſomewhat here concerning him more particularly. And this I doe the rather, becauſe that vvhichwhich I doe annexe hereabout, is his ovvne Anſvver, made (at our earneſt intreatie) by himſelf, vvho ſaid that othervviſe he vvould hauehave reſted in ſilence, poſſeſſing his ſoule vvith pacience, and committing the matter to the Lord. And this it is as follovveth.