Father Cotton a Jesuit, Title page – To the reader
FATHER COTTON A IESVITE, THE KINGS CONFESSOVR, His two and thirtie Demands, to the MINISTERS of France, with the Anſweres added at the end of euerie DEMAND. Alſo threeſcore and foure Demands propoſed to Father COTTON, by way of Counter-change. By PETER MOVLIN, Miniſter of the word of God in the Church of Paris.
Printed according to the French Copie, printed in PARIS.
Alſo a new late Chalenge, by a learned Diuine, to all Papiſts, in 24. other Popiſh ARTICLES.
MATTH. 22. VERS. 23. & 29.
The Saduces came to Ieſus, and asked him, &c. But Ieſus anſwered and ſaid vntounto them; yee erre, not knowing the Scriptures.
LONDON: Printed for Iohn Barnes, and are to be ſould at his ſhop, ouer againſt S. Sepulchers Church, without New-gate. 1614.
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, MY VERIE GOOD LORD, SIR THOMAS EDMVNDS, Knight, Embaſſadour for his Maieſtie, Reſident with the French KING.
IT was the ſaying of wiſe Salomon, long ſince: that there is no end of making Bookes, and much reading is a wearineſſe of the fleſh, Eccleſ. 12.12. which was neuer more verified, then in theſe dayes of vanitie, when vnlearned as well as learned, will be writing, whereby the Preſſe is euen oppreſſed with multiplicitie of ſuch Treatiſes, (as being ballanced by the weights of Gods Sanctuarie) will be found more light then vanitie it ſelfe. but for ſuch Treatiſes as this, which afford direction to the Church & Spouſe of God, trauailing to heauenly Ieruſalem, through the Wilderneſſe of this world, nothing more neceſſary; being fit to reſolue her of doubts in matters of Controuerſie, when ſhe ſtandeth in biuio, doubtfull which way to take this her iourney, and therefore meeting with this skilfull Guide, in that Nation where your Honor hath long had very Honourable imployment from the State of this Land, where this Stranger is now ariued: I hauehave attired him in our Engliſh habite, and doe preſent him vntounto your Honour, whoſe fauourable protection hee ſeemeth ſilently to craue, and ſolemnly promiſeth his beſt directions to Gods Church, by this and ſuch like Treatiſes, which hee hath in his Natiue Country divulged, ſo deuoting my beſt endeuours in this kinde, to my Country, and humbly deſiring to ſhelter my ſelfe vnderunder your Honourable fauour: I humbly reſt at your Honours commaund.
I. B.
PETER MOVLIN his Aduertiſement to the READER.
OVR Lord Ieſus being tempted by the Scribes and Phariſees with captious queſtions, ſatisfied them by the holy Scriptures. We in the like cauſe and kinde, are queſtioned, and incombred. But wee eaſilie come out, and free our ſelues by the ſame meanes. For, we cut off with the ſword of the Word theſe knots of intricate Queſtions, wreathed of purpoſe to entangle mens mindes. A farre off, they ſeeme Gardian knots, but at hand no better then Spiders webs, not able to endure the leaſt winde or breath of Truth. They catch nothing but Flies, but light and giddy ſpirits, carryed away with eueryevery firſt blaſt of wordly hopes. Maſter Cotton, a man full of queſtions, hath propoſed them in diuers faſhions to ſundry ſorts of ſpirits. We hauehave had our part: For hee hauing often-times ſhewed his dexteritie in his ſubtilly-conceiued, and finely-filed queſtions, they to whom he hath propoſed them, hauehave brought them vntounto me, and deſired my anſwere vntounto them. I hauehave alwaies ſatisfied them: but he ſuppreſſing my Anſweres, hath ſtill gone on to make new Queſtions, pleaſing himſelfe onelyonly in the Office of an Inquiſitor.
There is good ſufficiencie required in making good and fit Demands, but more in giuing them apt Anſweres. To moue difficulties, without adding any Anſweres or Solutions, is like the Sunne in March, which drawes humours, but diſſolues them not. It may be becauſe hee is pearched in ſo high a place (as to be the Kings Confeſſor) he thinks he may ſecurely ſpit on eueryevery Paſſenger without any returne of ſuch a wrong. Or happily he takes delight to cut out worke for idle joke. But it is eaſier to tye then vntie a knot. Or it may be that the ſtreame and torrent of his worldly or ciuill affayres do draw his minde ſome other wayes, and that the interpoſition of the earth doth ecclipſe the cleareneſſe and brightneſſe of his ſpirit. Theſe are the cauſes of his ſilence as farre as I am able to deuine: He then following his queſtioning courſe to put impediment to Miniſters in their better imployments hath lately put into the hands of ſome Honourable Perſonages,Mounſieur de la Forſe. 32. Queſtions, vnanſwerable as he accounts them. I hauehave readily and ſpeedily anſwered them; and to returne him double pay, I hauehave ſent him 64. other Demands, to ſee whether he hath as good dexteritie and facilitie in anſwering as he hath edge and itch in asking and queſtioning. He ſhall much deceiue me, if he make any anſwere. He ſhould alſo be the firſt, that hath vndertaken to doe it. At the leaſt, this profit I ſhall receiue by it, that if he anſwere not my Demands, I ſhall be for euer hereafter freed from anſwering his: and he ſhall no longer vaunt (as hee hath often done) that we hauehave nothing to anſwere him.
The Anſweres to the 22. and 29. Demands are corrected, and much enlarged.
Farewell.
TVVO AND THIRTIE DEMANDS, PROPOVNDED BY Father COTTON.
1 FIRST, let thoſe of the pretended Religion ſhew vsus where it is written that there are but two Sacraments, to wit, Baptiſme and the Supper, and in what place in the Scripture they be called Sacraments.
2 That Children may be ſaued by the ſole faith of their Parents, without being baptiſed: and that therefore Baptiſme is not of abſolute neceſsitie.
3 That Baptiſme muſt not be adminiſtred without a Sermon.
4 That it is not lawfull to make the ſigne of the Croſſe.
5 That we may not hallow water, and being hallowed, that we ought not to vſe it.
6 That the Bread of the Supper is onelyonly the figure of the body of Ieſus Chriſt.
7 That the Church may erre.
8 That we muſt not receiue Traditions.
9 That the Saints in glory cannot heare our prayers.
10 That Prieſts and religious perſons may breake their vow of Obedience, Chaſtitie, and Pouertie, which they hauehave made vntounto God.
11 That the eſtate of Marriage is more acceptable to God, then ſingle life.
12 That the Bookes of the Machabees, of Wiſdome, of Eccleſiaſticus, of Tobias, of Baruch, are Apocriphall.
13 That Ieſus Chriſt deſcended not into hell for the ſoules of the Fathers that attended his comming, or rather that before the Aſcention of Ieſus Chriſt, the ſoules of the Saints were receiued into heauen, not into Limbus, or into any other third place.
14 That wee ought not to confeſſe our ſinnes but to God onelyonly.
15 That Faith onelyonly doth Iuſtifie.
16 That the puniſhment of ſinne is taken away, together with the fault.
17 That God created not all men of like condition; but that hee created ſome to ſaluation, and others to eternall damnation.
18 That eueryevery man in particular hath not his particular Angell to his guardian.
19 That it is not lawfull to ſalute this Angell, or others, eyther in generall or in particular.
20 That God permitteth not ſinne, but willeth it, as Caluin writeth in his Inſtitutions, Lib. 1 cap. 17. §. 8. and cap. 18. §. 1. & 2.
21 That in the Church we ought not to vſe lights, or Eccleſiaſticall Ornaments diſtinguiſhed from ſecular.
22 That the Biſhop is inferiour to the Prieſt, and the Deacon ſuperiour to the Prieſt; that is to ſay, that the Watchman or Superintendent ouer the Church, is no more then an Elder in the Church, and that the Miniſter is more then the Elder.
23 That the Scripture is eaſie to be vnderſtood, and that the intelligence thereof is graunted vntounto all: theſe be Caluins words in his Inſtitut. lib. 3. cap. 21. §. 5.
24 That all ſinnes are mortall.
25 That a man with the grace of God cannot merit any thing.
26 That it is not poſsible to keepe all Gods commandements, no not with his grace.
27 That God will not recompence good workes, which is as much as to ſay there be no merits.
28 That there is no diſtinction of beatitude among the bleſſed, and that they are all equall in glory.
29 That we ought not to vſe that impoſition of hands which the Apoſtles vſed vponupon the Samaritanes and, Epheſians, Act. 8. v. 14. & cap. 19. v. 5. and that the ſaid confirmation was not one of the Articles of the Apoſtles Catechiſme mentioned in the Epiſtle to the Hebrewes, chap. 6. verſ. 2.
30 That the precept of the annoynting of the ſick with oyle, contayned in S. Iames, cap. 5. v. 14. is not to be put in practiſe in the Church, although the Apoſtles vſed it, Mar. 6. v. 12.
31 That Prayer for the dead was not in vſe, no not in the time of the Machabees.
32 That S. Peter was not chiefe of the Apoſtles, notwithſtanding S. Mathew cap. 10. v. 2. doth ſay; The names of the twelue Apoſtles are theſe: The firſt, Simon, ſurnamed Peter.
THE ANSVVERE.
WHoſoeuer requireth of any man an account of his faith, muſt firſt demand an account of that he doth beleeue, and not of that which he doth not beleeue. If a man ſhould require a Ieſuite to proue vntounto him, that there be many Gods, either that Ieſus Chriſt neuer ſuffered death, he would ſay that ſuch demands were iniurious and that they did wrongfully goe about to make him a defender of impieties & abſurdities: and yet ſuch is their demeanour towards vsus; for of theſe 32. demands onelyonly one quarter doth in truth repreſent our Beliefe, the other 24. are ſlanderous: how then ſhall they make true report to their people of that which we beleeue, ſith euen vntounto our ſelues they would adde to our beliefe? and hauehave vndertaken to make vsus to beleeue that which we beleeue not. Theſe Queſtions therefore we might reiect, deſiring them firſt to proue vntounto vsus that we doe beleeue theſe points, before they binde vsus to defend them. But that we make not two labours of it, let vsus heare what they demand.
I. DEMAND. LEt thoſe of the pretended Religion ſhew vsus where it is written that there are but two Sacraments, that is, Baptiſme and the Lords Supper, and in what place of the Scripture they be called Sacraments.
THE ANSVVERE.
IN the Goſpell we find the inſtitution of Baptiſme, and of the holy Supper. And reading ouer the whole Teſtament, we doe not finde that Ieſus Chriſt inſtituted any other Sacrament. If there be any other, it belongeth to our Aduerſaries to ſhew it vntounto vsus, for we are not to proue that there is no mention of any other; for to proue this vntounto them, we muſt read vntounto them all the new Teſtament. As for the word Sacrament, we are not tied vntounto it, neither doe we by that word vnderſtand any other thing then the ſame is which by Ieſus Chriſt called a Commemoration or Remembrance. Luk. 22.19 & by S. Paul, a Seale or Signe, Rom. 4.11. We ſay not that all the words that may be vſed, but all that the doctine neceſſary to ſaluation is contayned in the holy Scripture. And we doe willingly apply and frame our ſelues to the vſuall words, alwaies prouided that the doctrine doe ſtill remaine pure and vndefiled.