him a right Citizen of Sodom And now call him a Monk if you will hee shall bee but a Monk of the Order of Sodome his function farre from sacred farre from the Spirit but even a hellish trade of fleshly abominations And so I think we have drawn up these conclusions First That it should not bee true Christian charity which by excessivenesse gives that provision which makes such a childe of hell Secondly It may bee no charity because it may bee an erroneous opinion of merit and satisfaction And it is too well knowne that the supposed expiation of crying sins hath laid the foundation of too many Monasteries Thirdly This Provision may be a fruit not of Romish Charity but of Romish Policy for Rome may cherish this provision and enriching of Monasteries that they may serve as so many Garrisons for Rome against Princes for by them they may diminish Kingdoms and as much as they take from these so much they adde to the Kingdome of Rome The Champion passeth on and having wrought a glittering curtaine bespangled with the seeming good works of Visiting the condemned Redeeming captives Instructing the ignorant hee spreads this curtaine before the eyes of his Readers at once to dazle them with this glorious shew and to cover from them the horrid spectacle of Romes bloudy uncharitablenesse That there are no good works in the limits of Rome I will no more say then I will say there are no knees there â—hat doe not bow to Baal And these as I said before serve well the turne of the Beast to make his hornes shew like those of the Lambe as they doe at this time serve our Author to make a shew that Rome is charitable But take out of his Inventory those works that are done for satisfaction to pay God the debt of sins and so to make them Saviours or for merit and supererogation to bring God in debt unto man I doubt not the remaining works like Gideons Army will abate from thousands to hundreds And indeed the greater multitude there is of erroneous works the more Arguments not of Romish charity but of Romish error and superstition But when among these works of Romish charity I see the Instructing of the ignorant I wonder at the Cavaliers blinde partiality that could not see this which hee brings forth as a proofe of Romish charity to bee an high proofe and accusation of Romish uncharitablenesse and this uncharitablenesse is the greater for his owne reason because soules are more precious then bodies So that the great deluge of this transcendent uncharitablenesse to soules seemes to drowne all the former wâ—rks of charity to the body And indeed what instruction can a Latin Pater noâ—ter a Latin Creed a Latin Ave Maria a Latin Masse give to an ignorant soule It hath been to mee a spectacle of compassion when beyond the Seas in some principall City I have met with a poore Popish soule that spake some of these her devotions in that which was thought to be Latin but could not bee understood to bee Latin by those who knew that language much lesse by the party that knew it not what instruction can these words give to the ignorant which the ignorant know not This is not to take away ignorance but to add new ignorance to the old And surely they need not to send men to compasse sea and land to convert Infidels abroad untill they have converted their ignorant unbeleevers at home for if they make no better Christians abroad then they leave thousands at home it is but to pollute that glorious Name wherewith wee are called and to put the name of Christians on those that know not Christ. Now that Rome is this cruell Stepmother whose children thus lye swowning dying in the streets for hunger though our eies have seen it let Romish words speak it Let us hear their great Jesuit Navarre setting forth the ignorance of the Romish Church as her shame whereas the Cavalier sets forth the Instruction of the ignorant as her glory Hee sins mortally saith he who being come to the judgement of reason neglects explicitely and particularly to know the second Person of the Trinity that is That the Sonne of God the Father was made man was born and dyed c. And he that is ignorant of other Articles of the Creed at least those which the Church doth solemnize by Festivall dayes c. Wherefore we desire all Curates Godfathers Parents Confessors especially of the common people and all Preachers of Gods Word that they will not cease to inculcate this particular and explicite faith of these Articles and of those other which are contained in the Apostles Creed which the holy Church of Rome doth use For in the whole Church of Christ there is so great negligence about these that every where you shall finde many that beleeve no more explicitely and in particular of these then an heathen Philosopher endued onely with the naturall knowledge of one true God And now if the Reader withdraw this painted and deceitfull curtaine that seemes to represent a Heaven sprinkled with the Starres of seeming good works and looke into the Hell of Romish uncharitablenesse whereof a small but true modell was represented in the former Chapter Or if he see it not there he will look into the Inquisition House and there behold it set forth to life or rather to death in severall torments I doubt not but this pleasant image will soon be frighted out of his Imagination by the terrible shape of Rome appearing all bloudy and drunken with the bloud of the saints And so the improbability of Romish uncharitablenesse to Protestants will vanish away like a fantasie and a Poeticall fable And indeed if the Pharisee notwithstanding his tyth-paying and fasting went away condemned because proudly and uncharitably hee despised and damned the Publicane though hee did neither imprison noâ— burne him how shall Rome escape this condemnation which both despiseth and damneth and imprisoneth and tortureth and burneth Protestants whom shee accounteth worse then Publicans and Heathens And thus though the Cavaliers words may bee true that At the first sight it is wholly improbable that Rome is uncharitable yet at the second sight it is more then probale because it is proved This Chapter is almost ended but before the end of it the Champion shoots an arrow like a Parthian flying even then to hurt us when hee seemes to looke from hurting us Hee would seeme to spare Protestants in not recriminating yet in naming this not recriminating hee did not spare us but indeed hee did spare himselfe most in not urging it more for wee have such proofs of Protestant charity as may shame his Recrimination For they are ready to bee brought forth against a Recriminator and may binde his Recrimination as a crown to the head of the Protestants And when a catalogue of them is brought forth wee may boldly say and that not without Recrimination to Romists that
hate the seven thousand that doe not bow their knees to Baal though dispersed among seven millions of Idolaters wee may not hate Israel though in bondage under Pharaoh But to the true Israel even to the pure in heart and those who in Christ Jesus are new creatures and walke according to this rule peace the prayers of peace the true fruits of love doe belong the divine Apostle being herein our guide and example And while thus wee enjoy and imbrace this universall love with the universall body of Christ great is our safety for hereby wee know and may assure our hearts that wee belong to that universall body which alone loveth it selfe with this universall love That is the truly catholick Church which is indued with this catholick love that is a living Church which is a loving Church Our Church therefore imbracing and exercising this catholick love is a Church truly catholick and our Church being a Church of love is a Church of life Let therefore Cassander a Doctor of the Church of Rome conclude for us Qui rectâ sententiâ de Christo capiti injunguntur c. They that by a right beliefe concerning Christ are joyned to the head and by the hand of love and peace are joyned to the bodie of the Church howsoever they may differ in some opinions and rites are by no meanes to bee accounted Schismaticks or separated from the Church though they seeme rejected and excomunicated by some other part of the Church more mighty and possessing the Government CHAP. II. Wherein is declared that Rome wants this catholick love 1. By her separation from other Churches 2. By her hatred to Protestants manifested in the cruell persecutions and massacres practised against them in Popish countries and by the rebellions treasons open hostilitie stirred up against this Kingdome All which prove her to bee uncharitable and un-catholick IT hath been shewed that love and peace must bee catholick and universall that so they may be capable of a catholick and universall Church for as wide and as large as the Church is so large must the love of the Church be The body of Christ is the measure of this love and this love must bee no jot shorter then the body of Christ the body of Christ then extending to all Nations and so being a catholick body must be followed through all Nations with no lesse then a catholick love but love as much as it is short of loving this catholick body of Christ so much is it short of being a catholick love and so much it is indeed uncatholick Now the Romish Church which according to the Church of England is to be understood of the Pope and his adherents doth not make this body of Christ the measure of her love but the body of the Papacie not Christs Kingdome but the Popes Kingdome is the measure of Romish love As much then as the Popes Kingdome is short of the Kingdome of Christ so much is Rome short of a catholick love and so much is shee uncatholick Now wee know that the Kingdome of Christ spreads it selfe much farther then the Kingdome of the Pope yea Christ is known and beleeved where there is neither knowledge nor faith of the Pope Accordingly Cassander thinketh not onely the Westerne Churches of Protestants but the Easterne and Southerne also and by name the Russian Syrian AEthiopian and Armenian that beleeve the Apostles Creed and doe not by schisme divide themselves from the communion of other Churches to bee members of the true and catholick Church of Christ. And these parts of the Church are so great and large that a Countrey-man of ours in his diligent Inquiries gives this judgement of the Greek Church alone If wee should collect and put together all the Christian Regions hitherto intreated of which are all of the Greek Communion and compare them with the parts professing the Roman religion wee should finde the Greek farre to exceed if wee except the Roman new and forraine purchases made in the West and East Indies Now to these if wee shall add the Christians in Syria Cyprus Mesopotamia Babylon and Palestine which are by the least computation 50000. families and by the greatest 60000. And if againe we joine with these the Armenians who are under two Patriarchs of their owne whom they terme Catholickes and are esteemed to exercise jurisdictions over 70000. families And if yet further wee shall increase this number by those innumerable Christians of AEthiopia that are spread far and wide in the vaste Dominions of Prester Iohn And lastly if to these wee adde the no little number of Protestant Christians in the West wee may see that the Kingdome of the Pope is far short of the Kingdome of Christ and consequently that the love of Rome at least so much is short of catholick love But if wee leave those other famous and farre dispersed parts of Christs body whom Rome leaves without true catholick love and more particularly and punctually examine Romes want of love to Protestants whereof especially is our present inquirie all the paper in the world were scarce sufficient to containe the words that might be written for the proofe of it with the bloud of Protestants shed by the Romists So that the ancient parable of Iotham hath been fulfilled in our dayes If indeed yee annoynt mee King over you then come and put your trust in my shadow and if not let fire come out of the bramble and devoure the Cedars of Lebanon The fire and lightning of the Popes excommunications fly out against the denyers of his universall Kingdome and Supremacy and that fire is too often seconded with materiall fire For the maintenance of his pride Christians must bee hated spoyled and butchered of Christians There is a method of cruelty set forth against such who are Romes Hereticks and the true Churches Christians This wee finde thus summed up by Azorius the Jesuite 1. Excommunication 2. Irregularity 3. Confiscation of goods 4. Dissolving of all bands bee they oathes fealty service or any other covenant and promise 5. Deprivation of all dignities and honours 6. Losse of Ecclesiasticall buriall 7. Infamy 8. Uncapacitie of all dignities and offices Ecclesiasticall to themselves their favourers receivers and children to the second generation by the fathers side yea though the children were borne before the heresie 9. Losse of life And even Bellarmine himselfe whom learning which once had a name of emollit mores and seeming devotion should have made somewhat milder drinks deeply if not pleasantly in this cup of bloud and delivers it to his Disciples that they may pledge him Solum remedium est mittere illos maturè in locum suum The onely remedy is to send them betimes to their owne place which place though indeed it be heaven it seems yet the good Fathers charitable meaning was by a first death speedily to send Protestants to hell the place of the second
Indulgences even absolution from Penance which being set to sale doe plainely crosse Christs charitable doctrine by making it easier for a rich man then a poore man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven But indeed it hath had this charitable consequence that it hath caused many Nations to cast up not single sins only but the man of sinne himselfe But otherwise whereas this Author speakes of this Sacrament to cast up sinne wee must complaine that it hath beene used as a meanes to cast up goodnesse and to cast sinne into a mould even to nourish and strengthen it for Garnet thought it a good covert and hiding place of treason saying that in Confession hee first received the knowledge of the Powder-treason and secondly himselfe would not say that hee did cause his Penitents to cast up this treason but left it in their stomacks wherein it lay with some of them untill death not acknowledged as a sinne Behold right Romish charity plainly proved by the Sacrament of Confession yea this Sacrament hath beene by them uncharitably used as a means not to cast up sin but to cast up righteousnesse for some maine acts and duties of righteousnesse have been put to Penance as great sinnes Sir Thomas Overbury and my selfe met with an Irish Pilgrime in France who taking us as hee said for Catholickes wherein hee was not mistaken if hee had rightly understood the word told us that hee was enjoyned by way of penance to goe on Pilgrimage to Rome and Compostella for serving Queene Elizabeth in her warres against Tyrone See here not a sin cast up but an excellent duty of subjection and loyalty and so the Romish Sacrament of Penance not a proofe of charity but of disloyall uncharitablenesse Hee goes on and sayes that Rome to make her child grow and stand out feeds him from time to time with the precious Body of our blessed Lord in the Sacrament of the Altar But where is Romish charitie in taking away the Bloud of our blessed Lord in the same Sacrament If it be charity to give bread to a childe is it not uncharitable to deny him drinke but the children of Rome are left to cry like Sampson though not heard as Sampson Thou hast given this great deliverance and now shall I die for thirst Christ hath given them a great deliverance and now Rome would kill them with thirst Yet the same Lord in his Passion gives both meat and drink to their soules and therefore hee not onely saith that his flesh is meate indeed but that his bloud is drink indeed and so is hee perfect nourishment and a just refection being both meat and drinke Hee gives no lesse to the true Israel then to the typicall Israel the type of the Church in their Journey to Canaan it is said of them they did eat spirituall meat and drank spirituall drink for they drank of the Rock and that Rock was Christ. But Romish charity or uncharitablenesse takes from the people that drink which Christ gave them and as it were drives the true Israel from the waters that issue from this Rock to refresh them in their walking through the wildernesse to this heavenly Canaan Neither doth it availe any thing to say that there is bloud in the body for bloud out of the body is given us in this Sacrament to quench the otherwise unquenchable and ever-thirsty guilt of sinne Bloud that was shed for us is given to us in this Sacrament as the very words of our Saviour in the Institution of it doe affirme and if Christ say hee gives us bloud that is shed either they must profanely deny the words which our Saviour spake or else they must bee inforced to witnesse that they doe uncharitably and unchristianly deny to us that which our Saviour gave us and indeed bloud that is shed and so powred out of the body is the proper Sacrifice for sinne for without the shedding of bloud there is no remission yea our Saviour himselfe here saith of his bloud given in the Sacrament that it is shed for the remission of sinnes What therefore Christ the fountaine of charity hath shed for us out of his body and so given us being shed for the remission of our sinnes is it not extreme uncharitablenesse in Rome to take the same from us for thereby shee takes from us an excellent means of the remission of our sinnes and so the remission which should come to us by this meanes I could here multiply complaints of Romish uncharitablenesse in the manifold abuses of this Sacrament and among them of their Latine that is barbarous as Saint Paul saith and whispering Consecration It is no Sacrament in the Romish beleefe without the Priests intention and the words that should give some ghesse of his intention are not heard and understood How short then are tâ—e poore people of knowing the Priests intention when they either heare not or understand not the words which might give them at least some hope of his intention But darknesse fits best with a doctrine of darknesse and it is best nourished by that which begat it But their doctrine of worshipping this Sacrament yea even when they know not whether it be a Sacrament yea carrying it about the streets in a solemne procession on a set day of purpose to bee worshipped is a most killing uncharitablenesse if I may say of the Sacrament by their corruption as Saint Paul of the Law by the corruption of nature That which Christ ordained to life is thus found to be unto death The Lord of life appointed this Sacrament to communicate life by it and Popish uncharitablenesse by it gives death to her children But I say the lesse because the truly reverend and learned Bishop of Durham hath so plainely revealed and soundly convinced the Idolatry of the Masse that hee who reads it and after kils his soule by stumbling at this Idol and falling downe before it into hell cannot lay all the fault on Rome but must share uncharitablenesse with her and have part of his owne bloud laid on his owne head It followes If he will bestow himselfe upon the service of Almighty God in a more particular manner by taking Priesthood shee not onely gives him holy Orders but shee doth it by a Sacrament conferring grace I should here have expected that Romish charity should have expressed her selfe in giving Orders and Grace to one that before had the grace and gift of Teaching from on high which that Lord that ascended on high gave unto Pastors for the building of his Church but I heare nothing of this fruit of charity but I heare of a Priesthood which too often is a resemblance of the order of Ieroboam and that the Priesthood is a Sacrament divided into two Powers one to sacrifice and another to absolve but I read not of a third power or commission of teaching to bee given by this Sacrament and so the Priests lips that under
and root of this very errour which damneth men that shall bee saved And indeed it is a vice not beseeming a Cavalier which hee calleth Pusillanimity An errour of â—onscience is caused by pusillanimity of heart whereby a man fears that which should not be feared according to the right judgement of reason and such a conscience is too strict and therefore to bee avoided because it causeth three evills whereof the third is this It damnes him that should be saved But thus this errour of the Cavalier being taken from him by which he thinkes he may follow his erroneous conscience in denouncing damnation to those that are saved the very sinnew and bond of his discourse is cut assunder and all his ensuing labour lost by which hee strives to prove that Protestants and Romists are divided and cannot both bee saved For though they be thus divided a Papist cannot charitably tell a saved Protestant that hee is damned because hee doth erroneously beleeve it Yet will he needs goe on to his proofes of unity though altogether unprofitable and unable to excuse Rome from the charge of being uncharitable to Protestants yea it rather aggravates his charge and makes her more uncharitable in not holding unity with so good Christians as Protestants Yet hee is resolved to goe on and to utter that which hee gathered upon this head or rather upon this word of Unity for the places which hee brings forth it seemes please him well if they doe speake of the word Unity or something neere to the sound of it though the meaning bee nothing of that unity which it concernes him even in this his walke of impertinency and wandering to pursue and prove For sometimes his Allegations seeme to prove that there should bee in the Church one Head and sometimes one Heart and Affection somtimes one Spirit But if the Author would bee pleased to remember his owne businesse he might consider that his worke is to prove that there is in the Church such an entire unity in all points of Doctrine that there can be no difference or dissent in any one point though never so small but that by this difference the unity of the Church and salvation is lost For wee deny not but there must bee one heart and one affection and one spirit in the Church and all this in and under the unity of one Head Christ Iesus Againe we acknowledge that God did found but one Church and one Religion and that without these two there is no salvation But except the Author prove that the unity of this one Church and of this one Religion consists in this that the beliefe of all must be one and the same in all points under paine of Damnation the former words of unity are meere words and not pertinent to this end neither will they make up his taske For when hee comes to his next point that this unity is broken betweene Protestants and Romists wee will presently deny that wee have any way broken that unity of faith which holds us in unity with the Church and consequently wee are still in the state of salvation and so all his errand is lost Therefore the most places being impertinent as proving that which wee deny not and indeed make nothing for him being granted hee hath two or three which by screwes are wrested toward this full unity in points of beliefe though they reach not home to it This perchance hee aymed at in other places but they would not joyne with him SECT II. The argument drawne from the authority of the High Priest among the Iewes answered A First of his unproving and impertinent places is that of Deut. 17. where as our Author saith his whole people should be subject to the determination of the High Priest for the time being and this upon no lesse then paine of death In which sentence there was to be no appeale And a little after The great authority and power which was cast upon the individuall Person of one Iudge But first if wee will reade the words of God himselfe we may see that He speaks of more then one individuall Person For Hee speakes of the Levites the Priests and the Judge And if a man will not hearken to the Priest or to the Judge that then he should dye But secondly it must bee remembred that that which the Priest or the Judge must pronounce must bee the sentence of the Law For even the Prophet must dye which shall presume to speak a word which God hath not commanded Yet thirdly wee well know That this speaking according to the Law was often neglected by the Priests and therefore they brake the Covenant of Levi and led the people into errors as hereafter more fully may bee proved And I hope this Champion will not say that the people lost their salvation if they did not hold unity with the errors of the Priests And whereas hee addeth That there could bee no Religion or Church that did not agree with this Wee take not this to bee the present Question but Whether all beleevers Proselites or Jewes did in every point by the Priests decision hold an unity of beliefe and did in no point differ Now this I thinke will never bee both affirmed and proved For not only humane Testimonies but the Scriptures themselves doe shew us that there were divers sects and opinions among them and yet they joyned together in externall unity not dividing themselves into two Religions and Churches But to put this Author out of trouble in regard of his individuall High Priest the mention of whom seemes to looke asquint on the Pope as his shadow let him remember That the High Priest was himselfe a shadow of Christ and when Christ came this shadow was abolished and when this shadow dyed it left not the Pope either heire or executor and so hee can be at best but the counterfeit of an abolished shadow And thus all this Authors labours for the High Priest are left to the Pope But see how yet it fals out more unhappily against him for after hee had made mention of the individuall High Priest his next proofe ariseth from Korah Dathan and Abiram punished for Schisme and not for Heresie and difference in Doctrine against two individuall persons Moses and Aaron SECT III. It is declared 1. That the unity of the Church may be preserved without an exact agreement in all points of doctrine 2. That the Papists exalt the Pope above God in that they hold all differences from the Popes determination to bee mortall and yet some breaches of Gods Law to bee veniall ANother place of his very impertinent to his purpose is taken or racked out of the Psalmes which differently from the originall and corrected Translations hee thus paraphraseth Hee makes them to bee all after one manner and to bee endued with the same affections and dictamens concerning Gods service But the word dictamens we leave to this Author as
the Church which is the Cavaliers point to be proved by this place for he denyeth many doctrines and fundamentall ones of the Law and the Prophets yea of God himselfe The next place doth much accuse the Cavaliers need of Allegations and yet withall excuseth him not from an indeavour to deceive his Reader The place alledged by him is this Quod apud multos c. That which is found to be one amongst so many is not to be thought to have crept in by errour but to have beene commended by Tradition The place cited is this Quod apud multos unum invenitur non est erratum sed traditum That which is one among so many is not an errour but a thing delivered The question in hand was concerning the rule of Faith or the Creed as the Reader may see by comparing the thirteenth chapter where the Creed is rehearsed and the end of the one and twentieth where he saith That it remained for him to shew whether the doctrine in the former rule came from the delivery or if you will Tradition so it bee not a Tradition beyond that which is written for there is no such in this rule of faith of the Apostles And having refuted these objections That the Apostles delivered not all and that they knew not all he comes after to this objection That the â—hurches did not purely reteine what the Apostles delivered and thus hee refells this objection Age nunc omnes erraverint deceptus sit Apostolus de Testimonio reddendo Nullam respexerit Spiritus sanctus uti eam in veritatem deduceret ad hoc missus à Christo ad hoc postulatus de Patre ut esset doctor veritatis neglexerit officium Dei Villicus Christi vicarius sinens Ecclesias aliter interim intelligere aliter credere quod ipse pâ—r Apostolos praedicabat Ecquid verisimile est ut tot ac tanâ—a in unam Fidem erraverint Nullus inter multos eventus est uâ—us exitus Varâ—asse debuerat error doctrinae Ecclesiarum â—aeterùm quod apud multos unum invenitur non est erratum sed traditum Whereof the summe is this that though the Holy Ghost the Vicar of Christ had not looked to his office of leading the Church into truth yet there is no likelihood that so many Churches had erred into one Faith But the Faith wherein there is such unity among many should not be an errour but a Truth delivered by the Apostles Now this place is so far from saying that all Churches agreed in sin all points beyond and besides the Creed that it speaks onely of their agreement in the rules of Faith and doctrine of the Creed And he saith that such an agreement comes not by errour which commonly is divers but by one uniforme delivery and doctrine of the Apostles So the Cavalier is still to seeke for a necessary unity in every smal doctrine and in points without the Creed Cyrill is mainly for the Protestants even as himselfe alledgeth him For we agreeably affirme That to be the Catholick Church which teacheth without defect all things necessary to salvation And in the doctrine of faith such things necessary to salvation are points fundamentall Cyprian comes or is rather drawne in next against his will and meaning and thus the Author produceth him The Church being stricken through by the light of our Lord doth send her beames throughout the whole world But yet that light which is cast so far abroad is but one and the same Shee spreads her branches over the whole earth after a plentifull manner Shee extends her flowing streames with great aboundance and to a great distance But yet is Shee one Head and one Root and one Mother who is fruitfull by such store of issue Now I thinke it were needlesse to help a Reader to take this place from the Author For it is plaine to every eye that this place speakes not of the unity of the Church in all points of doctrine but of their unity in one Love and one mysticall Body So that this place is not onely unserviceable to the Author but serves much against him and his lady Mother who cuts off noble and excellent members of the Church from her or rather her selfe from the Church if they doe not submit to her universall Tyranny Cyprian it seemes hath not said enough and therefore he must say more but indeed lesse Let us see how the Cavalier rather teacheth him then suffereth him to speake The same S. also speaking of the sin of Core Dathan and Abiram implies that the one Church must not onely be entirely beleeved but followed also in all her doctrines and directions For hee saith that though Core Dathan and Abiram did beleeve and worship one God and lived in the same Law and Religion with Moses and Aaron yet because they divided themselves from the rest by Schisme resisting their Governours and Priests they were swallowed up quick into Hell Here first wee may observe how hee tells his Reader what hee would have Cyprian say for hee saith not that Cyprian doth speake it plainely but the S. implyes and what doth he imply That the Church must not onely bee intirely beleeved but followed also in all her doctrines and directions But did Core Dathan and Abiram differ from Moses and Aaron in doctrine His owne place denyes it which saith They did beleeve and worship one God and lived in Moses his Law and Religion with Moses and Aaron And the place further assignes the true fault Division by Schisme They denyed the authority of those whom God had placed to be Governours over them Just the same sinne into which Pope Pius the fifth drew the English Papists by his Bull so that this place makes exceedingly against Romish doctrine of rebellion against Princes such as those of the North and in Ireland But let me give the Author one question at parting Was Aaron to bee followed in all his doctrines and directions what doth the Author think of this doctrine concerning the Calfe These be thy Gods O Israel which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt Saint Basill is next produced thus speaking in Theod. They who are well instructed in holy writ permit not one syllable of divine doctrine to be betrayed or yeelded up but are willing to embrace any kinde of death for the defence thereof if need require Hereupon the Author thus commenteth That man of God had beene sollicited by some to relent for a time to yeeld though it were but to a little he refused in such sort as you have seene and he did it with much disdaine to be attempted in that kinde Now let the Reader see here the fairenesse of our Author Hee speakes of Basils not yeelding to a little and what was this little Denying the sonne of God to be God of one substance with the Father Is this a little Surely he should be a great Hereticke that should deny
many other crimes doe not accordingly God often calls Idolatry by the name of Adultery and thereupon threatens a divorce to his people And in that commandement alone which forbids this Spirituall Adultery doth God onely mention his Jealousie Againe if a man be jealous let a stranger be never so like him his jealousie will not suffer his wife to love that stranger as himselfe yea he will not indure it though shee say it is for his sake and for likenesse to to her Husband How much more should the jealousie of God arise when his worship is given to things infinitely inferior to himselfe and so farre below that it is a kinde of blasphemy to name them in a comparison Accordingly God casts it off with a scornefull indignation To whom will yee liken God If this jealousie of God could not indure that Dagon should stand in one place with the Arke shall we thinke that the same jealousie will indure an Idol to dwell quietly with him in the soule of that man which is truly the Temple of God What agreement saith S. Paul hath the Temple of God with Idols For yee are the Temple of the living God And if Saint Paul aske this question as if it could not receive an answer How dare men to answer this question at least with such facility to dissolve it how dare they say Yes S. Paul It hath beene seene very generally that the Temple of God even ignorant Christians have had agreement with Idols for if Christians knew not but that the Idols ought to bee worshipped with divine worship they beleeving this might give divine worship to idols and this Idolatry is not damnable Surely if such an answer may thus get safe passage through this Text by some narrow way to make Idolatry to agree with God and salvation doubtlesse it seemes by Saint Pauls question the common and ordinary relation between them is disagreement and there is some great difficulty or some great rarity in this agreement And this great danger and difficulty should bee greatly pressed at least not lesse then the narrow way of escaping And indeed to expresse this danger and difficulty is my businesse at this time and for a further expression of it let the words of Iosua bee considered Yee cannot serve the Lord for hee is an holy and a jealous God Hee will not forgive your transgressions and sinnes except yee put away the strange gods which are among you I might add from many places of Scriptures That they who feared the Lord and served their own gods did not feare the Lord. And in the daies of good Iosiah God would Cut off those that worship and sweare by the Lord and sweare by Malcam And that Idolatry is generally clothed in Scripture with the title of Abomination and it is not easie nor usuall with God to dwell with Abomination But referring the Reader to his owne reading I conclude with that piercing and affrighting speech of Saint Paul There is a brother and it is a weake brother and this brother out of his weaknesse eates things sacrificed unto Idols with conscience of religious honour of the Idols the same weake brother seeing a strong brother eating in the Temple of Idols is strengthened in his making conscience and giving honour and worship to the Idoll and yet of this weake brother Saint Paul saith that Hee perisheth No doubt this weake brother making conscience of the Idoll beleeved this honour which his conscience gave to the Idoll was due and lawfull yea he beleeved it the more as Saint Paul saith by seeing a strong brother in the Idols Temple whom hee thought to have made the same conscience of the Idoll yet this brother for whom Christ dyed thus weake thus beleeving and upon such a tentation if wee beleeve Saint Paul perisheth by this Idolatry There is yet a third dangerous yea deadly infection of Rome in the Idolatry of Merits of which soules should bee wary for generally those merits are by by them made Saviours while they think that they are able to justifie or stand in judgement before Gods Justice and that they deserve life eternall yet Christ Jesus who is God blessed for ever could onely performe such merits for mankinde As for us when wee speake most of our good works Let us say with that holy man Remember me O Lord concerning this and spare mee according to the multitude of thy mercy and then put this clause to it from our Saviour When wee have done all wee are unprofitable servants Let not this Idolatry seeme small to us which the chiefe of them dare not maintaine when they dye though the Papall profit makes it pleasant whilest they live But let it bee as one of the botches of Egypt which kill the soules of thousands with death eternall Thus have wee seene errors deadly and damnable to many that professed them in the Church of Rome and beleeved what they professed wherefore the safest way by which charity joyned to verity may more clearly save some in this Church is to finde some that are cleare from these errors And these being produced may serve for patternes to others to drive them from these errors And accordingly it is possible to find some within the Romish territories that have been cleer from these Idolatries yea some that have beene Teachers and Writers and no doubt they have begotten some Auditors and Readers like to themselves And first for the killing error of making the Pope or his Church the god and utmost foundation of faith there are not a few of the late Writers as Lorca tels us that wholly deny it The authority and testimony of the Church doth nothing pertain to the assent of faith neither as part of the object nor as a condition without which faith cannot bee which opinion of Canus not a few of the later men doe imbrace to this hee adds which was the opinion of Calvin And to make this yet more cleer that often objected place of S. Augustine I would not beleeve the Gospel except the authority of the Church did move mee Lorca saith Canus Calvin answer with the very same words That Augustine meant nothing in this sentence but that the Church is an apt beginning and as it were an introduction by which a man wholly ignorant of the faith is fitly led unto it but not that the Church should bee the reason of beleeving for that is Because God speaks in the Scripture and it is an infallible instrument of the divine Testimony And Lorca afterwards affirmes That the resolution of this question Why you beleeve is lastly and directly resolved into the testimony of God and this is the adaequate reason of beleeving Because God saith it Thus are there some and not a few of the Church of Rome as Lorca tels us that avoid the shipwrack of soules which is visually suffered by faith in the Pope or testimony of man even
CATHOLICK CHARITIE COMPLAINING AND MAINTAINING That Rome is unchaâ—itable to sundry Eminent parts of the Catholick Church and especially to Protestants and is therefore Uncatholick And so A Romish Book called CHARITIE MISTAKEN though undertaken by a Second is it selfe a Mistaking By F. ROUS OPTATUS Lib. 2. Quia noluerunt fratres agnoscere nullam habuerunt charitatem LONDON Printed by R. Young for Iohn Bartlet at the signe of the gilt Cup neer S. Austins gate 1641. REcensui Librum hunc cui Titulus CATHOLICK CHARITY in quo nihil reperio fidei orthodoxae aut bonis moribus contrarium quo minus summâ cum utilitate Typis mandetur JOH HANSLEY R. P. Episc. Lond. Capel Domest Decemb. 2. 1640. The Publisher to the READER IT might well have beene wished that the growth of Romish errours and superstitions the complaint of this time had not made this Worke too seasonable True it is though it doe but now see the light yet it came to the birth before any other Answer of Charity Mistaken was knowne to the Authour it came indeed to the birth but there was no strength to deliver the judgement of those times not giving way to any other besides those whose Answers have beene already made publick But though they have run before like Cushi this like Ahimaaz yet perchance not altogether without tidings may run after and with Ahimaaz it may make the better speede because with him it goes the way of the Plaine it goes a plaine way speaking plainely the Protestant Shiboleth and it useth plainnesse and evidence of speech in which way it is likely to meet with most Readers Neither doth it come altogether without tidings for it brings with it the tidings of Truth and Love and by both a remedy against error and uncharitablenesse And as it is a worke of charity so is it sutably fitted with charitable expressions for it doth not take up those sharpe arrowes which in these Concertations too often are shot at mens persons besides the Marke of the Matter True it is that where the Writer doth put his faults into the matter of his Booke and doth publish them of purpose to have them seene and by the sight of them to make others faulty there it will bee a duty of obedience as well as of necessary providence for the Readers safety to take notice of them Controversies certainely looke like breaches of love and therefore the Authour hath not been much in love with them But if love will bee lost except it be kept by a Controversie there the Controversie that keepes it is a worke of love To strive against uncharitablenesse that it may be removed and charity put in the roome of it is an act of charity and this charity is the businesse of this work The Reader may also take notice that divers passages not insisted on by the other are here examined because this worke surveyeth the whole Booke which it answers more particularly then the other There hath indeed come forth a Reply in defence of Charity Mistaken But both the one and the other turne mainely on these two hinges That there must be an entire unity of faith in all Truths revealed by God and proposed by the Church And That if unity were to be held by the faith of Fundamentals a perfect and uniforme List should be given of those Fundamentals Now these two hinges being taken off in this Book I hope it may give a fall to the maine matter of them both And whereas the Replyer strives to divide our unity by this Engine That some Protestants directly wittingly and willingly dis-beleeve what others do beleeve to bee testified by the Word of God and herein is no difference between Fundamentall and not Fundamentall It is rejoyned for a defence against this Engine of division That if herein be no difference betweene the one and the other in Fundamentals there is no proofe that they are not united members in the body of Christ For hee that wittingly and willingly dis-beleeves that which the other beleeves to bee testified by the Word of God may know as the terme wittingly seems to import that the point dis-beleeved is not testified by the Word of God and so hee may bee safe and is still one with Christ and his Members Againe the other who beleeves it to bee testified by the Word of God may bee deceived yet the point not being fundamentall his errour may not divide him from the other which is a member of Christ. Indeed if a Protestant should know a point to be testified by the Word of God and then dis-beleeve it that might prove him not to be in the Body of Christ but first This would bring him within the difference of Fundamentals and not Fundamentals contrary to the Replyers Affirmation for it is a maine Fundamentall to beleeve God whom that man beleeves not who wittingly and willingly denyes the Word of God And secondly It is meerly inconsistent and incompossible That hee who beleeves Fundamentals should wittingly and willingly dis-beleeve what hee knows the God of Truth hath spoken And if out of weaknesse errour and ignorance hee doth not beleeve that God hath spoken it this ignorance if it be not in Fundamentals doth not inforce a disunion from other Members of the Body of Christ. Thus the Replyers objected Not-beleeving either falls under Fundamentals and then his case is not rightly put or else it falls not under Fundamentals and then it doth not conclude a disunion betweene Protestants This having received my selfe I impart to the Reader with a Prayer that in reading this Worke hee may bee enlightned with that Spirit of Truth which alone can kindly discover both the Mystery of godliness and the Mystery of iniquity and that the same Spirit may hold him in the one and keep him from the other CATHOLICK CHARITIE CHAP. I. Of Christian Love and Peace SECT I. Concerning the Excellency Necessity and other motives of Christian Love with an exhortation to the imbracing of it THE Spouse of Christ Jesus when shee shines in Love shee is amiable in Beauty precious in the eye of her Husband powerfull with God her Father prosperous in her owne spirituall health and vigour and prepared for her consummate marriage in celestiall glory Her husband is God and God is love and God cannot but love that love which is like himselfe And that hee may love his Spouse for her love when shee becomes one Spirit with him by this unity of Spirit hee gives her an uniformity of love the oyntment of Christ Jesus the Head floweth down into all his members and breatheth love into them and as farre as his life goes so far goeth his love therefore no love no life in Christ Jesus Agreeably the beloved Disciple and an especiall Teacher of love having shewed that the new-birth brings love with life he fitly addeth Hee that loveth not abideth in death No wonder then if the great Master and Lover of this Disciple
make love the mark of his true Disciples seeing those are onely Christs true Disciples which so learne Christ as they draw that spirit from him which teacheth them love and breatheth it into them And surely if a sonne of God by that spirituall eye which hee receiveth from Christ Jesus with his Sonne-ship do clearly behold another son of the same father how can hee chuse but love him as a brother he cannot chuse but love him for the unity that is betweene them for they are one spirit by being begotten of one Spirit in Christ Jesus and as none hateth his owne flesh but cherisheth and loveth it so none should hate his owne spirit but cherish and love it Secondly hee should love his brother for uniformity aswell as for unity there is a spirituall likenesse and conformity betweene spirituall brethren and commonly likenesse breedeth love they are both created unto one image and how can a sonne of God but love his owne likenesse which hee seeth in his brother As in a glasse face answereth to face so a Saints soule answereth to the soule of a Saint and when one sees his owne shape in the other from this likeness and harmony there must needs arise spirituall love and amity Thirdly if a Saint consider the excellency of a Saint how can he chuse but love him for his excellency God is the chiefest and highest excellence and he that most resembleth God is therefore most excellent Now among visible creatures there is none that resembleth God more then a Saint for he is a sonne of God begotten to the true image of God his father therefore hee that loves God that begat loves also the Sons whom God hath begoâ—ten and the man according to Gods own heart because his goodness the fruits of love extends not unto God therefore he communicates it to the Saints and Sons of God that excell in vertue as if that were the next degree to doing good unto God himself to love cherish and doe good to his sons and Saints And indeed what is a fitter object of love next to the chiefe and soveraigne Good then a Saint who by a derivative goodnesse most representeth him God is light and a Saint is light in the Lord God is goodnesse and righteousnesse and a Saint is created according to God in righteousnesse and true holinesse The heart of a Saint is according to Gods heart yea he is partaker of a divine nature and groweth in it from glory to glory And as this divine nature is glorious and lovely so are the fruits of it atractively amiable Love joy peace long suffering goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance yea all goodnesse righteousnesse and truth The beauty of the body is by no means comparable with the beauty of the soule for the beauty of the soule is the Image of God and the glory of this Image having in it divine light vertue and goodnesse shines in the soul with a farre higher excellence then colour and complexion laid on the clay and earth of a fading and corruptible body and according to this excellence the beauty of the soule is preserved to immortality when the beauty of the body is suffered either to vanish before the body or to lye with it in the dust and there to die a kinde of second death neither shall it ever recover life againe but by a conjunction with the beauty of the soule If corporall beauty have been joyned with spirituall beauty then shall it rise in a farre more excellent beauty but if it had not with it spirituall beauty purity and goodnesse and fairenesse of soule it shall not arise in glory and beauty it shall not see the face of God but it shall be sent away with ougly spirits being it self transformed into the deformed character of a countenance weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth If then a Saint be so lovely and the love of a Saint is so just and reasonable and God doth love this Love and doth give his Saints the Spirit of love of purpose to love one another and so this love is the marke of a Saint a Sonne and a Christian let every Saint make himselfe sure of this love and not onely of the shew and word of it but of the essence and life of it Let him love a Saint whom God loves and love him because God loves this love of a Saint Let him love a Saint as hee loves his owne safety which is annexed to the love of the Saints Let him love a Saint because a Saint loves God Let him love a Saint because hee is like himselfe and because the Saint loves him Dilige Deum tuum dilige in Deo tuo charum tuum Imaginem Dei tui Ille te perinde diligendo Deum in Deo diligat Love thy God and in God love thy brother the image of God and let thy brother in requitall by loving God love thee also in God SECT II. Peace is declared to be the first fruits of love and to make love fruitfull in other graces and is further commended 1. By the beauty and usefulnesse of it 2. By the mischiefs which proceed from dissention 3. By the authority of Scriptures 4. By the example of Christ. TRue Christian love will not bee solitary and fruitlesse but it must bring forth peace and bee attended by it Love is it selfe the fruit of the spirit and peace is the fruit of this love yea love which delights to bee fruitfull loves this peace because by her shee communicates her other fruitfulnesse It is best sowing in a calme and if we will beleeve Saint Iames the fruit of righteousnesse is best sowne in peace So Peace the eldest daughter of Love is a midwife to her mother and delivers her of the rest of her children and without her help the mother doth nothing but make abortions Therefore as thou wouldest have thy love to be fruitfull and by her fruits profitable to the Saints so be thou sure to have her attended by peace that through peace with the Saints thy love may profitably extend it selfe to the Saints The unity of the spirit must be kept in the bond of peace and indeed with whom wilt thou keepe peace if thou wilt not keepe it with those who are one spirit with thee By one spirit are we all baptized into one body and we be members one of another by our unity in this one body How comely yea how necessary is it to the preservation and prosperity of the body that the members of one body bee at peace and unity and how monstrous and destructive is it when one member fights with another That fatall sentence cannot bee avoyded If yee bite one another yee shall bee consumed one of another But contrarily the kingdome of God which is peace flourisheth by the peace of the subjects of that kingdome and therefore St. Paul having taught the former to the Romans adjoyneth the latter