to canonicall scripture Opinio ista saith he non est haeretica quia non est contra canonicam scripturam finally the councell of n Aen. Sylu. de gist concil Basil lib. 1. Basil doth determine him to be an heretike thatdoth reiect the catholike faith deduced out of canonicall scriptures and proued by fathers argument 56 They holde also that our sauiour Christ did passe out of his mothers wombe as the raies of the sunne do pierce thorow the substance of the glasse quomodo solis radij concretam vitri substantiam penetrant for these are the words of the Romane o Part. 1. in exposit 3. art fid catechisme but this sheweth that they giue no true flesh to our Sauior and that they ouerthrow the article of Christes natiuitie and a principall mystery of Christian religion argument 51 Peter p Lib. 1. sent dist 14. Lombard teacheth that there is a two fold proceeding of the holy Ghost the one temporal the other eternal but this point his own scholers do mislike as erronious non debet concedi saith Occham writing vpon this place quod spiritus sancti sit duplex processio ne duae spiritus sancti processiones videantur vt sunt duae filij generationes vna aeterna ex patre altera temporalis ex filio they also dislike his doctrine sentent lib. 1. dist 18. § 4. where he doth teach that the Holy Ghost is as properly said to be a gift as to proceed his words are aequè donum esse ac procedere argument 52 q Lib. 3. p. 290. Andradius saith that philosophers by naturall knowledge and by the works of the creation did after a sort know Christ crucified which I hope Robert Parsons will not denie to be erroneous argument 53 The conuenticle of r Sess 6. c. 9. Trent teacheth vs alwaies in this life to doubt of Gods fauour towards vs and of our owne saluation which is nothing els but a plaine demonstratiō that the same teacheth not true faith but rather a superstitious distrust and oppugneth these two articles of our Créed I beleeue remission of sinnes and aeternall life argument 54 Finally all those points of doctrine which before I haue declared to be neither ancient nor catholike and which do plainly declare that the papists are not the true church are also apparently erroneous which in part hath béene proued and shall further be declared at all times if either Robert Parsons or any man of note among the papists leauing off his vaine bangling about quotations dare vndertake particularly to answer my challenge or will aduenture hand to hand to encounter me CHAP. V. That all papists if they mainteine the doctrine of the pope and Romish church are plaine idolaters HOw odious and hainous a sinne idolatrie is the scriptures doe in many places declare Almighty God hauing published his law against idolatrie addeth a very seuere threatning against those that should transgresse it I am the Lord thy God saith a Exod. 20. he strong and jelous and visit the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generation of those that hate mee and when the children of Israel departed from their God to worship a molten image Suffer me saith b Exod. 32. he to Moyses that my wrath may waxe hot against them and that I may consume them Idolatry in scriptures is called spirituall fornication but nothing can more displease a man than that his spouse shall forsake him and breaking the couenant of marriage run after strangers In this case therefore c Deuter. 13. God forbiddeth a brother to spare his brother or a father his sonne or a husband his wife if any of them arise and say come and let vs serue other gods Sit primum manus tua super eum saith Moyses neither are idolaters onely punished in this life but also in the life to come Without saith d Apocal. 22. Iohn shall be dogges coniurers vncleane persons murderers and such as serue idoles and in the 21. chapter of the Reuelation he saith that idolaters shall haue their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone If then popish religion do plainly mainteine most grosse idolatry as not onely by their practise is prooued but also by diuers godly mens writings verified not onely the magistrates are diligently and seriously to represse the priests of Baal and the mainteiners of idolatry but also all Christians are carefully to take héed of their damnable doctrine if not let them assure themselues that they shall neither auoid Gods iudgements in this life nor the lake of fire and brimstone prepared for idolaters in the life to come And lest any papist should complaine that I doe greatly wrong the Romanists and their religion charging them with idolatry I do now God willing purpose to make my charge good in this chapter What papists are not I declared in the thrée first chapters and I hope I haue made it plaine that they are neither true Christians nor catholikes it followed that I should shew what they are and that in part is performed for I haue declared them to be heretikes it resteth therefore now for a fuller description of their nature that I declare them to be idolaters in the last part we shall God willing examine the loialtie of Rob. Parsons and all the popes agents and adherents That the papists therefore are idolaters it shall be prooued by arguments first drawen out of scriptures secondly out of fathers thirdly out of the confession of some learned papists and lastly out of their owne common doctrine and practise argument 1 e That papists are idolaters arg 1. The first law of the decalogue doeth expresly forbid the hauing of other Gods non habebis deos alienos saith God coram me that is thou shalt haue no strange Gods before me or els thou shalt haue no other Gods but me out of these words I frame this argument whosoeuer doeth worship or serue any other God beside the Lord God that created heauen and earth is an idolater but the papists doe worship and serue other Gods beside the God of heauen and earth ergo the proposition is prooued first by the intention of the law that séemeth principally to be made against idolatry and not onely against worship of idols subiect to our sences but also against idoles which men frame to themselues in their owne imaginations and fancies secondly by the textes of Scriptures that account them idolaters not onely that worship idoles of colour or mettall or other matter but also that honor with religious honor such things as themselues fancie to haue diuine power so couetousnesse is called worshipping of idoles Eph. 5. and those are idolaters that serue f Matth. 6. Mammon or call a wedge of gold their god or that put trust or confidence in any creature visible or inuisible or that serue or worship any thing for God but onely the euerliuing and true God finally
and last resolution for matters of faith argument 15 The Church of Christ neuer burned the scriptures no albeit there were errors in the Gréeke translation of Theodosion and Symachus and the seuentie interpreters and in all the Latin translations the vulgar and olde edition not excepted z yet did the true church neuer burne the scriptures for that was practised by Dioclesian and other persecuters of the church and by heathen men rather than by any that carried the name of Christians but the church of Rome hath caused Gods holy word to be burnt vnder pretence of false translations which notwithstanding she was neuer able to prooue to be false she doth therefore plainly declare her selfe to be the synagogue of Satan and not of Christ argument 16 The true Church did neuer prohibit the scriptures to be publikely read in such tongues as the people of God were able to vnderstand nor did she euer condemne them and burne them for hereticks that read them in vulgar tongues for our sauior commanded his apostles to teach all nations and no question but it was lawfull to teach them as well by writing as by word In Psal 86. S. Hierome saith that scriptures do not only belong to priests but also to the people Non scripserunt saith he speaking of the holy apostles paucis sed vniuerso populo and our sauiour where he commanded his auditours to search the scriptures meant that it should be lawfull for all to read them finally what is more vnreasonable séeing the scriptures conteine Gods holy lawes and his eternall testament than that the lawes of God should not be red in a knowen tongue and that it should not be lawfull for children to vnderstand their heauenly fathers testament and last will but the Romish congregation prohibiteth the scriptures to be publikely read in vulgar tongues and i Index libr. prohib à Pio 9. prohibiteth all translations but such as themselues set forth which are most wicked peruerse The bloody inquisitors haue also burned diuers poore people for reading scriptures in English as appeareth by the Registers of Lincolne and London in king Henry the eighth his daies Finally Nauarrus a braue Romish doctor teacheth that it is mortall sinne for a lay man to dispute of religion Laicus disputans de fide saith k In primum praecept c. 11. Nauarrus peccat mortaliter argument 17 Our sauior Christ l Iohn 4. teacheth vs that all true worshippers do worship God in spirit and trueth Venit hora nunc est saith our sauior quando veri adoratores adorabant patrem in spiritu veritate And God by his prophet m Isay 29. Matth. 15. Isay doth condemne his people that honored him with their lips their hearts being farre from him The apostle also Coloss 2. would not haue Christians condemned in respect of meat drinke and holy daies and reprooueth those that make decrées concerning touching and tasting and such like ceremonies he doth also vtterly n 1. Cor. 14. condemne praiers in a strange language and not vnderstood of those that vse them but the worship of God which the papists vse and most commend doth wholly consist in externall ceremonies as knocking lifting vp of the Sacrament censing lights and such like they also rather honor God with their lips then their hearts not vnderstanding what they say thinking that to gaze on the masse is to serue God finally they haue many decrées concerning meats drinks saints daies and also concerning touching and tasting and such like is it not then apparent that they are no true worshippers argument 18 The Church of o Exod. 20. Christ doth worship but one God according to this commandement Thou shalt haue no other gods but me and according to the words of p Matth. 4. Christ Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serue but the papists worship the images of God as God himselfe and giue as much honor to the image as to the originall Cum Christus saith q P. 3. q. 25. art 3. Thomas Aquinas adoretur adoratione latriae consequens est quod eius imago sit adoratione latriae adoranda Séeing as Christ is honored with diuine worship saith he it followeth that his image is also to be worshipped with diuine worship and friers in their sermons speaking to the crucifix are wont to say to it Thou hast redeemed vs thou hast reconciled vs to thy father which r Bellar. de cult imag lib. 2. c. 23. Bellarmine himselfe can not deny he confesseth also that images may be worshipped with that honor that is due to the originall Admitti potest imagines posse col◠improprie vel per accidens eodem genere cultus quo exemplum ipsum colitur they also worship the Sacrament with diuine worship and fall downe before it but neither are images gods nor is the Sacrament God Finally they confesse that the worship of seruice or doulia is due to saints and this they wil not deny how then can they shew that they worship and serue one true God argument 19 The catholike church only saith ſ Instit 4. c. vlt. Lactantius doth reteine the true worship of God neither can any society be termed Gods church which reteineth not Gods true worship but the papists doe not reteine Gods true worship for first they worship God according to the doctrines and commandements of men which our Sauiour t Matth. 15. Christ condemneth secondly they giue diuine honor to creatures as we shewed in our last argument thirdly their worship consisteth principally in the sacrifice of the masse which is nothing els but a masse of many superstitions impieties and blasphemies as I haue shewed particularly and largely in my treatise of the masse against Bellarmine argument 20 The true church of Christ beléeueth that Iesus Christ is perfect God and perfect man and that Christ Iesus is ascended vp into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of his father for these two points are articles of our faith the first being in termes conteined in the créed of Athanasius the second being expressed in the apostles créed but the papists attributing to Christ in the sacrament such a body as is neither visible nor palpable and can neither sée nor féele nor helpe himselfe nor others being oftentimes deuoured by mise and other brute beasts cannot shew how these qualities can be in a perfect man neither can they shew that a perfect man is both in heauen and in earth and in many places at once or that the flesh of Christ can be properly in heauen and earth and not onely beléeued but also apprehended with mens hands and téeth u Cōtr. Eutyth lib. 4. c. 4. Vigilius saith that the flesh that is in heauen is not in earth Fulgentius writing to Thrasimundus saith that the bodie of Christ hath the properties of a true body x De resur carn Tertullian teacheth vs that the body of Christ
of late time haue not any that deserue to be entituled either bishops or priests where least any fond cauiller should mistake me as a certeine n A detection of vntrueths and falsifications disciple of antichrist hath done of late I doe giue them to vnderstand that my meaning is not to deny them to be the church that haue ministers or bishops faulty for life or defectiue in the execution of their office but onely those that haue bishops and priests without lawfull ordination and that doe not at all execute the office and function of a pastor or bishop and because the synagogue of Rome hath onely such priests and bishops as want lawfull ordination and vtterly cease to execute pastorall functions I saie that the same cannot be the true church of Christ I say then that Romish priests haue no lawfull ordination because they are ordeined first by heretikes by excommunicate and simoniacall persons which the canons doe prohibit to lay hands on any and disallow such as are ordeined by them that the popes of Rome and bishops ordeined by them are simonicall persons it appeareth by the practises of the conclaue in election of popes by the compacts made betwixt the pope and such as he ordeineth by the testimony of the conscience of papal creatures and publike writings o Lib. de schism Theodorick a Niem testifieth against Boniface the 9. and others and saith that Boniface sold the same benefice to diuers and when he lay a dying bought and sold and said he should doe well if he had money Vllerstone in his petitions crieth out of the simony of his time that was a cause also of the complaint of the Germaines in their grieuances venalia nobis saith Mantuan Templa sacerdotes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces coelum est venale deúsque that they are heretikes it shall be prooued by the seuerall heresies old and new which the church of Rome holdeth Secondly they are not ordeined lawfully because they are not ordeined to teach and administer the sacraments but to offer sacrifices for the quicke and dead as appeareth by their p Machab. in lib. de missis episcop pro ordinib formularies of ordring priests q Lib. de sacra ord c. 9. Bellarmine likewise confesseth that this is the due forme of ordring priests respondeo saith he sacerdotes ordinari cum illis dicitur accipe potestatem sacrificium offerendi this ordination I prooue to be vnlawfull first because it conteineth no commission for the principall point of apostolicall or priestly function and next because it giueth them an office of sacrificing for quicke and dead which is more then belongeth to their charge or was executed by the apostles or ancient bishops of the church Thirdly they are ordeined by bishops that haue themselues no due ordination being sent abroad by antichrist rather to suppresse the trueth then to teach the trueth now euery man well vnderstandeth that no man can giue orders but such as haue receiued orders Finally they are most of them vncapable of ministeriall function and can neither teach nor administer the sacraments duly and if they were able yet doe they not teach Gods people but rather by their masses and confessions draw them to superstition and disloialty That the Romish church hath no true bishops it is to be proued both by the same and other reasons first no heretikes haue power to ordeine others but the pope is an heretike ergo the first the aduersaries will not deny the second we shall prooue by diuers arguments in his proper place secondly we haue declared and the world knoweth that the popes of Rome are simoniacall persons of which it also followeth that they haue no power to ordeine pastors thirdly Antichrist hath no power to ordeine pastors in Christes church but that the pope is Antichrist and the head of Antichrists kingdome I haue declared in my fift booke De pontifice Rom. fourthly he that is no bishop can not ordeine bishops but I haue declared that the pope is no bishop and it is euident for that r 1. Tim. 3. episcopatus is opus but the pope doth not the office of a bishop either in teaching or administring the sacraments further bishops as Cyprian diuersly declareth are the successours of the apostles but the Pope succéedeth Caesar in the gouernment of Rome rather than Peter and Paul in gouerning the church and other Romish bishops they rather kill Christes shéepe and massacre his lambs than feed them finally Romish bishops albeit they are after a sort sent to teach and administer sacraments yet most of them are vncapable of that charge and all leaue the office of teaching to a packe of loud mouthed monks and babling friers thinking that too base an office for their great and high estate But had Romish priests and bishops any mission or ordination yet is the same very defectiue and diuers from the graue forme practised in the ancient church for neither is such regard had of the capacity and ability of the persons chosen to this function but that often times boies and infamous persons are called to this charge neither are the solemnities prescribed in the canons obserued nor doe either the priests or bishops teach true doctrine and sincerely administer the sacraments nor doe they finally attend that office and execute that worke whereto they are called If therfore the Romish priests and bishops haue no due ordination or calling then are not the papists the true church if their ordination be imperfect and faultie then such is the popish church as their popish ordination of ministers is that is faulty defectiue and imperfect argument 61 The true church of Christ can not adhere to Antichrist our sauior Christ speaking of his shéepe ſ Iohn 10. saith they will not follow a stranger but will flie from him neither doth Antichrist seduce any bur such as perish as the apostle teacheth vs 2. Thess 2. but the Romish church adhereth to the pope which is declared manifestly to be Antichrist both by his doctrine by his maners by the forme circumstances of his reigne and diuers arguments which because I would not draw out this discourse into length I would desire the learned to reade in my fift booke De pontifice Rom. and our aduersaries to answere if they holde contrary Robert Parsons should also doe well to answere such arguments as I vsed in my answere to his Wardword to proue the pope to be Antichrist argument 62 As the true church of Christ was figured by the holy city of Ierusalem so the malignant church of Antichrist is figured and represented partly by Babylon Apocalyps 18. and partly by the purple whore Apocalyp 17. that rideth on a beast with seuen heads and had a cup of gold in her hand ful of all abominations and spirituall carnall filthinesse If then the state of Rome and the Romish church be represented by this purple harlot and by Babylon
idolatries and whose doctrine is confirmed by scriptures most certeine traditions councels fathers and practise of the ancient church and which teacheth the narrow way and maketh subiects obedient and is sure to continue but neither is the church of Rome catholike nor apostolike which embraceth vncerteine traditions and apocryphall scriptures with equall affection to canonicall scriptures and which receiueth all the popes decretales concerning matters of faith albeit they conteine doctrine neither apostolicall nor general secondly it will be an easie matter to shew that the Romish church abhorreth neither heresie nor idolatrie nor noueltie thirdly in diuerse discourses against Bellarmine I haue shewed that popish doctrine hath neither ground of scriptures councels nor fathers thereby also it may appeare that popish traditions are most vaine vncerteine and superstitious fourthly the way which that church teacheth is broad and easie for what is more easie than to heare masses and to eat fish and to confesse sinnes and to obserue diuers externall ceremonies and yet by these small things papists hope to be saued fiftly we finde that all the rebellions of England Ireland and France haue wholly procéeded from the church of Rome and the doctrine of the seditious Iebusites and Cananites and masse priests neither will euer rebellion be rooted out vnlesse the tyrannicall vsurpation of popes be repressed and their parasites taught to submit themselues to their liege princes sixthly what certeinty in iudgement can the papists haue that depend vpon the resolutions of blinde vnlearned and wicked popes finally we sée Antichrist to be reuealed and the city of Babylon to fall to confusion who then doth not expect and beléeue the vtter ruine and desolation of Antichrists state Further Bristow telleth vs that euery church that is risen after the first planting of religion and gone out of the catholike church and from apostolike doctrine and is not the communion of saints nor euer visible and which is not the teacher of all diuine trueth and the vndoubted mother of Christes children is not the true church But the church of Rome as it is now visible in the pope and cardinals in the officers of the popes chamber in popish prelates sacrificing priests monks friers and nunnes and their officers and adherents whose faith is built on popish decretals and mincing scholasticall distinctions as fine wouen as any spider webbe rose out of the earth long after the apostles times and first planting of religion and that the Romish church crept out by little and little out of the catholike and apostolike church for apostolicall doctrine embracing apostaticall and light fancies and traditions and for the maintenance of mens bellies and the popes authoritie is departed from Christ and hath made war vpon the saints in the same also whores are openly mainteined cutthrotes by rewards incited to kill and poison princes and a way to all periuries and vices by the popes indulgences opened how then can any call this a communion of saints finally he that expecteth trueth at the popes hands shal be gulled with fables and he that calleth Rome a mother can be content for gaine to call the whore of Babylon and mother of errours his mother argument 70 The church of Christ neuer allowed the decretals of popes or the extrauagants or rules of Chancery concerning the popes authoritie and procéeding but in these lawes the church of Rome hath diuers rules of the Romish faith and thereby gouerneth her procéedings argument 71 In the church of Christ clerks were not exempt from the subiection of princes The apostle saith Let euery soule be subiect to higher powers But in the church of Rome all clerks are quited and exempted from the princes power as Bellarmine in his booke of that argument by the popes canons and all his wit endeuoureth to proue argument 72 The true church neuer baptized belles nor held monkes coules to be equall to baptisme but the popish church as the l Grauam 51. Germanes in their grieuances declare baptizeth belles and compareth the entrance into monkish profession with baptisme argument 73 Finally neuer was Christes church or any part of Christes church within any kingdome gouerned by an archpriest and certeine seditious Iebusites masse priests and such like vermine Howsoeuer then they deny it in others yet can they not deny but that the papists of England are not members of Christes church but rather of the synagogue of Satan CHAP. II. That the doctrines and traditions of the Romish church which the church of England refuseth are mere nouelties and late deuised fancies IF when the papists doe recommend vnto vs their old religion they meant nothing els but the religion of Christ Iesus which the apostles first taught and which the apostolicall and most ancient Christians receiued and deliuered to posterity we should not much contend with thim for that is the religion which we professe not varying in any thing from the apostles créed and other créeds either set out by Athanasius or the most ancient generall councels of the church nor denying any thing that is expressed or proued out of the holy canonicall scriptures But when they talke of old religion they meane the religion of the church of Rome which was either established by later popes or taken vp by lewd custome and vncerteine tradition the which though it séeme to some ancient yet in very truth is new and no way to be compared to the religion that was first deliuered by Christ and his apostles neither doth it deserue the name of old religion for as Ignatius said a Epist ad Philadelph sometime antiquitas mea Christus est so we may say that Christ is the top of our ancestry that the apostles doctrine is both ancient most true id verius quod prius saith b Lib. 4. contra Marcion Tertullian id prius quod ab initio id ab initio quod ab apostolis if thē the papists as they bragge could prooue their religion to be deriued from the apostles then would we indéed confesse it were ancient if they cannot then we must say to them as c Epist 65. ad Pammach Ocean Hierome said to one in his time cur profers in medium saith he quod Petrus Paulus edere noluerunt why doe they produce articles of faith vnknowen to the apostles nay why doe they teach vs points of religion which in times of the ancient fathers of the church were vnheard of will they haue that accounted old which the fathers of the church which were long after the apostles neuer knew nor the ancient church euer receiued they would so d Contra. haeres c. 35. but Vincentius Lirinensis doeth call him a true catholike that doeth onely beléeue and hold whatsoeuer the ancient catholike church did vniuersally beléeue quicquid saith he vniuersaliter antiquitus ecclesiam catholicam tenuisse cognouerit id solum sibi tenendum credendumque decernit if then the papists will hold all the religion which now
monkes and nunnes among heretikes that méeting together vsed to skip and dance also together as they thought to the praise of God yet doe not the popish sort leaue their piping and dancing processions nor doe priests monkes and nunnes cease to celebrate their comedicall dancing masses skipping and hopping about the alter like apes that are taught to skippe and to leape for their masters best aduantage argument 45 Gnosimachi were certaine heretiks that held an opinioÌ„ that vulgar Christians were not to study the scriptures omni Christianorum congnitioni ac scientiae ita aduersantur z Ibidem c. gnosimachi saith Damascene vt vanum minus necessarium laborem esse dicant eorum qui in diuinis scripturis aliquam exquÃrunt scientiam neque enim deum aliud à Christiano postulare quam bonas praeclarasque actiones Itaque aliquem simplici rudique animo institutum suum persequi melius est vt aiunt quam multam curam in cognoscendis decretis sententijs ponere and like to these hereticks are the papists for they holde it to be mortall sinne for lay men to dispute vpon matters of faith as Nauarrns in his enchiridion declareth they suppose also that the coliars faith is sufficient albeit he knoweth nothing but being demanded a reason of his faith answereth that he beleeueth as the church beleeueth a De legit iudicibus lib. 1. Hosius writing against Brentius doth greatly commend ignorance and doth greatly allow this saying thy faith hath saued thee and not the exercise of scriptures b Lib. 3. de authorit scripturae he saith also that nothing is more pernitious then with scriptures to enter into a combat with Satan generally they allow an implicit faith in the rude sort and dehort them from knowledge of scriptures which is the flat heresie of the Gnosimachians argument 46 The c Damascene de haeres 6. Ethnophronians were by the church condemned for obseruing diuers heathenish customes holidaies which notwithstanding pope Boniface the 8. instituted the Iubiley euery hundred yeares in imitation of certaine plaies or games called Ludi seculares the papists also haue their expiations and lustrations with holy water like to the gentles they kéepe their carneual as the Romans kept their lupercalia running disguised vp and downe the stréets they canonize saints as the heathen did canonize their benefactors for gods and like as they burned incense to their idols so papists burne incense to their idols neither doe they regard that such as offered incense to dumbe idols in the primitiue church were condemned as idolaters as appeareth by diuers censures of Cyprian and others contra thurificantes that is against those that burned incense before idols they doe likewise offer sacrifices or inferias for the soules of the departed as did the Gentiles finally they vse lots and coniurations and lash themselues before their images and haue diuers other tricks of gentilisme argument 47 As the Montanists so likewise doe papists mislike second mariages denying to blesse them and not accounting those mariages so holy a sacrament as the first nay they séeme to goe yet farther to enioine pennance for 2. mariages d 31. q. 1. de his qui. concil Neocaesar they decrée presbyteruÌ„ conuiuio secundarum nuptiarum interesse non debere maximè cum praecipiatur secundis nuptijs poenitentiam tribuere quis ergo erit presbiter qui propter conuiuium illis consentiat nuptijs it appeareth therefore that they would not haue priests to allow second mariages or to blesse them or to be present at them argument 48 e De haeres c. Christiano-categori Damascene also accounteth them hereticks that worshipped the images of our sauiour of the blessed virgine and the saints as the gentiles did their gods which is iust the case of papists for both of them bow vnto them pray before them burne incense to them offer sacrifice in honor of them and yet both of them deny that they worship stocks or stones and say that they worship only the things represented by them as f Lib. 2. diuin instit c. 2. Lactantius testifieth of the Gentiles and is very often repeated by papists argument 49 The papists doe likewise in diuers conditions and qualities resemble the olde hereticks and false teachers of which the apostles and ancient fathers make mention the g Rom. 16. apostle when he had warned the Romans to beware of those that caused diuisions and scandals he addeth also against that doctrine which they had receiued In the first epistle to Timothy chap. 6. he sheweth that hereticks had a fashion to teach other doctrine and not to rest in the wholsome words of our Lord Iesus Christ The apostle h 2. Pet. 2. Peter saith that there shall rise vp false teachers which shall priuily bring in heresies and damnable sects i De praescript aduers haeret Tertullian doth oppose hereticks to the apostles and their doctrine to apostolicall doctrine vnde extranei inimici apostolis haeretici saith he nisi ex diuersitate doctrinae quam vnusquisque de suo arbitrio aduersus apostolos aut protulit aut recepit If then the schoolemen and doctors of the popish synagogue haue caused a great diuision from the apostolicke and ancient church and haue taught doctrine diuers from that of Iesus Christ and if they rest not in the holsome words of Christ Iesus but make humane traditions equall to the word of God if they haue troubled and corrupted the déepest and highest mysteries of Christian religion by their late inuentions and haue digressed from the doctrine of the apostles and refuse to be tried by the writings of the prophets and apostles then are they cléerely prooued to be false teachers and heretikes that they are departed from the doctrine of the apostles and haue brought in diuers heresies and sects and new doctrines which by no meanes are to be reputed catholike it may be proued by this whole discourse It is made euident also by the grounds of popish religion by the popes decretales by the schoole diuinitie by the lying and fabulous legends of the Romish church by the doctrine of the conuenticle of Trent by the manifold corruptions of the masse by the idolatrous worship not onely of saints but also of stocks stones rotten bones and ragges by their rebellion against princes and by the tyranny of the pope and finally by the Iebusites new doctrine concerning these points nay if they teach doctrine contrary to scriptures and to the apostles by their owne confession they will be proued heretikes Haeresis saith k Lib. 2. part 1. Occham est dogma falsum fidei contrarium orthodoxae l Apud Matt. Paris in Henric 3. Robert Grosthed saith that heresie is an opinion chosen of humane vnderstanding contrary to scripture and either openly taught or defended m Apud Dionys Carthus in 3. sent dist 31. Durand signifieth that heresie is onely an opinion contrary
and my answeres My conscience and plaine dealing the iudge of all mens consciences doth best knowe and I hope all the course of my writings will iustifie against all the cauils of such vaine banglers My learning I acknowledge is not comparable to that which many of my brethren haue but yet I hope by the grace of God to maintaine a truth against the prowdest of the Popish faction But were it neuer so sclender yet vntill my bookes against Bellarmine be answered in that plaine and scholasticall sort that I doe answere him neither hath Owlyglasse nor any of his consorts any reason to despise it or to obiect want of learning vnto me Yet séeing hee doth vndertake to prooue that I haue no learning let vs sée whether Owlyglasse hath any better successe in this then in his former allegations concerning his supposed vntruthes and falsifications First he saith I bring such arguments to prooue the Papists to be no Catholikes and to maintaine new doctrine and heresie as touch not them but wound the Church of England But if this had béen so why doth not Owlyglasse vndertake to answere my arguments why doth he not dare to refute my discourse If they hurt the Church of England no doubt but such caterpillers as he that séeke our hurt and ruine would not haue omitted to take that aduantage His wordes therefore are but vaine bragges and néede no other refutation then his owne lewde performance in this encounter and déepe silence in the rest Next he saith he will take a scantling of my learning nothing answerable to my lookes and countenance But his scantling is very short and vnproportionable being but one onely argument Beside that it sheweth that both learning and honestie is very scant with him for where I go about to prooue that the Church of Rome is not the true church of Christ for that it wanteth true bishops and Priests the palfrey fellow onely repeateth my wordes whereby I prooue that euery true Church hath true bishops and priests but durst not set downe my wordes whereby I shewe that the Church of Rome hath neither true bishoppes nor priests And where he toucheth any reason of mine he marreth it with his lewde handling and mangleth my whole discourse omitting my thrée last reasons and not daring to set them downe I will therefore now let the ignorant ideot knowe that my reasons whereby I conclude that the Church of Rome hath no true bishops nor priestes at this time are strong and effectuall and that his cauillations against my words are vaine and friuolous First then I say that no man hath ordinarie power to ordaine bishops or priestes but he that is a bishop and a priest But the Pope of Rome is neither true bishop nor priest ergo the proposition our aduersarie denyeth not The assumption I prooue by these arguments First the Pope was ordained priest but to offer sacrifices and to say masses for quicke and dead But neither doth this ordination make a priest nor had true priests and elders euer any such ordination That this ordination doth not make a priest I prooue for that thereby the ordained neither receiue power to preach nor to administer the sacraments nor the keyes of the Church wherein priesthood consisteth If they receiue any thing it is to offer sacrifice But the Papists confesse that there is great difference betwixt the sacrament of the Eucharist and a sacrifice as appeareth by Bellarmines large disputes Lib. 1. 2. de sacrif missae Further this ordination doth not giue to priestes the right of apostolicall succession which consisteth in preaching and administring the sacraments which our Sauiour committed to his Apostles and their successours to the worldes ende as appeareth by Christs wordes Matth. 28. that priests in auncient time neuer had any such ordination it appeareth by the commission that Christ gaue to his Apostles Matth. 28. by the office of Pastors described Ephes 4. and 1. Tim. 3. and Tit. 1. where no mention is made of sacrificing for quicke and dead neither doth this clause hoc facite in any author signifie sacrifice for quicke and dead It appeareth also by monuments of antiquitie and auncient formularies In the 4. Councell of Carthage priests are ordained by imposition of hands but not to sacrifice for quicke and dead This argument our aduersarie for all his contemptuous spéeches of my arguments durst not once touch Secondly the Pope is not ordained to teach or gouerne a certaine flocke but to be the vniuersall bishop Bellar. lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Prooem Clement the head of the Church the spouse of the Church the foundation of the Church and a little demy god vpon the earth with power ouer purgatorie and the keyes of heauen and hell And if he haue not this power then is he not Pope But this power is no where deliuered by any good commission to any nor doth it belong to any bishop for any thing we can yet learne for if it did then should all bishops haue that power Owlyglasse therefore may doe well to shewe vs this power out of scriptures and fathers or els his silence will teach him that the Pope is no bishop Bellarmine telleth vs of pasce oues meas and tibi dabo claues But he must finde out a better commission for the Pope or els all bishops will haue like power and the pope will prooue to haue no power vnlesse he féede and haue the keyes of the Church which by Owlyglasse I am assured will not bee proued Thirdly the Pope doth not féede the flocke by teaching or administer the sacraments or gouerne the Church as other bishops did but contrariwise taketh vpon him to be Emperour or gouernour of Rome which the auncient bishops of Rome neuer did But no man can be a King and a bishop both together nor a bishop without doing the office of a bishop For Episcopatus as the Apostle teacheth vs That is a worke and not a title oâ— honoâ— is opus and not onely hoâ—os Our aduersarie answereth that it is Donatisme to affirme that the efficacie of sacraments doth depend vpon the good or bad life of the ministers and that we are to harken to those that sit in Moyses his chaire albeit they be Pharisees and bad men otherwise And this he proueth by diuers testimonies out of S. Augustine and the harmony of our confessions being copious where no néede is and silent when he should answere But all this is no more to purpose then if he should tell vs a tale of a horse nest or of the popes mules and mulets for what is that to me or others that say not that the Pope or popish bishops are not lawfull bishops nor haue power to administer sacraments because they are Sodomites adulterers and wicked men but rather that the pope is no bishop at all because he doth not opus episcopi He will perhaps say he doth opus episcopi But then he must shewe that he féedeth the
no part of my meaning but I say that the true Church cannot longe want true bishopes and teachers and that therfore the Romish Church is not the true Church hauing no bishops nor préestes at all but in name And that I proued for that they wanted true priesthood and true ordination and were ordayned and sent by antichrist by heretikes and simoniacall persons and such as had no authority to ordayne or sende forth bishops and preestes He answereth finally that I haue no reason to carpe at the Romish clergie for their bad life and lacke of learning seeing Pag. 96. our Church as he saith admitteth most base lewd vnlearned artisās this he indeuoureth to proue by M. Parries words in his preface before Vrsinus his catechisme But he lyeth like a lewde and base fellow if he suppose that such are admitted by our Church they do thrust in I confesse by the abuse of sōe on or more but the church alloweth thē not nay there are canōs made that none is to be ordained minister but bachilars of art or men otherwise well qualified and knowne to be able to teach If any doe otherwise by indirect meanes come into the ministery which abuse Master Parry noteth yet I hope they are not so rude or so lewde as masse Preests which are the scumme of all vileny for the most part as those that trauell Spayne and Italy knowe by practise and our rinegat English masse Preestes by their lewdnesse and insufficiency playnly proue Hauing answered according to his best skill and broken as he thinketh all our bonds like Dalilaes cords though some of his friends say that a certeine Dalila hath strong hold of him he goeth about to retort this argument vpon vs and saith if the true Church hath alwayes true bishops and preests that the Church of England Pag 100. is not the true Church as wanting true preestes and bishops And with this argument hee hopeth to giue vs such a drie shauing as he doubteth not but he will marre the whole beauty thereof but he sheweth himselfe to be but a simple barber and a worse drie shauer for nowe he cannot shew but that we haue true bishops hauing both lawfull ordination and our bishops exequuting the office of bishops loyally and orderly Before this reformation also our bishops had all that which our aduersaries thinke necessary in the outward calling of bishops Besides that there fayled not among our bishops and préestes at all times diuers men which detested the abominations of the Romanistes as Robert Grosted bishop of Lincolne Richard Vllerston that liued about the councell of Constance Iohn wicleffe and diuers others But saith he who layd hands on bishop Parker He séemeth also to make the like question of Luther and Zuinglius I answere that bishop Couerdale and Skory and others which were bishops in King Edwardes time layde hands vpon bishop Parker I confesse also that bishop Cranmer Luther and Zuinglius had an externall calling though corrupt in a corrupt state yet such as Owlygalsse dare not deny to be sufficient And beside that externall calling it pleased God to reuele to them his will extraordinarily and to call them out of Babylon to the knowledge of his truth our aduersary therefore of all men hath least reason to challenge them for their calling Beside that he cannot conclude because that externall calling was then thought sufficient that now the popish Church hath a calling sufficient For albeit the préestes of the Iewes that worshiped Baal had an externall calling which was not disabled when they returned to the true worship of God yet was not their Idolatrous seruice doon to Baal nor that preesthood lawful the like wee may say of masse préests They should haue serued God aright yet whē they serued at their massing alters they worshipped strange Gods But when they left their Idolatrie then their calling tooke effect they doing that for which they were principally called Furthermore he cannot say because now all Idolatry and superstition being abandoned we are the true church that the papists that reteine still their superstitiōs are the true church for the true church is tryed by true faith true worship and seruice of God not by externall rites and ceremonies and succession without Gods true worship or the true faith Owlyglasse would also gladly haue me to set down the names of those bishops that gouerned our Church euer since Christ As if all bishops that mayntained the Apostles créede and catholike faith were not our bishops If they digressed from the faith we are not to séeke for a new ranke of bishops but to acknowledge them to be true bishops that professed the true faith He talketh also of my being at Cales but it is more honesty for me to goe in the seruice of my Prince and contry against forreine enemies then for him with forreine enemies like a disloyal traytor to fight against his prince and contry and like a base slaue to serue the popes turne And this may serue to iustifie my argument against the popish préesthood It resteth now that I answere his friuolous obiections concerning some points which he supposeth to conteine matter of contradiction which he vanteth that hee will handle to the little commendation of my learning as he saith But if he would indéede haue disgraced me he should haue taken in hand the aunswere of some latine treatise which I haue published against Bellar. For therein he might haue shewed lerning whereas this discourse concerning falsifications and vntruthes is nothing but a little fardle of foolery and a vaine bable for his clients to sport themselues with all Well in the meane while let vs know his worships pleasure concerning these supposed contradictions First he chargeth me with saying that the number of seuen sacraments was not certainly established nor receiued before the late councell of Trent and this he supposeth to be contrarie to that which I affirme in another place viz. that the iust number of seuen sacraments and neither more nor lesse was first deliuered by the councell of Florence vnder Eugenius the fourth and afterward confirmed by the councell of Trent But the poore ideot doth rather bewray his owne ignorance that knew not how this doctrine of seuen sacraments crept into the Romish church and great dulnesse that could not distinguish betwixt instructions and canons talking or mentioning matters and confirming them by solemne act and decree To reforme his errour therefore I must let him vnderstand that the conuenticle of Florence did not by any solemne canon establish the iust number of seuen sacraments but certaine idle Friers or others in that conuenticle or at the least vnder the credit thereof deliuered this doctrine of seuen sacraments to the Armenians Furthermore not all Churches but the Armenians had this doctrine deliuered vnto them I speake therefore warily where I say that albeit that doctrine was talked of perhaps and deliuered to the Armenians yet it was first confirmed by solemne
that is nothing to the cause which by priuat mens errors cannot be eyther charged or preiudiced But if the Pope of Rome to whom the papists flie in all controuersies and extremities commit falsifications then is the cause of poperie quite ruined and ouerthrowne For he is the Sanders Rock Bellar. in praefat in lib. de pontif rocke and Bellar. ibid. lib 2. de pontif Rom. Stapleton doctrinal princip foundation vpon whom the papists build all their religion Againe if the Church of Rome haue practised these falsifications then is no trust to be giuen to her If both the Pope himselfe and the Church of Rome doe deliuer vnto vs lyes and fables then is the pope no vpright iudge but a lying hypocrite and the Church of Rome is not the true Church nor a mistris of truth but a mistresse of errors and lyes Let vs therefore sée whether the pope or Church of Rome may not in this poynt be more iustly charged then we and whether they be cleare of this fault or no. For that is a point farre more materiall then any thing which the aduersary can deuise against vs. Let vs also consider how Bellarmine Baronius and others the Popes agents haue acquited themselues in their narrations and allegations For so it may best appeare how vnaduisedly this detector began his quarell our aduersaries being so notorious offenders in telling vntruthes and committing most grosse and wicked forgeryes and wée so cleare and innocent at the least from all willfulnesse violence and malice if not from error L. qui testameÌ„tum ff ad leg Corneliam de falsis Whosoeuer shall conceâ—e or hide away a testament or take it from a man or shall blot it or adde by interlining or else shall forge or write a false testament or exhibite it or signe it or vse it and fraudulently reherse it is punishable as guiltie of forgery by the lawe Cornelia concerning forgery and falsitie And this is the determination of Paulus the lawyer and allowed by all men of vnderstanding and iudgement in law Qui testamentum amouerit celauerit eripuerit deleuerit interleuerit subiecerit resignauerit saith Paulus the lawyer quiue testamentum falsuÌ„ scripserit signauerit recitauerit c. legis corneliae Poena damnatur Those also are guilty and by this law punishable Ibidem quorum dolo malo id factum est by whose procurement and fraude any of the foresaid points are committed But the pope and Church of Rome many wayes offende against this lawe as is most euidente by many particulers falsification 1 First they do suppresse as much as they can the eternall testament of almightie God conteined in the bookes which we for this cause call the old and new testament For simply do they prohibit all translations of scriptures made by any of our doctors not without streite limitatioÌ„s do they permit chrâ—stiaÌ„s to haue scriptures translated into vulgar tonges by theÌ„selues publikely by no meanes will they haue scriptures red being translated into tonges vnderstood of the multitude And all these thrée points are manifestly proued by the index of prohibited bookes set out by Pius quartus and by the decrée of the councell of Trent speaking of our mens translations librorum veteris testamenti versiones viris tantum pijs doctis Index lib prohib regul 3. saith he iudicio episcopi concedi poterunt And afterwarde versiones noui testamenti c. nemini concedantur Speaking of vulgar translations of scriptures Ibid. regula 4. he saith hac in parte iudicio episcopi aut inquisitoris stetur vt cum consilio parochi vel confessarij bibliorum a catholicis authoribus versorum lectionem in vulgari lingua concedere possint So it appeareth they first absolutely forbidde al vulgar translations made by any of our doctors and Secondly with harde conditions grant licence that to very few to reade their owne vulgar translations of scriptures and Thirdly that they doe forbid all latin translations made by vs of the new testament and with conditions and limitations permit our translations of the old testament to be read and that of very few Concil Trid. Sess 22. c. 9. In publike liturgies of the Church they also signifie that scriptures are not to be read in vulgar tongues And by their practise we gather that they thinke the publike reading of scriptures in vulgar tongues to be nothing for their profit and purpose Who then seeth not that by al meanes the pope and Romish Church endeuore to suppresse Gods testament and shew themselues therein notorious falsaries falsification 2 Secondly they burne the holy scriptures vnder pretence of false translations as may be prooued by diuers witnesses and by their owne practise And I thinke they will not deny but that they haue burned scriptures traÌ„slated by our doctors wil defend it yet to corrupt or teare or spoyle a testament is the part of a falsary as these wordes declare si quis testâ—mentum deleuerit Neither could the lawe speake more playnely against Papistes vnlesse it had sayd si quis testamentum dei combusserit falsification 3 Thirdly they haue depriued the Lords people of the cup which our Sauiour Christ calleth the newe testament in his bloud hic est calix saith he nouum testamentum in sanguine meo Luc. 22. In the conuenticle of Constance they decrée vt sacramentum a laicis sub vna specie tantummodo recipiatur that is Sess 13. that lay men are to receiue the sacrament onely vnder one kinde In the conuenticle of Trent they pronounce them Anathema or accursed that shall say that the faithfull ought to receiue the sacrament vnder both kinds Sess 21. c. 1. 2. or that shal denie that they tooke away the cuppe from the communicants and ministred the communion vnder one kinde onely for iust and reasonable causes Whether then the Lords cup be the new testament or the seale of the new testament it is euident that the Pope and Church of Rome doe shew themselues to be notorious falsaryes the words of the law are cleare si quis testamentum celauerit amouerit c. that is whosoeuer doth concele or keepe a testament out of the way he is to be punished as a falsary the same also is apparant for that they goe about to breake the seale of Gods testament And although man cannot or will not punish this falsity in the Romish Church and in the masse préests yet God will assuredly punish so notorious a falsification of his eternall testament falsification 4 Fourthly the Pope and Romish Church haue added to Gods eternall testament corrupting the same by their traditions and makg ivnnwritten traditions equall to the canonicall scriptures omnes libros tam veteris quam noui testamenti Sess 4 concil Trid. say the Popes slaues assembled at Trent cum vtriusque vnus deus sit author nec non traditiones ipsas tum ad fidem tum ad mores pertinentes tanquam vel oretenus a Christo vel
founders falsification 2 Gregorie the fourth saith that all bishops causes and the discussing of matters of religion belōgeth to the apostolike Romane See as the head of all Churches the place frō whence the Church tooke her beginning cum nulli dubium sit saith hée quod non solum pontificalis causatio C. praeceptis dist 12. sed omnis sanctae religionis relatio ad sedem apostolicam quasi ad caput ecclesiarum debeat referri inde normam sumere vnde sumpsit exordiū Anatorious lye For the law went out of Sion and not from Rome and bishops causes were handled in times past in councels and not before the bishops of Rome There also were matters of faith decided and not by the Romish bishops as this lying Pope affirmeth Nay the causes of the bishop of Rome himselfe as wel as of all other bishops were handled in councels falsification 3 Vnder the name of Athanasius the Church of Rome c. Septuaginta dist 17. teacheth that the counsell of Nice published 80. canons which were reduced afterward to the number of 70. according to the number of 70. disciples and that the copie brought to Alexandria was burnt by heretikes But authenticall stories doe refute this lye and shew that there were onely 20. Canons established in that councell Beside that Luke 10. Luke saith that Christ sent 72. disciples As the old latin transtation hath Thirdly if the canons were 80. it were a méere falsity to cut of or reduce 80. to 70. Finally of the burning of the canons of the Nicene counsell there is no recorde in any authenticall writer falsification 4 Marcellus saith that these words Psal 81. ego dixi dij estis are spoken of Preestes And thereby would proue them to bée aboue magistrates Si seculares in publicis iudicijs saith he C. synodum dist 17. libellis vtuntur appellatorijs quanto magis sacerdotibus haec eadem agere licet de qubus dictum est ego dixi dij estis The Pope therefore may bee conuinced of notorious lying and forging by all interpreters and not only by the text it selfe falsification 5 Vnder the name of Leo. c. ita dominus dist 19. They teach that Peter was assumed into an inseperable bond of vnitie with Christ hunc in consortium indiuiduae vnitatis assumptum id quod ipse erat voluit nominari a matter vntrue and blasphemous and vnworthy to be vttred by Leo. For albeit Christ consist of two natures yet no man euer yet sayed beside this counterfect◠Leo that Christ and Peter made one person falsification 6 Anacletus saith that Peter was made bishop when Christ sayd to him thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will builde my Church and the gates of hell shal not preuaile against it C. innouo dist 21. and I will giue thee the keys of the kindome of heauen He saith also that the rest of the Apostles made Peter their prince ceteri vero apostoli cum eodem pari consortio honorem potestatem acceperunt ipsumque principem eorum esse voluerunt But this second poynt is refuted by the whole tenor of the euangelical history and the actes of the Apostles recorded by Saint Luke For in no place we finde where the Apostles did ordaine or make Peter their prince or gouernor Nay we rather finde where Christ made all the Apostles equall The first point is contradicted also by the words of Christ who in the future tence said Dabo tibi and not Do tibi Bellarmine also holdeth that Peter in this place receiued nothing but a promise quorum verborum saith he planus obuius sensus est lib. 1. de pontif Rom. 10. vt intelligamus sub duabus metaphoris promissum Petro totius ecclesiae principatum Hee speaketh of the sence of the words rehersed by Anacletus and by his exposition it appeareth that Anacletus sayd vntruely that Peter was made bishop by christs words vttred Mat. 16. which may also be proued by Turrecremata in his treatise de ecclesia Finally all the Popes agents hold that Peter receiued the primacy from Christ and not from the Apostles falsification 7 Gelasius saith that the Church of Rome obtained the primacie not by any ordinances of synodes C quamuis dist 21. but by Christes owne words in the Gospell A matter most vntrue For the scriptures speake no where of the primacy of the Romish Church neither can it be proued out of the wordes tu es Petrus alledged by Gelasius Neither doth euery prerogatiue of Peter belonge to the Church of Rome Nor had the apostle Peter any such high primacy As the Pope nowe claymeth and practiseth falsification 8 Pope Nicolas saith that Dioscorus was not condemned for matter of faith C. in tantum dist 21. but for denouncing an excommunication against Leo bishop of Rome But the actes of the 2. councell of Ephesus being in fauour of Eutyches and the councell of Chalcedon do reproue him and playnly conuince him of vntruth The same also may be gathered by the chapter Canones dist 15. And therefore the glosse to salue this lye saith we must so vnderstand Nicolas his words as if he had sayd that Dioscorus was not condemned for matter of faith onely which was no part of Nicolas his meaning falsification 9 Omnes siue patriarchij cuiuslibet apices siue metropoleon primatus aut episcopatuum Cathedras vel ecclesiarum cuiuslibet ordinis dignitates C. omnes dist 22. saith Nicolas the Pope instituit Romana ecclesia But he telleth a grosse vntruth for the scriptures tell vs that the Apostle Paule ordeined bishops in Crete Ephesus and diuers places both in Europe and Asia and ecclesiasticall histories tell vs that neither the Church of Ierusalem nor Antioch nor other easterne Churches nor their dignities were founded by the Church of Rome Finally the actes of councels tell vs that councelles did appoynt the seuerall limits of bishops diocesses did enlarge their dignityes according to diuers occasions and that emperours and the dignities of greate cityes did adde dignity to the bishops falsification 10 The same Nicolas also affirmeth that Christ gaue to Peter terreni simul caelestis imperii iura that is the right both of the kingdome of heauen and kingdome of earth Ibidem But our Sauiour Christs words shew that he gaue him no earthly kingdome but promised him onely the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Nay if he be Christes vicar then he must clayme no earthly kingdome For our Sauiour Christs kingdome was not of this world falsification 11 Anacletus affirmeth that Peter and Paule were both crowned with Martyrdome in one day and at the same time C. sacro sancta dist 22. a matter denyed by Prudentius peri steph hym 12. Arator in Act. Apost lib. 2. and the author of the 18. Sermon de sanctis that goeth vnder Saint Augustines name and diuers others falsification 11 Pope Nicholas saith that Constantine called the bishop of Rome God Constat à pio principe
A CHALLENGE CONCERNING the Romish Church her doctrine practises PVBLISHED FIRST AGAINST ROB. PARSONS and now againe reuiewed enlarged and fortified and directed to him to Frier GARNET to the Archpriest BLACKEVVELL and all their adhaerents By MATTH SVTCLIFFE THEREVNTO ALSO IS ANNEXED an answere vnto certeine vaine and friuolous exceptions taken to his former challenge and to a certeine worthlesse Pamphlet lately set out by some poore disciple of Antichrist and entituled A detection of diuers notable vntrueths contradictions corruptions and falsifications gathered out of M. Sutcliffes new Challenge c. S. Pauls words concerning the followers of Antichrist 2. Thess 2. Eò quod charitatem Dei non receperunt vt salui fierent ideo mittet illis Deus operationem erroris vt credant mendacijs A praediction concerning Iesuits Friers and Popish masse priests and their swarming abroad in the wold Apocal. 9. And out of the smoke of the pit there went out Locusts into the earth and they had power giuen to them like vnto scorpions AT LONDON Printed by Arnold Hatfield 1602. TO THE RIGHT honorable Sir Robert Cecill Knight THe publike affaires of this State right honourable depending so much upon your counsell and direction I should not onely wrong you but others also and forget my selfe if I should either holde you with any long discourse or importune you with the hearing of a priuate quarrell betwixt me and a certeine base and vnworthy aduersarie whose pleasure is to contend with me about certeine small quirks and questions It may also seeme a matter vnwoorthie your place and person to offer vnto you a small treatise concerning so small trifles the aduersaries whole discourse which I answere being spent about certeine pretended vntrueths and falsifications wherewith he would gladly charge me if he could Yet forasmuch as this controuersie grew first out of a challenge made by me some two yeeres since to Robert Parsons a man rather for his hatred to the State and treacherie against his Souereigne than for learning vertue or pietie knowen to many and seeing the author of this quarrell now hath enforced me to discusse some points both of Religion and State not vnprofitable to be well vnderstood I haue made bolde to present this treatise ensuing that conteineth not onely my former challenge but also an answere to my aduersaries friuolous obiections to your Honors hands The whole is diuided into diuers chapters of which diuers doe conteine intire discourses whereof you may chuse and reade one or more as your great occasions and laisure will permit and none there is I hope so barren but it may yeeld some fruit But if it may please your Honor to peruse the whole you shall then better vnderstand not onely the occasions of this quarrell but also the iustice of our cause and the vaine cauils which our aduersaries make against vs for want of better matter when as we without all circumloquution charge them with haeresie and falshood in matter of religion and disloyalty and treachery in matter of State Your Honor shall also thereby perceiue the great weaknesse of our aduersaries cause and the pouertie of the principall actors in the same who abandoning the maine points in controuersie begin now to picke quarrels at words allegations points quotations and other by-matters and ceasing to ioine with vs and like Diuines to argue and dispute fall to plaine calumniation and railing for hauing some yeeres past written diuers treatises not onely against Robert Parsons but also against Robert Bellarmine the chiefe Patriarke now of all the Papists and hauing published a challenge against Rob. Parsons and proued that his consorts the Papists are neither good Catholicks nor yet true Subiects yet do I not finde any that dare encounter me hand to hand nor haue I receiued any answere to any purpose nor haue I yet encountred any that hath opposed himselfe to any discourse or argument of mine Parsons he is content to be silent and he that hath put foorth the pamphlet called The detection albeit he could not holde his peace yet could he not say much being of the number of those idle fellowes qui nec tacere nec rectè fari possunt he doth onely except against certaine allegations and by-matters and quotations of my challenge but the discourse it selfe and the conclusions thereof were either too heauy for him to lift or too hot for so frigide and maleficiat a fellow to touch If then law doth iustly praesume him to be guiltie that being arreigned at the barre standeth mute then is it not to be praesumed that either Rob. Parsons is cleere or his cause good or that his clients are such as he pretendeth againe if a Decius in l. ◠ff de reg iur Barth in l. quaesetum §. denique ff de fundo instructo lawyers say true that exceptions confirme the rule in cases not excepted then hath my aduersarie confirmed the maine discourse against Parsons and his adherents hauing not said any thing vnto it but only excepted against a few places whereof he taketh 13. to be vntruly alledged and 13. to be falsified Furthermore if in the very places where my aduersarie thought to winne greatest aduantage he hath gotten nothing but rather shewed his owne ignorance malice I hope all indifferent men will well allow of the rest and grant that I haue vsed more than ordinary circumspection in this labour for doe what a man can yet may either marginall notes be misplaced or words stand disorderly or things be mistaken Finally if to answere the aduersaries obiections and to encounter him in his turne I shal be able to charge not onely Bellarmine Baronius Parsons and such like meane fellowes but also the Pope himselfe the Church of Rome with vntrueths and falsifications which can not be answered then Gods iustice will appeare that hath brought them into the pit which they digged for others and I hope they will henceforth forbeare to charge me and other honest men with lies and falsifications finding themselues most guiltie and vs in respect of themselues most innocent Of all men the detector shall haue least reason to make a challenge concerning vntrueth and falsifications being able to answere nothing in a b In an answer to a calumnious relation the Papists stand charged with diuers falsifications and yet dissemble the whole matter cause where he is defendant nor able to iustifie that pamphlet which himselfe hath published But of all these matters your Honor shall then be able best to iudge when you shall haue read the discourse ensuing and compared his exceptions with my challenge and my answere with his vaine exceptions all which I doe present to your Honor as much esteeming your iudgement in such cases and desiring to haue my cause heard and tried by men of such integritie and iudgement and little weighing the vaine cauils of others if my labors be approued by men of such grauitie and wisdome The worke as far as
if he had not wilfully shut his eies that the case is not like and the reasons he might have vnderstood if he had not bene sencelesse they being so plainly laid downe in my refutation of his father Robert parsons his calumnious relation sent vs from Rome very wisely of matters done in France Further he might well haue remembred if he had not bene forgetfull that I offred the papists more then was demanded for I did not onely promise to deale with Parsons or any of his consortes in any priuate conference but also in publicke writing which might not onely be viewed of all men but also remaine to posterity as a testimony against those that should be conuinced either of vntrueth or forgery and which being extant in print neither we nor our aduersaries should be able to alter or deny or misreport any thing that is written as is the ordinary course of Popish Parasits in such conferences and to shew that I meant to performe as much as I promised I began to obiect certain epistles and canons forged not by such base thred-bare companions as himselfe but by the popes and church of Rome I shewed also that they had falsified the scriptures and published infinit and montrous lies in their legends read publickly in the church finally I put Robert Parsons in minde of the notorious clipping and corrupting of fathers of late practised by the papists by their rubarbatif and expurgatorie indexes but he like a wise fellow kept himselfe close and would no more heare of the matter thinking it was better as the old prouerbe teacheth in this Carian to make triall of this hard aduenture and to c The proverbe In care periculum facito teacheth that in base fellowes it is best to trie dangerous experiments thrust this asse downe headlong from the rockes knowing well that if we should ouercome him or come to the taking of him up we should finde nothing but the carcase of a dead asse wherefore then is our adversary so desirous of a conference that doubteth to trie his manhood in iustifying his friends falshood and forgery concerning matters already laid to their charge d Protrusit asinum in rupes Horat. ep againe when he seeth our readines to answer why is he so slow to obiect Finally where he thinketh to triumpth most gloriously and to leade my brother Willet and me both captiues and fast chained at the taile of his chariot there he doth most pitifully disgrace himselfe and free vs and marre all that he medleth withall For first speaking of falsifications he compareth them to Christ and such mens incredulity as will not beleeue him he compareth to the incredulity of Thomas that would not beleeue Christes resurrection before he saw and felt manifest signes of it the sentences alledged out of fathers and other authors saith c Praes fol. 5. he be so mangled and maimed c. as no protestant I am sure will beleeue vntill feeling and seeing with Saint Thomas convince his incredulity is not this a braue gallant then trow you that compareth trueth to falshood the feeling of Christ to the feeling of falsifications Secondly where the maine controuersy betwixt me and Robert Parsons in my challenge is concerning the church of Rome and where this blinde baiard might see that I haue alledged diuers strong reasons to prooue that the congregation of Romanistes under the pope and cardinalls is not the true church of Christ there all this notwithstanding my adversarie smoothly dissembleth the matter and taketh that as granted which he poore fellow can neuer prooue and saith that my brother Willet d Fol. 1. praef and I imploy our forces in assaulting the impregnable sort of gods church and battring that rocke against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile as if the congregation of the malignant and wicked rable of antichrist could be the true church of Christ or as if the gates of hell had not long since prevailed against the pope and church of Rome our aduersary therefore taking this for granted that is the controuersy if without controversy I haue not demonstrated that the church of Rome is not the true church sheweth that he is pregnant with folly of which he will not be deliuered before he die that his face is as hard as the rocke of which he talketh Thirdly he calleth popish religion Catholicke and affirmeth f Fol. 2. praef it was planted here by Gregory the great who by succession receiued it from Peter c and that it was alwaies visible since Christ bearing still saile in the tempests of all persecutions but he should doe well to shew how true religion can be visible for our saviour Christ saith g Iohn 4. that true worshipers worship God in spirit and truth but spirituall worship and true internall deuotion is not so easily seene unlesse therefore our adversary suppose popish religion to consist in the popes mitre and in coules of monkes and such like externall matters he shal hardly proue religion to be visible Againe he doth greatly wrong the popish cause if he affirme popish religion to have bene planted here in England by Gregory and be not able to answer my challenge and to demonstrate those novelties and late receiued fancies which I have mentioned either to haue beene taught by Gregory or at the least by his disciples to haue beene planted here in England Furthermore seeing in my challenge I doe prooue that popish religion is not catholike and giue for iustification of that point notable instances such as our aduersary shall not be able to answer is it not notorious impudency to take this as a matter either prooued or confessed and slily to call haeresie catholike religion finally I must entreat some plaine dealing papist to admonish this detector or rather detractor of ours not to say that Gregory receiued the popish religion that now is mainteined by the pope of Rome and was first established in the conuenticle of Trent from Peter or that all that is taught in Gregories dialogues or epistles came from Peter or that the Romish church that now is visible in the pope cardinals monkes and swarmes of friers and in Romish ceremonies hath borne saile in the tempests of all persecutions for it is the pope and his bloody inquisitors that do persecute others and are not persecuted and if this be a quâ—…ty of the church to beare saile in tempests of persecutions certes the pope and his retinue cannot be the true church that for many hundred yeeres have lived in all pompe iolitie and pleasure but if the Romish church be so well able to beare saile in tempests it were much to be wished that the pope and his cardinals would saile to the Indiaes where we might heare no more of them and that they would take our aduersary with them who percase would prooue a better swabber then a disputer Fourthly In the beginning of his Praeface he saith he will present to his
committing a fault in the verse and marring the sence His reprochfull termes omitted and his small errors pardoned there is nothing in his pamphlet which I haue not answered and I hope in that sort that he shall not be able to take iust exception against any thing I haue said or done it may be that he will be offended for that not being able to speake by letters and finding his name to be E. O. I doe name the baby somtime detector or detractor somtime ectaticall owliglasse I haue great reason to doe it for I doe perceiue that he is a desciple of Robert Parsons who in his pamphlet of reasons for not going to church calleth himselfe Iohn Howlet what then can be more consonant then that his disciple that goeth about to imitate him in his pride railing and phrase of speech though very vnhandsomly should be called Owliglasse alias Howlyglasse and ectaticall that is leapt out of his wit into a little fit of foolery if he like not this name then let him set downe his owne name and for my part he shall not heare worse then his name vnlesse his faults deserue it Both this challenge and the answere to the detractors exceptions presuming vpon thy indifferency I recommend to thy reading much I will not request at thy hands and small fauours are easily granted Examine I pray thee both my answere and my aduersaries obiections and yeeld to neither side more then is prooued compare his great brags with his poore talent of writing and his scornefull termes with his slender matters and thou shalt easily perceiue that short answeres may serue such simple arguments it may be that thou and I differ in opinion yet neuer refuse to yeeld to trueth nor resolue to defend disloialty or errour I haue as thou maiest see dealt plainly and professe openly that I will not mainteine any error whereof I can be conuinced if the aduersarie would take the same course there might be an end of this contention Rob. Parsons beganne this quarrell albeit he hath first giuen it ouer the ground of his pleading standing principally vpon the title of ancient and catholike religion and the innocency of massing priests and friers and their consorts I gaue him a short issue in my former chalenge and offered to proue that popish religion established in the conuenticle of Trent and now receiued by the church of Rome is neither ancient catholicke nor true if they cannot proue themselues to be catholicks why doe they entitle themselues catholickes if their relsgion be new why doe they bragge of antiquity if they be haeretickes why are they not ashamed to take to themselues the praerogatiues of the true church if the Iebusites and rheir consorts be combined with forrein enimies what reason haue they to challenge the fauour due to subiects Vpon occasion of an ecstaticall fellowes importunity I doe renew the same challenge againe and by all meanes prouoke Robert Parsons to answere and because percase he is busie comploting of matters against his country at Rome I addresse it also to Frier Garnet and the archpriest Blackewell that are neerer at hand and not vnaquainted with the worthy volume of exceptions lately published against me If Parsons haue not laisure let one of them answere it is a shame to begin a quarrell and to giue it ouer first for one bout they haue no reason to refuse me if they pretend want of books and laisure they know Doway is not farre off They haue begon to crie out of falsifications and untruthes let them therefore make triall how they can answere for themselues Parsons was woont to be ready to plead for others now therefore he hath no reason but to plead for himselfe In time past he and that false traitor Allen filled mens eares with their clamours contra persequutores Anglos let them therefore defend their consorts that are preditores Angliae enimies to their country no man hath greater cause to defend traitors then traitors If they refuse to answere for themselues or to satisfie others I hope for modesty sake hereafter they will neither arrogate to themselues the title of the church nor the shelter of catholicke religion neither can they with honestie vant of antiquity or accuse true men of heresie whereof themselues are most guilty finally if shame restraine not their tongues yet feare of punnishment may keepe them in temper being declared to be professed enimies to their prince and country a packe of rinegned english cōspiring with the enimies of this state combined together for the ouerthrow of religion the realme If my aduersary and his consorts shall no way be able though otherwise willing inough to cleare themselues of most malitious libelling lying and forging I trust they wil hereafter spare me a plaine fellow and one that no way standeth in need of such poore shifts for the iustification of my cause And I doubt not but with shame inough they will for euer hereafter cease to make any challenge concerning lies and falsifications hauing so euill successe in this first incounter If I haue cleared this state from all imputation of iniustice in the proceeding against Iesuites seminary priests popish rebels and their adherents neither haue the magistrates reason to suffer Robert Parsons his libels to flie abroad to the slander of the state nor any good subiect to allow of his calumniations and most wicked libels If it doe clearely appeare that Robert Parsons and his trecherous consorts are linked and combined with foraine enemies and by no meanes will submit themselues to her Maiesties lawes and authoritie those that haue the custodie and execution of her lawes committed vnto them I doubt not will haue a watchfull eie ouer the proceedings of such slippery companions and with great constancie and resolution mainteine hir Maiesties authority and execute her lawes against such as wilfully impugne it the late edict published against this vermine doth shew that the state is not onely well acquainted with their leud practises but also resolute to punish such wicked practisers and plotters as hitherto haue abused her Maiesties great clemency toward them If it appere that the Iebusites and priests teach haeresie and lies it behooveth all true christians to auoid them Saint Iohn in his second epistle doth giue vs warning not to haue any familiaritie with them or so much as once to bidde them God speed the church c Apocal. 2. of Thyatira is reprooued for permitting a wicked false prophet to teach and seduce Gods people and our sauiour d Matth. 7. Christ giueth vs warning of false prophets that come vnto vs in sheepes clothing and inwardly are rauening woolues these false masse-priests deuoure many widdowes houses and abuse the simplicity of many yoong youthes to their vtter ruine and destruction and yet that is not the woorst for they do not onely ouerthrow their worldly states but also destroy their soules and lead them headlong into hell If the popes agents vnder
pretence of religion haue intangled their folowers in diuers practises of faction and treason I hope all English albeit otherwise fauorers of popery wil better looke how they engage themselues in treason they come from forreine enemies and depend vpon them and though they talke of religion yet their intention is wholy for the pope and Spaniard and their course is irreligious and factious If popish religion founded in the conuenticle of Trent and taught by late popes and their proctors be catholike and ancient then will it be an easie matter to shew it and to answer our obiections where we prooue the contrary if our aduersaries flie triall and will not ioine with vs and directly answere then haue all papists and others reason to flie from such false teachers and heretikes and to abandon all their wicked haeresies there is no agreement betwixt Christ and Belial 2. Cor. 6. betwixt trueth and error light and darknes if they can shew themselues that they are no idolaters they will cleere themselues if not why do they seeke to erect altars of Baal in euery corner and why doe not all Christians auoid to communicate with the priests of Baal in their idolatrous masse 2. Cor. 6. there is no agreement betwixt the temple of God and idoles neither 1. Cor. 10. can any drinke the Lords cuppe that doth participate at the table of diuels or diuelish masse but what should I talke of the Lords cup when these idolatrous priests take the Lords cup from all that follow them If the aduersaries be cleare of lying and falsification then will they answer plainly and directly as I haue answered them if their lies and forgeries be made notorious to the world he is not very wise that will trust such lying and forging companions But what should I need to declare that briefely which at large is prooued in the discourse following reade onely diligently and examine carefully and iudge indifferently and so leauing thee to thy meditations and referring thee to the touch of both our aduersaries accusations and our answers I beseech God to giue thee true vnderstanding of his sauing trueth and that hee will giue thee grace if thou knowest the trueth to perseuere constant vnto the end if thou cariest a preiudicate affection towards popery then to see into the deformities impostures and abuses of popish religion and that in the end it will please him to discouer all fraudes impostures conspiracies trecheries and vilanies of the popish faction and to let thee see the damnation of the great whore and the abominations of Babylon Adieu Thine in all Christian affection MATTH SUTCLIFFE A CHALLENGE concerning the malignant church of Antichrist and false doctrine and lewd practises of Papists Directed to Rob. Parsons Frier Garnet G. Blackwell the Archpriest and all their adhaerents CHAP. I. That the Church of Rome that now is and that embraceth the doctrine of the Pope and conuenticle of Trent is not the true Church of Christ Iesus THe Church of God being a 1. Tim. 3. the house of God and b Ibidem the pillar and ground of trueth and c Galat. 4. the mother of all faithfull people as the Apostle teacheth vs it is no maruell if all congregations that professe Christian religion do also challenge to themselues the name and title of the Church d Inst lib. 4. c. vlt. Singuli quique haereticorum coetus saith Lactantius se potissimum Christianos suam esse catholicam ecclesiam putant euen the couenticles of hereticks doe imagine themselues to be true Christians and entitle their Congregations by the name of the Catholike church and that this is true the papists affoord vs most euident proofe for albeit in many points they know not the voice of Christ Iesus but follow a stranger that without all colour challengeth to himselfe to be Christs vicar yet very confidently and proudly they call themselues Christes true catholicke church and challenge to themselues all those prerogatiues that are due to his most holy spouse neither do they only challenge to themselues the title and name of the Church but also exclude all others from the same and as Leo said speaking to certeine monkes of Palestine ecclesiae nomine aduersus ecclesiam armaminï so we may well say of these blinde zelators of popery that in the name of the Church they fight against the true Church of Christ Iesus That the papists adhering to the pope of Rome and imbracing the doctrine of the conuenticle of Trent are not the true church of Christ Iesus it may be prooued by diuers inuincible reasons argument 1 for first the church of Christ is built onely vpon Christ Iesus as a principall rocke and a foundation most sure and immoouable No man saith the e 1. Cor. 3. Apostle can lay any other foundation beside that which already is laied which is Christ Iesus for he is that f Isai 28. corner stone that is placed in the foundation of Sion he is that g Matth. 16. rocke vpon which the church is built Super hanc petram quam confessus es saith S. h Serm. 13. de verb. Dom. Augustine super hanc petram quam cognouisti dicens Tues Christus filius Dei aedificabo ecclesiam meam id est super meipsum filium Dei viui aedificabo ecclesiam meam he saith the church is built vpon Christ Iesus whom Peter confessed neither doe the fathers meane otherwise where they affirme the church to be built either vpon the confession or faith of Peter or els vpon Peter himselfe for all these doe either indirectly vnderstand Christ whom Peter confessed or Peters faith concerning Christ but the Romish church that now is is built vpon the pope and vpon his Sée and doctrine Est Petri sedes saith i In praefat in lib. de pontif Rom. Bellar. lapis probatus angularis pretiosus in fundamento fundatus he k Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. saith also that the Pope is the foundation of the building of the church and goeth about to prooue it by certeine words of Hierome although that good Father neuer thought of any such matter l Sanders his rocke of the church Sanders doth endeuour to proue that the Popes of Rome are the vnmouable rocke of the church Turrian likewise because Christ said aedificabo ecclesiam meam non aedifico ecclesiam meam concludeth that the popes of future times and not onely Saint Peter were vnderstood by that rocke vpon which the church is built seeing then the church of Rome is built vpon a foundation diuers from the foundation of Christ his church and relieth vpon the pope as much or more then Christ Iesus it cannot be the true church for if the papists say that Christ is the chiefe foundation and the Pope is the next they crosse the scriptures that make Christ the sole foundation and onely attribute the name of foundation to the apostles and prophets in that
they built all vpon Christ Iesus and taught that which immediatly they receiued from God but the Pope receiueth nothing immediatly from God nor doth he now preach Christ as did saint Peter argument 2 Further the true church of Christ is built vpon a rocke most solide and vnmouable against which the gates of hell can neuer preuaile but the church of Rome is built vpon the popes and their see against which the gates of hell both haue already and may further preuaile as appeareth by the Ch. Si papa dist 40. where it is supposed that the Pope may draw with him innumerable soules into hel and m In Matth. 16. Lyra confesseth that diuers popes haue proued apostataes from the faith and that finally is proued by diuers particular examples as of Marcellinus that sacrificed to idoles of Liberius that fell into Arrianisme of Honorius condemned for a monothelite and diuers other popes that fell into diuers heresies and forsooke the true faith neither doe I thinke the papistes will denie but that some of their popes for diuers impieties and wickednesses are damned and cast downe to the nethermost hell How then can that be the true church of Christ which is built vpon a foundation against which the gates of hell haue preuailed argument 3 n Arg. 3. The true church of Christ is neuer without her head for Christ Iesus who is the head of the church was yesterday and to day and the same for euermore he is the head of the church and shall alwaies so continue and of him his church hath continuall dependance but the church of Rome is often without her head the pope and hath no such dependance on him but that she may well subsist without him as the continuall vacation of the papacy doth shew and p Lib. de auferribilitatâ— papa Gerson doth confesse the church of Rome therefore cannot be the church of Christ vnlesse we will grant that the church of God may be without a head or that the church of Rome neuer wanteth a head argument 4 q Arg. 4. The church of God also hath but one faith for as there is but one Lord r Ephes 4. so there is but one faith and one baptisme but the faith of the church of Rome is not that one faith which was professed in the apostles times and in the primitiue church as appeareth by the doctrine of faith published in the wicked conuenticles of Constance and Trent and by ihat profession which Pius the 4. decreed to be exacted of all that are promoted in schooles for neither did the first christians admit all the traditions which the church of Rome now calleth apostolicall nor the 7. sacraments and vsuall rites practised by the church of Rome in the administration of them nor the sacrifice of the masse or transubstantiation or the rest of the doctrine therein contained if any papist thinke otherwise let him shew me either any such like faith or proue me any such doctrine to haue bene in the ancient church of Rome or else we must needs beleeue that this doctrine was first published by the conuenticle of Trent and by Pius the 4. by name but a wicked man for doctrine and life and by other popes confirmed argument 5 Å¿ Arg. 5. The grounds also and foundations of the catholike christian faith are diuers from the grounds foundations of the faith of the church of Rome the t Ephes 2. apostle saith that the houshold of God and citizens of saints are built vpon the foundations of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone neither doeth he admit any other foundation Saint u Apocal. 21. Iohn sheweth that the wall of the city of God hath twelue foundations and in them the names of the twelue apostles and this because vpon that doctrine which they deliuered the faith of the church is built for as x Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Ireneus signifieth the canonicall scriptures which she apostles left vnto vs are the foundation of our faith neither may we thinke that Peter was more the foundation of the church then Paule or the rest of the apostles at dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia saith y Lib. aduers Jâ—uiâ— Hierome licèt id ipsum in alio loco super omnes apostolos cuncti claues regni coelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesia solidetur Theophylact also without giuing any prerogatiue to one saith z In Ephes 2. the church is built vpon the apostles and prophets neither doe the auncient fathers either allow or mention any foundation beside Christ Iesus and the apostles and prophets who in all their writings doe preach Christ Iesus But the faith of the Romish synagogue is now built vpon a diuers foundation for first they acknowledge vnwritten traditions to be a foundation equall to the written word of God a Sess 4. concil Trid. traditiones ipsas tum ad fidem tum ad mores pertinentes tanquam vel oretenus à Christo vel à spiritu sancto dictatas continua successione in ecclesia catholica conseruatas pari pietatis affectu ac reuerentia scilicet ac scripturas sacras suscipit ac veneratur the conuenticle of Trent maketh traditions as well concerning faith as maners to be equall to the written word of God whereof it foloweth that we must as well beléeue the fashions and ceremonies of the Romish church as the written word of God Demonstrate conabimur saith b Lib 4. de verb. dei c. 4. Bellarmine scripturas sine traditionibus nec fuisse simpliciter necessarias nec sufficientes he denieth also the scriptures to be a perfect canon or rule of our faith without traditions next they receiue the popes decretals and vpon their determinations doe they build their faith as c C. inter dist 19. c. sancta dist 15. appeareth by their decretals though counterfeit and d Jn praefat in relect princip doctr Stapleton sticketh not to affirme so much in expresse words Alij nunc à Christo missi saith he eorumue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locum habebunt and e ibidem againe Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud We haue saith he another foundation of Christian religion diuers from the writings of the apostles and prophets can then the Romish congregation be the church of Christ that euen in the maine foundation of religion is departed from the church of Christ argument 6 f Arg. 6. The principles likewise of the doctrine of the Romish church are diuers froÌ„ the grounds principles of Christs true church for we haue shewed in our last argument that the true church hath no canon or rule of faith or certeine principle of faith beside the canonicall scriptures but the church of Rome admitteth the books of Iudith Tobia Ecclesiasticus Wisdome of the Machabees by the
ancient church accounted apocryphal as g In epist ad Paulin. in prolog in prouerb Hierome h In Synops Athanasius and diuers of the ancient fathers 〈◊〉 witnesse It alloweth also the old latin translation of the bible though different from the originall bookes the same also admitteth for principles of faith the sentences of popes the doctrine of the Romish church that now is the traditions of the Romish church the consent of fathers and diuers other grounds as Stapleton disputeth in his bookes De doctrinalibus principijs argument 7 i Arg. 7. Neuer certes did the church of Christ speake euill of scriptures k Lib. 3 aduersus haeres c. 2. Irenaeus saith It is the property of heretikes when they are conuinced by scriptures to fal into dislike of them and to accuse them as for the children of God they cannot either calumniate or lightly estéeme their heauenly fathers testameÌ„t or refuse to heare his voice but the scriptures conteine a declaration of the eternall testament of our heauenly father and therefore they are rightly called his testament in the scriptures also God speaketh vnto vs. and therefore if we be Christs sheepe we caÌ„not but hearken to his voice My sheepe saith our l Iohn 10. Sauiour heare my voice but the Romish church is still carping at scriptures as if they were neither sufficient nor perspicuous m Lib. 4. de verl die c. 4. Bellarmine saith they are neither necessarie nor sufficient without traditions n Praefat in reâ—act princip doctr Stapleton denieth them to be a sufficient foundation or rule of our faith the authors of the annotations vpon the Rhemish testament doe call them most blasphemously a killing letter and signifie that the reading of them is pernicious o Censur coloâ— others slander them as if they were a nose of waxe or a matter and subiect of contention argument 8 The church of God neuer called the bishop of Rome either a god on the earth or Christes vicar generall or vniuersall bishop but the church of Rome admitteth all this the canonists exalt him like a god p Epist ad Gregorium 13. ante princip doct Stapleton calleth him supremum numen in terris generally they call him vniuersall bishop and condemne all that hold contrary argument 9 The church of God doth kéepe the doctrine of the apostles and prophets q Gal. 1. without addition alteration or corruption and the apostle pronounceth him accursed r Aduers haeres c. 34. that teacheth any other Gospel than that which he taught Vincentius Lirinensis saith that this is the propertie of catholicks to kéepe the faith and doctrine of the fathers committed to them in trust and to condemne prophane nouelties CatholicoruÌ„ saith he hoc ferè proprium deposita sanctorum patrum commissa seruare damnare prophanas vocum nouitates sicut dixit iterum dixit apostolus si quis annuntiauerit praeterquam quod acceptum est anathematizare but the papists kéepe not entire the originall writings of the olde and new testament nor allow them as authenticall neither will they yéeld the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect and sufficient rule of faith nor doe they allow the law of God to be a perfect law nor doe they kéepe Christes institution in the Sacrament of the Lords supper distributing the kinds of bread and wine to the communicants but haue vnto this rule added vnwritten traditions and the determinations of popes concerning matters of faith they haue also encreased the numbers of Sacraments and added many precepts and rules not receiued in the Apostolicke church argument 10 The true Church can not endure hereticks and false apostles that teach doctrine contrary to the faith of Christ and doctrine of Christes apostles Christ Iesus speaking of his shéepe saith They will not follow a stranger but flie from him for that they know not the voice of strangers The apostles gaue vnto Christians a speciall charge concerning this point If there come any vnto you saith S. Å¿ Epist 2. Iohn and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither salute him Tantum apostoli horum discipuli saith t Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 3. Irenaeus habuerunt timorem vt neque verbotenus communicarent alicui eorum qui adulterauerant veritatem Let vs separate our selues saith Cyprian as farre from them as they separate themselues from the church The true church certes can not embrace erroneous doctrine neither can any heretiks be accounted Christians Si haeretici sint saith u De praescrip aduers haeret Tertullian Christianiesse non possunt But the Papists communicate with hereticks as Liberius Felix Vigilius Honorius Iohn the 22. and 23. whom in my treatise De pontifice Rom. I declared to be heretiks they do also embrace the heresie of Angelicks in worshipping angels of the Collyridians in worshipping the blessed Virgin of Marcion Valentinus and others in denying Christes true bodie in the Sacrament to be solide and palpaple of the Pelagians in magnifying their merits and the force of frée will of the Carpocratians in burning incense and worshipping the images of Iesus and Paul and diuers others as we shall héereafter particularly declare argument 11 The true Church of Christ admitteth not the apocryphal legends of S. George Cyricus and Iulitta for these are condemned by the censure of Gelasius who testifieth that the olde Church of Rome receiued not any such legends but the latter Church of Rome and papists of our time doe admit these legends and out them they gather their traditions which they make equall to the word of God argument 12 The Church of God is the mistresse and teacher of trueth and admitteth no falshood nor vntrueth the apostle doeth call her the pillar and ground of trueth Est fons veritatis saith x Instit diuin lib. 4. c. vlt. Lactantius speaking of the church hoc est domicilium fidei that is she is the fountaine of trueth she is the house where true faith dwelleth but the church of Rome that now is is not only a receptacle of leud opinions but also the mother and mistresse of lies and vanities and so Petrarch for aboue two hundred yéeres doubted not to call her Madre d'errori e tempio d'haeresia saith he which authoritie albeit they regard not yet the same which he auoucheth is prooued first in that the church of Rome auoucheth lying traditions as for example the tradition concerning Ember fasts and fasts vpon Saints vigiles concerning the ceremonies of the masse concerning the words aeterni mysterium fidei thrust into the words of consecration of the challice and such like secondly the same approoueth lying and forged decretals as for example C. Constantinus dist 96. and c. ego Ludouicus dist 63. and c. quis nesciat dist 11. infinit more of that nature thirdly the same giueth credit to Caesar Baronius his most lying and fabulous narrations and the popes haue commended them
by solemne decretals although we doubt not but to make the vanitie of them appeare partly in this discourse but farre more at large hereafter finally the same admitteth most lying legends and now and then permitteth them to be read publikely in the church as for example the legends of Catherine Clement Gregory called also Thaumaturgus Peter Martyr a dominican S. Catharine of Siena S. Christopher and diuers others in the legend of S. Catherine y In breuiaer Ro. in festâ— Catharinae they write that she was a maiden of Alexandria and so well learned that at the age of eighteene yeeres she passed the most learned and in dispute ouercame fiftie Philosophers and that also she conuerted Faustina the empresse and Porphyrius a captaine of the emperors to the faith they say also that she broke the tormenting wheele with her praiers that after her death her body was buried in mount Sinah by angels in the feast of S. Clement in the Romish breuiary we read that Clement Peters successor was by Traian sent into the wildernesse of z Let Parsons tell vs where this is Cersona and that there he saw a lambe make a well to sally out of the top of the mountaine and that he being cast into the sea with a millstone about his necke the sea fled three miles from the shore and that in the very same place a little chappell was found in the sea where his body was bestowed On the festiuall day of Gregory of Neocesaria the church of Rome a In breuiar Rom. appointeth his legend to be read where it is said that he caused the riuer of Lycus to keepe within the chanell by planting his staffe on the banke and that his staffe grew presently into a great tree in the rituall books of Sarum we read that Gregory the first deliuered Traians soule out of hell which if it were true why is it now crossed out of the new bookes if false how hapeneth it that the church of Rome so long beléeued that tale b I'n breuiar Rom. in fest Petr. Mart. Peter Martyr one of Dominickes order as they write I thinke beléeue did keepe his virginity both in body and minde and in that sort that he neuer felt himselfe defiled with any mortall sinne they tell vs also that he did fast so long that he could scarce open his mouth to eat They tell vs further many wonders of Saint Nicolas Valerian and Tiburtius Lucia Christopher and other saints in the c Historia Louâ—bard del volto santo italic legend of Ieames of the colepit for else I cannot tell how to English Iacobus de Voragne we read that a certaine picture of our sauiour did lift vp his foot and cast off his slipper to a certaine pilgrime that deuoutly stood before it and would haue offred somewhat having nothing to offer Of Saint Catherine of Siena they say that she was betrothed to our sauiour Christ all which points are very incredible and not to be found in any authenticall writing If then the church of Rome publish and teach these fables and lies then is she no mistresse of trueth but of lies if Robert Parsons will say they are no lies I would pray him to declare vs the trueth out of authenticall histories argument 13 The faith of Gods true church cannot be built vpon any vncertainty or vntrueth for faith is an argument certaine or an euidence of things not seene est fides saith the d Hebr. 11. apostle sperandarum rerum substantia argumentum non apparentium and it is built on Christ Iesus that is trueth and on a rocke that is unmouable neither neede we long profes for this point for the aduersaries themselues confesse this to be true Nihil saith Thomas Aquinas cadere potest sub fide nisi inquantum stat sub veritate prima sub qua nullum falsum stare potest and afterward he saith quod fidei non potest subesse aliquod falsum if then the faith of the church of Rome be grounded on falshood then is it no true faith and if that churches faith be no faith then is not that church the true church but that the faith of the church of Rome is built vpon diuers false positions it may easily be proued for first the same beleeueth that the traditions of the church of Rome are either descended from Christ or the apostles for the most part and namely such as concerne the canon and ceremonies of the masse fastes praiexs for the dead praiers to saints and such like secondly it beleeueth all the determinations of popes concerning faith and manners to be true and infallible as for example that it is necessary for euery christian to be subiect to the Pope that he hath power to depose kings to giue power to cutthrotes to kill kings to dispense with the vncle to marry his neece with the brother to marry his brothers wife and such like thirdly that church beléeueth what is contained in the breuiary and missale as for example the stories or rather legends of Saint Christopher Saint George Saint Catherine and such like finally the same must beléeue whatsoeuer the Pope shall determine to be de fide But among such traditions determinations and legendes there are diuers both false and ridiculous fables neither can it be denied but that the Pope hath determined and may also determine falsely and contrary to the faith and this is shewed in my bookes de Pontifice Rom. at large e Lib. 4. de pontif Rom. and cannot be denied unlesse Robert Parsons can prooue vnto vs that all the Popes decretales concerning matters of faith and maners and all the traditions of that church and all legendes are true which to him will be a matter of some difficulty argument 14 The church of Christ is bounded within the limits of the holy canonicall scriptures habet vrbes legis prophetarum euangelii saith Saint f In Mich. lib. 1. c. 1. Hierome and againe non est egressa de finibus suis id est de scripturis sanctis he g Ibidem c. 7. saith also that it is the property of heretickes to flie to mens commandements and the leauen of the pharisees S. h Lib. 19. de ciuit Dei c. 18. Augustine also concureth with him and saith that the city of God beleeueth the holy scriptures that are called canonicall but of other reports he saith she doubteth but the church of Rome will not be bounded within the limites of holy scriptures neither will she acknowledge the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule of faith the same also from scriptures flieth to vnwritten traditions and is much soured with the leauen of the pharisées and mixture of Popish and Iewish ceremonies deuised and established by men finally the same doth rather or at the least as soone beleeue the determination of the Pope as the letter of holy scriptures for in the Pope Stapleton placeth the chiefe authority of the church
testimony of Iustine Martyr apolog 2. of Dionyfius ecclesiast hierarch c. 3. of Origen lib. 8. contra Celsum of Hierome in epitaph Paulae ad Eustochium and in his 17. epistle to Marcella of Ambrose de sacramentis and Cyrill catech 5. and others doth declare but the Romish church will haue no other tongue vsed in the common liturgy of the westerne church and publike administration of the sacraments but the latin of which the vulgar people scarce vnderstand one word argument 48 The true church of Christ contenteth herselfe with the religion first taught by Christ his apostles for vpon the fouÌ„dation of their doctrine is the church built and as b Lib. 4. contra Marciâ—n Tertullian saith id verius quod prius id prius quod ab apostolis contrariwise c Aduershares c. 26. Vincentius Litinensis saith that is a tricke of heretikes not to content themselues with the ancient rule of faith but to seeke nouelties from day to day and to desire to adde to change to take away but the church of Rome first denieth the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule of faith secondly the same is departed from the doctrine of the apostles thirdly the same is bound to beléeue all determinations and decretales of popes concerning matters of faith finally that church hath added and changed the ancient faith argument 49 True christians neuer kissed the popes toe nor admitted his outragious dispensations or gréeuous lawes nor were tied to beléeue that the popes iudgement in matters of faith was vnfallible but the Romish church thinketh it a great fauour to kisse his pantofle and séeketh for dispensations at his hands and beareth all his burdensome lawes albeit not with out great grudging as may appeare by Peter de Alliaco his treatise de reformatione ecclesiae by Vllerstones petitions proposed in the councell of Constance and diuers complaints both of English French and Dutch finally if they doe not yéeld his iudgement to be infallible then must they confesse that the church of Rome is built rather on sand than on a rocke argument 50 The church of Christ neuer beléeued that the bishop of Rome could depose princes take their crownes from them or that they could dispense with subiects for their othes of allegeance to their liege princes nay the apostles teach obedience to princes and Peter did rather exhort to obedience then rebellion the canons that goe vnder the names of the d Can. 83. apostles doe seuerely punish such as doe speake reprochfully of princes and magistrates and certes most vnlike it was that euer king or prince would haue embraced christian religion if the same had giuen power to bishops to depose them from their regall throne and to subiects to rebell against their liege soueraignes but papists doe beléeue and e Bellar. lib. 5. de pontif Rom. c. 6. 7. 8. teach that the pope hath power to depose kings and to translate kingdomes from one to another they also do beléeue that he hath power to dispense with the othes of subiects to command them to rebel Howsoeuer the rest beléeue pope f In Bulla contra Elizabetham Pius the fift most wickedly commanded her Maiesties subiects to take armes against her vpon paine of excommunication and the like insolency did g In declarat eiusdem bullae Sixtus quintus vse against her being the Lords annointed and he being the greased and marked slaue of satan both he and Pius quintus doe wickedly raile against her and the like course did that flagitious pope h In bulla contr Henric. 8. Paule the third take against her Maiesties noble father and this is now the popes and their agents most common practise to raise sedition against christian princes and when they cannot otherwise doe hurt like helhounds to barke against them and to publish infamous libels tending to their dishonour and disgrace argument 51 The true church of Christ is also catholike and compriseth all the faithfull of all times and is not limited within any one countrey or nation for our Sauiour Christ commanded his apostles to teach all nations and in our créed we beléeue the catholike church now this catholike church as saint i In psal 56. Augustine saith is spred throughout all the world and conteineth not onely those that are present but those also that are past and are yet to come but the Romish church is not catholike neither doeth it conteine the Greekes or Africanes or men of Asia that for many ages past haue shaken off the yoke of antichrist of Rome further it doeth not reach to the people of God before Christ finally k Lib. de ecclesia milit c. 2. Bellarmine doeth define those onely to be of the church which liue vnder the obedience of the pope this church therefore differeth much from the catholike church argument 52 The true church consisteth not of fierce lyons nor of wolues nor tygers nor such like wilde and fierce beastes but of sheepe and lambes which learne of Christ and are méeke humble and gentle these did Christ commit to Peter and all godly pastors his successors to be fed and these are the members of his church and not those cruell ones that are more like to lyons then shéepe they shall not hurt nor kill saith God by his holy l Isai 11. prophet in all my holy mountaine nay the force of Christes religion is such that it maketh sauage and fierce people to become méeke and gentle the wolfe saith the m ibidem prophet shall dwell with the lambe and the pard shall lie with the kidde quis coegit barbaros gentesque alias in suis sedibus saith n Lib. de incarnat verb. Athanasius immanitatem deponere pacifica meditari nisi christi fides crucis signaculum Optatus in his second booke against Parmenian speaking of catholickes to heretickes which of vs saith he hath persecuted any man can you shew or proue that any of you hath bene persecuted by vs But the Romish church doth consist of lyons tygers wolues and inquisitors popes and friers more fierce and cruell then lyons tygers and wolues their o Extr. de haereticis per tot lawes are most cruell their executions notwithstanding passe both law and reason In the time of Charles the emperor the fift of that name it is recorded p Meteran de Belgit tumult that aboue fifty thousand persons were condemned by sentences of inquisitors and iudges and executed to death in the low countries for the profession of their faith In France as the stories of that country declare thréescore thousand christians without all order of law and contrary to solemne othes giuen them by the king for their security were most shamefully and trecherously murdered and massacred for the profession of their relion at the kings sisters mariage Circiter sexaginta hominum millia saith q Hist Nat. com lib. 23. p. 508. Natalis Comes speaking
of one onely massacre committed anno 1572. variis in locis per illud tempus trucidata fuisse dicta sunt in Gallia and so extraordinary was the fury of the papistes that they spared neither age sex nor quality vel puberes vel impuberes saith he trucidati sunt neque vllius sexus vel aetatis vel dignitatis habita est ratio neither may we thinke that they haue shewed lesse cruelty against christians in Spaine Italy or Germany as for the realme of England it hath sufficient experience of the aduersaries extreme rage and cruelty by the short and bloody raigne of Queene Mary And can any christian man notwithstanding endure to nourish vp yong wolues and tygers within our bosomes The r Apocal. 17. Romish harlot is drunke with the blood of the saintes and hath her garments made red with the slaughter of innocentes that therefore which Optatus lib. 2. contr Parmen saith of the Donatistes may with good reason be applied to papistes Iacerati sunt viri tractatae sunt matronae in fantes necati abacti partus ecce vestra ecclesia episcopis ducibus cruentis morsibus pasta est for by the Romanistes many innocent christians haue bene tormented and murdered women haue bene abused infantes haue bene cut in péeces women haue bene forced to loose their children and they haue fedde themselues with cruelty and the popes of Rome and their agentes haue bene ringleaders in these cruell executions they are therefore professed enimies rather then members of Christes church argument 53 The catholicke church neuer shewed more fauour to Iewes and infidels then to Christians that misliked the pompe tyranny and corrupt doctrine maners of the popes or bishops of Rome for with her children the church dealeth like a kinde mother most mildely she correcteth them if they offend genly and instructteth them carefully contrariwise she auoideth those that will not heare her admonitions and conuerseth not with them Christian emperors Å¿ Hac valitura C. de Iudaeis Caellâ—olis excluded the Iewes from all gouernment and authority in the common wealth t ibidem they did also restraine their insolencies with diuers sharpe lawes the like u Cod. de paganis sacrif templ course also they tooke with pagans and infidels shutting vp their impious temples and forbidding their sacrifices and idolatries but the Romish sinagogue doth procéede by a contrary course for she massacreth and murthreth christians resembling that vnnatural whore that before Salomon would haue the childe in controuersy cutte in peeces but the Iewes and wicked atheistes she nourisheth so they meddle not with the popes scuruinesse the popes by their inquisitors and executioners torment christians and receiue tribute of Iewes that dwell quietly in Rome x Onuphr in Alexandr 6. Alexander the sixt receiued Turks and Maranes into Rome when the Spaniardes could not endure them in Spaine and all popes shew more fauour to Turks than to such Christians as come within the reach of the Spanish or popish inquisition argument 54 The true church neuer sought either by forgery and falsification of mens writings or by lying and slandering to aduance the cause of religion for trueth is sufficient and strong enough of it selfe and néedeth not to be supported with falshood and lies Among ancient Christians false witnesses and slanderers were so fare from being estéemed in the church that they were quite excluded out of the church as appeareth by the acts of the councell of Agatha c. 27. and councell of Eliberis in Spaine c. 73. 74. but the church of Rome perceiuing that she cannot preuaile by plaine trueth and honest dealing goeth now about by suppressing of trueth and forging of counterfeit canons and false writings and by all maner of vntrueths and slanders to abuse the ignorant and simple multitude the scriptures as much as she can she suppresseth in vnknowen languages and corrupteth by making the olde Latin translation authenticall she deuiseth and spreadeth abroad false traditions and setteth out falshood vnder the names of false canons and constitutions vnder the name of the apostles false canons of councels counterfeit treatises set out vnder the name of Origen Athanasius Ambrose Nazianzene Hierome Chrysostome Augustine Epiphanius and other fathers forged decretale epistles vnder the names of Clement Anacletus Euaristus and other ancient bishops of Rome that were neuer acquainted either with such matters or such a stile Of late time most audaciously the Popes agents haue taken vnto them power to put out and to put in and to change what they list in mens writings of which forgery their expurgatorie indexes do plainly conuince them Bellarmine he with all his witte wresteth scriptures and fathers to serue his cause Caesar Baronius out of Simeon Metaphrastes Iacobus de Voragine Surius and such like fabulous legends hath sent vs from Rome whole cartlodes of lies To help him Alanus Copus or rather Harpsfield Alfonsus Ciacone and diuers popish companions haue set out diuers notorious and ridiculous fables finally to disgrace the trueth by slanderous accusations of such as haue shewed themselues forward in defence of it the popish faction hath hired Sanders Robert Parsons Creswel Cope or rather Harpesfield Genebrard Surius Cochleus Stapleton Allen Ribaldineira Bolsecus Laingius and other such like sycophants to raile aswell against princes as inferiour ministers can this company then be the true church that delighteth in lying slandering railing cogging and plaine forging argument 55 That cannot be the true church that offereth sacrifice to other then the true God that made heauen and earth qui sacrificat dijs eradicabitur praeterquam domino soli saith y Exod. 22. God to Moyses S. z De ciuit Dei lib. 10. c. 4. Augustine saith that God only is to be serued with sacrifices of praises and thankesgiuing and to haue the worship of Latria done to him Iohn Apocalyp 22. fell downe vt adoraret ante pedes angeli that is that he might worship before the feet of the angel but the angel forbad him and said vide ne feceris see thou do it not and afterward Deum adora The papists also confesse that the worship of sacrifices is due to God alone Sacrificium saith a Lib. 1. de missa c. 2. Bellar. est externa oblatio facta soli Deo he addeth superfluously the word externa for if we may not offer externall sacrifices to creatures much lesse may we offer our internal deuotions and sacrifices vnto them But the Romish church doth offer the sacrifices of incense of praiers and thanksgiuing not only to God but also to angels to the virgin Mary and to other saints In their Letanies they call vpon the virgin Mary vpon the angels vpon saints they confesse their sinnes to them and yéeld them thanks for benefits receiued neither do they offer incense only to saints but to their images either planted on the altar or néere vnto it finally they confesse that they say masses in the honour
call Rome vnder the popes false and wicked Babylon Gia Roma saith he hor ' Babylonia fals'eria his opinion is likewise confirmed by the bishop of Salzburg Auentin lib. 7. Michael Cesenas Petrus Blesensis and others and so guilty are the Romanists in their owne conscience that either they can not endure the interpretation of the Reuelation of S. Iohn or els they giue out such vaine constructions of it as neither satisfie themselues nor others argument 63 The true church of Christ did neuer worship S. Peter nor the ancient bishops of Rome nor did S. Peter suffer himselfe to be worshipped or carried on mens shoulders or to haue his pantofle kissed but the Romish church doth worship the pope and call him a god on the earth and Christes vicar and the foundation and spouse and head of the church the bishop of Modrusa in the councell of Lateran cried out to Leo the tenth te beatissime Leo saluatorem expectauimus others beare him on their shoulders others crie out to the pope to haue mercy on them others leade his palfrey others kisse his féet argument 64 The true church did alwaies reuerently thinke of the holy mysteries of Christian religion and accordingly did she vse them it is a common saying that holy things are respectiuely and reuerently to be vsed But the Romish church neither thinketh nor beléeueth reuerently nor vseth the mysteries of Christian religion so respectiuely as the holinesse and grauity of such things require one pope cast the eucharist into the fire Hildebrandus saith x In vita Gragor 7. Beno sacramentum corporis Domini responsa diuina contra imperatorem quaerens iniecit igni Pius Quintus cast one Agnus Dei into the water of Tybre y In vita de Pio 5. and another into the fire Cresciuto il Teuere saith Hierome Catena Pio vi gittò vn ' agnus Dei il fuoco appreso in vna casa piena di fieno vi si gitto vn altero All papists for the most part affirme that if a dogge or hogge or mouse eat a consecrate host he eateth the body of Christ really and properly the conspirators that were suborned by Sixtus Quartus to kill Laurence and Iulian de Medici were commanded to do it in the church and at the instant of the eleuation of the sacrament Dato signo saith z Lib. Geograph 5. Volateran cum eucharistia tolleretur When the pope rideth abroad he sendeth his corpus Domini before with the baggage and with the basest seruants of his house as Mouluc in a treatise directed to the Quéene mother of France declareth finally albeit the papists teach that the crosse is to be worshipped with latria or diuine worship yet doe the popes make crosses on their slippers to shew what base reckoning they make of their religion argument 65 The church of Christ is a society of beléeuing and faithfull people and a communion of saints this is an article of our faith that is proued by the definition and nature of the church but the Romish church requireth in her followers no more to make them her true members but that they professe the Romish faith outwardly and communicate with the church in sacraments and be subiect to the pope vt aliquis aliquo modo dici possit pars verae ecclesiae de qua scripturae loquuntur non putamus requiri vllam internam virtutem saith a De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine so by his account the church may consist of hereticks and most wicked persons so they make an externall profession of Christianitie and holde with the pope but such can not be parts or members of Christes church without true faith and charity argument 66 b Matth. 18. Whosoeuer heareth not the church is to be accounted as a heathen man or publican but he that heareth not the church of Rome that excommunicateth Christian princes and stirreth vp subiects to rebellion and debaseth holy scriptures and setteth vp vncerteine and false traditions and mainteineth false doctrine idolatry and heresie is neither to be accounted a publican nor a heathen man but a true Christian and follower of Christ Iesus the papists will denie perhaps the church of Rome to be guilty of this crime but the wicked excommunications of Paul the third denounced against Henry the 8. K. of England of Pius 5. Sixtus Quintus against her Maiesty and of other popes against other princes and the stirres that haue ensued of them doe prooue them to be authors of rebellion the rest we haue already touched and shall more at large proue hereafter argument 67 c Lib. de notis ecclesiae Bellarmine confesseth and all papists agree with him first that the true church of Christ is the catholicke church and maintaineth catholicke doctrine 2. that the same is most ancient sine dubio saith he vera ecclesia antiquior est qùam falsa 3. that the same shall alwaies continue ecclesia dicitur catholica non solum quia semper fuit sed etiam quia semper erit saith Bellarmine 4. that it shall be enlarged to the endes of the earth ecclesia catholica saith he non solum debet amplecti omnia tempora sed etiam omnia loca omnes nationes omnia hominum genera 5. that it hath a succession of bishops certaine and continuall 6. that it consenteth with the apostolicke church in the doctrine of faith sexta nota saith Bellar. est conspiratio in doctrina cum ecclesia antiqua 7. that it be vnited to Christ Iesus and haue the partes vnited among themselues septima nota saith he est vnio mēbrorum inter se cum capite 8. they confesse also that the doctrine of the church is holy 9. that it is effectuall 10. that the authors of the docttrine of the church are holy ecclesia enim saith Bellar. habet doctores sanctos 11. that the same is adorned with miracles prophecie 12. that the aduersaries of the church confesse the doctrine thereof to be true and finally that such as haue fauored the church haue prosperous successe and such as disfauour it euill successe and vnhappie endes but the Romish church is neither called catholicke of all nor is it catholicke in respect of place or doctrine nor is the same ancient the doctrine of popery being not established but since the councell of Lateran vnder Innocent the third the first father of transubstantiation enacted for the most part by the conuenticles of Constance Florence Trent nor hath the Romish church any assurance that it shall alwaies continue seing the same dependeth on the Pope and his determinations in neither of which is there any certainty for the pope may be taken away as saith d De auserribilit papae Gerson and his decrées doe oftentimes alter e Epist 2. ad Bohemos Nicholas of Cusia saith that the scriptures are to be fitted to the time and that they are diuersly to be vnderstood and that God doth
alter his iudgement according to the iudgement of the church we sée also that the popes are still publishing decretales of faith and that one destroieth that which another buildeth and contrariwise 4. it were plaine impudency to affirme that the doctrine of the church of Rome concerning frée will and works sacraments and the popes authority and such like points was alwaies taught and receiued of all nations and in all places and that shall appeare by diuers perticulars where wée declare that the papists are no catholickes 5. that church hath no certaine nor continuall succession of bishops for neither doe the aduersaries know who succeded Peter nor what bishops from time to time succeded one another nor haue the popes bene true bishops a long time wanting due election and ordination and relinquishing vtterly the office of bishops to rule the temporall state of Rome nor can they deny but that the succession of that sée hath bene often interrupted by long vacations distraction by schisme intrusion of Dame Ioane into the popedome 6 we shall easily proue that the doctrine of that church agréeth not with the apostles doctrine for I doe not thinke that Bellar. can shew the decretales to consent with Paules epistles or to haue bene written with the same spirit 7. the papists haue not onely ouerthrowne Christs propheticall office in teaching new doctrine but also his regall and priestly function appointing a new gouernment neuer established by him and erecting a new priesthood and sacrifice contrary to Christes doctrine furthermore that church not onely hath bene oftentimes distracted by schisme but also is much distracted by contrary opinions of schoolemen monks and friers in euery point of doctrine as to goe no further appeareth both by Dionysus Carthusianus vpon the master of sentences Iosephus Angles his Flores doctorum and Bellarmines disputations wherein he alledgeth in euery point diuers opinions 8. their decretaline doctrine is neither sound nor holy standing more on temporall iurisdiction then pointes of faith and establishing the blasphemies of the masse the idolatrous worship of saints departed and of images and the tyranny of the pope 9. the same doctrine is without effect being vpholden with lies fables fraud fire and sword and not being otherwise able to stand 10. Gregory the 9. was a most wicked ambitious man of Boniface the 8. it is said that he sought rather to rule by force then religion Clement the 5. was a notorious adulterer as f Villani Vrsperg stories write Iohn the 22. was an hereticke an ambitious man yet were these the principall authors of Romish doctrine for as for friers and monkes they might prate their pleasure but the chiefe authority to allow or disallow was in the pope 11. the reportes of Romish miracles and prophecies are nothing but lies and fables and stand onely vpon the report of their legendes 12. Bellarmine shall neuer prooue that any of vs haue confessed the doctrine of popery to be true finally it appeareth that the popes of Rome and their agents in most of their attempts haue had no good successe Charles the fift and his sonne Philip the greatest protectors of the popish cause died discontent to say no more Henry the third the principall agent in the massacre of France was killed by a frier The duke of Guise and other massacrers came to violent ends contrariwise it hath pleased God to maintaine true Christians against all the forces and ambuscadaes of their enimies by small meanes if then Bellarmine say true the Romish church will prooue no true church argument 68 The church of Rome is also conuinced not to be the true church by the confession of g Relect. doct princip contron 1. q. 5. Stapleton for if the true church began at Hierusalem and is vniuersally dispersed ouer the whole earth and hath continued in all ages and hath a true and certeine succession continued from the apostles and disagreeth not about matters of faith nor dissenteth from the head of the church and hath planted christian religion and preserued the same throughout the world and hath kept the apostolike forme of gouernment and preuailed against all heresies and temptations keeping the rule of faith sound and intiere and also sheweth the true way of saluation and keepeth the scriptures sound pure from corruption and finally holdeth the decrees of general councels as blundring h Princip doctrinal relectis Stapleton not onely confesseth but after his rude and most odious and tedious fashion with multitude of words goeth about to prooue then is not the church of Rome that now is the true church of Christ Iesus for to say that the church of Rome began at Hierusalem is as absurd as to say that Rome is Hierusalem or to affirme that Rome now is like to old Rome Robert Parsous should do vs a speciall fauour to shew vnto vs that the glory and fulnesse of power that the pope challengeth with his glorious cardinals masse priests mitred prelats idle monks lying friers and all the popes doctrine concerning the law faith sacraments ceremonies and other matters came from Hierusalem he may do well also to prooue that the latter scholastical decretaline doctrine which the church of Rome mainteineth was vniuersally receiued throughout the world nay that it was receiued in any part of the world during the apostles times or the times of the ancient fathers of the church as for the rocke of succession of popes vpon which our aduersaries build so large conclusions i Lib. de pontif Rom. de notis ecclesiae we haue shewed it to be nothing but a banke of sand for neuer shall the popes agents be able to shew the same to haue beene certeine or continued without interruptiō it is also apparent that popish doctrine is not onely diuers from Christs doctrine but also contrarie to the same and that there are infinit contradictions and contrarieties in the opinions of the chiefe patrons of popery albeit all dissent from Christ the head of the church the church of Rome hath also béene torne in pieces by diuers schismes further we shall héereafter shew that the later popes haue not planted but rather rooted out Christian religion out of diuers places and in the rest haue corrupted it with diuers nouelties and heresies finally the church of Rome hath not onely abrogated ancient canons and changed the ancient forme of church gouernment but also corrupted the rule of faith by adding of vnwritten traditions determinations of popes and their fancies to the canonicall scriptures the gates of hell therefore preuailing against the church and popes of Rome it is easily to be inferred that the same is not the true church argument 69 Héere we will also adde the testimony of Bristow a man as the aduersaries imagine well séene in motiues and markes of the church He k Bristowes motiues commendeth that for the true church that is catholike and apostolike and which abhorreth all nouelties heresies and
they professe their religion will neuer prooue ancient nor catholike not ancient for that diuers doctrines and traditions which they hold are new and vnheard of in the ancient catholike church argument 1 First they teach vs that the holy canonicall scriptures are no perfect canon of our faith for this doctrine is gathered out of the decrée of the councell of Trent that with equall affection embraceth vnwritten traditions and canonicall scriptures e Lib. 4. de verbo Dei c. 12. Bellarmine saith that scriptures are a part of the canon or rule of faith and not a whole rule dico secundò saith he scripturam etsi non sit facta praecipuè vt sit regula fidei esse tamen regulam fidei non totalem sed partialem f De doctrin princip li. 7. c. 1. Stapleton beside scriptures frameth a new rule which he calleth the order of tradition but this doctrine is new and contrary both to scriptures and fathers The g 2. Tim. 3. apostle he teacheth vs that the scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect and furnished for euery good worke he teacheth vs also that they are able to make vs wise to saluation likewise the fathers testifie that the scriptures are a perfect canon sufficiunt sanctae ac diuinitus inspitatae scripturae saith h Lib. contr idola Athanasius ad veritatis indicationem Basil in serm de fid confess saith it is an argument of infidelity and pride either to reiect scriptures or to bring in matter not conteined in scriptures he meaneth in questions of faith cum habeamus omnium exactissimam trutinam gnomonem regulam diuinarum legum assertionem saith i In 2. ad Corinth homil 13. Chrysostome oro vos omnes vt relinquatis quid huic vel illi videatur de his à scripturis haec omnia inquirite Tertullian writing against Hermogenes saith that he adoreth the fulnesse of scriptures And saint k Lib. 2. de doctr Christian c. 9. Augustine teacheth that all things concerning faith and maners are found in scriptures clearely propounded to conclude this point most derogatory it were to Gods diuine wisedome if any man should suppose the scripture to be an imperfect canon or halfe a rule or maimed doctrine as the papistes lately haue begun to teach argument 2 They haue made the bookes of Tobia Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus Machabeies and such fragments of bookes as are in the old Latin interpreter and not in Hebrew equall to the bookes of Moyses and other prophets and to the writings also of the apostles this is the determination of the councell of Trent and the common doctrine now of the Iebusites and papists but new and no way approoued by the ancient church for these bookes were neuer allowed by any prophets or by the church of God before Christs time nor did the ancient fathers allow them Gregory in his morals lib. 19. c. 16. directly affirmeth the bookes of Machabeis not to be canonicall sicut ergo Iudith Tobiae Machabaeorum libros legit quidem ecclesia saith l In Prouerb Solomon Hierome sed eos inter canonicas scripturas non recipit he saith m In praefat in lib. paralip also where controuersie is concerning Apocryphall writings we must haue recourse to the Hebrews neither doth Augustine so make them canonicall as he reputeth them equall to other scriptures as appeareth by his words lib. 18. de ciuit dei c. 36. conrra Gaudent lib. 2. c. 23. nay Sixtus Senensis albeit he make all these bookes canonicall yet doeth he not giue to all equall authoritie let vs therefore sée any ancient writer that alloweth the decrée of the councell of Trent if the papists will not haue all men sée that they haue innouated the very canon of the Christian faith argument 3 They haue also made the old Latin translation authenticall contrary not onely to reason séeing it differeth not onely from the originall bookes but also is contrary to it selfe as may appeare by the editions of Sixtus Quintus and Clement the 8. but also to antiquity which as appeareth by the testimony of Hierome and Augustine alwaies preferred the originall bookes in matter of difference before translations argument 4 Concerning the interpretation of scriptures the conuenticle of Trent n Sess 4. determineth that no man shall interpret them against that sense and meaning which the holy mother church holdeth to whome it belongeth to iudge of the true meaning and interpretation of scriptures end by the church they vnderstand the the pope and church of Rome but this act is altogether new for we do not finde that euer the easterne or African churches were forbidden to interpret scriptures as well as the church of Rome or that the fathers of the church were tied to expound scriptures after the opinions of the bishop of Rome nay we finde that no interpretations are more absurd then theirs or more contrary to the meaning of the holy ghost as for example may appeare in these two points In the law of Moyses we are expresly forbidden to make grauen images to worship them but the church of Rome interpreteth these words so galantly that men may both make grauen images and worship them our sauior Christ saith bibitē ex hoc omnes but the Romanistes turne it contrary and will haue no communicantes to drinke of the Lords cuppe but the priest onely argument 5 In time past o Dist 15. c. sancta Romana Christians were forbidden to read the legends of Quiricus Iulitta and George the 8. books of Clement the acts of Tecla and Paul the booke of the assumption of the virgine Mary and such like The acts also of Siluestre bishop of Rome and writings concerning the inuention of the holy crosse and of the head of Saint Iohn Baptist were doubted of but now these legends for the most part are the grounds of Romish traditions which the church of Rome placeth in equall ranke with holy canonicall scriptures is it not then apparent that the very grounds of Romish traditions are laid vpon fables and of late inuention argument 6 The foundation of the ancient apostolicke faith was laid vpon the scriptures as is euident for that the city and church of God is built vpon the prophets and apostles Christ Iesus being the corner stone p Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Ieremy saith that the apostles first preached the gospell and afterward by the will of God deliuered the same in scriptures that they might be a foundation and piller of our faith but now Bellar. teachech vs that the pope is the foundation of the church and Stapleton doubteth not to q De doctr princip in praefat say that the pope is the chiefe subiect of ecclesiasticall authority and r Cancanonicis dist 19. Gratian like a shamelesse fellow vnder the name of Saint Augustine doubteth not to recken the popes decretale epistles among the canonicall scriptures argument 7 Stapleton
laieth 7. principles or grounds of Christian doctrine ſ Lib. 1. doct◠princip c. 1. whereof the first concerneth the church of Rome the second concerneth the pope the third the meanes that the pope vseth in iudgement the fourth the popes infallible iudgement the fift his power in taxing the canon the sixt his certaine interpretation of scriptures the seuenth his power in deliuering doctrine not written Which principles are not onely new but the most rascall deuises that euer procéeded out of the mouth of a diuine or man of learning for among all these principles neither the scriptures nor ancient rules of faith are numbred nay in plaine termes he doubteth not to affirme that Christian religion is built vpon the popes authority in hac docentis hominis authoritate saith t In praefat ante relect princip doctrinal he in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscendae fundamentū necessario poni credimus but if this be the foundation of popish religion then before Stapletons time that religion had no foundation for no man euer heard of either such principles or such a foundation so laid argument 8 We finde that the religion of papists concerning the masse and transubstantiation and diuers other points of faith is founded vpon the decretales of popes but these decretales were not collected into forme nor established for law before Gregory the 9. Boniface the 8. Clement the 5. and Iohn the 22. by whose authority as appeareth by the seuerall prefaces of Gregory the 9. Boniface the 8. and Iohn bishop of Rome that published the Clementines secondly it appeareth for that in all these bookes there is but very few constitutions of ancient bishops of Rome thirdly for that by the lawes of the Code and canons of councels it appeareth that the church for aboue a thousand yeares was gouerned by the lawes of Emperors and generall councels fourthly for that Aeneas Syluius confesseth that before the councell of Nice the church of Rome was not respected and finally for that he that maketh the collection of the Popes lawes and Bulles that were authenticall u In Bullari◠beginneth with Gregory the 7. that was a thousand yeares after Christ which he would not haue done if he could haue found any lawes more ancient than his Indéed I confesse that now and then our aduersaries produce the decretales of Clement Anacletus Euaristus and others but the matters conteined in those epistles and the stile doth so much differ from those times that euery modest and learned papist is ashamed to say these epistles were those whose names they cary argument 9 The power and authoritie likewise of popes in receiuing appeales granting rescripts aswell of fauor or iustice dispensing in cases reserued electing and translating of prelates and all other matters dependeth vpon the decretals of late popes and this appeareth not only by the decretals of Gregory the 9. Boniface the 8. Clement the 5. and Iohn the 22. but also by the rapsody of decrées which Surius collecteth in his first tome of councels for albeit he alledgeth the names of Anacletus Zepherinus Calixtus Fabianus and others yet they speake onely great words and vse generall termes for the particulars of the popes authoritie he can not alledge them albeit such counterfeit and rifferaffe stuffe would aduantage him nothing if they were truly alledged argument 10 The foundation of the ancient church is strong being built vpon the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles our Sauiour Christ being the chiefe corner stone but the church of Romes foundation being laied on the pope and his decretales is weake and not durable Videtur nostra ecclesia saith x Lib. 5. de prouident Dei Saluianus ex vna scriptura foelicius-instituta aliae habent illam aut debilem aut conuulneratam habent veterem magistrorum traditionem corruptam per hoc traditionem potius quà m scripturam habent the foundation therefore of papisticall religion is both new and weake being grounded vpon men both subiect to errors and other grosse sinnes argument 11 Scriptures in the apostles times and long after were neuer forbidden to be translated into tongues that could not be vnderstood of the vulgar sort but now the papists suffer them not to be so translated y Index libr. prohib reg 4. that euery man may vse them Cum experimento manifestum sit z Ibidem say they si sacra biblia vulgari lingua passim sine discrimine permittantur plus inde ob hominum temeritatem detrimenti quam vtilitatis oriri they punish also both the bookesellers and the readers that haue vulgar bibles without licence albeit translated by themselues argument 12 In ancient time the gouernors of the church exhorted Christians to reade the scriptures our Sauior a Ioan. 5. Christ speaking to the people exhorted them to search the scriptures and the Beraeans were b Act. 17. commended for searching the scriptures S. Paul writing to the Colossians c Coloss 3. wished that the word of God might dwell in them plentifully in all wisdome the fathers also teach that the reading of Scriptures belonged also to lay men S. Hierome writing vpon the third chapter to the Colossians Hic ostenditur saith he verbum Christi non sufficienter sed abundanter etiam laicos habere debere docere se inuicem monere and Chrysostome homil 9. in epist ad Coloss Attend saith he as many of you as are secular persons and gouerne wife and children how the apostle doth command you also to reade the scriptures aboue all and that not lightly and carelesly but with great diligence d In Isai homil 2. Origen finally wisheth that all Christians performed that which is written of searching the scriptures but the papists haue a contrary spirit speaking of the vulgar bibles translated by their owne side they say thus Qui absque tali facultate ea legere e Index libr. prohib reg 4. seu habere praesumpserit they punish also the booksellers f Ibidem that haue such books without licence argument 13 In the times of the ancient fathers we do not reade that any holy bishop condemned bibles translated into vulgar tongues or burnt them albeit some errors were conteined in the translations neither did they repute lay men to be heretikes and burne them because they read the scriptures in their mother tongue but now the papists burne the holy scriptures vpon pretence of errors which notwithstanding they are not able to proue to be errors they haue also burned Christians for reading scriptures as appeareth by the register of Bishop Longland in king Henry the 8. his daies g Index libr. prohib reg 4. and now they punish both such as reade bibles and such as sell them argument 14 The ancient fathers of the church beléeued the church to be catholike but our papists now beléeue no church but the Romane church and without the Romane church they will not
spred thorowout the world and conteineth not only those that now liue but those also that are past and are yet to come The catholike faith is the faith of Christ Iesus which the apostles first taught and which all true Christians both haue holden and do holde and shall holde to the worlds end In this catholike church saith b De haeres c. 3. Vincentius Lirinensis we are to hold that which alwaies hath beene beleeued of all Christians for that is truely and properly catholike he c De haeres c. 34. teacheth vs also that the property of catholiks is to keepe the doctrine committed to them and left with them by the ancient fathers and to auoid profane nouelties finally he determineth that those onely are truely and rightly called catholikes which onely beleeue and holde that which the catholike church in olde time did vniuersally holde Saint d De vera relig c. 5. Augustine doth take catholikes to be nothing els but Christians and true beleeuers which mainteine the sincere faith and follow that which is right Apud eos solos saith he quaerenda est religio qui Christiani catholici vel orthodoxi nominantur he doth also oppose catholikes against heretikes e Epist 81. ad monach palaest epist 95. Leo saith also that there is one true only perfect and inuiolable faith whereto nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken If then the papists be hereticks and no true beléeuers then are they no catholikes if they holde a faith grounded vpon priuate opinions of men and not alwaies nor vniuersally holden then doe they not holde the catholike faith but that they holde diuers heresies and false opinions shall be shewed in the chapter following that they hold many new points altogether vnknowen in ancient time and when the Gospel began first to be preached we haue alreadie proued and demonstrated in the last discourse f That papists hold points of doctrine not catholike It resteth then now that I héere declare that the papists mainteine diuers points of doctrine neuer generally holden of all Christians nor vniuersally taught in the church of Christ and that may appeare first by the doctrine of the church of Rome concerning the foundations of Christian religion next by the doctrine of that church that cōcerneth both the law and the Gospell thirdly by the faith of the Romish church concerning the sacraments fourthly by their faith concerning praier and the whole seruice of God fiftly by their doctrine concerning repentance ordination of ministers marriage almes and fasting and finally by their doctrine concerning the church and the gouernment of it argument 1 Concerning the foundations of religion they teach first that scriptures are an g Bellar. lib. 4. de ver◠Dei c. 12. vnperfect rule of faith as hath béene declared in the chapter going before and h Bish of Eureux some of them haue not feared to write books of the insufficiency of scriptures but the i 2. Tim. 3. apostle saith they are able to make the man of God perfect and wise to saluation and true catholikes alwaies held the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule both for faith and maners Saint k Lib. 2. de doct Chr. c. 9. Augustine saith that all things necessarily belonging to faith or maners are conteined in plaine places of scriptures argument 2 The papists will not allow the scriptures to conteine all that word of God which we are now to follow for albeit they do not in expresse termes say so much yet it is necessarily inferred of their doctrine where they l Bellar. de verb. Dei teach that we haue one word of God written and another vnwritten and m Sess 4. concil Trid. determine that we are with equall affection to embrace vnwritten traditions and the holy scriptures but the catholike church neuer taught that after the writings of the prophets and apostles once perfected and published we had a word of God vnwritten which is to be placed in equall ranke with the holy scriptures n Aduers gent. Athanasius saith that the holy and diuine scriptures are sufficient to instruct vs in all trueth S. o In Mich. 1. Hierome calleth the scriptures the limits or bounds of the catholike church Non est egressa de finibus suis saith he id est de scripturis sanctis What saith p Regul 80. Basil is the propertie of a faithfull man forsooth to beleeue with certine fulnesse of minde whatsoeuer is conteined in scriptures and neither to reiect any part thereof nor to adde any new thing vnto them Saint q Lib. de paradis c. 13. Ambrose saith we may no more adde to Gods commandements than take from them and S. r In Ioan. tractat Augustine electa sunt quae scriberentur quae saluti credentium sufficere videbantur that is those things are chosen out and thought fit to be written which séemed to be sufficient for the saluation of the faithful and albeit the fathers mention traditions which were sometime vnwritten yet if they were necessary they signifie that now they are written Si aut in euangelio praecipitur saith * In epist ad Pompeium Cyprian aut in apostolorum epistolis aut actibus continetur obseruetur diuina haec sancta traditio he signifieth that no tradition is to be admitted vnlesse it be conteined in scriptures argument 3 The papists also teach that the pope and his Sée is the foundation of the church est Petri sedes saith ſ In praefat ante lib. de pontif Rom. Bellarmine lapis probatus angularis preciosus in fundamento fundatus these words also he applieth to the pope whom he calleth Christes vicar in another t Lib. 2. depont Rom. c. 31. place he calleth the Pope the foundation of the church and Sanders in his Rocke of the church disputeth that the pope is that rocke is not then the Romish church a weake building that in euery vacation is without foundation and relieth wholly vpon one man true Catholikes certes neuer applied the words of Isay ch 8 28. to the pope nor thought him to be an approoued stone or corner stone or a precious stone laid in the foundation of the church the u 1. Cor. 3. apostle teacheth vs that no man can lay any other foundation then that which is laid that is Christ Iesus and in another place he x Ephes 2. saith that the church and citizens of saints are built vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone with him also consenteth all the company of true catholikes argument 4 Stapleton in plaine tearmes denieth the scriptures to be the foundation of his religion aliud hodie saith he y In praefat ante relect princip doctrin Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus and afterward ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud the same z In analysi ante
relect princip doctrin man intreating of the sure grounds and principles of Christian religion doeth leaue the scriptures quite out of the reckoning but Athanasius in Synopsi doth call the canonicall Scriptures the anchor and stay of our faith a Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Irenaeus saith that the apostles first preached and afterward deliuered the Gospell in Scriptures that they might be a foundation and pillar of our faith the church saith b Homil. 6. in Matth. Chrysostome is Hierusalem whose foundations are placed vpon the mountaines of the scriptures and with them doe consent all true catholikes condemning the error of the papists falsely called catholikes argument 5 The papists call the scriptures a killing letter as appeareth by the Remish annotations vpon the 3. chap. of the 2. epistle to the Corinthians as if God had deliuered his will in writing to the entent to kill them that read them they c Annot. Rhemens in Ioan. c. 5. slander them also as if they were darke and hard to be vnderstood finally they disgrace them d Ibidem in c. 4. Matth. saying that the diuell and heretikes alledge scriptures others call them a nose of waxe Inken diuinitie and matter of strife and contention and condemne the reading of scriptures as pernicious and hurtfull but true catholikes had alwaies a reuerent regard of holy scriptures as the grounds of faith and directions of holy life e Lib. 3. aduers hares c 2. Irenaeus saith that it is the property of heretikes when they are conuinced by scriptures to fall into dislike of them and to accuse them the papists therefore in this point are rather heretikes then catholikes argument 6 The papists among canonicall scriptures reckon the decretales of popes inter canonicas scripturas decretales epistòlae connumerantur saith the rubrike dist 19. c. in canonicis and this Gratian goeth about to prooue by a place of saint Augustine which he there falsifieth this also séemeth by Gregory the 13. to be approoued in his edition of the canon law neither doe I thinke that any papist will deny that the popes decretales in matters of faith are to be receiued of all men but ancient catholikes neuer had the decretals in this estimation nor thought them to be canonicall scriptures or grounds of faith or infallible as the papists call them nay Thomas Aquinas albeit no catholike f 2. 2. q. 1. art 1. confesseth that the ground of Christian faith is the first trueth or God himselfe and not onely Cyprian tooke exceptions against Cornelius Ireney against Victor the councell of Carthage against Sozimus but also diuers catholikes against the decretales of diuers popes argument 7 The conuenticle of g Sess 4. Trent vnto the canon of scriptures of the olde testament hath added not onely the books of Tobias Iudith Wisdome Ecclesiasticus and of the Machabeies but also such additions as are found in the olde latine translation albeit they be not found in the originall text and these they place in equall ranke and degrée with the books of the prophets and apostles which is contrary to the faith of the catholicke church as appeareth by the testimony of Hierome in his preface to the prouerbs of Salomon in his epistle to Paulinus and in his generall prologue before the bible which he calleth prologum galeatum of Athanasius in synopsi of Epiphanius in his booke of waightes and measures of Melito of the councell of Laodicea can 59. of the canons of the apostles can 84. and diuers others neither is it materiall that Augustine lib. 2. de doctr christ c. 8. and a certaine councell of Carthage doe reckon the books of Tobias Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabeies among the canonicall scriptures for by canonicall scriptures they vnderstand such books as by order of the church were read publickely and commonly ioined together in one booke and were rather for some part a canon and rule of maners then of faith for that may be gathered out of the words of Saint Augustine and the councell that speake rather of the books as they were read then as they were authenticall Ruffine speaking of these books saith legi voluerunt in ecclesiis non tamen proferri ad authoritatem fidei ex his confirmandam Augustine also lib. de ciuit dei 18. c. 36. speaking properly of canonicall scriptures excludeth the books of the Machabeies though some churches receiue them for canonicall Athanasius in Synopsi accounteth the 3. and 4. of Esdras as canonicall as these books and Sixtus senensis doth not accounpt them equall to the rest of canonicall scriptures finally no one catholicke writer can be produced that alloweth the fragments and additions that in the olde latine interpreter are added to the originall text to be canonicall scripture are the papists then catholicks that haue no catholicke grounds of their faith argument 8 Papists allow no interpretations of scriptures against that sense which the church of Rome holdeth contra eum sensum h Concil Trid. sess 4. quem tenuit tenet sancta mater ecclesia but true catholicks neuer allowed such senses and interpretations as the church of Rome doth make as for example the church of Rome beléeueth that Christ when he said to Peter pasce oues meas gaue power to the pope to depose princes Againe where God saith to Hieremy chap. 1. ecce constitui te hodie super gentes regna Boniface the 8. concludeth that the pope hath power to iudge all earthly princes and these words ecce duo gladij hic he k C. vnam sanctam de maior obed expoundeth so as if the pope had two swords giuen to him the words deus fecit duo magna luminaria the pope interpreteth so as if the pope were meant by thy sonne and the emperor by the moone and as if the pope did so farre excell the emperor as the sonne is greater then the moone bibite ex hoc omnes they expound thus drinke not all of this and these words scrutamini scripturas they interpret as if lay men might not search the scriptures without license of the inquisitors infinit such like interpretations the church of Rome hath deuised but all contrary to the expositions of the fathers and the catholicke church argument 9 The conuenticle of Trent doth adiudge the old vulgar latin translation of the bible to be authenticall and preferreth it before the originall text but catholicks haue alwaies preferred the originall text before the latin translation Saint l In Epist ad Suniam Fretel ad Damasum Hierome saith that in the olde testament in matters of doubt concerning the translation we must haue recourse to the Hebrew as to the fountaine and in the new to the Greeke ad exemplaria Hebrea Graeca à latinis recurratur saith m Lib. 2. de doctr Chr. c. 10. Augustine Hilary also writing vpon the 118. psalme confesseth that the latin translation cannot satisfie the reader
In offic beat Mariae to a woodden crosse increase in the godly righteousnesse and pardon sinners and also crux Christi protege me crux Christi defende me ab omni malo and which before the printed face which they call Volto santo pray thus Salue sancta facies impresta panniculo nos ab omni macula purga vitiorum atque nos consortio iunge beatorum argument 62 Catholikes beléeue that their sacrifices of praise are accepted through Christ but papists beléeue that Christes bodie is accepted through the mediation of the priest and of saints the priest in the canon beséecheth God to looke fauourably vpon the body and blood of Christ Supra quae saith he propitio ac sereno vultu respicere digneris and in the missal of Sarum on Batildis day they pray that God would accept their sacrifice viz. of Christes body and blood through the merits of S. Batildis vt haec munera tibi Domine accepta sint say they sanctae Batildis obtineant merita quae seipsam tibi hostiam viuam sanctam bene placentem exhibuit argument 63 Catholikes beléeue that the apostles and their successours receiued the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and power to binde and loose onely vpon earth but the papists beléeue that the pope hath receiued the keyes of the kingdome of hell and purgatory Damascen and other authors of Romish legends tell vs that Gregory the first deliuered Traians soule out of hel and euery pety pope thinketh he is abused if any tell him that he can not let out of purgatory as many as he pleaseth Commonly all papists pray for the dead that they may haue a place of rest giuen them and that their sinnes may be pardoned them as if sinnes might be forgiuen after this life argument 64 Catholikes neither worshipped saints departed nor their images nor the crosse of Christ Hierome in an epistle to Ripatius denieth that any creature is to be worshipped or adored d Lib. 22. deciuit Dei c. 10. Augustine sheweth that Christians did not worship martyrs nor erect temples in honor of them and saith that they gaue thanks and praise vnto God onely at their monuments ecclesia catholica mater Christianorum verissima saith e De morib eccles lib. 1. c. 30. he solum ipsum deum cuius adeptio vita est beatissima purissimè atque castisimè colendum praedicat nullam nobis adorandam creaturam inducens cui seruire iubeamur whereby plainly he excludeth the worship of Doulia f De obitu Theodosij Ambrose declareth that Helene finding the crosse worshipped not the crosse but Christ but the papists worship not onely the saints but dumbe images they say masses in honor of S. Francis and S. Dominicke and diuers other saints they knéele to images and burne incense vnto them finally they giue Latriam that is due by their owne confession to God only to the crosse to the crucifix and to the images of the Trinity argument 65 True catholicks neuer made the images of God the father or the holy trinity nor did thinke it lawfull to worship them with diuine worship but the papists both make such images and allow such worship to be giuen to them argument 66 True catholicks neuer had any psalter in honor of our blessed Lady nor vsed to say a hundred and 50. Auemariaes and after euery fifty Auemariaes one Creed and after euery tenne Auemaries one Pater Noster nay our sauiour expressly forbad his desciples to vse battologies and odious repetitions in their praiers But papists put great religion in our Ladies psalter and in their rosaries and often repetitions of the name of Iesu and of their Auemariaes argument 67 True catholicks neuer coniured salt nor holy water nor oile nor chrisme nor superstitiously sanctified candles crosses and images in such sort as the papists vse to doe neither did they grease stone alters or describe the Gréeke alphabet on the pauement of churches to be consecrated or abuse the scriptures as the papists doe in that act as may appeare by the formulary commonly vsed in such cases that ancient catholicks neuer vsed any such ceremonies it may appeare by the writings of the fathers and also in old rituall books for in them such formes of consecrations exorcizations and such abuses are not to be found argument 68 True g Iohn 4. catholicks worship God in spirit and trueth but the papists place most of Gods worship in externall ceremonies and vse in their worship a tong not vnderstood so that their praiers cannot procéed from the spirit nor be true nor catholicke argument 69 True catholicks neuer worshipped angels h Coloss 2. the apostle Paule doth expressly condemne the worship of them as Chrysostome Theodoret Oecumenius writing vpon the 2. and 3. chap. of the epistle to the Colossians do testifie the councell of Laodicea doth also prohibit the worship of Angels and Saint i De hares c. 39. Augustine numbreth the worshippers of Angels among hereticks Neither may we thinke that they were therefore condemned because they atrtibuted the creation of the world to angels but because they worshipped angels and as Chrysostome homil 7. in coloss 2. affirmeth thought we were to come to God by the mediation of angels and yet papists k Horae ad vsum sacrum pray to angels that they would protect them and driue diuils from them and open their sight they say also masses in their honor set vp lights to them make confession of their sinns to them and all this contrary to the practise of the ancient catholicke church argument 70 Our l Matth. 15. sauiour Christ teacheth that those worship God in uaine which worship him according to the doctrines and commandements of men and therefore all true catholicks haue had principall respect herein to the commandements and lawes of God but the Romish church doth wholy depend vppon the decretales of popes and vaine fancies of men their missals breuiaries offices and whole seruice procéedeth from no other fountaine argument 71 The m Psal 32. prophet declareth that they are blessed whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinns are couered and the apostle saith that being instified by faith we haue peace with god and this is the hope of all catholicks that Christ hath reconciled vs to his father and washed away our sinnes and paid a ransome for them on the crosse but this comfort papists doe take from vs that teach and holde that after our sinnes forgiuen we are to satisfie for temporall paines due for our sinnes either here or in purgatory and that such are there to sustaine great torments in which paines and place none but mad men can place felicity argument 72 Catholicks beléeue that through faith we are made partakers of Christs satisfaction the papists beléeue that the pope can apply them by his bulles both in purgatory and in this life according to his lawes argument 73 Catholicks beléeue that no man can satisfie for his
Carranza and others in the canon of Laodicea before recited for angelos write angulos and so hope to hide their filthinesse in corners But Theodoret doth plainly conuince them both of heresie and falshood also Synodus saith he x In epist ad Coloss c. 3. quae conuenit laodiceae lege prohibuit ne precarentur angelos that this worship of angels is superstitious Chrysostome commenting vpon the epistle to the Colossians declareth and especially in his ninth homily vpon that epistle argument 17 The Seuerians were noted as heretikes for their miracles either vainly forged or by the diuels helpe effected their prophetesse y Augustin de hares c. 24. Philumena through a narrow mouthed glasse would put in a prety bigge lofe and draw it out againe without breaking the glasse the Mirabiliaries were likewise condemned for that by miracles and prophecies they sought to confirme their opinions and what doe the papists doe not they likewise confirme all their superstition false religion and idolatry with counterfect miracles doe they not tell vs tales of z Laurent Vall. contra donat Constanim images speaking of men headlesse walking of dead men reuiuing they will not deny it nay Bellarmine maketh these miracles a marke of his church but if they prooue false their church must néeds prooue a false church by a very good consequent argument 18 The Tatians and other heretikes absteined from mariage as a state of life impure and imperfect The Romish priestes therefore together with monks friers and nunnes haue abiured mariage as not compatible with their pretended monkish perfection a C. proposuisti dist 82. Syricius or at least Gratian or some other falsary vnder his name calleth mariage fleshly pollutions In Capgranes legends the Romish saints no otherwise talke of mariage then as if it were vncleannesse sinne and abomination diuers of our aduersaries haue written that it is lesse sinne for priests to commit fornication than to marry argument 19 The papists also agrée with the Manicheyes in diuers points sauoring of heresie for as the Mancheyes condemned mariage in their priests which for their excellency they called electos so likewise doe the papists in their monks and greater orders of their clergie secondly as the Manicheyes abstained from the cuppe in the Lords supper and receiued one kinde onely as appeareth by the testimony of Leo Serm. 4. de quadrages and of the chap. relatum and c. comperimus dist 2. de consecrat so likewise doe the papists diuiding if Gelasius say true one and the selfe same sacrament most sacrilegiously thirdly both Manicheyes and papists destroy Christes humanity the Manicheyes giuing him no true flesh nor solide body and the papists giuing him a body neither visible nor palpable nor indued with the right dimensions and true properties of a body both of them also say the body of Christ may be in many places at once lastly the Manicheyes in their fasts albeit they abstained from flesh yet vsed diuers other exquisite and dainty meates and this is also the rigorous fast of most papists which the rest will not deny to be a good fast after the popes law and a good feast as Christians say argument 20 Montanus did first b Apollonius apud Euseb lib. 5. c. 17. establish lawes of fasting as is recorded in the history of Eusebius and appeareth also by the practise of the church that had no law concerning that matter in his time the same also may be proued by the testimony of Augustine who denieth that any law concerning fasting was made by Christ or his apostles quibus diebus c Epist 86. ad Casulan saith he non oporteat ieiunare quibus oporteat praecepto domini vel apostolorum non inuenio definitum Montanus also began first to d Epiphan in haeres 48. dispute that the scriptures were not perfect and that they were to he supplied by his new paracletus that as he said was to teach all things necessary his e Augustin de haeres c. 26. followers had the prophecies of Prisca and Maximilla in great reuerence both he and his disciples did beléeue Limbum Patrum to be in hell f Lib. de anima in fiâ—t Tertullian hauing learned of Montanus taught that small sinnes after this life were to be purged and that his paracletus did often recommend that doctrine further by the testimony of vnwritten traditions and his paracletus he g Lib. de coron milit proueth that the suffering daies of martyrs were to be kept holy and that sacrifices should be offered for soules departed the doctrine therefore of the church of Rome concerning set fasts the imperfection of scriptures vnwritten traditions legendary prophecies of Brigit and other Romish saints and concerning Limbus Patrum in hell and remission of sinnes after this life and the oblations for soules departed séemeth rather to procéed from Montanus then from Christ or his apostles finally the Montanistes did not more'vant of their Prisca Maximilla then the papists of their Brigit Hildegardis and Mechtildis nor did Montanus offer for the soules departed otherwise then the papists argument 21 As the Pepuzians did honor their towne Pepuza and call it Hierusalem or the metropolis of their religion so doe the papists honor Rome and both papists and Pepuzians suffer wemen to minister the sacrament or baptisme should not then the papists haue great wrong if they were not made equall in ranke with Pepuzians herein they also surpasse them for we doe not read that any woman among the Pepuzians was made pope of Pepuza but Martin Polonus Marianus Scotus Chronicon Chronicorum Platina and diuers authors of great credit report that a woman was made pope of Rome and her picture is to be séene in the dome of Siena among other popes if it be not latele defaced finally the Iebusites contending to shew the contrary shew nothing but their owne impudency and the hardnesse of their faces argument 22 The Catharistes boast much of their merits purity and perfection Mundiores se ceteris praedicant saith h Lib. 8. orig â— de haeres Isidore they doe also deny absolution in somes cases to the repentant and rebaptize those that are already baptized and is not this also the case of papists they cannot well deny it for they say that all monks and friers are in state of perfection and deny that any iust man doth commit a mortall sinne they deny also to hereticks relapsed as they call them all fauour and absolue none in cases reserued to the pope finally the histories of France and Flanders doe shew that the popish priests haue there rebaptized many and in England albeit they doe not rebaptize yet they change the names and vse a number of greasie ceremonies frequented in the Romish church to supply our baptisme as they say argument 23 The Iacobites and Armenians were condemned for hereticks for that they made the images of God the father and God the holy ghost Imagines
whatsoeuer a man doeth out of his owne fancy set vp for God that may by good construction well be termed an idole or a false God The assumption is prooued by diuers particulars for first it is plaine that the papists make the sacrament of the Lordes body and blood their Lord and God both in that they call it so and in that they g Rubric can Missae fall downe and worship it secondly they call vpon angels saints and specially vpon the virgine Marie thirdly they put their trust in them fourthly they make vowes vnto them fiftly they confesse their sinnes vnto them finally they bow downe their bodies before them and publikely worship them as is prooued by their common practise the Rubrickes also of their missals and breuiaries and ladies offices together with their blasphemous praiers made to angels saints and other creatures doe shew the same to bée most true but the scriptures doe h Hierem. 17. testifie first that we are to put our trust in God onely secondly that we are to call on him i Psal 50. Ioel. 2. Rom. 10. faithfully thirdly that we are to make our k Isai 19. vowes to him onely fourthly that we are religiously to serue him onely and finally that we are to confesse our sinnes to God onely l Matth. 4. and to giue religious worship to none but to him alone And this the practise of the ancient church most euidently confirmeth which neuer allowed receiued nor vsed to yéeld any such profane worship to angels saints or other creatures as the papists giue vnto them as in the first chapter of this discourse hath at large béene prooued superstitiosi sunt qui multos ac falsos deos colunt saith m Lib. 4. instit c. 28. Lactantius nos religiosi qui vni vero deo supplicamus those are superstitious which worship many and false gods we are religious which call vpon one true God the papists percase will answer that they worship not either false gods or many gods but séeing they giue the worship of God to many and call vpon creatures and make vowes vnto them and build churches and altars in their honour and doe ascribe to them that which is proper to God they cannot by any meanes auoid the charge of plurality of gods for euen the n Macrob. Saâ—…tnal Gentiles can answer that they draw all to one God yet because they attributed diuine power to creatures and inferiour persons therefore no man will deny but that they worshipped many gods therefore o Libr. 3. de cultu sanct c. 9. Bellarmine saith plainly quod votum non conuenit sanctis nisi quatenus sunt dij per participationem that is that vowes are not to be made to saints but as they are gods by participation may it not then be truely said that papists worship strange gods yes certes and if they deny it they are strange felowes argument 2 p Argu. 2. Almighty God doth also forbid his people to make any grauen image or likenesse of anything either in heauen aboue or in the earth below or in the water vnder the earth q Exod. 20. to the intent to bow downe to it and to worship it non facies tibi sculptile neque omnem similitudinem quae est in coelo desuper quae in terra deorsum nec eorum quae sunt in aquis sub terra non adorabis ea neque coles if then it be not lawfull to make sculptile or a grauen image to the end to worship it and if those that doe worship such grauen images be idolaters no question is to be made but that papists are grosse idolaters for they make the images of God in heauen of men that somtime liued on the earth and of some that percase now may be in hell they make also grauen and molten images of angels and other creatures and fall downe and worship them to the crosse they pray and r Breuiar Rom. â— say auge pijs iustitiam reisque dona veniam that is increase righteousnesse in the godly and grant pardon to sinners the schoolemen holde that what worship is due to the originall is due also to the picture or image so saith Alexander Hales part 3. q. 30. art vlt. Thomas Aquinas 3. p. q. 25. art 3. and Caietan in his commentaries vpon him so then by these mens doctrines the Crucifixe is to be worshipped with like worship as we doe worship Christ Iesus and the image of God is to be worshipped with the worship due to God himselfe and this is so plaine idolatry that Å¿ Lib. 2. de imaginib c. 22. Bellarmine is constrained to deny that Latria or diuine worship is due to images properly so albeit he would excuse himselfe yet in effect he maketh himselfe to be an idolater improperly all the ancient schoolemen and synagogue of Rome for this 2. or 3. hundred yeares properly for Hierome condemneth them for idolaters that worshipped the statues or images of Emperors albeit the same may séeme a ciuill ceremony iudices principes seculi saith t In cap. 3 Daniel he qui imperatorum statuas adorant imagines hoc se facere intelligaÌ„t quod tres pueri facere nolentes placuerunt deo how then can they escape his censure that fall downe before the statues and images of saints and there pray before them and offer incense to them argument 3 u Argu. 3. We are also forbidden expresly to make any similitude or likenesse of God and a reason is x Deut. 4. added for that God speaking to his people out of the fire in Mount Horeb yet they saw no likenesse of any thing and this God did least his people being deceiued should make an image of male or female or other thing and so adore and worship it if then it be against the commandement of God to represent him in any shape and to adore any creature whether male or female spirituall or corporall then are papists grosse idolaters that make images of God and worship both male and female saints as appeareth both by the canon of the masse and also by their doctrine and practise nay they doe not onely bow their bodies to them but also set vp lightes and offer vp spirituall sacrifices of praiers vnto them argument 4 In y Argu. 4. most plaine termes also z Leuit. 26. God prohibiteth the making of idols or grauen images and the erecting of monuments or titles or stones for signals to be worshipped non facietis vobis idolum sculptile saith the Lord nec titulos erigetis nec insignem lapidem ponetis in terra vestra vt adoretis eum neither was there any thing intended in this law then that the people of Israel should be restrained from idolatry is it not then plaine that such as make idols and grauen images and erect crosses and stocks and stones to be worshipped are idolaters it cannot well be denied but percase our
be imperfectly and analogically argument 25 Saint Ambrose teacheth vs that to worship the crosse or crucifix is plaine idolatry and paganisme Inuenit Helena crucem domini saith h De qbitu Theodosi ◠he regem adorauit non lignum vtique quia hic Gentilis est error sed adorauit illum qui pependit in cruce he saith that Helene finding the crosse did adore her king that is Christ Iesus and not the wood because this is the error of the heathen idolaters he addeth also that she worshipped him that hung on the crosse i In epist ad Ioan. Hierosolym apud Hieron Epiphanius also sheweth that the image of Christ is not to be worshipped nor hung vp in churches for that he tore a vaile wherein such an image was figured and that contrary to scriptures as he saith inueni velum pendens in foribus eiusdem ecclesiae tinctum atque depictum habens imaginem quasi Christi saith Epiphanius and afterward cum hoc vidissem in ecclesia Christi contra authoritatem scripturarum hominis pendere imaginem scidi illud the papists therefore by the iudgement of Epiphanius place Christ his image in the church contrary to scriptures and like to the heathen idolaters worship the crosse giuing to it latria as to Christ Iesus himselfe argument 26 The worship also of angels which the papists practise is idolatrous for they pray vnto them k In litanijc saying sancte Michael sancte Gabriel sancte Raphael omnes angeli archangeli orate pro nobis they l In itinerario ad finem Breuiarij pray likewise to vnknowen angels they confesse their sinnes to them saying confite or beato Michaeli archangelo they set them out in imagery and bow to them and burne incense to them and kisse them finally they erect churches and altars and say masses in honour of angels all which to be idolatrous not onely the scriptures but also the fathers teach vs. non oportet Christianos say the fathers of the m Can. 35. councell of Laodicea derelicta ecclesia abire adangelos idolatriae abominandae congregationes facere Christians say they ought not to leaue the church of God and to assemble themselues idolatrously to worship angels they do also excommunicate such as worship angels as idolaters n In summa concil Laod. c. 35. ◠Carranza to wipe away this blot from the papists turneth angelos into angulos but Chrysostome and Theodoret in their commentaries and homilies vpon the epistle to the Colloss c. 2. 3. doe plainly shew that the councell condemned the worship of angels which they also condemne synodus quae conuenit Laodiceae saith Theodoret in epist ad Coloss c. 3. lege prohibuit ne precarentur angelos Nos non dico martyrum reliquias saith o In epist ad Riparium Hierome sed ne solem quidem Iunam non angelos non archangelos non cherubim non seraphim omne nomen quod nominatur in praesenti seculo in futuro colimus adoramus ne seruiamus creaturae potius quam creatori qui est benedictus in secula he saith p Haeres 79. that Christians do not worship or adore angels and signifieth that such worship is idolatrous as sauoring of seruice of creatures honoramus eos charitate saith saint Augustine lib. de ver relig c. 55. speaking of angels non seruitute nec eis templa construimus angelos adorari non vult that is God will not haue vs saith l Epiphanius to adore angels and againe angeli non capiunt talem glorificationem Augustine doeth therefore condemne the Angelikes as heretikes for that they worshipped angels Angelici saith he de haeres c. 39. in angelorum cultu inclinati argument 27 The papists worship the sacrament of the altar in the rubrike of the Romish misial after the words of consecration the priest is enioined to worship the sacrament hostiam consecratam genu flexo adorat likewise calicem genu flexo adorat the people also knocke their brests and adore it neither doe the papists deny but that the sacrament is to be adored latriae cultu that is with such worship as is due to God but the sacrament is a creature therefore they are plaine idolaters that worship it and this is prooued by the testimony of Epiphanius stultum est saith q Haeres 69. Epiphanius creaturam deificare reprobat autem primum praeceptum quod dicit dominum deum tuum adorabis ipsi soli cultum praestabis he saith it is a foolish thing to worship a creature as God and therefore prooueth that Christ is God and no creature because he is worshipped and for that the church doeth not worship a creature vnlesse therefore Christ be hypostatically and personally vnited to the sacrament those that worship the sacrament are idolaters as for those that worship vnconsecrated hostes the papists themselues deny not to be idolaters argument 28 They are also idolaters that worship the images and pictures of the virgine Mary of angels and saints departed this life the councell of Eliberis to auoid this idolatry r Can. 36. decréed picturas in ecclesijs esse non debere ne quod colitur aut adoratur in parietibus depingatur that is that pictures should not be in the church least any thing that is worshipped or adored should be painted on walles Non est dubium saith ſ Lib. 2. instit diuin c. 18. Lactantius quin religio nulla sit vbicunque simulachrum est nam si religio ex diuinis rebus est diuini autem nihil est nisi in caelestibus rebus carent ergo religione simulachra quia nihil potest esse coeleste in ea re quae fit ex terra he teacheth vs that there is no religion where images are worshipped as being earth and not sauoring of any heauenly or diuine quality or substance Inueni velum pendens in foribus eiusdem ecclesiae tinctum atque depictum saith t Ad Ioan. Hierosolym apud Hieronymous Epiphanius habens imaginem quasi Christi vel sancti non enim satis memini cuius imago fuerit cum ergo hoc vidissem in ecclesia Christi contra authoritatem scripturarum hominis pendere imaginem scidi illud and afterward Precor vt iubeas presbyteros eiusdem loci suscipere velum à latore quod à nobis missum est deinceps praecipere in ecclesia Christi istiusmodi vela quae contra religionem nostram veniunt non appendi he doth plainly shew that to place pictures images in churches is contrary to scriptures religion neither doth he only condemne heathen idoles but images in churches also Vnto this place our aduersaries answer that these words were not written by Epiphanius but soisted in by some other but in his booke against heresies he sheweth himselfe to be of the same opinion and doth strongly confirme that which is héere said Writing against the Collyridians haeres 79.
obedience then to be made priest by the popes agents is argument sufficient to prooue a man to be a traitor likewise it is no treason simply to be addicted to the superstitions of the Romish church no more then it is to be Sarracen or Turke yet to bée reconciled to the Pope and to receiue absolution from his agents is treason he being a professed enemie of the state and vsing this reconciliation and colour of religion for a meanes to ouerthrow her Maiestie and this kingdome and to réestablish yet once againe his tiranny in England finally to obey good bishops cannot be euill interpreted but to submit a mans selfe to the pope that pretendeth to haue right to depose princes and to translate kingdomes from one to another at pleasure a matter repugnant to scriptures to the practise of the apostles and primitiue church and as Sigebertus Gemblacensis testifieth speaking of Gregory the seuenth his time a notarious and plaine condemned heresie cannot but preiudice the right of a prince in enmity with the pope prooue flat treason Thirdly the true martyrs of Christ suffered for defence of the trueth wronfully and therefore deserued the honour and title of martyrs and very high commendation that is thankeswoorthy saith saint c 1. Pet. 2. Peter if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffring wrongfully such were the martyrs of times past who suffred death because they would not deny the Lord Christ Iesus nor sacrifice to idoles but the popes martyrs suffer for practising with forren enemies and die for the Popes pleasure and desire nothing more then to set vp idolatry for conscience they cannot say they suffer vnlesse the make treason against their prince and countrey a matter of conscience and rule their conscience by the Popes will and make no conscience of idolatry or blasphemie neither can they say they are punished wrongfully being punished for their treasons rebellions and packings against the state with forren enemies whosoeuer therefore shall entitle and call these fellowes martyrs he shall greatly wrong religion and the state of martyrs and much resemble the Donatistes and other old heretikes Saint d Epist 68. Augustine saith of the Donatists viuebant vt latrones honorabantur vt martyres Alexander also an heretike of whom e Lib. 5. eccles Iust c. 17. Eusebius maketh mention liued as a thiefe and died for his deserts and yet by those of his sect was honored as a martyr such martyrs also are those of the popish sect for whatsoeuer reckoning their consorts make of them they were punished iustly for their offences and died for treason rebellion practising and packing with forren enemies Fourthly true martyrs are charitable and die in charitie for without charitie furious and Iesuiticall zeale to promote the Popes cause auaileth nothing if I giue my body to be burned saith the f 1. Cor. 13. apostle and haue not loue it profiteth me nothing now what charity thinke you had they that were emploied by publike enemies to the hurt and destruction of their liege Lady and most deare countrey Charity saith the g Ibid. apostle is patient gentle humble but these by force of armes sought to returne into their countrey and like fierce lions endeuor by conquest to subdue men to their opinions anno 1588 their common talke was of sharing of lands and liuings In Wisbich also all the stirres among the papists grew about superiority the Iesuits seeking to rule the rest refusing to be ruled by them Parsons they say hath an old prophecy how England must be ruled by certeine men in long blacke gownes and square caps that is by Iesuites and long he hath béene dreaming of a cardinals hat yet none falleth to his share in all the English colledges and seminaries the Iesuits by great stirres haue sought the gouernment h A discouery of Campian and his consorts Cottam an English Iesuite being condemned to die praid God that he would send downe fire from heauen to consume all the people that stood round about him to gaze on him and this is the gentlenesse and charitie of Iesuiticall martyrs when Sixtus quintus told the Iesuites that he wondred that none of their order were canonized for saints some of them answered that they sought honors in the church triumphant and not in the church militant such triumphant martyrs are these of the popes and Iesuits calender Fiftly true martyrs are men of a peaceable disposition and no way desirous of tumults and troubles l Lib. 3. contr parmen si supra memoratos saith Optatus videri martyres vultis probate illos amasse pacem in qua prima sunt fundamenta martyrij aut dilexisse deo placitam vnitatem aut habuisse cum fratribus vnitatem sine qua nullum vel nomine potest vel re esse martyrium his words in effect amount to this that none can be martyrs vnlesse they they be studious of peace and vnity if then the papists neither agrée with vs nor with themselues and are giuen much to contention and continually haue stirred vp warres and hurliburlies in diuers countries and haue like firebrands set most parts of Christendome on a flame as appeareth by their actions in England Scotland France Germany Flanders Suethland and other places why should such men dying rather be accounted martyrs then the contentious Donatists Sixtly the true martyrs of Christ Iesus died in time past for the true faith of Christ deliuered vnto vs in the apostles writings but the popish mastifs died for the popes excommunications for defence of his most vniust and tirannicall vsurpations according to such doctrine as they had receiued out of the popes decretales their masters dictates who then doth not maruell that any should be so bold as to call such obstinat fellowes that died out of the church for no point of faith were so much as once called in question martyrs cum deo manere non possunt saith Cyprian qui esse in ecclesia dei vnanimes noluerūt ardeant licet flammis ignibus traditi obiecti bestiis animas suas ponant nō erit illa fidei corona sed poena perfidiae occidi talis potest coronari non potest if then these good fellowes haue forsaken the church and linked themselues with enemies and traitors die they may for their treasons but crowned they shall not be as martyrs neither is it death but the cause that maketh christians dying to be estéemed martyrs Seuently no true martyr euer séemed more desirous of the applause and praise of men then of the glory of God good of Christes people fi ita martyrium fecerimus saith i In epist ad Galat. lib. 3. c. 5. Hierome vt nostras velimus ab hominibus reliquias venerari si opinionem vulgi sectantes intrepidi sanguinem fuderimus substantiam nostram vsque ad mendicitatem propriam dederimus huic operi non tam praemium quà m paena debetur perfidiae magis
of massepriests with their clients the accesse they haue into womens closets and the ground of their trecherous practises Take away confession the faculties of Priestes togither with their dispensations and absolutions fal and masse-priests will be put to their beades Their credit also will decay with their clients if they cannot bring them on their knees before the priest sitting iudicially in his chaire Neither shall they be admitted further into womens closets nor haue such opportunitie to corrupt them Et sic perierunt illae coÌ„fabulationes amatoriae labelloruÌ„ molles morsâ—unculae carnales contrectatiuÌ„culae multae ad rem gerendaÌ„ opportunitates Finally they shal not be able any more to draw subiects froÌ„ their alleageance nor to instill rebellion into mens mindes vnder colour of religion Owlyglasse therefore is longer in this point then in any of the rest and would gladly prooue his auriculer confession if by any meanes he could but his testimonies are all weake and counterfeit He alleadgeth first the testimony of the 2. councell of Chalon but first that councell had no confirmation but from Charles the great by whose authoritie it was as is said assembled Secondly Surius Tom. concil 3. that councell doth neither excommunicate those that confesse not their sinnes nor exclude them from christian buriall as doth Innocentius Thirdly C. omnis de poenit remiss the canons purpose was rather to instruct them how to confesse when they did it then to force men to doe it Fourthly the 33. canon seemeth to allow confession to God onely in those that are instructed and sheweth how that diuers thought that to be sufficient Finally it were a hard law for the Romanists if they should be bound to stand to all canons of councels Why then doe they vrge vs to that which they will not performe themselues Owlyglasse his conclusions out of this canon concerning the distinction of publike and priuat confession might well haue been spared Secondly he produceth Leoes testimonie Epist 80. ad episc Campaniae who séemeth to say that it is sufficient in secret confession to declare the guiltinesse of mens consciences to the Priest But neither doth he commaund men to doe it nor exclude from buriall those that refuse it nor writeth to others but his suffragan bishops of Campania nor is his word a law nor finally must Owlyglasse thinke that we are bound to beleeue this their domesticall witnesse or whatsoeuer falsaries haue published vnder the name of Leo. His third witnesse is Rabanus Maurus lib. 2. de instit cleric c. 3. who saith that the penance must be secret for such matters as by voluntarie confession are reuealed to the priest or bishop But this doth not shew that euerie man was bound to confesse or punished for not confessing but rather that it was voluntarie and of such sins as grieued mens consciences against which we dispute not His fourth witnesse is S. Bernard but he deposeth nothing for him nor against vs blaming onely those which for shame did hide their secret sinnes De interiori domo c. 37. Which sheweth that men at that time were not bound to open their sinnes by any lawe nor punished for not confessing as is now the practise of the Romish synagogue His fift witnesse is M. Caluin instit lib. 3. c. 4. numb 7. but he saith nothing which may seeme to make for the aduersaries but onely that the vse of confession was auncient For vs he saith confession was free and that there was no law binding men to confession before Innocent the third which is that which I holde And that which Owlyglasse layeth hold of â—aketh nothing for his purpose For albeit in auncient time christians grieued in conscience were wont to consult with such as had charge of their soules and some doe yet take that course among vs yet that doth not prooue that Romish auriculer confession was auncient or that christians must necessarily confesse all sinnes and be excluded from absolution yea from christian buriall if they doe not confesse in the priests eare His sixt witnesse is M. Bell in his suruey p. 536. who acknowledgeth as it seemeth auriculer confession to haue been established the yeare 254. But he speaketh according to the conceit of the aduersaries recordes that deriue it no higher and percase vnderstandeth a voluntarie frée confession and in cases of publike penance enioyned But all our dispute is whether before Innocentius the thirds decretal men were bound to confesse all their sinnes in the Priests eares and were excluded out of the church and from buriall if they did it not To which point M. Bell saith nothing that will relieue Oâ—lygâ—asse in this point of confession but that euerie indifferent man will confesse he was an idle fellow to triumph vpon such poore aduantages His last testimonie is deriued out of our communion booke where a forme of confâ—ssion is prescribed for the comfort of the sicke And this he enforceth because as he saith our communion booke was framed after the imitation of the Romish portesse and masse-booke and thereupon imagineth that the booke speaketh of auriculer confession vsuall in the Romish Church But first he wrongeth vs to compare our coÌ„munion booke to their filthy and abominable masse bookâ—s portesses full of abominable and idolatrous prayers and most wicked and superstitious ceremonies as I haue declared in my refutation of Bellarmines bookes de Eucharistia missa Secondly he doth wilfully and maliciously vtter vntruthes For neither is there any affinitie betwixt our bookes and the Romish missals and portesses nor tooke wée any patterne from them but rather from the old formularyes of the primitiue Church which prescribed reading singing of Psalmes reading of scriptures prayers and formes of ministratioÌ„ of baptisme and the Lords supper and preaching as may appeare by the testimony of Iustin Martyr Apolog. 2. ad Antoninum of Dionysius the Areopagite and others that mention the formes of auncient liturgies Further not this matter of auricular confession is enioyned by the missals or breuiaries but rather publike confession and absolution before the face of the whole Church Finally the forme of confession which the booke requireth is neither of all particuler sinnes nor enforced vpon any nor required but of such as are troubled in conscience And therefore if Papists were not blind and obstinat they would confesse that Owlyglasse had little reason or honesty when he went about to proue auricular confession out of our communion booke Owlyglasse himselfe if he had not béene past shame would neuer haue affirmed that auricular confession had beene ordeined of Christ and he meaneth no doubt the Romish auricular confession Viz. Vt omnis vtriusque sexus postquaÌ„ ad aÌ„nos discretionis peruenerit omnia sua peccata solus coÌ„fiteatur proprio sacerdoti infunctam sibi poenitentiam proprijs viribus studeat adimplere That is that euery man and woman of yeares of discretion confesse all their sinnes to their owne Priest secretly and fulfill
pennance that is inioyned them Otherwise in his life time he is shut out of the Church and after his death prohibited christian buriall The councell of Trent Sess 14. c. 6. saith that auricular confession is necessary vnto saluation by the law of God Francis à victoria lib. de sacrament c. de confessione saith that a man being at the point of death is bounde by Gods law to confesse to a Priest If I say he had but one sparke of honestie or graine of modestie he would not haue affirmed that this maner of auriculer confession had béene ordayned by Christ hauing neither testimony of scriptures nor standing with the doctrine of the fathers Delicta sua quis intelligit saith the Prophet Psalm 18. How then can a man confesse all his sins which no maÌ„ is wel able to conceiue nor the papists in their multiforme cases of consciences able to eâ—presse Secondly the Prophet saith that at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne God will put all his wickednesse out of his remembrance If a sinner therefore repent he may haue remission of sinnes without auriculer confession Thirdly the fathers doe refell this confessionall doctrine nondico vt confitearis peccata conseruo tuo saith Chrysostome Homil. 2. in Psalm 50. qui exprobret dicito deo qui curet ea I say not confesse thy sinnes to thy fellow seruant which may reproch it to thee but speake to God which careth for such matters Ambrose vpon the 10. of Luke c. 96. saith hee readeth of Peters teares but not of his satisfaction And againe let teares saith he wash your sinnes that by word you are ashamed to confesse Lib. 10. confess c. 3. what haue I to doe saith Saint Augustine with men that they should heare my coÌ„fessions as if they were to heale my griefes Cassian also collat 20. c. 9. teacheth men to confesse to God such thinges as they blush to confesse to men Fourthly it is an absurd thing to say Christ ordained coÌ„fessioÌ„ not to be able to proue it out of the scriptures Fiftly if confeson of all sinnes were necessarie then who should escape damnation Sixtly Papistes themselues bring diuers cases wherin they say coÌ„fession is not necessary the Pope dispenseth in case of omisssion of confession which sheweth that confession is not iuris diuini nor necessary to saluation Finally Nectarius Bishop of Constantinople tooke a way a kind of auriculer confession for publike sinnes which was vsed in that Church as Sozomenus testifieth And this is sufficient to cleare me of all vntruth obiected against me by Owlyglasse If he thinke otherwise or if any man will not be perswaded let him orderly answere this and other latin treatises which I haue written concerning diuers of these seuerall causes If they cannot let them leaue for shame to belche out their wicked slaunders against vs that shall alway be able to iustifie our allegations and writings better then the aduersaries that care not much how falsely they speake or write CHAP. II. An answere to Owlyglasses exceptions concerning thirteene falsifications pretended to be committed in M. Sutcliffes late Challenge Sect. I. Of two allegations of Epiphanius and Augustine pretended to be falsified SICVT canis qui reuertitur ad vomitum suum saith Salomon Prouerb 26. sic stultus qui iterat stultitiam suam for if a foole haue a toye or fancie in his head you shall hardly bring him from it This appeareth plaine by the foolish and fond deuises of our aduersaries who hauing a conceit to worke vs some disgrace vnder pretence of vntruths and falsifications are still talking and prating of falsifications wherein notwithstanding the cause being examined all the disgrace will fall vpon themselues Robert Parsons being at Rome and hearing of the conference that had passed betwixt M. Plessis and M. d' Eureux would needes forsooth send a pamphlet concerning that matter into England with a request that a triall might also be made concerning allegations by men of our side with vs as it had passed before in France The which pamphlet albeit he might sée to haue beene answered two yeares agone and his challenge concerning matters of falsification to be accepted by me and that I haue begone to obiect against him diuers notorious and most materiall falsifications whereupon Romish religion séemeth to depend yet is Owlyglasse our aduersarie still returning to his vomit and still babling of falsifications himselfe being not able either to answere one word in defence of those falsifications which I shewed to haue beene committed by the Romish church and principall men actors in the Popes cause or well able to declare what falsification is albeit by practise he be most cunning in it And that appeareth by the first section of his third chapter page 47. for albeit I doe not set downe any words either of Saint Augustine or Epiphanius yet he pretendeth that I haue falsified both A strange matter that a man should commit a forgerie in writing and yet neither make nor preduce any writings at all But I quote them in the margent for that hée may alleadge in excuse of his dizardrie as if euery man that quoted an author in the margent either vnfitly or erroneously were to be charged with the crime of falsification The worst therefore that he is able to say against me is error and mistaking but if I haue not erred or mistakene ither Saint Augustine or Epiphanius I hope some cacolike massepriest will tell Owlyglasse that himselfe was much ouerseene in the verie first setting out of the harbour which is a verie euill presage and a most certaine signe that he will make no good voyage as long as he dealeth with me in this cause That I haue said truely it will appeare by comparing S. Augustines and Epiphanius his words with mine I say the Heracleonites did annoint their followers departing out of this life and gaue them a certaine kinde of extreme vnction And I quote Augustine de haeres c. 16. and Epiphanius de haeres 36. Let vs then sée whether S. Augustine and Epiphanius doe not prooue my words true Heracleonitae saith he feruntur suos morientes nouo modo quasi redimere id est per oleum balsamum aquam Likewise saith Epiphanius H quandoque aliqui ex ipsis oleum aqua mixtum capiti defuncti immittunt I say further that those heretikes said prayers for the dead and that is prooued both out of Augustine and Epiphanius Augustine said they vsed certaine inuocations inuocationes saith he quas Hebraicis verbis dicebant super capita scilicet morientium Hoc faciunt saith Epiphanius vt hi qui has inuocationes in vitae exitu accipiunt cum aqua oleo aut vnguento permixtis incomprehensibiles siant So it appeareth that these heretikes did annoint their Disciples with oyle hoping thereby to redéeme them and saue them It appeareth also that they said praiers ouer the dead in a tongue not vnderstood Do not then the
obseruation againe desire me to procure him a free conference but what shall that néede when I yéeld him more then is desired Notwithstanding if he thinke to winne any thing at my hands by conference let him procure me first a frée conference at Paris and Salamanca and I doe promise to procure him a frée conference at Cambridge and Oxford In the meane while I pray him I prouoke him I by all means vrge him to answere in writing such lies as I auerre his consorts to haue made and to cleare the Church of Rome and her principall proctors of such notorious falsifications as I say they haue committed If he be not able as indéede I take him to be altogither vnsufficient let Robert Parsons Frier Garnet or the Archpriest answere and maintaine the quarrell which this idle compagnion hath begun And let them set their names to their writings and come foorth with bare faces that wee may know what they are we deale with and not as hitherto fight with N.D.E.O. and such like hollowe fellowes and meere shadowes If not let them assure themselues I wil by publike writing discouer such a packe of impostures lies falsifications villanies and treasons committed by Rob. Parsons and his consorts that they shall wish Owlyglasse hanged that first prouoked me and beganne this quarrell I will also make it knowne that they are so guiltie that they cannot answere His second obseruation is that no credit is to bee giuen vnto me concerning matter of fact because in matters of faith and learning as he saith I make no scruple to corrupt and vse broad falsification But his collection is so childish and foppish that his owne clients if they list may sée that he knoweth not what concerneth fact and what concerneth faith and learning that distingusheth learning from matter of fact as if no learning were required of Ro. Parsons to discusse matters of fact and would make fâ—ith and learning both one as if his consorts that take themselues to be learned were also faithfull christians and teacheth that the controuersie concerning falsifications and vntruthes obiected by him toucheth faith and not fact as if we did not as well contend about matter of fact as faith in this idle quarell begonne by our aduersarie and wherein the state of the mayne controuersie is whether I haue spoken vntruth or not and whether I haue falsified any authors alledged by me or not Secondly if no credit be giuen to those that tell lyes and falsifie authors as Owlyglasse affirmeth then by his sentence we are not to beléeue either the pope of RoÌ„e or his agents the most notorius lyers falsifirrs that euer the world sustained Againe if no credit be to be giueÌ„ vnto my discourse concerning the packing trechery of his consorts why doth he not answere me and conuince mee of vntruth And what reason hath he to desire his readers not to beleeue that which himselfe is not able to controule Is not such a bald compagnion ashamed to take to him as much authority as the Pope that all the generation of antichriste is to beleeue vpon his owne bare word Thirdly if all his idle obiectioÌ„s concerning pretended corruptions and falsifications he so cleared as that I looke for no more answere of so nastie a disputer as this Owlyglasse is then it can be no credit for him to cry so loud or to vse these odious and slaundrous termes of corruptions and falsificatioÌ„s but he ought rather to looke downe vpon his owne and his consorts filthy factes then to pinche at others meÌ„s faultes Fourthly if the papistes his clients be so cleare as he maketh them why doth he not answere for them playnly and honestly refuting euery point of my charge If they be guiltie why doth he not rayle a spirt at Rob. Parsons that so foolishly brought them forth to this triall and there left them to speake for themselues Fifthly if he list not to excuse any Papist for the cariage of his life as he confesseth what reason hath he to blame me if I vpon so iust occasions giuen me by that rinegat and false traytor Rob Parsons haue toulde them some parte of their faultes Sixtly if he will not haue my verdict admitted against his clients though conuinced by playne euidence witnesse he hath no reason to require that the verdict of Robert Parsons a most notorious and infamous libeller and a knowne and professed traytor and an infamous person conuicted by his owne wicked and treasonable writings and by the testimony of his owne consorts or the accusations of such libellers as Owlyglasse and such worthlesse and namelesse fellowes should be admitted or receiued Againe if he wil haue nothing to be affirmed without authenticall testimony proofe then must he and his malicious mates forbeare to send forth so many vaine and fabulous pamphlets 7. Further if hee charge me hereafter with wilfull and witting falsification as he sticketh not very boldly and often to doe then must he proue first falsification then this quality of wilfull knowledge wherof hytherto he hath done neither againe if I obiect that to him which he cannot deny then modesty would require that he should confesse shame force him not to defend any more matters knowne notoriously to be false 8. If hee take to himselfe and his consorts the name of Catholike Church and will néedes charge me with a setled malice and desperat resolution against the Catholike Church he must proue two thinges First that Popish religion is the ancient catholike religion and next that I oppugne the catholike faith Vnles he doe this his reader will take him for a lewd begging compagnion that taketh that for granted that is in controuersie and we must accompt him for a paltry fellowe that is not able to answere our arguments whereby we proue that Popish religion which we refuse is neither catholike nor ancient 9. If boldly and falsely he will denie that our faith hath had continuance and succession from Christs time and challeng both to himselfe he must then deny that the faith taught in the Apostles créede and established in the fowre first general counsels and contained and grounded vpon the holy canonicall scriptures hath alwayes continued since Christs time and hath had continuall succession vntill our dayes And to prooue the Popish faith he must shew that the Apostles taught and that the holy fathers beléeued First that Christ had a body inuisible and impalpable and that might be in heauen and earth and many distant places all at one time secondly that Christs body did not fill the place wherein it was 3. That accidentes may subsist without foundation or subiect 4 that préestes may celebrate masse without communion 5 that the préestes may take away the cuppe of the newe testament from Gods people 6 that christians are to worship the crosse and the sacrament with Latria or diuine worship 7 that the préest doth offer vp the true body and bloud of Christ to God the
flocke by teaching and that he doth administer the sacraments of the Lords supper and baptisme orderly and ordinarily as other bishops doe wherein I beléeue he will faile Fourthly I haue proued that the pope is Antichrist aduanced aboue all that is called God and the principall Patriarke of Antichrists kingdome But light and darkenesse shall as soone concurre as the tyrannie of Antichrist and the office of a bishop in one person I haue prooued that he is Antichrist in my fift booke de Pontifice Rom. against Bellar. which because he so aboundeth in learning and I haue none I would pray him to answere with his great learning and especially séeing it maketh so much for the credit of his father the pope that begot him on a strumpet the hore of Babylon his maships mother A braue fellow he is no doubt that is so well borne of father and mother And if his stomack wil brooke no latin let him refute my answere to Parsons wardword if not all yet so much as toucheth the Pope Finally the Pope is an heretike an apostata and a most notorious simoniacal person entring by brigues and faction and composition with the Spanish king and cardinals as is notorious to the world and appeareth in euery coÌ„claue and is not dissembled by popish writers but such by canoÌ„s albeit otherwise bishops are suspended froÌ„ ordaining bishops or coÌ„ferring orders That they are heretikes it cannot be denyed vnlesse Owlyglasse can shew that the points we haue handled in the 4. chapter of our former discourse are no heresies which if he be able to shew I doubt not but the pope for his paynes will make him cardinall That the Pops are apostatates it apeareth for that they haue declined from the ancient faith as I haue likewise declared in my former challenge That they are simoniacal creatures their buying and selling of the papacy and of all ecclesiasticall liuings of masses of sacraments of faculties doth manifestly declare and that this is a common fault of Popes it appeareth by their rules of chancerie by the Penitentiaries taxe Vid. regul Cancellar paenitent by the glosses of their canons by Albericus de Rosate in verbo Roma by Theodorica Niems treatise of schisme by baptist of Mantua and all stories that write any truth Neither is this a faulte of late crept into that see queÌ„ dabis mihi de tota maxima vrbe saith Bernard lib. 4 de consid ad Eugenium quite in papam receperit pretio seu spe pretij non interueniente He signifieth that the Pope was chosen by simony without simony certes no cardinall can sée to finde the Popes chayre By this it may also appeare that the Romish church hath no true bishops or priestes for first they are ordained by the Pope that is no bishop Secondly the Bishops neither preach nor administer the sacraments nor accompt that any parte of their episcopall function Thirdly Pope Ioane had noe power to ordeine Bishops or priestes being a woman But all that haue liued in the Church of Rome along time haue béene ordeined by none but such as were ordeined by her or by bishops that were made by her Fourthly all préests are ordeined to sacrifice for quicke dead As appeareth by Machabeus in lib. de missis episcoporum pro ordinibus conferen dis Bellarmine also saith that preistes are made by these words accipe potestatem offerendi sacrificlum that is receiue power to offer sacrifice Which is no sufficient ordination nor giueth préestes power either to preach or administer sacraments but rather a power in ancient time neuer belonging to préests as I haue proued against Bellarmine in my booke de sacrificio missae Fiftly no simoniacall persons or heretikes haue power to order others and if they doe it their ordination by canons is declared voyd they are pronounced irreguler and this I thinke Owlyglasse will not deny but he will answere percase that the Popish bishops are neither heretikes nor simonicall persons let him therefore if he will make his answere good make answere to my obiections concerning the heresies and simonyes of the Church of Rome Sixtly the popish bishops are all slaues of Antichrist as appeareth by their slauish oth c. ego N. de iureiurando If then the pope be proued Antichrist and the aduersary of Christ and his Church his adherents caÌ„not be déemed true bishops Finally albeit the Popish Church had a certaine forme of ordination and bishops and préestes so called yet nether can the ordination be accouÌ„ted lawful being contrary to canons nor can they be déemed true bishops and priests that neither preach that which Christ commanded nor obserue his commission nor administer the sacrameÌ„ts according to Christs institution Oftentimes also the Pope hath ordeined boyes ignorant persons vtterly vncapable of episcopall function bishops and preests And such being so ordeined neuer did any part of ministeriall function if then the Romish Church be like her bishops then as she hath false and defectiue bisshops so is shee a false and defectiue Church But saith Owlyglasse Pag â—2 the councell of Trent hath made such holsome decrees concerning the diligent and often teaching and preaching of bishops and preests as Master Sutcliffe can finde no iust cause of complainte But if he had let downe these wholsome decrées he would haue béene much ashamed of the decrées themselues and more of the slender exequution of them For Concil Trid. Sess 5 c. 2. they decrée that bishops shall teach by theÌ„selues or others so that by this rule women may be préests for they may teach by others this may be fulfilled if bishops neuer teach at all Beside that we doe not reade that the first bishops of Rome did preach by others or set vp louzy fryers to prate in pulpits as now is the fashion of the Romish Church Our Sauiour Christ bad his Disciples preach themselues or els he would not haue sent them And S. Peter preacheth himselfe and vsed no deputation for the matter as now the Romanistes doe furthermore now the execution of this lawe is so neglected that I doe not beléeue that Owlyglasse albeit he hath well frequented all corners of Rome hath heard the pope preach And when the old Cardinall of Lorrein offerd to preach he was derided for his labor of all his compagnioÌ„s so vnséemly a thing it séemeth for a Cardinal bishop to preach He answereth further That I would be loth that our church should continue no longer then bishops doe their duties in preaching and feeding But he doth wrong our bishops to compare them to Romish prelats that neither preach nor thinke that preaching belongeth to them and for the most parte vnlesse it be some frier or foxe inroabed with bishops apparell preach not nor speake more then stockes and images in Churches He doth also mistake me much if he thinke that I conclude that any congregation is not the true church where bishops doe not their duties For that is
there hath béene some difference betwéene priuat persons about ceremonies and gouernment and that without disagréement in religion yet now all that quarrell to the great griefe of Owlyglasse and his consorts is ended and all godly christians iointly concurre to the repressing of the seditious massepriests and their adherents that by faction and heresie seeke to vndermine both the Church and state In this obseruation he goeth about also to prooue that I doe not séeme to allow the doctrine established in this church of England But as in the rest so in this Owlyglasse doth but trifle I doe holde I confesse that baptisme is not so necessarie but that diuers may and haue beene saued without it especially where there is no contempt committed in procuring it Further I doe beléeue that it is vnlawfull for women to take vpon them to administer baptisme and doe aduise in case of extremitie all christians to procure the ministers presence Thirdly I doe vtterly condemne the doctrine of the papistes concerning their limbus patrum Fourthly I doe much mislike their superstitious stationary obambulations about the limits of parishes for the blessing of new corne and their superstitious letanies and ceremonies vsed in the fame Fiftly I deny that euer the catholike church had any precepts or canons to forbid mariages on such daies and in such sort and for such respects as the Romish Church doth practise Sixtly I doe beléeue that Luthers opinion absolutely considered in it selfe is not a fundamentall point of religion especially if we giue his wordes a fauourable construction Finally I accompt none to be true christians and professours that make no conscience of sinne and liue not according to their profession But what of all this doe I therefore teach contrarie to any point of doctrine maintained by the church of England so Owlyglasse my good friend would insinuate But his proofes are simple and his assertions most false He saith Page 111. that the Church of England teacheth that baptisme is necessarie to saluation But the booke which he alleadgeth out of which he cannot bring one word to prooue his saying doth conuince him both of lying and impudencie Secondly he affirmeth that to deny womens baptisme is contrarie to religion established But it is not contrarie to his religion to lie and face out lies most impudently Thirdly to prooue that our church beléeueth limbus patrum he should haue alleadged our confession and not a certaine verset of the créede in méeter Beside that in that verset nothing is said but that Christ illuminated those that sate in darknesse which is nothing to limbus patrum a place that cannot be illuminated as papistes holde Further that verset may be rather an exposition of the words of the song of Zacharie Luke 2. of the illumination of the ignorant and of the like wordes of the Prophet Esay chap. 9. then an assertion of limbus pactum Fourthly the papists in their perambulations of parishes vse to blesse or rather to exorcise corne and to say most wicked litanyes They vse also diuers superstitious ceremonies which vnlesse Owlyglasse prooue to be allowed by our Church he will prooue himselfe a cogging compagnion Fifthly he talketh of prohibitions of the solemnizations of mariages at certaine times but he alleadgeth neither lawe nor record to prooue that our Church alloweth either the doctrine or the ceremonies of the Romish congregation in this point And there whither he sendeth vs we finde nothing but the testimonie of an Almanacke Sixtly albeit the church of England doth not holde Luthers real presence of Christes body in the sacrament yet cannot the detractor shewe but that his opinion may be reconciled with the Christian faith if a man will not vrge those points that follow of that doctrine too seuerely and further percase then at the first Luther himselfe allowed them If a man doe gather what doth followe of it then is the doctrine dangerous as I and others confesse Finally he doth not so much as go about to shewe that I haue deliuered any thing contrary to the doctrine of our Church where I affirme that good life is as well required in a true professour as true faith Why then is this point touched in this place Doth it grieue him that I touch the filthy Sodomiticall priests and friers and shut that abhominable generation out of Gods church It séemeth so and therefore to requite me he saith that this doctrine may touch me for that I haue falsified and maliciously corrupted the fathers But if I haue cleared my selfe of all those matters that he hath laide to my charge I hope the vanitie of his collection will manifestly appeare to all indifferent men But hee poore ideot appeareth not but séeing the Romish Church and diuers of her principall pillers to be charged with notorious lies and falsifications passeth away in silence and is not able to answere one worde Nay hee leaueth his clients in the briers and signifieth for ought he can doe they must pleade for themselues Wherefore to leaue off further to vrge this distressed followe that is able to say nothing for the defence of them whom he doth principally fauour I may well conclude séeing the arguments which I brought in my Challenge stand immooueable and the detectors exceptions are prooued to be vaine and friuolous first that the Romish church is not the true Church of Christ Iesus Secondly that the religion of Papists is neither auncient nor catholike Thirdly that all papists maintaining the doctrine of the Pope and his adherents are heretikes Fourthly that such as embrace popish religion are idolaters Fifthly that all the Popes adherents and agents that haue suffered for his cause in England are to be reputed no better then disloyall traytors and not as some would haue it Martyres Finally that my aduersary by his friuolous obiections hath much confirmed and strengthened our cause against which he was not able to obiect any one thing of moment and iustified my allegations being not able to take any iust exception against any thing said by me nor to obiect any thing which is not fully answered CHAP. IIII. Of diuers falsities committed by the Popes and Church of Rome IF our aduersarie had well remembred his promise he ought not onely to haue conuinced me of vntruthes corruptions contradictions and falsifications according to the title of his pamphlet but also of maliciousnesse and wilfulnesse for so he vaunteth he will I challenge the challenger saith he of many malicious vntruthes Cap. 1. pag. 8. and many palpable and wilfull falsifications But when it commeth to performance of corruptions he saith nothing contradictions he toucheth slenderly vntruthes and falsifications he can by no meanes fasten vpon me The qualitie of maliciousnes and wilfulnesse being a matter purposed and fully promised he vtterly forgot In the rest how poorely he hath demeaned himselfe by my answere to his whole dispute it will appeare But suppose I had either mistaken a report misalleadged a place yet
compared these two editions throughout And if in the edition of Sixtus Quintus his bible at Antwerpe Anno 1599. thou doe not finde these lections mentioned thou maiest thereby further vnderstand that some of late since Sixtus his death haue taken paines to falsifie his edition and to make him to speake contrary to himselfe If then Hierome say true In praefat in Iosue in praefat in 4. cuangel non posse verum esse quod dissonat that is that what doth differ cannot be true then is it notorious that one of these two popes hath falsified not onely the scriptures but also the authenticall latin translation as they call it And if they make no scruple to falsifie the holy scriptures of God it is no maruell if impudently they falsifie the writings of men The Popes also and their consorts haue committed notorious falsifications in publishing couÌ„terfeit canons and constitutions partly vnder the name of the Apostles and partly vnder the name of diuers auncient bishops of Rome and lastly of diuers councels and fathers falsification 8 For first they haue set vs out 84. C. sextam synodum dist 16. Ibidem canons vnder the names of the Apostles Hadrian the Pope alloweth and receiueth the vi Synode and all her canons in one of which the canons of the Apostles were confirmed and thereupon Gratiâ—n concludeth that they were authenticall And commonly the church of Rome alleadgeth these canons whensoeuer she hopeth to winne any aduantage by them But many reasons declare them to bee counterfeit As first for that contrary to the doctrine of the Church the baptisme of heretikes is condemned can 45. Secondly can 65. saterdaies fast is forbidden Thirdly once dipping in baptisme is déemed vnsufuÌ„cient can 49. contrary to the orders of the Church Fourthly the catalogue of scriptures rehearsed can 84. is by none allowed for neither wil the Church of Rome allow of the third booke of Machabeyes nor of the Epistles of Clement Fifthly the Apostles as is said in those canons confirme the Gospell of S. Iohn yet stories report that the same was not written before the rest of the Apostles were dead Sixthly these counterfeit canons mention diuers orders of ministers of fastes of bestowing of ecclesiasticall liuings and such like not vsed in the Apostles times Finally not only Isidore c. canones dist 16. and Leo c. Clementis dist 16. but also Gelasius c. sancta Romana dist 15. doth number these canons among apocryphal writings But in nothing doth the impudencie of the Romish Synagogue and her agents appeare more then in the falsisâ—…ation of the actes of councels For they haue not onely falsified diuers particuler actes and canons and foisted them in among the actes of councels but also deuised whole procéedings as passed in auncient councels which notwithstanding are méerely forged falsification 9 The actes of the councell of Sinuessa reported by Peter Crabbe and Surius seeme to be much falsified For first of the thrée copies that are in Surius not one agréeth with another Secondly séeing as 318. bishops could hardly be drawne to the great councell of Nice in the peace of the church albeit Constantine called them out of all parts of the world if is not like that in time of persecution 300. bishops could bee drawne to Sinuess about Marcellinus according as it is reported in the actâ—s of the councell Thirdly the spéeches of Marcellinus and the rest are so simple and the stile so much differing from those times that he must be of a very dull vnderstanding that perceiueth not the falshood of the author of those actes Fourthly the actes of that pretended councel are contrary to themselues For in the latter ende they say prima sedes non iudicabitur a quoquam and yet a little before it is said that the bishoppes did condemne Marcellinus damnauerunt cum say they extra ciuitatem Finally the procéeding in Mâ—rcellinus his sacrificing to Idoles and in his triall by 72. witnesses is most ridiculous and no way to be iustified by authenticall records falsification 10 Likewise seeme the actes of the councell of Neocaesarea and Ancyra to be counterfeit For in times of persecution it was not like that many biâ—hops could assemble or had any care of commaund and superioritie or any credit to make lawes concerning gouernment Besides that histories authentical make no mention of law-making councels before the generall councell of Nice Finally the actes are so simple and so euill agrée with those times in which they are said to passe that we must either haue authenticall proofe for them or els must haue leaue to beléeue them to be forged falsification 11 The actes of the councell of Rome vnder Siluester doe so plainly appeare to be forged that I doe wonder that our aduersaries are not much ashamed of them The number of bishops is said to be greater then in the councell of Nice The names of them are méere One is called Squiro another Cleopatris another Vultibus and the rest also seeme names of coniuration barbarous and One is called Simplex another Exitiosus the 3. speâ— in deo the 4. quod vult deus Gréeke bishops comming to that councell commonly haue latine names The fable of cleansing of Constantine from his leprosie is there reported 57. bishops of I would gladly know where this is Rinocoruris are said to be present yet did they not subscribe The councell was said to be assembled by the aduise of Constantine or of his mother they séeme not to know whether The actes are most disagréeing from those times and some of them very ridiculous as for example that Nonnes should not professe virginitie vntill the age of 72. yeares when such profession is néedlesse Finally the words are so barbarous that they sauor of gothicall and lombardicall monkerie and the actes so beneficiall to the sea of Rome that euery man may sée that later Popes vnder the title of this councell meant to couer their owne ambitious decrées and humors falsification 12 Most shamefully also haue the agentes of the Romish church corrupted the actes of the councell of Nice Ruffin and all authenticall writers mention no more but onely 20. canons C. viginri dist 16. Pope Stephen also confesseth that there are but only 20. canons receiued of the Romish church viginti tantum capitula Nicenae synodi in sancta Romana ecclesia habentur saith he C. septuaginta dist 16. Summa concil apud Horatium Cardon excus anno 1601. But Gratian vnder colour of an Epistle of Athanasius affirmeth that there are seuenty canons made in that councell and now of late one Alphonsus of Pisa a Iebusite hath set out 80. canons of that councell translated as he saith out of Arabicke He might haue done well to haue said translated out of the language of China for then rather would diuers haue beléeued them then gone to China to search or examine the truth of Alphonsus his report falsification 13 In the sixt councel of Carthage Sozimus bishop of Rome was manifestly
nothing more For there is not any one historiographer that doth mention any such matter nay histories report that Otho deposed this Iohn and caused another to be placed in his seate So farre was he from swearing fealty to him beside that not any man of credit euer wrote that the emperor held his crowne in fealty of the Pope Bellarmine albeit he wish well to the Pope yet doth he not holde or beleeue any such mattter Or at least he dare not speake or write so much Thirdly it is apparent that Otho and his successors claymed iurisdiction in Rome and the territory adioyning longe after this supposed decretale Therefore vnlike it is that the emperor should as is here pretended forswere it Finally the frame of the othe is most ridiculous and the stile most brutish the emperor calleth the pope dominum and saith tibi domino Ioanni papae ego rex Otho promittere iurare facio Which is a most absurd kind of spéech For he that sweareth himselfe taketh his oth directly and maketh not others only to swere or promise but no man can deny but that it is falsity to exhibit or vse any false instrument or to corrupt or falsifie any publike or priuat writings by any meanes whatsoeuer paulus respondit saith the law legis corneliae poenateneri L. instrumentorum ff ad L. cornel de falsie qui etiam extra testamenta cetera falsa signassent sed et ceteros qui in rationibus tabulis literis publicis aliaue qua re siue consignatione falsum fecerunt vel vt verum non appareat quid celauerunt surripuerunt subiecerunt resignauerunt falsification 25 The epistles ascribe to Clement Anacle tus Euaristus Alexander Sixtus Telesphorus Hyginus Pius Victor and other ancient bishops of Rome are nothing but méere forgeryes For first seeing they liued in times when latin was most purely spoken it is not likely but their epistles should be good latine But these supposed epistles are most barbarous and Gothical and very vnlike to the stile of Tertullian Cyprian Lactantius and other fathers Secondly it is not like that liuing in ancient time those bishops should speake as the Italians spoake about a thousand yeares after Christ Thirdly séeing there is such difference of stile in diuers writers that no two or thrée write all alike it is not like if all these epistles had béene written by the men whose names they carry that the stile of al should be like Fourthly if they were written by diuers how happeneth it that in diuers epistles diuers writers vse the same words phrase and sentences Againe what is the reason that some of them alledge the words of the scriptures according to Hieromes traslatiō that was made longe after Fifty neither Bellarmine nor Baronius dare maintaine that all these epistles are authentical 6. The Romanistes themselues doe not giue any credit to these epistles For they hold that Linus succeded Peter immediatly but Clement epistle 1. telleth contrary that he did succede Peter being ordained by Peter himselfe Finally they containe some matters disagréeing farre from the times wherein they wrote and others very impossible and sometimes contrarie to authenticall histories Clement epist 1. writeth to Iames of the death of Peter who séemeth to be dead before Peter He talketh of sending of bishops into France Germany and Italy as if he had then had men to commaund at his pleasure and could haue disposed of things then as in latter times He talketh of a forme and face of gouernment which then was not vsuall In his second epistle most arrogantly he taketh on him to instruct Iames the Apostle which had his instruction from Christ Iesus Qualiter tenere de sacramentis debemus That is of the dong of mise in the sacrament which he calleth the Lords portion saith he te ex ordine nos decet instruere And then full wisely he talketh de murium stercore inter fragmenta dominicae portionis Anacletus in his first epistle would haue all hard questions referred to the church of Rome But it is not likely that the true Anacletus would haue so written that died before Iohn the Apostle who was better able to decide controuersies of faith then Anacletus In his second epistle he saith that the Apostles appointed the 72. disciples which the gospell sheweth vs to haue béene ordained by Christ In his third epistle he saith that Abilius succeeded Marke in Alexandria whereas Anianus did follow Marke and Abilius followed Anianus He saith also that Cephas signifieth a head in gréeke The same man denieth the lesser orders vnder priests and deacons to be instituted by Christ or the Apostles Euaristus talketh idely of ordaining priestes without titles and consecrating of Churches and stone altars whereas titles and churches began not before the peace of the church and stone altars were not built for many yeares after Sixtus beginneth his epistle thus Sixtus vniuersalis apostolicae ecclesiae episcopus whereas this title was by Gregory the first and long after Sixtus his time refused It is not like that Hyginus being a Gréeke wrote to the Athenians which were Gréekes in latin which notwithstanding is signified by his epistle Beside that he affirmeth that the first epistle of Iohn was written to the Parthians Calixtus in his second epistle argueth against those that refused repentance to those that had fallen in time of persecution which was the heresie of Nouatus that rose vp some prety while after his time Pontianus in his epistle ioyneth Christ and Peter together contrary to the stile of those times Marcellinus saith non licet imperatori Epist 2. vel cuiquam pietatem custodienti aliquid contra mandata diuina praesumere whereby he signifieth that the Emperor then professed christian religion In his first epistle he disputeth against the Arrians which denied Christ to be of one substance with his Father very stoutly and yet in his time the heresie of Arrius was not knowne in the world Infinit other exceptions may be taken to these and to the rest of the decretale epistles that go vnder the name of auncient bishops of Rome But the rest being like to these of which we haue already spoken there is no question but they are all of one stampe falsification 26 Melchiades 12. q. 1. c. futuram ecclesiam telleth vs how Constantine was christened and gaue his seate and other great possessions to the church of Rome and yet Melchiades was dead before Constantine was christened or had giuen any thing to the Church This act therefore must néedes be forged and so doth the glosse confesse after a sort falsus est titulus saith the glosse in the canons set out by Gregory the 13. which sheweth that the Romish Church impudently vseth false titles falsification 27 Next to decretale epistles shall follow the falsification of Fathers Out of Augustine de doctrina christiana lib. 2. c. 8. they describe this sentence in canonicis scripturis ecclesiarum catholicarum quamplurimum diuinarum
fathers and auncient bishops of Rome to be forged Their owne testimony therefore doth condemne them to be falsaries if they vse these false writings and alleadge them as they do most commonly falsification 34 And least any man might doubt whether the papists are falsaries or no in their expurgatory indexes they openly professe themselues to be falsaries In epist ad Pium 5. ante bibliothec sanâ—am For what is falsity but to take away to adde to alter mens writings but this the papists doe ex professo Sixtus Senensis confesseth that Pius 5. caused all the writings of the fathers to be purged and cleansed Expurgari ernaculari curasti saith hee omnia catholicorum scriptorum ac praecipuè veterum patrum scripta haereticorum aetatis nostrae faecibus contaminata venenis infecta But vnder colour of purging and cleansing away of things noxious it appeareth the Romanists haue taken out such things out of the fathers as made against them As for other writers they alter and mangle them at their pleasures In Bertram they change visibiliter into inuisibiliter Index expurgator All that commeth betwéene the words considerandum quoque quod in panc illo and the sentence beginning sed aliud est quod exterius geritur they dash out and so they deale in the rest In the censures of Erasmus and annotations of Viues vpon S. Augustine and in the scholiaes marginall notes and indexes of Augustine Chrysostome and others they take themselues liberty to doe what they list Capnioes speculum oculare Fabres commentaries on the gospels and epistles Beatus Rhenanus his annotations on Tertullian they falsifie most impudently Likewise doe they deale with all late writers Not long since we â—…nde they haue corrupted both the glosse and sometime the text of the canon law And this is now a common practise of Iebusites according to a direction and commission giuen them of the Pope to corrupt all authors that passe their fingers Posseuima shamelesse compagnion curtalling auncient writings saith ex lib. 2. Hermetis col 16. Select bibliotheca lib. 1. c. 19. deleatur rectè audisti paulò pòst qui enim crediderunt aut credituri sunt In transitu sanctae Mariae qui falsò ascribitur B. Melitoni deleantur illa verba in solatium ferendum angugustijs quae superuenturae sunt mihi deleatur etiam à capite 8. vsque in finem tractatus ex libro Nicolai Cabasilae deleantur capita 29. 30. In quaestionibus Anastasij quaest 87. scribatur in margine haec intelligenda sunt de gloria corporis The treatise of Antonius Abbas he turneth and mangleth most impudently and practiseth the like in diuers other authours workes If then any man séeke for falsaries let him go to papists that make profession of forging and falsification and which without forgery cannot maintaine their new forged deuises as theÌ„selues by their indexes of bookes prohibited confesse and by bookes plainly falsified it manifesty appeareth Finally they are falsaries that produce or suborne false witnesses or that vse their depositions Poena legis Corneliae irrogatur ei L poena ff ad l. cornel de falsis saith Marcianus qui falsas testationes faciendas testimoniaue falsa inspicienda dolo malo coierit But the Popes produce counterfeit fathers and legends to testifie for them They haue also suborned diuers vile persons to speake shame of honest men as Bolsecus of Caluin Laingius of Buchanan and others Sanders Rishton Robert Patsons and Creswell against King Henry the eighth Quéen Elizabeth the late Lord treasurer the Earle of Leicester sir Christopher Hatton Lord chancellor sir Francis Walsingham and others The falsehood of these witnesses is conuinced by diuers publike actes and sufficient witnesses Bolsecus in a synode in France publikely recanted his slanderous booke and professed that he was hired and drawne on by the aduersaries Parsons shall heare some of his lies hereafter His conscience in the meane while hath often tolde him of his lying Wherefore vnlesse Owlyglasse can answere in these pointes the accusation of falsification doth fall on his dearest friends farre more heauily then vpon vs. CHAP. V. A briefe Catalogue of certaine notorious lies vttered and recorded by the Popes and Church of Rome TO go about to comprehend in one Chapter all the vntruthes and lies of the popes of Rome and the synagogue adhering vnto them were as possible as to measure the sand or to bring the Ocean sea within the compasse of one vessell I will therefore out of many choose some fewe that by the example of some part euery man may iudge of the rest and discerne and hate the false packing of papists and their adherents falsification 1 Innocentius the first or rather some other Pope vnder his name affirmeth that none did found Churches in Italy France Spaine Africke Sicily and Ilands lying betweene these countries but those whom Peter and his successors made Priests He denieth also that any of the Apostles taught in those countries beside S. Peter and those which he sent Cum manifestum fit saith he in omnem Italiam Gallias Hispanias C. quis nesciat dist 11. Africam atque Siciliam insulasque interiacentes nullum instituisse ecclesias nisi eos quos venerabilis apostolus Petrus aut eius successores constituerunt sacerdotes aut legant si in istis prouincijs alius apostolorum inuenitur aut legitur docuisse quod si non legunt quia nusquam inuenitur c. A lowde and large lye for we reade in the Actes of the Apostles that the Apostle Paul who was not ordained nor sent by Peter taught at Rome and other places in Italie Freculphus writeth that Philip the Apostle taught in France the French acknowledge Dionyse of Areopagus whome Paule conuerted to be their Apostle and first teacher Iereney ioyneth Paule with Peter in the foundation of the Church of Rome In the old records of our Church it is reported that Ioseph of Arimathia first planted the gospell in Britany Saint Augustine sheweth that the Gospell came into Afrike from other contryes then from Rome For he distinguisheth Rome from those countries froÌ„ whence the sound of the Gospell first passed into Afrike as appeareth by these words of his epist 162. ad Glorium Eleusium et alios Cum se videret Romanae ecclesiae in qua semper apostolicae ecclesiae viguit principatus ceteris terris vnde euangelium ad ipsam Aphricam venit per. communicatorias litteras esse coniunctum Finally so lowd was the lye that the glosse is constreined to say that the word Alius doth signifie contrarius which is quite contrary to Innocentius his purpose For if his argument stand vpon this point that therefore all the Churches in the prouinces mentioned are to obey the Church of Rome because shée was their founder then if other not contrary to Peter did founde those Churches it followeth that the same were not to harken to the pope or the Church of Rome but to their
c. 24. that our Sauiour Christ appeared to the eyes of mortall men in the formes of bread and wine A matter neuer vttered nor thought of by S. Augustine nor to be found in that place or otherwhere in his writings falsification 28 Speaking of S. Augustine he saith that in his 12. booke contra Faustum c. 10. he teacheth that the faithfull receiue that bloud with their mouth wherewith they were redeemed And in the 20. chapter of the same booke that they drinke that which issued out of Christ his side But S. Augustine hath not one word of receiuing of the bloud of our redemption with our mouth neither doth he meane that we doe properly and carnally drinke his bloud or with corporeall instruments falsification 29 Out of Hesychius lib. 2. in Leuit. cap. 8. he quoteth these wordes lib. 2. de eucharistia c. 32. sanctum altare esse locum vbi sanctus sanctorum requiescit but the same are falsely fathered vpon that father being neither to bee found in that chapter nor otherwhere falsification 30 Lib. 1. de missa c. 19. Out of Chrysostomes homil 79. ad populum Antioch he citeth these wordes altari assistens sacerdos pro terrarum orbe pro episcopis pro ecclesia pro gubernantibus ecclesiam iubetur deo offerre but Chrysostome hath no such wordes of the priests offering but saith that the people of Antioch doe pray for all these sortes of people falsification 31 Ibidem He affirmeth that Chrysostome homil 72. in Matth. saith that the eucharist is offered pro infirmis pro sanis pro terrae fructibus but he hath no such like wordes either there or any other place but he saith onely that we pray in the celebration of the eucharist for such as are possessed with diuels for sicke persons and such like falsification 32 Hippolytus in his oration of the ende of the world hath these wordes venite pontifices qui purè mihi sacrificium die noctéque obtulistis ac pretiosum corpus sanguinem meum immolastis mihi quotidie Bellarmine lib. 1. de missa c. 15. leaueth out these words qui purè mihi sacrificium die noctéque obtulistis least we should know that he speaketh of spiritual sacrifices not of the masse that is seldome said in the night falsification 33 Lib. 2. de missa c. 9. speaking of the multitude of priuate masses he endeuoureth to prooue the same by a most auncient custome as he saith and for this ende alleadgeth an epistle of Telesphorus and a testimony out of Gregory homil 8. in euangel but not only the epistle of Telesphorus is counterfeit but both the same and Gregories testimony is falsely alleadged for neither of them speake any one word of such a custome or of the custome of saying three masses in one night In the same place also prosper is falsely alleadged For he speaketh not one worde of offering one sacrifice twise in a short time falsification 34 To prooue the adoration of the sacrament lib. 4. de eucharist c. 29. he falsely alleadgeth Gregory Nazianzen in laudem Gorgoniae Cyrill of Hierusalem Catechis 5. mystagog Euseb Emissenus homil 5. de Paschate for not one of these speaketh one worde of adoration of the sacrament as hee affirmeth most falsely It were infinite to touch all the places falsified by Bellarmine and I suppose that these are more then our woodden Owlyglasse alias Woodward will answere And yet these are but falsifications of one kinde but he hath also runne into diuers other kindes of falsifications ff ad leg Cornel de falsis For whereas lawe doth declare them to be falsaries that shall either suborne false witnesses or father bastards vpon those who are not their true fathers or that shall in a testament adde a legacy supposed untruely to himselfe or that shall commit any falsehood about coynes or lawes it is an easie matter in euery of these points to charge Bellarmine with falsification For first he hath produced infinite false witnesses as for example Clement Martialis Anacletus Africanus Abdias Amphilochius Leontius Paulinus Simeon Metaphrastes and such like false compagnions that either write fables or take on them false names Secondly he hath fathered infinite base and paultry sermons and epistles and other treatises vpon Cyprian Athanasius Nazianzen Ambrose Hierome Chrysostome Augustine Cyrill and other fathers Thirdly he hath alleadged diuers counterfeit decretales vnder the name of Euaristus Telesphorus Alexander Marcellus Syricius Innocentius Gelasius and others wherein they mention diuers prerogatiues due to the Church of Rome and to themselues setting downe as it were false legacies with their owne false hands in false and forged testaments or recordes Fourthly for the originall scriptures he hath oftentimes alleadged apocryphall writings and the olde latine translation albeit differing from the originall text corrupting after a sort Gods eternall testament Fifthly for the pure writings of the fathers he hath oftentimes giuen vnto vs the drosse of Peter Lombard Thomas Aquinas and other schoolemen and with them hath also ioyned the corrupt testimonies of legends and such like trash Finally he hath cited infinit false canons and counterfeit councels and actes of councels And this I will iustifie by diuers thousands of examples if the woodden detector or any of his partakers will stand to the quarrel which he and Rob. Parsons haue begun I haue also in diuers treatises set out against Bellarmine discouered diuers thousands of his corruptions I hope therefore that our aduersary hereafter wil say that I haue not slandered that voluminous Cardinall Bellarmine especially when he shall haue perused the note following concerning his vntruthes and leasings Which now according to my promise I purpose sincerely and truely to deliuer CHAP. VII A note of certaine notorious vntruths and lies boldely auouched by Bellarmine NExt after falsifications we are to report some fewe vntruthes boldly auouched by Card. Bellarmine which albeit he vttered being yet in minoribus as they call it yet we are not therefore to estéeme them to be lesse materiall séeing hee is the Popes principall proctor falsification 1 Habemus in eodem testamento veteri saith he Heliam Helizeum ac filios prophetarum Lib. de Monach c. 5. sine vxoribus diuitijs in hoc mundo vixisse That is we learne in the same olde testament that Helias and Helizeus and the sons of the Prophets liued without wiues and riches in this world A plaine euident vntruth refuted by a plaine text of scripture 2. Reg. 4.1 where we reade how a certaine woman of the wiues of the Prophets cried to Elizeus there also we read that she had sons likewise I doubt not therefore but Owlyglasse will confesse this to be a lie falsification 2 Likewise in the same place he affirmeth that almost all the fathers write that Iohn Baptist was the first founder of monks and eremites Ioannem Baptistam saith he Ibidem Monachorum Eremitarum principem fuisse scribunt ferè omnes patres and afterward he nameth
no mention of them in scriptures Finally the description of the tabernacle tents and orders of the Israelites which doe not import or giue any signification of such an order of women but rather the contrary doth cléerly refute this vaine fiction deuised without colour of reason or testimony of good authors falsification 20 He telleth vs further a tedious fable of the holy virgins vow of virginity but if he will make his report good Pag. 33. 34. hée must shew first that women among the Israelites did vowe virginity and the rather for that we reade that it was a reproach for women of that nation not to be mothers of children Secondly he must shew that young women before the age of fourtéene did make such vowes Thirdly he must answere and cleare those places of scripture that say she was betrothed to Ioseph for after solemne vowes Nunnes neither marry nor are betrothed Finally he must bring vs better proofes then supposals of Epiphanius and Augustine and a counterfeit tale vnder the name of Gregorye of Nyssa For S. Augustine or at least he that lurketh vnder that holy fathers name saith that vowes of virginity did not then stand with the fashions of the Israelites Lib. de virginit c. 4. He signifieth also that the holy virgin thought it impossible hauing once vowed her maidenhead to God that she should know a man But that sheweth that all the Romish Nunnes are most vnlike to this holy virgin for albeit they vow and sweare and are walled vp so that none come at them yet they neither think it a matter impossible nor difficult to know men as experience and diuers witnesses can testifie and the Romanistes know very well if they durst speake it falsification 21 Diuers auncient fathers testifie that Ioseph the spouse of the blessed virgin had by his first wife diuers children and namely Hyppolytus as witnesseth Nicephorus hist lib. 2. c. 3. Origenes in Matthaei c. 13. Eusebius hist lib. 2. c. 1. Epiphanius haeres 28. 51. 78. Nyssenus homil de resurrect Christi homil 2. Chrysostomus homil de annunt Virg. Euthymius in Matth. c. 2. Hilarius in Matth. can 1. Ambrosius in epist ad Galat. And yet all this notwithstanding Baronius saith this is but an apocryphall fable Why then should we beléeue his apocryphall fables testified by one or two witnesses only and that in writings very doubtfull séeing he will not beléeue this narration that is confirmed as himselfe confesseth by many fathers Further why should we beléeue him that Iohn Baptist was conceiued in September in the time of the solemne fast or in that forme which he reporteth And why should he desire any to giue credit to his narration concerning the city of Zachary S. Iohn Baptists father and the sanctification of S. Iohn Baptist in his mothers wombe for which he alleadgeth no proofe séeing he will not beléeue others that bring testimonies of fathers falsification 22 Saint Luke sheweth that Christ was baptized going vpon the thirtéeth yeare of his age Luc. 3. Iesus erat incipiens saith he quasi annorum triginta and so doe most fathers and other learned men expound Lukes words But Baronius to maintaine the credit of the Romish ordinall will haue Lukes wordes to be so expounded as if he were going vpon the age of one and thirty when he was baptized But if this were so then would Saint Luke haue said quasi annorum triginta vnius falsification 23 In the accompt of years from the beginning of the world vntill Christs time he followeth the tradition of the Romish church that séemeth to allow the translation of the seuenty interpreters rather then the Hebrew text But what is this else but to digresse from the canon of originall scriptures to follow either corrupt translations or vnwritten traditions falsification 24 The scriptures say that our Sauiour was borne in Bethlehem and in a stable and that he was laide in a manger and albeit the place was very meane for the king of heauen and earth to be borne in yet it is very much to be presumed that there was neither Oxe nor Asse in the roome for they are no fit compagnions for men and women especially for a woman being with childe But Baronius by vnwritten traditions issuing from that pure fountaine which Sixtus quintus speaketh of hath found that our Sauiour Christ was borne in spelunca that is in a caue within the ground Saint Matthew calleth it a house but he findeth it was no house but a denne or caue He findeth also that Christ was borne in this caue which is some prety way out of Bethlehem for so Burchard in his description of the holy land part 1. c. 7. testifieth He saith further that our Sauiour was laid in a manger cut out of the rocke and proueth it by the testimony of Hierome albeit we reade but of few mangers cut out of rockes and although afterward he saith it was of wood and so must he say vnlesse he will deny that to be the manger that is shewed in the Church of our Lady ad praesepe in Rome He alleadgeth Chrysostome also that saith the manger was of earth or clay Finally he beareth vs in hand that there was an Oxe and an Asse tyed in that stable and thinketh it sufficiently proued because Hierome alluding to the words of the prophet saith that when Christ was borne the Oxe knew his owner and the Asse his masters crybbe and this he alleadgeth out of the third of Abacuck where no such thing is to be found Of all which traditions the sole reason is this that he may maintaine the credit of the manger which together with hey they shew at Rome as a holy relique He endeuoureth also by these fables to vpholde the pilgrimage to the holy land where little is remaining to be séene but holes dennes rockes and mountaines But if he beléeue these traditions as well as the gospell a man of small learning may see that he is a man of a strange faith falsification 25 He telleth that the swadling clouts wherein our Sauiour was first wrapped are religiously kept and that a church was built in honour of them and a holyday assigned to keepe the memoriall of them But his best witnesse of them is Lipomanus a man whose lies a man may feele with his hands The Apostles certes neuer taught vs to kéepe such reliques or ragges rather neither doth any authenticall sâ—…ry report any such thing Nay whosoeuer will examine them narrowly shall soone sée the notorious impostures of the Romanists that deuise and maintaine these superstitions not for any other purpose then for their owne credit and gaine falsification 26 The wisemen that came from the East if we will beléeue him were three kings but he maketh kings without kingdomes and like his holy father the Pope by â—…is charter or testimony giueth kingdomes away at his pleasure Very vnlike it is certes that thrée kings should consort together and take such a iourney putting