professe openly, that most of them were unknowne to former ages.

It is no wonder then, that a blinde obedience, and an implicite faith is so much obtruded upon the ignorant of the Romane Church, when their best learned Doctors are forced to confesse touching the chiefe Articles, (wherein they differ from us) that they can neither subsist by Antiquitie, nor stand with the safety of the beleever. Neither may it seeme strange, that these men should create new Articles of faith, when as they dare alter, and detract from the Commandements of God; witnesse their Decalogue so often published by the Church of Rome (hereunto prefixed) wherein, not onely the second Commandement is left out (as it is usually in their Psalters, and in divers of their Catechismes) but the fourth Commandement, touching the Sabbath-day, is changed into these words: Remember to sanctifie the Holy-dayes. But as for these presumptuous Innovations or peccadilloes, the recitall of them I account a sufficient refutation. In the meane time, those men, who call for a Catalogue of names of such Protestants, as taught and professed in all ages the 39 articles of our religion, received and maintained by our Church; let them in every age produce one ancient and Orthodoxe Father, who did teach and maintaine their twelve new Articles De fide (which they command under a curse to be beleeved of all men) I say, let them produce but one in all ages for 1500 yeeres after Christ, till the dayes of Luther, that taught and beleeved all their twelve Articles De fide, as poynts of faith; and for that one good Author's sake, I will be so liberall, as to acknowledge their professors visible in all ages; I will say their Bishops, Cardinalls, and Schoolemen, which have witnessed the Antiquitie of our Doctrine, were mistaken, and ought to bee reformed

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reformed by an Index Expurgatorius; I will testifie that the reformed Churches are guiltie of Noveltie, and submit my obedience with an implicite Faith to the Romane Church.

And, as touching my owne particular, I professe, through the provocation of a Jesuite, I have unwillingly thrust my sickle into other men's Harvest; yet I witnesse a true confession before God and man, that I have neither wilfully, nor wittingly falsified any one Author, either in citation, or translation in this Treatise. If any slips have hapned (which I doe confesse for want of helpe and opportunitie may befall mee) let it bee shewed mee by answere moderately, plainely, and faithfully, and I will ingenuously confesse the weaknesse, not of our doctrine, but of my owne handling.

So for this time, untill it please God to give opportunitie to publish some further fruits of my labours in this kind, I heartily desire good interpretation, and favourable acceptance of the beginnings and endeavours: of him who is

At your service in Christ, and for his Truth,

H. L.

BULLA PII QUARTI,*

Super formâ Juramenti professionis Fidei.

DATUM ROME, ANNO 1564,

APOSTOLICAS et ecclesiasticas Traditiones, reliquásque ejusdem Ecclesiæ observationes et constitutiones firmissimè admitto, et amplector. Item. sacram Scripturam juxta eum sensum, quem tenuit et tenet sancta mater Ecclesia, cujus est. judicare de vero sensu, et interpretatione sacrarum. Scripturarum, admitto: nec eam unquam, nisi juxta unanimem consensum Patrum accipiam, et interpretabor. Profiteor quoque septem esse verè et propriè Sacramenta novæ legis à Jesu Christo, Domino nostro, instituta, atque ad salutem humani generis, licet non omnia singulis necessaria, scilicet Baptismum, Confirmationem, Eucharistiam, Pœnitentiam, Extremam Unctionem, Ordinem et Matrimonium. Illáque gratiam conferre: et ex his Baptismorum, Confirmationem, et Ordinem, sine sacrilegio reiterari non posse. Recep

*Habetur ad calcem Concil. Triden. Edit. Colon. Anno 1610, p. 439, in 12. & Ann. 1615, p. 441.

tos

tos quoque et approbatos Ecclesiæ Catholicæ ritus, in supradictorum omnium sacramentorum solemni administratione recipio, et admitto. Omnia et singula, quæ de peccato originali, et de justificatione in sacrosancta Tridentina Synodo definita et declarata fuerunt, amplector et recipio. Profiteor pariter in Missa offerri Deo verum, proprium, et propitiatorium sacrificium, pro vivis et defunctis: atque in sanctissimo Eucharistiæ Sacramento esse verè, realitèr, et substantialitèr corpus et sanguinem, unà cum anima et divinitate Domini nostri Jesu Christi, fierique conversionem totius substantiæ panis, in corpus, totius substantiæ vini, in sanguinem: quam conversionem Catholica Ecclesia transubstantiationem appellat, Fateor etiam sub altera tantum specie, totum atque integrum Christum, verúmque Sacramentum sumi. Constantèr teneo purgatorium esse, animásque ibi detentas fidelium suffragiis juvari: Similitèr et sanctos unà cum Christo regnantes, venerandos, atque invocandos esse, eosque orationes Deo pro nobis offerre, atque eorum reliquias esse venerandas, Firmissimè assero, imagines Christi ac Dei paræ semper virginis, necnon aliorum Sanctorum, habendas et retinendas esse: atque eis debitum honorem, ac venerationem impertiendam. Indulgentiarum etiam potestatem à Christo in Ecclesia relictam fuisse, illarúmque usum Christiano populo maximè salutarem esse affirmo. Sanctam Catholicam, et Apostolicam Romanam Ecclesiam, omnium Ecclesiarum ma

trem

trem et magistram agnosco: Romanóq; Pontifici, B. Petri, Apostolorum principis, successori, ac Jesu Christi Vicario veram obedientiam spondeo, ac juro Cætera item, omnia à sacris Canonibus, et œcumenicis Conciliis, ac præcipue à sacrosancta Tridentina Synodo tradita, definita, et declarata, indubitanter recipio, atque profiteor, simulque contraria omnia, atque hæreses quasqunque ab Ecclesia damnatas, et rejectas, et anathematizatás, ego pariter damno, rejicio et anathematizo. Hanc veram Catholicam fidem, (extra quam nemo salvus esse potest) quam in præsenti sponte profiteor et veraciter teneo, eandem integram et inviolatam, usque ad extremum vitæ spiritum, constantissimè (Deo adjuvante) retinere et confiteri, atque à meis subditis, vel illis quorum cura ad me in munere meo spectabit, teneri, doceri, et prædicari, quantum in me erit, curaturum; Ego idem N. spondeo, voveo, ac juro. Sic me Deus adjuvet, et hæc sancta Dei Evangelia. Volumus autem, quod præsentes literæ, in Cancellaria nostra Apostolica, de more, legantur: Et ut omnibus faciliùs pateant, in ejus Quinterno describantur, ac etiam imprimantur,

Nulli ergo omninò hominum liceat hanc paginam nostræ voluntatis et mandati infringere, vel ei ausu temerario contraire. Si quis autem hoc attentare præsumpserit, indignationem omnipotentis Dei, ac beatorum Petri et Pauli, Apostolorum ejus, se noverit incursurum.

Dat.

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