The Novelty of Popery Discovered, Answer 1
AN ANSWERE, Then, 1. to that vsuall and customable Question, Whereby the Romanistes aske vsus, where was our Religion before Luther?
HAving therefore, ininstanced the positiue poynts of our doctrine, which are the verie foundamentall poyntes of Christian Religion, helde ever, and mayntayned as truethes, in the verie bosome of the Romane Church even vntounto this day, as is cleare by their former confessions, wee see how easie it is to answere to their vulgar question, whereby they aske, where was our Religion before Luther?
Indeede as that woman descrybed in the REVELATION, Thorow the furie and crueltie of that red Dragon, was driven for a…time into the Wildernesse, (which the R…emistes themselues expone to bee the true Churches lurking for a season in time of persecution) so this hath beene the condition of the professoures of the trueth, sundrie tymes to bee brought to a verie few number, and by persecution made lyke-wyse to lurke in the tyme of errou…es p…evayling:Hier…. dialogadv… which wee may see clearlie in that tyme whereof S. IEROME speaketh, when the whole world groaned,Luciferianos. Athanasius ad so. litariā vitam agētes. and wondred, that it was turned Arrian: and of which tyme Athanasius thus complaineth, What Church now doeth freelie worship, (sayeth hee) seeing if it bee holie and true, it lyeth vnderunder manie dangers: and if there bee in anie place, faythfull servantes of CHRIST, (as there bee) yet they are hid,Stapleton l. 2. princip. do…ctrina lium▪ c, 18. Pererius in Dan. l 15. in … veniet tēpus. Abbas in Revel. …. 2. lyke that great Prophet ELIAS? So that the profession of the Orthodoxe fayth, (sayeth Stapleton) was then but with a few, and those lyke-wyse living in exyle.
As also, the verie Romanistes themselues giuegive vsus to vnderstand, that the same shall bee the estate of the true Church, in the time of their pretended Antichrist, to wit, that then the true worship, (sayeth their Iesuit Pereriu… ) shall bee onelie in private, and the whole Congregation of of the godlie shall bee hid, (sayth Ioachim Abbas.) For so shall the Elect bee wyse vntounto themselues, that they shall not presume to practise openlie, because that darknesse shall prevayle: and as the Rhemistes affirme,Rhem annot in 2. Thess. 2. 3. The externall …ate of the Romane Church, and publicke intercourse of the sayth…ull with it, is lyke to ceasse: and the communion of Christians with the fame shall bee onelie in heart, (say they) and their worship in private.
There…ore, what was the estate of true Religion, and the pro…essoures thereof, in the time of Arrianisme prevayling, or to bee …n the tyme of their pretended Antichrists prevayling, it were …ot absurde for vsus to say, that the …ame was the estate of true Religion, and professoures thereof, in …he tyme of the prevayling of Poperie, which wee count Antithristianisme.
But yet to come nearer them, in answering to this question, wee say, that as it is easie to answere, fit were asked in lyke-manner, Where were GOD'S people before they came out of BABELL?Revel 18. 4… by replying thus, that they were even in BABELL it selfe: even so our Religion, which consisteth in the mayne positiue poyntes forenamed, and wherein wee agree, the same was in the bosome of the Romane Church it selfe, (as hath beene showne) helde by the Doctoures thereof, and preached and preserved by them, in the verie tyme of erroures greatest prevayling, the same beeing in their mouthes as the vncorrupted text of the Law, and sound doctrine of the Iewish religion, (in manie thinges conforme thereto) was in the mouthes of the Scrybes and Pharisees, who in that respect were sayde to sit in Moses Chayre, and the people were commanded by our SAVIOVR to heare them. But in so farre as those Pharisees, (lyke the Romanistes) joyned their owne traditions to the Law of GOD, teaching them for doctrines, and put false Glosses vponupon the Law it selfe, in that respect our SAVIOVR declared …em to be blinde guydes, and wil…d all men to beware of the leaven …f their false doctrine.
Agayne, if they aske in these …oyntes wheerein wee disagree …nd oppose them, where was our …eligion before Luther? wee an…were, that the same was pro…ssed, taught, and mayntayned …y the Romane Church her selfe, … her purer integritie, and by the …ncient Fathers, both in the …reeke and Latine Church: and …anie of their owne latter Do…oures, who lived manie hun…reth yeares long before Lu…er, The particular places are noted, and the words set down, afteras
1. That the Bookes of APORYPHA, are not Canoni…k… …cripture, not onelie doeth Atha…asius, Hilarie, Ruffinus, and …amascen declare, b…t also S. …rome, and with him Lyra, telleth …s, That the whole Church in …hose tymes helde so, long before …uther.
2. That all doctrines of fayth …nd manners, necessarie to salvation, are contayned in Scripture,the particular poynts of doctrine handled orderlie, as they lye in the first part of this Treatise, and in the witnes sing of Antiquitie, subj…yned in everie poynt to the without vnwritten traditions, Athanasius, and Augustine, with dyverse others hauehave taught, long before Luther▪
3. That the Scripture is plaine in all thinges necessarie to salvation, and therefore should bee read by the people, and nowayes with-holden from them, Augustine, Chrysostome, Theodoret, with sundrie others mayntayned this, long before Luther.
4. That the true Church, or number of Orthodox professours, hath beene redacted sometymes to a verie few, who hauehave beene made to lurke for a tyme, because of cruell persecution, S. Ierome, Ambrose, and Athanasius, hauehave demonstrate, long before Luther.
5. That the Bishop of Rom… may erre, and hath erred, th… sixt generall Councell helde at Constantinople, of 289. Bishops, an… the seaventh generall Councel… assembled at Nice, declared thi… in the person of Honoriu…, wit… sundrie latter Romane Doctoures,autho…rity of Scripture, whether I referr… the Reader. long before Luther.
6. That the Bishop of Rome had no supremacie over the whole Church, as Vniversall Bishop thereof, nor yet an…e other, S. Cyprian, and their owne Pope G…egorie the first, hath at length mayntayned, long before Luther.
7. That publicke Prayers, or anie other divyne Service in the Church, should not bee sayde in a tongue vnknowne to the people, (beside S. PAVLL) Ambrose, Chrysostome, Seduliu…, and Haymo, taught clearlie, long before Luther.
8. That GOD onelie is to bee prayed vntounto, and neyther Sainct nor Angell, Ignatiu…, Martyr, Ori… gen, and others delyvered, long before Luther.
9. That no Images are to bee anie wayes worshipped, the Councell of Eliberis, Augustine, and Pope Gregorie himselfe, with dyverse others declared, long before Luther.
10. That no Reliques of Saincts or Martyres, are to bee adored, S. Cyrill and Ierome did teach, long before Luther.
11. Agaynst free-will, or the indifferencie thereof in the estate of corruption, eyther to good or evill, the Councell of Orange opposed it selfe, with Augustine, Prosper, and Bernard, and dyverse others, long before Luther.
12. That wee are not justified before GOD by our owne works, or inherent righteousnesse, Ambrose, Bernard, and manie moe mayntayned, long before Luther.
13. That none is able in this lyfe to keepe GOD'S Lawe perfectlie, let bee to supererogate, Lactaentius, Firmianus, Ierome, and sundrie others hauehave testified, long before Luther.
14. That no man is able by his owne workes, to merite eternall lyfe, S. Basill, Augustine, Bernard, and manie moe hauehave clearlie demonstrate, long before Luther.
15. That there is no Purgatorie, or place, where the soules of the godlie goe vntounto after this lyfe, but onelie Heaven, Cyrill, Gregorie, Nazianzen, and dyverse others hauehave taught vsus, long before Luther.
16. Agaynst the absolute necessitie of the Baptisme of Infants, Augustine, Bernard, and others hauehave instructed vsus, long before Luther.
17. That there is no Transsubstantiation in the Sacrament of the LORD'S Supper, Ireneus, Theodoret, Pope Gelasius, Bertram, and sundrie others hauehave clearlie declared, long before Luther.
18. That the Cup should not bee with-holden from the people, Ignatius, Iustine Martyr, and Chrysostome taught, and as the Councell of Constance granteth, the primitiue Church practised; yea, as Cassander showeth vsus, the whole Romane Church mayntayned and practised, for the space of a thousand yeares, long before Luther▪
19. That in the Masse, there is no proper prop…tiatorie sacrifice for the quicke and the dead, Chrysostome, Eusebius, Ambrose, with manie others, even of their owne latter Doctoures, as Lombard, and Aquinas, hauehave taught vsus, long before Luther.
And if they inquyre f…rder, of anie people, before Luther, who professed as wee doe, and opposed these doctrines of Poperie, which wee this day oppose? wee name to them the Waldenses, (as they tearme them) of whom their owne Raynerus Raynerus, Lib. contra Waldensis c. 4.testifieth, That there were in everie countrey of them, and that they lived righteouslie, and believed all thinges aright concerning GOD, and helde all the Articles contayned in the Creede; onelie that they spake agaynst the Church of Rome, Thua nus l. 6. Hist. de doc. trin. Waldensin Fasci… Temp. in vita Innoc. 3.to wit, her corruptions: the particulars where-of, their owne Thuanu… declareth to bee these, That they spake agaynst Purgatorie, the Sacrifice of the Masse, the worshipping of Sayncts, and Soule-Masses, &c. And therefore, against whom Innocent the third, caused preach a Crusado every where for their extirpation, as their owne Charter Monke, the Author of Fasciculu… Temporum, doeth testifie.
And tho they would say, that yet these doctrines of ours, wherein wee oppose them, and they dissent from vsus, were not generallie receaved, not had a perpetuall succession of Pastours professing the same ever expreslie, and from the beginning, wee may justlie answere, that this was because these doctrines of Poperie, which they now mayntayne, lyke the Tares, did not peepe out at first after their sowing, nor were they receaved in the Westerne Church generallie to bee believed, till of latter tymes, (as hath beene alreadie proven, in the detection of the Noveltie of the whole poyntes of Poperie) more than the Pharisees leaven and traditions, which our SAVIOVR opposed, were in the Iewes Synagogue.
As lyke-wyse themselues clearlie confesse, That the present Romane Church,Stapleton in defens authorit. Eccles. l. 1. c. 2. sect. 5. hath at this day receaved some doctrines of fayth, which shee helde not of olde, (as Stapleton, and others with him declare) and for which, not-withstanding they can not assigne, a perpetuall succession of Pastors, at all tymes professing the same.