first vsed to be done in such simple sort as is yet accustomed on Good-Friday and Easter euen with certaine Lessons before it But then Pope Celestinus put to the office of the Masse Thelesphorus Gloria in excelsis But Hilarius of Pictauia made Et in terra Samachus ordayned it to be sung The Salutations which by the tearme of Dominus vobiscum be made seauen times in the Masse were taken out of the Booke of Ruth by Clement and Anaclet and put in in their places Galasius made vp all the rest to the Offertory in the same order they be vsed except the Sequences and the Creede whereof Nicholas put to the first and Damassus the next according to the Synode of Constantinople Another added the Confiteor Gregory linked on the Offertory Leo the Preface Gelasius the great Cannon and the lesse The Sanctus blessed Sixtus and Gregory the Pater noster Sergius tacked on Agnus and Gregory the poste communion The closing vp of all with Ite missa est Benedicamus Deo gratias was Leoes inuention Now forasmuch as themselues witnesse that their Masse was but the inuention of man and not fully framed and finished of more then sixe hundred yeares after the decease of all the Apostles How vntrue must it needes be that Saint Peter and Saint Iames said this Masse or that the antiquitie thereof came from Christ and his Apostles Now that wee may see also whereunto it tendeth and know the better how to answer vnto it let vs obserue their owne definition thus they define it A propitiatory Sacrifice a Sacrifice to satisfie Gods iustice for sinne and to reconcile him and his people together by the daily or often offering the body of Christ for the sinnes of the quicke and dead 4 Now touching this definition wee are aduisedly to consider how it can possibly stand with the truth for if it be of necessity vnto saluation to haue the body of Christ daily or oftentimes offered for sinne then is it certaine that Christ by the Sacrifice of his death vpon the Crosse did not take it away and then are all these Scriptures confounded which denie it needfull to haue any more oblations for sinne or the body of Christ any more offered for the same namely where the Authour to the Hebrewes saith Chapter 10.14 Heb. 10.14 Heb. 10.1 Heb. 9.26 For with one oblation hath he consecrated for euer them that be sanctified and where hee also saith Chapter 10.10 We are sanctified euen by the offering of the body of Iesus Christ once made and againe where he further saith Chapter 9.26 Now in the end of the World hath hee appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 10.18 and also where he concludeth of this point thus Chapter 10.18 Where remission of these things is there is no more offering for sinne Wherefore if it be true that of necessity Christ must continually be offered for sinne then are these testimonies most vntrue but in that they are yea and Amen they most truly declare the definition of their Masse to be false and that the necessity of daily sacrificing for sinne is not grounded vpon the truth Also seeing that vnder the Gospell there must not onely be but one onely oblation for sinne but also but once offered and that by Christ himselfe the Papists are condemned for notorious heretikes that will haue so many thousand oblations and so many times offered by others For doe they not thereby make that one Sacrifice of Christ vpon the Crosse as insufficient for the taking away of sinne as the daily sacrificing the bodies of beasts and shedding the bloud of Calues in Moses Law which were daily offered because they serued onely for sinnes past and not for sinnes to come and therefore as the holy Ghost saith Hebrewes 10. made nothing perfect Wherefore who seeth not but that the bringing into the Church the necessity of daily sacrificing for sinne bringeth in with it the vtter ouerthrow of the efficacie of Christs death and bloud-shedding But forasmuch as the holy Ghost speaking of the daily offering of Christ for sinne saith Hebrewes 7.27 Which needed not daily as those high Priests to offer vp sacrifice first for his owne sinnes and then for the peoples for that did he once when he offered vp himselfe their daily sacrificing for sinne is not onely superfluous and vaine but also most hereticall and blasphemous 5 But what shall we say now haue they nothing to answere yea verily for thus in effect they say r Thomas of Aquine De venerable Sacra Alter cap. We acknowledge and confesse that Christ by the sacrifice of his death freed vs from the guilt of originall sinne that is from that one sinne of Adam but for the malediction of all our actuall transgressions that to be taken away by the blessed sacrifice of the Masse which being true then are wee more beholden to their sacrifice then to Christs sacrifice For if Christ by his sacrifice tooke away onely the guilt of that one sinne and left vs guilty of many thousand sinnes what hath he done for vs but the sacrifice of the Masse 1. Epistle of Iohn 1. chap. 7 verse which taketh away the whole multitude of our sinnes that is it which wee are beholden to indeede But how true it is that Christ by the sacrifice of his death and bloud-shedding cleansed vs but from that one sinne onely these words of Saint Iohn will make it plaine where hee saith 1 Epistle 1 Chapter 7 verse The bloud of Christ cleanseth vs from all sinne and also these words of Saint Paul Titus 2 Chapter 14 verse Titus 2 chap. 14 verse He redeemed vs from all iniquity and likewise these words where hee speaking of our condemnation by originall sinne and the restoring vs againe by Christ saith Romans 5 Chapter 16 verse om 5.16 ver Neither is the gift so as that which entred in by one that sinned for the fault came of one offence to condemnation but the gift is of many offences to iustification 5 Againe if it be true that the suffering and death of Christ serued but for the healing the wound of originall sinne and not also for our actuall transgressions then is not this true which the Prophet Esay saith Chapter 43.5 He was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes we are healed Therefore it is very cleare that if the Papists doctrine be true the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles are meerely false But if we shall beleeue them that Christ by his sacrifice vpon the Crosse did satisfie the wrath and iustice of God for one part and they by their sacrifice vpon the Altar for another part and so Christ with them and they with Christ as fellow-helpers and copartners together doe fully satisfie Gods iustice for all sinne how shall we beleeue the Prophet in another place where in
was to the number of an hundred and fortie which chose rather to suffer all torments than to receiue the Romish religion and so to deny the truth of the most glorious Gospell And a good while before this time there was foure and twentie put to death at Paris there were foure hundred noted to be heretikes foure score beheaded Prince Armericus was hanged and the Lady of the Castle was stoned to death In the daies of King Edward the third about the yeare 1371. beganne Iohn Wickliffe of Oxenford Wickliffe openly to deale against the Pope and Popish doctrine The times were then very grieuous the Popish kingdome of Antichrist being risen vp vnto a very great strength and crueltie King Edward himselfe being very well learned a valiant Prince greatly withstood Popery hee much fauoured and defended Wickliffe and so did diuers Noble-men insomuch that M. Wickliffe and others preached against the Church of Rome the Pope and his Prelates doing what they could were not able to hurt him After the death of King Edward he was greatly supported by the Londoners and so escaped the hands of his aduersaries still proclaiming the holy and heauenly doctrine of the Gospel against the Romish Antichrist It pleased God by his preaching and by his bookes to giue light to many in the Land sundry were put to death The Lord Cobham of whom the Lord Cobham was one and diuers fled out of the Land because they would not deny the truth which they had learned of him That Popish Councell of Constance fortie one yeares after his death condemned his doctrine and caused his bones to be digged vp and burned And as Wickliffes doctrine tooke place heere in England and spread farre so were some of his Workes carried into Bohemia where they did more preuaile Iohn Husse for about the yeare 1410. rose Iohn Husse who taught in Bohemia with diuers others the holy Gospell of Iesus Christ which a multitude zealously imbraced and thereupon renounced the Church of Rome He was cited to appeare before the Pope which he auoyded and about the yeare 1414. hee was charged againe to appeare then he was excommunicated and much molestation followed but he continued a faithfull witnesse of Christ and openly impugned the Romish Church and Synagogue vntill the Councell of Constanoe where he was condemned as an heretike Hierome of ' Prage and burned In the same Councell Hierome of Prage a worthy seruant of Christ for resisting the Romish Harlot was condemned and burned These men were put to death but Antichrist and all his power could not roote out the Gospel in Bohemia God raised them vp a valiant Captaine Iohn Zisca Iohn Zisca and they put to flight great armies of the Papists that came against them About this time there followed great persecutions in England and many were put to death whom they called Lolards Veselus Gronigensis God also raised vp one Veselus Gronigensis he was so worthy a man that hee was called Lux mundi the light of the world He disputed mightily boldly against Popery and proued their doctrine false and wicked and that the Popes Keyes doe not open but shut heauen Gates This man ended his daies in the yeere of Christ 1499. Sauonarola In the yeare 1500. Hieronomus Sauonarola a Monke in Italie with two other Friers Dominicke and Siluester Dominicke and Siluester were condemned to â—eath at Florence they taught and maintained against the Popish doctrine the things which we doe now 4 And thus hauing slaine and put to death all within the Romish iurisdiction that did any way gaine say them The two witnesses are both slaine they haue now gotten all in quiet possession leauing none that would not be conformable to Antichrists lore And this is it which Saint Augustine did find by the Scriptures the great Antichrist should bring to passe as may plainely appeare by these his words For that wee beleeue that Antichrist shall come vnto such an height of vaine-glory it shall be lawfull for him to doe such things both towards all men and also towards the Saints of God that many weake men shall thinke God hath forsaken the care of the world And also wee see that prophesie heere fully verified in the 13. chapter of the Reuelation which saith thus of the Romish spirituall gouernour He caused that as many as would not worship the Image of the beast should be killed That is all that would not be conformable to al the old Heathenish ordinances set vp againe by the Pope and preach and professe the same should be killed So that herein also is fulfilled that prophesie in the eleauenth chapter of the same booke concerning the killing the two witnesses whom the tenth verse of the same chapter declareth The 9. and 10. verses sheweth that by the 2. Witnesses are meant all the Preachers that should vex Antichrists vvholâ— kingdom which in the sixt verse of the 14. chap. are included in the person of one Angell with all other throghout Christendome should vexe Antichrists whole kingdome for which cause hee should slay them But whereas Bellarmine would haue them to be onely two persons and that they should containe themselues within that one nation of the Iewes the Text is plaine to the contrarie in that it saith And they of the people and kinreds and tongues and Gentiles shall see their corpes three dayes and an halfe and shall not suffer their carkeises to be put in graues and they that dwell on the earth shall reioyce ouer them and be glad and send gifts one to another for these two Prophets vexed them that dwelt on the earth Now in that the text declareth that the two witnesses were slaine among the Gentiles in diuers nations of the earth and that those nations euery where saw their dead corpes lie among them which they counted not worthie to be buried in Christian mens moulde as they call it it is cleare they were not two persons but all those Preachers which euery where bare witnesse to the truth of the two Testaments whereby they vexed Anticâ—rist and the Antichristians wheresoeuer they did inhabite vpon the face of the whole earth 5 But now in that it is said They lay dead three dayes and an halfe and in the words following After three dayes and an halfe the spirite of life comming from God shall enter into them and they shall stand vpon their feete This is to be vnderstood of the time from the killing the last of the witnesses to the rising againe of the first of them and not of the 1260. dayes the whole time of Antichrists reigne mentioned in the third verse of the 11. chapter of the Reuelation as some doe vnderstand it for it is very absurd to say that the witnesses should lie dead during the whole time of their prophecying and yet prophecie too Now for that we finde that the next that rose after their death to oppose themselues against
not write soundly For albeit the Law of Nature by the wonders of heauen and earth did teach them that he that was the Authour of them was mightie and to be loued and feared aboue all yet were they ignorant how to loue and feare him aright Also notwithstanding they had learned by the Law of Nature that for those that did loue and feare him he had prepared a place of eternall ioy and for those that did nor a place of perpetual paine and that the pures could neuer ascend into his glorious presence vntill they were made purer by some kinde of purifying yet for want of true knowledge they conceiued of these things but imperfectly and did but meerely coniecture For howsoeuer it be true that God hath prepared a place of ioy for those that loue and feare him and also a place of punishment for those that doe not and that the best and purest can neuer come into his presence vntill they be made purer by a more perfect purging yet they beeing ignorant of the bloud of Christ by which we should be purified dreamed of a third place in which we should be purged 2 Now the chiefe of these Authours as Tertullian writeth a Tertullian in his Booke De praescriptionibus aduersus haereses and in his booke De anima were Pythagoras Empedocles and Plato Hence it was as Irenaeus testifieth b Jrenaeus lib. 1. cap. 24. that Carpocrates hauing learned out of Plato his Philosophie that mens soules after death must be purified inuented a kinde of Purgatory and out of the opinion of Pythagoras sought to proue it by these words of Christ Matth. 5. Thou shalt not come forth till thou haue paid the vtmost farthing By which we see who were the first founders of Purgatory and also the first place of Scripture that was brought to confirme the Doctrine and to proue a third place for the purifying of soules from sinne Now let vs try out the true sense of that Scripture to see if by it such a place can be proued 3 Our Sauiour said Thou shalt not come forth till c. Matth. 5.26 Vpon which word till because the Papists also inferre that Christ meant that in time he should pay the vtmost farthing and then come forth wee will by another like place shew the word till doth not alwaies import a time following wherein the contrary may be affirmed As when the Lord said to Iaakoh Gen. 28.15 Gen. 28. I will not forsake thee till I haue performed that I haue promised thee Now if this word till doth alwaies intimate a time after wherein a contrary may be concluded then after the Lord had performed his promise to Iaacob he forsooke him But as the Scriptures declare God did neuer forsake him so Christs word till doth not import a time when the debter should pay the vtmost farthing and then come forth but that because he could neuer be able to pay it hee should neuer come forth For if Christ had meant that men could pay the vtmost farthing due for sinne and so release their soules this had beene against himselfe for then what need had any of his paying any one farthing for them Therefore it is cleare that by paying the vtmost farthing Christ meant the euerlasting punishment that should neuer be paid And this is it which Saint Hierome vpon the same Scripture saith c Hierome in his first booke chap. 1. vpon the Lamentation of Ieremy Christs meaning is that hee shall neuer come out for that hee must euermore pay the vtmost farthing whilest he suffereth euerlasting punishment And thus Christian Reader thou seest that by the true sense of those words of Christ they cannot proue a third place Howbeit euen after this manner doe they also wrest diuers other places of Scripture to proue if it were possible a third place euen to the confounding of the whole harmony of the Scriptures which by the expresse names of heauen and hell do assigne but two places and by not any where naming Purgatory deny any such purging place to be 4 In the sixteenth Chapter of Saint Lukes Gospel Luke 16.22.23 our Sauiour Christ speaking of the rich Glutton and of the poore Beggar saith And it was so that the Beggar died and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome The rich man also died and beeing in Hell in torments hee lift vp his eyes and saw Abraham a farre off and Lazarus in his bosome By which words wee see there is but onely two places into which the soules doe passe presently after death namely either into hell or into Abrahams Bosome which is a resting place in heauen for the soules of the faithfull and not a place of pleasure in hell as the Papists dreame Matth. 8.11 For as Christ himselfe saith Matth. 8. Many shall come from the East and West and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of heauen Now if Abraham be in heauen Abrahams Bosome must needes bee in heauen Abrahams bosome Therefore there is but onely two places heauen and hell And this is manifestly proued also by these words of Salomon the Wise which saith Eccle. 11. Eccle. 11.3 If the tree fall towards the South or toward the North in the place that the tree falleth there shall it be To wit abide for euer Now as by trees the learned doe agree is meant people so doe they conclude that by South and North is meant heauen and hell therefore there is but two places Wherefore howsoeuer the iudgement of some of the ancient Fathers was confounded in this Heathenish Doctrine of Purgatory and that Saint Augustine himselfe had doubted of a third place yet by these his owne words he sheweth to all men it was but his errour for saith hee d Augustine in his Sermon of time the 232. Sermon Let no man deceiue himselfe there are but two places as for any third there is none at all he that raigneth not with Christ shall perish with the Deuill without any doubt Againe hee saith e In his 18. Sermon of the words of the Apostle There be two habitations or dwelling-places the one in the fire euerlasting the other in the Kingdome of heauen that neuer shall haue end Againe he saith f In his 5. book Hipognostichon The first place the Catholique faith by Gods authoritie beleeueth to be the Kingdome of heauen The second place the same Catholique faith beleeueth to bee hell where all runnagates and whosoeuer is without the faith of Christ shall taste euerlasting punishment as for any third place wee vtterly know none neither shall we finde in the holy Scriptures that there is any such So then by this we see the case is very cleare there is no third place and consequently no Purgatory 5 Secondly to proue yet a third place Reuelation 6.9 they obiect those words of Saint Iohn in his sixt Chapter of the Reuelation where he saith
the sinnes of others Thirdly to stay their soules from death Fourthly to purchase Heauen And lastly to lift vp and place their soules in Heauen They will haue all by their owne deseruings or they will haue none all by merits or else no bargaine therefore let vs see what wee can say further vnto them touching this point 25 Our Sauiour Christ Matthew 5. saith Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of Heauen Now this word Poore is a metaphor taken from a man that is so very poore as that hee hath not wherewith to sustaine his owne life but is faine to seeke to others for succour And such are they which finde themselues so greatly destitute of soules sustenance as that they are glad to seeke to others for reliefe euen to God for his mercy and to Christ for his merites 26 Such a blessed poore man was Saint Basil as may appeare by these his words h Basil vpon the 32. Psalm He that trusteth not in his owne good deeds nor hopeth to be iustified by his workes hath the onely hope of his saluation in the mercies of God Also such a blessed poore man was Saint Augustine as appeareth by these his words i Aug. vpon the 142. Psal Lord for thy name sake shalt thou quicken mee in thy righteousnesse Not in mine not because I haue deserued it but because thou hast mercy on me Also such a blessed poore man was Saint Hierome as appeareth by these his words k Hier. 64. of Esay If we behold our owne merits wee shall be driuen to desperation Yea and notwithstanding Saint Bernard acknowledgeth himselfe also to be one of these poore Publicans in that he saith of himselfe l Ber. vpon the Psal qui habitat My merites is the mercy of God yet they will rather be condemned with the proud Pharises then be iuslified with the poore Publicans To be briefe whereas their Master Harding saith m D. Harding in his booke A direction of sundry soule errours lies c. in fol. 357. Wee are iustified freely without workes that may deserue the grace that God giueth Here he hath condemned their doctrine of iustification by workes to be most false and erroneous but in that that hee includeth that workes may deserue the grace that God giueth he hath proued himselfe a notable heretique For as Saint Augustine saith n Aug. in his 46. Epistle Vnderstand that the forenamed Epistle to Sixtus an Elder of the Church of Rome is written against the Pelagians the new heretiques which affirme the grace of God to be giuen according to merits that he that glorieth should not glorie in the Lord but in himselfe that is in man and not in the Lord. And therefore in another place hee saith o In the same Epistle Let no man say that for the merits of his workes or for the merits of his prayers or for the merit of his faith the grace of God is giuen vnto him And so that which those heretiques say be counted true namely that according to our merits the grace of God is giuen then the which nothing can be more false But as he saith in another place p In his booke of predestination of Saints chap. 9. They that glorie should not glorie in their owne merits which they perceiue to be like vnto the merits of them that shall be damned but should glorie in the Lord. Whereupon saith Saint Ambrose q Ambrose in his 1. booke and 5. chapter of the calling of the Gentiles Like as there is none so detestable outragious as can restraine the free gift of grace so can there be no worke so excellent that this which is freely giuen should be due vnto them by action of debt for then the redemption of Christ should in deed be no thing worth neither should the worthinesse of mans workes be inferiour to the mercie of God Whereupon their Writer Waldensis saith r Walden in his booke against Wilelesse I take him therefore to be the sounder Diuine the faithfuller Catholique and more agreeable to the holy Scriptures that vtterly denieth all such kinde of merits And thus much for the conclusion of the twelue Chapters referring the whole matter to be iudged by all that shall reade them Whether they can possibly be true Catholique Christians which in stead of one God will haue hundreds as appeareth in our first Chapter and in stead of one Sauiour to haue many thousands as appeareth in the same Chapter That will haue the Pope to be the very Vicar of Christ whom in our second Chapter wee proued to be that great Antichrist shewed by Saint Paul 2 Thessa 2. to be the Arch-enemie of Christ and all true Christians That will haue Rome to be the Mother of all Christian Churches which in our third Chapter we proued to be that Babylon which the Angel in the seauenteenth Chapter of the Reuelation calleth The mother of Whordomes and abhominations of the earth That will haue his Church as it is now Christian to be the true Church of Christ Which in our fourth Chapter we proued to be the same idolatrous Church professing Christ mentioned by the Angell in the 13. Chapter and 17. Chapter of the Reuelation That will haue their Church to be the most auncient Apostolique and Catholique Church which in our fifth Chapter we proued had no being at all for the space of sixe hundred and sixe yeares next after Christ That will haue the succession of Vniuersall Popes to descend from Saint Peter which we proued in our sixth Chapter to descend but from Boniface the third Bishop of Rome of that name made Vniuersal Pope by that Murtherer Phocas â—he Emperour in the yeare of Christ 607. In which yeare the first Vniuersall Pope being made the Popish Church must needes first begin For as before Christ was there could be no Christian Church so before there was an Vniuersall Pope there could be no Popish Church Therefore their Church hauing her first beginning but sixe hundred and seauen yeares after Christ the antiquity thereof is ouerthrowne our Church proued to be more ancient by sixe hundred and sixe yeares That will haue the Popes supreame title and dignitie approued of by generall consent of Councells and Fathers which in our seauenth Chapter we proued to be gain said and withstood by Councells and Fathers till the yeare of Christ 607. That will haue Peter to be made supreame Head of all the Apostles by Christ himselfe the contrary whereof wee proued in our eighth Chapter by Christs expresse Commaundement and therefore the Pope cannot claime his Supremacie from Peter That will haue the true Church knowne by retaining seauen Sacraments which in our ninth Chapter we proued that to Saint Chrisostomes time which was about foure hundred yeares after Christs Incarnation it was knowne by retaining onely two Sacraments and afterwards no Christian Church knowne by the iust number of seauen till Antichrist was borne in Rome That will haue the idolatrous Masse to be the ordinance of Christ which in the same Chapter we proued cannot be because it tendeth to the vtter ouerthrow of the power of Christs death and passion as also because it was not begun to be framed till about one hundred and nineteene yeares after Christ and not finished of more then sixe hundred yeares after And confessed by their Iohannes Boemos to be inuented by certaine Bishoppes of Rome whose names wee haue produced in the same Chapter as himselfe nominated them That will haue those words in the sixt chapter of Saint Iohns Cospel touching the eating his flesh and drinking his bloud to bee meant of a corporall kinde of eating which heresie wee proued in our tenth Chapter Christ reproued the carnall Capernaites for As also will haue those words in the sixe and twentieth Chapter of Saint Matthews Gospel Take eate this is my Body to be literally vnderstood that they might worship the bread for Christ and make an Idoll of it That will haue Saints prayed vnto and worshipped which as we proued in our eleuenth Chapter is to robbe God of two speciall parts of his glory Lastly that will haue men to make a better satisfaction for sinne then Christ hath made for them be better purged from their sinne in the fire of Purgatory then Christ hath by his bloud or be holden from life and libertie for euer which as we proued in our twelfth Chapter tendeth to the vtter ouerthrow of all that Christ hath done for the saluation of man kinde To conclude we see in this Chapter of Conclusion they will haue men to seeke iustification by the workes of the Law that so they might be brought vnder the curse and condemnation of it for not fulfilling all that the Law requireth They will haue men to purchase heauen by their owne deseruing thereby to proue his death to be needlesse and faith in him of none effect And notwithstanding that case to stand cleare that these be paâ—â— of those Antichristian lies wherewith Saint Paul 2 Thess 2. shewed the great Antichrist should deceiue those that loued not the truth But had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse They bash not to say The Pope cannot be holden with any Religion of a lie FINIS