Marginalia1555. December.Bishops in preaching the true Gospell as they had receiued of the Apostles, and nothyng like to the late sprong heretickes. &c. Whereby he concludeth agaynst them, that they were not to be heard, neither to be credited. The which thyng if you my Lordes, be able to proue now of the Church of Rome, then had you as good authoritie agaynst me in my cause now, as Irenæus had agaynst those heretickes. MarginaliaThe church of Rome not now as it was then.But the Church of Rome hath swarued from the truth and simplicitie of the Gospell which it maintained in Irenæus tyme, and was vncorrupted from that which it is now: wherfore your Lordshyps can not iustly apply the authoritie of Irenæus to the Church of Rome now, whiche is so manifestly corrupted from the primatiue Church.

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Boner. So will you say still, it maketh nothyng for the purpose what soeuer authoritie we bring, and wil neuer be satisfied.

Phil. My Lord, when I do by iust reason proue, that the authorities which bee brought agaynst me do not make to the purpose (as I haue already proued) I trust you will receiue myne aunswere.

MarginaliaThe church of Rome neuer deceaued.Worc. It is to be proued most manifestly by all auncient writers, that the sea of Rome hath alwayes folowed the truth, and neuer was deceiued, vntill of late certaine heretickes had defaced the same.

Phil. Let that be proued, and I haue done.

Worc. Nay, you are of such arrogācy, singularitie, and vayne glory, that you will not see it, be it neuer so well proued.

Phil. Ha my Lordes, is it now tyme (thinke you) for me to folow singularitie or vayne glory, since it is now vpon daunger of my lyfe and death, not onely presently, but also before God to come? and I know, if I dye not in the true faith, I shall dye euerlastingly, & agayne I know, if I do not as you would haue me, you wil kill me and many thousandes moe: yet had I leuer  

perish at your handes then to perish eternally. And at this tyme I haue lost all my commodities of this world, and now lye in a Colehouse where a man would not lay a dogge, with the which I am well contented.

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Cole. Where are you able to proue that the Church of Rome hath erred at any tyme? and by what history? certaine it is by Eusebius, that the Church was stablished at Rome by Peter and Paul, and that Peter was Bishop xxv. yeares at Rome.

Phil. I know well that Eusebius so writeth:MarginaliaI find not in Eusebius that Peter should be Bishop of Rome 25. yeares, but this is in Linus, Hierom. lib. de viris illustr. and in Abdias. lib. 1. de vita Petri. but if we compare that which S. Paul writeth to the Galathians the first, it will manifestly appeare the contrary, that he was not halfe so long there. He liued not past xxxv. yeares after he was called to be an Apostle: and Paul maketh mētion of his abyding at Hierusalem after CHRISTES death more then. xviij. yeares.

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Cole. What? did Peter write to the Galathians?

Phil. No, I say Paul maketh mention of Peter, writyng to þ^e Galathians, & of his abidyng at Hierusalem. And further, I am able to proue, both by Eusebius & other Historiographers, þ^t the church of Rome hath manifestly erred, and at this present doth erre, because she agreeth not with that which they wrote. The primatiue Church did vse accordyng to the Gospell, and there nedeth none other proofe but compare the one with the other.

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MarginaliaHarke my lordes wise parable.Boner. I may compare this man to a certaine man I read of, which fell into a desperation and went into a woode to hang himselfe, and when he came there, hee went vewing of euery tree and could fynde none on the which he might vouchsafe to hang himselfe. But I will not apply it as I myght. I pray you (M. Doctour) go forth with hym.

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MarginaliaNeyther you nor they are able in thys case.Cole. My Lord, there bee on euery syde on me that be better able to aunswere him, and I loue not to fall in disputation, for that now a dayes a man shall not but sustaine shame and obloquy thereby of the people. I had leuer shew my mynd in wryting.

Phil. And I had leuer that you should so doe then otherwyse, for then a man may better iudge of your wordes then by argument, and I besech you so to do. But if I were a riche man, I durst wager an hundreth poundes, that you shall not be able to shew that

you haue sayd, to bee decreed by a generall Coūcell in Athanasius tyme. MarginaliaReason why it is not like that in Athanasius time all men were bound to abide the determation of Rome.For this I am sure of, that it was concluded by a general Coūcel in Africa many yeares after, that none of Africa (vnder payne of excommunication) should appeale to Rome: the which decree I am sure they would not haue made, if by the scriptures and by an vniuersall Councell it had bene decreed that all men should abyde and follow the determination of the church of Rome.

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Cole But I can shew that they reuoked that errour agayne.

Phil. So you say M. Doctor, but I pray you shew me where. I haue hetherto heard nothing of you for my contentation but bare woordes without any authority.

Boner. What, I pray you? ought we to dispute wyth you of our fayth? Iustinian  

in the law hath a title De fide catholica, to the contrary.

Phil. I am certayne the ciuill law hath such a constitution: but our fayth must not depend vpon the ciuill law. For as S. Ambrose sayth, MarginaliaNot the law, but the Gospell gathered the church together. Ambrose.non lex sed fides congregauit Ecclesiam.  

Not the law but the Gospell (sayth he) hath gathered the Church together.

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Worcest. M. Philpot, you haue the spirit of pride wherewith ye be led, which wil not let you to yeld to the truth: leaue it for shame.

Phil. Sir, I am sure I haue the spirit of fayth by the which I speake at this present: neither am I ashamed to stand in my fayth.

Glocest. What? do you thinke your self better learned then so many notable learned men as be here?

Phil. Marginalia400. Priestes agaynst one Helias.Elyas alone had the truth, when there were foure hundreth priestes agaynst hym.

Worcest. Oh, you would be counted now for Helyas. And yet I tell the he was deceyued: for he thought there had bene none good but hymselfe, and yet he was deceaued, for there were seuen hundreth besydes hym.

Phil. Yea, but he was not deceyued in doctrine as the other. vij. hundreth were.

Worcest. By my fayth your are greatly to blame, that you can not bee content to bee of the church which euer hath bene of that faythfull antiquity.

Phil. My Lord, I know Rome, and haue bene there, where I saw your Lordship.

Worcest. In dede I dyd flie from hence thether, and I remember not that I saw you there. But I am sory that you haue bene there: MarginaliaA good commendation for Rome by a Romanist.for the wickednes which you haue seene there, peraduenture causeth you to do as you do.

Phil. No my Lord, I do not as I doe for that cause: for I am taught otherwyse by the Gospell, not altogether to refuse the minister for his euill liuing, so that he bring sound doctrine out of Gods booke.

MarginaliaWhether the vniuersall church may be deceaued?Worc. Do you thinke that the vniuersall church may be deceyued?

Phil. S. Paule to the Thessalonians prophecied that there should come an vniuersall departing from the fayth in the latter dayes before the cōming of Christ, saying: Marginalia
2. Theß. 2.
A defection prophesied of in the church.Nō veniet Christus nisi venerit defectio prius:  

That is, CHRIST shall not come, till there come a departing first.

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Cole. Yea, I pray you, how take you the departing there in S. Paule? It is not ment of fayth, but of the departing from the Empyre: for it is in Greke Ἀποστασία.  

Phil. Mary in dede you (M. Doctor) put me in good remembraunce of the meaning of S. Paul in that place, for Marginaliaἀποςασίᾶ ἀποςάτησApostasia  

is properly a departing from the faith, and thereof commeth Apostata, which properly signifieth one that departeth from his fayth: and S. Paule in the same place after speaketh of the decay of the Empyre.

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Cole. Apostasia doth not onely signify a departing from the faith, but also frō the Empire, as I am able to shew.

Phil. I neuer red it so taken, and when you shall be able to shew it (as you say in wordes) I will beleue it, and not before.

Worcest. I am sory that you shoulde bee agaynst the Christen world.

Phil. The world commonly and such as bee called Christians (for the multitude) hath hated the truth,