A Defense of the Catholic Faith, Book 1 · Chapter 8 – Article 2
CHAP. VIII. That they which hauehave written againſt the King of great Britaines booke, doe vniuſtly call him Apoſtata and Hereticke.
OVR Aduerſaries are as open-handed in beſtowing titles vponupon vsus, as they are niggardly in giuing any reaſon of their doings. Bellarmines booke vnderunder the name of Tortus, ſayth, that the King of great Britaine is no Catholique; but ſhewes neyther in what ſenſe, nor for what reaſon: and as vniuſtly doth he call him an Apoſtata: for an Apoſtata is one, that hauing followed doth againe doth forſake the true Religion. Now his Maieſtie of England hath not forſaken the true Religion, inaſmuch as hee ſtill maintaineth the ſame: and ſhould his Religion be as hereticall, as it is ſound and holy, yet could he not be called an Apoſtata, becauſe he neuer profeſſed any other Religion. He that hath alwayes done euill, is not a backeſlider from vertue: and no man can forſake that which he neuer had. Now graunt that hee had beene baptized in the Church of Rome, yet it followes not, that he therefore receiued their faith that baptized him; for the Church of Rome conferring any thing vponupon him that is good, bindes him not to follow her in that which is euill.
But becauſe it may be preſumed, that the Queene his mother being of the Church of Rome, might hauehave giuen him ſome impreſſions of that Religion, his Maieſty therefore meeteth therewith, and teſtifies, that ſhe adhaered not to the groſſer ſuperſtitions of Poperie; and that in the chriſtening of the King her ſonne, ſhe charged the Archbiſhop that baptized him, not to vſe any ſpittle in the Ceremonies, ſaying, that ſhee would not hauehave a rotten and pocky Prieſt to ſpit in her childes mouth; that at her entreaty the late Queene ELIZABETH, who was an enemy of Popery, was his God-mother, and chriſtened him by her Ambaſſadour; that ſhe neuer vrged him by any letters to adhaere to Popery; that euen her laſt words befor her death, were, that howbeit ſhe were of a diuers Religion, yet ſhee would not preſſe him to change the Religion he profeſſed, vnleſſe he found himſelfe moued therevnto in his conſcience: that if he ledde an honeſt, and a holy life, if he did carefully adminiſter iuſtice, and did wiſely and religiouſly gouerne the people committed to his care, ſhe made then no queſtion, but he might, and ought to perſeuere in his owne Religion. By theſe Demonſtrations doth his Maieſty of England prooue, that this great Princeſſe had no ſiniſter opinion of our religion.
Hereunto Mr. Coeffeteau ſayth, hee will giuegive credite for the reſpect hee beareth vntounto the King, although it will with great difficulty bee generally perſwaded that ſome Princes allied vntounto his Maieſtie, could ſhewe ſome letters to the contrary. Which is as much to ſay, that although that which the King ſayes be falſe, yet to doe him a pleaſure, he will beleeue it, and ſo giues him the lye very mannerly; as if he ſhould ſpit in his face, doing him reuerence: like the Iewes that cryed all haile to our Sauiour, when they buffeted him: His Encounter ſhould hauehave had ſome coulerable matter at the leaſt: for what can argue more weakeneſſe in him, then to mention letters that no man euer ſaw? Or what ſtrength hath it to weaken the teſtimony of a King concerning his own mother? For to whom ſhould ſhe hauehave opened her minde more familiarly then to her ſonne? Or what wordes are more ſerious, or more vndiſſemblingly ſpoken, then ſuch as are the laſt that dying perſons doe vtter? For then doth the hand of neceſſity pull off the maske from the deepeſt diſſemblers: then is it no time to hide themſelues from men, when they muſt m…ke their appearāce before God. But eſpecially ſhe then ſpeaking to her onelyonly ſonne, with whom to hauehave diſſembled, had beene a moſt iniurious diſſimulation, and an vnnaturall skill: which if it bee blameable in a mother in any part of her life, how much more at the time of her death?
His Maieſty of England being thus cleared from the crime of Apoſtaſie, he dooth likewiſe acquite himſelfe from the imputation of hereſie, which is the ordinary wrong they doe him. The word Hereſie ſignifies a Sect, by which name the Chriſtian Religion was in auncient time traduced: for ſo the Iewes ſpeake to the Apoſtle S. Paul in the laſt of the Acts, foreign; For as concerning this Sect, or hereſie, We know that it is eueryevery where ſpoken againſt. And his Maieſty of England may very rightly ſay with the ſame Apoſtle, cap. 24. verſ. 4. This I confes, that after the way foreign, which they call Hereſie; I worſhip the God of my fathers, beleeuing all things which are written in the law and the Prophets. After which phraſe of ſpeech Tertullian and Cyprian doe call the Chriſtian religion a Sect,Tertul: de Pallio c. 6. Deni que etiam diuinae ſectae ac diſciplinae commercium pallio conferri Cyprianꝰ, l 4. Epiſt. 5. or hereſie. In this ſenſe therefore are we hereticks and Sectaries; ſith that now-a-dayes to acknowledge no other Mediator then Ieſus Chriſt, nor any expiation but by his blood, or any propitiatorie ſacrifice, but his death, nor any ſatisfaction of Gods iuſtice but by his obedience, nor any rule to guide vsus to ſaluation, but his Worde conteyned in the holy Scriptures, is accounted hereſie.
But more clearely to purge himſelfe of this crime, his Maieſty of England, following the commaundent of the Apoſtle S. Peter, which is, to be alwayes ready to yeeld an account of the hope that is in vsus, doth ſet downe at large a confeſſion of his faith agreeable to the holy Scripture, and al vncorrupted antiquity. Who ſhal henceforward be aſhamed to confeſſe the name of God, or defend the truth of the Goſpell, being thus enſampled by a mighty King? but this confeſſion conceiued in choyſe, and ſignificant wordes, full of euidence and of power, doth worthily challenge a ſeuerall Diſcourſe. And beſides it is that againſt which Coeffeteau doth principally diſcharge his choller.
THE DEFENCE OF THE CONFESSION Of the Faith, of IAMES the firſt, King of Great BRITAINE. THE SECOND BOOKE.
ARTICLE I. Touching the Creede.
The KINGS Confeſſion.I Am ſuch a Catholicke Christian, as beleeueth the three Creedes, That of the Apoſtles, that of the Councel of Nice and that of Athanaſius, the two latter being Paraphraſes to the former: And I beleeue them in that ſenſe, as the Auncient Fathers and Councels that made them did vnderſtand them. To which three Creedes all the Miniſters of England do ſubſcribe at their Ordination. And I alſo acknowledge for Orthodoxe all thoſe other formes of Creedes, that eyther were deuiſed by Councels or particular. Fathers, againſt ſuch Hereſies as moſt raigned in their times.
To this Article Coeffeteau findeth nothing to reply, and holding his peace thereupon, hee iuſtifieth vsus by his ſilence.
ARTICLE II. Touching the Fathers in generall.
AS for the Fathers, I reuerence them as much and more then the Ieſuits doe,The KINGS Confeſſion. and as much as themſelues euer craued. For what euer the Fathers for the firſt fiue hundred yeares did with an vna…ime conſent agree upon, to be beleeued as a neceſſary point of ſaluation, I eyther will beleeue it alſo, or at leaſt will be humbly ſilent, not taking vponupon me to condemne the ſame.
Here againe Coeffeteau is ſilent, and knoweth not what to reprehend. The Reader may pleaſe to call to minde that the points in which his Maieſty of England doth abſtaine to condemne the Fathers, albeit his beleefe is not bound to follow them, are eyther points not neceſſary to ſaluation, or opinions in which as well our Church as the Church of Rome doth condemne them. The Auncients for the moſt part held that the fall of the Diuels came to paſſe by reaſon of their cohabitation with women. This is altogether falſe and a point little important to our ſaluation: They held alſo for the moſt part, that the ſoules ſhall all be purged by the fire of the laſt iudgement, in the expectation of which day, the ſoules as well of the good as of the bad, are ſhut vp in certaine receptacles. And in this point they are neyther followed by vsus nor by our Aduerſaries.