Marginalia1555. Decemb.Bookes well, therefore I haue brought my Booke of Annotations,  

and turned there to a common place of the Sacramente, asking me whether the Catholike Churche did not allowe the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament, or no? I heare say, you doo confesse a reall presence: but I wyl be hanged, if you wyl abide by it. You wyl deny it by and by.

[Back to Top]

Phil. That I haue said, I can not deny, neither intend not, what soeuer you say.

Chad. If there be a reall presence in the sacrament, then euyll men receiue Christ, which thing you wyl not graunt, I am sure.

Phil. MarginaliaWhether euill men receaue the body of Christ.I denye the argument. For I doo not graunte in the Sacrament, by transubstantiation any real presence, as you falsly imagine, but in the due administratiō to the worthy receiuers.

Chad. I wyll proue that the euyll and wicked men eate of the body of Christ, as well as the good men, by Saint Austine here.

Phil. And in the beginnyng of his Texte Saint Augustine seemeth to approue his assertion: but I bade hym reade out to the ende, and there saint Austine declareth that it was quodam modo,MarginaliaQuodam modo. after a certaine maner the euyll men receiued the body of Christe, whiche is sacramentally only, in the vtter signes, and not really, or in deede, as the good dooth. And thus all the Doctours that you seeme to bring in for your purpose, be quite againste you, if you did rightly weight them.

[Back to Top]

Chad. By God you are a subtile felow. See how he would writhe  

S. Austines wordes.

Phil. See who of vs wrieth S. Austine more, you or I, whiche take his meaning by his owne expresse woordes. And seing you charge me of subtiltie, what subtiltie is this of you, to say, that you wil proue your matter of the church euen from the beginnyng, promising to shewe your bookes therin, and when it commeth to the shewing, you are able to shewe none, and for want of proofe slip into a bymatter, & and yet faint in the proofe thereof.MarginaliaD. Chadsey faynteth in his proofe.Afore God you are bare arst in all your religion.

[Back to Top]

Chad. You shalbe cōstrained to come to vs at length, whether you wil, or no.

Phil. Hold that argument fast: for it is the best you haue: for you haue nothing but violence.

MarginaliaThe 13. examination of M. Philpot, before the Archbishop of Yorke, and other Byshops.THe Thursday after, I was called in the mornyng before the Archbishop of Yorke, the Bishop of Chichester, the Bishop of Bath, and the Bishop of London. The Bishop of Chichester being firste come, beganne to talke with me.

[Back to Top]

Chich. I am come of good wyll to talke with you, to instruct you what I can, to come to the Catholike church, & to wil you mistrust your own iudgement, and to learne first to haue humilitie, and by the same to learne of others that be better learned then you, as they did learne of suche as were their betters before them.

[Back to Top]

Phil. We muste be all taught of God, and I will with all humilitie learne of them that wyll enforme me by Gods woorde, what I haue to doo. I confesse I haue but litle learnyng in respecte of you, that both for your yeares and great exercise to excell therein: but faith consisteth not onlye in learning,MarginaliaFayth consisteth not in learning but in beleuing. but in simplicitie of beleuing that whiche Gods woorde teacheth. Therefore I wyll be gladde to heare both of your Lordship, and of anye other (that God hathe reuealed vnto by his woorde) the true Doctrine thereof, and to thanke you, that it dooth please you to take paynes herein.

[Back to Top]

Chich. You take the first alleged, amisse, as though al men should be taught by inspiration, and not by learning. Howe do we beleue the Gospel, MarginaliaThe authoritye of the Church.but by the authoritie of the church and because the same hath allowed it?

Phil. S. Paul saith: He learned not the Gospel by men, neither of men, but by the reuelation of Iesus Christ: which is a sufficient proofe that the Gospell taketh not his authoritie of man, but of God onely.

Chich. S. Paul speaketh but of his own knowledge how he came therto.

Phil. Nay, he speaketh of the Gospell generally, Whiche commeth not from man, but from God, and that the church must onely teache that whiche commeth from God, and not mans precepts.

Chich. Doth not S. Austine say:MarginaliaThe place of S. Austen I would not beleue the worde if the church did not moue me &c. I woulde not beleue the Gospell, if the authoritie of the churche did not moue me thereto?

Phil. I graunt that the authoritie of the Churche dooth moue the vnbeleeuers to beleeue, but yet the Churche geueth not the woorde his authoritie: MarginaliaThe word hath his authoritie onely of God, and not of the Church.for the woorde hath his authoritie onely from God, and not of man: men be but disposers thereof. For first the woorde hath his being before the Churche, and the woorde is the foundation of the church: and first is the foundation sure, before the building theron can be stedfast.

[Back to Top]

Chich. I perceiue you mistake me. I speake of the knowledge of the Gospell, and not of the authoritie: for by the church we haue al knowledge of the Gospel.

Phil. I confesse that. MarginaliaThe word is the foundation of the Church, and not the Church of the word.For faith commeth by hearing, and hearing by the woorde. And I acknowledge, that God appoynteth an ordinarye meanes for men to come vnto the knowledge now, & not myraculously, as he hath don in times past: yet we that be taught by men must take heede that we learne nothing els but that which was taught in the Primatiue churche by reuelation. Here came in the Bishop of Yorke, and the Bishop of Bath, and after they had saluted one an other, and commoned a while together, the Archbishop of Yorke called me vnto them, saying:

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaTalke betwene the Archiosh. of Yorke and Iohn Philpot.Yorke. Sir, we hearing that you are out of the waye, are come of charitie to enforme you, & to bring you into the true faith, & to the catholike church againe, willing you firste to haue humilitie and to be humble & willing to learne of your betters: for els we can doo no good with you. And God saith by his Prophet: On whom shal I rest, but on the hūble and meeke, and such as tremble at my word.

[Back to Top]

Now if you wyl so be, we wil be glad to trauaile  

w^t you.

Phil. I know that humilitie is the doore wherby we enter vnto Christ, and I thanke his goodnes I haue entred in at the same vnto hym, & with all humilitie heare what soeuer truth you shal speake vnto me.

Yorke. What be the matters you stande on, and require to be satisifed in?

Phil. My lord, & it please your grace, we were entred into a good matter before you came, of the church, and howe we should know the truth but by the church.

Yorke. In deede that is the head, we neede to begynne at. For the church being truely knowen, we shall sooner agree in the particular thinges.

Phil. If your Lordships can proue the church of Rome to be the true catholike church it shal do much to perswade me toward that you would haue me incline vnto.

Yorke. Why, let vs go to the definition of the church. What is it?

Phil. MarginaliaThe Church defined.It is a Congregation of people, dispersed through the worlde, agreeing together in the woorde of GOD, vsing the Sacramentes and all other thinges according to the same.

Yorke. Your definition is of many woordes to no purpose.

Phil. I do not precisely define the church, but declare vnto you what I thinke the church is.

Yorke. Is the church visible or inuisible?

phil. MarginaliaThe Church both visible and inuisible.It is both visible and inuisible. The inuisible church is of all the electes of God onely: the visible consisteth of both good and bad, vsing all thinges in faith, accordyng to Gods worde.

Yorke. The church is an vniuersall congregation of faithful people in Christ through the world: which this worde Catholike dooth well expresse: for what is Catholike els? doth it not signifie vniuersal?

phil. The church is defined by S. Austine to be called catholike in this wise: MarginaliaCatholicke defined by S. Austē.Ecclesia ideo dicitur Catholica, quia vniuersaliter perfecta est & in nullo claudicat:  

The churche is called therfore Catholike, because it is throughly perfect, and halteth in nothing.

Yorke. Nay, MarginaliaCatholicke defined by the Papistes.it is called Catholike, because it is vniuersally receiued of al Christian nations, for the most part.

Phil. The Churche was Catholique in the Apostles tyme: yet was it not vniuersally receyued of the worlde: but because their Doctrine whiche they had receyued of Christe, was perfecte, and appoynted to be preached and receyued of the whole worlde, therefore it is called the Catholike faith, and all persons receiuyng the same to be counted the Catholike Churche. And S. Austine in an other place writeth, that the Catholike church is that which beleueth aright.

[Back to Top]

Yorke. If you wyll learne, I wyll shewe you by Saint Austine, writing againste the Donatistes, that he proueth the Catholike Church by two principall poyntes, which is,MarginaliaVniuersalitye and succession. vniuersalitie and succession of Bishops in one Apostolicall See from tyme to tyme. Nowe thus wyll I make myne argument.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThis cōsequent being reduced into a syllogisme of the first figure, wyll ground vpon a false Maior.The Church of Rome is vniuersall, & hath had her successiō of bishops from tyme to tyme.