of God by vertue of the auncient succession of their great Prophet Mahomet And who acteth and playeth his part better in these affaires then the Pontife of Rome He calleth himselfe Pope We confesse that about 400. yeares after Christ Iesus as in the time of S. Austin this title began to be vsed among the Bishops as it appeareth in these subscriptions Cypriano Papae and in S. Hierome Beatissimo Papae Augustino And none can make any question but this word hath proceeded from the Grecians And that so famous idole of Iupiter worshipped of the Bythinians was commonly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Iupiter Papa And by what priuiledge haue the Bishops of Rome reserued it to themselues alone all others being excluded sith he whose successors they vaunt themselues to be did neuer attribute it to himselfe Let vs come to the kissing of slippers Whereas the Pope will haue them to be kissed is not this to imitate the auncient Pontifes of Rome who being set in their Curulae Chaires receiued the same honours of those that entred into their temples But let vs say better that this vanitie hath proceeded of the inuention of Caius Caesar who according as Seneca writeth put forth his left foot to be kissed by Pompeius surnamed Paenus Pomponius Laetus writeth that Diocletian put forth an edict whereby he commaunded all persons indifferently to kisse his feete and to this effect after the example of Caligula did he weare slippers of great value such as the Popes Pontofles are at this day And the greater sort of the Prelates onely are exempted from so doing to whom the Pope putteth forth his right hand to be kissed a ceremonie proceeding from the same ware-house of the Paganes as Plinius and Apuleius beare witnesse To conclude if the Pope were diseased of the gout and lame of his legges he might pretend some excuse when he causeth himselfe to be carried but wheras he doth it as a point of Religion it is intollerable And from whence should he haue learned this delicatnesse but from the auncient Romanes his fore-runners CHAP. IX Of the Popes Armes and of the Keyes IN the blasons of the Popes cognisance there is alwayes a paire of Keyes inseparably vnited with a Tiara triply crowned This is that great Lock-smith of whom others haue obtained power to open and shut And who should haue resigned ouer this place of key-bearer vnto him From whom hath he borrowed those mantles blasons and the two keyes made in manner of a Burgundian Crosse Truely his predecessors are of no small number and he is heire to many whom superstitious antiquitie did hold to be Gods and to whom this charge was committed Mercurie had the petase or winged hatt and the Caduceum wrapt about with two serpents Apollo Thyreus had the place of great Sergeant-porter among the Grecians Clusius was one of this trade Patulcius medled therewith also and the Grandfather Ianus King of Italie had two faces a token of his wisedome in gouerning his people and hath beene the first Romane Key-bearer souereigne patrone and Dictator of the auncient Catholicke Romane religion Prince of the Limentins Foriculans Cardians and other vnder officers and to him belonged the opening and shutting of the golden gate The Pope hath succeeded him The Paganes painted Mercurie with three heads and named him Tricephalus in place whereof the Pope hath his three crownes to declare the fulnesse of his power which he vsurpeth ouer heauen and earth And touching hell he hath displaced or made Hecate giue way to him called of the Gentils Triuia together with Cerberus and Gerion to the effect that he may send thither or bring from thence such as pleaseth him best for he braggeth that he may send soules to hell by whole cart lodes full without any feare of reproach Clement the sixth commaundeth the Angels and Deuils Is not this that which is said of Orpheus that he descended into hell to deliuer from thence his wife Euridice Pollux to release his brother Castor Theseus and Perithous to rauish Proserpina and Hercules to carrie away Cerberus CHAP. X. Of Vestures Albes Amices Miters and Crosier Staues IT is to be wished that the simplicitie in cloathing which shined in Christ Iesus and his Apostles had beene imitated In the primitiue Church we doe not read that the Bishops differed from others in their apparell as well ordinarie as when they went to preach and proclaime the Gospel to minister the holy sacraments Those habits therefore that were indifferent afterwards became different but simple and without curiositie It is not vnknowne to vs what obiections you vse concerning this matter and how you keepe your selues close in the sunne-shine of the authoritie of some Fathers as of Gregorie Nazianzene and others who report that the Priests and Deacons were apparrelled in white during the time of the celebration of the holy mysteries not that we thinke it vnlawfull to vse a comely white roabe in the celebration of Gods seruice but on the contrary we hold the vse thereof as fit and decent as it is auncient and thereafter you forget not Saint Austin who in one of his Epistles maketh mention of a vesture of the head called Pyrrum which farre from the purpose you read Byrrum which was a red hat peraduenture such as the Cardinals of Rome weare at this day But by the contrary to proue vnto you what modestie those first Bishops vsed I will onely produce the example of Babilas Martyr and Bishop of Antiochia whom S. Chrysostome so highly commendeth and among those vertues wherewith this Father was indued he maketh mention of his frugalitie and that his apparell was but after the ordinarie fashion of other Christians In the ages next following chiefly vnder Gregorie surnamed the Great this naturall simplicitie was corrupted through the imitation aswel of Iudaisme as of Gentilisme Of Iudaisme according to Rabbanus Maurus who taketh the paines to discipher them one by one But of Gentilisme in truth if we take pleasure to contemplate the figures and fashion of the Pantheon at Rome other-wayes called the Rotonda in whose vault we see cut with singular artifice the whole ornaments and ceremonies which the poore Gentiles were wont to vse in their sacrifices That we may enter farther into this matter we find the statutes of Numa concerning the apparell of those whom he ordained to offer sacrifice and of other Priests of Paganisme which hee would haue to be of a white colour we except not against the colour or garment if it be not made a part of Gods worship and applied to a mysticall sense as it is in the Church of Rome as the etymologie of this ornament called Alba doth sufficiently witnesse which is the ordinarie garment that your Massemongers haue retained for themselues at this day and which the Egyptian Priests vsed in their
your Capuchins make foure Lents in the yeare I will submit my selfe vnto that which is truth In the meane while we shall alledge against them that which S. Hierome sayth Their fasts and diuers rules and their lying hard who fasting three Lents in the yeare and humbling their soules 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by eating nothing but drie things and such other superstitions which haue proceeded from the roote of Tatianus vpon such paines as they lay on themselues must onely giue eare vnto this Why haue you taken so much paines without any cause Or haue you suffered so much in vaine CHAP. XXIIII Of abstinence from meates THe Councels and Canons which we alledged in the title of Fryers shall make vs abridge that which we were minded to speake here concerning abstinence from meates The Manicheans in their fasts obserued strictly this difference of meates as it is now practised and in like manner abstained from flesh in place whereof as S. Austin writeth they vsed other most delicate meates and fishes that were found with much difficultie and were so daintilie prepared with costly sauces that Apitius would haue enough adoe to make readie the like The Ebionians the Tatians the Encratites haue also authorised and taught their disciples this abstinence from flesh But aboue all others Marcion agreeth best with you seeing that he reputed the eating of fishes to be more holy then the eating of the flesh of other creatures whereunto Aerius the hereticke hath set his hand in like maner who also abstained from eating of flesh The Councell of Brachara holden the yeare 630. condemned abstinence from flesh if the same were obserued for religion and not for sobrieties sake CHAP. XXV Of vnknowne Language YOu dare not deny that which the Apostle sayth That euery thing ought to be read in the Church in a language that is vnderstood I should neuer haue done if I should here vnfold the authoritie of the Fathers The councels of Laodicea and Carthage ordaine that nothing shall be read to the people in the Church but Canonicall Scriptures And if they were not vnderstood what would the reading thereof profit vs The Law of God was read vnto the auncient people in a language that the whole multitude vnderstood as we may see in Nehemias The Emperour Iustinian will haue the whole diuine seruice to be celebrated in a knowne language You are of a contrarie minde and it were to enter into a labyrinth to refute your opinion We will say onely that Marke the sorcerer hath borrowed it of you or you of him who as we read in Epiphanius and Theodoret tooke delight in strange and vnknowne words And how Your whole seruice your Missall your Breuiarie are they not thus disfigured These be your cunning slights to the end that by such vaine thundering you may terrifie simple ideots after the example of the Marcionists CHAP. XXVI Of Simonie SImonie consisteth in selling of all manner of holy things I will haue no other witnesse then the whole world that there is none amongst all your Bishops and Priests that is not defiled therewith Blame your owne decrees and Canons which declare you all to be excommunicated and witnesse your vocation to be vnlawfull The Iesuites teach their scholars daily for nothing to the end that they may reward them againe with almesses of thousands yea and of millions of crownes In these dayes Bishoprickes and other Benefices are bestowed the Sacraments are ministred and that for nothing True indeed that if they take any thing alas it is but little and onely by way of contract which the Lawyers terme do vt des And from whence hath all this trading proceeded but from Simon Magus the father of all heretickes that would haue giuen money to the intent that he might haue the power to bestow the holy Ghost on such as would reward him therefore CHAP. XXVII Of Processions THose Processions are of your owne breeding the holy antiquitie knew them not We haue spoken thereof in the conformities of Gentilisme and declared that you abuse these words procedere and processio which the Father 's vsed but after a diuers sense and it is without all reason that you will haue them to be those Processions that are vsed among you And that which is spoken of the wise men of the Orient reuersi sunt per aliam viam is the cause why you make some Processions after a preposterous manner The Arrians were the authors of these circuites and made them with great solemnitie marching along the streetes singing certaine lauds which were penned in prayse of their sect Thereafter S. Chrysostome by an vnfit imitation whereupon followed a most dangerous sedition in the Church commaunded his clergie and congregation to doe the like as well to giue contentment to his flocke as to the end that they should not follow that band of the Arrian sect And the Historiographere concludeth that the Catholickes hauing for this cause begun to sing after the foresaid manner haue continued the same vnto this day CHAP. XXVIII Of extreme Vnction ARe you ignorant that the vnction which you call the last was a miracle of the primitiue Church And of a miracle why do you make a sacrament We haue protested before that we would not enter into the deepnesse of controuerted matters seeing that our butt is onely to ioyne you in alliance and matrimonie with heretickes In this title I find that you are companions with the Heracleonites The difference that is betweene you and them consisteth onely in this that they annoint the dead and you annoint such as are a dying CHAP. XXIX Of Death FRom extreme vnction we shall passe vnto death and truly it is the forerunner and the trumpet The greatest displeasure that you can doe to the wiues of sicke persons is to bring vnto them this manner of wares which is as much as a commission or packet that is deliuered to their husbands to carry into another world Behold death that arriueth whom the faithfull doe acknowledge to be the meane to change all these miseries into felicitie It is the hand of God that pulleth vs backe from these calamities it is the opening of the prison our deliuerie from captiuitie the issue of our miseries and the arriuing at the port And although death doth affoord so many commodities vnto vs yet it is the reward of sinne And what doe the Pelagians speake thereof with whom you haue more then ten heresies common That Adam had died although he had not transgressed Gods commandements This heresie is not generall among you But hauing perused your Index expurgatorius which spared not to censure the old Fathers and hauing perceiued that there was no order taken for scraping out of that which Austin Steuchus hath written to wit that death is a thing naturall and that sinne is
angit CHAP. XIIII Of washing of the feete CHrist Iesus before he did institute the holy Supper washed his Disciples feete willing thereby according to the custome of the Countrey and of those dayes in washing the feete of such as they lodged in their houses for nothing as it may be seene throughout the whole Scripture to declare what the dutie of hospitalitie and charitie was euen of the greatest toward the meanest sort as the Apostle also maketh mention and in that sense commaunding vs to wash one anothers feete But in stead of imitating him after this manner behold a stage-play as you grossely abuse it brought into the Church to wash the feete of twelue poore ones vpon Mandy Thursday as you terme it CHAP. XV. Of extreme Vnction THe Apostles as it is to be presumed following their masters commaundement added sometimes vnto the wonderfull healing of diseases an annointing with oile And behold thereupon a new Sacrament of extreme Vnction continued and practised so idlely vnprofitably after that this extraordinarie gift of healing hath ceased hauing beene giuen vnto them for a certaine time onely and till the preaching of the Gospell were furnished with sufficient authoritie against the greatest vnbeleeuers CHAP. XVI Of the Dedication of Temples ANd in the dedication of your Temples doe you not play the Iewes Let vs giue eare to the reasons that you vse The Iewes say the Canons had certaine places where they sacrificed which were hallowed by heauenly and solemne prayers and offered their offerings to God no where else If the Iewes therefore who serued the shadow of the Law obserued this ceremonie with farre more reason ought we to doe the same vnto whom the truth is reuealed and grace is giuen by Christ namely to build Temples to decore them after the brauest manner and to dedicate them through sacred vnction together with altars vessels garments and other ornaments Thereafter it is added We ought not to celebrate but in such places as are hallowed by Bishops You shall acknowledge here if it please you your Gratians stile In the meane time we find no fault with your Temples we require onely the true vse thereof to wit that God may be called on in the publicke Congregation his word preached and embraced the holy Sacraments ministred and receiued For this cause hath the temple beene called the house of Prayer for all manner of people generally Origen also calleth the Temples of the Christians houses of Prayer Tertullian sayth that we doe assemble our selues in the Temple first for prayer secondly to heare the lesson or lecture thirdly for exhortation c. That which we reprehend is that which hath proceeded from Iudaisme whereunto Christ Iesus hath put such an end that the Apostle comprehending all those ceremonies vnder the name of Circumcision sayth expressely That if one be circumcised Christ auaileth him nothing so that to gather vp all in one word whatsoeuer colour of deuotion can be pretended what antiquitie soeuer can be alledged all those fopperies wherethrough by little and litle the true seruice of God in spirit and veritie hath beene transformed into a most hideous foolishnesse are not onely to be reiected as friuolous and vnprofitable but also to be abhorred for hauing degenered first into superstition and finally into a detestable impietie And I will aske you where is there any Churches in the Popedome that are dedicated vnto Christ Iesus It is to Angels and Saints that they dedicate them vnto whom they addresse their prayers their sweete incense and such other seruices belonging to God alone CHAP. XVII Of Traditions AS touching traditions vnder the name whereof so many superstitions haue beene by little and little brought into the Christian Church and are so stoutly defended at this day that you dare euen terme them Apostolicke doe you not follow in the introduction thereof the paterne and modell of your fathers the Iewish Rabbins and Pharisies As in that they bind heauie burdens and grieuous to be borne and lay them on mens shoulders but they themselues will not mooue them with one of their fingers for so much as they doe all their workes to be seene of men for that they keepe the keys of the Kingdome of Heauen and they themselues goe not in neither suffer they them that would enter to come in for that they proclaime by sound of trumpet their fasts and abstinences for that they make their Philacteries broad and would appeare outwardly to be very worshipfull Saints and are nothing within but whited Sepulchers And then your Doctors whom you call Magistros nostros haue they not borrowed their titles from the Iewish Rabbines Of whom our Sauiour speaketh that they loued the greetings in the markets and to be called of men our Master Your ordinary bragging is that you haue no tradition or custome which is not of ten or twelue hundreth yeares standing and we grant to you a farre longer time to wit that you haue of two or three thousand yeares standing aboue such as are those which you haue borrowed from Gentilisme and retained of Iudaisme And ought they to be the more embraced for that respect By the contrary as one of the auncient Fathers sayth an old custome is an old errour and ought so much the rather to be abolished CHAP. XVIII Of Transubstantiation LEt vs come to Transubstantiation Although this word with the doctrine annexed thereto be new for what Doctor of the primitiue Church hath written that the consecration is perfected by the vertue of these words hoc est enim corpus meum Neuerthelesse to the end that you may set the same to sale the better vnto the people as good and vpright antiquities you make them proceede from the Iewish Rabbins euen as if they had euer dreamed thereof Rabbi Moyses Hadarsan writing vpon this verse of the 136. Psalme Lord thou giuest foode vnto all flesh speaketh in expresse termes these words This text agreeth well with that which is written in the thirtie fourth Psalme Tast you and see how gracious the Lord is for the bread and meat which he giueth vnto euery one is his flesh and by eating thereof it is changed into flesh Are not these very goodly consequences No otherwise then witches doe milke a Bucke or the haft of an axe Although this Iew meaneth that all manner of foode is changed into the flesh and bloud of the person that eateth it through the digestiue power and facultie yet you would haue gathered your transubstantiation from thence as likewise out of this text of Moses where Iacob foretelling in the agonie of his death what should happen vnto his children addressing his speech vnto Iuda the fourth in order speaketh these words He shall bind his asse foale vnto the vine and his asses colt vnto the best vine he shall wash his garment in wine and his cloake in the bloud of grapes His eyes shall be red with
to loue God with our whole heart Syluester Prierias holdeth that this commandement is not of necessitie but of honestie Which is the very same opinion of Molanus and this is as much as if they had taught that it were not needfull to loue God most perfectly but that it should be sufficient for vs to know that he ought to be loued so Let vs reason briefely vpon euery one of the commaundements and let vs see the antithesis which is betweene them the Popes Thou shalt haue no other God but me The Pope is called God not hyperbolically but effectually Dominùs Deus noster Papa Thou shalt not make vnto thee any grauen image Contrariwise the Pope commandeth that all manner of images and representations be affixrd and set vp in the Temples and Churches of Christians that they may be honoured apparelled lighted and that we may bow downe our selues before them in all reuerence as it may be seene in your Canons and the Bookes of your chiefest Doctors Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine sayth the Eternall The Pope absolueth subiects from the oath which they haue made to their naturall Prince Honour thy father and thy mother The Pope dispenseth with his Priests and Fryers yea and with all those that be on his side Thou shalt not kill Our Fraunce hath made triall in the parricide that was practised on the person of the most Christian King Henry the third what dispensation is graunted in this case Thou shalt not commit adulterie but Hildebrand a Fryer of the order of the Clumacenses called Gregorie the seuenth forbade mariage neuerthelesse it is well knowne after what manner he behaued himselfe with Mehant Countesse of Mantua And who knoweth not that the Pope approueth whordome sith he receiueth tribute from the whores of Rome Robberies and false witnesses are but childrens sport And touching concupiscence you are of the opinion that it is not forbidden and that it is no sinne vnlesse the fact be ioyned therewith What shall I say farther In the Romish Church they take away change diminish and adde to the Law what pleaseth those best that haue the charge thereof They haue taken away the knowledge of the word of God from the people reseruing the same for great Doctors They haue forbidden to read the holy Bible which is against Gods ordinance Enniche the mother of Timothie shall rise vp in iudgement and condemne them They haue bin so bold as to stretch forth their sacrilegious hands vnto the sanctuarie of God that they might pull away from thence the second commandement of the first Table They haue changed their Priests into Sacrificers the Euangiles into Masses the preaching into ringing of Bels singing lights and such like trash They haue changed the breaking of the bread in the holy Supper into hostes altogether round They haue diminished to wit the cup contenting themselues with a part onely They haue added namely the commandements which they call of the Church Christ comwaunded vs to loue our enemies and pray for them Yet notwithstanding your Molanus denieth that God hath commaunded vs to pray chiefly for our enemies and that we ought to salute them louingly You vpbraid vs with the debates that are among vs. We are at one together praised be God But make Torrensis agree with Catherin to whom he reprocheth that he hath written that the law of Moyses is not the Law of God and that the commaundements of the Apostle S. Paul are not the commandements of Iesus Christ. CHAP. VIII Of Predestination THis Doctrine of Predestination is of great importance S. Austin hath written whole Treatises thereof Through it we know that without Christ there is no saluation It is a refuge in time of temptation to perswade vs more and more of the assurance of our saluation which we beleeue to be grounded on the sonne of God that we may cast away farre from vs all manner of desperation It is a spurre to pricke vs forward to the studie of good works which are the effects of our election It is a bridle to containe our insolencie and bragging within the limites of Christian modestie that we may not attribute to our selues that which proceedeth of the grace of God All the holy antiquitie doth send vs vnto the pure free mercy of God through Iesus Christ vnto iustification by faith vnto our infirmitie and wretchednes of our workes And neuerthelesse you are not contented with this simplicitie contrariwise you doe attribute predestination vnto good workes that are foreseene as the Pelagians haue done The common opinion of the greater part of your Schoolemen is bent that way as Catharin can well reproch vnto your Diuines his fellowes CHAP. IX Of the Scripture IS it not true that the theefe abhorreth nothing so much as the Law nor the heretick any thing so much as the Scripture May I not liken you to the Owles that cannot endure those glistering beames of Gods word Vnto those betelles that aboue all things hate the balme of those celestiall decrees You say that it is imperfect obscure doubtfull ambiguous a dead letter that killeth a matter of debate and riddles Your whole refuge is vnto homilies trophonaries passions legends lectures antiphonas graduaries breuiaries fermologues and Missals And for the Scriptures you beleeue them no more then the fables of Aesope vnlesse they be authorised by the Pope Eusebius sayth that the holy auncient Fathers accused and that with very good reason Samasatenus because that by departing from the Canonicall bookes he had beene the author of an hereticall Doctrine in so farre as he had not followed the Apostolicke Doctrine And to whom belongeth this censure more then to you Ought you to speake not onely when the holy Scripture is silent but also when you are flatly condemned therby Would to God we had not this right to blame you of that which S. Austin sayd in old times vnto those that were like you That you ayme at no other thing but that the whole authoritie of the holy Scripture may turne to nothing Bellarmine hath laboured much for his part when of purpose he hath made a whole Chapter of the insufficiencie of the Scripture the Scripture I say which is the true rule of our vnderstanding and the solide anchor of our saluation Tertullian in his time fought against your fellowes who denied the Scriptures to be perfect And likewise the heretickes would neuer graunt them to be the true rule of faith notwithstanding that Ireneus did send them backe vnto this doctrine of the Apostles which S. Chrysostome and Basill in diuers places of their workes haue called the exquisite balance the rule of equity and the canon of veritie Your Eckius your Pighius yeeld no more authoritie vnto the holy Scripture then that which your Church is pleased to bestow theron And in that
the auncient heretickes did abuse euen as you doe that which the Apostle sayth And we speake wisedome among them that are perfect This was the ordinarie defence and argument of the Carpocratians witnesse Ireneus Bishop of Lion although that in this passage he doth not place those that were perfect as opposites vnto ideots This is it which S. Athanase remarketh against the Arians concerning those bragges of Arrius who blinded the eyes of his followers with these goodly titles in shew Electis Dei secundum fidem peritis Dei ita didici ego Montanus ioyned with the old and new Testament certaine other obseruations of his pretended paraclete is not this the very same that was said of that holy Ghost that was carried by post from Rome to Trent in a cloake-bagge CHAP. XI Of the Church THe Donatists tyed the Church to a certaine place as for you you tie it to Rome and to a counterfeit succession of persons say that the generall assembly is composed onely of such as follow the Romish Church as mother and Mistresse of all the Churches and doe acknowledge the Pope to be successor to Peter the Prince of the Apostles and vicar of Christ Iesus Hearken vnto S. Hierome The Church doth not consist in walles but in the sowndnesse of doctrines Wheresouer true faith is there is the Church also And they do Christ Iesus great wrong to tye him to the Temple of Rome hee that departed from his temple that was builded in Ierusalem because of the wickednesse that was committed among the Sacrificers Whosoeuer therefore would know which is the true Church of Christ saith Chrisostom let him finde out the same by the Scriptures And S. Austin We haue found Christ in the Scriptures we must finde the Church there also CHAP. XII Of Baptisme VVHo hath taught you that Baptisme taketh away onely the sinnes that are past and secureth vs only from the first shipwracke but the Marcionists the Messalians and Euchites as Epiphanius writes You doe attribute with them the vertue of Baptisme vnto sinnes that are past and to the Sacrament which you terme Penitence the washing and purging of other offenses in case wee should fall againe therein through weakenesse which is in stead of a table to saue vs from this shipwracke The Messalians taught that man was not made perfect through Baptisme The Iesuites hold that this is no sure pledge vnto vs that our sinnes are forgiuen vs. This moued Marcion to reiterate the same to his followers And although Baptisme be not renued in the Romish Church yet so it is that she vseth the Chrisme in her pretended Sacrament of confirmation to make those that are annoynted become more skilfull in spirituall combats that they may become wholly and perfectly Christians Qui nunquam erit Christianus saith the Canon nisi qui confirmatione Episcopali fuerit chrismatus Would you heare any thing more horrible then this and namely when confirmation is preferred to Baptisme the institution of men to Christs Theodoret writes that the Messalians were the authors of crosses and exorcismes for said they the childe at his birth is accompanied with his Demon who cannot bee chased away but through coniuration And what Know you not very well that it is forbidden by the Law of God to vse charmes coniurations and exorcismes of any creatures whereby any vertue or dignity aboue the course of nature is attributed vnto dumbe things We are not ignorant that this manner of coniuring was practised in the Church in S. Cyprian and S. Austins time let vs rest notwithstanding on that which Christ Iesus and the Apostles haue done and not on the Fathers when they are destitute of Gods word And what neede haue children to be exorcised seeing they are members of Gods euerlasting couenant You haue a certaine coniured oyle ordained of purpose for baptising of little children And of whom haue you learned this manner of doing but of the Hereticks Marcus Marcosius and Valentine as Epiphanius witnesseth And to the end that corruption and abuses might take the greater increase it hath beene permitted vnto women to baptise according to the error of the Marciomists Quintillians Cataphrygians Montanists Pepuzians Priscillians and Artotyrites although the ministration of Baptisme belong vnto a part of the preaching of the Gospell and that all things ought to be done with comelinesse and good order in the Church Was it euer permitted by the Law of God vnto women to minister the Sacraments or Sacrifices that were ordained in the first Church of the Israelites Is there any signe how little soeuer it bee of any permission in the new Testament of Christ Iesus by which this female sexe is licenced to doe so It is written in the historie of Moyses that his wife Sephora being moued with a womanlie furie tooke a sharpe knife or stone and cut away the foreskin of her sonne but that was done without any commandement and through a rash vsurpation of that which belonged no wayes vnto her And S. Austin hath expresly forbidden women to doe the same following the councell of Carthage where hee had beene present which did the verie same You cannot deny therefore that you insitate those Hereticks and most of all the Pepuzians who permitted the Priesthood vnto women seeing that through a supposed necessitie you agree that a part of the Ministerie should be discharged by them You haue gone on further for this expresse manner of Baptisme that was appointed by Christ Iesus in the name of the three persons of the most blessed Trinitie is changed and you haue taught that Baptisme is lawfully minished although it were vsed after this forme Baptiso te in nomine Patris filij Spiritus Sancti Beatae virginis Mariae The Marcosians in the administration of Baptisme vsed some Hebrew and strange words that the hearers might be astonished thereat as Ireneus writes and namely this Syrian word Etphethah You doe worse for not onely in the administration of Baptisme but in your whole seruice you speake strange languages and mingle the same with certaine words that amongst a thousand Priests there is not one that can pronounce them well let be to vnderstand them This spittle this saliue and holy water are of their inuentions and of your imitations CHAP. XIII Of the Lords Supper AS the holy Apostles receiued it from our Lord so haue they deliuered the same vnto vs and so will wee keepe it We will not enter in discourse touching that which may be said and written of the Eucharists our intention is only to declare vnto you that you haue borrowed from the Hereticks or the Hereticks from you many things that belong not to the institution of this Sacrament Ioh. Scotus saith that the Priest hauing an intention to consecrate saying the fiue words vpon all the bread that is in the
bloud of her Sonne Neuerthelesse you prepare temples for her garlands bankets sweete cakes sacrifices and a thousand other toyes as if shee required such flatterie and adoration You haue ordained some of the principall feasts for her haue conuerted this feast that was ordained by IustiniaÌ„ was dedicated vnto the memory of the receiuing of Christ Iesus by Simeon into the feast of the purification of the virgin Mary The feast of the annunciation was established the 819. yeare of the assumption the 1273. yeare of the visitation the yeare 1380. of the conception the 1439. yeare and of the presentation the yeare 1484. And it is most wonderfull that the Apostles and those famous men of the primitiue Church did not foresee thus much to the end that the elect might not be frustrated of that which you hold to be a part of Gods feruice Moreouer you haue graunted to the virgin Mary a certaine adoration which you call hyperdulia that is to say aboue seruice Is not this to renew the heresie of the Collyridians which Epiphanius abhorred so much Is not this to imitate those women of Arabia that brought in these vanities as to sacrifice vnto her a tart or sweete cake and to assemble themselues in her name Let vs looke on the text I beseech you Certaine women sayth he doe prepare a chariot and a foure square chaire and couering it with a sheete at certaine solemne times of the yeare during the space of some dayes they present bread and doe offer it in the name of Mary euery one taking a part of the bread as I haue partly made mentioÌ„ hereof in the epistle which I wrote to Arabia And now I will speake of this heresie after that I haue called on the name of God I shall produce according to my power such reasons as shal be sufficient to refute the same to the end that hauing plucked vp by the roote this heresie that is the cause of images we may through Gods assistance ridsome persons of this madnesse Behold what the Doctor hath sayd and if those women offered biggins the Iesuites offer themselues witnes this forme of speech that they vse O Lady I doe acknowledge thee to be my mistresse And in their rule Ego me voueo tibi in perpetuum seruum And Thomas of Aquin writeth that Marie had the fulnesse of all graces which is as much as to make her equall with God and like vnto Christ Iesus Contrariwise Epiphanius sayth Verily the bodie of Mary was holy without all contro uersie but yet it is not God Without all doubt shee was a Virgin and honoured but she was not giuen vnto vs that we might worship her yea she her selfe adoreth him that was borne of her according to the flesh but who descended from heauen out of his Fathers bosome Herein the Gospell is our warrant saying What hast thou to doe with me woman my houre is not yet come Now let vs consider addeth Epiph anis for what cause Christ Iesus speaketh so to his mother He calleth her woman to the end that none should thinke her to be super-excellent prophecying as it were what things were to fall out on earth concerning sects and heresies to the end that some that admired her too much might not fall into this heresie and the fanfies thereof Afterward he sayth God who is the word bath taken flesh of the holy Virgin yet not to the end that shee might be guilded with gold and that he might make her a Goddesse but to the intent that we might not offer in her name And in the end that the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost might be worshipped end â—one might worship Marie neither man nor woman whatsoever and that none might say we honour the Queene of Heauen We might copie out here a great many moe goodly sentences which this Father hath declaimed against those persons but to eschew prolixitie we shall note that the maine scope of all is this that he calleth those images that were appointed for the Virgin the fortresse of the Deuill the seruice of the dead and that he abhorreth them in the same termes that the Prophets did the Idols of Baal giuing to them the name of adulterie and applieth all that properly against the adoration of the holy virgin he giueth the name of heresie to this abuse he denieth that the Scriptures haue made mention thereof He bringeth his argument from the quick to the dead that if we ought not to worship Elias while he is yet aliue how much lesse then when he is dead Thereafter he concludeth If God will not haue vs to adore the Angels how much lesse the Virgin One Petrus Cnapheus a most pernicious hereticke brought in the inuocation of the holy virgin in the seruice and as Nicephorus witnesseth said that in enery prayer the Virgin Mary ought to be called on and her diuine power worshipped He liued vnder the Emperour Zeno about the yeare 470. and was condemned in the fift generall Councell which condemneth you likewise after the same manner CHAP. XVIII Of Images IT were to enter into a labyrinth if we should write all that we know concerning Images Images I say which you honour so much which you adore so much And that institution of Pius the second Pope of Rome shall be my warrant by which he will haue the Veronique to be showne in pompe at Rome vpon Easter day and the people to call out lowd with teares and weeping for mercy at her hands And who would not abhorre the consecration of the Image of the holy Virgin which is practised to these ends and in these termes That whosoeuer shall in this image worship the mother of mercy shall obtaine pardon for all his sinnes both of commission or omission shall merit present grace and saluation to come Blasphemies that were vnknowne to the antiquity that were inuented in the most obscure ages of the Church And how should the Fathers auouch the adoration of Images when they approue not the adoration of Christ in his humanitie as it is simplie considered in its selfe They make warre against the Arrians The Nestorians who did separate the two natures are called Anthropolatres Those holy inuectiues are to be seene in S. Athanase Gregory of Nysse and in the first synod of Ephesus Now we ought to remarke that the origine of these great abuses must be sought from a farther beginning And those your progenitors liued many ages ago yea in the time of the Apostles as it may be seene in that great magician Simon who made his followers worship his image and that of his whore Silene The Franciscanes adore the image of S. Frauncis of Asisa and the Dominicks that of Dominicus the Spanyard In like manner a woman named Marcelina of whom S. Austin maketh mention adored the images of Iesus and of S. Paul and
that part is because in so doing they thought they did the more honour to the Sunne whom they had placed in the number of the Gods and named the same Apollo And it is knowne to all men with what reuerence the Persians worshipped the Sunne rising from the Orient to whom they had wont to Sacrifice as hee was rising and mounting vp aboue our hemisphere Porphyre continued this Pompilian witchcraft and ordained that the Images should be turned toward the Occident to the end that such as entred into the Temples and bowed themselues downe before the Idols might addresse their prayers toward that part of the heauen so much reuerenced by him With this doe the rules of Vitruuius agree who declaring after what manner a Temple ought to be ordered within teacheth how that the Images placed within their little mansions ought to haue their faces turned toward the West and the Altars to be turned toward the East in a Diameter line to the intent that such as goe about to sacrifice may the more conueniently behold those Images and addresse their prayers vnto them Clement Alexandrin witnesseth that the most auncient Temples that were dedicated to Idolatrie were builded after this manner Your Church would needes bee wiser then God in this case for in building Temples after this manner she would giue vs to vnderstand that Iesus Christ est Oriens ex alto or the bud springing vp aloft which truely is an Hierogliphick subtilty And concerning canonicall houres wee are not ignorant that it is a comely thing to haue certaine appointed houres to assemble our selues to prayer but to tie our Religion thereto smelleth of Paganisme wherein the same custome was obserued CHAP. XXXVIII Of Frankincense THose that haue red Porphyre and such others shall call to minde how much they esteemed their perfumings and incensings to helpe themselues in witchcraft The difference betweene the Sacrifices of the poorer sort and those that were rich consisted in this that the poore in respect of their pouerty did offer Frankincense and for this cause the Grecians termed their Sacrifices Athysies or Acapnothysies By the contrary these rich ones spared no cost and the smell that went from the Frankincense was duely offered by them to the end that those pretended and supposed Deities might bee the more respected and for this cause they were named Thysies And it happened but seldomely that any Sacrifices were without burnt incense In like manner there are no Masses I except those for the dead where this Heathenish ceremonie is not obserued You doe attribute or at least the greater part of your Doctors vnto Leo the third this inlarging of the Masse with Frankincense about the yeere 800. But how will you make this inuention and supputation agree with the Liturgie which you attribute vnto S. Iames and was long before if we will beleeue you The Frankincense is offered to God in these words O God who hast receiued the gifts of Abel the Sacrifice of Noah of Abraham the perfuming of Aaron and of Zacharie receiue from our hands that are sinners this incensing as a sweete smelling sauor for the remission of our sinnes and of thy whole people The Liturgies that are attributed vnto S. Basile and S. Chrysostome differ not almost in any thing from that which proceedeth touching incensing Let vs say therefore that more then seauen hundreth yeeres before Iesus Christ the Idolatrous Romanes vsed Frankincense in their Sacrifices and that for perfuming of their altars their Idols and Images their oblations and offerings And those poore people beleeued that Ianus and Vesta were well pleased to be thus serued with sweete incense and wine They had likewise great Censers to carie the Frankincense from place to place and were richly wrought euen as yours are and a sweete boxe for keeping of their precious odors And the etymology of this Latine word thus which the Romanes had from the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signieth to Sacrifice declareth what the vse of Frankincense was to wit the like vnto that which at this day is in request in your Massing Sacrifice CHAP. XXXIX Of Vessels and Treasures IT is to be wished that modestie and frugality which are exiled out of your Churches might be reuoked and restored into Christendome We know how Exuperious a worthy Bishop of Tholose did communicate or distribute the misteries of the holy Supper And that mock touching Bishops of wood and Chalices of gold the very contrary of that which had wont to bee in times past ought it not to make you blush The auncient Poets mocked their Pontifes that were wrought ouer with gold and haue taught very well how commendable a thing modestie is chiefely in those that are the Ministers of holy things The Romanes contemned the too great curiositie in prouiding of rich moueables and hardly will any man beleeue what simple furniture they had in their houses before the Asiaticke superffuities had brought in those abuses that haue beene seene afterwards and as their priuate houses were furnished so also were their Temples and such simplicitie might haue beene remarked in them that one day it shall accuse before God the royall pomps and superfluous magnificences that shine in your Churches Thereafter it happened that as their wealth increased through the spoyles of the nations which they had conquered the Temples also became more sumptuous and costly And the auncient Romanes haue remarked that as the rents of their Temples swelled so faith and hope became lesser and lesser among them and those Gods of siluer and gold haue begotten men of wood and stones Is not this the ridle or prouerbe that is so common That Religion hath begotten riches and the daughter hath deuoured the mother You will alledge vnto vs the zeale of Dauid who was desirous to haue the house of the Lord beautifull and comely And belike you will not forget Salomons Temple the most sumptuous peece that euer hath beene in the world But know you not that all did proceede from Gods commandement and that such things were as rudiments and elements to that simple people that they might the more easily bee led to Christ Iesus And are you ignorant of that which the Apostle teacheth that we ought not to thinke that heauenly things are like vnto Gold or siluer or vnto stones cut artificially or after the inuention of man After that these superfluities were brought into the Churches incontinent godlinesse was banished and Charitie was strangled among men You prayse the simplicity of the primitiue Church neyther are you able to disproue it and in the meane while you will diminish nothing of the sumptuous charges of your vessels and ornaments seruing for the office which you terme Ecclesiasticall And shall it be said that a Gentil knew very well that siluer and gold were superfluous for the ornament of temples and you in the meane
And what neede haue little children thereof vnlesse it be that whereof the Satyricke Persius maketh mention CHAP. XLVII Of the Eucharist or Sacrament of the Altar YOu haue borrowed from the Gentils manie of those ceremonies which you vse in the celebration of the Eucharist As touching the mingling of wine water together no doubt it hath proceeded from the religion of the auncient idolaters which in celebrating their sacrifices vsed to consecrate wine and water together in a chalice chiefely vpon the feast that was dedicated to the sunne which the Persians worshipped and named Mythros And vpon the feast named Nephalia they vsed also water in the wine at the sacrifices When the primitiue Christians were framing their accusations against the idolaters of their age they reproched to them their offering of wine and namely the consecrating thereof in their sacrifices If these poore Gentils were liuing now they should haue enough to obiect against you that beleeue that the glory of God is augmented through the wine transubstantiated into his owne bloud as in like manner they beleeued it to be through the consecration of their wine And truly in that more tolerable then you are as not knowing what accidents without substance meaned although this monster was not borne a great many ages after Neither yet haue you any hands to receiue the holy signes of the Supper it is an offence to touch your God of the Masse vnlesse their fists be greased You would say that they were birds thrusting food into the beakes of their yong ones If you had to doe with little children or at least with sicke persons perhaps you might find out some excuse and Iuuenal would be on your side The Lord hath said Take eate Take drinke What doubt therefore haue you graued in the hearts of your people CHAP. XLVIII Of the Pix or holy Box. THe idolaters worshipped Iupiter surnamed Hercaeus because he was placed in the most secret part of the temple and for this cause he was also named Penetralis because he was hid and was not exposed to the eyes of the people Doe you not make your Parishioners beleeue that you call downe from heauen through the vertue of fiue sacramentall words the sonne of God to the intent you may inclose him within the accidents of bread and wine that are euanished When you consecrate this God doe you not couer him within the canopie or tabernacle and make him fast to the end that he may not runne away And is not this Boxe of the same fashion with that wherein the poore God Hercaeus was inclosed The fire consecrated to the Goddesse Vesta the Palladium the little round bucklers that were thought to haue tumbled downe from heauen were they not shut vp and remoued from the sight of the common people The Grecians had their Orgia so termed because vnhallowed persons had no accesse thereto and they solemnized them in honour of Ceres and her trauailes which shee performed in seeking for her daughter Proserpina It is through imitation of those that you shut vp in your cabinets that God whom you worship yea and with as much deuotion as you doe the Diuinities selfe The primitiue Church knew nothing of your canopie and I can shew throughout the whole antiquitie and from age to age that there was no reseruation of the sacrament made without any vse and that it was so far from being approued that in effect it was reiected It is a moderne inuention and hath proceeded partly from Honorius the third and was finished by Vrbane the fourth which are the authors thereof and haue also giuen order for lockes and keyes for the more safe custodie of the same CHAP. XLIX Of Confirmation WHat shall we say of your confirmation whereunto you haue assigned the second place among your seuen sacraments Who is able to exaggerate fully those blasphemies which you vtter against Baptisme that we are not prepared for spirituall combats that we are not made perfectly Christians that confirmation preceedeth Baptisme in dignitie this being indifferently ministred by any Priest and the former by Bishops onely that the forehead in the confirmation is a more worthie part then the cranium Alas who will not abhorre these Oracles pronounced from the Popes tripus Now to returne to your conformities those cleansing dayes whereon the Romanes purified their children the male kind on the ninth day and the female on the eighth after their birth are they not the print and footsteppes of your confirmation And in like manner as the Gentiles and auncient Romanes when they enfranchised their slaues gaue them a neck-band so likewise doe you in signe as you say of the spirituall libertie CHAP. L. Of Extreme Vnction IT is in the same schoole of the Pagans that you haue learned to apply vnction vnto those that are extreamly diseased and at the verie point of death and not in that of the Apostles For this ceremonie is not ordained by God is not graced with any of his promises and it is in vaine that you defend your selues with the holy Scripture it is the inuention of Felix the fourth Pope of that name And if the Apostles did anoint certaine diseased persons they had withall the gift of miracles And shew vs but one iot where any commandement is giuen to the pastors of the Church to continue this vnction on such persons as lie in the agonie of death Vnction which is not applied but when there is no hope of life And if miracles haue ceased is not the visible signe thereof superfluous and ridiculous The auncient Idolaters vsed a kinde of washing which they termed the last washing I say wherein they vsed water mingled with oile as one of their Lawyers witnesseth I confesse there is some difference to wit that which the Gentiles did to the dead you doe vnto such as are dying CHAP. LI. Of the Masse BEhold we are now come vnto the Masse in the etymologie wherof many haue sported and played some saying after one some after another manner so doubtful is that which they hold to be the Palladium of Christianitie The origine is taken from the auncient Latine Romanes as diuerse of our men haue learnedly remarked it is folly therefore to make it either Greeke or Hebrew I will agree willingly that this word may likewise be borrowed of the auncient Idolaters and of Mahomets Alcoran The Arabians through tradition of the Fryer Sergius haue the word Masse in great reuerence and haue honoured three townes situate vpon the coast of the Ocean vpon the point that maketh the beginning of the hill Atlas which they haue named Messa And they haue consecrated temples vnto this Messa hoping that out of his linage shall come that famous Pontife promised by the seducer Mahomet Their Temples are named Messit their Priests are saluted by this word Messen as the Masse-mongers are
water your crosses your reliques your puppets and such like trash being forged dreamed according to your good intentions And what is that to make a den of theeues of that which ought to be addicted vnto the true seruice of the Eternall So like as when robberies surprised the place of prayer vnder the Synagogue Christ Iesus thought it no scorne to returne into the wildernes and enter into priuate houses so likewise are we pleased to serue God in caues and Church-yards as the primitiue Christians did rather then to pollute our selues by frequēting those places so much prophaned CHAP. XI Of Reliques THe Pharisies garnished the sepulchers of the Prophets so doe you in decking the shrines and tombes of the Apostles of Martyrs and other Saints And when your Popes builded the Sancta sanctorum at Rome in the Church of Lateran did they not restore againe the holy place which God in old times had ordained in his Temple of Ierusalem called in the Hebrew language Kodech Kadaschim Truth it is that the God of hosts the Holy of Holy did there shew forth his Maiestie to the intent that he might instruct his people in the knowledge of his will and did appoint the propitiatorie to be kept therein which was a type of Christ and the tables of the Law which the Lord commanded Moses to close therein together with the rod of Moses and a glasse full of the Manna of the Desert in token of the fauour which he had shewen vnto them for Christ Iesus his sake who is the true propitiatorie In stead of all these you haue locked within your Sancta sanctorum of Rome a place whereinto women are not admitted the fore-skinne of our Sauiour with his slippers and his nauell Aarons rod a glasse of Manna with another arke of the couenant CHAP. XII Of holy Water LEt vs come to your holy water Is it not grounded vpon the imitation of that holy water which God ordained by Moses namely to iudge of the guiltinesse or innocencie of the woman that was accused of adultery But let vs hearken vnto that which your Durandus sayth This lustrall water according vnto the testimonie of Pope Cyprian hath power to sanctifie according to that which is written by the Prophet Then will I powre cleane water vpon you and you shall be cleane yea from all your filthinesse and from all your idoles will I cleanse you A new heart will I giue you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your bodie and I will giue you an heart of flesh And I will put my spirit within you And a little after the water of aspersion cleanseth And from thence he concludeth it appeareth therefore that the aspersion of this water is a washing vnto saluation and is fit to wipe away the ordinarie sinnes of men euen as the ashes of the Cow were in the old Testament Is not this well concluded And from whence should Pope Alexander the first of that name haue learned this whom they make the author of the consecration of this water but from that which was practised in old times by Gods commaundement among the people of Israel He had read that Moses had taken away the bitternesse of the waters of Mara and had made them sweete by causing wood to be throwne therein That God healed the Leprosie of Naaman the Syrian by the waters of Iordan at the prayer of Eliseus the Prophet That he had giuen to the poole of the sheepe at Ierusalem the propertie to make him recouer of any diseases whatsoeuer that first stepped thereinto after the Angel had troubled the water This sillie man thought that his enchanted water should haue the like force And although the lustrall water wherewith the Leuites were purified was a type of Christ Iesus his bloud yet notwithstanding as if this bloud were not sufficient for the purging of the faithfull he hath ordained this water with the application of the same vertue witnesse this ryme Aqua benedicta sit nobis salus vita And let vs see how this iollie Pope doth frame his argument if the ashes of the dead Cow sayth he being sprinkled among the people did sanctifie and cleanse them how much more the coniured water being mingled with salt and hallowed by godly prayers ought to haue this power to purge and sanctifie the people So in stead of the bloud of Christ Iesus they offer coniured water vnto the Church The Iesuite Richeome sayth that you haue the custome of holy water from the Apostolicke institution yet doth not cite any one place of Scripture His fellow Bellarmine is against him in that for he saith Nil deesse ad aquam benedictam nisi diuinam institutionem quominus sit sacramentum And in the table of the same Booke at the letter A. Aqua benedicta sayth he non a Deo instituta est sed ab Ecclesia ideo non est Sacramentum Seeing therefore that he doth freely acknowledge that this water hath not beene instituted by God it remaineth to goe and search out the first authors the rather seeing that the true Church of God hath kept her selfe well from authorising so great a blasphemie Now they are made manifest vnto vs by Epiphanius Bishop of Salamis to wit either the Samaritanes among whom the vse of lustrall water was verie frequent or the Hemerobaptists whom he rancketh in the fourth sect of the Iewes so termed because they washed themselues euery day with hallowed water wherewith notwithstanding you are content to sprinkle your selues onely abusing immediately thereafter the verse of the good penitentiall Psalme which Dauid made in detestation of his adulterie Purge me with hysope and I shal be cleane wash me and I shall be whiter then snow Wherein he meaneth of the ceremonies of the Law And what likenesse hath that with your aspersions CHAP. XIII Of the Creame and anointing MOreouer you teach all with one accord that the glorie and luster of your Chrismes and annointings wherwith the whole Hierarchie of your Priests is greased proceedeth from no other origine but from the shaddows and figures of the Iewish Law notwithstanding that Christ Iesus had alreadie abolished them through his comming I suspect you will alledge Denys called Areopagite who will haue the composition of the Chrisme to be peculiar vnto Bishops onely but we say that it was not many ages after which long after it was brought in was common to all Priests The vse of this Chrisme is frequent in your greatest mysteries and chiefly in the benediction of your Agnus Deis as this braue poesie testifieth Balsamus cera munda cum Chrismatis vnda Conficiunt agnum quod munus do tibi magnum Fronte velut natum per mystica sanctificatum Fulgura desursum depellit omne malignum Peccatum frangit vt Christi sanguis
circumcision with Baptisme Your holy water those vessels altogether bias those Priestly garments whose number is infinite those burning lampes and lights the Chrisme your annointing with oile and other infinite abuses that are to be found among you are as many additions of new vailes and sacraments which you haue inuented And whatsoeuer antiquitie you can alledge yet so it is that you cannot purge your selues of Iudaisme or deny that you haue relied on those ceremoniall Lawes which you ought to haue banished euery one as we may perceiue that this vaile is not halfe rent neither the third or fourth part thereof onely but from the top to the bottome CHAP. XXXV Of the Purification of Women IN the end haue you not borrowed also from the Iewes the purification of women that rise out of child-bed Truth it is that this ceremonie ordained by God did lead them vnto the consideration of the greatnesse of their sinne which defileth the conception and birth of the child euen as it defiled the first Parents This was ordained onely for disciplines cause and this vncleannesse was onely simply ciuill during which the woman was bound not to come vnto publike assemblies whereinto shee was admitted afterward hauing satisfied the Law which commaunded to offer a lambe or a paire of turtle doues or doues You by the contrary thinke that the woman is in the power of Sathan so long as shee is in child-bed and that shee hath need of tapers which you terme hallowed of coniurations and other prayers for her deliuerie These are your goodly pretenses but as for me I beleeue that these ceremonies haue beene inuented and practised for the opinion which you haue conceiued that marriage is an vncleane thing which in old times your predecessours the Manicheans the Adamians the Hieracites did in like manner who likewise named themselues Apostolicks It is enough my Masters and we should neuer haue done seeing that the abuse of the Iewish ceremonies hath growne so far that the whole outward seruice of God is changed into a Leuiticall Religion after such manner that it seemeth that the order of Aaron and his subalternes hath yet still the administration and rule ouer the house of God here beneath an order I say which was abolished by Christ Iesus our souereigne Sacrificer who hauing taken on him the charge of his Fathers house hath really shewed vnto vs the true meaning of all those shadows and figures of the Law and through offering vp himselfe on the Crosse once for all and neuer to be reiterated againe hath freed vs from that bondage and hath made open the passage vnto the euerlasting Sanctuarie Veni etiam Domine Iesu. THE HARMONIE AND AGREEMENT of the Romish CHVRCH with auncient Heresies The third Conformitie THE AVTHORS EPISTLE TO MASTER VIGNES COVNSELLER TO THE KING AND CORRECTOR IN the Chamber of accounts in MONTPELLIER SIR I would not shew my selfe among the writers that abound at this day hauing cōtented my selfe in priuate with the reading of the Orthodoxes and contemned such as for the most part doe nothing but vent their melancholies vnto the world I haue hit on this resolution because I am a louer of a retired life and of solitarinesse among my Bookes taking pleasure to talke with the dead wherein consisteth the chiefe iewell of my life This age swarmeth in good Spirits and as Africke is fertile in Monsters which it produceth daily so in like manner we may say that it is a wonder and miracle in nature to contemplate this exquisite knowledge in all sciences and tongues wherwith many are indued that it appeareth that we haue paragoned that old antiquity I say in science not in conscience Who then hath marred this my silence You Sir for as we were reasoning concerning heresie a subiect whereupon the seducers through their false Orations and writs haue long agoe beene baiting and hammering on the heads and hearts of their confederates labouring to perswade them that those of thereformed Religion are defiled therewith you thought it expedient that through contrarie demonstrations which should be both solide and true I should declare to the world that this imputation is wrongfully ascribed vnto vs. There is no parish Priest how raskally soeuer he be that hath not this word Heretike in his mouth What will those great Masters in mateologie doe then If little puppies doe keepe such a yelling what will be the effect of the barking of these great mastifs It is the custome of whores to preuent honest matrones and to lay to their charge that wherewith they are tached themselues Those Iesuites the buttresses of the Popish Religion the creame and very quin tessence of Fryers to speake no worse doc in like manner They are scabbie and would perswade vs to scratch our selues as they doe although our conscience be not defiled Those that are attainted and branded by Iustice desire nothing more then to haue many fellowes both in their iniquity and their punishment What shall we do here Shall we betray our brethren and our soules Shall we temporise as if we had some fellowship with this spirituall brothel-house This would proue cowardlinesse in vs. Wherefore following your aduise I haue thought fit to shew vpon the theatre of the world that so many heresies as we are accused of are as many calumnies and lies and that it is the Romish Church which is wonderfully disfigured polluted as we shall declare God willing The impatience of moderne Readers hath abridged my discourse which I could haue inlarged And who could euer be able to finish the task of the stable of Augeus I offer vnto you this my little Essay as vnto him of whom I receiue singular comfort in my peregrination and in this strange Countrey You shall take it if it please you in good part as proceeding from him who is Sir Your most humble seruant FRANCIS DE CROY THE PREFACE To those of the Romish CHVRCH MY Masters the chiefe weapon that the Diuell hath vsed against the Church is Heresie which the Apostle placeth among the workes of the flesh It is not to day that this contagion of particular chusing of opinions hath corrupted a great number of men The Churches both of Israell and primitiue haue tasted of this cruell poyson Those wits that made too great account of Philosophie and are borne among Sophismes puft vp with pride pale and deformed through ennie haue hatched this generation and brought forth this Hydra of all mischiefes No age hath beene free thereof The histories doe set before our eyes and our eares some lamentable examples and namely in these latter dayes which being most fertile in all vices are likewise fruitfull in producing those detestable heresies the effects whereof are to draw away men from the way of truth to make them become enemies thereof as did in old times Iamnes and Mambres the aduersaries of Moyses to corrupt them in their vnderstanding to ioyne them with Diuels and at length to debarre
offence that can be committed you thinke that life euerlasting is lost Truely the righteousnesse of the faithfull we answere doth not decay for euery transgression Wee confesse indeed that all sinnes are deadly euen the smallest which the Pelagians would not acknowledge We will not therefore place all manner of sinnes in one degree we are not Stoickes some are more hainous then others And that inequalitie set downe by Christ Iesus in the paines of the reprobate doth it not proceede of the inequalitie of the offences You thinke it strange that we call all sinnes saue that against the holy Ghost veniall that is to say pardonable Betake your selues therefore to the mercy of God who desireth not the death of a sinner What farther A certaine great person and a seruant of God in our age and one whom God endueth daily with more and more graces thought once that there had beene two hypostaticall or personall vnions in Christ the one of the soule with the bodie the other of the diuinitie with the humanitie Shall it not be lawfull for vs to recant and cancell that which through mistaking we haue thought and written amisse as S. Austin did very commendably He yeelded to the admonitions that were giuen him and declared his meaning in his learned treatise of the hypostaticall Vnion of the two natures in Christ Iesus Shall he therefore be accounted a Nestorian that established two persons in Christ And we shall be farre lesse of the Eutichian sect which admitted but one nature as well as one onely person in Christ although Swenckfeldius Smidelinus and others haue written so which we disaduouch We should neuer haue done and this Preface would exceede its bounds if it behoued vs by little and little to follow the footsteps of Alphonsus a Castro of one Prateolus of Bellarmine and others of that kind which haue filled vp therwith huge and great paltrie volumes and set vp trophees of their accusations on this subiect That which we haue sayd shall serue for a proofe that it may be knowne to the posteritie that with the like facilitie we are able to refute the other heresies which we haue not set downe here to the end that we might eschew prolixitie and whereof you accuse vs wherwith we haue refuted the former And this little discourse shall declare how vaine your proiects are by seeking to make vs worthie to be detested among men and that our innocencie shall be a decree of condemnation against you in so farre as you haue shewed your selues false accusers and rebels vnto the truth Those great vants of your huge and large Temples doe nothing but make an Eccho of this word heretickes your cheekes are altogether swelled therewith You can say no worse taking it in that sense wherein it is commonly spoken It seemes that the Eccho of those vast dennes of your Temples taketh pleasure to double and repeate seuen times ouer these iniurious words that they may the better be distilled into the braines of your flockes And who would not easily obtaine the victorie when the enemie doth not appeare Would God that we had libertie to answere you by and by in the same pulpits from which you threaten vs so much I beleeue that within a short time you would become Curats without Parishioners For we should haue iust cause to prescribe against you because of your reuolting for that you are blind leaders for that you agree not with the holy words of Christ Iesus yea and because you are heretickes You will iudge here that I am inciuill and iniurious yet can I not terme a house otherwise then a house and euery thing by the owne name I loue your persons I hate your heresies and errours and it is against them and not against you that I prepare this combate for the safetie both of you and of that poore people whom you haue bewitched This little table shall represent not in small for it were impossible but in great the harmonie and agreement which is betweene your Poperie and old heresies And it were as much as to enter into an Ocean if we would make a Register of the great heapes of your errours sith that the decree of the blessed Trinity being excepted there is nothing sound throughout the whole bodie of the Romish Religion Many with good successe haue laboured to discouer them though to your great griefe and haue manifested that which you would had beene hid for euer in the thickest of Cimmerian darkenesse I beare you no malice God is my witnesse my onely intent is that it may be knowne euidently to which of vs two this loathsome epithet hereticke belongeth Two things do support each other in errour the presuming of the truth before it be knowne and the defending of the presumed falshood after that the truth hath bin manifested vnto vs. We haue accused you yea and haue vanquished both of the one and the other of presumption and obstinacie Heresie proceedeth not from the Scripture but from that it is not rightly vnderstoode it is a crime not of the words but of the sense You erre in both twaine and although it be against your owne consciences yet so it is that you chuse rather to be damned then vanquished by the truth God of his infinite mercy open your eyes and make you see the beames of his graces in his Church where being gathered with vs we may worship together that Pastor and soueraigne Bishop of our soules our Lord Iesus Christ who in the vnitie of the Father and of the holy Ghost liueth and reighneth God eternally So be it THE THIRD CONFORMITIE CHAP. I. Of God YOu are not ignorant Sirs that there is but one maker of all creator of all Moyses speaking vnto the Israelites exhorteth them to giue eare vnto him and saith that the Lord their God is the onely God The principalitie of man hath a certaine analogie and correspondence with the diuine power All things are delighted in this vnitie and in truth S. Hierome bringeth forth some notable examples Yet notwithstanding the Manicheans haue made two infinite beginnings although it be impossible that any other infinite thing can bee together with God in Thought Will Might Goodnesse and Essence If there were two beginnings the one might destroy that which the other had wrought both twaine should possesse each other and by possessing should also borrow one from the other as being imperfect If there be two which of the two hath made this World Who hath gouerned it If the one ruleth what doth the other If the one hath made this world and the other ruleth it how hath this ruler entered into the house which is none of his Wee will conclude therefore that there is but one God but one beginning onely And although the heresie that maintaineth the contrarie is not embraced generally of you all yet Austin Steuchus famous among your Doctors hath written that the Empyreall heauen is
of Christ of no auale doe not beleeue that man after he hath fallen from the estate of innocencie is depriued of the power to fulfill the Law And what will they answere to S. Austin Who is he saith he that can performe the Law in all points but he through whom the commandements of God were made that is to say Christ. The Church indeede hath called them Hereticks that denied free will but that ought to be vnderstood of that will wherewith man was adorned by God in his first creation That which wee doe auouch and teach in our Churches touching this point is conforme to the Scripture and to that which the holy Fathers haue taught The vnregenerate are named darkenesse and in another place are called not onely weake and diseased but dead also And how will that stand which the councell of Trent hath determined touching this strength of man in the motions and actions of heauenly things with these maximes that follow The naturall man receiueth not the things of the Spirit of God The world by wisedome knew not God we are not sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as of our selues Where is this free will then which you blase abroad so much I shall be briefe and will content my selfe to send you back to those other places of Scripture which I haue set downe in the margent And the Prophets beare witnesse vnto vs not onely of the defect in well doing but likewise teach vs that vnto those naturall forces which wee had in our originall iustice haue succeeded in our soules desires and hearts of vicious habits toward euill and of such like corruptions in our nature which like vnto great floods and raging streames doe carie vs downe headlong after our filthy desire not being able of our selues to releuate vs againe to doe well It is a hard heart that we haue hee hath a heart of stone that is vnregenerate he hath a head of Iron a forehead of brasse a corrupted heart that cannot change its skinne no more then an Aethiopian How then can they bee able to accomplish the Law of God how can they through their righteousnesse obtaine and deserue life euerlasting Let the same bee said of the regenerate ones whose saluation dependeth of the pure mercy of God seeing that euerlasting life is a gift of God and cannot bee deserued by men Verily I doe confesse that there is some difference betweene you and the Pelagians which consisteth in so much as you ioyne grace with free-will which was taken away by them at least you come both so neere together that you hold that man after his fall may doe good through the benefit of his will Iodocus Tiletanus hath so taught and written But he and you together what answere will you returne to S. Austin that hath written whole treatises of the free and pure mercy of God through Iesus Christ Of iustification by Faith Of the infirmitie and finall corruption of mans will Of the filthinesse of our workes and the basenesse of our merits Truely hee is farre from that Pharisaicall pride which maketh you presume so much of your selues S. Chrysostome and S. Hierome did not hold any such opinion touching this matter that is taught in your schooles And concerning God commaundements to wit that wee are excluded from the power of accomplishing them wee alone beleeue not so for we haue on our side S. Ambrose Prosper Aquitannus S. Bernard and an infinite number of the Fathers If the Pelagians haue confessed that to this end the grace of iustification was giuen that we might the more easilie accomplish through grace that which wee were commanded by the Law The councell of Affricke hath sent forth a curse against them you that are fellowes with them as if without grace but with greater difficultie we were able to performe the Law seeing that Iesus Christ saith not Without mee you may worke with greater difficultie but very plainely without me you are able to doe nothing The second Councel of Aransike holden in the time of Leo the first and of the Emperour Theodosius the younger ouerthrew the doctrine of free-will and of iustification by workes and hath determined by the word of God that all whatsoeuer is in vs and in our power dependeth of the one onely and free mercy of God Where then will this nature of man be which is helped to doe well by the grace of creation and of the doctrine of the Law We doe not gainsay this grace but wee will not make the same equall with nature as a fellow helper as you and the Pelagians doe for we must receiue all from the liberalitie and free gift of the holy Ghost as it were by begging without any power or naturall facultie in vs to prepare our selues for grace And what will you answere to the Mileuitane Councell which condemneth those that say that the grace of God through Iesus Christ is giuen for this purpose onely that wee may receiue helpe and assistance or that the true meaning of the commandements may bee laid open vnto vs that we may know what we ought to follow and what we should auoide Truely this grace hath not this scope by the contrarie it was giuen to vs to worke vnto this effect that wee might desire and be able to doe well You doe attribute as much authoritie or little lesse to your Canons as to the holy Euangiles of Christ Iesus we beseech you to peruse them and you shall finde as it were in dust this free will with the appertenances thereof and the conclusions of the doctrine of merites and workes of supererogation by whole chests and coffers full To conclude then you hold constantly and will acknowledge a francke and free will to be not onely in the estate of innocencie but likewise in the corrupted estate of sinne through which man is able of himselfe and his owne motion to doe well and if he receiue any helpe that it is onely by the grace of congruitie which is the same thing with that which the Pelagians affirmed CHAP. VII Of the Commandements of the Law THe Anomians were so called as being without any Law They taught many things that were contrary to the Law and that the obedience which man oweth thereunto was not necessarie And are you not Anomians For what is your Poperie but a contreopposition to the holy ordinances of God but an abolishing of the Law A Law that conuerteth the soule a Law that threatneth the transgressor thereof with cursing a Law which we ought to graue in our hearts And what is the Pope but that aduersarie who exalteth himselfe aboue all that which is called God as God This is indeed that shepheard on earth who will not visite those that be cut off who shall eate the flesh of the fat and teare their clawes in pieces We are commanded
not grounded on the Scripture And how should they be so seeing that for the most part they were inuented more then a thousand yeares after the death of the Apostles such as monasticall rules and others of that sort are Truly you cannot deny either that they haue beene vnknowne or else haue beene kept backe for the knowledge of the posteritie to wit of you my Masters the Prelates that haue the keys to draw whole bags full of them out of your Councels either generall or prouinciall and out of the determinations of your Sorbonists or Iesuites Let vs see farther what is the chiefe foundation of your traditions the most beautifull plants and roses of the garden of the Romish Church Behold it is here That the Apostles knew not all things or if they haue knowne all things and none of them hath preached otherwise then the rest did that they haue not taught all things to all persons Is not this to accuse those great Stewards of the Church of ignorance of cowardlinesse and that they haue not dealt vprightly in their calling That they haue not beene faithfull obseruers of the Couenant or new Testament whereof the preaching was committed vnto them The Ambassador hath no power to dispense with his Masters will It is the dutie of a seruant to discharge things faithfully in their fulnesse and as he hath beene commaunded to doe In the making of our contracts or testaments we would not suffer the notarie and witnesses to keepe backe a part thereof and not to beare ful testimony of our will vnlesse they would incurre the danger of punishment and can that be tolerated in a matter of so great moment to wit in the Testament which the sonne of God hath ratified by his death The Apostles hauing declared faithfully the whole will of their maister and hauing discharged their businesse very well it were sacriledge and an intollerable blasphemie to accuse them either because they knew not or were not able or would not beare witnesse of the kingdome of God as they were enioyned to doe I could here insert that ample discourse which Tertullian maketh in answering to the arguments of the heretickes as also what infallible prescription he vseth against them but to be briefe I will send you backe to that which himselfe hath written and hath spoken to you as well as to the heretickes of his time Ireneus that was a disciple of the disciples of the Apostles writing in expresse termes of the true iustifying faith which the Church receiued from the Apostles and hath deliuered from hand to hand vnto their children is no other thing then the Gospell that we haue receiued from the Apostles themselues for as much as they first preached the same with their mouth and thereafter penned it to the end that it might be the foundation the pillar and proppe of our faith Then without the Gospell we cannot imagine any doctrine of saluation what name or title so euer it haue For Christ and the Apostles haue left vnto vs by writ all whatsoeuer is necessarie vnto true pietie and honest conuersation Why then doe you alledge vnto vs the insufficiencie of the written word Truely it must needs be that those famous men Hierome Cyprian and the Fathers that were assembled in the Councell of Laodicea had a beame in their eye when they could not perceiue that which you say is more cleare to you then the Sunne is in the noone-day to wit that the holy and canonicall Bookes were not sufficient to proue matters concerning faith and charitie and that we must haue recourse vnto traditions and the vnwritten word And for this cause when we goe about to conuict you by the proofes of the Scripture that we may declare what harmonie and agreement is betweene you and the Marcionists the Valentinians the Ebioneans the Apellians by imitating of them you couer your selues with this buchler to wit that the Scripture is obscure and that the truth cannot be fully collected from thence vnlesse we helpe our selues with the vnwritten traditions which the Apostles deliuered from their owne mouth without Scripture And what manner of things are they which they would haue vs to embrace vnder this pretence The forbidding of certaine meates on certaine dayes the forbidding of a certaine order of persons to marrie Lent chastitie and such like things that belong not to faith but to a simple custome which is diuers in diuers places according to the humour of such as beare rule in the Church These are the things of so great weight as you will haue them to be which Bellarmine sayth that the Apostles did not preach to the common people to whom they ministred simply that which was necessarie and profitable vnto them but concerning other things to wit those weighty matters before mentioned they taught them apart and in priuate vnto those that were of greatest vnderstanding that therafter they might deliuer them from hand to hand vnto those that should be found most capable of them Are not these goodly reasons Reasons that are so pertinent that it hath seemed expedient vnto you to make vp huge Tomes thereof that haue bin published wherunto notwithstanding our writers haue not failed to answer reasōs I say that are so vnreasonable that you cannot deny that by the meanes thereof you collude and agree with the auncient heretickes The chiefe argument of those of Ireneus and Tertullians time which was ordinarie in their mouths was grounded on that which our Sauiour saith to his Apostles That he had yet many things to say vnto them but that they could not beare them Of this did S. Austin complaine in his time and chiefly in two places of his workes In the first he vseth these termes All the madder sort of heretickes who will be called Christians doe labour to shadow the boldnesse of their inuentions which the vnderstanding of man doth euen abhorre by taking hold of these words of the Gospell where the Lord sayth I haue yet many things to say vnto you but you cannot beare them now In the second he writeth thus And sith our Lord hath made no mention of them which of vs will say they are such or such like things Or if he were so bold as to say so how could he be able to proue it For who will be so foolish or so rash when he hath sayd all that he listeth to whom pleaseth him best although it be true as to affirme without any diuine proofe that he hath spoken those things which our Lord would not reueile at that time And if S. Austin hath written after this manner against the heretickes of his time If Ireneus and Tertullian could not endure the Gnostiques and others to abuse the same why may not we doe after the same manner with you to the end that we may exclude all the fansies of men We will adde further to that which is said before how that
market and vpon all the wine that is in the celler immediately thereafter all the bread and wine is changed into the naturall body and blood of Christ Iesus I know none of the Hereticks that beleeued this transubstantiation of the bread touching the wine the Marcites as Epiphanius reporteth did assure themselues that the grace of God powred the blood of Christ into their cup and Marcus their schoole-master made them beleeue that hee changed the wine of the Eucharist into blood You would make the whole world beleeue that there is a transubstantiation of wine into blood made in the Chalice and that you may the more easily deceiue men and blinde the eyes of the simpler sort you bring with you sometimes certaine false miracles and illusions And from these goodlie traditions some wretched creatures haue taken occasion to inuent this mingling of blood that is drawne from young children that they may burne the same with the bread of the Lords holy Supper as the Cataphrygians who as wee reade in S. Austin did inuent a manner of transubstantiation of wine into blood realy corporaly It cannot be vnknowne to you that the decree of transubstantiation was established by two Councels holden at Rome the one vnder Nicolas the second against Berengarius and the other vnder Gregorie the seuenth being both prouinciall and not generall The most ancient of them being a thousand yeeres after the Apostles You would couer the newnesse of this doctrine with antiquity which neuerthelesse can bee but imaginary Wee yeelde to you antiquitie but such a one as is taken from the Marcites and Cataphrygians The vse of leauened or vnleauened bread in the Sacrament was holden a great while to bee indifferent in the Church Wherefore then hath Alexander the first of this name restored the Iewish ceremonie concerning vnleauened bread as if the Sacrament were to bee celebrated after the manner of the Iewes Is not this to follow the doctrine of the Ebionians who taught that the ceremoniall Law of Moyses was necessary vnto saluation Is not this I say to imitate the same that one Symmachus an Hereticke of Palestina had taught before The glosse of the decretall of Honorius the third vpon the word fermentato saith that it is not lawfull to vse leauened bread because it is written Not with old leauen but with the vnleauened bread of sincerity and truth And in your gloses which you haue approued and authorised after the rules whereof the Romish Church liueth and beleeueth we finde that pepper being added to the Sacrament marreth not the transubstantiation of the wheate but contrariwise that leauen marreth the same And in this how differ you from the Hereticke Sabacius who vsed vnleauened bread onely and no other Nicephorus speaking of the Heresies of the Armenians that were followers of the Theopaschites saith thus The same in the Eucharist vse vnleauened bread and not that which is leauened And in the chapter following The auncient Law giuers saith he doe wrongfully boast themselues that the famous Gregorie Bishop of Armenia did leaue vnto them those ceremonies by tradition chiefly the oblation of vnleauened bread and the cup without water because that in like manner in that mysticall supper of our Lords the sacrifice was without leauen and the wine pure which things notwithstanding the Catholick Church doth not alow in any waies Concerning vs we doe not impugne the mixtion of the Chalice but onely the condemning of such as doe not mingle it For we haue alwaies acknowledged that the most auncient Fathers vsed wine mingled with water in the Sacrament and we reade not that the Churches of Armenia were euer excommunicated for that to wit for vsing of pure wine Behold what he hath said here Furthermore like as the Messalians dipped the bread in the wine so also in the breaking of your Eucharist which is done after that the Agnus Dei is sung you mingle the third part thereof with the supposed blood of your Chalice The councell of Constance hath taken away the cup from the communion which you terme Laicall The Manicheans also vsed but one sort in the celebration of their Eucharist as Leo and Gelasius Bishops of Rome do witnesse and of this last Gratian maketh mention in his rapsodies The same Manicheans maintained that all things which appeared outwardly in Christ were but meere accidents May it not be that you haue learned from those that the forme figure colour and waight of the bread remaine still in the Sacrament without their owne substance There remaineth nothing fit to finish your picture but to mingle cheese with bread as the Artotirites did CHAP. XIV Of Purgatorie PVrgatorie springeth from the heresie of the Catharians against whom Epiphanius hath learnedly written And although Purgatorie be the chiefe patrimony of the Romish Clergie and the onely foundation of Masses yet it is vnknowne to the Church that was vnder the Law to the Church that is vnder Grace being without all warrant without any likely-hood how little so euer it be CHAP. XV. Of Miracles THe Donatists would haue proued their errors by Miracles which appeareth in Saint Austins writes Iustin Martyr and Athenagoras say that those be Hereticks that worke Miracles in their Churches and that to doe Miracles is no signe and demonstration of Gods true seruice S. Chrysostome saith There can be no other proofe of Christianity then the holy Scriptures the signes are now abolished and will rather bee found among false Christians CHAP. XVI Of Praying to Saints VVe doe honour and worship the Saints but it is in imitation This is S. Austins maxime honor andi sunt propter imitationem Wee doe not call vpon them nor pray to them that they may become intercessors and aduocates for vs at Gods hands we retaine and follow onely their good life and doctrine by holding and reputing them blessed in heauen We know that worship belongeth to God onely all manner of creatures being excluded We will not produce your arguments here neyther yet our defences wee should neuer haue done I will aske you this onely how can you with an vpright conscience deny the harmony that you haue with the Melchisedechians and Sethians who worshipped the Saints as you doe And where can you shew that this inuocation hath beene taught in the Primitiue Church or yet many ages after Verily in the Primitiue Church all gifts were thought to proceed from Iesus Christ alone no mention was made eyther of Saints or Angels contrariwise it was the doctrine of Hereticks of the Basilidians and of the Ophites who called on the Angels in their operations as if the earth had beene deuided among them and assigned vnto them certaine names and sought to appaise them by certaine composed formes namely this as Ireneus writeth O tu Angele ab a te or opere
tuo Who had in like manner their pretended Saints Iudas Cain Esau and such others vnto whom neuerthelesse Ireneus doth not oppose eyther Abel or S. Peter or Abraham and the like but onely our Lord Iesus Christ who alone is receiued in his Church We cannot finde therefore any footesteps of this inuocation in the venerable antiquitie or if you haue remarked any such our writers haue refuted them and haue rased the foundation thereof For the Fathers haue maintained that to call vpon God wee must no waies haue recourse vnto dead men neither yet admit any creatures how worthy soeuer they be to be mediators and intercessors but Christ Iesus alone Which is made manifest by S. Ambrose Iesus Christ saith he is our mouth by which we speake to the Father our eye by which we behold the Father our right hand by which we offer vp our selues to God without whose intercession there is no accesse to God either for vs or for any of the Saints S. Chrysostome Tell me woman why hast thou beene so bold as to addresse thy selfe to Christ Iesus thou that art a sinner and a lewd person I know well what I doe said she Behold the prudence of this woman She prayeth not to Iames She addresseth not her selfe to Peter She hath no regard of the whole company of the Apostles She hath sought for no Mediator but in stead of all these she hath made repentance her companion and thus hath taken her iourney to the soueraigne fountaine For saith she for that cause hath hee descended for that he hath taken flesh on him for that he hath become man to the end that I also might be bold to speake to him S. Austin saith The Christians in their praiers do recommend themselus each to another But hee that prayeth for all no body praying for him is the true and only Mediator And a little after If S. Paul were intercessor the other Apostles should be so likewise and by this meanes there should bee many intercessors Which could not agree with that which is said That there is one Mediator betweene God and man And vpon S. Iohn he addeth that it is not lawfull to worship any Saints neither yet to consecrate Altars and Chappels vnto them Cyrillus If wee would haue the Father to grant our requests we must pray in the name of the Sauiour What shall we say farther Clement Alexandrin Iustin Martyr Tertullian Ireneus and the most auncient speake nothing thereof And if you will not beleeue me at least you will beleeue Leo that was Bishop of Rome who plainely affirmeth that neither the death nor the merits of Saints are able to helpe vs a whit to obtaine remission of our sinnes but only the merits of Iesus Christ. And those passages of the auncient Fathers being so cleere and manifest are withall grounded vpon the testimonies of the Scripture Epiphanius reproueth the inuocation of Saints and Angels as a vilde heresie and an abuse of Satan and of the old Dragon and saith that in no waies wee must perfume their images with sweete incense The Mileuitane and Africane Councels haue taught the same and haue wholly ouerthrowne that which you hold concerning their merits and workes of superrogation Wee haue already spoken of those that called on the Angels whom S. Austin for this cause called Angeliques a title that belongeth vnto you as well as vnto them For who knoweth not after what manner you worship and serue them You ought to call to minde that which that holy Father writeth We honour the Angels by charitie and not by seruice and wee build no temples vnto them for they will receiue no such honour at our hands We will adde moreouer to the premisses another goodly sentence of this same Doctor q but that we may be briefe we will send the Reader to the place that is cited in the Margent S. Hierome saith that wee ought neither to worship Reliques nor Angels nor any creature Which was the same that S. Athanase had written before and S. Ireneus yet before him The Ethnophrones did celebrate birth dayes like as you doe the natiuity of your Saints and the dayes of their death and from these your greater and smaller feasts haue taken their beginning which wee acknowledge to be the markes of Antichrist only such as be condemned by S. Paul and by the Decree it selfe vnder the particularitie of Satterday thought by some persons to be a vacation day And the same Hereticks as Bodin reporteth had their enchantments as in old times you had the booke of exorcismes vpon the canonisation of Saints CHAP. XVII Of the Virgin Mary THese are your ordinarie reproaches that we contemne the Virgin Marie notwithstanding that we haue often protested that we will not diminishany thing that belongeth to the rights and prerogatiues of this holy Virgin Wee acknowledge her to be the mother of God the instrument of the reparation of mankinde a Virgin both before and after her deliuerie and we defend her with the holy Fathers against Heluidius and his associates It is not against her that we labour but against your Doctors which vtter most horrible blasphemies against this Virgin Gabriel Biel hath beene bold to write thus The heauenly Father hath giuen the halfe of his kingdome vnto the most blessed Virgin Mary Queene of the heauens which was figured in Esther vnto whom Assuerus promised the one halfe of his Kingdome And for as much as the heauenly Father holdeth iustice and mercy to be the riches of his kingdome he hath reserued iustice for himselfe and hath resigned ouer mercy to the Virgin Marie Can wee imagine any thing more abhominable then this In your Confiteor like as in the forme of your excommunication there is nothing performed without the consent and approbation of the Virgin and without her the Lord may not vse his mercy and iustice in the Church You haue composed a Psalter for her that cannot be red without horrour for all that Dauid hath spoken of God is changed and attributed vnto her and the names Lord and Eternall are changed into that of Ladie The songs of the Prophets of Simeon and those that are attributed to S. Athanase and to S. Ambrose haue felt the same Metamorphôsis It is your ordinarie prating to call her Queene of heauen Lady of the Angels Mistresse of the world the gate of heauen the starre of the sea the fountaine of mercy the fountaine of grace and pardon our life and saluation vnto all those that put their confidence in her And Bernardin de bustis Wee must appeale saith he from the Court of Gods iustice vnto the court of his mothers mercy And notwithstanding you ought to haue learned of S. Bernard that she taketh no pleasure in these false honors That her chiefe honour is to be saued through the
conuinced thereof we shall finde that they haue all with one accord banished and chased holy Matrimonie out of their conuents although the forbidding thereof bee a marke of Antichrist as the Prophet teacheth vs. Your Canons should haue taught you so farre that chastitie may be councelled and recommended only and not commaunded Remember I beseech you that worthy sentence of S. Bernard Take away Matrimony out of the Church and you shall fill it with whoredomes with incests and with Sodomitrie And that great Baldus writeth that the Pope did once giue licence to the Fryers to marrie for a certaine space vntill such time that they had gotten some off-spring conditionally that immediatly thereafter they should take on their hoods againe Truely in this restraint you oppose your selues to the holy Ghost to the commandements of the Gospell to the example of the Apostles to the whole antiquitie to the most approued Fathers and to the best Councels And it is pleasant that the Canon saith Before the Gospell was spredde abroade through the world many things were tolerated which after that a more perfect doctrine hath taken place are vtterly abolished as for example Howbe it Priests were not forbidden to marry neyther by the Law nor by the Gospell yea not by the doctrine of the Apostles neuerthelesse the holy mother the Church hath forbidden it altogether Concerning that to haue nothing in propertie from whence haue you the inuention thereof but from the Apostolicks and Apotacticks The onely way to become wealthy is to possesse nothing in propertie for nothing can be giuen away And it is meere mockery this counterfeit Monkish pouertie which hydeth inestimable and princely treasures And verily we may say that the Apostolicks were the inuentors of those societies which we see renued in our age and of those new fashions of liuing Those then are the Fathers of your Fratrie and the authors of this voluntary pouertie which consisteth onely in possessing nothing in propertie which is as much as to haue all things to possesse all things And the Anabaptists of our time doe verily conforme themselues vnto your Fryers who carry nothing about them and haue all things common among them The garments of the first Fryers as likewise those of the order of S. Benedict were eyther blacke or rather without any regard to the colour course and meane according to the custome of the countrey At this time their cloathing is the latus clauus of the Romanes which is the broad band that is to bee found among the garments of the most auncient orders The Eustathians taught their disciples to apparell themselues in certaine garments of cloath and that such garments were able to cleanse and sanctifie them The Capuchins and such others being worser then the Eustathians make the people beleeue that to take on their habit is a second Baptisme and to die therein is to goe straight to Paradise to be buried therein is to goe free of that burning fire of Purgatorie Bernardine teacheth in his Rosarie That he that taketh on the habit of Religion receiueth the same Grace from aboue that hee that is Baptised That to put on a Fryers habit and to lurke vnder his hoode giueth free remission both of the fault and punishment of all their sinnes That he that dieth in the habit of S. Francis cannot be damned And what blasphemies are these to attribute vnto a garment inuented by some fanaticke and melancholick persons that which belongeth to the only blood of Iesus Christ And Thomas himselfe who is yet more strange by reason of his exquisite doctrine We reade saith he in the liues of the Fathers that a certaine person saw the like grace descend from heauen vpon him that was cloathed in the habit of Religion that he had seene descend vpon him that had receiued Baptisme which is to make the filthie hood of a durty Fryer equall with Gods ordinances Moreouer those goodly Abbeyes Monasteries and sumptuous Conuents are they not the inuentions of the Euphemites or Messalians Epiphanius writeth of them that they builded for themselus great lodgings large walkes and termed all those places of prayer The Iesuites in this sort of Oeconomie goe beyond all their companions of the Fratrie in so much as they build nothing and doe alwais take hold of such palaces as they finde already perfected and finished The same Messalians and Euchites haue taught your Fryers the holy misteries that are in shauing of the beard and in the barbers operation that you may play gaudeamus in coenaculo charitatis that you may dally and put off time in idlenesse in singing and buzing by measure and compas For my part I hold this shauing of the beard to be a most pleasant and delectable thing sith Suetonius saith that the Emperour Otho vsed the same often that so he might increase the beauty of his visage And how will your Friers agree together touching long and short beards The diuers readings that are found in the copies of the councell of Carthage haue nourished their contentions In some they reade comam nec nutriant nec barbam in others nec barbā tondeant I referre my selfe to the decision of some councell The Messalians were called of the Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by reason of this fained and as it were continuall labour in singing praying prating and babling both day and night prayers psalmes and other meditations whereof they haue composed their offices accompanying them with lights tapers and burning candles yea euen in the noone-day And this exercise being continued both day and night made the common people astonished In like manner they vsed spittle in their Sacraments as a thing that had a certaine force and vertue to chase away the Diuell The same Euchites and Psallians as S. Austin writeth thought it not lawfull to labour with their hands that they might earne their liuing And against these pests Amphilochius Flauianus most worthy Bishops haue written most sharpely mostgrauely of whom Theodoret makes honorable mention and if they were aliue now they would wash your Fryers heads soundlie with no smaller reason then they opposed themselues to the Messalians For this they hold with them that to play the Fryer well there must be no working that handy workes are vnworthy of the white and delicate hands of Monachisme and that sloath is the nourishing mother of the Gospell And what answere will they returne to the author of the History tripartite who saith that a Fryer that worketh not with his hands ought to be accounted as a theefe And to the Apostle that he shall not eate The Primitiue Fryers placed no part of their saluation in their abstinences Yea as S. Austin saith they admonished after a brotherlie manner those that through too much