Indulgences even absolution from Penance which being set to sale doe plainely crosse Christs charitable doctrine by making it easier for a rich man then a poore man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven But indeed it hath had this charitable consequence that it hath caused many Nations to cast up not single sins only but the man of sinne himselfe But otherwise whereas this Author speakes of this Sacrament to cast up sinne wee must complaine that it hath beene used as a meanes to cast up goodnesse and to cast sinne into a mould even to nourish and strengthen it for Garnet thought it a good covert and hiding place of treason saying that in Confession hee first received the knowledge of the Powder-treason and secondly himselfe would not say that hee did cause his Penitents to cast up this treason but left it in their stomacks wherein it lay with some of them untill death not acknowledged as a sinne Behold right Romish charity plainly proved by the Sacrament of Confession yea this Sacrament hath beene by them uncharitably used as a means not to cast up sin but to cast up righteousnesse for some maine acts and duties of righteousnesse have been put to Penance as great sinnes Sir Thomas Overbury and my selfe met with an Irish Pilgrime in France who taking us as hee said for Catholickes wherein hee was not mistaken if hee had rightly understood the word told us that hee was enjoyned by way of penance to goe on Pilgrimage to Rome and Compostella for serving Queene Elizabeth in her warres against Tyrone See here not a sin cast up but an excellent duty of subjection and loyalty and so the Romish Sacrament of Penance not a proofe of charity but of disloyall uncharitablenesse Hee goes on and sayes that Rome to make her child grow and stand out feeds him from time to time with the precious Body of our blessed Lord in the Sacrament of the Altar But where is Romish charitie in taking away the Bloud of our blessed Lord in the same Sacrament If it be charity to give bread to a childe is it not uncharitable to deny him drinke but the children of Rome are left to cry like Sampson though not heard as Sampson Thou hast given this great deliverance and now shall I die for thirst Christ hath given them a great deliverance and now Rome would kill them with thirst Yet the same Lord in his Passion gives both meat and drink to their soules and therefore hee not onely saith that his flesh is meate indeed but that his bloud is drink indeed and so is hee perfect nourishment and a just refection being both meat and drinke Hee gives no lesse to the true Israel then to the typicall Israel the type of the Church in their Journey to Canaan it is said of them they did eat spirituall meat and drank spirituall drink for they drank of the Rock and that Rock was Christ. But Romish charity or uncharitablenesse takes from the people that drink which Christ gave them and as it were drives the true Israel from the waters that issue from this Rock to refresh them in their walking through the wildernesse to this heavenly Canaan Neither doth it availe any thing to say that there is bloud in the body for bloud out of the body is given us in this Sacrament to quench the otherwise unquenchable and ever-thirsty guilt of sinne Bloud that was shed for us is given to us in this Sacrament as the very words of our Saviour in the Institution of it doe affirme and if Christ say hee gives us bloud that is shed either they must profanely deny the words which our Saviour spake or else they must bee inforced to witnesse that they doe uncharitably and unchristianly deny to us that which our Saviour gave us and indeed bloud that is shed and so powred out of the body is the proper Sacrifice for sinne for without the shedding of bloud there is no remission yea our Saviour himselfe here saith of his bloud given in the Sacrament that it is shed for the remission of sinnes What therefore Christ the fountaine of charity hath shed for us out of his body and so given us being shed for the remission of our sinnes is it not extreme uncharitablenesse in Rome to take the same from us for thereby shee takes from us an excellent means of the remission of our sinnes and so the remission which should come to us by this meanes I could here multiply complaints of Romish uncharitablenesse in the manifold abuses of this Sacrament and among them of their Latine that is barbarous as Saint Paul saith and whispering Consecration It is no Sacrament in the Romish beleefe without the Priests intention and the words that should give some ghesse of his intention are not heard and understood How short then are tâ—e poore people of knowing the Priests intention when they either heare not or understand not the words which might give them at least some hope of his intention But darknesse fits best with a doctrine of darknesse and it is best nourished by that which begat it But their doctrine of worshipping this Sacrament yea even when they know not whether it be a Sacrament yea carrying it about the streets in a solemne procession on a set day of purpose to bee worshipped is a most killing uncharitablenesse if I may say of the Sacrament by their corruption as Saint Paul of the Law by the corruption of nature That which Christ ordained to life is thus found to be unto death The Lord of life appointed this Sacrament to communicate life by it and Popish uncharitablenesse by it gives death to her children But I say the lesse because the truly reverend and learned Bishop of Durham hath so plainely revealed and soundly convinced the Idolatry of the Masse that hee who reads it and after kils his soule by stumbling at this Idol and falling downe before it into hell cannot lay all the fault on Rome but must share uncharitablenesse with her and have part of his owne bloud laid on his owne head It followes If he will bestow himselfe upon the service of Almighty God in a more particular manner by taking Priesthood shee not onely gives him holy Orders but shee doth it by a Sacrament conferring grace I should here have expected that Romish charity should have expressed her selfe in giving Orders and Grace to one that before had the grace and gift of Teaching from on high which that Lord that ascended on high gave unto Pastors for the building of his Church but I heare nothing of this fruit of charity but I heare of a Priesthood which too often is a resemblance of the order of Ieroboam and that the Priesthood is a Sacrament divided into two Powers one to sacrifice and another to absolve but I read not of a third power or commission of teaching to bee given by this Sacrament and so the Priests lips that under
hate the seven thousand that doe not bow their knees to Baal though dispersed among seven millions of Idolaters wee may not hate Israel though in bondage under Pharaoh But to the true Israel even to the pure in heart and those who in Christ Jesus are new creatures and walke according to this rule peace the prayers of peace the true fruits of love doe belong the divine Apostle being herein our guide and example And while thus wee enjoy and imbrace this universall love with the universall body of Christ great is our safety for hereby wee know and may assure our hearts that wee belong to that universall body which alone loveth it selfe with this universall love That is the truly catholick Church which is indued with this catholick love that is a living Church which is a loving Church Our Church therefore imbracing and exercising this catholick love is a Church truly catholick and our Church being a Church of love is a Church of life Let therefore Cassander a Doctor of the Church of Rome conclude for us Qui rectâ sententiâ de Christo capiti injunguntur c. They that by a right beliefe concerning Christ are joyned to the head and by the hand of love and peace are joyned to the bodie of the Church howsoever they may differ in some opinions and rites are by no meanes to bee accounted Schismaticks or separated from the Church though they seeme rejected and excomunicated by some other part of the Church more mighty and possessing the Government CHAP. II. Wherein is declared that Rome wants this catholick love 1. By her separation from other Churches 2. By her hatred to Protestants manifested in the cruell persecutions and massacres practised against them in Popish countries and by the rebellions treasons open hostilitie stirred up against this Kingdome All which prove her to bee uncharitable and un-catholick IT hath been shewed that love and peace must bee catholick and universall that so they may be capable of a catholick and universall Church for as wide and as large as the Church is so large must the love of the Church be The body of Christ is the measure of this love and this love must bee no jot shorter then the body of Christ the body of Christ then extending to all Nations and so being a catholick body must be followed through all Nations with no lesse then a catholick love but love as much as it is short of loving this catholick body of Christ so much is it short of being a catholick love and so much it is indeed uncatholick Now the Romish Church which according to the Church of England is to be understood of the Pope and his adherents doth not make this body of Christ the measure of her love but the body of the Papacie not Christs Kingdome but the Popes Kingdome is the measure of Romish love As much then as the Popes Kingdome is short of the Kingdome of Christ so much is Rome short of a catholick love and so much is shee uncatholick Now wee know that the Kingdome of Christ spreads it selfe much farther then the Kingdome of the Pope yea Christ is known and beleeved where there is neither knowledge nor faith of the Pope Accordingly Cassander thinketh not onely the Westerne Churches of Protestants but the Easterne and Southerne also and by name the Russian Syrian AEthiopian and Armenian that beleeve the Apostles Creed and doe not by schisme divide themselves from the communion of other Churches to bee members of the true and catholick Church of Christ. And these parts of the Church are so great and large that a Countrey-man of ours in his diligent Inquiries gives this judgement of the Greek Church alone If wee should collect and put together all the Christian Regions hitherto intreated of which are all of the Greek Communion and compare them with the parts professing the Roman religion wee should finde the Greek farre to exceed if wee except the Roman new and forraine purchases made in the West and East Indies Now to these if wee shall add the Christians in Syria Cyprus Mesopotamia Babylon and Palestine which are by the least computation 50000. families and by the greatest 60000. And if againe we joine with these the Armenians who are under two Patriarchs of their owne whom they terme Catholickes and are esteemed to exercise jurisdictions over 70000. families And if yet further wee shall increase this number by those innumerable Christians of AEthiopia that are spread far and wide in the vaste Dominions of Prester Iohn And lastly if to these wee adde the no little number of Protestant Christians in the West wee may see that the Kingdome of the Pope is far short of the Kingdome of Christ and consequently that the love of Rome at least so much is short of catholick love But if wee leave those other famous and farre dispersed parts of Christs body whom Rome leaves without true catholick love and more particularly and punctually examine Romes want of love to Protestants whereof especially is our present inquirie all the paper in the world were scarce sufficient to containe the words that might be written for the proofe of it with the bloud of Protestants shed by the Romists So that the ancient parable of Iotham hath been fulfilled in our dayes If indeed yee annoynt mee King over you then come and put your trust in my shadow and if not let fire come out of the bramble and devoure the Cedars of Lebanon The fire and lightning of the Popes excommunications fly out against the denyers of his universall Kingdome and Supremacy and that fire is too often seconded with materiall fire For the maintenance of his pride Christians must bee hated spoyled and butchered of Christians There is a method of cruelty set forth against such who are Romes Hereticks and the true Churches Christians This wee finde thus summed up by Azorius the Jesuite 1. Excommunication 2. Irregularity 3. Confiscation of goods 4. Dissolving of all bands bee they oathes fealty service or any other covenant and promise 5. Deprivation of all dignities and honours 6. Losse of Ecclesiasticall buriall 7. Infamy 8. Uncapacitie of all dignities and offices Ecclesiasticall to themselves their favourers receivers and children to the second generation by the fathers side yea though the children were borne before the heresie 9. Losse of life And even Bellarmine himselfe whom learning which once had a name of emollit mores and seeming devotion should have made somewhat milder drinks deeply if not pleasantly in this cup of bloud and delivers it to his Disciples that they may pledge him Solum remedium est mittere illos maturè in locum suum The onely remedy is to send them betimes to their owne place which place though indeed it be heaven it seems yet the good Fathers charitable meaning was by a first death speedily to send Protestants to hell the place of the second
death But no wonder is it if this Father drank to his children in this red cup of cruelty when the Father of these Fathers being now ready to goe out of the world drank to his fatherly Sonnes very stiffely in the same cup of the bloud of the Saints For the Pope that hee might shew some contrariety to Christ for which some perchance may espie in him a likenesse of Antichrist when hee was to leave the world as Christ left peace so the Pope leaves war to his Disciples for at parting above all he bequeathes to his Cardinals a legacie of bloud commending to them chiefly the Inquisition as a maine Pillar of the Papacie And if this be the chief Pillar of the Papacy no doubt as the Pope was before contrary to Christ so is the Papacy or Popes Kingdome contrary to Christs Kingdome for Christs Kingdome did grow by the bloud of his owne subjects but the Popes Kingdome must grow by the bloud of them that will not bee subject to him yea by shedding the bloud of Christs subjects But yet wee see him deceived for the bloud of the Martyrs even now as in the Primitive times hath increased the Church and diminished the Papacie Yet still they goe on the divels malice herein overcomming his wit as it did when hee entred into Iudas to kill Christ that Christ by his death might overcome him that had the power of death even the divell And according to this Sathans method of cruelty wee reade of 50000. in a few yeeres hanged beheaded buried alive and burned in the Low-Countries and of 30000. slaine and butchered in a few weekes at and after the Massacre of Paris and of nine hundred thousand slaine since the originall of the Jesuites to the yeere 1580. which is little more then thirty yeers Generally Europe hath beene flaming with fires wherewith Romish charity hath turned Protestants into ashes many of which were burning in this Land some yeers before Queen Elisabeth whom God did send as a gracious raine to quench those fires and to refresh his Inheritance But when shee assayed to quench the Popes fires the Pope sends out his fires to devour her yea many vipers came out of that fire and would have stung her to death but that the hand of God did so shake them off for her from her that the fire which sent them forth became their destruction Declaramus saith the Pope praedictam Elisab eique adhaerentes in praedictis c. We declare that Elisabeth and her adherents in the matters aforesaid have run into the danger of our curse We declare also that we have deprived her from that right which shee pretended to have in the Kingdome aforesaid of England and also from all and every her authoritie dignitie and priviledge Wee chaâ—ge and forbid all and every the Nobles subjects and people and others aforesaid that they dare not to obey her or her will or commandements upon paine of like curse upon them After the bellowing of which Bull or blowing of which Trumpet by Sheba the son of Bichri many inspired with the spirit of the Papacy contrary to that spirit of Saint Peter which said Fear God Honour the King practised treason against Gods Annoynted and their Soveraigne Queene Yea open rebellions have been added by the Popes incitations and incouragements whereof that in the North is recorded to the Popes honour by the Popes owne Historian and others in Ireland we finde in our Stories to have been animated by his owne money souldiers and benediction And here I cannot but with griefe complaine that so learned a man as Doctor Sanders the cunning builder of the Babylonian Monarchie should be so bewitched with the cup of abomination as to bee the Popes Ensigne-bearer in an unnaturall rebellion against his naturall Soveraigne For with him came over a consecrated banner from his holinesse to a most unholy service And yet notwithstanding the Popes blessing the curse of God haunted that designe and the learned man that had abused his wit and learning lost the use of both and so being distracted and pitied and wandering in the mountaines lamentably dyed But the great Fleete of Eighty eight that should have swallowed up both the Queen and her Kingdome comes forth against both having her sails filled with the wind of the Popes Benedictions For the Pope sets forth in print a Cruciate as against Turks and Infidels wherein hee bestowed plenary Indulgences out of the Treasurie of the Church upon all that would joyne their helpe against England And against the Queene hee reneweth his former Buls hee denounceth excommunication hee deposeth her and absolveth her subjects from their allegeance But God curseth where the Pope blesseth and blesseth where hee curseth a most certain signe that the Pope is not of Gods minde yea not so good a Prophet as Balaam Not so good for Balaam said How can I curse where God hath not cursed and not so good a Prophet for of Balaam it was acknowledged Hee whom thou blessest is blessed and hee whom thou cursest is cursed But as the Author to the Hebrews saith of the faithfull and the great vertues of faith so may I say of the faithlesse and miserable effects and issues of their faithlesnesse What! What shall I more say for the time would fail me to tell at large of Stukely Savage Babington Parry and others who by treasons springing from the spirit of the Papacy have assayed to overthrow Kingdomes opened their mouthes like Lions upon Gods annointed have wrought unrighteousnesse and endeavoured by the violence of fire to destroy both King Peers and choice of the people For that master-piece of Satan the very wit of hell may never bee forgotten both as a perpetuall bond of thankfulnesse upon English Protestants for a miraculous deliverance and as an everlasting scandall and detestation of Popery seeing hellish Atheisme or Turcisme hath scarce brought forth such a monster of treason as the zeale of that which these Romists call by the name of Religion And now if wee looke stedfastly on the faces of these treasons rebellions invasions murders and massacres doe they looke like the faire children of charity or like the horrid broods and bastards of uncharitablenesse Charitie her selfe is a chiefe fruit of heavenly wisdome and the daughter is like the mother therefore is charity first pure then peaceable gentle easie to bee intreated full of mercy Behold the amiable and beautifull face of charity But on the contrary see in these Romish actions foulenesse and impurity wars and sedition cruelty and inhumanity A viperous generation that truely representeth and owneth uncharitablenesse for their mother uncharitablenesse a fury which ascendeth from below even from that infernall wisdome which is sensuall and divelish And surely since the actions are so manifest and so manifestly uncharitable how can Rome but by the forehead of an harlot say that shee loves us doth shee
love us with treasons murders rebellions fires upon earth and fires under the earth are these fruits of Romish love O then what and how cruell are the fruits of her hatred If shee love us thus to death shee cannot but hate us to hell Wherefore upon the whole matter wee may undoubtedly conclude that Rome as shee wants catholick love and peace towards many famous parts of the catholick Church and is therefore uncatholick so shee notably and especially prâ—ctiseth her unpeaceablenesse and uncharitablenesse towards Protestants And if wee will have their uncharitablenesse and hatred expressed and confessed in their owne words Let us heare their Jesuite Maldonate on the Gospel of the beloved Disciple and a great teacher of love thus publishing their hatred to Protestants Qui Catholici sunt majore odio Calvinistas caeterosquè omnes haereticos prosequuntur quà m Gentiles The Romish Catholicks hate Calvinists and all other hereticks with a greater hatred then heathens CHAP. III. Containing an answer to the first Chapter of Charity mistaken wherein the Author of that Book assumes to himself the office of a Cavalier or Champion for Rome labouring to prove that the Romists are improbably and untruly charged with want of charitie and is divided into foure Sections SECT I. An Inducement to the rest laying downe Romes false claime to charitie under the usurped name of the Church and vaiâ— boast of pretended good works THough the hatred of Romeâ— Protestants be thus plainly coâ—â—fessed in her owne deeds aâ— words yet a Cavalier of Româ— advanceth himselfe to rescue this Ladâ— from the blot of her confessed uncharitaâ—blenesse and will needs prove that she wants not love even when shee hateth uâ— Thus he sets forth If it bee a part of honour and justice for â— Cavalier of this world to defend the righâ— of the oppressed and to contribute if there bâ—â—cause with particular care towards the prâ—â—tection and defence of some excellent but afâ—flicted Ladie whose fame were blasted bâ— the ill tongues of men How much more juâ—â— and honourable will it be for a Catholick wâ—â— in this time and place may well goe for a Caâ—valier of Christ to defend the honour anâ— fame of his Lady Mother which is the holâ— Catholick Church shee being so innocent aâ— the immaculate Spouse of Christ our Lorâ— ought to bee and yet withall so much wronged as to be 〈◊〉 for wanting the very wedding Ring and the nuptiall Robe it selfe of Charitie There is a Scarlet woman drunk with the bloud of the Saints and her owne mouth saith I sit as a Lady and shall see no sorrow This Lady is also a mother even the mother of abominations and this is the Lady mother which the Protestants charge with uncharitablenesse for condemning them to hell Now I would hope that no Cavalier should so misplace his valour as to fight like a Knight for a bloudy Lady nor as a sonne for a mother of abominations and yet if this Cavalier doe not fight for this Lady in this Book hee fights not against us nor for her whom wee accuse and so the Book is but a long mistaking Yet because this scarlet and bloudy Lady doth cover her selfe with the title of the Church and under that cover deceiveth many and here wee finde that a defence of the Church is undertaken as charged with uncharitablenesse there appears some possibility that this Lady who is indeed so charged may bee defended under the title of the Church her sonne by that title being deceived into this defence Wherefore it may bee not altogether uselesse to make good this charge of uncharitablenesse on this Lady though mistaken and defended under the name of the Church lest perchance some others also may bee led away from their stedfastnesse by this Cavaliers error and think it improbable and impossible that shee which is called the Church should be uncharitable Whereas indeed it is neither probable nor possible that the scarlet Lady drunken with the bloud of the Saints though wearing the title of the Church should be to the same Protestants both charitable and cruell yea indeed this Lady doth thus double her wrong for it is one injury uncharitably to hate and prosecute the true catholicke Church in her children and a second to take her name from her thereby to justifie and beare out her owne wrong and persecution with her owne name But yet here I must at first acknowledge that this Cavalier fighting for this Lady is not farre from agreeing with us that fight against her for wee finde this position avowed by him That if shee proceed uncharitably against Protestants shee is a Harlot and a Strumpet not the Spouse of Christ now hereunto wee subjoyne But the Chapter foregoing plainely sheweth that Rome hath proceeded uncharitably against Protestants and now how can we keep off this Cavalier from agreeing with us in one common conclusion Therefore Rome is an Harlot and not the Spouse of Christ which if hee affirme I will not blame him because Saint Iohn saith the same and it were a fault to finde fault with him when hee speaks Scripture Yet hee will needs strive to shew that what hath been proved is improbable and that truth is untrue And first hee indeavours to prove it unprobable that this Lady through want of charity should pronounce a damning sentence against Protestants but rather from some errour in Judgement indiscreet zeal c. because she hath abundance of charity and this abundance of charity againe hee will prove by many particulars which it seems appear to him in the shape of works of charity And indeed because the Romish Champions stand much upon their works and cast the carkasses of them in our way so to hinder our prosecutions of the Romish Sheba the Author of uncharitable hatred and dissention in Israel I shall desire leave of the Reader to bestow some time in removing them out of the way SECT II. Divers generall considerations are propounded of Romish works whereby some are proved to bee corrupt in the Spring or Fountaine issuing from carnall wisdome for the support of carnall greatnesse Other in their kindes and nature as Indulgences Iubiles and the like A third sort are corrupt in their aime and motives being done for merit and satisfaction and not for Gods glory TOward this removall I answer that there are many works that looke like fruits of charity but are not that which they seeme They may perchance have the same matter that workes of charity have but not being quickned and enlived by charity a fruit of the spirit they are but dead carcasses and not the fruits of living charity The Sacrifice of Cain was to the outward eye a fruit of love to God but while hee hated his brother whom hee saw hee could not love God whom hee saw not and thus wanting charity his Sacrifice could not bee a fruit of that charity which hee wanted And indeed there are many motives and causes besides
end they come not from the love of God nor ayme to the glory of God but come from error pride and selfe-love and have selfe-ends such are works done for merit satisfaction and supererogation and indeed these carnall wayes of doing good works are generally very successfull for all mankinde is flesh of flesh so that if you speake of a worke of charity to bee done a carnall way and to carnall ends you have all mankinde already fitted to heare you but if you speake of works of charity to be spiritually done and for spirituall ends there are farre fewer that have a spirituall eare to heare what the Spirit saith Yet upon the works carnally done and for carnall ends doth the Papacy exceedingly multiply the number of her works of charity mentioned in the Catalogue yet an army of these is but an army of dead men even of dead workes which have not the spirit And uncharitable is shee who suffereth yea teacheth her children to bring forth dead works when by good instruction they might have gotten life into them from the quickning Spirit SECT III. The Claime of Charitie is confuted which is drawn from the seven Romish Sacraments ANd as thus generally so now more particularly let us put the Cavaliers supposed works of charity to the touch and try whether true charity may bee proved by them to be in the Papacie But before wee come to his proofes I cannot but take notice that his preparative is very pleasant for therein hee speaks of seeing the holy catholick Church dissolve and as it were defeate her selfe of her very selfe for the acquiring of all imaginable both temporall and eternall blessings to mankinde Surely it seemeth to mee hee could hardly have chosen words more contrary to the actions of the Papacie and this the former Chapter and many Stories doe over-abundantly shew for we see plainly that Rome is so farre from defeating her selfe for eternall blessings to mankinde that for the acquiring of temporall blessings to her selfe shee defeats Kings both of their kingdomes and lives And whereas hee saith a man needs no more but to have eyes in his head to see her charitablenesse it seems much rather that hee who in numberlesse slaughters and actions of bloud doth not see her uncharitablenesse hath need of that strong delusion which causeth men not to beleeve truth though they see it with their eies But I come to the Authors owne Inventory of Romish works of charity and take notice of it as it begins with a mans beginning and for profitable reasons doth not end at his ending For seven proofes of charity which hee names are seven Sacraments of which one begins at mans birth and the last comes as neere his end as it may but when it can goe no further it is lengthened with prayer for the dead which often brings good or at least profit to the living if they bee paid for these prayers and so perchance may be taken for good works But whereas among these he speakes of giving Baptisme and the Lords Supper as fruits and proofes of Romish charity I answer that the Papacie must allow or suffer the giving of these or else there cannot be under her Throne that shew of a Church in which Antichrist must sit that hee may looke like the beast which hath horns of a Lambe Without these his mystery were neere dissolved and wee should see the Dragon starke naked in him therefore the Pope may keepe these for love to himselfe and not to his subjects But saith the Cavalier his Church gives Baptisme very early as soone as the childe is borne and this haste is a signe and a fruit of charity And why may it not be a signe and fruit of error in judgement rather then of charitie yea why may it not proceed of an uncharitable error seeing it often damneth children for want of that washing which they could not have in their mothers belly for many thousands of infants must be damned by the same charitable opinion which makes this haste to baptize others And although this opinion anciently might perchance bee taken for an error in judgement yet on the latter to whom the point hath beene more plainely cleared it may much more probably lay a guilt of uncharitablenesse Sure it is that if want of charity bee not the cause of it yet want of charity doth accompany or follow it as it doth the Popish beleefe of Protestants damnation for to infants unbaptized and Protestants I thinke there is little charitie afforded by Papists when they have once damned them Let them also consider how this doth give a proofe of their charity when thereby they make the Gospel of grace more deadly then the killing Law for the Law damned not infants for dying without circumcision seven daies after the birth in which time there was a possibility of circumcising them but these men make the Gospel to damne children for dying unbaptized before they bee borne when it is not possible to baptize them The Lords Supper is put off for a while and Confirmation is brought in next for a Sacrament and this Sacrament for a confirmation of Romish charity and indeed so much as Confirmation is a Sacrament so much let it be a confirmation of Romish charitie But Suarez the Jesuite confesseth that great Romish Doctors as Alensis and Bonaventure have taught that Confirmation was not instituted as a Sacrament by Christ or his Apostles And himselfe affirmeth that the time when Christ did institute this Sacrament is not recorded by the sacred Historians and withall hee acknowledgeth according to Thomas that to institute new Sacraments belongs to that excellency of power which is Christs alone So the sacramentality of Popish Confirmation seems to bee a stone and not bread which being given to children by a mother proves rather her hatred then charity But indeed if they would make this use of Confirmation to see that children bee brought and made to understand the grounds of salvation this were bread and not a stone and so a fruit of charity and not of hatred but to give them an outward signe that gives nothing from without by any Sacramentall institution and to give them no knowledge within but a Creede or Lords Prayer in Latine which they understand not this is not a work of charity but a deceiving yea a soule-killing cruelty and uncharitablenesse The next seale of Romish charity is the Sacrament of Confession and Penance whereby as our Author saith when a man hath drunk of the poysoned cup of actuall sin Rome strives to make him cast it up againe Much might here bee said to prove this auricular Confession to be no Sacrament and so no charity in giving that for a Sacrament which is none But of Romish uncharitablenesse in the use or rather abuse of this which they call a Sacrament there would scarce be time and place enough in the world to containe the proofes of it Wee know what Markets are made of
whereof this wretched man discoursed amply learnedly and too subtly against himselfe Hee said that hee did acknowledge the severity of Gods judgement who had chosen him to make him a spectacle rather then any other and to admonish all by one mans mouth to abstaine from all impiety confessing that there was no reproach nor punishment which hee had not deserved by reason of his foule offence After hee had discoursed gravely of the Divine Justice hee said That they should not account strange this his speech for that oftentimes God doth wrest out of the mouth of Reprobates most assured testimonies of his Majestie his Justice and his fearefull Vengeance as wee see in Iudas confessing his owne sin and justifying his Master Many testimonies of Scripture being alledged to divert him from this fearfull apprehension and being exhorted to receive into his heart a hope and a trust of salvation by Iesus Christ hee said even in that whereby you doe exhort mee to gather some hope I see all meanes of health and pardon taken from mee For if the Testimonies of the holy Scripture have any authority as they have doe you thinke that Iesus Christ said in vaine that he which renounceth him before men hee will renounce him before his heavenly Father Doe you not see that this concerns mee and that it is as it were particularly verified in my person What shall become of him whom the Sonne hath disavowed before his Father when as you say wee must hope for no salvation but in Iesus Christ It cannot bee beleeved with what gravity and vehemency his words were delivered neither was there ever man heard pleading better for himselfe then Spira against himselfe Hee said That God did set the precious bloud of Iesus Christ and the dignity of his obedience as an high and strong Rampart that sinners repenting them might not bee drowned with the overflowing of their sinnes and offences As for himselfe seeing hee had renounced our Saviour Iesus Christ hee had as one should say overthrown this strong Rampart with his owne hands so as the deluge of the waters of vengeance had covered and swallowed up his soule One of his most familiars said unto him that his great torment proceeded from abundance of Melancholy which troubled his braine Spira remembring that hee had many times refuted this opinion said You may thinke what you please but God in truth hath troubled my spirit seeing it is impossible for me to have any hope of salvation Thus hee continued and withall refused to eate any more meate and so being carried from Padua to his owne house in this despaire hee died CHAP. V. Against the Cavaliers third Chapter First it is proved That although unitie bee necessary in the true Church yet doth not this discharge the Papists from uncharitablenesse in damning Protestants SECT I. Wherein is declared first the weakenesse of his Grounds and Deductions Secondly what kinde of unity is required in the Church WEe are past the Champions unproved and indeede disproved improbability of this assertion That Rome wants charity in casting damnation upon Protestants Now we are com to his untruth It is untrue saith hee that Romists want charity in thus damning Protestants And by what reason doth hee prove it to bee untrue Because there is but one Church a strange kinde of reasoning that this should bee an untruth that Rome is uncharitable in damning Protestants because there is but one Church when even hence appeares the truth of her uncharitablenesse For if there be but one Church and Protestants be members of this one Church how is it not most true that it is uncharitable to damne the true members of this one Church Now that Protestants are members of this one Church is a truth already proved which nothing that this Author saith in this booke or can say will ever disprove but much rather his grounds or rules by which hee would oppugne our truth doe prove it and make against himselfe and his untruth His grounds are these There is but one Church and one Religion out of which there is no salvation Secondly the unity of the members of this Church is broken betweene Papists and Protestants Thirdly that both Papists and Protestants are not saveable in their severall Religions But what doth all this prove but that Protestants first may bee members of the true Church with whom secondly Papists doe breake unity therefore thirdly Papists are not saveable His owne proofes make not against us but make against him and his owne fellowes But the inference sowed hereunto is most miserable That no one is to be blamed if conceiving his owne to bee the onely true Religion hee declares the dangerous estate wherein hee takes any other man to bee who communicates and agrees not with him but rather that hee is obliged to let him know it An inconsequent untruth except consequent because deduced from untruths and so it must either accuse the premisses or it selfe Doth the Author himselfe beleeve what hee saith or can it come into his judgement that if two hold two contrary opinions whereof one is true and the other false that he which holds the false is not to be blamed if he declare to the other that the truth is falsehood and thereupon tell him that hee is in danger to be damned by beleeving the truth so to terrifie him out of the truth into his owne falsehood If there be no fault in this then how can any man blame a Turk for telling a Christian that hee cannot well bee saved except he turne Turke Surely whatsoever this Cavalier may thinke of this kinde of doctrine I beleeve that if the same were maintained in false titles to a Crown the Law would call it treason For if a Subject conceiving his false title to bee good should tell his Prince that he were an Usurper were not such a Subject to be blamed Surely whatsoever a Romist may thinke of such a one I doubt not but the Law would thinke him worthy of a capitall Sentence And it is likely the abbetters of him by such doctrines would not bee freed from blame and danger But if this Champion had sought advice his own Doctors could have holpen him out of his error For they can tell him that an erroneous conscience doth not binde to the doing of that which it erroneously thinkes should be done the proper Guide of our Actions should be Light and Knowledge not darknesse and error Neither is the Will bound to obey other then the rectified Understanding And therefore if the conscience being deceived do prescribe that to be done which is unlawfull the true and onely remedy is to cleere the conscience from the errors not to follow it in errors For this were to double the fault which before was single for the errour in the conscience was one and now the following of that errour is another And if the Cavalier know it not there is also a Romish Doctor that can tell him a cause
of it yet I cannot deny that hee hath two Errands one to bring forth a jest upon our Fox and his followers under the names of Fox and Geese But if it had pleased this Author duly to follow this Fox in the reading of his Martyrologie he might have found out the true Fox that followes and teares and destroyes those whom our Author by a new Metamorphosis and Romish transubstantiation hath changed into Birds His second Errand he thus expresseth I finde when they are put to name their particular Professors of former ages they doe but muster up those severall single false doctrines which have bin held by other heretiks by Retaile during ten or twelve 〈◊〉 since Christ our Lord many of which doctrines togethâ—r themselves doe now professe in grosse for what other men of former times did they ever or can they ever name as men of their Religion but such as beleeved some one or two of those hereticall doctrines which now themselves embrace and wherein they are contrary to us But all this as it is not very pertinently brought in to excuse Romish uncharitablenesse so it is not very truly objected for wee can prove our doctrines which hee calls heresies by the Fathers and Scriptures and the Scriptures he cannot deny have beene beleeved above twelve ages Besides Popish Authors doe acknowledge that the Waldenses agree with Protestants in more then one or two doctrines for they are said to bee more then twenty wherein wee agree with them And though afterward this Cavalier affirmes it yet hee proves not that for other points these were expresse hereticks in the Protestants opinion neither doe we hide any fundamentall errours in them which we object against Romists But if these had not beene in the world it is most true that the maine point of Popery which is the Popes tyrannicall headship of the Catholick Church the very root of Idolatries errours and divisions hath in all ages been denyed since it was first broached But our Author is still much displeased with fundamentalls because by them wee have unity with those who have heretofore differed in some doctrines from their Papacy for saith he If it were not for this distinction no man could bee of the same Religion with any other that is not wholly of the same Religion so farre forth at the least as that he must not obstinately deny any one doctrine thereof whether it bee important more or lesse when once as hath beene said it is lawfully and sufficiently propounded and commanded to bee beleeved by the true Church as it is true and certaine when Luther rebelled from the Church of Christ our Lord nor in any age before his time there was in the whole world any one Kingdome or Countrey or City or Town or Family of men or Pastours or Flock yea or any one single person so much as of Luthers own much lesse of the now Protestant Religion which is now forsooth so farre refined beyond his Here the Cavaliers true Church being that confederacie whereof the Pope is the head hee would faine dissolve that solid unity which is made by fundamentals in Christ Jesus the true head to mak a fictitious unity in the Pope But if hee should cast off this onely true and substantiall ground of unity which knits together all the sound Churches that are at this day or ever have been through all Nations on the face of the earth since our Saviour to make an unity by agreeing under paine of damnation in all points propounded and commanded by the Pope and his Church of Rome whether important more or lesse hee shall not onely by this meanes breake the unitie of all the true Churches on earth into pieces but of Rome it selfe For to returne almost his owne words Since the Pope who hath rebelled against Christ and usurped the Headship of the Church first coined and established a Religion in Trent neither then nor in any time before there was in the whole world any one Kingdome or Country or City or Towne or Family of men or Pasture or Flocke yea or any one single person who by a supernaturall Faith which this Authour onely approves did imbrace the whole body and every Article of the Trent Religion Yea even at this day it is not received in divers parts that beare the name of the Church of Rome much lesse in Greece Armenia Syria Ethiopia most of which either know not or acknowledge not this Councell nor the Popes Supremacie All these therefore refusing any of these Articles must be torne in pieces from the body of Christ and cast into Hell fire Thus the Scarlet Whore drunke with the bloud of the Saints speaks in the right voice of the Harlot If she may not have the whole childe let it bee cut in pieces Let the Church be distracted and damned if the Pope may not be her Lord and her Tyrant And so whereas Christ was a head that gave himselfe to death to save his body from damnation is not hee an Antichrist that throwes the body of Christ into hell and damnation to make himselfe the head But in a third place hee objecteth not an use of ours but an abuse of his owne For hee abuseth his Reader in saying to him That the making of this distinction betweene Fundamentall and not Fundamentall points of Faith and the resolving not to declare which is which doth save them with a great part of the ignorant world from the imputation of rigour in their proceeding with us For how could they persecute as they doe without extreme note of cruelty But neither the making nor hiding of Fundamentalls is the cause of prosecuting Romists in this Kingdome but the cause of their punishment hath been their owne making of Treasons miraculously revealed by Gods goodnesse notwithstanding their hiding even in the vaults and depths of the earth And though there were no Fundamentalls of Religion but only Fundamentalls of State the Fundamentalls of State are very plain and cannot well be hidden which justifie the execution of Rebells and Traitours But of this some proofe hath been given in the beginning of this Booke and the Authour will call for more towards the end As for that which followes Yea or even how could they dissent without apparent impiety from our beliefe and practice of those Doctrines wherein wee have had and still have prescription of so many ages if the contrary thereof should be confessed by themselves not to be Fundamentall It is so weak that I wish that some childe and not the Cavalier had spoken it to save his reputation For will any man say that it is impiety to dissent from others in ancient errours though these errours be not Fundamentall Tertullian might have taught our Authour much more wisdome who upon the custome of an errour not very Fundamentall thus saith They that have received the holy Ghost preferre truth before custome SECT IIII. Sheweth the differences amongst Popish Divines about their
to the acting of the most unnaturall of Treasons A foule Religion that doth blacke even the white of nature yet the Cavalier desiring Romishly to dye white into black hee prescribes Antidotes and Remedies of Love and Charity and thus adviseth his Readers to hatred and opposition against Protestants See how Saint John carryed himselfe towards Cerinthus and Policarpe to Marsyon and Saint Anthony to the Arrians and a thousand others And lest it should bee thought that Saints fall not foule but onely upon such Hereticks that deny even the very prime Articles of Christian Religion which concerne either God the Father or the immediate person of Christ our Lord himselfe Cast but an eye upon Saint Bernard that milde and mercifull man of God and see how hee treats the Hereticks of his time who had too much affinity with those of ours See yee Dogges see yee Detractors Behold how hee gives his Romists patternes and presidents to make them fall foule with us but indeed his first Presidents are impertinent for they shew a falling foule with such as wee are not wherefore because his first patternes were incongruous and would not serve the turne those heresies of Cerinthus not belonging to us hee leapes over many hundred yeeres of the purer times of the Church where it seemes hee could not finde grounds for his better falling foule with us and at length comes unto the times of Popish errours and superstitions there hee findes a good old man one I thinke of the seven thousand which belonged to Gods Election though not altogether without a glasse on his eyes party-coloured by the prejudice of his birth and education in those times of superstition This good man hee seeth angry with some of his time that derided the Baptisme of infants Prayers for the dead and the Suffrages of Saints the former of which did justly deserve a sharpe reproofe and indeede upon that hee chiefely insists in his confutation But the later wee impute to the superstitious darknesse of the times and would have covered these sores of this holy man but that this Authour will needes discover the nakednesse of his father Yet if he will but looke into that very Sermon of Bernard hee shall see more just and weighty reasons to accuse his owne Romists for crimes which draw Almighty God himselfe to fall foule with some of their chiefe limbs and members For here hee disputes against that forbidding of marriage which defiles the Church with adulterous incestuous and unnaturall sinners whom hee calls The monsters of men yet by Romes forbidding marriage such monsters have been too often found among those who yet are called Priests Abbots Monkes and Friars But yet that this Champion may still nourish his root of wormwood and division and that the Romish palates may be still kept in distaste and loathing of us he saith of Protestants That they are cruell enough to such as they see not and withall their civility and curtesie and suavity in ordinary conversation they can find in their Hereticall hearts at a clap to rob all dead men of the help and comfort of the prayers of the living and all living men of the prayers of the Saints who are in heaven and the same Saints of all the honour which Catholickes pay to them here on earth to omit in this place their infinite and innumerable detractions and slanders and reproaches of the whole Church of God But here is as little verity as charity for the three All 's are all three untruths For it is not true that Protestants rob all the dead of the prayers of the living For first those dead which are in heaven are not robbed of prayers by denying prayers to those that are not in heaven but supposed to be in Purgatory Secondly those prayers that belong to the dead wee give for them and that is to joyne with them in their own prayers even the prayers of the soules of Saints under the Altar We pray that God would hasten the comming of Christ and so their resurrection and their consummation in glory And to this end that God will hasten the judgement of the great Whore which hath shed their bloud and avenge it on her A second untruth is this That wee rob all living men of the prayers of the Saints in heaven I might indeed say that this building is of another stuffe and different from the foundation That wee are cruell to those that wee see not for wee see those that are living But howsoever it is also untrue for wee allow and imbrace the prayers of the Saints in heaven for the living yea wee doubt not but that those soules who are in the triumphant part of the Church and perfect in charity doe love that part of the Church which is here militant and pray for her victory and that it may bee joyned with her in triumphant glory True it is that we find not in the Scripture that the Saints departed have such knowledge of the particular affaires of the Saints living that wee can beleeve by a supernaturall faith that they know our necessities our thoughts and desires And what is without faith being sinne we dare not offer prayers without faith lest they should bee turned into sinne Thirdly it is no lesse untrue That wee rob Saints of all the honour which true Catholickes pay unto them The name of the Saints is to us as a precious ointment and it is kept by us in everlasting remembrance We delight to make mention of their heavenly vertues of their valiant actions and constant passions of their wise counsells powerfull exhortations excellent expositions of divine truths in their sayings sermons and writings We desire to follow their examples to bee instructed by their knowledge to bee inflamed with their zeale and enlived with their heats who quicken being dead as the dead Prophet enlived the dead souldier These honours we doe them and thus should it bee done to those whom God doth honour And if thus we doe honour them then far from truth is it that wee rob them of all that honour which true Catholickes pay them And lastly where hee speakes of infinite detractions slanders and reproaches of the whole Church of God this is a most unjust and unjustifiable slander We reverence the whole Church of God as our Mother we love her peace and to this end is that which is written in the first Chapter and to this end are these lines which write against this slander Wee reproach not the whole Church but a botch a wen a disease and burthen in the Church A faction that disturbs and distracts the Church and which to set up a counterfeit head teares the true body of Christ into pieces And this seemes also to bee the businesse of this Champion in this worke and even at this time when by unjust accusations hee both perswades to uncharitable divisions and strives by his clamours to terrifie soules into the net of the Papacie
over his deceipt unto his Reader For we doe not say That men have not so much as free will being moved by effectuall grace But That they have not so little as free will For wee hold that the will being moved effectually by grace is more then free will for it is free will fortified actuated and animated by grace So his Reader is deceived by him if he be perswaded by these words that wee doe not allow men actuated by grace so much as free will for we allow them more And indeed wee allow them much more then Romists and they quarrell with us because wee allow them so much Yet the more power and efficacy we allow grace in the will the lesse efficacy hath the Cavaliers objection but the more encouragement have men to good works For the more God helpeth the will the more couragiously may the will go on to working and the more may exhortation call for good works Indeed if God did not worke in us to will and to do but left man to stand only on the motion of his own will exhortations might have but a cold encouragement standing meerly at the mercy of the creature for successe and effect But when God gives what he commands then may exhortations call for the performance of Gods commands As for humane justice in punishing hee may know that our opinion doth not oppose but approve it For even your own Vega in the Councell of Trent acknowledgeth That Protestants affirme a liberty in Philosophicall justice and in externall workes of the Law But of free will I may here say the lesse because I have spoken somewhat of it before and elsewhere is more largely unfolded the truth of the point and the consent of our Church SECT IIII. That the Idolatry and bloud which springs from the Religion of Rome should deterre men from consorting with her BUt here I may give this returne to the Romists Upon the love of God and man depends the whole Law And in the love of God a principall place is given to the worship of God in spirit and truth And in the love of man a chiefe place is given to the preservation of his life Idolatry and murder being contrary to these are maine breaches of this royall Law of love Now Rome permitting the doctrines and practice of idolatry and murder the maine breaches of the Law of God with what face can she require the keeping of other lawes and lesser duties that gives such encouragement to the breach of these greater ones Tertullian proves idolatry alone to be a breach of every Commandement and besides it will not bee hard to prove that Rome jointly with idolatry gives encouragement to the breach of every Commandement but I especially fasten on these two whose eminent guilt is haunted with the continuall out-cry of the Prophets and at length avenged with heavie judgements by the Judge of the whole earth And indeed commonly these sins are twins the same evil spirit first working by idolatry as it were a not being of God in the faith and worship of man and then provoking man to destroy the Image of that God whom he hath formerly abolished But most fearfull sinnes they are and their hideousnesse may be seen in the horrid face of the judgements which have beene the counterparts and representations of them He that would behold painted unto the life the lamentable countenance of these judgements let him with an heart of life and sense read over the Lamentations of Ieremy And he that will see Idols and bloud to have been the maine meritorious causes of these judgements let him reade the words both of other Prophets and the same Ieremy But if for these Jerusalem hath been judged what shall become of Rome For Rome is the mother of spirituall fornications and in her is found the bloud of all that are slaine on earth The power of Rome crucified the Lord Jesus it slew millions of the Martyrs of Iesus under the heathen Emperours it hath added to these millions the multitudes of those who have been slaine under the beast with hornes of a Lamb. And how loud is the cry of all this bloud being united in one voice Wherefore let my counsell be acceptable to you I speake to the children of Rome that they may be saved Heare the voice of Gods Spirit Come out of her my people before God heare the voyce of this bloud and then ye be partakers of her judgements For she that is drunk with the bloud of the Saints shall vomit it up againe and her owne bloud with it shee shall fall and never rise againe for the word of God hath spoken it Wherefore do not joyn with that idolatrous company of Mourners which shall lament for her when they shall see the smoake of her burning but bee found among the heavenly company of Rejoycers which sing Alleluia Salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our God For true righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication hath avenged the bloud of his servants at her hand And thus the Man of sinne and all the enemies of Christ being made his foote-stoole wee will hope that the kingdome of grace shall bee speedily changed into the kingdome of glory And for the hastening of that glory wee will pray for the speedy subduing of these enemies For this glory being come wee shall by the King of glory and peace bee translated into that peace where we shall be free from the vexations of enmity There shall be no controversies emulations factions and schismes for Religion but without controversie the great mystery of godlinesse shall appear unto us in a perfect discovery light glory Yea there the Church shall be made capable of seeing the highest glory and in this sight shee shall be glorified The Father and Fountaine of glory shall shine into her and in his light she shall see light and by his light shee shall be light And hee that filleth her with light shall also fill her with joy for the light of Gods countenance is the joy of the soule and yet with it will hee powre into the soule the new wine of the kingdome the oyle of gladnesse issuing from his Spirit which shall make up the joyes of a consummate marriage and fill the Spouse with extasies and overflowings of joy unspeakable and glorious And thus tasting how sweet the Lord is in the joies of a most fruitive union these joyes shall enflame her loves and her loves shall kindle her joyes shee shall taste and see God who is the chiefe object of her love shee shall rejoice in seeing and tasting him whom she loveth and shee must needs fervently love him in whom shee findes and feeles such exceeding joy Thus shall shee run in a circle of Love and Joy and this circle of Love and Joy shall bee for all eternity for the