British Library, Additional MS 22591
My lord
After my duetie remembred much debate Concerninge the
Fittest Expr
Scilence, Seeke to Suspend yo
Selfe / I haue made heere by A Cleere Profession of it, I assure
you/ of what I Feare to present w
misinterpr
to my Selfe / and Imediate duetie, to God was most Iustifiable
to my Second / and derivatiue to Nature / Therefore I resolved
soe soone to give you this Ingenious Accompte of my Selfe /
The greatest parte of my liffe Capable of distinctions of
Religions, hath bine Imployed in Places, and Conversant with
p
bine Strang if Naturall Curiositie / w
p
owne Eyes / vpon the Foundacions I troade vpon / rather then
holding Fast blind Folde by my Educacion to agree to be carryed
awaye allwayes after Insensible of all Stocks / I meante to
vnfasten mee / And besydes I was Sollicited by the reproaches
Protestants Presse vpon the Cathoquies that they blindly beleeue
all the Impostures of the Church / w
Iudgement / This mee thought enioyned mee the cleerest Informa=
tion of my Selfe/ of the differences betwixt vs I could p
to my Capacitye/ Soe all my last Iourneye into Italie/ I did
applie all my leysure to A more Iustefiable Settlem
my beleefe (as I there w
Iudgement in what had bine Introduced by my Birthe and
Educacion/ I begann w
two Sortes of questions betweene the Catholiques and the
Protestants/ The One of right doctrine, the other of Facte or
Storye / as This / Whether Luther were the newe Erector of the
Protestant Faithe / Whether it had A vissible Appearance
of Pastors, and Teachers before his Tyme / I resolved to begin
my Enquirye w
because theis are Soe fewe / and Be Compr
and the Controversies of doctrine soe Intricate, and soe manye
as they required much Tyme / and learning For their disquisition
onelye / and I Found my selfe vnprovided of both theies In=
quisitions for this vndertaking / and for the derision of the oth
I needed not much p
my selfe A Competent Iudge,
when it consisted onelye in the p
Secondlye I considered that there was noe One pointe of Con=
trod
question of Faith was such as the derision thereof determyned
rest, For yf Luther could be proved to be Innovater of
Protestant Faith / it is then necessarilye
tient Apostolicall religion / therefore I begann w
w
finde out an Existence of some Professors of the reformed doctrines
before Luthers Tyme / For Finding the Protestan the Catholiques
were not to prove their Negatiue, it was my parte to p
Selfe the affirmatiue/ that our Religion was noe Innovat
some Preexistence before that Tyme / But in the perusall of all
the historyes / or Recordes Ecclesiasticall / or Civill I could chose,
I could Finde noe Au
then Waldoe / Wickliffe / or Husse / whoe scarse had relacion to
the newe Professed Protestancye / Soe as I Found A dissention
from about Eight hundred yeares From the Tyme all Protesta
Confesse an Vnitie w
w
answere my Selfe in this Pointe / I read manye of our Protestant
Authors, that treated of it, and I Founde most of them replye to this
Sence in w
in his Cent: 243 : Pa: 479: where they aske of vs where our Church
was heeretofore for Soe manye Ages / wee au
in a Secrett Solitude / that is to saye it was concealed / and laye hid
From the Sight of men / And Further the same docter Chap: 4: Pag
502: Our Church allwayes was / but you saye it was not Visible, doth
that proue that it was nott / For itt laye hidd in in A Solitarye Con=
cealement/ To this direct Sence all the A
meete to this Obiection / This Confession of Invisibiletie in our
Church For Soe manye Ages / did much p
mee to offend even Naturall reason / Such A derogation fro
power and Providence as the sufferance of soe greate an Ecclipse
as the light of his True Church / And such A Church as this is de=
scribed to be / seduced Seemed to mee to be repugant to the maine
reason whye God hath A Church vpon Earthe / w
of the doctrine Christ preached / and to convey it From Age to Age,
vntill the Ende of the worlde / Therefore I applyed my Studye
to p
of the necessitie of the Continuall Vissibillitye of the true Church
downe from the Apostles Tyme / in all Ages / And in Apperau
of Pastors teaching and Administring the Sacram
I Found they brought manye Prophesyes out of the Scriptures,
But this Text most litterall / out of the 4th of Ephesians / Christe
hath Placed in his Church / Pastors / and doctors till
of the Saincts / till wee all meete in the vnitye of the Faith / And
next they discourse vpon w
Succession of the Church Seemed to mee to be a most rationall
and
not Able to Proportion vnto A man A Course
bring him to State of sup
being necessarye to Mankinde / w
faile of the End it was Created For, there remayned noe other
waye, but that it must be p
wee could not doubte of / and that in soe plaine A Manner as the
Simple might be capable of / As well as the Learned/ This
worke was p
Faithe is originallie derived / But the Succeeding Ages nott
being able to receive it from thence / it was necessarye it should
Christs owne Mouthe/ and soe from Age to Age/ to end of the worlde
And in w
be Acknowledged for the reasons above mentiond/ that the light
should Conveye Mankinde through the darke passages of this world
was Extinguished/ and it selfe w
w
affirmeth in his opynion directlye in his Booke
de utilitate Cre= Cap: 16 : Saying if devine Providence doth Presede our humaine
yo ur lordships most obedient
paris 21: nouemb:
1635:
The Answere
maister Walter Mountague Cheifflye insists vppon
where was our Church before Luther
A Sacke of Meale was brought From Mill and when it came
into the backehouse some Few Pecks were taken out and boulted,
and soe the Flower Sep
mee nowe where was the Flower whilst the grist was coming from
the Mill / will you not saye it was in the Sacke / but you will saye itt
was not then boulted / tis True and thats the verye pointe / Our church
is nothing els but A parte of the Romaine Church / or rather of Wes=
terne Churche / boulted in this last age / and the Fine Flower
there sep
Ceremonies tell mee nowe where was our Church before Luther