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
is now an infant or that he hath communicated his gouerment with his mother Thirdly neither doth Peter nor any other Disciple of Christ teach or maintaine the Romish doctrine concerning the worshippe of our Lady and the Popes authority All these figures therefore are lying and false figures falsification 7 Sixtus quintus in his decretall epistle profired before Baronious his bookes saith that he hath faithfully and diligentlye reported the stories of the Church and deliuered the true fountaines of apostolicall traditions speaking of his booke he calleth it opus fideliter scriptuÌ„ and not only reporteth so of his bookes that already were published but of those that yet he had not séene prophesiyng belike of Caesar Baronius his future workes perfections and exploytes speaking of his diligence in describing of Romish traditions he saith that in his bookes of Annales apostolicarum traditionum purissimi fontes aperiuntur But this is a notorious and large vntruth for not only his traditioÌ„s are fabulous but his discourse most vaine and false being grounded for the most part vpon lying legendes counterfect sermons and orations set out vnder the names of fathers lewd authors and such as Simeon Metaphrastes Anastasius Gratian Iuo Theodorus Studites certein bookes that neuer yet sawe light and Baronius allowing this Epistle of Sixtus must néedes proue himselfe a lyar falsification 8 The yeare and precise time of Christs natiuity being the ground of all his worke it must néedes follow that if he faile in that then that his whole booke is nothing but a packe of lies That the whole worke is layed vpon that point himselfe confesseth haec basis quaedam ac fundamentum annalium esto saith he Apparaâ—us ad annales eclesiast But that he hath erred in that point it is very probable Epiphanius in panario haeres 51. saith that our Sauiour was borne Augustus and Siluanus being consuls Seuerus hist lib. 2. saith hee was borne when Sabinus and Ruffinus were consuls why then should we rather beléeue Cassiodorus whoÌ„e Baronius followeth then the other two But if this were not erroneous yet in the supputation of yeares continually he erreth reducing matters rather to the false tradition of the Romish Breuiaries and other rituall bookes then to the truth falsification 9 This sentence which he placeth in the front of his booke in petra exaltauit me nunc exaltauit caput meum super inimi cos meos he doth falsely apply to the Romish church contrary to the meaning of the Prophet Psal 26. For he speaketh of himselfe Beside that he saith abscondit me in tabernaculo suoâ— in die malorum protexit me in abscondito tabernaculi sui that is he hath hidden me in his tabernacle and in the dayes of my trouble hath protected me in the secret place of his tabernacle But the Romanistes will not graunt that the Church of Rome is a congregation hidden or that God doth place the same in the secret place of his tabernacle Furthermore that which the prophet speaketh of himselfe cannot by any meanes be applyed to the Pope or Romish Church for it is not God that hath aduanced the Pope to this height of pride nor doe those heresies which the Church of Rome maynteineth nor those massacres and impostures which shée worketh proceede from god Finally God shall destroy antichrist with the breath of his mouth and shall not exalt him nor suffer him long to be thus exalted falsification 10 In his epistle to Sixtus quintus he giueth the title of Vniuersal or Catholike to the Romish Church and doubteth not to affirme the traditions of the Romish Church to be holy and auncient pro sacrarum traditionum antiquitate saith he ac saÌ„ctae Romanae catholicae ecclesiae potestate but of the prophanenesse and nouelty of the Romish traditions I haue spoken already both in my challenge and in my bookes de missa and other treatises against Bellarmine and I doubt not but thereby euery man may conuince him of lying both concerning the holinesse and also the antiquitie of Romish traditions To affirme that the Romish church is catholike concerning faith vniuersally taught I haue declared in my challenge to be most false to affirme that the Romish Church is the vniuersall and catholike Church in regard of time and place is not only most false but also most absurd for were the Church of Rome the true church as it was sometime yet as wel may we call London all england as the Romish Church the catholike Church falsification 11 In the same epistle most impudently he applyeth these words of Iacob Genes 27. surge sede comede de venatione mea vt benedicat mihi anima tua to himselfe as if he had béene a hunting about Rome and brought Sixtus quintus a goate or some like venaison and as if Sixtus quintus were a prophet like to Iacob And to fitte the words to his purpose he addeth to the text the word Pater and taketh away the word sede and saith surge pater comede de venatione mea vt benedicat mihi anima tua Which is a false and leud kinde of abusing of scriptures falsification 12 Concerning the visible monarchy of the Pope he telleth if not a visible yet a very palpable lye In praefat Catholicae ecclesiae visibilem monarchiam saith he à Christo domino institutam super Petrum fundatam ac eius legitimos verosque successores romanos nimirum pontifices inuiolatè conseruatam c. demonstrabimus But if Christ had apointed any such visible monarchy it is strange that neither the Apostles nor first church of christians could euer sée it Againe it is absurd to thinke that generall councels would haue made lawes if there had béene a generall monarke apoynted ouer them Thirdly if Peter had béene a monarke yet it is absurde to say that the visible monarchy is founded vpon him For no man saith that the kingdoÌ„e is founded vpon the King neither is it probable the foundation being inuisible that the building should bée visible Finally this being a ground of his legendicall fables that the bishops of Rome succeeded Peter in the visible monarchy of the church it must néedes follow if this ground faile him the cardinall lyeth in euery page of his annales and as often as he talketh of this matter But that neither Peter was constituted monarke of the church nor the bishops of Rome haue succeeded in any such phantasticall monarchy I haue at large proued in my booke de pontifice Rom. set out against Bellarmine some fowre or or fiue yeares sence falsification 13 Out of Clement lib. strom 6. most simply and falsely he affirmeth Apparat. p. 17. Cod. Antuerp that as the Iewes knew God by the prophets so God did separat from the commoÌ„ multitude of the Gentiles the most excellent of the philosophers and made them capable of Gods beneficence He alledgeth also an apocryphal text out of Paule and seemeth to affirme that some Gentiles did knowe Christ
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
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 the virgin Mary of angels and saints and giue latriam or souereigne worship not to God onely but also to the images of God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy ghost to the images also of the holy Trinitie and of the crosse Of their Agnus Dei they b Caerem lib. 1. c. 7. say Peccatum frangit vt Christi sanguis angit and when they consecrate a crosse they pray that as the world was deliuered from the guilt of sinne by the crosse of Christ so those that offer to the new made crosse by the merit of the same may be acquited from all sinne argument 56 The true church neuer vsed the mediation of others then of our Lord and sauiour Christ Iesus the c 1. Tim. 2. apostle teacheth vs that there is but one mediator betwixt God and man the man Christ Iesus but the Romish church hath gotten to it selfe a packe of mediators and doubteth not to entitle the blessed virgin the mediatrix betwixt God and man d Hist p. 3. Tit. 23. c. 3. Antoninus writeth that on a certaine time Christ sitting at the right hand of his father rose vp in fury purposing to destroy all sinners from the earth but that he was intreated by his mother to stay vntill such time as she had sent forth Dominicke and Francis to preach in the world neither can that trite and absurd distinction of some sophisters excuse the papistes that they accknowledge one onely mediatour of redemtion and vse to pray to saintes as mediatours of intercession for first the scriptures and fathers allow no mediators but such as are mediators of redemption and not onely of intercession and therefore that title of mediator the scriptures giue onely to our Sauiour as appeareth by the words of the apostle 1. Tim. 2. and Hebr. 9. 12. where our sauiour is called the mediator of the new testamnet and Saint e Lib. 2. contra parmen c. 8. Augustine where he dissallowed the title of mediator in Parmenian doth not deny that the pastor may intercede and pray for his flocke but that he may be called a mediator and his f Ibidem reason is quia vnus verusque mediator est which excludeth all men whether aliue or dead from this title of mediator secondly the papistes in their blasphemous canon doe make priestes mediators not onely of intercession but also of redemtion where they say qui tibi offerunt hoc sacrificium landis pro se suisque omnibus pro redemptione animarum suarum thirdly they so pray to angels and saintes as if we could not come to Christ but by them but our sauior doth immediatly call men to himselfe and teacheth vs to pray to the father in his name and Saint g In Rom. 1. Ambrose saith that to obtaine Gods fauour we need no spokesman but a deuout minde Chrysostome likewise homines saith h De poenit homil 4. he vtuntur atriensibus in deo nihil tale est sine mediatore exorabilis est and in another place i De profectu enang nihil tibi patronis opus est apud deum neque enim tam facilè deus audit si alij pro nobis orent qùam si ipsi pro nobis oremus etsi pleni simus omnibus malis fourthly they so pray to angels and saintes as they giue men to understand that they are present in all places for to Saint Francis Saint Dominicke and other saintes they pray in Italy Spaine France and other countries they also signifie that they vnderstand their heartes and deuotions but this is proper to God onely to be in all places and to search mens heartes and the same belongeth to no creature vnlesse we will ascribe diuinity vnto them fiftly they in their litanies to saintes and angels haue such formes of praiers as in the ancient church of Christ was no time vsed in the masse they pray to God that by the merites and praiers of saintes in all thinges they may be protected by Gods helpe at other times they pray to saintes not onely to pray for them but to defend them and helpe them finally they call vpon such persons as we haue iust cause to doubt whether they be saintes as for example traitors executed for their offences and friers and monkes odious for their superstitions in the first ranke commeth Thomas Becket and Campion and his fellowes in the second Francis dominicke Clare Rocke Catharine of Siena and such like vnlesse therefore Robert Parsons and his consortes can proue these formes of intercession to haue bene vsed in the church of Christ it is a great hazard but he will proue himselfe and his fellowes not to be of the church argument 57 In the true church of Christ we neuer read nor heard that christians vsed to scourge themselues before crucifixes and other images publikely or in their chambers of meditations priuatly or that they cried out before their images and crucifixes but we read that the priestes of Baal cut themselues so that the blood followed and that they cried mainly vpon Baal we read also that the priestes of Cybele in honor of their goddesse were wont to cut themselues they say also that in the Indiaes there are certaine priestes that lash themselues before their idoles are not then the papistes that scourge themselues before their images and in their chambers of meditations liker to Baals priestes and ethnikes then to the children of God argument 58 In the church of Christ sinners doe penance in their owne persons in the Romish church they thinke it sufficient to scourge themselues and to doe other offices of penance by deputies argument 59 In the true church of Christ the bishops of Rome gaue forth no indulgences nor iubelies nor did take on them to dispence Christs and the saints merits by publike charters nor gaue pardons of hundreds of daies or yéeres is it not then the false church that taketh this power vnto her argument 60 The true church is a societie of faithfull people vnder lawfull pastors for as the k Ephes 4. apostle saith our Sauiour Christ hath giuen pastors and teachers for the worke of the mynistery for the aedification of his body vntill we all meet together in the vnitie of faith and acknowledging of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man l Lib. 4. epist 9 Cyprian saith that the church is a people vnited to their bishop and a flocke adhering to their pastor est ecclesia saith he plebs episcopo adunata pastori suo grex adhaerens so likewise saith m In dial aduers Luciferianos Hierome quod ecclesia non est quae non habet sacerdotes and this we are taught by reason that there ordinarily can be no church where there is no ministery to gather a church nor a family of Gods children where there are no pastoral fathers to beget sons to God But the Romish church hath long wanted true bishops priests and
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
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
grant that any is saued iumbling catholike and Romane together as appeareth by the confession of the Iebusites of Burdeaux by Canisius Catechisme translated into Spanish by Hierome Campos Bristowes 12. motiue in the margent the cardinall of Cusa epist 5. ad Bohemos Cochlaeus hist Hussit lib. 11. argument 15 The papists also to fit their new fantasies haue coined a new definition of the church h De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine defineth the church to be a company of men conioined in one profession of faith and communion of sacraments vnder the gouernment of lawful pastors and especially of the bishop of Rome which definition is neither to be shewed in any authenticall writer nor prooued by any good argument for neither is it sufficient to professe the faith outwardly and to communicate in sacraments and to liue in subiection vnder lawfull pastors to make a man a true member of the catholike church nor can it be shewed that all christians haue euer liued in subiection of Romish bishops not that for that most wicked persons and atheists and heretikes may make an externall profession of their faith and receiue the sacraments as did Iudas and liue in outward subiection to their pastors which notwithstanding the ancient fathers doe not acknowledge to be true members of the church not this for the Easterne and Africane churches in time past were neuer gouerned by the popes decretales If Robert Parsons thinke otherwise let him produce thrée or foure decretales of popes whereto these churches yéelded obedience argument 16 The ancient fathers beléeued that the catholike church is a communion of saints and a multitude of true beléeuers the first is proued by an article of our creed and so proued that it may appeare that the fathers accounted no licentious liuers true members of the church Non ideo putandi sunt mali saith S. i Lib. 2. contr lit petil c. vlt. Augustine esse in Christi corpore quod est ecclesia quia sacramentorum eius corporaliter participes sunt the second is proued for that faith is the life of Christans Ecclesia est domus Dei saith k In Psal 51. Hilary omnes euangelicae fidei sectatores likewise l Lib. 1. de sacrament Ambrose saith that the first thing that is required in a Christian is faith and both these points I haue at large prooued against m Lib. de eccles part uat sedec 6. 7. Bellarmine but the papists if any credit be to be giuen to n Lib. de eccles miâ—it c. 2. Bellarmine do hold that a man may be a part and true member of the true church albeit he haue neither faith nor charitie nor any inward vertue so that by his confession the Romish church may consist of infidels atheists sodomites and abominable persons argument 17 The ancient church was wont to reuerence the apostles canons but the late Romish church doth not much regard them as is apparent by the the 5.9 and 31. canons which are not now obserued Ex 84. apostolicis canonibus saith o Lib. 5. de sacror hom continent c. 105. Michael Medina quos Clemens Romanus pontifex eorundem apostolorum discipulus in vnum coegit vix sex aut octo Latina ecclesia nunc obseruat likewise Martin Perez de tradit part 3. c. de autorit can apost saith that many things are conteined in the apostles canons which through the corruptions of times are not fully obserued argument 18 The ancient church neuer vsed to confesse their sinnes to angels saints and to the virgine Mary neither were Christians inioined in time past to say Confiteor Deo omnipotenti beatae Mariae semper virgini beato Michaeli archangelo beato Ioanni Baptistae sanctis apostolis Petro Paulo omnibúsque sanctis as the papists say in euery masse nay in ancient p In missa Jacobi Marci Basilij Chrysostomi missals this forme is not found argument 19 Neither did the priests clerke in ancient time giue absolution to the priest as it is in the missale of Rome nor say Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus dimissis omnibus peccatis tuis perducat te ad vitam aeternam for that is nothing els but to giue the keies to boies and preferre the scholar before the master argument 20 The confession of faith also set out by q Bulla Pij 4. super forma profess fidei Pius the fourth wherein all that take degrées in schooles or take charge of soules professe that they beleeue and admit ecclesiasticall traditions and constitutions and the scriptures according to the Romish sense the seuen sacraments and the doctrine of the councell of Trent concerning originall sinne iustice of works the sacrifice of the masse transubstantiation and other points there established is new and no where to be prooued out of the ancient fathers of the church argument 21 In the rehersall of the tenne commandements the ancient fathers neuer vsed to leaue out that commandement that concerneth the making of grauen images like to God and the worshipping of them But the Romish church knowing it selfe guilty of the breach of this commandement in their litle catechismes put before the office of the blessed virgine and diuers other r Catechism de Hieronymode campos bookes doe leaue the same quite out argument 22 In ancient time Christians beléeued that all was sinne that was contrary to the commandements of God for so they collected of the words of the law that pronounced all accursed Å¿ Deut. 27. Galat. 3. that did not abide in all things t 1. Iohn 5. that are written in the booke of the law to doe them and Saint Iohn saith expresly that all vnrighteousnesse is sinne and if it were not so then were the law of God a most imperfect and vncertaine rule but the u Consur colon f. 46. papists of late time affirme that all that is repugnant to the law is not sinne and that concupiscence is not sinne in the regenerate and finally that it is no sinne not to loue God withall our hart and all our soule argument 23 Ancient Christians beléeued that concupiscence euen in the regenerate is sinne for that is prohibited by the law of God that saith thou shalt not couet the apostle also doth call concupiscence in himselfe being now regenerate sinne and necessarily it must be so séeing we are by the x Deut. 6. law of God bound to loue God withall our hart all our soule all our strength Saint Hierome y In Amos 1. saith that it is sinne to thinke things that are euill and Saint z Lib. 2. contr Faust Manich. c. 27. Augustine teacheth vs that whatsoeuer is desired or coueted against the law is sinne but the late conuenticle of Trent decréeth that concupiscence in the regenerate is no sinne argument 24 The apostle Iames teacheth that we doe all of vs sinne and that in diuers things and Saint Iohn saith that he
owne sinnes much lesse for the sinnes of others n Bellar. lib. 1. de indulgent papists beléeue that a mans sufferings may be so great as they may serue for his own and other mens sinnes and are laid vp in a treasury whereof the pope hath the dispensation argument 74 Catholicks neuer beleeued that there are 7. orders and euery one of these a sacrament and yet all but one sacrament for that is as much as if a man should deny one and one to make two yet papists beléeue this o Sess 23. concil Trid. and accurse them that shall say contrary argument 75 Catholikes doe not beléeue that Christ ordeined seuen orders in the church or that exorcistes doore-kéepers and subdeacons were instituted by him or that they are a holy sacrament the papists notwithstanding doe hold contrary or at the least the contrary may be gathered out of their doctrine argument 76 Catholikes doe not deny but that second mariages are as well to be blessed as first mariages why then doe papists obserue and teach the contrary if they will be accounted catholikes argument 77 Catholikes doe not beléeue that by almes and fasting they are either iustified or able to satisfie for their sinnes but papistes as appeareth by Bellarmines disputes holde contrarie argument 78 Catholikes did neuer tie themselues to beléeue whatsoeuer the church of Rome or the pope determined for not onely the Asian churches dissented from Victor and the African churches from Sozimus but long since all haue left the popes that would not be oppressed by them Saint p Lib. de sacrament Ambrose sheweth that he was not bound to follow the church of Romes direction in all ceremonies but papists are tied to Peters chaire as they séeme to confesse by Pius 4. his constitution are bound to beleeue all things conteined in the Creed which the church of Rome vseth seruilly also they submit themselues for the most part to the decrées of the counsell of Trent argument 79 Catholikes doe not condemne all for heretikes that either teach or thinke otherwise of the sacrament of the altar or of confession of sinnes or other Romish sacraments then the church of Rome for concerning the Lords supper I haue q Lib. de missa papist cont Bellar. shewed that al antiquity is against the Romanistes and the rest shall be prooued as occasion serueth but papists condemne all that dissent from the church of Rome in the points aboue mentioned argument 80 Catholiks beléeue the catholike church but the papists only beléeue the catholike Romane church that is so much of the Catholike church as agréeth with the Romanists for so the Iebusites of Bordeaux in their confession doe signifie and the same is prooued by Bristowes 12. motiue the 5. epistle of cardinall Cusanus to the Bohemians and Sanders in his fift booke of his visible monarchy r Lib. 2 de eccles milit Bellarmine also admitteth none to be of the church but such as are subiect to the pope and that is Boniface the eight his determination c. vnam sanctam extr de maior obedientia argument 81 Catholikes are the shéepe of Christ and therefore kill none especially none of Christs shéepe but papists like woolues murder all that like not of the popes gouernment and doctrine argument 82 Catholikes are a society of saints and true beléeuers as S. Augustine sheweth lib. de ver relig c. 6. 7. but to be a true member of the popish church neither faith nor holinesse nor inward vertue is required as saith Bellarmine lib. de eccles milit c. 2. but onely an outward profession and obedience argument 83 Catholikes neuer beléeued that the pope of Rome was by Christ made his vicar generall or the spouse or the monarke or head of the church ſ De pontif Rom. lib. 2. c. 31. Bellarmine albeit he searcheth all corners yet cannot finde that any catholike writer had any such conceit is it not then apparent that the pope is a plaine intruder into ecclesiasticall gouernment and that the papists holding with him haue forsaken the catholike doctrine of the church argument 84 In ancient time the bishops of Rome were subiect to councels and at their entrance into their bishopricks professed and acknowledged their canons as appeareth by the chapters sancta Romana ecclesia and sicut sancti dist 15. but now papists will haue them to be aboue councels argument 85 In times past the bishops of Rome were subiect to emperors as appeareth by the lawes of Iustinian and diuers other emperors before him which are to be séene in the code vnder the titles de summa trinit fid cath de episc audient authent de ordinat episcop but now contrary to the old forme of gouernment of the church papists exclude the emperour and giue all authority to the pope t Sic omne dist 19. Agatho determines that all the decrees of the apostolike see are to be receiued as if they had beene established by the voice of Peter argument 86 Saint Cyprian teacheth that the apostles had all equall power and that is prooued for that they had like calling and u Luk. 9. Matth. 28. Iohn 20. like commission and for that the church was equally founded vpon them all but papists beleeue that Peter was head and monarke of the church x Summa de ecclesia and that the rest of the apostles were to him as the cardinals are to the pope for so Turrecremata a cardinall séemeth to holde argument 87 Among catholiks Christian emperors were alwaies wont to assemble generall councels as appeareth by the first foure generall councels of Nice Constantinople Ephesus the 1. Chalcedon and diuers others and that the cardinall of Cusa and Anastasius the popes principall agent in his library confesse ex superioribus habetur saith y De Concord Cath. li. 3. c. 13. Cusanus imperatores sanctos congregationes synodales vniuersalium conciliorum semper fecisse ita ego perlustrans gesta omnium vniuersalium conciliorum vsque ad octauum inclusiuè Basilij tempore celebratum verum esse reperi z Ibid. Anastasius also affirmeth vniuersales synodos de omni terra imperatores colligere solitos fuisse but to the papists this catholike forme of assembling councels is much displeasing argument 88 Our Sauiour Christ committed the gouernment of the church to his apostles and a Ephes 4. ascending vp on hie gaue some apostles some prophets some euangelists some pastors and teachers and these he thought to be sufficient for the gouernment and building vp of the church and gathering together the saints and worke of the ministery and he is no catholike that thinketh contrary the hierarchy therefore of the church of Rome where we sée a triple crowned pope a multitude of carnall cardinals a heard of fat abbots and generals of orders of friers and whole swarmes of monkes and friers is not catholike these friers a certeine popish b
tormenta sunt quà m corona victoriae his meaning is that they cannot be martyrs that séeke the applause of the multitude for vain-glory die obstinate in their opinions if then the popes agents in England sought nothing more then their owne glory praise and the applause of the pope and cardinals and the simple people adhering vnto them it were but a simple imagination to suppose them to be martyrs Christian martyrs certes sought not their owne glory nor the applause of men nor did they solicite the inuasion of their countrey and domesticall tumults that they might reigne like yoong lords Eightly it was not the fashion of martyrs in ancient time to renounce their kings and soueraigne princes to refuse to acknowledge their authority for wel they knew that the apostle had taught them obedience not rebellion nor contumacious resisting against the princes power omnis anima saith k Rom. 13. he potestatibus sublimioribus subdita sit neither did the holie martyrs of Christs church set out most slanderous libels against men in authority or allow any such course finally we doe not read that euer any godly martyr did beare armes against lawfull princes or go about to depose them or murder them vpon bishops or other mens commandement whatsoeuer Hieremy he had more authority then hath the pope constitui te hodie super gentes saith l Hierem. 1. God vnto him that is I haue appointed thee ouer nations and he had power to pull vp to destroy yet we read not that he commanded any prince to be deposed or murdred but Campian and his consorts whom the papists notwithstanding celebrate repute martyrs did disclaime her Maiesties authority and adhered to the popes declaration as appeareth by their answers yet to be séene all priests also that come from Rome in their cases of conscience which they will not deny are taught to deny her Maiestie to bee their lawfull Queene Robert Parsons Campians fellow hath since his execution prooued a notorious libeller both the pretended martyrs themselues haue set out slanderous libels against their prince and the state and haue well liked of the slandrous and lying writings of Sanders Harpsfield Ribadineira Rishton Parsons Bristow Creswell others When the army of the Pope Spaniard was ready to come for England anno 1588. then was Parsons they say very busie in printing pope Sixtus his scandalous declaration against her Maiestie and Allens railing and scurrilous letters to the nobility and people of England and Ireland A m In an answere to a libell set out by Parsons friend of his also doth charge him that his finger was both in the making and dispersing that infamous libell and yet the pretended popish martyrs would neither mislike the authors nor these wicked libels nor any thing els that might worke disgrace either to her maiesty or the state Finally the earle of Northumberland and the two Nortons and diuers priests whom Bristow in his Motiues and Sanders in his books De visibili Monarchia and diuers others do celebrate for martyrs are in the Crowne office and publike records registred for men of a far diuers qualitie Among these certes the earle of Northumberland and the Nortons were principall actors in the rebellion anno 1569. and diuers of the rest were spotted with other treasons But percase it is a matter not vnusuall for the pope to put those in the Calender of martyrs whom publike executioners register in their books for rebels and traitors in which ranke it may be that Iames Clement that murdered king Henry the third of France and Ghineard the Iesuite that allowed that murder and was therefore executed and Chastell that assaulted Henry the fourth of France now reigning shall sometime or other be entred and be reputed as good saints as the best No martyrs of Christ Iesus did euer suppose it a thing lawfull to breake their others of allegeame to their princes vpon any excommunication or other warrant of popes or bishops n In Chronic. Auentin annal 7. Sigebertus Gemblacensis saith it is a pernitious heresie to beleeue that the pope can discharge subiects from the bond of an oth and from their allegeance but the popes martyrs or rather vnnaturall and churlish masâ—ifs did not only take themselues to be discharged from their allegeance and ioyned with forren enemies but also perswaded as many as they could to take armes against their prince and countrey In ancient records of ecclesiasticall stories we do not reade that any martyr of Christ Iesus did euer denie his name qualitie kindred and prince all together nor that they vsed equiuocations and dissembled their faith nor finally that they went apparelled like spadassins and ruffians but these pretended popish martyrs doe not only all this but also are resolued by Allen and Parsons that it is lawfull so to do The o Resolut quorundam casuum nationis Anglicanae c. 1. case being put vtrum sacerdos possit habitum mutare comam nutrire nomen patriam parentes negare they answer thus potest nec videtur in ea re dubium potest enim quis veritatem tacere vel dissimulare The same good fellowes determine also quod dissimulatio est licita that is that dissimulation is lawfull and afterwards they say it is pious to vse dissimulation for that it is lawfull to lay ambuscadoes for enemies so it appeareth they take all their countreymen that fauor the state for enemies and would take them in ambuscadoes if they could and this if we looke not to it they haue fully purposed and resolued as may appeare by their resolued cases Concerning the Queene they say shee is not lawfull the more they to blame that holde them for lawfull subiects Regina haeretica say p Ibidem they non est legitimè regina and againe non gerit se vt reginam sed exercet tyrannidem Finally the disciples of these traitors are taught to renounce their countrey and to giue no respect to their parents if they be not of the Romish religion It was not the fashion of Christian martyrs in times past to vse machiauelian tricks nor to equiuocate in places of iudgment nor to forswere themselues being examined and interrogated by their superiors but the schoolemasters of our popish priests and the popes calues and designed popish mastifs doe enforme them that they may doe both without any scruple of conscience sciant say q Ibidem c. 3. cas 3. they se vti posse aequiuocationibus iurare sine peccato Now by aequiuocations they meane promises and othes made not according to common and literall meaning nor according to the vnderstanding of the iudge but according to a certaine hidden meaning of the party and by swearing they vnderstand false forswearing according to our common vnderstanding they r Ibidem teach also that a priest is no more to regard an oth to the Queenes officers then if he should sweare to pirates
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
had done before them and yet affirmeth also that pope Syricius was seduced by Sathan published wicked doctrine taught the flat doctrine of the divel that pope Sozimus brought in superstition and falsified the decrees of the Nicene councell so to mainteine the vsurped primacie of the Church of Rome as if M. Belles propositions might not well stand together for he saith not that all the bishops of Rome were good and godly men and taught true doctrine vntill S. Augustines time but speaketh indefinitly of the bishops of Rome without adding all which maner of speech in materia contingenti is not to be taken absolutely and vniuersally but for the most part and so no doubt saint Augustine speaking of the bishops of Rome vnderstood it knowing that Marcelline sacrificed to idoles and that Liberius was an Arrian and we may say also that the apostles of Christ were good men although Judas was a traitor and lanterne bearer to the Iewes as some popish writers say that betraied Christ and much of the nature and condition of this detectour of falsifications and detractor from honest men and a very lanterner of Antichrist and a traitour to his countrey let him therefore beware he be not taken passing through backe dores like the idolatrous priests of Bel and so for his gordian knot be taken tied in a Tyburne knot 10 I need not say much of our adversaries forme of writing or frame of sentences for it appeereth euery where that he did not know the difference of pneuma and periodus nor could distinguish betwixt colons and periodes commaes and colons his whole discouse is liker to nothing that I can imagine then to the way betweene Chard and Honiton in the west countrey that is rude and rugged vp hill and downe hill and very vnequall but to let that passe yet may I not passe in silence that a Praefat. fol. 1. speaking of the great commanders and princely pilots that sit at the sterne of the common wealth he seemeth to communicate her Maiesties souereigne authority to inferior persons and doth not once vouchsafe to acknowledge her princely power or to name her among the governors of this state and yet such disloiall traitors that acknowledge the popes supreme authoritie and deny her Maiesties power as being excommunicate by the popes scuruinesse our fellow percase would say holinesse are not sought out nor brought to such a triall as their offences deserue By this therefore it may appeare that as our aduersary hath no ability to disproue any point of religion which we hold so he hath vtterly shamed his consorts and the crew of papists that hitherto haue made great brags of this their champion of his inuincible arguments all hard knotty like the haft of a dougeon dagger he hath also vtterly shamed himself in medling with these matters being a mā not read nor any way fit to discourse or handle matter of cōtrouersy the which that it may further appere I purpose god willing not only to iustify my former chalenge which this poore menowe would nibble at but also to discharge my selfe honestly of all those vntruthes and falsifications which the detractor maliciously goeth about to charge vpon me Wherein that I may proceed more formally not onely skin this dead dog whose ouerthrow shall helpe vs nothing but handle somewhat else that may make for the aduantage of true religion and the instruction of the ignorant The order and chiefe propositions chapters of the discourse ensuing I wil God willing declare first that the church of Rome that now is and which embraceth the doctrine of the pope and conuenticle of Trent is not the true church of Christ Iesus and secondly that the doctrines and traditions of the Romish church which the church of England refuseth are meere nouelties and late deuised fancies for the most part thirdly that the papists are no true catholikes nor hold the catholike faith and that it is a great wrong offred to Christes church to call them catholikes vnlesse it be as we call dead carcases men fourthly that papists mainteine many both old new haresies and points of doctrine contrary to the word of God and to the catholike faith fifthly that they are idolaters finally that such as haue died in the popes quarrell in England were vnnaturall traitors and no true martyrs and that such priests also as come from Rome with commission and faculties from the pope are traitors and enemies to their prince and countrey and so to be reputed and taken and not otherwise All which points one or two excepted I handled in my last challenge this challenge thus iustified I shall God willing presently encountre our detractor and answer first his obiections concerning vntruthes secondly his quarrels concerning supposed falsifications thirdly his vaine childish obseruations and to shew the vanitie of our aduersaries pleading and how much the papists are to shunne all conferences and disputes concerning lies and falsifications I will also for further euidence against them set down first certeine notorious lies and forgeries committed by the popes and church of Rome and next such lies and forgeries as are committed by their principall agents and heerein first I will declare Bellarmine to be most guiltie in this point the next place shall conteine Baronius his cardinall leasinges after them I will note certeine notorious lies and forgeries conteined in the writings of other papists yea of Parsons himselfe and of this Momus in his new nothing which he calleth a detection of lies and falsifications finally to answer his obseruations I will also discourse of such things as in our aduersaries and their writings seeme woorthy to be obserued and all this to let our aduersaries know that they had more need to defend themselves then to presse vs and to take the beames out of their owne eies rather then to espie motes in our eies As for his railing words rustical vnciuil behauiour I leave to be censured by the archpriest in his next generall synod which if he doe not I will referre him over to be answered by master Kempe vpon the stage and if he desist not his railing and rusticalitie either vpon the archpriests admonition or master Kempes censure I assure him I will set a fellow to answer him that shall so currie him and his consorts the papists and that shall in such sort tippe vp their vilanies that the whole fraternitie of asses shall curse him for braying so vnciuilly I hope also that some odde priest or other out of his grammer dictates will admonish him to looke better to his grammer rules and tell him that he hath falsified a verse out of Horace and made a grosse fault in it This is the onely verse in the booke for where Horace saith quid dignum tanto feret hic pro missor hiatu our wise b Pag. 4. aduersarie hath quid dignum tanto proferet promissor hiatu both altering his authors words and
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
is in the pallace of heauen neither may we suspect that he supposed that Christs body might at the same time be in earth Saint y Lib. 10. in c. 24. Luc. Ambrose saith that we touch not Christ with corporall handling but by faith and that we are not to seeke him on the earth nor after the flesh if we will finde him finally the scriptures and fathers do teach vs that Christ is so ascended into heauen that we doe not enioy him héere on the earth according to his bodily presence as I haue declared at large in my treatise against Bellarmine concerning the reall supposed presence of his body in the sacrament argument 21 The true church beléeueth that we are iustified by faith in Christ Iesus and not by the works of the law arbitramur iustificari hominem saith the z Rom. 3. apostle per fidem sine operibus legis Rom. 4. si qui ex lege haeredes sunt exinanita est fides this is the faith likewise of the fathers a Dial. 1. contr Pelag. tunc ergo iusti sumus saith Hierome quando nos peccatores fatemur iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex dei consistit misericordia and that we are not iustified by charitie or by our works it may be prooued by the testimony of saint b Epist 29. ad Hieronymum Augustine plenissima charitas saith he quae iam non possit augeri quamdiu hîc homo viuit est in nemine quamdiu autem augeri potest profectò illud quod minus est quà m debet ex vitio est ex quo vitio non est qui faciat bonum non peccet neither may we suppose where the fathers doe speake of iustice of workes that they meane any other iustice but such as declareth vs iustified and which without remission of sinnes cannot stand before God but the papists both beléeue and teach contrary as appéereth by the c Sess 6. actes of the Trent councell and friuolous disputes of d Lib. 4. de iustific c. 10. seq Bellarmine who endeuoureth to shew that man is able to fulfill the law and that our works doe iustifie vs. whereupon it followeth that contrary to the apostles intention we are iustified by the law if he say truely argument 22 The true church also beleeueth that we are not to boast or glory of our works and that the reward of sinne is death and that eternall life 's the gift of God Si Abraham ex operibus iustificatus est saith the apostle Rom. 3. habet gloriam sed non apud deum and Rom. 6. stipendium peccati mors gratia autem dei vita aeterna in Christo Iesu domino nostro likewise the scriptures shew that when we haue done all we can we are to acknowledge our selues to be vnprofitable seruants and that our sufferings are not woorthy of the glory that is to be reuealed and this the church of Christ also beléeueth and hath from time to time beléeued tua peccata sunt saith Augustine in Psal 70. merita dei sunt supplicium tibi debetur cum praemium venerit sua dona coronabit non merita tua and Hilary in Psal 51. non illa ipsa iustitiae opera sufficenrent ad perfectae beatitudinis meritum nisi misericordia dei etiam in hac iustitiae voluntate humanarum demutationum motuum non reputet vitia but the papists hold that we may trust in our works as appeareth by Bellarmines dispute lib. 5. de iustific c. 7. and say that all sinnes doe not deserue death and that eternall life is due for our works argument 23 The true church doth acknowledge no head of the vniuersall church but Christ alone which is also the Sauiour of his body Christ saith the e Ephes 2. apostle is the head of the church he is sauior of his body neither is the title of head of the vniuersall church due to Peter Peter the apostle saith f Lib. 4. epist 38 ad Joan. Constantinop Gregory is the first member of the holy catholike church and Paul Andrew and Iohn what are they but heads of diuers parishes and yet all are members of the church vnder one head Saint g De agon Christ in Psal 9. Augustine saith that Christ Iesus that is the mediator betwixt God and man is head of the church but this title of mediatour onely belongeth to our sauiour Yet the Romish church doth acknowledge the pope to be her head and h In gloss in c. vnam de maior obed Bertrand blasphemously saith that Christ had not beene discreet if he had not left a vicar generall behind him and this doth i Praefat. in lib. de pontif Rom. lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine very well allow and prooue it to be due to the pope is that congregation then the true church that hath either two heads or a head beside Christ Iesus argument 24 The true church is not built vpon the pope for the church was before there was either pope of Rome or chiefe priest among the Iewes but the church of Rome doth acknowledge the pope to be her rocke and her foundation as appeareth by Bellarmines preface before his treatise de pontifice Rom. and doth take the pope to be her foundation k Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine among other the popes titles doth reckon this for one that he is fundamentum aedificii ecclesiae that is the foundation of the building of the church argument 25 The true church is Christs faithfull spouse Oseae 2. God speaking to his church saith sponsabo te mihi in fide the church also being Christes spouse harkeneth to him alone and of him is most dearely beloued en dilectus meus saith the l Cantic 2. church loquitur mihi surge propera amica mea columba mea formosa mea veni Cyprian saith that the church cannot be drawne to like of an adulterer adulterari non potest saith m De vnit ecclesiae he Christi sponsa incorrupta est pudica but the n Turrecrem lib. 2. c. 28. Aquin. in 4. sent dist 38. church of Rome doth acknowledge the pope of Rome to be her spouse and o Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine doth mainteine that the pope is iustly entituled the spouse of the church and that this is not without the allowance of the pope it may appeare by the popes owne p C. intercorporalia de translat episc c. quoniam de immunit ecclesiae wordes where he challengeth this title of spouse to be due vnto him and yet I hope he will not say of the church sponsabo te mihi in fide nor propera amica mea columba mea nor doth the true church say of the pope en dilectus meus what then resteth but that the church of Rome should be the whoore of Babylon Apocalyp
1.7 out of whose cup the nations of the earth haue drunken so many abominations and that the pope should be the louer and spouse of this adulterous and vnchaste congregation argument 26 The true church of Christ is not necessarily tied to the obedience of the church of Rome nor neuer was subiect to his decretaline lawes quae sursum est Hierusalem saith the q Galat. 4. apostle libera est quae est mater nostra so likewise are her children for it is a rule of law if the mother be frée so likewise are her children but the church of Rome is necessarily tied to the obedience of the pope r C. Vnam sanctam extr de maiorit obed Boniface the 8. determineth that it is a point necessary vnto saluation to be subiect to the pope and Å¿ Lib. de eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine doth exclude all out of the church of Rome that liue not vnder the subiection of the pope finally it is the common opinion of all papists that such as acknowledge not the popes authority are t Ibidem c. 5. schismatikes is it not then manifest that those that liue vnder the slauery of Antichrist are not the true church argument 27 The church of Christ hath but one iudge and lawgiuer that is able to saue and destroy soules vnus est legislator index saith saint u Iacob 4. Iames qui potest perdere liberare but the church of Rome doth acknowledge the pope for a supreme iudge and lawgiuer and hold that his lawes are of power to binde the conscience as Bellarmine teacheth his disciples lib. 4. de pontif Rom. c. 16. and that is the common opinion of all casuistes and the ground-worke of those that worke on mens consciences can this then be the true church that liueth in such bondage argument 28 The true church neuer commanded christians to make publike confession of their sinnes to the virgin Mary to the archangell Michaell to saint Iohn Baptist or to the holy apoples Peter and Paul and to all the saints of heauen the confessions of saint Augustine are extant and to be séene so likewise are there diuers confessions to be found both in the writings of the fathers and publike liturgies and yet can we not finde any of this nature nay in the forme of the masse prescribed by x Ordo Rom. cap. de forma celebrat missae an ancient order of the Romish church we do not finde that forme of confession that is now vsed neither can Robert Parsons or Bellarmine or any of that faction shew that any christian was wont to say confiteor deo omnipotenti beaâ—ae Mariae semper virgini beato Michaeli archangelo beato Ioanni Baptistae sanctis apostolis Petro Paulo omnibus sanctis do they not therefore that vse this forme in al their masses shew that they are not the true church that ioine angels and saints with God and séeme to confesse that they know our sinnes and that they are our iudges and haue power to pardon our offences argument 29 Christs true church reteineth no sacraments but such as Christ first instituted and are declared in the apostles writings and that may be prooued by Iustines 2. apology directed to Antoninus by Dionysius supposed to be the Ariopagite and all ancient formes of liturgies for we doe not reade in any of them of more sacraments than two but the popish congregation hath made euangelicall sacraments of matrimony order and penance of which the first two were instituted in the olde testament and the third is an act alwaies necessarie for obteining of remission of sinnes but neuer accounted a sacrament as wanting a sacramentall signe and also â—ormall institution they haue also made sacraments of confirmation and extreme vnction and giuen them both signes forms which notwithstanding were neuer knowen in ancient time are they therefore not likely to prooue a new church that haue instituted diuers new sacraments argument 30 The ancient and true church of Christ neuer beléeued that matrimony and order conteined grace in that sort which the papists teach neither did they beléeue to obteine iustification through confirmation and extreme vnction but the popes church beléeueth that these sacraments doe conferre grace ex opere operato and that héerein they differ from the sacraments of the old law for that the new sacraments doe worke iustification and not the old the first is apparent by Bellarmines discourse de sacrament lib. 2. c. 3. sequent the second by his dispute lib. 2. de sacrament c. 12. sequent neither will any papist deny this let them then shew how men may be iustified by greasing and crossing in extreme vnction and confirmation or else they will appeare to be strangers to Christes church argument 31 The ancient catholike church did y Can. apost 10. concil antioch c. 2. excommunicate such as coÌ„ming to church departed before they receiued the communion qui non perseuerauerint in oratione vsque dum missa peragitur say the canons necsanctam communionem percipiunt velut inquietudines ecclesiae mouentes conuenit coÌ„munione priuari the Romanistes themselues also C. peracta dist 2. de consecrat doe confesse that this was the ancient practise of the church peracta consecratione saith Anacletus omnes communicent qui noluerint ecclesiasticis carere liminibus sic enim apostoli statuerunt sancta Romana tenet ecclesia the same is also confirmed by the testimony of Iustine Martyr apolog 2. of Dionysius de eccles hierarch and other ancient fathers but the church of Rome now doth take them for good cacolickes that will come to masse and looke on She doth not certes excommunicate any for not receiuing the communion doth it not then appeare that the Romish church is not the church of Christ argument 32 The church of Christ did neither vse nor thinke it lawfull to reserue the eucharist in pixes ouer euery altar nor to cary the same about with procession nor to light candles before the pixe nor to bury together with dead bodies either the sacrament of Christes body or the chalice our sauiour Christ z Matth. 26. Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. said accipite comedite bibite that is take eate drinke and so forth and the apostles and first christians did receiue and not kéepe the sacrament in pixes but the church of Rome doth quite contrary argument 33 The true church neuer prohibited those that receiued the sacrament of Christes body to receiue the cuppe also neither did good catholickes abstaine from the cuppe hauing rerceiued the sacrament of Christes body a Serm. 4. de quadrages Leo saith they were Manicheyes that receiuing the sacraments tooke the body of Christ but in no wise would drinke the blood of our redemtion and this act he affirmeth to be sacrilegious Gelasius also saith that it is plaine sacrilege to diuide one and the same mystery and receiuing a portion of the sacred
body to absteine from the cup of the sacred blood but the church of Rome doth expresly forbid all communicants beside the priest to receiue the cuppe and taketh this to be good religion The papists also are well content to be depriued of the cup of the new testament and thinke not the sacrament so mangled to be imperfect argument 34 The true catholike church neuer taught nor thought so basely of the most holy body of our Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus as that a mouse a hogge or dogge or other creature eating the consecrated host did also eat the Lords body presse it with téeth and swallow it downe into the belly nor did the same imagine that the Lords body might be throwen in the mire and troden vnder féet and throwne into places vncleane and too homely to be named but the synagogue of Rome beléeueth that brute beastes may eat Christes bodie If a dogge or hogge saith b P. 4 q 45. Alexander Hales should eat a consecrated hoste I see no cause but the Lords body should go therewithall into that dogges or hogges belly some haue said as it is in the third part of Thomas Aquinas his summe of diuinity that as soone as the sacrament is taken of a mouse or a dogge straightway the body and blood of Christ cease to be there c. but that is derogatorie to the trueth of this sacrament it is also the common opinion of all papisticall doctors that the body and blood of Christ so long continue in the sacrament as the formes of bread and wine continue vncorrupt and that they goe into all places together vnlesse therefore Robert Parsons or some other doe helpe héere and shew that the true church of Christ did beléeue and teach as before is declared both he and his consorts must néeds confesse that the Romish church is not the true church argument 35 The ancient catholike church had but one sacrifice one altar one priest after the order of Melchisedech the priest after the order of Melchisedech was Christ Iesus he was also that sacrifice the altar was his crosse tu es sacerdos in aeternum saith God by his c Psal 109. Hebr. 5. prophet secundum ordinem Melchisedech he because he remaineth for euer hath an eternall priesthood as the apostle saith Hebr. 7. but the papists erect altars of stone whereupon they say they offer their sacrifices they beléeue also that their priests offer vp sacrifices and that they are according to the order of Melchisedech as if they had neither father nor mother nor certeine genealogy and were holy and impolluted doe they not then declare that they haue erected a new congregation that is diuers from the church of Christ neither is it materiall that the fathers doe call the Lords supper or eucharist a sacrifice for they doe not so call it for other cause but for that it is a memoriall of Christs sacrifice on the crosse Christ saith d Dedemonstrat Euangelic lib. 1. c. 10. Eusebius offred a most excellent sacrifice for vs all and gaue vs a memoriall or sacrament thereof in stead of a sacrifice Chrysostome writing vpon the epistle to the Hebrewes teacheth vs that our sacrifice is but a samplar or memoriall of Christs sacrifice and this Peter Lombard frankly confesseth that which is offered and consecrated by the priest is called a sacrifice and oblation saith e Sentent 4. dist 12. he because it is a memoriall and representation of the true sacrifice and holy oblation made on the altar of the crosse argument 36 The true church of Christ neuer erected more altars then one in one church nor did the same distribute the sacrament in diuers angles in one and the same church aliud altare constitu◠saith f Epist 25. pleb vniuersae Cyprian aut sacerdotium nouum fieri praeter vnum altare vnum sacerdotium non potest likewise saith g Epist ad Philadelph Ignatius quod vnus sit panis pro omnibus confractus vnus calix totius ecclesiae but the papistes haue alters in euery corner of their churches and there diuers priests sing or say diuers masses and offer sacrifices there also they consecrate and diuide the sacrament making a diuision no lesse in their congregations then in their altars chalices and sacrifices argument 37 The true church did neuer agree for trentales of masses nor for aniuersary memorialles nor sell the sacrament of Christes body but the Romish priests take mony for trentales of masses and without hire they will not make aniuersary commemorations they sticke not also to sell Christs body or at least their masses for mony deteriores sunt Iuda saith h Onus ecclesiae c. 23. one speaking of Romish priests alledging the authority of saint Brigit qui pro solis denariis me vendidit illi autem pro omni mercimonio argument 38 Our sauiour Christ and his apostles taught the church that the sacrament of his body and blood was to be receiued and eaten and drunken of which we collect that it was auaileable onely for the quicke that could receiue eat and drinke and not for the dead that could doe none of these things neither did Christs church beléeue that the Lords supper was satisfactory for paines in purgatory or good against lightning and thunder or such calamities but the Romish church doth hold that their eucharistical sacrifice is propitiatory for the dead as well as the quicke that the same is expiatory and doth worke diuers other woondrous effects hoc sacrificium saith i De valore missae parad 12. Guernerus est expiatiuum debitae poenae tam hic quam in futuro exoluendae k ibidem parad 9. he sheweth also that the same worketh miraculous effects against thunder danger of enemies and other calamities and that he that frequenteth the masse shall be directed in all things which new doctrine vnlesse Robert Parsons can prooue that it hath béene taught in the ancient church of Christ will greatly endanger the state of the Romish church argument 39 In the true church of Christ no priest euer tooke to himselfe so great presumption as to become a mediator to God for Christ Iesus for he is a mediator betwixt God and man and méere blasphemy it is for a mortall man to challenge to himselfe to be a mediator betwixt God the father and his sonne but in the Romish church the priest becommeth a mediator and intercessor for Christ for speaking of the body and blood of our Sauior he saith l In canone missae supra quae propitio acsereno vultu respicere digneris accepta habere sicut accepta habere dignatus es munera pueri tui iusti Abel sacrificium patriarchae nostri Abrahae Vpon which saith he vouchsafe to looke with a fauourable and pleasant countenance and to accept them as thou vouchsafest to accept the gifts of Abel and the sacrifice of our patriarch Abraham and afterward iube haec perferri
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
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
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
tu nos ab hoste protege hora mortis suscipe argument 72 Neither did Christians in olde time chant such Letanies as now are vsuall in the Romish missals and breuiaries saying Sancte Michael sancte Gabriel sancte Raphael nor sancta Maria Magdalena sancta Agnes sancta Agatha nor omnes sancti sanctae intercedite pro nobis argument 73 In ancient f Vid. ordinem Rom. missals the praier memento for the dead is not in the canon the ancient fathers did neuer vse such a form argument 74 In ancient time it would haue bene thought very strange to pray in a tongue not vnderstood especially when the apostle g 1. Cor. 14. teacheth vs that it profiteth nothing argument 75 The psalter of our lady and her peculier offices are not to be iustified by ancient precedents argument 76 If any had bene taken praying to a stocke or stone he would haue bene condemned for an idolater but now papists commonly pray to images of wood and stone and to the crosse they say auge pijs iustitiam reisque dona veniam which although it may be thought sottish and sencelesse yet will they not haue it counted idolatrous argument 77 Christ forbadde vs to vse battologies or often repetitions in our praiers but the papists neither regarding his doctrine nor the practise of the ancient church in their psalter of Iesu repeat the name of Iesu infinit times they reherse also infinit Aue Mariaes and Pater Nosters argument 78 In the Missale of Salsbury the priest saith to the sacrament Aue. he boweth also to it contrary to the ancient churches practise argument 79 The Rosaries and beades of our lady containing 63. Aue Mariaes and 7. Pater Nosters which are now much reckoned of in Spaine and Italy as appeareth by the manuall of Geronymo Campos are but new tricks of late popes and superstitious priests to catch mony argument 80 In time past Christians were wont to entombe holy martyrs and to call vpon God at their tombes and monuments But of late time the blinde papists haue digged the saints out of their graues and thinke it religion to call vpon them and to kisse rotten bones and ragges yea sometimes which belong not to the saints to whome they are attributed argument 81 The papists also worship wicked men as George of Cappadocia an Arrian hereticke Thomas Becket an impure fellow and a traitor to his country h La fulminante Ieames Clement the murderer of his liege soueraine Campian and Sherwin and such as died in England for notorious treasons argument 82 Neither are they ashamed to call the sacrament their lord and god as appeareth by the words of Alane in his treatise de sacrific euchar c. 41. and Bristow in his 26. motiue which they cannot iustifie by testimony of antiquity argument 83 They also worship the sacrament with diuine honour as if God and the sacrament were one person the priest after consecration doth adore it as it is in the rubrike of the i Missal Rom. missal and boweth his knee vnto it they hang the sacrament vpon the altar with light before it and cary it about with lightes and bells and great solemnity all which Robert Parsons will not proue to be practised by the ancient church of Christ nay when he goeth about it he shall finde that the principall authors of this idolatry were Honorius the 3. Vrbane the 4. and Clement the fift men of late time and leud stampe argument 84 To the crosse they say ô crux aue spes vnica and venite adoremus as is proued by the Romish portesse sabbat in hebd 4. quadrages and booke of ceremonies and pontificall in die parasc neither are they ashamed to confesse that latria or diuine worship is due to the crosse albeit all antiquity abhorred such grosse idolatry argument 85 They worship the images of god the father of god the sonne and god the holy ghost and the whole trinity with latria or diuine worship as may be gathered by their practise by the decrée of the conuenticle of Trent the 25. session by the testimony of Suares in 3. part Thom. tom 1. disp 54. sect 4. and of vellosillus in aduertent in 5. tom Hieronym ad 10. quae sit which the ancient fathers neuer did nay the idolatrous second councell of Nice allowed not this supreme worship of Latria to be due to any images argument 86 Gregory the first in a certaine epistle to Serenus declareth that albeit images are not to be broken downe and vtterly abolished out of churches yet they are not to be worshipped Epiphanius vtterly condemneth the hauing of them in churches and to that effect the councell of Eliberis in Spaine made a solemne k Can. 36 act Placuit say the fathers of that councell picturas in ecclesia esse non debere ne quod colitur aut adoratur in parietibus depingatur but now the papists not onely place them in churches but also adore them and worship them argument 87 Antiquity neuer burnt incense to images nor kissed them nor bowed downe to them nor said their praiers before them for that is repugnant to the second commandement and is derogatory to Gods honor but the papists now doe all this and thinke it piously doone also argument 87 In ancient time Christians serued God in spirit and trueth according to the saying of our sauiour Iohn 4. but the religion of papists consisteth in eating of redde herrings and salt fish in abstinence from flesh and white meats in knocking knéeling greasing shauing washing ducking crouching crossing and such like outward ceremonies argument 88 The ancient fathers did neuer take the bishop of Rome to be head or foundation of the church for well they remembred that our Sauiour Christ is the head of the church and Sauiour of his body and l 1. Cor. 3. that no man can lay other foundation then that which is laid which is Christ Iesus and that the church is built vpon the apostles and prophets Christ Iesus being the corner stone but vpon apostles and prophets because they preach vnto vs Christ Iesus but the papists now teach that the pope is both the foundation and the head of the church for that doth Bellarmine teach in his preface before his bookes de Pontifice Rom. and in the second booke chap. 31. of that treatise neither doe I thinke that any papists will denie it argument 89 Neither did they call the pope in ancient time the spouse of the church for that doeth onely belong to Christ adiunxi vos vni viro saith the apostle 2. Corinth 10. ad exhibendam virginem castam Christo but the papists m C. vbi periculum de elect in sexto doe not sticke to call the pope the spouse of the church and Bellarmine of his liberalitie doeth giue the pope that title lib. 2. de Pontif. Rom. c. 31. and the pope like a good fellow taketh the same to himselfe c. quoniam de
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
argument 10 The Romanists n C. ad abolendam de haeret adiudge all to be hereticks which teach and hold otherwise of the sacraments then the church of Rome determineth and holdeth and commonly they condemne all that receiue not the popes determinations concerning faith but catholiks make the doctrine of Christ to be the squire of our faith Our o Matth. 28. Sauiour Christ gaue his apostles in charge to teach what he had commanded them the apostle likewise pronounceth him accursed that should teach otherwise than the Galatians had receiueth So it appereth that not those that taught other doctrine than the bishops of Rome but such as taught contrary to the apostles doctrine yea albeit they were bishops of Rome were condemned and accursed argument 11 The Romanists doe aswell build their faith vpon p Concâ—l Trid. sess 4. vnwritten traditions as the written word of God so the papists must aswell receiue the traditions of the legends as the holie scriptures aswell must they beléeue the wounds of S. Francis as Christ his passion and the miracles of S. Dominike and other braue Romish saints as the miracles of Christ and his apostles for these as they holde are traditions and the wounds of S. Francis are confirmed by diuers decretales of popes To this effect writeth q C. sancta dist 15. Gelasius and saith Gesta sanctorum martyrum recipimus but true catholikes haue more certeine grounds of their faith and would be much ashamed to beléeue such fables nay some of the papists haue much misliked these fabulous legends as may appeare by the testimony of Dante an Italian poet Cant. 29. and Laurence Valla in his treatise contra Donationem Constantini argument 12 The papists allow the legends of S. George S. Christopher S. Catherine Abgarus of the inuention of the crosse of S. Iohn Baptists head and diuers such like as conteining olde traditions but true catholikes will not allow any such fables to be read in the church nay Gratian himselfe vnder the name of r C. Sancta dist 15. Gelasius doth condemne the legend of George of Cyricus and Iulitta Abgarus of the inuention of the crosse and such like argument 13 Alij nunc à Christo saith Å¿ In praefat in relect princip doctrin Stapleton eorúmue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locum habebunt that is others beside Christ together with their doctrine preaching and determination shall be accounted of me as a foundation The rest also beléeuing that the popes can not erre in their determinations concerning faith must néeds rest vpon them as the foundation of their faith but true catholiks build their saith onely vpon Christ and his doctrine deliuered by the apostles and prophets argument 14 The church of God and all true catholikes kéepe the doctrine of the apostles and holy fathers without addition and alteration and auoid all prophane nouelties The t Galat. 1. apostle pronounceth him accursed that teacheth any other Gospel than that which he had taught Catholicorum hoc ferè proprium saith u Aduers hares c. 34. Vincentius deposita sanctorum patrum commissa seruare damnare prophanas nouitates sicut dixit iterum dixit apostolus si quis annunciauerit praeterquam quod acceptum est anathematizare If then the church of Rome and papists haue altered the apostolike and ancient fathers faith and haue added diuers points of new doctrine vnto it as I haue verified in the chapter going before he doth greatly wrong the catholike faith which calleth them catholikes argument 15 True catholikes beléeue in God onely Faith saith the x Rom. 10. apostle is by hearing and hearing by the word of God y De diuin non inib. c. 7. Dionyse saith that faith hath for his obiect the most pure and euer being trueth and euery catholike rehearsing his beliefe saith he beleeueth in God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost but the papists after a sort beléeue in the virgine Mary in angels and saints and pray and confesse their sinnes vnto them for if they beléeue not in them how doe they call vpon them séeing the z Rom. 10. apostle saith how shall they call on him on whom they haue not beleeued and why doe they confesse their sinnes vnto them if they beléeue not that they do vnderstand the secrets of their hearts and know that their confession is sincere and true if they doe not beléeue in saints yet I hope they will not denie that they beléeue the determinations of the pope and of the Romish church a In oâ—usc contra errores Gracorum Thomas Aquinas saith it is a matter of faith to beleeue the determination of the pope ad fidem pertinct saith he inhaerere determinationi pontificis fummi in his quae sunt fidei imò in his quae spectaÌ„t ad bonos more 's with him also concurreth b Summa Siluest in verb. fides Siluester Prierius He saith also further that we are to beleeue whatsoeuer is taught by the church of Rome Ad fidem pertinent omnia saith he quae sunt in doctrina ecclesiae argument 16 True catholiks beléeue that Christ Iesus as he was true God so was he also true man and had a body like to ours in height bredth and thickenesse and that he filled the place where his body was as do our bodies We must beleeue saith S. c De essentia diuinitatis Augustine that the Sonne of God according to his Deitie is inuisible incorporeall and incircumscriptible but according to his humane nature that he is visible corporeall and locall d Contr. Eutychem lib. 4. c. 4. Vigilius saith that Christ is conteined in a place according to his humane nature and that this is the catholike faith Illud corpus saith e Dialog 2. Theodoret habet priorem formam figuram circumscriptionem vt semel dicam corporis substantiam so likewise saith f Ad Thrasymund lib. 2. c. 5. Fulgentius Si verum est corpus Christi loco potest vtique contineri If then the papists doe assigne to Christ such a body as is neither visible nor palpable nor circumscriptible in the sacrament nor hath the dimensions of height bredth and depth such as a mans body by nature hath nor is continued to it selfe as all bodies are but wanteth all the properties of a true bodie then are the papists neither catholikes nor Christians for how can they be either that erre in things so materiall argument 17 Euery catholike Christian beléeueth that our sauior Christs true body is ascended into heauen and that he there remaineth and shall remaine vntill his comming againe he g Iohn 16. told his disciples before his passion that he must leaue the world and goe to the father he saith also in another h Iohn 12. place that they should not alwaies haue him with them In the first of the Acts we reade that his
paines as if at the last iudgement all that stand on the left hand as it is written in the 25. chap. of saint Matth. shall not by the sentence of the iudge be adiudged to euerlasting fire or as if that sinne that brought condemnation vpon all should not be punished with sensible paines or as if there might be a place in hell without sensible paines or finally as if there were a middle state betwixt heauen and hell fire Saint f Lib. 1. de orig animae c. 9. Augustine certes saith there is no middle place betweene the kingdome of heauen and the place of the damned g Lib. de fide c. 3. Fulgentius likewise doeth plainely affirme that children dying without baptisme shall susteine endlesse punishments and h Lib. 8. moral c. 16. Gregory the first holdeth that such shall endure the perpetuall torments of hell argument 32 Martin ab Aspilcueta in his Enchiridion writing vpon the first precept of the law chap. 11. saith that it is mortall sinne for a lay man to dispute of matters of faith but catholikes doe not acknowledge any such matter to be mortall sinne argument 33 The papists teach that men haue grace conferred on them by their owne acts ex opere operato and that they are iustified ex opere operato by the sacraments of the new law whereupon it followeth that by the signe of the crosse in confirmation by orders matrimony and extreme vnction men receiue charitie for that is the grace they speake of and are iustified exopere operato for this doeth Bellarmine dispute lib. 2. de effectu sacrament cap. 3. and 14. and other chapters following which doctrine if they doe prooue then ex opere operato let him take the grace of the popedome if he doe not prooue he must néedes confesse that the doctrine of papists is not catholike argument 34 The Iebusites in the censure of Colein teach that the regenerat after baptisme haue no sinne and it followeth necessarily of their doctrine of iustification by the works of the law for by them a man can not be both vniust and iust at one time but the cathotike faith is otherwise S. Iohn saith that they deceiue themselues that say they haue no sinne and other scriptures signify i Prouerb 20. that no man can say his hart is cleane neither is this to be vnderstood of veniall sinnes which the papists say may be done away without repentance for S. k Lib. 2. aduers Pelagian Hierome saith that the most iust man in some things standeth in need of Gods mercy and it is apparent for that euery man transgressing the law of God which is the case of all men maketh himselfe subiect to the curse of the law and to the wrath of God argument 35 Papists teach that some sinnes are done away with holy water and without repentance and deserue not death but no catholike euer taught or thought so for the apostle teacheth vs that by Christes blood we are purged and that wée are made partakers of remission of sinnes by faith In the sixt to the Rom. he declareth that the wages of sinne is death and Galat. 3. that such as transgresse Gods law are accursed by the sentence of the law argument 36 They l Censur Colon. f. 204. teach also that this is the proper doctrine of the Gospel if thou wilt enter into life keepe the commandements but catholikes know that those that so teach confound law and gospel and ouerthrow the doctrine of the apostles for he m Rom. 1. teacheth that the gospel is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleeueth their doctrine doth take from vs all hope of saluation for how can we hope to be saued by the gospel if that promise life to none but such as perfectly fulfil Gods commandements argument 37 They doe also much derogate from the gospell of Christ Iesus where they teach that the rules of Benet of Nursia Francis Dominike Ignatius Loyola and diuers other founders of monkish and frierlike orders doe shew vs the way to perfection and holde not that the gospel of Christ Iesus is sufficient of it selfe to do it true catholikes certes neuer mainteined any such fantasies nor allowed any such order which may also appeare by this that all these orders of monkes and friers haue their approbation and allowance from the popes of Rome argument 38 Of saith they speake thinke and write very basely for they holde first that faith is onely a bare assent and requireth neither firme hope nor holinesse of life to make it truely Christian secondly that not onely wicked men but also the diuels of hell may haue true faith thirdly that faith is not only grounded vpon holy canonicall scriptures but also vpon traditions and determinations of the pope which if they firmly holde and vary not then must they confesse that we are no lesse to giue credit to lousie legends and lying and erronious decretals of popes than to the eternall word of God But true catholikes haue alwaies beléeued otherwise The apostle n Rom. 1. saith that the iust shall liue by faith and the church beléeueth that o Iohn 3. whosoeuer beleeueth in Christ shall not perish but haue euerlasting life and p Rom. 5. that being iustified by faith wee haue peace with God further the apostle q Rom. 10. teacheth that faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God but there is great difference betwixt the word of God and traditions of men betwixt the infallible trueth of Gods word and the deceiuable doctrine of popes decretals argument 39 They teach that charity is the forme of faith but catholiks haue alwaies taken this doctrine to be erronious for how can one vertue be the forme of another againe séeing matter and forme be parts in natural bodies is it not absurd to apply these words to qualities that rather resemble forme than matter thirdly if iustifying faith were alwaies formed with charitie then could not faith worke of it selfe for it is the forme from whence actions procéed and not matter but the apostle r Rom. 1. saith that the iust liue by faith and Ephes 2. that wee are saued by grace through faith hereupon ſ Lib. 2. epist 3. Cyprian saith that whosoeuer doth beleeue in God and liue by faith he is found to be iust argument 40 They t Bellar. lib. 1. de fid c. 13. attribute our first iustice to faith and other preparations as for example feare hope loue repentance a purpose of new life and such like but the principall forme and beauty of our iustice they place in charitie and works of the law and that they call our second iustice but true catholikes doe otherwise thinke and speake of iustice The u 1. Cor. 1. apostle saith that our Sauiour Christ is made iustification vnto vs and x Rom. 3. Gal. 2. 3. that we are not iustified by the workes of
the law the prophet also doeth shew that our righteousnesse is like a defiled cloth of an vncleane woman neither can this distinction of first and second iustice or that wicked doctrine that followeth of it be found in all the fathers argument 41 In the sacraments also most fouly they haue digressed from the catholicke saith y Apolog. ad Antonin Iustin Martyr where he hath occasion to describe the sacraments and rites of the first church doth onely mention two sacraments this number also may be prooued by the testimony of Ireney Dionysius Tertullian lib. 1. 4. contr Marcionem Ambroses books of sacraments Cyrilles catechisticall instructions and all the fathers that in no place mention 7. sacraments nor compare any rite or sacrament to baptisme and the Lords supper Pauca pro multis saith z Lib. 3. de doctr Christ c. 9. Augustine eademque factu facillima intellectu augustissima conseruatione castissima ipse dominus apostolica tradidit disciplina sicut est baptismi sacramentum celebratio corporis sanguinis domini and this may be proued also by the weake dispute of Bellarmine for his 7. sacraments who is not able to bring either good argument or testimony for his opinion argument 42 The councell of a Sess 6. c. 1. Trent doth anathematize all that hold that the 7. sacraments of the Romish church were not all instituted by Christ Iesus or that there are either more or lesse then iust 7 which doctrine if Robert Parsons can proue to be catholicke let him take a cardinals hat which he hath so long desired for his labour his friends doe much doubt of his good successe in this matter for they finde that matrimony was instituted in paradise and that repentance hath alwaies béene in the church priesthood was either established by the law of Moyses or else then by lawes and rites adorned confirmation and extreme vnction were neither instituted by Christ nor déemed necessary or ordinany rites by the church as the silence of fathers that speake of the sacraments of the church may teach vs. argument 43 In the sacrament of baptisme the papists vse exorcismes blowings salt spitle hallowed water anointings light and diuers ceremonies neither vsed by the apostles nor practised by the ancient church now in the b C. Benedict fontis missales they pray that the font may be sanctified and made fruitfull with the oile of saluation to those that shall be regenerate by it to life then the priest powreth in oile and chrisme in forme of the crosse they also sprincle all the assistants with holy water out of the font and none of all these ceremonies they c Sess 7. c. 13. concil Trid. say may be omitted without sinne if then Robert Parsons cannot proue these ceremonies to haue bene either ancient or generally vsed he cannot deny but the papists are no catholicks argument 44 They denounce them acursed that shall not hold baptisme to be necessary to saluation which curse and doctrine cannot be sound in ancient catholicke fathers nay we read in ancient writers that not the want but the contempt of baptisme condemneth and the d Bellar. lib. 1. de baptis c. 6. papists to mollifie this hard sentence haue found diuers meanes to supply baptisme argument 45 They dissolue mariage contracted by entring into monkish religion although both the parties consent not and after mariage consummated they holde that maried couples may depart asunder and that it shall not be lawfull for them afterward as man and wife to company together which doctrine is neither catholicke nor true for e Matth. 19. what man can seperate them whom God hath ioined together againe what reason haue maried couples kéeping asunder for exercise of deuotion not to come together againe séeing the apostle commandeth such to returne and cohabite together least Satan should tempt them Iterum f 1. Cor. 7. saith he reuertimini in idipsum ne tentet vos Satanas argument 46 They seperate also mariages for spirituall kinred and force priests monks and friers to forsweare mariage yet can they not shew that catholicke religion forbiddeth spirituall gossips to entermary nor that monkish vowes and abiurations of mariages haue bene allowed in the ancient church and by catholicke doctors nay where God g Leuit. 18. appointeth limits and degrées within which it is not lawfull to marry there is no signification that spirituall gossips are forbidden to entermarry and the apostle signifieth that mariage is honorable among all sorts of men and the bed of maried folks vndefiled happie were popish priests and votaries if they were able to say that their beds and bodies were vndefiled argument 47 They beléeue that penance standeth vpon contrition confession and satisfaction and that these thrée are the parts of it and yet themselues say that absolution is the forme of penance and that confession is not alwaies necessary the catholicke church certes did neuer thinke either auricular confession or publicke satisfaction inioined by priests to be required necessarily in repentance argument 48 They h Sess 14. concil Trid. pronounce him anathema that beléeueth not that penance is properly a sacrament of the new law or that denieth auricular confession in the priests eares to haue béene instituted by Christ in the new testament and yet are they not able to shew that any catholike father saith that our Sauiour Christ in the new testament did institute the act of repentance nor can they denie that the people of God vnder the law vsed to repent themselues of their sinnes nor can they shew any place where Christians were commanded to confesse their sinnes to the priest and were otherwise excluded from all hope of pardon nay they cannot shew that any was tied to confession in the Romish church before Innocents decretale beginning omnis vtriusque sexus de poenit remiss and in the Gréeke church there was neuer any such course established as for the power which monkes and friers claim in hearing of confessions that dependeth wholly vpon the popes grant beneuolence and authority argument 49 They i Concil Trid. sess 13. c. 1. teach that our Sauiour Christes body that was borne of the virgine Mary and crucified on the crosse is properly and substantially present vnder the accidents of bread and likewise that his blood is conteined really and properly vnder the accidents of wine as may be séene in the acts of the conuenticle of Trent but true catholikes beléeue that his body is k Mâ—… vlt. act 1. taken vp into heauen and that concerning his bodily presence he hath left the earth and that his blood is in the veines of his body and not properly shedde foorth in the chalice further they know that when we are commanded to eat Christes flesh and to drinke his blood we are to vnderstand it and to doe it spiritually and not carnally as doe the Canibales and that Christ when he said this is my
apostles did not commit all things necessary to saluation to writing cum ex scripturis arguuntur saith e Aduers hares lib. 3. c. 2. Ireney in accusationem conuertuntur scripturarum quasi non rectè habeant neque sint ex authoritate quia varie sunt dictae quia non possit ex his inueniri veritas ab his qui nesciant traditionem norrenim per literas traditam illam sed per vinam vocem ob quam causam Paulum dixisse sapientiam loquimur inter perfectos Tertullian saith it is a tricke of heretikes either to falsifie or by false interpretations to peruert scriptures alius manu scripturas saith f De praescript aduers haeres he alius sensu expositiones interuertit he saith againe that hereticks cannot stand if they be brought to try their cause by scriptures aufer haereticis saith g De resurr caernis he quae cumque ethnici sapiunt vt de scripturis solis quaestiones suas sistant stare non possunt in these points therefore these two fathers haue stricken the papists albeit generally they speake of hereticks for first h Bellar. de verb. Dei non scripto they deny that the scriptures containe doctrine sufficient to saluation or that we can learne all trueth necessary out of them without their traditions secondly they speake euill of scriptures as before hath bene shewed thirdly they say that scriptures receiue authority from the church fourthly they accuse them of vncertenty Turrian aduers Sadeelem lib. 1. doth call them Delphicum gladium and others call them a nose of waxe fiftly they allow no sence but such as the synagogue of Rome authorizeth sixtly either Sixtus Quintus or Clement the 8. hath corrupted the scriptures for both pretending to set our the olde latine translation the one is in diuers places contrary to the other finally they will not haue the scriptures to decide controuersies about matters of faith argument 42 i Lib. 8. Orig. c de haeres Isidore doth declare them to be heretikes that doe otherwise vndeâ—stand the scriptures then the meaning of the holie Ghost requireth quicunque saith he aliter scripturam sacram intelligit quam sensus spiritus sancti flagitat a quo conscripta est licèt de ecclesia non recesserit tamen haereticus potest appellari if then we list to reade the popes decretales or the writings of the popish faction we need not doubt but they are tresgrand heretikes hauing so notoriously peruerted the Scriptures and turned them to sences neuer intended by the holy Ghost as for example these words of the k Isai 1. prophet à planta pedis vsque ad verticem non est in eo sanitas which he spoke of the people of Israel being then most sinfull Clement the sixt in the chap. vnigenitus extr de poenit remiss doeth turne to our Sauiour Christ as if our Sauiour had béene vnsound from the foot to the head or that the prophet had ment that our Sauiour had shed all his blood that the pope might make sale of the frute of it at his pleasure God by his prophet l Hierem. 1. saith I haue appointed thee ouer nations and kingdomes ergo saith m C. vnam sanctam ext de maior obed Boniface the 8. if earthly princes goe out of the way they must be iudged by the pope Againe out of these words of the apostle the spirituall man iudgeth all things he n Ibidem o Ibid. collecteth that the pope hath no superior iudge thirdly because Christ saith to Peter put vp thy sword into the sheath he concludeth that both Peter and his successors ought to haue a temporall sword fourthly of these words ecce duo gladij hic p Ibid. he inferreth that the pope is to command and exercise both the swords The q Isai 8 28. prophets and r Rom. 9. 1. Pet. 2. apostles by the corner stone placed in the foundation of the church doe vnderstand Christ Iesus but Bellarmine in his preface prefixed before his bookes de potifice Rom. draweth these words to the pope and forceth them to serue to make him to be a corner stone and a foundation also of the church he will also haue these words super hanc Petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam to be ment of the pope these words of our Sauiour drinke yee all of this the papists expound in such sort as if Christ had said drinke not all of this the words of our Sauiour to Peter when he said pasce oues meas they appropriate to the pope that féedeth not as if none were to féed but the pope The apostle saith mariage is honorable among all men yet will they not allow that mariage is honourable among nunnes and monks and friers and masse priests and the rest of the Romish clergy where our Sauiour Christ saith scrutamini scripturas they say contrary search not the scriptures the apostle saith they are profitable they Å¿ Index libror. prohibit regul 4 say they are pernicious our sauiour saith that those doe in vaine worship him that teach doctrines of men these doe teach humane traditions and yet doubt not but that God is well pleased with them The spirit of God commandeth that praiers be made for princes and willeth euery Christian man to submit himselfe to the magistrate and to higher powers but the papists doe so expound these words as if it were lawfull for the pope to curse Gods annointed to excommunicate kings and emperors to massacre them if they can to raise rebellion against them It were infinite to reherse all the false interpretations of Scriptures deuised by papists beside that in this place it is not necessarie séeing by these few which we haue alledged already it may in part appeare that neuer any heretikes alledged Scriptures more peruersly nor more direct contrarie to the meaning of the holy Ghost then they argument 43 As the t Damascene de haeres Herodians gaue the name and honour of Christ to Herode so the papists doe giue the names and honour of Christ to the pope allowing these words of Bernard to Eugenius vnctione Christus es they cal him the foundation rocke of the church the head and spouse of the church the monarke of the church and Christes vicar generall u In epist dedic ante princip doctrin Stapleton doth call him supremum numen in terris some teach that he and Christ haue but one consistory betwéene them x Lib. Caerem others saie that all power is giuen to the pope in heauen and earth which words our Sauiour Matth. 28. speaketh of himselfe if then the Herodians deserue for honouring Herod with Christs titles to be reputed heretikes who can cleare the papists from the note of heresie that farre more impudently and wickedly giue Christs honour to the pope argument 44 y De haeres c. beicetae Damascene numbreth those
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
and robbers are not these gallant fellowes then trow you that suppose the Queenes iustices to be like pirates and robbers and that pirates and robbers may as well spoile men by the high way as they deale with priests according to her Maiesties lawes Finally no hereticks nor miscreants can iustly be reputed martyrs albeit they die for their false conceites and opinions the Donatists died desperatly so likewise did the hereticks called Euphemitae which for the multitude of their supposed martyrs would needs be called Å¿ Epiphan haeres 80. Martyriani yet did the church of god no otherwise account of them then as of leud hereticks and not as of martyrs as appeareth by the testimony of Eusebius Epiphanius Augustine and other fathers We read also in histories that Turks Tartares Mores oftentimes die most resolutely or rather desperatly for the blasphemous opinions of Mahomet that the t Matth. Paris Assassins that were a sect of desperate cutthrotes like to the Iebusits that desperately would aduenture to dispatch whomsoeuer their generall commanded them to murder suffered death most willingly and constantly and this they accounted a speciall point of their bloody religion yet it were mere madnesse to repute such fellowes martyrs why then should the papists that haue broken their necks and died for the popes cause whom we haue clearely proued to be hereticks be accounted martyrs nay why should rebels traitors and Assassins such as Parrye who by the Cardinall of Comoes letters the popes promises was enduced to lay violent hands on her Maiestie such like wicked men be named martyrs if because they are put in the popes calender it may be easily replied that as at Rome they are put in the popes calender so at Newgate such places they are put in the hangmans calender further it is Christs trueth and not the popes faction that maketh martyrs Those therefore that died in the popes quarrell are traitors and not martyrs and that will be the case also of all their consorts if they passe that way which I would haue not onely all Iesuits and massepriests to consider but also all those that like their humors and opinions neither is it materiall that grace hath bene offered to some that haue bene executed for treason if they would haue renounced the pope his trecherous doctrine and faction for that sheweth not that the parties to whom this grace was offered were no traitors but rather her Maiesties great clemency that was willing to pardon all of whom any hope might be conceiued that they would become good subiects so likewise if a man should offer pardon to an Assassin it doth not proue that such as murder men vpon a leud conceit of wrong religion died as martyrs If then the papists be not the true church I trust all true Christians will avoid them if their doctrine be neither ancient nor catholicke I hope true catholicks will no longer suffer themselues to be abused by them if they be hereticks they will I trust for very shame forbeare to impute heresies to true Christians if massepriests be idolaters I hope religious Christians will take order with them as godly kings did with Baals priests finally if massepriests and the popes agents haue so farre engaged themselues in treason I hope all true subiects will learne to detest popery not onely in regard that it is a false religion but also because it is a packe of leud opinions borne out with all fraud vileny and treason which because it floweth from the forge of Antichristes authority and inuention let vs beséech God to reueale dayly more and more the man of sinne that such as now are abused by him may forsake him and serue God in spirit and trueth according to his holy word And thus much may serue for the declaration and iustification of my challenge it resteth now that I answere my aduersaries exceptions and cauils An answere first vnto such exceptions as by a certaine namelesse and worthlesse fellow are taken to the Challenge precedent and next vnto the same parties most idle obseruations Thereto also is added a briefe of certaine notorious falsifications and vntruthes of the Papists Chap. 1. An answere to Owlyglasses exceptions concerning thirteene vntruthes supposed to be contained in M. Sutcliffes Chaâ—lenge Sect. 1. The first supposed vntruth cleared IN 19. pages of my challenge and all direct contrary to the doctrine of Papists Owliglasse cannot find so much as any occasion of cauill In the 20. pagâ—rapiâ—… numb 10. in my former and in the latter cap. 4 numb 43. bee taketh holde of this that I say That the Papists vse exorcismes blowings salt spittle halowed water annoyntings light and diuers ceremonies neither vsed by the Apostles nor practised by the ancient Church And this sayth he is an vntruth so manifest that Caluin doth confesse it Owlyglasse talking of vntruths in others himselfe vttereth two grosse vntruths in the first charge But what if it be true and what if Master Caluin do not confesse that which I say to bee vntruth Is not Owlyglasse where he goeth about to detect me of one vntruth manifestly takeÌ„ in a tray and detected to haue vttered two vntruthes in one breath he cannot though he would denie it Well then let vs see first whether my wordes containe vntruth and next whether Caluin confesseth so much or no. Of my proposition there are two partes First I denie that the Apostles vsed these ceremonies now in question and secondly I denie that they were practised by the auncient Church of Christ Iesus Now against the first part of my wordes Owliglasse can obiect nothing neither doth hee so much as touch it But weÌ„t he about to alledge any thing yet the Hystorie of the Actes of the Apostles and Christ his institution would refute his allegations For in neither of the two are any such ceremonies to be found Agaynst the second part he alledgeth Caluins wordes Instit lib. 4. ca. 15. art 19 for exufflations halowing of water annoynting and light and for exorcismes in baptisme he produceth Nazianzen For salt hee quoteth the words of Origen For spittle he citeth the wordes of Ambrose and the name of Petrus Chrysologus But neither doth Caluin nor any of these fathers mention either the vse of the Apostles or practise of the ancient Church nor doth any father speake of all these ceremonies together nor can the practise of the Romish Church in the signes and formes of these ceremonies be iustified by fathers either to haue béene in the whole Church or in any one singular Church nor to come nearer to our aduersaries can any one concludent argument be drawne out of any of the Fathers agaynst that which I teach Caluin sayth He knoweth how ancient the ceremonies of exufflation Lib. 4. instit ca. 15 num 19 halowing of water of annoynting and lights is Which if I should confesse yet could not Owlyglasse conclude that such ceremonies were vsed in the time of the
wiues Nay hee sayth in the same place that priestes and deacons haue wiues and keep children albeit against the outwarde rule of the church So it appeareth that this abstinence frō wiues was but an humane ordinance and not obserued in all places which is that which I say Hierome likewise saith that in certain churches they chose clerkes of bachilars widdowes Contra vigilant in princip or such as desisted to be husbands But the question is whether the church vniuersally had any such order And secōdly whether maried priests did promise or vow continency and thirdly whether they might not returne to their wiues in all which points Hierome faileth Owliglasse Nay Hierome saith that certaine bishops ordained none but maried priests seeing the lubricity of others Indeed I cōfesse he disliked it but the question betwixt Owlyglasse and me is concerning the practise of the Church The 2. Councell of Arles is sayd to be celebrated in Siluester and Constantines time But the acts of that supposed Councell describe a forme of the Church farre disagreeing from those times Besides that the copies of it differing much one from another as Surius testifieth do shew the acts not to be authentical But suppose they were yet nothing is contained in the 2. Canon of that Councell quoted by Owlyglasse but that no maried man shall be made priest nisi fuerit promissa conuersio Which if our aduersary do translate vnles he promise continencie from his wife as he doth then must he condemne mariage to be sinfull Which if he do then doth Owlyglasse teach doctrine of Diuels If conuersion signifie turning from wicked life the Canon maketh nothing agaynst me That the 199. Epistle to Ecdicia in the works of Saint Augustine was written by him wee are not bound to beleeue seeing many Epistles dayly foysted in among his that are clearely knowne to be misbegotten But were it his and did he write that Ecdicia her husband promising continencie were to perseuere in that purpose yet that proueth not that if they were not able to performe their vow that therefore they might not come togither For they liued in one house togither tooke no solemne vow Ei obsequi sayth the author of that Epistle in domestica conuersatione debuisti Beside that they had house and goods and the womā was reprehended for that she gaue them away which is contrary to the course of Monkery in our times Finally albeit this were the opiniō of one man is it not ridiculous to thinke that all the Church in externall matters was led and gouerned by one mans opinion To that place which I alledged out of the 19. of Math. hee answereth that the band of matrimony doth cōtinue stil after the vow of continency But if he speake of the vow of continencie after mariage solemnized and not consummate he doth shew himselfe to be ignorant what his own side doth hold For the Councell of Trent Ses 24. cap. 6. doth decree that such mariages by vowes of monasticall religion are quite dissolued The same also doth Bellar. lib. de Monach. 2. cap. 38. by arguments endeuour to proue If he deny that mariage consummate is dissolued by vowes yet Cassian collat 21. c. 10. and the last law Cod. de episc Cleric is against him Likewise seemeth Peter Lomb. to hold lib. 4 sent dist 31. § 2. Angelus in authent de episc cleric Baldus in authen◠sed hodie C. de adulter The same also albeit by the Canonists denied C. ex publico C. ex parte tua de conuersione coniugat Yet in effect by the Popish practise is granted For seeing the maried couples may no more cōpany togither nor liue togither nor yeeld mutuall offices of mariage loue one to another who doth not acknowledge that in effect the Pope doth breake the hands of mariage repugneth against his opiniō that writeth to Ec dicia for he would haue her to serue her husband in all things Inter August Epist 199. Sect. 4. That Masses and praiers for soules departed and speciall offices for the dead were neuer frequented by true Catholikes WHere I affirme that the Papists say Masses and praiers for soules departed for the dead haue appointed special offices that my aduersarie shal neuer be able to proue that such Masses praiers and offices haue bin frequented by true Catholikes there Owlyglas stormeth sheweth great impacience Belike he perceiueth that I touch his freehold wound him mortally For in the Masse the very soule of popery cōsisteth And rather wold the priests loose all the rest of their trinkets then Masses and Dirges which to Masse priests is prora puppis the foundation of all their hope Therfore he saith that this which I say is an vntruth in grain But if he were not a dizard in graine he would not so rashly haue aduentured vppon this point For the first part of my proposition he cannot deny vnlesse he will forsweare the Masse as he hath forsworne his liege soueraigne The second also cannot be denied vnlesse Rob. Parsons or he can proue the contrarie Let vs therefore see if he can proue that Masses and Dirges and set offices for soules departed haue beene frequented of true Catholikes Homil. 69. ad populum First he alledgeth the testimony of Chrysostome that saith that not without cause it was ordained by the Apostles that in the dreadful mysteries cōmemoration should be made of the dead knowing therby that much gaine and profit doth come vnto them Secōdly he alledgeth Epiph. and August that seem to say that Aerius was condemned for denying that sacrifices oblations were to be offred for the dead or that praiers were to bee made for them Thirdly he alledgeth Caluins confession that saith it was a receiued custom 1300. yeres agone to pray for the dead and reproueth S. August Monica for it Finally he calleth out my brother Willet for a witnesse against me in that he saith that diuers ancient writers inclined to maintain commend praier for the dead And yet all this commeth short of that which he would proue For first in all these proofes there is no mention of speciall offices for the dead Secondly there cannot any Masse bee shewed like vnto the Masses of Requiem aeternā Thirdly the Masses set out vnder Chrysostoms Basils other fathers names are of one sort onely Neither shall you find that beside the ordinary forme they had speciales Missas votiuas or Masses proper for the dead Fourthly the commemoration made of the dead in times past was at the first a recitall of the names of the dead without any praier added for remission of sinnes Fiftly in the Canon of the Masse in the old ordinall of Rome the praier for the dead is left out Sixtly Chrysost neuer beleeued Purgatory For in the 3. Hom. vpon the Epistle to the Philip he saith that iust men whether liuing or dead are with Christ He would also haue praiers made for
sinners and for those that die entangled in loue of riches and per consequent great sinners Likewise in the 69 Homilie Ad populum Antioch hee saieth that iust men dying see God face to face would haue Christians he mourne for those that are dead in sinnes Excogiteâ—… eis â—…uid solatii sayth hee modicum quidem â—lamemus tamen These he would haue also to be remembred in the celebratioÌ„ of the holy mysteries and would haue almes distributed for them And this is that oblation that the fathers speak of Finally neuer shall Owlygâ—asse proue that Chrysostome or Augustine or any father beléeued that Christs body and bloud was offered for the dead as the Papists vse to offer it or that wee are to pray as they prayed in the memento for the dead in the Canon To the place of Chrysostome I doe therefore answere that he meant only that the dead should be remembred in the celebration of the mysteries and was vncertaine what good it did to them saying sometimes it did them much good some time but litle Vnto the places of Epiphanius haere 75. And Augustine de haeres ca. 53. that Aerius was condemned for disallowing the order of the Church in this commemoration of the dead and giuing thanks for their blessed â—nd And this is that prayer which Caluin and we confesse to haue beene in the Church along time But this maketh nothing for Owlyglasses purpose For first the fathers neither knew nor allowed Masses without CoÌ„munion Quisquis mysterioruÌ„ consors non est sayth Chrysostome impudens improbus astat He condemneth him as a wicked fellow that was present at the celebration of the Eucharist and did not communicate The which I haue confirmed by diuerse testimonies in my Latine booke de Missa agaynst Bellarmine There also I haue shewed that the fathers did neuer teach that the body and bloud of Christ were offered in the sacrament for quicke and dead Lastly in auncient time they made a commemoration of the Patriarks of the blessed virgin of the Apostles Marâ—yrs and others Now they pray to them and not for them as in time past Wherefore to proue Masses and prayers and speciall offices for the dead such as the Romish Church vseth to be Catholike Owlâ—glasse must bring vs other testimonies and other fathers In the meane while he hath proued himselfe a lyar and not me and hath vtterly ouerthrowne the Masses of Requiem and Dirges for the dead and not proued them in any sort to be Catholike or ancient So that if he can say no more for Masses he may go sing a Requiem for the soule of the Masse Sect. 5. Of the Idolatrous worship of Papists which they giue to Images to Saints to the Crosse pag. 20. HIs fift accusation falleth vpon my words in the 1. chapter of my challenge num 16. where I say that the Papists haue deuised Masses in the honor of the crosse of the virgin Mary Saint Francis Dominicke and other saints and that vnto the Images of these Saints they burne incense offer their praiers and deuotions But he to make his obiection the stronger doth leaue out the first part of my sentence knowing himselfe to be guiltie of the crime wherewith his consorts are charged And in the latter part he leaueth out that which I say of the Crosse and Incense vpon which the ground of the worke is laide Wherefore if he knew what hee wrote he coulde not but well vnderstande that hee had falsifyed my wordes And yet fearing hee had not holde inough he goeth to the 64. page and where I say that Damascene accounteth them Heretikes De haeresib C. Christiano-categori that worship the Images of our Sauiour of the blessed Virgin and the Saintes as the Gentiles did their Gods and that this is iust the cast of the Papists hee leaueth out that which I say of the Images of our Sauiour and of the blessed Virgin wherevpon dependeth the substance of my charge which aryseth of this principally that the Papists doe giue the worship of Latria to the Crucifixe and to the Image of our Sauiour and Hyperdouliam to the Image of our Ladie And finally hee reporteth my wordes thus as if I had sayde that the Papistes worship the Images of Saints as the Gentiles did their Gods and pray vnto them where that which I say of prayer followeth after standeth otherwise then hee reporteth Of which maner of dealing if he could haue conuinced me he would haue gone beside himselfe with bragging as now he passeth all his companions not onely in foolerie but also in falsifying and cogging Hauing thus mangled my wordes and left out in the first place the Crosse in the second the Image of our Sauiour and turned both to his pleasure hee had no reason to charge mee with a shamelesse vntruth desperately auouched For that which I say is true neither did I thinke that Owliglasse or any of his consorts would haue denyed a matter so plaine Which because it proceedeth from his ignoraunce I will direct him to his masters that will teach him that the same honour is due to the Image that is due to the originall and that therefore the Image of Christ is to bee worshipped as wee worship Christ and the Image of our Ladie with Hyperdulia and the Images of Saintes with the worship of Doulia as appeareth by the testimonie of Alexander Hales 3. p. quaest 3. art vlt. Thomas Aquinas 3. part quaest 25 art 3. and Caietans Commentarie vpon him Bonauenture and Capreolus in 3. dist 9. Bellarmine also confesseth so much in his Treatise de Imaginibus cap. 20. And that this is as grosse Idolatrie as euer the Gentiles practised it may appeare for that I doe not reade that euer the Gentiles gaue the same honour to Iupiters or Apolloes Images that they gaue to Iupiter and Apollo themselues I say also that as the Gentiles did worship their Images so likewise the Papists doe worship the Images of the Crucifixe the Crosse the Images also of our Ladie and the Saints For first as the Gentiles called on their Idols so the Papistes say to the Crosse O Crux aue spes vnica auge piis iustitiam and to the picture called Veronica salue sancta facies Secondly as the Genttles to their Images gaue the tytles of Iupiter Apollo Mercurie so doe Papists call their Images Saint Peter Saint Dominicke Saint Frideswide Thirdly as the Gentiles did burne incense to their Images so doe the Papists before theirs Finally as the Gentiles did bowe downe to their Images and kisse them and pray before them so doe the Papists fall downe before stockes and stones kisse their Images and pray before them as both the practise of Poperie and the doctrine of the Schoolemen doth shew The Images of our Ladie of Loreto of Monferrat and in England the Image of our Ladie of Walsingham and diuerse Saints shrines doe shewe my wordes to bee most true But sayth Owlyglasse the Councell of Trent
the Synagogue of Rome doth not obserue the canon of this councel that would haue men to eate drie meate for massepriests eate delicate fish and licour the same well with wine Therfore Carranza falsifieth this canon of the councel In summa concil Laodic and for drie meates putteth conuenient meates fearing as it should seeme least he should lose his good fish and good Spanish secke The Councel of Carthage can 63. speaketh nothing of fasts established by lawe but rather signifieth that fasts were then vpon especiall occasion proclaimed Qui tempore indicti ieiunij saith that councel Beside that in this canon there is no mention of any set forme of fast nor doth the councel speake of other then clerkes which notwithstanding are not the onely men that should fast in Lent Finally this maketh nothing for formes of fastes on embre daies and vigils of Saints Saint Hieroms order of fasting which he speaketh of in his Epistle to Marcella against Montanus the Romanists regard not for they fast betweene Easter and Whitsontide which he did not like Besides that he speaketh of no forme of fasting nor alloweth the fasting or rather Lenten feasting of the Romanists Thirdly that which he speakeâ—h of Apostolical tradition is contrarie to S. Augustines wordes in his Epistle 86. ad Casulanum where he sheweth that the Apostles set downe no daies nor formes of fasting The sermons de tempore set out vnder Saint Augustines name are found to belong to diuers others In the 62. sermon it is said to be sinne not to fast Lent But the Romanists obserue not the order of fasting by that author prescribed for he fasted without dining and obserued not Sundaies and abstained from wine The Romanists doe all otherwise Serm. 62. In isto legitimo ac sacratissimo tempore saith he exceptis dominicis diebus nullus prandere praesumat And againe Serm. 64. de tempore speaking of Lenten fasting quid prodest saith he vinum non bibere iracundiae veneno inebriari If then the Papists will not abstaine from wine why doe they vrge vs to obserue or beleeue his formes of fastsâ— That these Sermons of fasting are not S. Augustines it is apparant for that they contradict his Epistle ad Casulanum Leo ser 2. de pentecoste c. 9. talketh of certaine fasts but that they were the Romish embre fasts Owlyglasse will not proue Neither must he thinke that we are bound to beleeue all Leoes epistles and sermons to be either written by him or authenticall If Owlyglasse vnderstand not so much I will teach him and shewe him reasons of my saying in my next Maister Willet saith Calixtus instituted the foure embre fasts But he speaketh according to the opinion of the Romanists and well knew that the Epistles that go vnder his name were counterfeit Aerius was condemned of heresie by Epiphanius haeres 75. and S. Augustine haeres 53. for that he held â—hat fails appointed by the Church were not to be obserued His error was that he held quod iâ—iunium non esset ordinatum as Epiphanius saith But this toucheth vs nothing for we know that the Romish synagogue is not the true Church and that the ancient Church neuer approued either the Romish doctrine or the Romish order concerning fasting Seeing then Owlyglasse was neither able to prooue the Romish orders of Lenten fastes or of embre daies nor brought any one author to iustifie the fasts vpon vigils of Saints what an impudent fellow was he to affirme Page 26. that in ancient times the Church of Christ enioyned Christians to fast Lent embre daies and vigils of Saints shuffling in vigils of Saints into his conclusion of which he had not brought any proofe in his premisses Secondly if he would contradict me why did he not speake of the maner of the Romish fasts Lastly what reason hath he to charge me as hauing dealt without conscience where I denied their manner of fastes to be Catholike and christian when he sheweth neither conscience witte learning nor modestie in holding the contrarie That I haue deliuered my opinion with good conscience and that he with a cauterized conscience pinned to the Popes sléeue hath contradicted my assertion it may also further appeare by the forme of Romish fasts For first the Romanistes place their fasts in abstinence from flesh and not in abstayning from meate or eating drie meats or abstinence from wine as the Easterne Churches did Secondly they eate large dinners and refraine not from them as the author of the 62. ser de tempore among S. Augustines workes thinketh they should Thirdly they beléeue that by eating flesh and redd herring and such like meate they are able to satisfie for their sinnes and to inherit the kingdome of heauen which is not only erronious but also most ridiculous Fourthly they teach that fasting in Lent was instituted by Christ and that the other fasts are apostolicall traditions Finally they burne true christians for eating of a péece of flesh vpon a fasting day The which doctrine and practise is not only contrary to the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles and the fathers of the Church but also to the practise of the ancient apostolike Churches whose fashions we are farre to prefer before the practise of the late apostatical synagogue of Roome Our Sauiour he teacheth vs that we are not defiled by any meate that entreth into a mans body Quod intrat in os saith hée Matth. 15. non coinquinat hominem We may also thereout gather that it is not meate that doth satisfie vs. Secondly the Apostle doth signifie that this difference of meates procéedeth from the ceremoniall law and therefore ought now to cease If ye be dead with Christ Coloss 2. saith the Apostle from the Elements of this world why doe you yet decree saying touch not tast not handle not which all goe into destruction in vse according to the preceptes and doctrine of man Thirdly the Apostle doth also prophesie that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith forbidding to marry enioyning abstinence froÌ„ meats which God hath created Neither can this be vnderstood of auncient heretickes that thought flesh vncleane for he speaketh of the latter times and saith in nouissimis temporibus The Papistes also would not so seuerely forbid eating of flesh vnlesse they thought it a more holy matter to eate fish Fourthly Tertullian sheweth that Christians fasted vpon occasion of their owne accord and not by constrainte of lawes Indifferenter ex arbitrio non ex imperio nouae disciplinae saith he Aduers Psychicos pro temporibus et causis vniuscuiusque ieiunabant And this he speaketh of Christians he being then teinted with the heresie of Montanus Augustine in his 86. Epistle to Casulanus testifieth that he findeth no set fasts enioyned by Christ or his Apostles Quibus diebus noÌ„ oporteat ieiunare quibus oporteat saith he praecepto domini vel apostoloruÌ„ non video definitum Sixtly lent was diuersly obserued in times past
say that the forme of confirmation nowe vsed by the Romanists is new not receiued before the councell of Florēce about the yeare of our Lord. 1423. And that I say true it may be confirmed First by the writinges of the Apostles wherein we cannot finde either institutiō forme or matter of that new sacrament Secondly by the practise of the auncient Church wherein albeit wée finde the formes of other sacraments yet we finde nothing of the forme or matter or manner of administration of popish confirmation The old ordinall of Rome hath nothing concerning it Isidore Amalarius and all ancient ritualistes omit it Apud antiquiores authores Lib. de confirmat c. 10. saith Bellar speaking of the forme of confirmation haec omnia verba non habentur nec hoc ordine Thirdly the auncient fathers doe neither mention the institution nor the proper matter nor the forme vsed in this action by the Romanistes Bellar. albeit he searched all corners yet found he nothing to purpose He citeth Iustine Tertullian Cyprian Ierome others Ibid. c. 5. 6. but they speake only of a ceremony of vnction and imposition of handes and that vsed in Baptisme most commonly Further more they haue not any part of that doctrine which the synagogue of Rome teacheth concerning confirmation Fourthly the schoolemen differ about the institution of confirmation some of them holding that it was instituted in a certaine counsell at Meldis concerning the formes also and matter or minister of this sacrament they are not resolued Fiftly we doe not find that confirmation was receiued by any authoritie before the counsell of Trent vnlesse we take the particular instruction of the Armenians for a generall establishment Finally the weake and absurd dispute of Bellarmine that is not able to produce any institution of this pretended sacrament nor to confirme either the forme or the matter or the doctrine of it may resolue a man that the whole as it is practised by the Romish Church is a new inuention Page 31. All this notwithanding our aduersary saith that it is a palpable vntruth viz. to affirme the forme of Popish confirmation to be a new inuention For to omit saith he how the forme of this Sacrament is as auncient as the Apostles But if he had omitted this indeede he should haue omitted a bold and impudent vntruth For how is it to be presumed that this forme of confirmation came from the Apostles when the aduersaries themselues before the conuenticles of Florence and Trent could neuer agree about the forme And what likelyhood is there that the Apostles did practise this forme when we finde no record or memoriall of it in auncient and authenticall histories Is it likely that the auncient church would not mention all the formes of their sacraments He saith also that we cannot shew any later beginning of confirmation as if we did not note the time of the instruction of the Armenians and conuenticle of Trent before which the schoolemen babled their pleasure but they had no certaine resolution on which they depended Lib. 4. contra Donatist He telleth vs also that as S. Augustine saith we are to beleeue that to be descended from the Apostles which the vniuersall Church holdeth and hath alwaies beene obserued and is not instituted by councels But where he saith that this is the case of confirmation he sheweth himselfe to be past shame in auouching so grosse vntruthes For first we shewe that the forme of confirmation was talked of in the conuenticle of Florence and established in the conuenticle of Trent Secondly Owlyglasse shall neuer be able to proue that the vniuersall Church receiued beleeued or taught the Popish doctrine and forme of confirmation Would he shew the same out of the Greeke Fathers and S. Augustine and other doctors of Africke Italy and other countries he might winne himselfe some good credit Finally he cannot shew by any good record that the Church of Rome hath alwaies receiued the doctrine and forme of confirmation that now is This done he proceedeth on and saith To omit this and many notable things els that it is sufficient to conuince master Sutcliffe of vntruth that Thomas of Aquine almost two hundred yeares before the councell of Florence setteth downe the verie same forme affirming it to be the vsuall and common forme practised in the church and Bellarmine noteth this place of Thomas But he sheweth himselfe a simple fellow to omit notable things and to say nothing worthy to be noted But his simplicitie is farre greater to thinke that either Thom. Aquinas is an authenticall witnesse or that his testimonie doth conuince me For albeit Thomas doe speake of such a forme of which he must not thinke me ignorant yet it is a ridiculous conceit to beleeue that all the vaine conceits of schoolemen were receiued generally in the Church great simplicitie not to vnderstand that the church of Rome estéemeth but a little the disputes of schooles vntill their schoole opinions be receiued by the pope or established by councels Further he is not able to shew that Thomas Aquinas saith that the forme of confirmation by him mentioned was the vsuall and common forme generally receiued in the Church Our aduersarie therefore sheweth himselfe first to be a vaine fellow to take exception against me in this point rather bewraying his owne ignorance then conuincing me of vntruth and next a lying compagnion in belying his owne maister Thomas Aquinas Sect. XI That in auncient time the sacrament was not vsually kept in pixes after the fashion of the Romish Church IN my former Challenge I say that the idolatrous adoration of the sacrament and the carying of it about in procession and keeping of it in pixes sauoureth of noueltie Owlyglasse not daring to denie all onely excepteth against that which I say of pixes but if he had remembred the matter of his Pamphlet he would not haue mangled my wordes and accusing others of falsification haue at euerie turne runne into it headlong himselfe Accusing me also of vntruth himselfe most vntruely and impudently affirmeth that testimonies of antiquitie are plentiful for keeping the sacrament in pixes for he is not able to bring one authenticall testimonie for this point The councell of Nice can 14. decreeth that if there be in presence no Bishop or Priest viz. beside him that administreth the sacrament that then the Deacons shall proferre edere that is minister the sacrament and receiue it themselues But this is nothing to the keeping of the sacrament the wordes concerning the time of ministration or communion onely and the canon intending to restraine the insolencie of deacons that at the communion presumed to receiue before eyther byshops or elders not that serued at the altar but that were present at the communion as appeareth by the olde Romish ordinall Can. 12. The same councell also would haue the excommunicat reconciled before they depart this life and to haue the communion deliuered to them but he is a simple
saith that Saints are mediators not of redemption but of intercession and that Saint Paule 2. Thess 3. Desired the Thessalonians to pray for him making them mediators of intercession But first the scriptures and fathers allow none for mediators but Christ Iesus that hath redéemed vs and mediated our peace they are also vtterly vnacquainted with this Popish distinction Secondly it is a ridiculous thing because the Apostle desireth the Thessalonians to pray for him to whome he might come and which did vnderstand his prayer to conclude after Owlyglasse his faâ—hion that therefore either they were to be tearmed his mediators or that wee may pray to those which neither can heare vs in all places nor grant our prayers The Second part of my assertion is proued First by the doctrine of our Sauiour that taught vs to pray to the Father in his name Which is also confirmed by the practise of the Church testified in the 3 counsell of Carthage c. 23. Secondly the words of the Apostle are direct for vs. How shall they call saith he on him on whome they haue not beleeued Rom. 10. Thirdly the fathers condemne the practise of the Romish Church in praying to Saints Mariam saith Epiphanius nemo adoret neque muliâ—rum neque virum And againe neque Tecla neque quisquam sanctu adoretur non enim dominabitur nobis antiquus error vt relinquamus viuentem adoremus ea Rom. 1. quae ab ipso fâ—cta sunt S. Ambrose saith that wee haue accesse to kings by mediation of tribunes and noble men because they are men but to come to God that we neede noe spokeseman but a dâ—uout minde Fourthly both councels and fathers condemne worship of Angels non oportet christianos say the fathers of the councell of Laodicea Can. 35. derelicta ecclesia abire ad angelos idololatriae abominandae congregationes facere They say christians are not to relinquish the Church and to runne into corners to worship Angels for that they signifie to be Idolatrie Chrysostome in his 7. homily vpon the Epistle to the Colossians refuteth the opinion of those that vsed the mediation of Angels Sunt nonnulli saith hée qui dicunt non oportere per Christum reconciliari ad patrem accedere sed per angelos propterea sursum ac deorsum quae de Christo sunt versat Epiphanius and S. Augustine where they talke of the heresie of the Angelikes condemne the worshippers of Angels for heretickes Fiftly the practise of the auncient Church doth vtterly repugne against the forme of prayer vsed by the Popâ—sh Church for if we séeke all the rituall bookes of auncient Churches we shall not finde where christians prayed thus Sancta maria Mater dei ora pro nobis nunc in hora mortis Neither was this prayer vsed Maria mater gratiae mater misericordiae Tu nos ab hoste protege hora mortis suscipe Neither do I beléeue shall Owlyglasse find where christians prayed thus Sancta Maria succurre misâ—ris iuua pusillanimes Mens febr retoue fâ—ebiles and so forth Or as in the missall of Sarum Vt haec munera tibi accepta sint sanctae Batildis obtineant merita Neither can any formes of litanyes to Angels and Romish Saints in auncient bookes be found Finally these formes of prayers to Saints and Angels are most absurde for what reason haue christians not to pray to God through Christ as they are commanded but to run to Saints who neither vnderstand mens thoughts nor are present in all places nor can helpe vs. Nay it is a thing very vncertaine whether many of those that the Romish Church doth worship are Saints or no. the lye therefore that Owlyglasse would fasten on me doth touch the Apostles holy fathers whose doctrine I follow and not me only and may well be returned backe on him But saith he of prayers to Saints and Angels Page 34 there are such plentifull proofes that nothing can excuse him from ashamelesse vnttuth And there vpon he both bringeth forth Basill the Councell of Chalcedon Chrysostome Saint Ambrose and Ruffinus But no one of these hath one such prayer as the Romish missals and breuiaries haue many Further the twentith homily in honor of 40. Martiâ—es is not authenticall nor was euer written by Basill Neither is euery rude voyce that passed in councell to be ascribed to the councell as authorized vy solemne act besides that many Epistles and writings are set out among the actes of counsels that deserue no credit so we say of the 66 homily of Saint Chrysostome and Ambroses booke de viduis that they haue passed the handes of idolaters and falsaries Ruffin telleth vs onely Lib. 2. hist c. 33. what some did not what they ought to do but suppose some of these fathers should either by an apostrophe name Saints or Angels or else desire in a generality that God will heare the prayers which the triumphant Church offereth to God for the militant Church or admit also that any one man should pray to Saintes yet that is nothing to iustifie the blasphemous prayers of the Church of Rome made to Angels and Saints nor doth it appeare that in auncient time there were any publike prayers to the Virgin Mary to Angels and Saints Finally the fathers did rather praye to God at the tombes of martyrs then praye to martyrs as God And we are rather to follow the most authenticall fathers and best learned and their authenticall writings then either such ragges as are falsesly countenanced by the names of fathers or some hard speaches of fathers Further Owlyglasse signifieth that Hierome against Vigilantius defended prayers to Saints But he must alleadge good proofe or els his reader and euery one that readeth Hierome will tell him he lieth Finally he alleadgeth M. Bell against mee and adioyneth M. Gough in a treatise against M. Fecknam vnto him But wee all agree against him and his erroneous and superstitious doctrine concerning prayer to Saints For albeit some one or two long since called vpon Saints yet we all agrée that auncient christians had no such formes allowed or publikely vsed and frequented in the church So it appeareth that for prayers to Angels and our Lady our aduersarie can alleadge nothing but the custome of Collyridians and Angelikes Neither can he alleadge any thing for prayers to Romish Saints nor to Martyres but certaine counterfeit writings and priuat practises of one or two Fathers which against the rest and against authenticall writings of the same authors are of no validitie Sect. XIII That auriculer confession after the Romish fashion was not established nor receiued into the Church before Innocentius the third his time THe last exception which concerning matter of vntruth Owlyglasse taketh against me is for that I denie the Romish auriculer confession to be auncient A matter that seemeth much to pinch my aduersarie and his consorts for that vpon this point for the most part dependeth the gaine of their faculties the credit
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
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
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
alleadging the testimony of Anselme Deusdedit Leo nonus Petrus Damianus and such other forged deuises For first it is intituled Palea which argueth that it was thrust into Gratian and was for credit as light as chaffe Secondly this donation séemeth to be translated out of the legend of Syluester Thirdly all stories report contrary to this donation that Constantine was baptized at Nicomedia a little before his death Constantinus Nicomediae baptizatus est saith Theodoret paulò ante mortem Lib. hist 1. c. 32. distulerat enim vsque ad illud tempus in Iordane stuuio hoc promereri desiderans The same is also confirmed by the testimony of Eusebius Hierome Ruffin Socrates Sozomen and others But this donation doth signifie that he was baptized by Siluester and as it is in Siluesters legend cured of a leprosie and that before the warres with Licinius and Maximinus 4. This donation was granted as is sayd in the beginning of Constantines reigne But that cannot be true séeing it mentioneth ConstaÌ„tinople that was not so named nor founded by Constantine vntill long after In the Nicâ—ne councell Alexander was called episcopus Bizantij and Sozomen testifieth that Constantinople was founded in the height of Constantines prosperite 5. This donation preferring the bishop of Rome before the other patriarkes is playnly repugnant to the counsell of Nice that maketh all the patriarkes aequal 6. The bishop of Rome neuer enioyed any such prerogatiues as are giuen him by this counterfeâ—t grante either in Gréece or other places 7. He is called Vniuersalis episcopus by that grante yet did Gregorie the first refuse that title long after this time 8. The Popes now weare a triple crowne yet Siluester would not as this donation pretendeth weare an imperiall crowne 9. No authenticall history maketh mention of this great donation 10 Nay contrarywise histories relate that Constantines sonnes and successors did long after inioy those things which are in the gift preteÌ„ded to be deliuered to Siluester 11. Neuer were Constantine and Gallicanus consulls together Finally the rude and rascall stile and the circumstances of this grante nothing fitting Constantines time nor person nor yet the person of Siluester that yet scarce was secured from persecution doe playnly declare the same to be forged falsification 21 The constitution also of Ludouicus mentioned dist 63. c. ego Ludouicus Is most grosly forged For first the same contradicteth the donation of Constantine For what néeded this grant or donation if Constantine had giuen the same and much more before Againe if the Popes of Rome had béene in possession of this right the french that were greate benefactors to that see Theodiric a Niem Langius would neuer haue disturbed them 2. histories teach that vntill Boniface the 9. his time the popes were neuer possessed of the temporalties of Rome 3. there are diuers copyes extant of this grant as may appeare by Gratian and volaterran Geograph lib. 3. Which doe contradict one another But writinges repugnant one to another L. scripturae Cod. de fid instrument and contayning manifest contradictions deserue no credit Scripturae diuersae say lawyers fidem sibi iniuicem dero gantes nihil habere firmitatis possunt Neither can two contrary propositions be taken for true as lawyers hold in l. si is qui. § vtrum ff de rebus dub l. vbi pugnantia ff de regulis iuris 4. The Romanistes neuer did chuse the pope according to this grant nor did popes of late time grant that emperors had any authority to giue a forme for the election of the Pope Finally the rude and barbarous stile and termes of the grant and all histories that write of the gouerment of Rome about the time of this Ludouike do proue it to be conterfect falsification 22 The Popes also and their agents haue conterfected two certaine epistles vnder the names of Iustinian and Iohn bishop Rome which are now thrust into the code C. de sum trinit of fid Cath. s inter claras And are commonly alleged for the Popes authority and iurisdiction as appeareth by the disputes of Bellarmine and the fabulous narrations of Caesar Baronius the forgery is detected First by ancient manuscript bookes where these two epistles are not to be found as Alciat testifieth parerg lib. 5. c. 23. Secondly these epistles are repugnaÌ„t to the law next precedent For here the emperor doth signifie that he did then pubish this confession first L. cognoscere Cod. de summa Trinit fid Cath and sent it to Iohn bishop of Rome to be allowed or dissallowed wher-by the law precedent and law beginning cum saluatorem in the same title it is manifest that he had published the same a yeare before and sent it to Epiphanius bishop of Constantiople and to other Churches 3. Ado of Vienna in his chronicle and Platina in the life of Boniface the 3. testifie that the bishop of Rome was not called head of the Church before Phocas his time 4. the law decernimus C. de sancros ecclesijs and law Constantinopolitana in the same title doth giue that that to the bishop of Constantinople that is héere claymed by the bishop of Rome 5. Here the emperor promiseth to do nothing in causes ecclesiastical before he had made the bishop of RoÌ„e acquainted withall but that is refuted by the lawes called nouellae nu 6. 11. 123. concerning the creation and ordination of bishops the number of patriarkes archbisshops their iurisdictions and priuiledges and likewise by the nouel constitutions 3.5.16.58.133 137. al which concern mere ecclesiasticall causes Finally the letter being written in Gréeke to a Romayne bishop from a Romayne Emperor and translated after a most barbarous fashion doth playnly declare the same to be forged falsification 23 In the register of of Alexander the third vnder the colour of some counterfect grantes challenge is made by the popes to the crowne and souereinty of England it behooueth vs therfore to looke vnto the fingers of these impostors and falsaries that by one tricke of forgery are wonte to vsurpe a whole kingdome nouit prudentia tua saith Alexander the third Anglorum regnum ex quo Christi nomen ibi glorificatum est sub apostolorum principis manu et tutela extitisse his meaning is if he durst vtter it that the souerein dominion ouer England belongeth to the pope Whosoeuer list to read ouer Augustine Steuchus the popes bibliothecary or rather babling falsary shal find diuers counterfect instruments of the saÌ„e nature wherby the popes clayme the kingdomes of Croatia Aragon Dalmatia Denmarke Spayne Hungary Poland Russia yea and the empire of Rome to belong to their sea So gaynful hath the craft of forgery beene to that sée And so shamelesse are the popes agents in their forgeryes falsification 24 Most impudenly they make the Emperor Otho to sweare fealty to Iohn the 12. or as some recken the 13. dist 63. c. tibi domino A matter so against reason forged as
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
Constantino quod longe superius memorauimus deum appellatuÌ„ C. satis dist 96. And vpon this ground he goeth about to proue that the Pope is not to be iudged by any But this ground is an impudente lye and cannot bée iustified by any authenticall writing falsification 12 In the chapter beginning CoÌ„stantinus dist 96. the Canonistes affirme That Constantine the emperor gaue his crowne and all regall dignity in the citie of Rome and in Italy and in the westerne contries to the Pope Constantinus imperator Coronam omnem regiam dignitatem in vrbe Romana in Italia in partibus occidentalibus apostolico concessit say they in their decrées but this is an impudentlye refuted by al autheÌ„ticall writers that describe the state of the empire of RoÌ„e and of the westerne empire after Constantines time and is coÌ„tradicted by the princes of Italy that for the most paâ—te deny to holde any thing of the Pope in fealty Like vnto this fable is that which is reported of Constantines leprosie and how he was counselled to bathe himselfe in childrens bloud and was at last cured by Syluester bishop of Rome by baptisme For this is contrary to physicke to cure leprosie by bathing in childrens bloud and not well agreeth with diuinity vnlesse it can be shewed that baptisme cureth corporall diseases Finally the same is not found in any good authour but onely séemeth to be deuised by the writers of fabulous legendes falsification 13 Anacletus telleth how prouinces were distinguished by the Apostles C. prouinciae dist 99. and by Clement But that fabulous relation is refuted by actes of councels and constitutions of emperors that from time tooke order for the limits of prouinces and diocesses and did innouate olde limits oftentimes which assuredly they would not haue done if the same had béen ordered by apostolicall constitutions The same is also contradicted by those that attribute the distinction and limitation of parishes to later Popes Finally it is disproued by the recordes of auncient time that signifie how the Church being in persecution the bishops that liued obscurely had no reason ambitiously to contend either about the limits of prouinces or els lesser diocesses falsification 14 Vnder the credit of Tharasius they say that Peter deposed those C. multipliciter 1. q. 1. in Cod. Greg. 13. that were ordained by Simony as he did Simon Magus Cum Petrus diuinus ille apostolus cuius Cathedram sortita est fraterna vestra sanctitas say they hos deposuerit vt Simonem magum But Simon Magus was not ordered nor did euer Peter depose any so ordered as may appeare both by the actes of the Apostles and authenticall stories Is not this then a fable that they tell of Peter and of Simoniacall persons pretended to be deposed by Peter falsification 15 Innocent the fourth affirmeth that the kingdome of Sicily is the speciall patrimony of Peter Ad apostolicae de sent re iudicat Regnum saith he est speciale patrimonium Petri. But Peter neither claimed so much nor acknowledged so much nor knew so much Neither do we reade either in scriptures or fathers that hee had any such patrimony falsification 16 He saith also impudently that in the person of Peter it was said to himselfe also Ibidem whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon the earth shall be bound in heauen And therefore he concludeth that he hath power to depose Princes Doth it not then appeare that the Pope by lies hath vsurped power to depose princes and doth he not absurdly and falsely affirme that Frederike was deposed by God because he like a rebell pronounced him deposed being a wicked man falsification 17 Clemens the fift affirmeth most falsely that the Emperours hauing the crowne of the empire set vpon their heads sweare fealty to the Popes That this assertion is false Clement Romani de iureiurando Ibidem it may appeare by the emperor Henries protestation by all histories that talke of the emperors consecration and by Bellarmines disputes For though he was willing to gratifie the Pope with any thing that lay in his power to grant yet durst he not say that the empire is holden in fée of the Pope or that the emperor sweareth fealty to the pope How much then is it to be wondred that christian emperours should so patiently endure these vsurpations of popes Doth it not plainly appeare that S. Iohns prophecie is fulfilled howe they shall giue their authoritie and power to the beast Certes Apocal. 17. if this were not they would neuer haue resigned their crown so basely into such beastly creatures hands and take that of antichrist which is originally their owne and giuen them of God falsification 18 The same Clement affirmeth that the king of Sicile is the Churches and his vasal Clement pastoralis de sent re iudicat and that he is the emperours superior iudge and during the vacation of the empire doth succeede the Emperour Nos tam ex superioritate saith he quam ad imperium non est dubium nos habere quam ex potestate in qua vacante imperio imperatori succedimus But this doth not only conuince the Pope of singular pride and arrogancy but also of falsehood and treachery For Gregory the first called the emperor dominum that is his Lord and Peter was subiect to the emperor and also taught subiection to kings Furthermore it is simplicity to teach The king of Spaine will not yeeld to it I thinke that the church doth possesse earthly kingdomes and hardly will the pope prooue by any authenticall testimony that the king of Sicily is his vassal Finally it is a shame to all the empire to endure this lying beast to disgrace the imperial state and a matter of méere impudency for any to affirme that the Pope is Emperour during the vacation And I thinke neither Bellarmine nor Baronius albeit wel paid for lying wil affirme the all that which the Pope writeth in that shamelesse decretale is true falsification 19 Boniface the 8. saith the Romish church hath two swords In hac eiusque protestate saith he C. vnam extr de maiorit Obed. duos esse gladios spiritualem scilicet temporalem euangelicis dictis instruimur But that the Church hath a temporall sword is most vntrue for the Church hath the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and no swordes to gouerne terrestriall kingdomes It is also most false that the euangelists teach vs that the Church hath the temporall sword For Christ said to Peter Pasce and not macta oues meas that is féede my shéepe and not kill my shéepe falsification 20 In the glosse of the Chapter vnam sanctam extr de maiorit obed we reade that the Romanists affirme that no man can be saued vnlesse he be subiect to the Pope Si Christo Capiti eius vicario subesse nolumus salutem non poterimus adipisci The same is also gathered out of the text of Bonifaces decretale But this is a maine vntruth for
the Apostles and diuers of the Easterne and Africane churches and others not subiect to the Pope are saued and I hope the papists will not deny but they are saued If they doe I hope we may say their denyall is a damned denyall falsification 21 The same Boniface also affirmeth most vntruely that the Pope cannot be iudged of any but God but the Emperour he beléeueth may be iudged by the Pope That he speaketh vntruth in both these points I haue shewed in my bookes de Pontifice Rom. and de coneilijs Histories also report that diuers popes haue béene iustly deposed by councels and emperors as for example Iohn the 12. Iohn the 23. Eugenius the fourth and others but that the Pope did iustly depose the emperour we reade not For men of great excellency haue condemned the fact of Gregory the 7. Paschalis Gregory the 9. Innocent the fourth and others that attempted to depose the emperor But we reade not of any man that euer allowed it but such as were hired to commend all the popes rebellions and practises falsification 22 Clement the sixt saith that Christ shed more bloud then was sufficient for the redemption of the world C. vnigenitâ—… extr de poenâ— remiss and that the ouerplus was laid vp in a treasurie for the Popes to bestow for remission of temporall punishment He telleth also a tale of the image of Christ that appeared on the wall of the Church of our Sauiour built by Constantine Matters if not blasphemous yet very vntrue for not the shedding of bloud absolutely but the death of our Sauiour was the satisfaction that was to be paied for the sinnes of the world Secondly Christ died not nor shedde his bloud that the Pope might make saie of it by his indulgences as is his fashion but that euery one that beléeueth on him might haue remission of sinnes and be saued Which beliefe cannot stand with the popes dispensations and indulgences Thirdly the fable of the apparition of this image would be proued or els it may easily be proued that it is a false fable deuised of idolaters for iustification of their abhominable idolatry To relate all the lies that are set downe in the Latine Italian Spanish and English legends would require a great volume Baronius hath set out nine or tenne volumes of legendarie lies Yet hath he not comprised the one halfe of them that are contained in the legends I will therefore onely giue you a taste of a fewe that you may the better iudge of the rest falsification 23 In S. Andrewes legend set downe partly in the Breuiary we reade that he being brought before Aegeas the proconsul of Achaia did most fréely reprehend him and that he should say ego omnipotenti deo qui vnus verus eâ—… immolo quotidie non taurorum carnes nec hircorum sanguinem sed immaculatum agnum in altari Which words are not found in any authenticall writer no nor in Abdias albeit not authenticall Beside that the name of Aegeas is rather greeke then latine But in those times the Romaines made no Gréekes proconsuls When Andrew came to the crosse he is reported to haue said ô bona crux which is no apostolicall spéech neither can it be found that in any authenticall writer the Apostles are said to haue sacrificed an immaculate lambe vpon the altar Finally the legend saith that his body was translated first to Constantinople and then to Malphi in Italy and that his head was brought to Rome in Pius the second his time Matters méerely forged and by the illusions of Satan beléeued for the establishment of the worship of Saints falsification 24 In the legend of Nicolas it is said that being an infant euery wednesday and friday he refused to suck his nurfe vntil night â—… breâ—ar Meâ—s decemb and that being farre distant he appeared to Constantine and so threatned him that he deliuered three tribunes which by calumnious accusations he had condemned to death But these are matters not onely false but also incredible for neither doe infants vnderstand what is fasting much lesse lawes of fasting nor can a mans body being in Lycia as was the body of Nicolas appeare at Constantinople nor can men vnderstand the prayers much lesse the thoughts of men being absent vnlesse God reuele them of which here is no mention falsification 25 Lucia a mayden of Syracusâ— by one Paschasius gouernour of that Iland In breu Rom. is said to be much importuned to sacrifice to idoles But not preuailing he purposed to send her to the stewes and a man would thinke he did what he purposed but see what happened Shee stood so immoueable that no force could mooue her nor fire pitch nor rozine nor boyling oyle hurt her as it is in the legende But these reportes séeme vtterly false and destitute of all proofe nay we doe not reade of any such gouernour of Sicile in Dioclesians time falsification 26 Antony and Paul the eremites are in the Romish breuiary said to haue bread brought them by a crowe Mense Ianuar. in festo Paulâ— We doe also reade that Antony saw Paulâ—s soule caried by angels into heauen Finally they tell vs howe Antony wanting meanes to digge a graue to bury the corpes of Paule in two Lyons did digge a hole capable enough of a body Nay it is said that they did mourne at his graue so they plaide the partes and did the office both of the Sexten and of Mourners But these fables as they are contrary to all reason so they are destitute of all proofe out of antiquity Neither is R. Parsons able to shew how soules may be seene or lyons can mourne Further 3. Reg. 17. beside Helias we reade of none fedde in such extraordinary sort by Rauens Owlyglasse therefore may doe well to alleadge as good authority for the feeding of Paul and Anthony by a crowe in the wildernesse as we can for the feeding of Helias by Rauens and then he shall discharge the Romish synagogue of suspicion of telling vntruth falsification 27 Daemones ita contempsit Antonius saith the Romish breuiary vt illis exprobraret imbecillitatem that is In fest Antonâ— Antony did so contemne diuels that he reproched them with their weaknesse But holy men mentioned in scriptures did not so therefore it is not likely that so holy a man would digresse from their footsteps Neither is it likely that they were so afraid of him as is reported or that he gathered monkes together and gaue them that rule that now goeth vnder S. Anthonies name for these are legendicall fables destitute both of proofe and probability falsification 28 They tell vs also most improbable tales of Prisca Agnes Agatha Catharine and other Saints Our legends report wondrous matters of S. George that killed the Dragon but the Romanists are ashamed of S. George and leaue his legend out of the breuiary The like fables are tolde of S. Christopher and yet the papists are not able to shew that euer there was a
proued against them or that they did any thing more then the lawes of armes enforced them for their owne necessary defence The like slandrous Buls did Paul the third publish against Henry the 8. king of England and Pius Quintus and Gregory the 13. against her Maiesty Wherefore vnlesse Rob. Parsons and his consorts can iustifie these matters to be true it will appeare that the Romish religion is not onely maintained with lies but also grounded vpon a packe of lies For such as these are an infinite multitude of lies may be found in the Popes and the Churches of Romes principall recordes Of which I shall haue occasion if God bee pleased to talke more at large otherwhere CHAP. VI. A taste of Bellarmines vnsauoury falsifications I Would be loth to wrong any especially in writing where all that reade may be witnesses of the wrong if any be offered Wherfore to answere my aduersaries accusatioÌ„ that saith I haue slandered and infamed the worthy prelate Cardinal Bellarmine Praeface where I charged him with falsifications and lies I will nowe godwilling iustifie my saying and shewe that his workes are not as Owlyglasse saith the sworde of Gedeon but rather the sworde of Goliath whereby a man with labour and diligence may cut off both his owne head and the head of antichrist The same is also like a leaden sworde guilted ouer and fayre in shew but nothing trenchant in proofe Hee might more fitly haue compared them to Augias stable that coÌ„tained an infinit heape of dung but to be purged if learned men would take the paines to examine them For my part I doe testifie before God that they haue much confirmed mee in the truth and truly affirme that they are more tedious to read then hard to refute in matters especially that concerne vs. But now to come to the matter I will offer to the reader a taste of his falsifications and lowde leasings purposing to adde more if our aduersaries please to continew this course of examination of ours and popish authors writings I will also ioyne with him his fellow Caesar Baronius with his x. legions of lyes Not doubting but if they vnderstand their errours their faces will turne crimsin And why not their faces as well as their roabes especially if they haue any remaynder of their pretended Virginall modestie falsification 1 First he doth wilfully corrupt the sixt canon of the councell of Nice lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 13. the canon beginneth thus mos antiquus perdurat in Aegypto vel Lybia vel PeÌ„tapoli But Bellarmine maketh the canon to begin far otherwise Obseruandum saith hée in libris vulgatis dâ—esse initium huius canonis quod tale est ecclesia Rom. semper habuit primatum but these last words are playnly forged as may appeare by all the copyes of the actes of the Nicene councel neither can it excuse him that one Paschasius act 16. concil chalced hath these words or that Copus a counterfect câ—mpagnion doth affirme that a certaine Abbot called Dionysius doth so read this canon for Abbots may proue forgers as well as others and little credit is to be giuen to the Popes agente in his owne cause Further Paschasius his words so stand that we may probably coniecture that some latter falsary hath so set down the words of this canon as we read them now in the tâ—mes of councels set out by Papists Finally all authenticall histories testifie that before the councell of Nice the Church of Rome was litle respected and Aeneas Siluius doth in playne termes confesse so much Neither can Parsons deny it vnlesie he put on his visor of impudency falsification 2 In his booke de pontif Rom. c. 31. he falsifieth Hieromes words and peruerteth his meaning to proue that he called Damasus the foundation of the Church Hieronymus saith he in epist ad Dâ—masum de nomine hypostasis super hanc petram ecclesiam aedificataâ— scio vbi Damasum petram ecclesiae vocat But Hieremes words stand thus ego nullum primum nisi Christum sequens beatitudini tuae id est cathedâ—ae Petri coÌ„munione consocior super â—am petram ecclesiam aedificatam scio Whereby it appeareth that Hierome meant to follow none but Christ and that he meant Christ when he speaketh of the Rocke For so the pronoune Illam that is referred to that which is further of doth teach vs. But Bellar. to proue the Pope to bée the foundation of the Church leaueth out Christ and for the pronounce Illam writeth hanc like a cunning falsary falsification 3 In the same booke and chapter he falsifieth the actes of the councell of Chalcedon septimum est saith hée caput ecclesiae quo vtitur concilium Chalcedonense in epistola ad Leonem qui but tu veâ—ut caput membris praeeras These words I say are falsely alledged For first it cannot bee prooued that this epistle was written by the councell as Surius hath recorded Act. 3. Concil Chalced. Secondly admit the whole epistle was not forged yet there is no mention made of the heade of the Church as Bellarmine affirmeth for the worde Caput in these words quibus tu velut Caput membris praecras is referred to certeine Priests of Leoes order in which ranke he sheweth himselfe principall Bellarmine therefore to make some shew leaueth out both the words going before and the words following after which playnly shew that the authors of that epistle neuer meant to cal him the head of the Church His falshood may appeare by the words as they follow in that epistle Act. 3. concil Chalced. set out by Surius Si vbi sunt duo aut tres congregati in nomine eius say they ibi se in medio eorum fore perhibuit quantam circa sacerdotes peculiaritatem potuit demonstrare qui patriae labori suae confessionis notitiam praetulerunt quibus tu quidem sicut caput membris prae eras in his qui tuum tenebant ordinem beneuo lenriam praeferens imperatores vero ad ornandum decentissimè praesidebant The Latin is rude and barbarous sauoring of a monkish humor But by the words we may sée that the authors of that epistle made Leo heade of preestes and men of his cote and not of the Church nor councell Wherein emperors most decentely did praeside and sitte as cheefe moderators as the fathers of that councell teach vs. falsification 4 Likewise reckening vp the names and titles of the bishops of Rome he saith that Eusebius in his cronicle anno 44. doth giue them the title of Pontifex Christianorum Which is a mere forgery For not the bishops af Rome but to Peter only is that title giuen if it be not thrust into the text But what belongeth and is peculierly giuen to Peter may not be claymed by euery bishop of Rome For I hope euery one of them will not be called Simon nor an Apostle nor the cheefe or first Apostle Nor will they I suppose write as Peter did in his
Chapter of the epistle to the Romans But the place viewed doth declare his falsehood for he hath not the word ita nor vseth this frame of sentence falsification 16 Declaring vnto vs the heresie of the Eunomians docebant saith he non posse homini vlla peccata nocere Ibidem modo fidem habeat vt testatur Augustinus lib. de haeres c. 54. But he hath wronged Saint Augustine in reporting that these are his wordes Fertur scilicet Eunomius saith Saint Augustine adeo fuisse bonis moribus inimicus vt asseueraret quod nihil cuique obesset quorumlibet perpetratio ac perseuerantia peccatorum si huius quae ab illo docebatur fidei particeps esset Let indifferent men therefore iudge whether Eunomius spoke absolutely of faith or of his owne peculiar faith And whether it is all one to condemne good workes and to say that howsoeuer Christians are most carefully to walke in Gods workes yet that they are not iustified by good workes but by the grace of God communicated to them through faith in Christ Iesus falsification 17 Origenis haeresis fuit perdidisse Adamum imaginem dei ad quam creatus fuit saith Bellarmine Ibidem And this he saith is affirmed by Epiphanius haeres 64. but he falsifieth Epiphanius and belyeth Origen in this point for his error was not that he supposed man to haue lost the image of God through sinne but that the soule did loose the same being created and ioyned to the body Illud secundum imaginem dicit Adam perdidisse saith Epiphanius speaking of Origen inde dicit corpus esse intelligendum quando deus fecit vestes pelliceas illis induit illos for so the gréeke text doth plainly teach vs. falsification 18 He saith also that Origen taught that hell was nothing but the horror of conscience Ibidem and this he auoucheth vpon the credit of Hierome in epist ad Auitum de erroribus Origenis But in this point also he doth mistake Origen and falsifie Hieroms wordes For Hierome doth not set downe any such wordes but onely sheweth that Origen taught ignem Gehennae tormenta non poni in supplicijs sed in conscientia peccatorum He may therfore doe well to report Hieroms wordes the next time better least those that are of Origens heresie be therein confirmed by his false dealing falsification 19 Of Caluin he affirmeth that he taught that the image of God was lost in Adam and to prooue it doth alleadge these wordes as out of the 2. booke of his institutions c. 1. § 5. per peccatum primi hominis obliterata est coelestis imago But that which he saith of the loosing of the image of God in Adam is a grosse lye for Caluin neuer taught that the image of God was quite lost but blemished and much defaced The words also are falsified for he saith not as Bellarmine reporteth quod imago obliterata esset absolutely but quod tanquam scriptura bella calamo transuerso obliterata esset falsification 20 He affirmeth that Epiphanius reporteth haeres 64. that Proclus an heretike taught Ibidem that sinne did alwaies liue in the regenerat and that concupiscence was truely sinne and that the same was onely dulled by faith and not taken away by baptisme He saith also that Theodoret reporteth as much lib. 3. haeret fabul of the Messalians But he doth abuse both Epiphanius and Theodoret and doth ascribe that vnto them which they neuer taught Theodoret lib. 4. haeret fabul cap. de Messalianis doth not so much as mention concupiscence or vtter any such words but rather contrary to Bellarmines report of them he saith that the Messalians taught that baptisme like a razor cut off all former sinnes falsification 21 Haec est ipsissima sententia saith Bellarmine Lutheri art 2. 31. Ibidem c. item Philippi in locis communibus c. de peccato Originis Caluini lib. 4. instit c. 15. § 10. scilicet peccatum in renatis semper viuere but in no one of these can he finde that sinne is said to liue in the regenerat For our doctrine is contrary and euery christian professeth that he ought to mortifie his concupiscences and earthly members and to be quickened in the spirit Wherefore either the man lyeth intolerably or els he doth falsely alleadge the wordes of Luther Melancthon Caluin And that shall appeare more plainly when Robert Parsons goeth about to iustifie his olde acquaintance Bellarmine falsification 22 The chiefe errour of the Nouatians saith Bellarmine was that there is no power in the church to reconcile men to God but by baptisme And this hee goeth about to prooue out of Theodoret lib. 3. haeret fabul c. de Nauato But Theodoret doth conuince his false report both of his owne wordes and of this heresie For first he sheweth that Nauatus did deny to reconcile those that had fallen in persecution And afterward that his followers did vtterly deny the vse and grace of repentance Poenitentiam a suo conuentu arcent penitus saith Theodoret speaking of the Nouatians It is also apparant that they did not restraine remission of sinnes to baptisme onely falsification 23 Where he speaketh of the heresie of the Nouatians he telleth vs that Cornelius witnesseth that the Nouatians taught Ibidem that the Church had no power to reconcile men to God but by baptisme and that such as were baptized were not by the bishop to be annointed with Chrisme And this he saith is found in Eusebius his history lib. 6. c. 33. but neither hath Eusebius nor Cornelius any such words falsification 24 In his second booke de eucharistia c 9. he hath these words Dixit Cyprianus latere sub specie visibili panis deum verum but Cyprian saith onely diuinam essentiam ineffabiliter se visibili sacramento infundere And there is no small difference betwixt these two propositions for the diuine essence may worke in sacraments after an vnspeakable sort albeit Christ God and man be not contained vnder the visible forme of bread in the eucharist or water in baptisme Especially after the forme imagined by papists falsification 25 In the same booke chap. 12. he affirmeth that Hilary doth often repeate these wordes Christum naturaliter esse in nobis per sumptionem eucharistiae But the same are not to be found in the 8. booke of Hilary de Trinitate once which he saith are found often falsification 26 Likewise in the same booke chapt 14. speaking of Cyrill he saith Ibidem iubet vt flexo genu in adorantium morem accedant ad eucharistiam And these wordes he supposeth to bee in his fift mystagogicall and catechisticall instruction But neither are the wordes there to be found nor hath hee any such commandement nor did he euer beléeue or teach that the sacrament was to be worshipped after the popish manner falsification 27 Citing a place out of Saint Augustine de Trinit lib. 3. c. 10. he would make his reader beléeue Lib. 2. de eucharist
fallen in time of persecution Ibidem or as Bellarmine saith power to reconcile men to God otherwise then by baptisme he chargeth Caluin with this heresie as if Caluin did deny reconciliation to repentant sinners or had said that the church hath no power to reconcile such as are fallen As not this therfore grosse impudency to lye so manifestly But saith he Caluin denied that there was any sacrament of repentance beside baptisme as if he that denied this must néedes say that the church hath no power to reconcile sinners to God This certes is not onely vntruth but want also of all vnderstanding and modesty falsification 20 He doth impudently affirme that Luther and Caluin denying freewill doe fall into the heresie of Manicheisme Manichaeorum est inquit Hieronymus saith Bellarmine Ibidem hominum damnare naturam liberum auferre arbitrium Augustinus de haeres c. 46. peccatorum originem inquit non tribuunt Manichaei libero arbitrio idem apertè sectarij omnes Now by sectaries he vnderstandeth all that professe the truth Afterward he doth specially name Luther and Caluin but if he had any shame he would not haue said that either Luther or Caluin doth condemne the nature of man as the Manicheyes doe or teach that man doth sinne necessarily and not by his fréewill And albeit they deny the force of mans will which is called commonly liberum arbitrium to be sufficient to vnderstand the will of God or to performe the same yet it doth not therefore follow that they sauour of Manicheisme But how the papists sauour of this heresie we haue shewed heretofore falsification 21 Ho◠tamen est magis impius Caluinus Manichaeo quod Manichaeus deo malo tribuat peccatorum originem Caluinus deo bono Herein saith Bellarmine Ibidem doth Caluin shew himselfe more wicked then the Manichey because he attributed vnto an euill god the beginning and cause of sinne and Caluin to a good God But if he passed not the Manicheyes and all other heretikes in impudent lying he would not haue thus falsly affirmed this of Caluin who in his first booke of institutions chap. 18. doth expressely prooue that God is not the author of sinne and in all places doth detest this opinion Why then did not Bellarmine alleadge his wordes if he had said any such matter In the place quoted certes he teacheth the contrary of that which Bellarmine affirmeth and belloweth out against him falsification 22 He is not ashamed also to affirme that all of vs teach that the visible church hath been lost now this many yeares Ibidem ecclesiam visibilem à multis seculis perijsse saith he nunc solum esse in septentrionalibus partibus vbi ipsi sunt docent omnes praecipuê Caluinus lib. 4. instit c. 2. § 2. But he doth belye Caluin and all the rest for we beléeue that in Italy there is a visible church now albeit the Pope sée it not and that the church at all times consisted not of spirits but of men visible albeit euery one did not know them neither doe we say that the church at any time shall faile or hath failed nor is this lying cardinall able to prooue it out of our writings falsification 23 Of Luther Melancthon and Caluin he affirmeth that they cannot deny Ibidem but that the seeds of Arianisme are sowne in their writings Which is a lye most odious and malicious for all the points of Arianisme they not only detested but haue learnedly refuted and those proofes that Bellarmine bringeth in his preface to his treatise de Christo are nothing but rayling termes and proofes of his owne malice falsification 24 He saith Iouinian taught that a man after baptisme could not sinne Ibidem especially if he were truely baptized and the same error he doth impute to Caluin But he lyeth both of the one and the other for neither did Iouinian teach so nor Caluin though by his lying reportes he doe endeuour to conioyne them in one opinion falsification 25 Hierome doth impute these heresies to Vigilantius first that he taught that the bodies of the Saints were vncleane and to be throwne out next that the prayers of the Apostles and Martyrs are not heard and lastly that the ministers of the Church ought to be married But if Bellarmine do say that in these thrée points we agrée with Vigilantius Ibidem as he doth then doth he make a thréefold lye For neither doe we allow those that would haue mens bodies thrown out to the beasts of the field and fowles of the ayre or otherwise vse the bodies of holy men departed this life vnreuerently nor doe we doubt but that God doth heare the prayers of the church triumphant nor doe we thinke any man is to be constrained either to marry or not to marry Would thē Bellarmine shew more plaine and true dealing in his disputations his readers would better like of him and his cause falsification 26 Of Pelagius he affirmeth that he taught that righteousnesse is lost by euery little sinne Ibidem and that therefore euery sinne is mortall and this saith he is confirmed by the testimony of Hierome lib. 2. contra Pelagianos But neither was this the error of Pelagius who rather as the papists suppose teach held that a regenerat man may be without all sin and that he is able to performe the law nor doth Hierome affirme any such thing of Pelagius falsification 27 Of Zuinglius he reporteth that he did simply deny original sinne to be in euery man He saith also Ibidem that Caluin and Bucer deny originall sinne to be in the children of the faithfull Matters vtterly false and which by the whole course of their writing is refuted neither doth it follow albeit the children of the faithfull be holy that therefore they are not borne in originall sinne For this holynesse they do not otherwise ascribe vnto them but in regard of spirituall regeneration and remission of sinnes But if it be Pelagianisme to teach that originall sinne is not in all men then are the papists Pelagians by Bellarmines confession which exempt the blessed virgin from this sinne falsification 28 Xenaias persa primus palam asseruit saith Bellarmine Christi sanctorum imagines non esse venerandas testis Nicephorus lib. 16. c. 27. But this lye is confuted by the law of God against the worship of images by S. Augustine that condemneth Marcellina for worshipping and burning incense to the images of Iesu Paul by Epiphanius and other fathers which I haue cited as witnesses against the idolatry of papists in my former challenge He doth also falsifie Nicephorus in adding these wordes primus palam vnto him falsification 29 In the 14. chapter de notis ecclesiae he telleth vs howe Dominick raysed three dead men to life and that he and Francis did many miracles as they are record do in the discourse of their liues He saith also that Francis de Paula did great miracles and that Xauier a Iebusite
falsification 14 He saith that the church of Ara coeli in Rome was built by Constantine in memoriam dei genitricis Mariae In apparat ad annal eccls and so called for that Augustus the emperor being admonished by a Sybille did there see the virgine Mary high aboue in the aire with christ in her armes and built an altar in that place where he sawe the vision Matters very fabulous for neither doth any authenticall story affirme that Christ was made knowne to Augustus nor is it likely that the blessed virgin and her sonne should be transported out of Iudea to be shewed to Augustus at RoÌ„e nor did any Sybille liue in Augustus time nor could he learne when our Sauiour Christ would appeare in the ayre by the bookes of the Sybilles nor doth there appeare any such matter in the Sybilles writinges It should seeme therefore that Baronius was abused with some idle tale of the friers of hara poreorum that dwell in the house called Ara coeli the rather I do beléeue it for that no churches were built in the honor of the blessed virgin in the time of Constantine neither was shee then in playne termes called dei genitrix falsification 15 Vpon the credit of Orosius he is bould to tell vs that in the place where now the Church of our lady standeth beyonde Tibre a certaine founteine ran oile a whole day together and not content herewith he affirmeth that Callistus bishop of RoÌ„e who liued long before the councell of Nice built there a large Church in the honor of the mother of God Meruit locus saith he nobilissima memoria illustrari ecclesia nimirum amplissima dei genitricis titulo à Callisto pontifice prima omnium Ibidem quarum extet memoria olim erecta Matters not only false but incredible For what probabilitie is there that in the times of persecution when Christians did hide themselues from their enemies Callistus should erect so braue a fabrike as that Church is or what reason had Nestorius and other heretikes to deny the blessed virgin to be the mother of God if so be in Rome so many churches had beene built in honorem dei genitricis as Baronius reporteth falsification 16 Out of apocryphall writings he telleth vs how many sisters Anna the mother of Mary had Ibidem and that shee was but once maried and bore Mary in her hold yeares after shee had made a vowe to consecrat her to the Lord. And these are the braue traditions that Sixtus quintus commendeth vnto vs as comming from most pure fountaines But if we are to giue no more credit to scriptures then to such traditions according to the determination of the conuenticle of Trent with a little helpe this cardinall will discredit the scriptures For neither are these things to be found other where then in legendes nor was it a fashion in the ancient time to consecrat nonnes to God nor doe we reade of many such vowes falsification 17 Out of Epiphanius he doth likewise alleadge a certaine tradition how an Angell told Ioachim the father of Mary being in the desert that his wife had conceiued Ibidem and out of Gregorius Nyssenus in orat in Natal domini that Anna the mother of Mary went into sanctuÌ„ sanctoruÌ„ there prayed séeing mothers had more honor then those that were barren that she might not be depriued of the benefit of lawe but might bee a mother And that then shee did vowe that shee would consecrat vnto God that which should be borne vnto her but we doe not reade that Angels did in scriptures foretell the birth of any but of great and singular men Againe the law telleth vs that women might not come into sanctum sanctorum Thirdly we finde not what seruice women did in the temple that the holy virgin should be consecrated to Gods seruice Finally those which report these strange things doe not agrée together as may appeare by the conference of the reporte of Epiphanius haeres 79. aduers Collyrid with Gregory Nyssens oration in Natali domini and Hieromes epistle ad Chromatium Heliodorum tom 9. falsification 18 Of the blessed virgin he bringeth a report out of Euodius that she was presented into the temple at the age of three years Ibidem and there liued eleuen yeares and was afterward by the hands of the priests deliuered to Ioseph to be kept Trimula cum esset saith he in templum praesentata ibi in sanctis sanctorum traduxit annos vndecim deinde verò sacerdotum manibus Joseph ad custodiam est tradita Matters deuised by idle fellowes not without the suggestion of Satan as it should séeme for when he could not discredit the gospell then he deuised other fables which being either false or improbable might bring the truth of christian religion into question That the virgin Mary should remaine in sanctis sanctorum is against the lawe Exod. 30. Hebr. 9. for thither went the hâ—gh priest onely once a yeare That she should be presented at three yeares of age into the temple is against reason for what seruice could a childe of those yeares do againe where are women commanded to serue in the temple Thirdly the priests kéeping her eleuen yeares as a thing consecrated to God they had no reason to deliuer her ouer at the time of most danger to be kept by Ioseph Finally the treatises set foorth vnder the name of Euodius Gregorius Nysseâ—us Damascenus Germanus Andreas Cretensis Georgius Nicomediensis and Cedrenus alleadged by Baronius are counterfeit and differ much one from another Is it not therefore much better to content our selues with the history of the gospell that reporteth that which was necessary to be knowne concerning the birth of our Sauiour and the holynesse of the blessed virgin and to omit such vaine fables as both to Iewes and gentiles make christian religion contemptible and ridiculous and yet haue no sufficient testimony either of the Apostles or other authenticall writers falsification 19 Whereas a brasen lauer and the base of it is said to be made of the glasses of women Exod. 38. that watched at the doore of the tabernacle Baronius doth gather of it that there were certaine women which renouncing the pompes and delightes of the world did together with the things they possessed especially such as were intisements to sinne mancipate and consecrate themselues to the seruice of God and giuing themselues to continuall prayers did watch at the doore of the tabernacle But séeing God appointed all the ministeries and seruices of his tabernacle and appointed no seruice to be done of women at the gate thereof it is a most ridiculous conceit of an idle braine to beleeue that these women did any such imagined seruice at the gate of the tabernacle Beside that it were very strange if so many women were employed to the seruice of the tabernacle as that a lauer and a base for it might be made of the trimming or cases of their glasses that we should finde
great ostentation Now to proue this to be true Baronius is not ashamed to test a greater lye affirming that Gregorius Thaumaturgus did remoue not a house but a mountaine Which if he cold doe it were to be wished that he would remoue the 7. hils of Rome together with the Pope and this lying cardinall and place them at the foote of mount Tabor for whence Baronius beleeueth that our Ladyes house did flye ouer the Seaes into Dalmatia first and then into Italie falsification 36 Of Augustus he saith Ibidem 97 that he made lawes against such as liued single and yet honored those that kept themselues continually true virgins which containeth a notorious contradiction beâ—…de that it is absurd to proue vowes of virginity froÌ„ heathen emperous very preiudicial to the Romish church that he alloweth not fictum caelibatum nor any but those that indéede are true virgins of which he shall find very few among his fellow cardinals and not many among priestes monkes friers nunnes falsification 37 Where Pilate as Iohn chap. 19. saith wrote the title ouer the crosse in Hebrew Ibidem Pag. 103. Greeke and Latine letters and as Luke testifieth chap. 23. in Hebrew Latin and Greeke Baronius supposeth that the order is changed and that the Latin inscription ought to be first But this is nothing but to contradict the euangelistes and to respect neither the apostles nor their writings so the Church of Rome may winne any preheminence aboue other churches He alledgeth I confesse the testimony of pope Nicholas in epist ad Michaelem But it is a poynt of blasphemy to beléeue that Nicholas knew those matters better and did report them more truely then the euangelists Beside that it may well be doubted whether Nicholas wrote that epistle to Michael or some other in his name that without all truth and modesty aduanceth the priuiledges of the Romish Sée falsification 38 Where Luke doth expresly set downe that Iohn Baptiste began to preach Pag. 113. when Annas and Caiphas were highe preistes Baronius saith that only Caiphas was high preist in the soccession of Aaron And that he is forced to hold for feare least hée should ouerthrowe the monarchy of the Church of Rome Annas he saith was chéefe priest as head of his ranke and one of the principall heads of the Sanedrin But if he were not high préest why should he be named before Cayphas or why should Luke so call him if he might not be high preist as contrary to law he must vnderstand that at this time neither the law of Moyses nor the order of succession was rightly obserued falsification 39 Talking of Saint Iohn Baptist he saith hee dwelt in the wildernesse Ibidem p. 114. and keept in a denne called Sapsas And that our Sauiour Christ did visit him oftentimes in this denne And this he proueth by the testimony of Sophronius and one Iohn a monke to whome Saint Iohn appeared as he beléeueth in this hole and told him all this story matters fabulous and ridiculous For who will grant that Saint Iohn Baptist whose soule was with God kéept in this denne it is as like that he dwelt there being dead as being aliue yet this is also a Romish tradition but whether Locustes that S. Iohn Baptist did eate were liuing creatures or no as yet Baronius hath not found out any certaine tradition Isidorus of Pelusium holdeth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the gospell signified the tops of herbes and plantes falsification 40 Pag. 110 he saith that S. Iohn Baptist did lay the foundation of monasticall life and that all Catholikes confesse it to be so A lye notorious as appeareth by my answere to Bellarmines treatise de monachis Furthermore this his assertion may be conuinced first for that Iohn Baptist neither made vow nor liued after any certaine rule nor forswore mariage Secondly for that this manner of life was but for a time for after a while he left his habitation in the desert of Iudaea and came to Iorden and into cities Thirdly Iohn was ordained to be a forerunner of Christ and is commended as a singular prophet but monkes and friers are rather the forerunners stafâ—…ers of Antichrist then of Christ Neither is there any mention of them in scriptures but in generall termes Apocalyps 9. where we reade of locustes issuing out of the bottomelesse pit and such like places Prophets certes they are not vnlesse we giue the name of prophets to false teachers Fourthly if Iohn séeme in his manner of life to haue giuen any example to Eremites yet that serueth other monks and friers nothing that liue in most frequent cities and are in continuall action Finally albeit Chrysostome and Hierome say somewhat of Iohn Baptist as if he first had shewed an example of solitary life yet neither doth that serue to prooue that he was a precedent to other monkes nor doe other fathers or catholike authors affirme that he laid the first foundation of monasticall life I hope Rob. Parsons will not say that Iohn Baptist was like his father Ignatius Loyola that madde maranicall Spaniard and swaggring compagnion the first author founder and foundation of the hispaniolized Iesuites falsification 41 Pag. 117. he saith Christ was baptized the sixt of Ianuary and this he would prooue by the testimony of a letter of Eusebius ad Marinum whose fragments are in the edition of Christopher after the history of Euagrius as he writeth But séeing the holy scriptures haue concealed the exaâ—t day he sheweth not himselfe wise curiously to dispute of this point Beside that he should doe vs a fauour to shew who this Christopher was that set out Eusebius otherwise his followers will beléeue that he tooke Christopher for Christopherson Finally there is no credit to be giuen to such vaine fragments set out vnder the names of auncient writers In the historie of Eusebius we read not that he had any thing to do with this counterfeit Marinus so that this tradition séemeth to be built vpon a rotten foundation falsification 42 Gregorius Turonensis telleth how leprosie is cured by washing in water where our Sauiour Christ was baptized and Baronius beléeued he said true But yet was this Gregorie no good witnesse in this case writing nothing but by hearesay We are taught by holy scriptures that baptisme was ordained a sacrament of remission of sins and not that Iordane was made a medicine to purge lepres falsification 43 Pag. 119. he supposeth that he hath soundly confuted those that say that it was not said to Peter tu es Petra sed tu es Petrus but either must he lye or must he charge the Euangelist Matthew with vntruth which is a point blasphemous He saith also that such as translate the word Cephas and say it doth signifie a head are not to be reprehended But if he had had either head or braine hauing taken vpon him to relate histories and things done in auncient time he would haue omitted all curious disputations for the
his meaning quoniam haec opinio tunc fuerat exorta saith Saint Augustine scilicet vt praecepta professa fide opera iustitiae contemnantur aliae apostolicae epistolae Petri Ioannis Iacobi Iudae contra eam dirigunt maximè intentionem vt vehementer astruant fidem sine operibus nihil prodesse These wordes Parsons translateth thus for that this wicked opinion of onely faith was sprong vp in the Apostles time by ill vnderstanding of Sâ—int Paul c. he addeth to Saint Augustines wordes wicked and where he speaketh of a sole faith or rather solitary faith deuoide of workes hee maketh him to speake against these that say that faith onely iustifieth or applyeth iustice vnto vs which Saint Augustine misliketh not for in that same chapter he saith that workes follow him that is iustified and go not before iustification falsification 10 Pag. 269. he alleadgeth a counterfeit writing vnder the name of Athanasius wherein Saint Anthonies the ermites life is described and of the liues of Paul and Hilarion supposed to be Hieromes but altogether false like Dolmans booke of titles falsification 11 In his directory page 353. he maketh Cyprian to say that Christ appeared to a bishop in the forme of a goodly young man He saith also Serm. de Mortalit that Saint Augustine did often vse to recount this example and alleadged Posidonius for his witnes He saith further that Cyprian writ a booke de Mortalitate But first this discourse is but one poore sermon and no booke Secondly it is vncertaine whether this sermon was his or no. Thirdly he saith not that Christ appeared but that a goodly young man appeared to that Priest Finally he lyeth of Saint Augustine as well as Cyprian and in his allegations forgeth as fast as if he were the sonne of a blacksmith and brought vp in his forge falsification 12 In the same place ridiculously he alleadgeth certaine sermons ad fratres in eremo which he fathereth most falsely vpon Saint Augustine and this his owne side as well as the learned men of ours could haue tolde him if he had but had so much sence as to vnderstand them In the two pages following he telleth certaine fables of the apparitions of good and bad angels and layeth them vpon Gregory the dialogiste and Bede whose bookes are much corrupted by monkes and such like falsaries falsification 13 To prooue purgatory he alleadgeth a certaine counterfeit booke that is attributed to Saint Augustine intituled de vera falsa poenitentia and a forged prayer supposed to be said by Saint Ambrose when he went to say masse and such like counterfeit stuffe as may be found in his directory pag. 369. and the pages following falsification 14 Lib. 1. p. 1. c. 11. of his directory he alleadgeth a place out of Saint Ambrose ser 2. in psal 118. where hee supposeth him to speake of popish purgatory but he speaketh of purging onely in this life and of such a purgatory as that some passed through it to hell But the papists teach that no man passeth out of their purgatory into hell He is therefore fitter to talke of the fire of his putatiue fathers forge then of the fire of purgatory which he shall neuer be able to prooue with any forgery falsification 15 Lib. 1. p. 2. c. 1. he maketh Saint Augustine to say confess lib. 6. c. 12. that his owne passions and the diuell would needes perswade him before his conuersion that he should neuer be able to abide the austerity of a vertuous life But S. Augustine hath neither any such wordes nor any such meaning For first he speaketh not of a vertuous life but of abstinence from mariage to attaine to wisedome Secondly he saith the Diuell or Serpent went about through him to perswade Alypius and speaketh nothing of the Diuels perswasions to himselfe Thirdly he doth not so much as mention austere life in that place neither is it so austere a matter to forsweare mariage as is pretended especially if God giue men grace to liue chaste The Iesuits and massepriests certes haue no reason to talke of austeritie of life albeit they forsweare mariage especially if they liue at ease and fare daintily and wallow in all filthinesse as they shall heare particulerly hereafter if they content not themselues with this present payment falsification 16 Likewise he citeth certaine Meditations and Sermons vnder the name of Saint Augustine pratum spirituale vnder the name of Sophronius the legend of Barlaam vnder the name of Damâ—scene and diuers other forged and counterfeit writings He doth also abuse both the scriptures and fathers most impudently as I shall at more leysure particulerly demonstrate Especially if he or any other dare vndertake to answere my challenge and to reply vpon my answere to his disciple Owlyglasse falsification 17 Fift reason of refusal Where Saint Paul 2. Tim. 4. speaketh of Alexander the copersmith he changeth his words and saith he commanded Timothy not to consent to Alexander the heretike And this corruption séemeth to be committed in fauor of his putatiue father the blacksmith whose occupation percase he was loth to sée disgraced falsification 18 Reason 6. Alleadging Saint Augustine contra Maximinum he séemeth to signifie that he wrote but one booke Againe he would make Saint Augustine to say that it was the fashion of heretikes to haue scriptures in their mouth But Saint Augustine in all his thrée bookes against Maximinus hath no such wordes nay himselfe in those bookes alleadgeth scripture often and reasoneth out of them and plainly signifieth that his instructions were drawne from thence De diuinis scripturis instructi saith he falsification 19 Reason 7. Speaking of the Pope hee giueth his reader to vnderstand that Cyprian de simplic praelat and epist 47. 55. and Chrysost lib. 2. de sacerdot Innocentius epist 93. apud Augustinum and Leo epist 84. and the Synode of Alexandria apud Athanasium and Theodoret lib. 2. hist c. 4. call the Pope the high priest of the Church the bishop of the vniuersall Church the pastor of the Church the iudge of matters of faith the repurger of heresies the examiner of all bishops causes and finally the great priest in obeying of whom all vnitie consisteth and by disobeying of whom all heresies arise But scarce doth he speake truely of any one of these fathers or councels as any man may sée both by examining the places and in my booke de Pontifice Rom. against Bellarmine would Parsons set downe the fathers words he might also sée it himselfe if he pleased falsification 20 Where he saith that the fathers of the primitiue Church with one consent affirme that the body and bloud of Christ was by Christ appointed to be offered vp daily for remission of sinnes of quicke and dead and quoteth Dionyse Ignatius Tertullian Augustine Chrysostome Gregory Hierome Cyprian and others with one breath he falsely alleadgeth them all as I haue particulerly demonstrated in my third booke de missa against
saith Moyses or the sonne of thy mother or thy sonne or thy daughter or thy wife that lieth in thy bosome or thy friend whom thou louest as thy soule would perswade thee saying let vs go and serue other gods which thou knowest not nor thy fathers thou shalt not yeeld vnto him nor heare him nor shall thy eye spare him nor shalt thou pity him or conceale him but shall cause him to be slaine for it is not sufficient for a Christian man to know and follow the trueth but he must also auoid false doctrine and the seruice of Baal Christes sheepe as Iohn 10. he saith they follow the true sheperd and a stranger they will not follow neither may we regard their faire pretences of reconciling men to the catholicke Romish church as they call it for euen wolfes though rauenous yet now and then come vnto vs in shéepes clothing but our sauiour Christ giueth vs a caueat to beware of them Beware saith Matth. 7. he of false prophets which shall come vnto you in sheeps clothing but inwardly they are rauening wolues these will smoothly tell you that they come to saue your soules and pretend to come from Christes vicar but they are the ministers of antichrist and the idolatrous priests of Baal and come to destroy your soules by their fruits you shal know them their study is sedition alteration of state their religion heresie and superstition their life full of filthinesse and abomination neither doe we read of any that haue harkened vnto the Iesuites of late yéeres but they haue béene vtterly ruined by them examples hereof we haue diuers and the truth which I affirme appeareth by the Scottish Catechism de Iesuitis Queene ruined by the wicked counsell of Sammier that came disguised vnto her all in yelow satin by the duke of Guise and the leaguers of France brought to destruction by Claude Matthiew by king Phillip the 2. of Spaine intricated by the most wicked counsels of Parsons by the king of Poland that standeth in danger to loose his kingdome of Suethland by the death and ouerthrow of Sebastian king of Portugall in Barbary by the prince of Transiluania that is now by their means dispossessed of Transiluania Ferdinande of Croatia who together with his armie was ouerthrowen by a few Turks listening to these presumptuous fellowes consultations by the emperor that is weakened by their seditious practises losing the aid of diuers princes of religion by the importunity of these trouble-states as for inferior lords and gentlemen that haue béene drawen into practises by Iesuites and so haue ouerthrowen themselues and their houses the number of them is infinit observation 2 Secondly if masse priests be idolaters then no man that is zealous for the honour of God and his true religion may endure them for the law of God that so rigorously pursueth a false prophet doeth therefore adiudge him worthy of death because he went about to draw men from the true worship of God quia voluit abstrahere te saith Deut. 13. Moyses speaking to the people à domino deo tuo and because he sought to perswade men to serue idoles and false gods saying eamus sequamur deos alienos let vs goe and follow other gods the 2. Cor. 6. apostle doeth teach vs that there is no consent betwixt the church of God and idoles qui-consensus saith he templo dei cum idolis if it be the church of God then it admitteth no idoles if idoles be erected in any place then that is not the church of God 1. Cor. 10. he saith also that Christians cannot both drinke the Lords cup and the cup of diuels and by the cup of diuels he vnderstandeth the cup consecrated in honour of idoles The prophet Dauid therefore speaking of idolaters professeth like a good king that Psal 16. he would not offer their offrings of blood nor make mention of their names within his lips 2. King 18. Hezekias ouerthrow the high places brake downe the images out downe the groues and remooued away all monuments of idolatry Iosias did likewise and executed to death such as had burned incense to Baal 1. King 18. Helias enflamed with zeale would not suffer one of Baals prophets to escape contrariwise God doth shew himselfe highly displeased with such as winke at idolaters the spirit of God speaking to the bishop of Pergamus Apoc. 2. habeo saith he aduersus te pauca quia habes illic tenentes doctrinam Balaam qui docebat Balac mittere scandalum coram filijs Israel edere fornicari likewise he reprooueth the bishop of Thyatira sharpely for permitting idolaters and false seducing teachers I haue against thee Apoc. 2. saith he some few things because thou doest permit the woman Iezabel to teach and to seduce my seruants to commit fornication and to eat of things sacrificed to idoles finally no man can call himselfe a Christian that can be content to sée either Gods commandement openly broken in worshipping of idoles or else secretly frustrated by secret practises and subtile euasions of Baals priests and as idolaters shall be punished in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone so shall they not escape grieuous punishments that either mainteine them or winke at them let no man therefore blame her Maiestie and the State that cannot endure these idolatrous slaues of antichrist and wicked masse priests of Baals order observation 3 If the papists be heretikes then are not either the popes priests to be suffred to broch their hereticall doctrine in secret corners nor their adherents openly to maintaine their peruerse opinions the emperors Gratian Valentinian Theodosius L. omnes Cod. de haeret put all heretikes to silence omnes vetitae legibus diuinis imperialibus constitutionibus say they perpetuò quiescant Valentinian and Martian L. quicunque ibidem decréed that false teachers should be put to death Vltimo supplicio afficiantur say they qui illicita docere tentauerint Constantine did gréeuously punish such as kept or concealed any books of heretikes as is testified by Sozomen lib. 1. hist cap. 20. Saint Augustine doeth greatly commend the emperors lawes made against the Donatistes and Hierom writing vpon the fift to the Galathians séemeth much to mislike the remissenesse of diuers in their procéedings against the heretike Arius as for priuate men they are to follow the apostles counsell 2. Tim. 4. and to auoid these heretikes saint Epist 2. Iohn would not haue Christians so much as once to bid them God spéed nolite iugum ducere saith the apostle 2. Corinth 6. cum infidelibus be not yoked with infidels for what coniunction is there betwixt iustice and iniquitie it is a hard matter to touch pitch and not to be defiled and hereticall bookes and companions seduce simple soules that are not able to iudge finally if reason persuade not blinde papists yet the iudgements of God denounced against idolaters may persuade euery man that is studious of his saluation to beware of their entisements and
that wicked city then doth it necessarily fellow that the church of Rome now is not the citie and church of God but rather the malignant church synagogue of Satan adhering to Antichrist and opposite to Christ and his church but that the state of new Rome and of the Romish sect as it adhereth to the pope and is the fountaine and metropolitane citie from whence all idolatry heresie and superstition stoweth is meant by the purple whore Apocalyp 17. and by Babylon Apocalyp 18. diuers arguments may teach vs. first the order of S. Iohns reuelation doth shew it for after that in the 12. chapter and in the beginning of the thirtéenth he had described the state of olde Rome vnder the Romane emperors and foreprophecied the ruine and decay of that empire and the rising of another state out of the ruines of it there is no likehood that he should returne backe againe to describe the flourishing state of that empire in the seuentéenth chapter or that the holy ghost would relate things confusedly or disorderly secondly he representeth vnto vs the decay of old Rome the arising of Antichrist out of the ruines of it in the end of the thirtéenth chapter and therefore whatsoeuer followeth after that chapter the same with good reason may be drawen to Rome after it came to be vnder the pope whose state is wholly built vpon the fall of the empire and can by 〈◊〉 meanes be applied vnto Rome as it was vnder the Romane emperors Thirdly after the destruction of the purple whore and of Babylon the apostle prophesieth of the end of the world and of the last iudgement as if the one were to follow immediately or at the least not long after the other but we sée the Romane empire long since destroied and nothing remaining but a vaine name or title of it and yet the end of the world and last iudgement is not come the ruine of old Rome therefore by the destruction of the whore and of Babylon is not prefigured but rather the destruction of antichrists seat and kingdome Fourthly the beast which saint Iohn saw and vpon which the purple whoore did sit was not then as she should be as he saith non adhuc erat t Apocal. 17. saith he ex abysso ascensura erat but the Romane empire did most flourish in saint Iohns time and therefore that beast must néeds signifie another state and empire which in Rome was to be erected after the Romane empires decay Fiftly those ten kings which are signified by ten hornes Apocalyps 17. did not arise during the time of the old empire of Rome but vpon the decay of the empire and rising of antichrist for we doe not reade that kings did giue their power to the Romane empire nor had that strong empire any néed of their power but we reade that diuers kings haue giuen their power to the papacie and made themselues slaues to make the popes great lords this therefore must néeds be a figure of the papacy and not of the old Romane empire Sixthly we doe read that the kings of the earth committed fornication with the purple whore and may well vnderstand that the purple whore was a figure of one from whom corruption of doctrine and idolatrous worship should be deriued for that is spirituall fornication but from the Romane emperore we cannot vnderstand that any kings receiued any forme of religion or corrupt doctrine or idolatrous worship this therefore must néeds touch the pope and his sée from whence manifolde superstitions idolatries are deriued into all places and not the imperiall state which regarded but little the state of religion Seuenthly the kings of the earth did rather reioice then lament at the destruction of the Romane empire for vpon the ruines thereof they built their own kingdomes and states but diuers kings that are linked with the Pope haue lamented his losses the king of Spaine wept when he heard of the euill successe of English rebels which the pope u Vita de Pio 5. Pius the fift stirred vp hoping by them againe yet once more to recouer footing in England Eightly the purple whore Apocalypse 17. is called the mother of fornications or idolatry which is termed in scripture spirituall fornication this prophecy therefore doeth rather touch the popish idolatry corruption in religion than the ciuill gouernment Ninthly after the empire of Rome began to decay the state of christian religion began to flourish in Rome and therefore that which is said of Rome that it shall after the reuelation of the whore become the habitation of diuels and vncleane spirits cannot be spoken of old Rome after whose decay religion began to flourish but of new Rome vnder the popes which is now become a receptacle of all abominations and filthinesse 10. This Rome that is described Apocalyps 17. shall persecute the saints néere to the end of the world as may be gathered out of saint Iohns reuelation this therefore belongeth to the pope and his bloody inquisitors and not to the old Rome whose persecutions are long since ceased 11. The description of the purple whore and of Babylon doeth best fit the state of Rome vnder the subiection of the pope the great whore is said to sit vpon many waters and to inuegle the kings of the earth with her spirituall fornications she was clad with purple and sclarlet and set out with gold and precious stones she had in her hand a golden cup full of abhominations and in her forhead was written this word mysterium and great Babylon the mother of fornications and abominations of the earth finally it is said she was drunke with the bloud of martyrs Babylon also is called an habitation of diuels and a receptacle of foule spirits and vncleane birds and saint Iohn saith the nations of the earth did drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication and that kings did commit fornication with her and marchants grew rich with trading with her so likewise the pope doeth rule many nations and hath wonne the kings of the earth to like his corrupt and idolatrous doctrine he and his religion also is decked with all precious furniture and nothing séemeth more gallant in externall shew like a woman the pope preuailed by fraud periury and pretence of great mysteries and from him all abominations and corruptions procéeded it is he and no other that for this foure or fiue hundred yeres hath persecuted the saints of God and to him the kings of the earth yéeld their forces and are ready to execute his sentences and excommunications beside that neuer was more vncleannesse nor filthinesse practised by any than by the Romish Sodomiticall and lecherous monks and priests nor was there euer in any place more buying and selling of all things than in the Romish church lastly Arethas and Ambrosius Ansbertus writing vpon the Apocalypse say that new Rome may be vnderstood by Babylon and Petrarch doubteth not in plaine termes to
that saith he hath no sinne deceiueth himselfe and that there is no trueth in him the scriptures also teach vs that euen iust men offend and fall neither may we thinke that these sinnes are trifling and veniall and without breach of charity but sometimes heauy and against the law of God but the papists teach contrary and a Censur Colon holde that the regenerate doe not sinne argument 25 The ancient church of Christ taught that the law was a minister of death and a schoolemaster to Christ but the b Censur Colon f. 22. papists of late teach that we are iustified by the works of the law and that charity is the formall cause of our iustification argument 26 The apostles and ancient fathers taught that we are not able to fulfill the law perfectly in this life no flesh saith the c Galat. 2. apostle is iustified by the workes of the law Saint d Aduers Pelag lib. 1. Hierome saith we are then iust when we confesse our sinnes Saint e De spirit litera Augustine likewise teacheth vs that we shall then performe the law of God withall our soule and withall our hart when we shal see God face to face but the papists of late do teach that we are able to performe the whole law of God perfectly and not that only but also that we are able to do works of supererogation and more then is commanded in the law argument 27 In olde time Christians neuer could beléeue that iustice consisted in the obseruance of holydaies and abstinence from flesh and such like ceremonies but that is a principall point of popery now to beléeue that men are no lesse iustified by obseruance of the popes commandements then of the law of God and to Gods law the papists adioine the precepts of the Romish church argument 28 Papists also accoumpt it mortall sinne to beléeue or doe against the popes lawes as appeareth by the enchiridion of Nauarrus throughout but he that should goe about to proue that doctrine to be receiued by the ancient fathers should be much puzzeled argument 29 Ancient catholicks beléeued that originall sinne passed ouer all and f Rom. 5. that through the offence of one all men were subiect to condemnation but the papists g Decret Sixti 4. sess 5. concil Trid. exempt the virgine Mary from this sinne and commonly teach that Hieremy and Saint Iohn Baptist were sanctified from this sinne in their mothers wombe and by consequent not borne in originall sinne argument 30 Saint g Lib. 1. de Orig. animae c. 9. Augustine saith there is no middle place betwixt the kingdome of heauen and damnation h Lib. de fide c. 3. Fulgentius likewise doth plainly affirme that children dying without baptisme shall susteine endlesse punishments i Lib. 8. c. 16. Gregory in his Morals also saith they shall endure perpetuall torments of hel but the papists make places in the midde-way betwixt the place of ioy and place of paine and will not grant that such children shall endure sensible paines argument 31 k Bellar. de purgat lib. 1. Papists hold that Christians are able to satisfie for the temporall penalty of all sinnes but contrarie to the ancient faith of Christians who depended wholy vpon Christes satisfaction and beléeued that the blood of Christ clensed them from all sinnes and that his sacrifice onely was propitiatorie for the sinnes of the whole world argument 32 Thomas Aquinas and other papists say that veniall sinnes are done away with holy water but contrary to antiquity argument 33 The ancient fathers did not beléeue that any rule was more absolute then the Gospell or that perfection consisted in the rules of Benet of Nursia Francis Dominike Ignatius Loyola and such like fellowes rather than in the doctrine of the Gospell but the papists say that the life of monkes and friers is a state of perfection and that their rules doe teach perfection which praise they will not allow to the Gospel argument 34 The ancient Christians beléeued the doctrine of Christ Iesus who taught vs l Iohn 3. that hee that beleeueth in him should not perish and of the m Rom. 5. apostle that saith that being iustified by faith we haue peace with God but the late papists speake basely of faith making it a bare assent and teaching that the diuels and wicked men haue true faith which is not onely new but also strange for if they haue faith then are they iustified further they should beléeue remission of sinnes and eternall life which I doe not thinke that our aduersaries will grant argument 35 We doe not reade before Gregory the 7. his time that any pope tooke on him to dispence with subiects othes of allgeance or taught that it was lawfull so to do for his n Lib. 2. regest Ioseph vestan deoscul pedum pontif determination it seemeth to be quod papa à fidelitate subiectos possit absoluere but since that the popes haue taught this doctrine and Pius the fift that lousie companion not onely discharged her Maiesties subiects from their obedience but o Bulla Pij 5. contra Elizab. threatned excommunication against such as would still obey her argument 36 The apostles and ancient bishops of Rome did neuer canonize saints but now popes doe not onely canonize saints very impudently but also hire their proctors as impudently to defend it p Op. Catechist de 3. praecept c. 11. Canisius teacheth that vnder the commandement of sanctifying the Sabaoth is conteined the obseruation of holidaies and feastes of Saints and no doubt but he meaneth all the feasts of saints whom the pope hath canonized argument 37 The precepts of the Romish church as they are called are but new deuises for first if we séeke all antiquity we shall not finde where the church of Christ hath commanded vs to kéepe this popes day or that popes day this saints day or that saints day and that it is sinne to worke vpon holy daies dedicated to saint Dominike saint Francis or other such like good fellowes daies secondly Christs church neuer enioined Christians to heare popish masses and such like idolatrous seruice for how could the ancient church enioine men to heare that which of late onely was coined nay contrariwise the q Can. apost 9. 10. ancient church forbad Christians to depart from the church before they had receiued the communion which quite ouerthroweth priuate masses thirdly it is not to be prooued that the ancient church commanded Christians to fast lent by absteining from flesh and white meats after the Romish fashion or to absteine from meat the imber daies or vigiles of saints for saint r Epist 86. ad Casulanum Augustine directly affirmeth that the apostles neuer made law concerning fasting and when Christians obserued lent they were not forced either to absteine from flesh or to fast euery sunday in lent nor were permitted to drinke wine and
eat all swéet meates and dainties on their fasting daies fourthly we find not that in the ancient church men were commanded to come to auricular confession once euery yéere at the least for that was first decréed by Innocent the third as appeareth by the chapter omnis vtriusque de poenit remiss finally the ancient church did not forbid Christians to solemnize marriages as of late time the Romish church hath done in regard of holinesse of times and for that maried men cannot so well serue God as those that forsweare them such humane doctrines therefore our Sauiour Christ condemneth and such voluntary worships the holy apostle misliketh neither can such additions of humane precepts binding mens conscience stande either with the liberty of Christians or perfection of gods law argument 38 The doctrine of purgatory for satisfaction to be made for temporall punishments due for mortall sinnes which the papists doe holde was not knowne in ancient time Augustine maketh a question whether any purgatory is after this life and Gregory the dialogist séemeth to grant that small sinnes are purged after this life but that men doe satisfie for temporall punishments in purgatory neither of them doeth once affirme neither was any such thing knowen or taught before the conuenticles of Florence and Trent the first founders of this deuice in the church argument 39 The solemnity of the yeare of Iubiley amongst Christians was first ordeined by Boniface the 8. and afterward altered by Clement the 5. and last of all brought to 25. yeares by Paule the second but not borrowed from Christians but either from the heathen that euery hundred yéeres had solemne plaies called Iudos seculares to which these plaies and pageants of Romish indulgences may well be resembled or from the Iewes that euery fifty yeares celebrated a Iubiley and now agréeing neither with Iewes Gentiles nor ancient Christians the popes also when they please grant extraordinarie Iubileies and as great pardons as are granted the very yeare of Iubiley argument 41 That the popes indulgences depend vpon late lawes and authority without proofe out of scriptures or fathers it appeareth by the defences made by the principall patrons of indulgences those also that are not altogether past shame confesse so much ſ Art 18. aduers assert Luther Fisher sometime bishop of Rochester saith that before purgatory was feared no man sought for indulgences he confesseth also that in the beginning of the church there was no vse of them quamdiu saith he nulla fuerat de purgatorio cura nemo quaesiuit indulgentias and againe in initio nascentis ecclesiae nullus fuerat earum vsus as for indulgences for not onely hundreds but also thousands of yeares neither Bellarmine nor Parsons can alledge either good proofe or ancient precedent argument 42 The taxe of the popes chancery for the dispatch of pardons for murders parricides rapes adulteries incestes sodomitry yea apostacy and Iewish and Turkish blasphemies I doe not thinke that the most shamelesse Iebusite in the whole order will auow to be ancient argument 43 Scholasticall diuinitie which is nothing else but a mixture of fathers authorities philosophicall subtilties and popes decretals began but from Peter Lombard some eleuen hundred and odde yéeres after Christ how then can the Romish faith that relieth wholly vpon this diuinity be accounted ancient argument 44 t Lib. 1. de verb. dei c. 3. Bellarmine saith that the new testament is nothing els but the loue of God shed into our hearts by the holy Ghost which argueth that the Gospell and new Testament of papists is a new Gospell differing much from that of Christ Iesus for Christs Testament was established in his blood and is a couenant concerning remission of sinnes most especially but charity is wrought by the holy Ghost in those that are alreadie reconciled by the blood of the new Testament Chrysostome Theodoret and others writing vpon the second epistle to the Corinthians chap. 3. say that the spirit quickning is the grace of God that remitteth our sinnes and that charity is not the new testament it is most euident for that then Christ had died in vaine and then we might haue had the new testament established by the law that requireth charity and not by the testament in Christ his blood which is a declaration of Christ his satisfaction and remission of sinnes argument 45 The same u Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 12. man teacheth vs that it is a matter of faith to beleeue that the pope hath succeeded Peter in the gouernment of the vniuersall church but this is new and neuer heard of in the ancient church of Christ is it not then a new Christian faith which these new vpstart Iebusites defend argument 46 That there are iust seuen sacraments and neither more nor lesse albeit the same was talked of in the instruction of the Armenians in the conuenticle of Florence yet it séemeth to bée first established by the conspirators of x Sess 7. Trent for neither can Bellarmine nor any of that faction shew any authenticall law of greater antiquitie for the ioint and iust number of sacraments then the authoritie of the instruction of the Armenians deliuered in the name of the councell of Florence and the conuenticle of Trent is it not then a new religion that hath so new sacraments argument 47 The papists also teach vs that the sacraments conteine grace and doe iustifie those that are partakers of them but since the world began it was neuer heard of till of late idle monkes and friers began to resolue it that Christians were iustified by orders confirmation matrimony and extreme vnction let Bellarmine or any papist if he can prooue that men are iustified by these sacraments if he cannot then can it not be denied but as the papists deuise new meanes of iustification so they deuise vs a new religion argument 48 That the formes of confirmation and extreme vnction are new it appeareth by the decrées of the Trent councell and instruction of the Armenians fathered on the councell of Florence if any deny this he must shew where these words signo te signo crucis confirmo te chrismate salutis were receiued by any authority before and where the words and greasings of diuers parts of the body vsed in extreame vnction were established by the church Wherein to auoid cauilles I would haue Robert Parsons and his seditious brood of rebelles to marke that I deny not but that idle schoolemen might prate of such matters before but I say the same was not before those times confirmed by law nor generally receiued would he please to try his strength in demonstrating the contrary he should soone be forced to confesse that I say true argument 49 That spirituall gossips may not intermary and that such mariages being once contracted should be of no force is also a new doctrine flowing from the stinking sinke of popery argument 50 It is also new doctrine that man and wife
Onus eccles c. 22. bishop doeth compare to locustes issuing out of the bottomlesse pit of hell for that they corrupt religion as the other deuoured euery gréene thing illi mendicantes peruersi saith he designantur per locustas de puteo abyssi exeuntes quia ipsi sunt scurriles leues volatiles rodentes sacras literas virides paganicae philosophiae sequaces quasi equi currentes sic illi in vanam disputationem argument 89 True catholikes neuer thought that the pope had two swords knowing that Peters successors had keyes and not swords deliuered vnto them and well vnderstanding that their commission was to teach and administer sacraments and not to cut Christian mens throats but c C. vnam de maior ebed Boniface the 8. vpon pretence of these words ecce duo gladij hîc imagineth that the pope is to vse both the temporall and spirituall sword and the Iebusites stoutly defend his authoritie and with their two handed swords and gentle receits of their sophisticated drugs kill more honest men than honest men can easily conuert from superstition and impietie to Christ Iesus argument 90 Among Gregory the seuenths d Ioseph Vestan de oscul ped pontif dictates the 12. is that the pope hath power to depose the emperour the 8. that he may lawfully vse the ensignes of the emperour the 27. that he hath power to absolue subiects from their allegiance but S. Peter that was a farre better catholike than this Gregory called otherwise Hildebrand or rather Helfirebrand teacheth contrary doctrine and e 1. Petr. 2. willeth Christians to honor the king so likewise S. Paul exhorteth all sorts of men to be subiect to the higher powers finally the law of God bindeth so fast f Rom. 13. that no deuice of man can vntwist the bond of an oth taken to his prince as true catholikes euer beléeued argument 91 g Concil Nicen c. 5. Catholikes in time past did not permit one bishop to absolue him that was excommunicate by another but the pope of Rome absolueth now all at his pleasure by whomsoeuer they be excommunicated argument 92 The councell of h Can. 22. Mileuis in Afrike excommunicated all priests that appealed to Rome Ad transmarina qui putauerit appellandum say the fathers of that councel a nullo intra Africam in communionem suscipiatur but the pope and his adherents adiudge him worthy to be excommunicate that shall denie that it is lawfull to appeale to Rome let it then be iudged whether therein they deale as catholikes argument 93 Gregory the first doubted not to censure him as the forerunner of Antichrist that should call himselfe vniuersall bishop and this title he accounteth prophane and sacrilegious yet doth not the pope refuse this title neither doth i Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine mislike it argument 94 In the catholike church no man might be ordeined without a charge as appeareth by the acts of the councell of Chalcedon but now the popes without charge ordeine infinite monks and friers which are the moths that fret and consume Christian religion argument 95 Catholikes neuer vsed to kisse the popes pantofle nor to fall downe before him and to crie Miserere nostri are then the papists catholikes trow you or flanes and base fellowes that kisse the slipper of Antichrist and fall downe before him crying out Miserere to a most miserable mortall man argument 96 Ancient catholikes were not acquainted with the popes prouisions reseruations expectatiue fauors indulgencies iubileyes and such like tricks and hooks to ouerthrow order and enrich the pope neither would they haue liked any such Babylonish traffike if they had knowen it shamelesse therefore are they which take to themselues the titles of catholikes and yet either commit or allow these abuses argument 97 Ancient catholikes neuer knew the rates of the popes chancery for writs of iustice of benefices of pardons nor did they beléeue that the pope could pardon incests murders sacrilege Sodomy blasphemy and such horrible crimes those therefore that allow this sinfull traffike of popes and their courts they are neither good catholikes nor ciuill honest men argument 98 No catholike euer adhered to Antichrist or embraced his damnable doctrine but we haue k Lib. 5. de pontif Rom. shewed that the pope is Antichrist and that popery is nothing els but Antichristianisme and that by such arguments as for any thing yet answered séeme inuincible if then papists adhere to the pope they must leaue the name of catholikes which without all reason they haue vsurped and taken to themselues argument 99 Finally no catholike euer embraced any heresie or false doctrine for as S. l De vera relig c. 6. 7. Augustine teacheth vs catholikes are true Christians and embrace the right faith but the papists haue embraced and yet holde many both olde and new heresies and thereof popery séemeth to consist the which to be very true it shall appeare by the particulars discoursed in the chapter following CHAP. IIII. That papists doe mainteine many both olde and new heresies and erroneous points of doctrine contrary to the catholike faith LIttle reason haue the papists to charge others with heresie if they would narrowly looke into their owne opinions and heresies which are so many and so vgly we may therefore well say vnto them Pull out the beames out of your owne eies you hypocrites and then you shall more clearly see the motes that are in other mens eies so grosse are your errors and so foule that beames in mens eies séeme not more deformed argument 1 For first as the a Rom. 2. 3. Iewes and especially the scribes and Pharises rested in the law and gloried in their works b Luc. 18. and as the apostle declareth Rom. 2. and Galat. 3. sought to be instified by their works and by the law so the papists rest and relie much vpon the law not doubting but by obseruance thereof to enter into life and thereto they apply these words hoc fac viues they glory also in their works and if they said true that by the works of the law they were iustified they had reason so to doe for to him that worketh the reward is imputed not according to grace but according to debt as the c Rom. 4. apostle saith finally they séeke to be iustified formally by their works and by the law which they say is fulfilled by charity for that is the end of Bellarmines dispute of iustice of works and habituall iustice and so much doe they rely vpon their owne iustice that they d Concil Trid. sess 6. can 10. 11. exclude the iustice of Christ out of our iustification argument 2 Secondly the sect of the pharises was condemned for that they made void the law of God by there owne traditions reprobastis mandatum dei per seniorum vestrorum traditionem saith our e Marc. 7. sauiour speaking to the pharises they were likewise