sure. In the meane season let this stand for a Corolarium, that the Byshop of Rome by this description must be that second beast, prophesied to come in the later time of the Church, vnder a false pretensed lambe, to restore agayne the old persecutions of Rome, and to disturbe the whole Church of Christ, as this day to truely is come to passe.

MarginaliaThe 4. Question.As touchyng my fourth Question, although I could vrge you with an other like propheticall place of Scripture, no lesse euident agaynst the Byshop of Rome, taken out of the second Epistle of S. Paul, to the Thessalonians, where mention is made of the sonne of perdition, sittyng in the Temple of God, as God, and aduauncyng hym selfe aboue all that is called God &c.Marginalia2. Thess. 2.which place ye can by no reasonable euasion auoyde: yet notwithstandyng to let this passe, I turne my Question to aske this of you, whether the Religion of Christ be mere spirituall, or els corporall. If ye affirme it to be corporall, as was the old Religion of the Iewes consistyng in outward rites, sacrifices, and ceremonies of the law: then shewe if ye can, what any one outward action or obseruation is required in Christian Religion by the scripture, as necessary in a Christian man, for remission of sinnes and saluation, saue onely the two Sacramentall ceremonies of outward Baptisme, and of the Lordes Supper? Howbeit neyther these also as they are corporall, that is to say neyther the outward action of the one, nor of the other conferreth remission of sinnes, nor saluation, but onely are visible shewes of inuisible and spirituall benefites. MarginaliaReligion of Christ spirituall, and not corporall.And furthermore if our God, whom we serue, be spirituall, how can his Religion and seruice be corporall as we are taught by the mouth of our Sauiour, saying: God is a spirite and therfore they that worship hym, must worship in spirite and veritie. &c. Ioan. 4.

Nowe if ye graunt (as ye must nedes) this our Christian Religion to be spirituall, and not a corporall Religion, then shew, if ye can, any one poynt of all these thinges which ye striue for so much with vs, to be spirituall, but altogether corporall, MarginaliaThe Pope turneth the spirituall religion of Christ to a corporall Religion.and externe matters and ceremoniall obseruations, nothyng conducyng to any spirituall purpose, MarginaliaThe whole sūme of the Popes catholicke religion set forth in partes.as your outward succession of Byshops, garmentes, vestures, gestures, coulours, choyse of meates, difference of dayes, tymes and places, hearyng, seyng, saying, touchyng, tastyng, numberyng of beades, gildyng and worshipping Images, buildyng monasteries, rising at mydnight, silence in cloysters, absteinyng from flesh and white meate, fastyng in Lent, kepyng Imberdayes, hearyng Masse and diuine seruice, seyng and adoryng the body in forme of bread, receauyng holy water, and holy bread, crepyng the crosse, carying Palmes, takyng ashes, bearyng candels, pilgrimage goyng, sensyng, knelyng, knockyng, altares, superaltares, candlestickes, pardons: In orders crossyng, annoyntyng, shauyng, forsweryng mariage: In baptisme, crossyng, saltyng, spattelyng exorcisyng, washing of handes: At Easter eare confession, penaunce doyng, satisfaction: And in receauyng with beardes newshauen, to imagine a body, where they see no body: and though he were their present to be seene, yet the outward seyng and touchyng of hym, of it selfe, without fayth, conduceth no more, then it did to the Iewes. At Rogation dayes, to cary banners, to follow the crosse, to walke about the fieldes. After Pentecost, to go about with Corpus Christi play. At halowmas to watch in the Church, to say dirige and commendations, and to ryng for all soules, to pay tythes truly, to giue to the high altare. And if a man will be a Priest, to say Masse and Mattens, to serue the Sainte of the day, and to lyft well ouer his head &c. In sicknes to be aneled, to take his rightes, after his death to haue funerals, and obites sayd for hym, and to be rong for at hys funerall, moneth mynd, and yearemynde. &c. Adde moreouer to these the outward sacrifice of the Masse, with opus operatum sine bono motu vtentis. &c.

MarginaliaA man may be Catholique by the Popes religion without any working of the holy ghost.All which thinges aboue recited, as they conteine the whole summary and effect of all the Popes Catholicke Religion: so are they all corporall exercises, consistyng in the externe operation of man. Which if they can make a perfect right Catholicke Christian, then it may be sayd, that men may be made perfect Christians by flesh and bloud, without any inward workyng of faith, or of the holy ghost. For what is in al these, but þ^t flesh & bloud, of his strength is able to accomplish, though no inward strength or motion of the holy Ghost dyd worke.

MarginaliaThe nature of true christian religion described.But nowe the order of our Religion, and way of saluation consisteth not in such corporall or outward thynges as these, but in other more higher and more spirituall giftes, which farre exceede the capacitie of flesh and bloud: MarginaliaSaluation of man standeth onely in fayth of Christ.of the which giftes the chiefest and onely meane cause that saueth man, and remitteth sinnes, is his fayth in Christ. Which fayth I thus define, for a man to beleue by the bloudshedyng of Iesus the sonne of God, his sinnes to be forgiuen, Gods wrath to be pacified, and him selfe to be iustified perfectly from al accusations that can be layd vnto him, &c. MarginaliaFayth in Christ, no light matter to fleshe and bloud.And though the Papistes make a light matter of this, to beleue in Christ, and when they heare vs say, that fayth onely iustifieth, they obiect to vs agayne & make it a small matter to be saued, if fayth onely iustifie vs. Yet notwithstandyng, this fayth, if it be well examined, is such a thyng, that flesh and bloud is not able to atteine therto, vnles Gods holy spirite from aboue do draw hym.

MarginaliaMany thinges incident to saluation besides fayth: but not as causes thereof.Moreouer besides this fayth, many other thynges are incident also to the doctrine of our saluation. Albeit as no causes therof, but eyther as Sacramentes and seales of fayth, or as declarations therof, or els as fruites and effectes following the same. So Baptisme, and the Supper of the Lord be as testimonies & profes: that by our fayth onely in Christ we are iustified, that as our bodyes are washed by water, and our life nourished by bread and wine: so by the bloud of Christ, our sinnes be purged, and the hunger of our soules releued by the death of hys body.

Vpon the same fayth riseth also outward profession by mouth, as a declaration therof. Other thinges also as fruites and effectes do follow after fayth, as peace of conscience, ioy in the holy Ghost, inuocation, pacience, charitie, mercy, iudgement, and sanctification. Marginaliaworkes of sanctification, how they come and folow fayth.For God for our fayth in Christ his sonne, therfore giueth into our hartes his holy spirite of comfort, of peace, and sanctification, whereby mans hart is moued to a godly disposition to feare God, to seke him, to call vpon hym, to trust vnto hym, to sticke to hym in all aduersities and persecutions, to loue hym:MarginaliaEsay. 58
Math. 25.and for his sake also to loue our brethren, to haue mercy and compassion vpon them, to visite them if they be in prison, to breake bread to them if they be hungry: and if they be burdened, to ease them: to cloth them, if they be naked, and to harbour them if they be houseles. Mat. 25. with such other spirituall exercises of pietie and sanctification as these. Which therfore I call spirituall, because they procede of the holy spirite and law of God which is spirituall.

And thus haue ye a Catholicke Christian defined: first after the rules of Rome, and also after the rule of the gospell. Now conferre these Antitheta together, and see whether of these is the truer Christian, the ceremoniall man after the Churche of Rome, or the spirituall man with his fayth and other spirituall fruites of pietie following after the same. And if ye say that ye mixte them both together, spirituall thynges with your corporall ceremonies, to that I aunswere agayne, that as touchyng the ende of remission of sinnes, and saluation, they ought in no case to be ioyned together, because the meane cause of all our saluation and remission, is onely spirituall, and consisteth in fayth, and in no other.

And therfore vpō the same cause I come to my Question agayne, as I began, to aske whether the Religion of Christ be a mere spirituall Religion: and whether in the Religiō of Rome, as it is now, is any thyng but onely mere corporal things required, to make a Catholicke man. And thus I leaue you to your aunswere.

IN turnyng ouer þ^e first leafe of this booke, which is Pag. 2. col. 1. and in the latter end of the same colume, thou shalte finde gentle reader, the argument of Pighius and Hosius, wherin thus they argue: That forsomuch as Christ must nedes haue a catholique Church euer continuyng here in earth, which all men may see & whereunto all men ought to resort: and seyng no other Church hath endured continually from the Apostles, visible here in earth, but onely the Church of Rome: they cōclude therfore the Church onely of Rome to be the right catholicke Church of Christ. &c.

In aunsweryng whereunto this is to be sayd: that forsomuch as the medius terminus of this argument, both in the Maior and Minor, consisteth onely in the word (visible and vnknowne:) if they meane by this worde (visible) in the Maior that Christes Church must be sene here to all the world, that all men may resort to it, it is false: Likewise if they meane by þ^e same word (visible) in þ^e Minor: that no other Church hath ben seene and knowne to any, but onely the Church of Rome, they are liekewise deceiued. For the true Church of Christ neyther is so visible, that all the world can see it, but onely they which haue spirituall eyes: and be members therof: nor yet so inuisible agayne, but such as be Gods elect, and members thereof, do see it and haue seene it though the worldly eyes of the most multitude canne not so do. &c. Wherof read more in the protestatiō aboue prefixed to the Churche of England.