10. section of Iosue Iosue or Iesus the sonne of Nun was a zealous seruaunt of God and a valiant gouernour Hee brought the Israelites by Iordan into the land of promise they serued the Lord all the daies of his life He liued 110. yeares and then died Ios. 24. verse 29.31 He was buried in the borders of his owne inheritance which is in mount Ephraim Ios. 24. verse 30. Iosue slewe fiue kinges the king of Ierusalem the king of Hebron the king of Ierimoth the king of Lachis and the king of Eglon and hee hanged them on fiue trees Ios. 10. verse 26. Iosue his faith was so strong in the Lord that when hee fought against the Amorites hee praied that the sunne might stand vntill he were auenged of his enemies and not onely the sunne stood still in Gibeon but the Moone also in the valley of Aialon Ios. 10. ver 12.13 Iosue subdued all townes and cities saue Gibeon hee slew much people killed 31. kinges and gaue the whole land for an inheritance to Israel according to their portions through their tribes Ios. cap. 11. cap. 12. The 11. section of the Rechabites The Rechabites would drinke no wine all the dayes of their liues because Ionadab the sonne of Rechab their father had so commanded them Iere. 35. verse 8. The obseruation Vpon the Rechabites abstinence from wine the papistes of latter daies haue falsly grounded their superstitious fastes I say superstitious fastes because I reuerence and highly commend fasting when it is done christianly according to the word of God I therefore say first that the whole scope of the Prophet is nothing else in the storie of the Rechabites but by their example to confound the disobedient Iewes For the Rechabites kept strictly the commandementes of Ionadab euen many yeares after he was dead but the Iewes would not obey the euerliuing God Iere. 35. v. 14. I say secondly that Ionadab is not commended for his strict charge but his children for their ready obedience I say thirdly y e children are cōmanded to obey their parentes but onely in the Lord that is so farre forth as their commandementes are agreeable to Gods holy lawes So saith the Apostle Ephes. 6. verse 1. I say fourthly that their abstinence from wine was a ciuill obseruance not any religious worship And I prooue it by two reasons first because they were not onely prohibited to drinke wine but also to till the ground to plant Vineyardes and to build or haue houses Secondly because not only themselues but their wiues also their sonnes and their daughters had the selfe same charge who yet liued almost three hundred yeares after the charge was giuen Who all by popish collection should haue bin Monkes and Nunnes which to affirme is very absurd euen in their own maner of proceeding I say fiftly that Ionadabs charge was not giuen for merite or religion but for a meere ciuill respect to wit to acquaint his posteritie with an austere kinde of life that after when God should punishe the world for their sinnes they might beare it more patiently with more facility wander from place to place And because the vulgar sort is wonderfully seduced aswell by the doctrine as by the practise of popish fasting it will happily be nothing out of season heere to speake a little thereof The first proposition All mortall liuing creatures of God man excepted may lawfully be eaten with giuing of thanks I say first mortal by reason of the incorporall angels I say secondly liuing in respect of things inanimate not apt to yeeld nourishment I say thirdly except man because God made the other thinges for man but not one man for another Gen. 9. verse 3.5 The proposition is thus proued Christ reproouing the Pharisies for their fond opinions in superstitious obseruance of externall ceremonies which he termed the traditions of men willed al the multitude to hearken vnto him and to vnderstand that whatsoeuer was without man could not defile him when it entered into him Matt. 15. verse 11. Mar. 7. ver 15. I knowe and am perswaded through the Lord Iesus saith the Apostle that there is nothing vncleane of it selfe or by nature but to him that iudgeth it to be vncleane Rom. 14. verse 14. Saint Peter was long in doubt concerning this proposition His reason was because some meates were made vncleane by the olde law For which cause he in a vision saw heauen opened and a certaine vessell come downe to him wherein were all maner of foure footed beastes of the earth and wild beastes and creeping thinges and foules of the heauen And there came a voice to him bidding him kill and eate Yet Peter durst not eate but answered that hee neuer ate any polluted thing And the voice spake the second time willing him not to repute the thinges polluted which God had purified Thus Peter did and thus he erred at that time And euen so doe many silly soules this day who make lesse scruple to rap out great othes horrible blasphemies and slaunderous speeches against their neighbours then they doe in eating a peece of cheese or an egge in Lent and yet is the one directly against the law of God the other onely against the tyrannicall constitution of the pope The second proposition There are sundrie kindes of fastes To wit naturall ciuill christian miraculous coactiue religious Naturall fasting is when we fast for phisicke sake either to recouer our health lost or to preserue vs from diseases to come Of which kind of fast who list may reade at large in Hippocrates his Aphorismes and in Galens Commentaries vpon the same Ciuill fasting is when men are so seriously bent to their ciuill affaires that they will vse no intermission at all either for meate or drinke This kinde of fast vsed king Saul when hauing the victorie in his handes hee pursued the Philistines For euen then commanded he all his armie that none should eate or drink till night 1. Sam. 14. verse 24. So did the wicked Hebrewes who vowed that they would neither eate nor drinke vntill they had slaine S. Paule Acts. 23. verse 21. This fast practised Iosue when he charged the Sunne and Moone to stand still till hee was auenged of his enemies Ios. 10. verse 12. The christian fast is to keep sobrietie in our diet That is neither to eate too often neither immoderately Which kinde of fasting ought to bee more familiar then it is to many a one for want whereof the countrey aboundeth with drunkardes gluttons and idle belly-gods Miraculous fasting was practised by the apostles when our Sauiour did thereby confirme the preaching of his gospel Moses Elias and Christ himselfe vsed the same kinde of fast Coactiue fasting is when by reason of famine or want of foode we are enforced to abstaine With this fast souldiours are afflicted in warres poore folkes in their owne houses rich seldom or neuer Wherefore wisely saide the Philosopher touching the houre of dining
as to the dead the merites of Christ and of his saints as condigne satisfaction for their sins for of such pardons no councell no father no ancient approued Historiographer maketh any mention at all Which thing I haue plainely proued in the third conclusion of the second chapter of my Motiues The second obiection The keyes of heauen were giuen to Saint Peter and consequently to his successours the bishops of Rome and withall promise was made vnto him that whatsoeuer hee should binde on earth the same should be bound in heauen whatsoeuer hee should loose on earth should be loosed in heauen nowe to loose sins is nothing else but to giue a pardon or indulgence for the same The answere I say first that vpon the grosse interpretation of these words many popish priests haue arrogantly presumptuously taken vpon them like the proude pharises to condemne the innocents and to loose the guiltie persons whereas before God not the sentence of the priests but the life of the persons charged is enquired of Thus writeth S. Hierome adding that priests can bind and loose sinners no otherwise now in the new testament then they did binde and loose the Leapers in the old law that is not to forgiue sinnes perfitly and indeede but to declare by Gods word the sinnes of penitent persons to be forgiuen in Gods sight euen as the priests in Moses law did not purge the Leapers but onely declared those whom God had purged alreadie to be cleane and free from the leprosie for as the gospel witnesseth none but God can forgiue sinne I say secondly that all the rest of the Apostles had the selfe same power granted to them all which is here promised to S. Peter for so saith Christ himselfe in another place where hee performeth his promise nowe made to Peter in the person of theÌ„ al consequently if the Pope could pardon as fondly is imagined yet might al other bishops do the same euen aswel as he So S. Austen S. Ambrose S. Chrysostome S. Hylary Origen Theophilacte and others do confesse I say thirdly that S. Peter and the other Apostles haue not power granted by the scripture to forgiue sin but onely to declare and pronounce according to the scripture that God hath forgiuen to truely penitent persons all their sins For they can but onely declare the sinnes to be forgiuen which are by Christ forgiuen already as the priests in the olde law could not purge any from the leprosie indeede but only make declaration of the truth as ye haue heard out of S. Hierome The learned popish Cardinal Hugo to the euerlasting confusion of all impenitent and obstinate papists confirmeth S. Hieromes opinion in these expresse words Vinculo culpae poenae debitae non potestâ—um sacerdos ligare vel soluere sed tantum ligatuÌ„ vel absolutuÌ„ osteÌ„dere sicut sacerdos Leuiticus non faciebat vel mundabat leprosum sed tantum infectum vel munduÌ„ ostendebat The priest cannot bind him with the bond of sin and due punishment either loose him froÌ„ the same but only declare him to be bound or absolued in Gods sight euen as the Leuitical priest did not make or clense him that had the leprosie but onely shewed him to be infected or clensed Their own schoole doctour Durandus singeth the same song in these expresse words Claues nihil operantur ad dimissionem culpae vel maculae quia deordinatio actus tollitur per eius ordinationem dum bene displicet quod malè placuit The keyes work nothing to the remission of the fault or blemish because the deordination of the act is taken away by well ordering the same while that displeaseth well which pleased euil Thus we see by popish grant and doctrine that the metaphorical keyes whereof the papists boast so much can neuer put away sinne neither can any priest absolue any person from sin or from the paine due for sinne saue onely by declaring his sins to be forgiuen as is said The replie It is euident in the holy gospel that not onely God can forgiue sin by his own power but men also by authority commission receiued from him for when Christ had forgiuen the sicke man his sinnes the people maruailed and glorified God which had giuen such power vnto men The answere I answere that our sauior Christ in forgiuing the sicke mans sins shewed himselfe to be tru God which maner of proofe had bin none indeed if any but god could haue done the same which point I wish the gentle reader to obserue attentiuely For the Pharises charged him with blasphemy as who not being god yet toke vpon him the office of God in forgiuing sins Whose opinion for all that Christ himselfe approued for ratification thereof shewed by an euident external miracle that he was god indeed so as they could no longer be in suspence of y e matter but that yee may know saith Christ that the son of man hath power to forgiue sins then said he to the sick of the palsie arise take vp thy bed and goe into thy house as if he had said I confesse that I am God and that yee may knowe the same euidently I make the sicke man whole with mine onelie worde which if I were not God indeede I could neuer doe This case S. Chrysostome maketh so plaine as none that once reade or heare his wordes can stand any longer in doubt therof Thus doth he write in expresse termes Videamus quid ipse ait vtrum opinionem eorum improbauerit an potius comprobauerit nisi enim aequalis esset patri dixisset quid mihi tribuitis non competentem opinionem procul ego absum à tanta potestate Nunc verò nihil horum dixit sed contra tam verbo quam signo affirmauit Ita quoniam solet esse audientibus molestum vt aliquis de seipso apertius dicat aliorum verbis signo deum se patrique aequalem esse ostendit quod mirabilius est non per amicos solum verum etiam per inimicos hoc peragit vt virtutis sapientiae suae pelagus pateat Let vs see what he saith whether hee reprooued their opinion or rather approoued the same For if he had not been equall with his father he woulde haue said why doe ye ascribe to me that incompetent opinion I am farre off from that so great power yet now hee saith no such thing but contrariwise affirmeth it both by word and miracle So because it is woont to bee greeuous to the hearers that any man should speake openly of himselfe he sheweth both by the testimonie of others and by myracle that he is God and equall with his father and which is more wonderfull this he doth not only by his friendes but euen by his enemies that so aswell his power as his wisdom may be known aboundantly Out of which words I note first y t Christ approued
taught to pardon in the Lords praier saying and pardon vs our trespasses as we pardon or forgiue them that offend against vs. I say fourthly that the renowmed popish Thomist Syluester Prierias sometime maister of their so termed sacred pallace confesseth plainely according to right and reason that popish pardons were neither knowne to vs by this place of S. Paul neither yet by any other place of the whole scripture these are his expresse words Indulgentia nobis per scripturam minimè innotuit licet inducatur illud 2. Corin. 2. si quid donaui vobis sed nec per dicta antiquorum doctorum sed modernorum Dicitur enim Gregorius indulgentiam septennem in stationibus Romae posuisse quia ecclesia hoc facit seruat credendum est ita esse quia regitur spiritu sancto The popes pardons saieth frier Syluester their surnamed absolutus theologus were neuer knowne to vs by the Scriptures although some alledge S. Paul to the Corinthians for that purpose neither were they knowne by the ancient fathers but onely by late writers For Gregorie is said to haue appointed seuen yeeres of indulgence in his stations at Rome And because the church of Rome this doth and thus obserueth we must beleeue it to be so for the church is gouerned by y e holy ghost Out of these words I note first that this frier Syluester was a man of great fame among the papists for his singular learning reputed an absolute diuine and therefore that his testimonie must needs be very authenticall among the papists I note secondly that Antoninus a learned papist who was the archbishop of Florence euen in the altitude of popedome holdeth the selfe same opinion and hath the very same wordes now recited out of Syluester I note thirdly that popish pardons can neither be proued by the scriptures nor by the ancient fathers and consequently that pope Boniface the eight of that name was the first founder thereof as is already proued For albeit Syluester seemeth here to ascribe the originall of some kind of pardoning to Gregorie yet doth he onely tel that by heare-say and besides that Gregorie either gaue no pardons in deede which is very probable or at the most he pardoned after saint Paules manner some part of seuerity inioyned by the church I note fourthly that the chiefest ground vppon which Popish pardoning is built is the bare and naked commaundement of the pope For whatsoeuer the church saith that is to say the pope that must be beleeued because forsooth the pope cannot erre but yet that he both may erre and hath alreadie erred de facto I haue prooued aboundantly in my Booke of Motiues where the gentle Reader shall finde the opinions of other popish doctors most fit for this end and purpose Shamelesse and impudent therefore are the papists when they blush not to father their Romish pardons vpon saint Paul The reply In the councell of Laterane which was almost an hundred yeeres before pope Bonifacius mention is made of pardons with good liking of the same yea S. Gregorie appointed stations and granted pardons for frequenting them The answere I say first that in processe of time when sinne increased and the people waxed slow in accomplishing ecclesiasticall satisfaction inioyned redemptions and commutations succeeded in the place thereof and canonicall discipline began to decay as their owne Burchardus writeth about the yeere of Christ 1020. I say secondly that by little and little after such redemptions commutations superstitious opinions were instilled into the minds of the vulgar people as that the fulfilling of the multe inioined by the church was necessarie for saluatioÌ„ able to satisfie the iust iudgement of God that god required much more satisfaction then was so inioyned and that for the same they must either satisfie in this life or afterward in purgatorie if they were not pardoned by the pope I say thirdly that albeit penance satisfaction or canonicall discipline vsed in the olde church and auncient councels which was nothing else but a ciuill multe imposed to publike offenders not to satisfie Gods iudgement but to bridle ill life and to keepe comely order in the church was by little and little changed into superstitious popish satisfaction yet had not that execrable doctrine gotten place in the church in the time of the Lateran councel I proue it because that councel maketh mention onely de poenitentiis iniunctis of penance inioyned which was holden Anno Dom. 2215. I say fourthly that the bishoppe of Rome now called Pope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 might haue released or pardoned in his owne churches and iurisdiction as Cornelius and other good bishoppes did such ligaments mults or canonicall corrections as he had inioyned to publike offenders and perhappes Gregorie the Great granted some such pardons indeede but that hee gaue pardons for sinne and to satisfie Gods iustice as Popes this day doe it can neuer be proued out of his works The fourth obiection The blessed virgin Marie holy Iob and manie others haue suffered much more then was needefull for their owne sinnes And saint Paul saith of himselfe that he supplied the wants of Christs passion for his church which super abundant satisfactions of S. Paul and others bicause they were not determined by themselues to this or that particular person it pertaineth to the supreme pastour the popes holines to make application thereof as he seeth cause Which application is termed pardoning for that when the pope applieth twentie degrees of the satisfaction of Christ or of S. Paul or some other saint to one of his nunnes monkes or iesuites then so many degrees of satisfaction are pardoned to such a nunne monke or iesuite which the saide nunne monke or iesuite should otherwise haue done either in this life or else in purgatorie The answer I say first that no saint did or can suffer so much as is sufficient for his sinnes And I prooue it euidently because the best learned papists graunt freely and truely that euery mortall sin hath in it infinite deformitie as which is an auersion from God of infinite maiestie and consequently that God requireth infinite satisfaction for the same yet so it is that pure man is vncapable of euery infinit action for otherwise he should be an other God and consequently mans actions of which no one among all can be infinite can not yeeld condigne compensation for one only mortall sin and yet is euery sin mortall indeed as I haue prooued in my Motiues euen by popish doctrine Pervse the eight article of Dissention in the second Booke of the said Motiues and thou shalt see euidently that not only Gerson Durand Baius Roffensis and Almayn who al were renowmed papists but euen the common schooles of late dayes doe holde the same opinion I say secondly that God hath alreadie rewarded euerie saint in heauen as he will also in time rewarde euerie saint nowe on earth fâ—r aboue their deserts Which I prooue
needlesse which God appointeth to be done The replie Like as nobles and magistrates bring vs to the presence of an earthly king euen so doe saintes by their holy praiers bring vs to the presence and fauour of God the king of heauen The answere Saint Ambrose shall answere as who precisely and fully resolueth this question These are his wordes Ideo ad regem pertribunos aut comites itur quia homo vtique est rex nescit quibus debeat remp credere ad dominū autem quem vtique nihil latet omnium enim merita nouit promerendum suffragatore non opus est sed mente deuota Vbicunque enim talis locutus fuerit ei respondebit illi We are therefore brought to the presence of kinges by Lords and officers because the king is a man and knoweth not to whom he may commit his realme But to win Gods fauour from whō nothing is hid for he knoweth what euery man is meet to haue we need no spokesman but a deuout minde For wheresoeuer such a one speaketh to God God will answere him And this answere of S. Ambrose is consonant to the holy scripture For Christ himselfe saith Come vnto me all ye that are weary and laden and I will ease you Againe we must not iudge what is the wil of God by the similitudes of earthly thinges departed through sinne but by his sacred word reuealed from heauen The 2. obiection God saith by his prophet that though Moses and Samuel stood before him and praied for the people yet woulde not hee heare them Whereupon we may gather that saintes vse to pray for vs and that God heareth their praiers though neither at all times nor for all persons The answere I say first that conditionall propositions proue nothing but when the condition is put I say secondly that by popish doctrine Moses and Samuel did not then stand before God and consequently they did not then pray for the people For as the papists hold they were in Limbo vntill Christes ascension I say thirdly that the meaning of the text is no other then this to wit that if there were any man liuing so zealous as Moses and Samuel who shuld pray for that people yet would not God graunt his request This interpretation is most certaine as may most euidently be gathered out of these wordes of Ezechiel Though these three men Noah Daniel and Iob were among them they should deliuer but their owne soules by their righteousnesse As if he had said thus though most godly men Noah Iob and Daniel were now liuing togither and shoulde pray for this wicked people yet woulde not I heare them By which wordes it is manifest that God both before in Ieremie and now in Ezechiel speaketh of the praiers of the liuing for Daniel was now with Ezechiel aliue in captiuity and yet doth the scripture speake of them all indifferently The third conclusion To pray to be holpen for the merites of Saints departed is very superstitious and plaine diabolicall I prooue it because Christ is the lambe that taketh away the sins of the world because Christ is our aduocate the reconciliation for our sins because Christ only Christ is the mediatour between God vs Because Christ is our high priest the author of our saluatiō because Christ hath offered himself a sacrifice for our sins hath therewith sanctified vs for euer because Christ and onely Christ is hee in whose name wee must be saued Because Christ is hee in whose name we shall receiue whatsoeuer wee aske Because Christ is he through whose merites wee haue peace in God Because Christ is he that suffered for vs that we might be the righteousnesse of God in him Finally because the spirite of God enforceth the papistes themselues to conclude their publique praiers in this maner per dominum nostrum Iesum Christum through the merites of our Lord Iesus Christ. The obiection The fathers of the olde testament did often alledge and oppose against Gods wrath the names and merites of the holie patriarches Remember thy seruantes Abraham Isaac and Iacob For thy seruaunt Dauids sake refuse not the face of thine annointed Why may not wee therefore stand vpon the merites of Christes deere mother and of others his holy saintes The answere I answere that these and like inuocations very frequent in the scriptures do not depend vpon the merites of Gods saints but vpon his couenant and promise made to them and their posteritie So saith holy Moses Remember Abraham Isaac and Iacob thy seruantes to whom thou swarest by thine own selfe and saidst vnto them I will multiply your seed in which wordes he opposeth not their merites but Gods othe and promise So saith Salomon O Lord God of Israel thou hast kept with thy seruaunt Dauid my father that thou hast promised to him for thou spakest with thy mouth and hast fulfilled it with thine hand In which wordes holy Salomon vrgeth Gods promise not the merites of his father Dauid So saith God himselfe to Isaac dwell in this land and I will be with thee and will blesse thee and I will performe the othe which I sware to Abraham thy father Loe hee remembreth and respecteth his owne othe but not Abrahams merites No no for as I haue prooued alreadie copiously the most holy saintes in heauen are rewarded farre aboue their deserts and merites It is I say not for the merites of the godly but for Gods holy couenant made with them that God dealeth mercifully with their posterity For thus is it written in Gods own book howbeit the Lord will not destroie the house of Dauid because of the couenant that he made with Dauid because he had promised to giue a light to him and to his sonnes for euer The fourth conclusion The honor due to saints in heauen and which they require is not religious inuocation or adoration but holy imitation here on earth I proue it because God will not giue his honor to any other I am the Lord saith he this is my name and my glorie will I not giue to another And that inuocation is the peculiar worship and honour due to God S. Paul declareth euidently in these words for whosoeuer shall cal vpon the name of the Lord shall bee saued but howe shall they call on him in whome they haue not beleeued Austen prooueth this conclusion effectually in sundrie places of his works Non sit nobis religio inquit cultus hominum mortuorum Infra honorandi sunt propter imitationem non adorandi propter religionem Let not saith S. Austen the worship of dead men be our religion they are to be worshipped for imitation but not to bee adored for religion Againe in another place Nos autem martyribus nostris non templa sicut Diis sed memorias sicut hominibus mortuis quorū apud deum viuunt spiritus fabricamus nec ibi erigimus
altaria in quibus sacrificemus martyribus sed vni Deo martyrum nostro sacrificium immolamus ad quod sacrificium sicut homines Dei qui mundum in eius confessione vicerunt suo loco ordine nominantur non tamen à sacerdote qui sacrificat inuocantur We build not churches to our Martirs as to gods but we make memories as to dead men whose soules liue with God neither doe we reare vp altars there in which we may offer sacrifice of laud to the martyres but we offer sacrifice of thanksgiuing to one God the God of martyres and ours at which sacrifice they are named in their place and order as the men of God that haue ouercome the world in their confession neuerthelesse they are not inuocated or prayed vnto by the priest that offereth the sacrifice Of honour and reuerence due to Saints Eusebius Caesariensis maketh sufficient relation in these words Neque ChristuÌ„ aliquando possumus derelinquere qui mortem pro totius mundi salute sustinuit neque alium quenquam colere quoniam verum Deum qui solus colendus sit nouerimus martyres vero tanquam discipulos domini dâ—ligamus veneremur quasi integrè fidem magistro seruantes domino quorum nos quoque in fide perseuerantia charitatis optamus esse participes We can neither forsake Christ at any time who suffred death for y e saluatioÌ„ of the whole world neither can we worship any other but him because wee knowe him to be the tru God him that only is to be worshipped yet let vs loue and honor martires as the disciples of our Lord as those that keep their faith vndefiled to their master lord with whom also our selues desire to be partakers in faith and perseuerance of charitie What need more Christ himselfe saith Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God him onely shalt thou serue And saint Iohn was forbidden to worship the angell The first obiection God honoureth his saints and reputeth them for his deare friends Ergo it is our duetie also to honour them The answer We honour them with that honor which God hath appointed we acknowledge their faith their humilitie their patience their constancie and all their gratious gifts and wee desire to imitate the same and this is al the honor that saint Austen wil affoord them as you haue heard The second obiection The saints in heauen pray for vs and therefore it is meete that we inuocate and call vpon them For the angell saide O Lord of hostes how long wilt thou be vnmercifull to Ierusalem and to the cities of Iudah with whom thou hast bin displeased now these threescore and ten yeeres Baruch witnesseth that the dead pray for vs when he saith O Lord almightie heare now the prayer of the dead Israelites and of their children which haue sinned before thee Iudas Machabeus had a vision in which he saw Onias holding vp his handes toward heauen and praying for the whole people of the Iewes And saint Iohn saw 24. Elders fall downe before the lambe hauing euery one of them harpes and golden vialles full of odours which are the prayers of saints The answere I say first that although we grant both angels and saints in heauen to pray for the liuing on earth as they doe indeede in some cases for some respects yet doth it not follow that wee must inuocate and pray to them as shortly shall bee proued I say secondly that there is not the same reason in the saints and angels for the charge and defence of the church in this life is committed vnto the angels Besides this the angell in Zacharie praieth onely for the particular calamities of Iuda which were apparant aswell to men as to angels I say thirdly that Baruch speaketh of the prayers of the Israelites that were yet liuing but as dead for their manifold sins I say fourthly that the booke of Machabees is not canonical as I haue proued in my Motiues at large I adde that albeit Onâ—as prayed for the liuing yet must not the liuing inuocate or call vpon him as is alreadie said I say fiftly that the 24. Elders wherof S. Iohn speaketh do represent the church militant heere on earth and consequently the prayers there mentioned are of the liuing on earth not of the Saints raigning in heauen which interpretation must needes be sound and authenticall because the holy ghost doth confirme the same in the tenth verse following For among other thanks to God one is this that he hath made the elders to raigne on earth S. Irenaeus agreeth hereunto neither is any ancient approued writer of the contrarie opinion The third obiection Yee bewray your ignorance not knowing the difference betwene Latria and Dulia and so wrest the scriptures against the lawful worshipping of saints for the worship prohibited in the gospel and in the Reuelation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that worship which is proper to God alone The answere I say first that though Saint Augustine made difference betweene Latria and Dulia in ecclesiasticall signification which was the cause of great superstition afterwarde in the Romish church yet did hee ascribe and giue all religious worship to God alone no other then ciuil worship to any creature whatsoeuer Which thing I haue proued out of Saint Austen already and shall more at large hereafter I say secondly that though saint Austen say that Latria is alway or almost alway taken in the scripture for diuine worship yet doeth Lodouicus Viues a learned papist oppose himselfe against saint Austen therein alledging sundry texts of the olde testament for his probation Yet the same Viues addeth that he is coÌ„tent with the distinctioÌ„s inuented by the popish schoole men so they will likewise allow him and others to vse wordes in their proper and natiue significations But heere I can not omit the taunt which hee by the way giueth to his scholasticall masters these are his wordes Obiter tamen admonebo eos duliam latriam penultimam habere longam ne breuem faciant sed has leges ipsi conteÌ„nere se dicunt quia nesciunt Yet must I saith he admonish them by the way that Latria and Dulia haue the last syllable saue one long lest they make it short But they say they care not for these rules because they know not what they meane Which checke doubtlesse were a bloodie word if any but a papist had giuen the same I say thirdly that Valla Suidas and Zenophon all three very skilfull in the greeke tongue affirme Latria and Dulia to haue one and the selfe same signification and that Latria is taken for that common seruice which one creature doth to another Thus writeth Zenophon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I O Cyrus would redeeme euen with my life that she should not serue Suidas also affirmes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Latria is seruice for hire I say fourthly that if this
religion which the prophet râ—sed not Achior the Ammonite fel at Iudeths feet reuerenced her the Sunamite whose child Elizeus raised to life fel down before his feet adored him he reproued hir not the prophets at Iericho perceiuing the double grace of Elias to be in Elizeus fel down before him and adored him which hee reiected not The answere I answer to al these in general that for the greater part they speake of ciuil worship which I grant may be done to angels prophets magistrats holy men To y e seueral obiectioÌ„s thus in particular I say first that y e Iews gaue such ciuil reuerence as was due to a godly pastour or Bishop but yeelded no religious worship vnto him I say secondly that your popish vulgar latin translation is false idolatricall albeit your late disholy synode of Trent anathematized al that wil not reuerence the same For you reade thus Iacob adored the top of his rod which if Iacob had done indeed as your guilefull edition saith he shuld haue coÌ„mitted flat idolatry because as I haue proued out of your owne Pope Gregory it is not lawfull to worship images much lesse a naked piece of wood religiously But the text indeed is thus as your own deare doctor Arias Montanus granteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He adored on the top of his rod or staffe which is nothing else but staying himselfe vpon his staffe adored God So doth Saint Augustine expounde it whose expresse words are these Nam facile intelligeretur senem qui virgam ferebaâ— eo more quo illa aetas baculum solet vt se inclinauit ad Deum adorandum id vtique fecerit super cacumen virgae suae quam sic ferebat vt super eam caput inclinando adoraret Deum For we might easiâ—y vnderstand that the olde man who carried a rodde in such manner as that age vsed to beare a staffe as he bowed himselfe to worship God he did it on the end of his staffe which he carrieâ— so as he might adore God by bowing his head vpon it In which words S. Austen sheweth plainely that Iacob when he worshipped god leaned on his staffe by reason of his age weakenesse Behold here gentle reader how our late papists do wrest the holy scriptures to build thereupon their superstitious and idololatricall adoration of stocks stones I say thirdly that it was Christ himselfe that appeared to Iosue in the likenes of a man therfore he both rightly required worship and Iosue of duetie adored him religiously This is euident in the verie beginning of the next chap. with the last end of the former I say fourthly that albeit the worship which Nabuchadonosor yeelded seemed to deserue coÌ„mendation yet was it indeed very reprehensible because he ioyned Gods honor with the Prophets And if Daniel did not admonish him of his fault as it is verie probable hee did he sinned grieuously That which Abraham Achior the Sunamite the rest did was meere ciuil adoratioÌ„ The replie It is lawfull to adore holy things as the temple the arke the bread of proposition and the like for the Psalmograph saith adore ye his footestoole because it is holy The answere I say first that it is not lawful to adore religiously any saint in heauen no not the blessed virgin Marie the mother of God man much lesse is it lawefull to adore stockes and stones and other like sensles creatures as the papists would guilefully enforce vs to do Neither doe I barely say this of mine own head but with the vniforme consent of the holy fathers Thus writeth S. Epiphanius Sed neque Helias adorandus est etiamsi in viuis sit neque Ioannes adorandus quanquam per proprias preces suas dormitionem suam admirandam effecerit imò potius ex deo gratiam acceperit sed neque Thecla neque quisquaÌ„ sanctus adoratur Non enim dominabitur nobis antiquus error vt relinquamus viuentem adoremus â—a quae ab ipso facta sunt Infra sit in honore Mariaâ—pater filius spiritus sanctus adoretur Mariam nemo adoret non dico mulierem imò neque virum Deo debetur hoc mysterium neque angeli capiunt taleÌ„ glorificationem deleantur quae male scripta sunt in corde deceptoruÌ„ tollatur ex oculis cupiditasligni conuertatur rursus figmentum ad dominum reuereatur Eua cum Adam vt deum colat solum ne ducatur serpentis voce sed permaneat in dei praecepto ne comedes de ligno erat lignum non error sed per ipsum lignum facta est inobedientia erroris ne comedat quis de errore qui est propter S. Mariam nam etsi pulchrum est lignum sed tamen non ad cibuÌ„ si pulcherrima est Maria sancta honorata at noÌ„ ad adorationem Neither is Elias to be adored though he be among the liuing neither S. Iohn must be adored though by his praiers his death was wonderful yea hee rather receiued grace from God but neither Thecla neither any saint is to be adored For the olde error may not ouerrule vs that we forsake the liuing god and adore the works of his hands Let Mary be in honor let the father the son the holy ghost be adored let no man adore Marie I do not say the woman but neither the maÌ„ This mistery is due to god neither are the angels capable of such glory let such errors be blotted out as are wickedly engrauen in the harts of deceiued soules let the concupiscence of the wood be taken out of our sight let the worke return again to the workeman let Eue haue reuerence with Adam let her worship onely God let her not be seduced with the voice of the serpent but let her abide in Gods commandement thou shalt not eate of the wood and it was wood indeede not errour but by the wood came disobedience of errour let none eate of that error which is for holy Mary For though the wood be faire yet is it not for meate although Marie be most beautiful and holy and honoured yet not for adoration Out of these golden words I note first that in the time of S. Epiphanius who liued more then 370. yeres after Christ it was reputed great superstition and flat paganisme to adore any Saint or angel in heauen much more to adore men yet liuing on earth and most of all to adore woode stones and sencelesse things I note secondly that religious honour or worship is due to God alone and that neither saintes nor images nor the mother of God is capable thereof I note thirdly that to thinke that Saintes or Angels may be adored is an old damnable error receiued from the gentiles wherewith some of the vulgar and common people were deceiued euen in the daies of Epiphanius I note fourthly that by the iudgement of this holy
aboue him For first the virgine Mary is desired to defend vs from the tortures of hell Secondly to bring vs to the ioyes of heauen Thirdly the last iudgement is called her iudgement Fourthly she is called our sauiour Fiftly she is requested to saue father mother brother sister friendes benefactors the quicke and the dead by the help of Christ her sonne Now by the first foure she is made equall with Christ and by the last farre aboue him For she is the sauiour and hee the intercessor which I gather out of these wordes ipso auxiliante c. By the helpe of our Lord Iesus Christ. For by these wordes and the rest afore going the virgine Mary doth saue vs Christ is but the instrument that helpeth her in the worke of our saluation which howe intollerable blasphemie it is let the reader iudge I haue said The sixt conclusion To inuocate Saintes as the papistes doe and to beleeue that they heare their praiers is to make a pluralitie of Gods I say as the papistes doe because to inuocate saintes at certaine times in certaine places and for certaine respectes doth not make them gods I proue this conclusion because to heare all prayers at all times in all places for al things is a thing so proper to God as it can not possibly agree to anie but to God alone For his knowledge is infinite and so not communicable to any creature marke well gentle reader what I say for this reson is such as few seem to haue cōceiued y e same But certs no learned papist can indeed denie it to be tru For which cause their great learned D. Aquinas telles vs two truths the one that God can not communicate the power of creation to any creature liuing either on earth or in heauen and he proueth it out of Saint Augustine who saith that neither the good nor the bad angels can be the creators of any thing And why so because that kind of worke requireth power infinite whereof no creature is or can be capable The other that none but God is or can be infinite and his reason is euident because to be infinite is against the nature of that which is made The first obiection The Saints in heauen may heare vnderstand our praiers on earth and yet haue limited not infinit knowledge ergo the proofe of your conclusion is not good The answere I say first that God hath reuealed to his seruants on earth the secret cogitations and externall facts of others farre distant from them For hee reuealed to Ahias that Ieroboams wife would come disguised to him and told him what he should say vnto her He reuealed to Elizeus all the secret dealing of Giezi which he had with Naaman the Syrian he disclosed to Peter the falshoode of Ananias and Saphyra his wife and so may he at his holy pleasure reueale to his saints in heauen the prayers that on earth are made in some places at sometimes vnto them Euerie thing is proportionable no contradiction is implied therein I say secondly that there be sundrie things which God cannot do as I haue proued in my booke of Motiues not for that there is any want in God but because there is defect in the thing that shoulde bee doone and so is it in this present case of popish inuocation I say thirdly that Gods apostles and prophets knewe but some special things which seemed good in Gods wisedome to be so reuealed Neither did they know such things by any inherent qualitie but by signification from aboue and that onely at such time as the necessitie of the church did require Which I proue by these words of Elyzeus to Gihezi Let her alone for her soule is vexed within her and the Lord hath hid it from me and hath not told it me as if the prophet had said God reuealeth not al things to his deare and faithfull seruants at all times but some things at some times as seemeth best in his diuine wisedome I say fourthly that popish inuocation requireth infinite knowledge because they pray for all matters at al times in al places so that y e saints must perforce be somtime ignorant what they pray for vnles their knowledge be infinit The first replie As the saints cannot haue infinite knowledge because it is not communicable to any creature so neither can anie liuing of limited power make any infinite request vnto them The answere I say first that there is exceeding great disparitie betweene the persons that pray the things praied for and the saints praied vnto for the things prayed for are without end and measure They that pray are innumerable multiplicable into infinit in potentia and yet must euery saint seuerally for himself haue the distinct notice of al them that pray and of all things that are prayed for for otherwise many shall pray at manie times and not be heard which is the thing that I contend to proue For example al papists in al countries pray to the virgin Mary at al times for all things and so hir knowledge must extend to al persons al places and al desires at al times and so be infinite or certes she must be sometime deceiued not knowing what is required of her I say secondly that it is proper to God alone to know our hearts and cogitations and consequently our prayers Therefore is it saide in the Acts thou Lord which knowest the hearts of all men shewe whether of these two thou hast chosen God saith S. Peter which knoweth the harts beare them witnes Salomon saith thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men He saith S. Paul that searcheth the harts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit Thou O Lord of hosts saith Ieremy iudgest righteously triest the reines and the hart And yet must the saints know our hearts and thoughts if they heare and know our prayers for doubtlesse the sound of our words can not reach vp to heauen The second replie Both Angels saints are present here on earth and knowe our affaires and therefore it is a vaine cauill to say that the sounde of our wordes cannot be heard to heauen The answere I say first that neither angels nor saints can be in many places at once but are definitiuely in one onely place at one time And this their owne angelical doctor Aquinas doth witnesse with me in these words Nam corpus est in loco circumscriptiuè quia commensuratur loco angelus autem non circumscriptiuè cum non commensuretur loco sed definitiuè quia ita est in vno loco quòd nō alio Deus autem neque circumscriptiuè neque definitiuè quia est vbique for a body is in a place circumscriptiuely because it is measured with the place but an angel is not in place by circumscription for that hee is not measured with the place but definitiuely because he is so in one place that he
is not in another yet god is neither circumscriptiuely nor definitiuely in place because he is euerie where And Damascenus agreeth with Aquinas affirming that angels while they are in heauen are not on earth I say secondly that the angels as S. Paul saith are indeed Gods ministring spirits sent forth for their sakes which shalbe heires of saluation And the angels as Moses saith went vp and down by Iacobs ladder which reached from earth to heauen that the angels as Daniel writeth are defeÌ„ders of y e church vnder Christ for that purpose are sent vnto vs. But neuerthelesse they are but in one onely place at once while they see what is done in one place they are ignorant what befalleth to another for they passe to fro from affaires to affaires from place to place from person to person from heauen to earth and from earth to heauen again according to their appointed seruice so that no one angel doth or can know the hundreth part of our petitions much lesse the saints in heauen who haue no such appointed ministerie The third replie The saints are equall to the angels and are the sons of god since they are the children of the resurrection therfore they are present and see our affaires euen as doe the angels The answere I answer that the time by Christ named is after y e resurrection neither is the equalitie he speaks of general but particular to wit in that y e saints shal haue no more need or vse of mariage then y e angels But that the saints shalbe sent as the angels for y e seruice of the church the ministerie of the faithful it is nether recorded here nor in any other place of y e scripture For Christ here only answered to the captious Saduces who denying the resurrection asked whose wife she should be in y e resurrection that had bin maried to 7. brethren al dying without issue The 4. replie The angels in heauen reioyce when sinners repent heere on earth which they could neuer do if they did not vnderstand our affaires our prayers and our penitent hearts The answere I say first that Saints in heauen do not know what we doe on earth for as the Prophet recordeth Abraham was ignorant what the Israelites did and Iacob knew them not I say secondly that the text doth not say that the angels in heauen reioyce but simplie that the angels reioyce and so the reioycing which the text speaketh of may bee vnderstoode to bee done on earth while the angels are present I say thirdly that the angels which are appointed for our seruice on earth and thereby know our affaires on earth may make relation thereof in heauen and so the whole companie of angels in heauen may reioyce thereat together or it may please God sometime to reueale the conuersion of some sinner to the saints or angels in heauen But hereupon will it neuer be concluded that either the saints or the angels do knowe the secrets of our hearts or our petitions vniuersally as is alreadie said The fift replie To do myracles is as proper to God as to know the secrets of our hearts therefore since God hath communicated the one to his seruants so may he without contradiction do the other The answere I say first that God himselfe did euer worke the myracles and did onely vse the ministerie of his apostles and seruants in the externall act I say secondly that God can hath de facto reuealed the secrets of mens hearts euen to his holie prophets yet hee neuer did that generally but in measure at certaine times to speciall persons for the good of his church The sixt replie Although God cannot giue anie inherent qualities to the saints in heauen by which they may knowe all the desires and prayers of the liuing heere on earth because no creature is capable thereof yet may God from time to time reueale all such prayers to his Saints The answere I say first that it is not impossible for God so to doe though God should be so driuen without need to worke innumerable miracles that almost euery houre I say secondly that thogh god shuld bestow such reuelations on his saints yet would many absurdities folow therupon For first these reuelatioÌ„s must follow the prayers and not goe before them and so my conclusion is still in force Secondly thus to require myracles at Gods hands were to tempt God grieuously Thirdly such prayers should be a flat mockerie in Gods sight because God must first reueale the prayers to his Saints then must he giue eare to the saints while they inculcate the same prayers lastly he may grant theÌ„ if he list Fourthly in this maner of praying they leaue God whom they should inuocate they run to theÌ„ at whom they should not come Fiftly they do al this of infidelitie because they haue no warrant from God so to make their prayers The 7. replie Yee cannot denie but that the liuing may pray one for another and also desire one an others prayer therefore since the faithful departed loue vs as much as before are as mindful of vs as before and are as deare in Gods sight as before we do no more iniurie or dishonour to God in praying now to them then when they were liuing here among vs. The answere I say first that we haue coÌ„mandement promise examples to pray one for another while we are yet liuing on earth but we haue no such thing in the holy scriptures neither in the olde nor in the new testament concerning the inuocation of saints departed I say secondly that if the saints departed could heare and vnderstande our prayers as the liuing do then might wee without dishonour and iniurie to God desire them to pray for vs as wee doe the liuing neuerthelesse such kind of praying should be in vs great temeritie and presumption because wee haue neither coÌ„mandement nor example in gods word so to do I say thirdly that if the liuing should desire the prayers one of another as the pâ—pists desire the prayers of saints they shoulde not onely derogate greatly from Christs holy mediatourship but withal commit flat idolatrie For the papists desire as is alreadie proued to be saued by the merites and blood of saints for the coÌ„plement wherof I wil here adde a memorable testimonie The vsual practise of the papists especially of the Iesuites is to adde in the ende of their absolution these words Passio D.N.I. Christi merita B.V. Mariae omnium sanctorum quicquid bonifeceris vel mali sustinueris sit tibi in remissionem peccatoruÌ„ tuorum in augmentum gratiae praemium vitae aeternae The passion of our Lord Iesus Christ the merits of the blessed virgin Mary and of al saints all the good thou shalt do and punishment thou shalt suffer be to thee for the remission of thy sins for increase of grace for
the reward of eternal life I say fourthly that to inuocate saints departed beleeuing that they can do heare our praiers is to make them gods And euen so shuld we make the liuing gods if we did in that maner cal on thē in their absence I may therfore wel conclude that though the one kind of praying be godly and imitable yet is the other damnable and flat idololatricall for God is zealous and wil not giue his glorie to another The second obiection The soule of the rich man in hel knew where Abraham was as also the state of Lazarus and of his brethren then liuing therfore much more do the saints in heauen know our state on earth The answere I say first that parables and allegories are not sufficient to establish any new kind of doctrine for by this parable as Irenaeus recordeth Christ meant nothing els but to declare the cogitations torments state of the wicked after this life Iustinus is of the same opinion hereupon flatly denieth purgatory I say secondly that if this were granted to be a true history no parable yet would it not follow therupon that the saints in heauen knew our thoughts and praiers here on earth for as S. Austen grauely writeth though the dead knowe not what is done here on earth while wee doe it yet may they afterwarde know what is done either by the dead that go from hence or by the angels that are present when the things are done and this knowledge had Abraham by the relation of the dead and no otherwise as witnesseth the same S. Austen in the same booke The third obiection S. Austen Ambrose Gregory Cyprian and the ancient fathers generally vsed to inuocate and to pray vnto the saints and therfore it is neither any new thing nor any vnlawful act The answere Better answer cannot be giuen to the fathers then that which is truely gathered out of the works of the same fathers I therfore say first with Cyprian that we must heare attend what Christ alone saith in whom God is wel pleased We must not regard what others think shuld be done but what Christ who was before al wold haue to be done for we must not folow the custom of man but the truth of god so saith holy Cyprian To which I may adde with S. Ierome that y e multitude of them that erre bring no patronage to the error it self with Augustine that neither what I say nor what thou saiest but what Christ saith ought to be regarded with Tertullian that that is tru whatsoeuer was first that coūterfeit whatsoeuer came after I say secondly that thogh the papists glorie greatly of y e fathers in this point yet when their sayings are duly considered they wil make litle or nothing for their purpose And that the reader may with perspicuitie behold the force of their doctrine in this point which hath kept my selfe long in suspence I purpose in God to deliuer the sum thereof by these plaine and briefe canons The first Canon The visible Church as writeth Egesippus remained a virgin free from all heresies and corruptions during the life of the Apostles that is about one hundred yeeres after Christ to which time S. Iohn the euangelist was liuing But after the death of the apostles errors by litle and little crept into the church as into a voide and desart house Which assertion is doleful inough but yet profitable against the papists as who are not ashamed impudently to auouch that after so many hundred yeres from Christs ascension there hath been no errour at all in their whorish Babylon And a great cause of these errors is this for that many without due examination receiued the doctrine of him that went before them So writeth Eusebius that Papias a man of no sound iudgement was the Author of the Chiliastes as who first grossely inuented that there should be 1000. yeres after the resurrection To which error though most palpable Irenaeus and others otherwise wel learned gaue place onely for antiquitie sake This imitation without time or reason was is and wil bee the cause of many errors which sundrie of the learned papists haue profoundly considered For this cause did Canus oppose himselfe against al the Thomists Scotists the old and latter papists for this cause did Caietanus in his literall exposition of Genesis and other bookes condemne the multitude of former commentaries for this cause said their learned Victoria that he reputed nothing certaine albeit al writers agreed thereunto vnlesse he could finde it in the holy scriptures for this cause their sound canonist Nauarre did roundly reiect the common opinion when it seemed not grounded vpon right reason for this cause grauely said Saint Austen that he reputed no mans writings free from errours but onely the writers of the holy scriptures for this cause said their owne Roffensis that it is lawful to appeale from Austen Cyprian Hierome and al the rest because they are men and do not want their imperfections I saith S. Austen do not repute S. Cyprians writings as canonical but iudge them by the canonicall and whatsoeuer doth not agree with the scriptures that by his leaue do I refuse The second Canon Many of the ancient fathers haue not only many waies erred but withall committed to the view of the worlde in printed bookes that which this day is reputed and generally confessed of al as wel papists as good christians to be a notorious heresie The heresie is this to wit that the soules of the faithful departed out of this life doe not see God clearely till the day of doome This opinion held Iustinus Martyr Irenaeus Origenes Chrysost. Theodoritus Hilarius Ambrosius Augustinus Lactantius yea these latter writers were of the selfesame resolution Theophilactus Oecumenius Euthymius Arethas and others And to the great comfort of our Iesuits and other papists their owne sweete S. Barnard singeth the same song these are his words Aduertistis ni fallor tres esse sanctarum status animarum primum videlicet in corpore corruptibili secundum sine corpore tertium in beatitudine consummata primū in tabernaculis secundū inatriis tertium in domo dei Infra in illam beatissimam domum nec sine nobis intrabunt nec sine corporibus id est nec sancti fine plebe nec spiritus sine carne Ye vnderstand I weene that there be three states of holy soules to wit the first in the corruptible body the second without the body the third in perfect blisse the first in tabernacles the second in courts the third in the house of God Into that most blessed house they shall neither enter without vs nor yet without their bodies that is neither the saints without the common multitude nor the soules without the flesh Again in another place the same Bernard hath these words Interim sub Christi
humanitate foeliciter sancti quiescunt in quam nimirum desiderant etiam sancti angeli prospicere donec veniat tempus quando iam non sub altare collocentur sed exaltentur super altare In the meane season the saints rest happily vnder Christs humanitie which doubtlesse the holy angels desire to behold vntil the time come wheÌ„ they shalbe no longer hid vnder the altar but exalted aboue the altar So then not only the ancient fathers but holy and deuout Bernard with others of late yeres were and continued in this grosse error to wit that y e souls of the faithful dying in the Lord shal not be admitted to the vision and fruition of God to the sight of his diuine essence clearely to behold his deity vntil the general resurrection of our bodies Further theÌ„ this which is a scourge to the papists Pope Iohn the 22. of that name professed this heretical doctrine and commanded al the diuines in Paris to teach the same His wordes with all the due circumstances thereof are cited at large in my booke of Motiues These two Canons well marked will serue for many good purposes and especially at this time to prooue that the opinion of the fathers are of no more force for the inuocation of saints theÌ„ for these other important matters already in these Canons named For as we ouerrule them in these pointes by Gods sacred word so must we still ouerrule them by the same word if at any time they swarue from it either for the inuocation of saints or for praying for the dead or for marriage of priestes or for whatsoeuer els And so to ouerrule them is consonant to their owne doctrine as is already prooued The third Canon The primitiue church for the space of two hundreth thirty yeares after Christ liued vtterly destitute and vnacquainted with the merites suffrages intercession and inuocation of the saintes in heauen after which time this cacozeale by degrees proceeded till it became perfect and consummate idolatry as this day is seene in the church of Rome For before this time the papistes cannot alledge any one authenticall writer for the inuocation of saintes in heauen The first obiection Irenaeus who liued within one hundreth and nintie yeares after Christ affirmeth expressely that the virgin Mary was the aduocate of the virgin Eue. The answere I answere that S. Irenaeus had a farre other meaning then such popish friuolous collection would enforce vpon him which I prooue first indirectly because the virgin Mary was not born or conceiued much lesse a saint in heauen for the space almost of foure thousand yeares after the virginitie of Eue and so doubtlesse Eue neither did nor possibly could inuocate the holy virgin Mary Neither will it helpe to say that though Eue could not then inuocate the holy virgin Mary yet did the holie virgin pray for her and so became her aduocate For besides that the virgin Marie is there said to be Eues aduocate when she was a virgin at which time Marie the virgin was not born the same Eue was either a Saint in heauen as soone as the virgin Mary or a damned soule in hell Againe I prooue it directly because Irenaeus compareth the virgin Mary with the virgin Eue to insinuate vnto vs that we receiue no lesse good by the virgin Mary in that she bare Christ then euill by the virgin Eue in that she transgressed Gods holy lawes For thus doth Irenaeus interpret himselfe in another place in these words Sicut Eua inobaudiens facta et sibi vniuerso generi humano causa facta est mortis sic Maria habens praedestinatum virum tameÌ„ virgo obaudiens sibi vniuerso generi humano causa facta est salutis As Eue being disobedient was the cause of deathed her selfe and to all mankinde so Mary hauing a predestinate husband and withal an obedient virgin was the cause of saluation both to her selfe and to all mankinde in that shee bare Christ the true and only sauiour of the world The second obiection S. Iames in his Masse which the sixt general councel holden at Constantinople admitteth teacheth vs to inuocate the virgin Mary and all Saintes and to hope for mercie by their praiers and intercessions The answere I say first that that councell of Constantinople saith indeed that S. Iames did deâ—iuer a certain form of the masse in which hee shewed the custome of mingling water with the wine but of praying to Peter or to Paule it hath not one worde at all I say secondly that pope Gregorie who liued well neere an hundred yeares before that councell either knewe no such masse deliuered by S. Iames or at least reputed it for a counterfait and forged thing For the same Gregory auoucheth as shalbe prooued when I come to speake of the Masse that the Apostles did celebrate the holy communion onely with the Lordes praier and their owne deere frier Carranza witnesseth the same while he confesseth that there is no such tradition extant as that whereof the councell speaketh Whereby it well appeareth with what intolerable burdens and counterfaite bookes the papistes doe this day oppresse and seduce the simple people For this disholy Masse is currant euery where and my selfe haue one of the bookes The fourth Canon In the daies of Origen who liued about the yeare of our Lord 233. the first seede of the inuocation of Saintes began to be sowen Which seed so sowen by Origen was but a step or degree to popish inuocation For besides that Origen onely taught this that saintes in heauen doe pray for vs and not that we on earth should pray to them this his doctrine was not definitiue and resolute but doubtfull opinatiue and disputable This Canon Origen himselfe hath deliuered to vs whose expresse words are these Sed requiris qui sunt isti qui pugnant quae est illa pugna quam illi gerunt Ego sic arbitror quod omnes illi qui dormierunt ante nos patres pugnent nobiscum adiuuent nos orationibus suis. Ita namque etiam quendam de senioribus magistris audiui dicentem But thou requirest who they are that fight and what that battaile is which they fight I am of this opinion that all the fathers which are before vs and are dead doe fight with vs and doe helpe vs with their praiers for so I heard one of our old maisters say Againe in another place thus Sed omnes sancti qui de hac vita decesserunt habentes adhuc charitatem erga eos qui in hoc mundo sunt si dicantur curaÌ„ gerere salutis eorum iuuare eos precibus suis atque interuentu suo apud deum non erit inconueniens But also all saints which are departed hence and haue still charitie towards them which are in this world if wee say they haue care of their saluation and help them with their praiers and
intercession before God it shal not be a thing inconuenient Out of which sayinges of Origen I note first that he speaketh only of the praiers which saintes in heauen make for vs and not one word of our praying to them I note secondly that to holde that the saintes in heauen doe pray for vs is not a constant position in Origens doctrine but only an opinion and disputable question I proue it because he saith arbitror I think Again because he saith non erit inconueniens it shal not be incoÌ„uenient Thirdly because he saith audiuâ— ita dicentem I heard one say so The fiâ—st obiection Origen in his book de paenitentia saith y t he will fall prostrate on his knees and inuocate all the saintes in heauen that they will helpe him because he dare not pray to God for himselfe The answere I say first that this assertion fathered vpon Origen will confute it selfe for how could Origen or anie faithfull christian be in feare humbly to inuocate our most mercifull God who willeth all to come to him that are in distresse who promiseth to heare all those that in their trouble call vpon him Who graunteth to vs whatsoeuer we aske in his sonnes name who hath appointed his sonne to make intercession for vs. I say secondly that this booke alledged in the obiection is not Origens but a plaine counterfeit And I prooue it effectually because their owne pope Gelasius hath so resolued The 2. obiection Origen saith that the fathers of the churche appointed the feast day of the holy Innocentes and that by the will of God that so their intercession might profite their parentes The answere I say first that if all this were graunted it could but at the most proue that the saints pray for vs which in a good sense may be admitted For I willingly graunt that the saintes in heauen doe in generall maner and termes pray for vs that is that they wishe vs to perseuere in the true faith and feare of God and y t in the end we may be partakers with theÌ„ of eternal glory I say secondly that sundry learned men doe thinke these homilies from whence this obiection is taken not to be any part of Origens workes I say thirdly that if Origen doe make that a constant doctrine in one place which he graunteth to be a disputable question in another place what remaineth but to thinke his opinion therein to be of no force I say fourthly that the papistes as their Ruffinus recordeth will admit nothing in Origen which disliketh them but reiect all such stuffe as infarsed into his workes by the heretickes Let them therefore giue vs leaue also to reiect in Origen if in any place he seeme to approoue inuocation of saintes as that which is infarsed by the heretickes specially because in other places he teacheth the contrary doctrine The fift Canon About 20. yeares after that Origen had doubtfully disputed the praying of saintes for vs S. Cyprian and S. Cornelius set down that point resolutely as standing no longer in doubt therof to wit that the saintes in heauen doe pray for the liuing here on earth For they made this couenaut that whether of them soeuer should die the first should pray for his brethren and sisters yet liuing These are S. Cyprians owne wordes Et si quis istinc nostrum prior diuinae dignationis celeritate praecesserit perseueret apud dominum nostra dilectio pro fratribus sororib apud misericordiam patris noncesset oratio And if either of vs shall through Gods mercie die before the other let our loue continue still in Gods sight let vs not cease to desire the fauour of God for our brethren and sisters yet liuing Thus saith S. Cyprian Out of whose wordes I note first that to be established in his time which was but in opinion and doubtfull case in the daies of Origen To wit that the saintes in heauen pray for vs here on earth I note secondly that the inuocation of saintes in heauen was neither established in saint Cyprians time neither once called into question I note thirdly that popish inuocation of Saintes sprung vp by little and little from one degree to another The sixt Canon About an hundreth yeares after S. Cyprian which was about 350. yeares after Christ some of the fathers by rhetoricall apostrophees did applie their orations to the dead as if they had been liuing Of which sort were S. Basill and saint Gregory Nazianzene who though they did but inuocate the saints figuratiuely and of a certain excessiue zeale yet did such their inuocations minister occasion to the papistes of all their superstition in that behalfe These are the wordes of S. Gregory Nazianzene Audite populi tribus linguae homines omnes cuâ—usuis generis aetaetis quicunque nunc estis existetis Infra audiat quoque Constantini magni anima si quis mortuis sensus est omnesque eorum qui ante eum imperium tenuerunt piae Christique amantes animae Heare O people kinreds tongues nations ages whosoeuer are now liuing or shalbe borne hereafter Let also the soule of Constantine the Great heare all the christian godly soules of the Emperors before him if the dead perceiue any thing at all And againe in another place he thus writeth At ô pascha magnum inquam sacro sanctum pascha totiusque mundi piaculum te enim quasi vita praeditum alloquor But O Passeouer the great I say and sacred Passeouer and the purgation of the whole world For I call vpon thee as if thou hadst life Thus writeth Nazianzene by whose wordes we may measure both the rest of his sayings and of the other fathers First therefore I note that hee doth inuocate aswell senselesse thinges as reasonable soules Secondly hee calleth vpon the soules of all the people in the world whereof some were damned in the bottome of hell and so could not heare as euery learned papist will admit Thirdly he inuocateth those that are yet vnborne Vpon these sandie foundations are built all popish superstitious inuocations The 7. Canon Catholique doctrine is that as Vincentius Lyrinensis who liued aboue a thousand yeares agoe defineth it which hath been receiued constantly of al the faithful at al times and in all places Which Vincentius is and euer was of great reputation with and amongst al learned papists and consequently since popish inuocation of Saintes neither was constantly receiued of all the faithfull neither in all places neither at al times as which was not heard of for many hundreth yeares after Christ it cannot be deemed catholicke doctrine no not by popishe proceeding This Canon ought to be well remembred as which of it selfe ouerthroweth al Romish religion An obiection S Chrysostomes Masse which was generally vsed in the Greeke church maketh expresse mention of the inuocation of Saintes and the same doctrine is taught in sundry places of his workes The
Infra illud quoque vacare non creditur mysterio quod summus pontifex septem modis accipit osculum videlicet ad os ad pectus ad humerum ad manus ad brachia ad genu ad pedes The Priest kisseth the aulter thrise to signifie I knowe not to whom the triple peace that is to say peace temporall peace spirituall and peace eternall Againe the Bishop kisseth the booke twise to signifie the concord betweene the old and the new testament Furthermore we beleeue this to be a great mysterie that the popes holinesse receiueth a kisse seuen maner-wise to wit to his mouthe to his brest to his shoulder to his hands to his armes to his knee and to his feete Thus gentle reader thou maiest beholde their irreligious ceremonies with their fond interpretation of the same For they had neede to put manie of their Priestes to the Schoole all their life before they will perfectly vnderstand such obscure and vnsauerie significations Yet such is the blindnesse of the seely people that they were brought into the admiration of the masse by these and other like beggarly ceremonies For the lesse they vnderstood the more magnificence and maiestie they ascribed to the thing I must needes adde hereunto the kissing of the patine Ad notandum inquit Durandus charitatem sacerdos osculatur patinam quae designat cor patens in latitudine charitatis The priest saith Durandus kisseth the Patine to giue a signe of charitie which signifieth an open heart in the latitude of charitie I weene this is a sufficient Sermon for y e whole auditorie But alas coulde the people no way be taught what charitie was vnlesse the priest kissed the Patine doubtlesse they were so farre from learning any thing thereby as neither they nor the priest himselfe commonly knewe what was meant by the same The 6. Section Of the triple breaking of the Sacrament THe papistes breake their supposed Christes body into three partes thereby to expresse this high mysterie Christes bodie risen again walking on earth and lying in the graue So saith pope Sergius in their own canon-law These are y e words Triforme est corpus Domini Pars oblata in calicem missa corpus Christi quod iam resurrexit monstrat Pars comesta ambulantem adhuc super terram Pars in altari vsque ad missae finem remanens corpus in sepulchro quia vsque ad finem seculi corpora sanctorum in sepulchris erunt The bodie of our Lord is threefold The part that is put into the chalice signifieth Christes body risen againe The part eaten signifieth Christ yet walking on earth The part remaining to the end of the masse signifieth Christes body in the graue because the bodies of Saintes shalbe in the graues till the worldes end We see here their doctrine we behold their practise Let vs now duely examine their mysteries First therefore the peece dipped into the cup is Christes body say they after his resurrection but it may more fitly represent Christes body crucified because drowning of the body is most like to y e crucifying of the same Secondly the part that is eaten may more fitly represent Christs dying then walking for as I weene a deuoured thing is past walking Thirdly Christ doth not now walke on earth and so it is a false figure or signification Fourthly this practise of reseruing some part to the ende of the masse is nowe changed for the priest this day eateth vp all euen in the church of Rome Here it shall not bee amisse to set downe the maner of the Popes receiuing because although the act bee done verie seldome yet is it not then without a mysterie and lest credit bee not giuen to my words their owne Durand shall tell the storie for them Thus doth he write Romanus pontifex ideò non communicat vbi frangit quoniam ad altare frangit ad sedem communicat quia Christus in Emaus coram duobus discipulis fregit in Hierusalem coram discipulis duodecim manducauit In Emaus enim fregisse legitur sed non comedisse legitur Ascendens igitur sedem ibi communicat siquidem secundum apostolum Christus caput est ecclesiae caput autem in corpore sublimius excellentius ob sui perfectionem caeteris membris collocatur The Pope doth not receiue the sacrament where hee breaketh it because he breaketh it at the altar but he receiueth it in his chaire For Christ brake it in Emaus before his two Disciples and he ate it in Hierusalem before his twelue apostles For we reade that he brake it in Emaus but not that he ate it He therfore ascends vp to his seate receiueth it there For as the apostle saith Christ is the head of the church and the head must be set in an higher and more excellent place then the other members in the body for the perfection thereof In these words I note first the fond resons of popish mysteries I note secondly that the Pope is nothing inferiour to Lucifer in pride I note thirdly that the Pope aduanceth himselfe aboue Saint Peter whose successour hee sometime claimeth to bee For herein hee cannot be content to imitate Peter who receiued with the other apostles his brethren but hee must haue a more excellent and higher seat euen while he eateth the eucharist that so hee may be as another Christ. What is this my dearest if it be not to shew himselfe Antichrist indeede The seauenth Section Of the Popish Miter WHen Moses that holy seruant of God came downe from the mount Synai hauing the 2. tables of the law in his hands his face shiâ—ed bright was as if it had had two horns as their vulgar latine text saieth For the resemblance wherof si dijs placet the Pope and his byshops must haue miters on at masse hearken to their owne glosse and then giue your censure for the mystery thereof Thus writeth Durand Mitra scientiam vtriusque testamenti designat Duo namque illius cornua duo sunt testamenta anterius nouum posterius vetus quae duo episcopus memoriter debet scire illis tanquam duplici cornu fidei inimicosferire Videri debet quideÌ„ subaitis episcop cornutus sicut Moses de monte Synai descendens The myter signifieth the knowledge of both testaments for his two hornes are the two testaments that before is the new testament and that behind is the olde which two the bishop must haue by hart and without the booke and must smite the enemies of the faith with them as with a double horne The Byshoppe must be horned to his subiects euen as Moses was when hee came downe from the mount Synai By this euerie child may see how fond the popish mysteries and ceremonies be This one thing I wil adde that if the Romish bishops shall neuer weare myters vntill they can the olde and new testament as is here mentioned the most of them
as by which he may readily finde such places soundly answered as the Papists vse to wrest against the trueth The Texts of the Old Testament GEnesis chapter 3. verse 22. And now leâ—t he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eate and liue for euer Page 1 Ge. 4.7 And thou shalt haue power ouer thy sin 361 Ge. 14.18 Melchisedech offred bread wine 419 Ge. 48.16 And let my name be named vpon them the name of my fathers Abraham Isaac 311 2. Sam. 12.14 Howbeit because by this deede thou hast caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the child that is borne to thee shal surely die 292 Iob 42.8 And my seruant Iob shal pray for you for I wil accept him lest I should put you to shame 315 Psal 99.5 Adore ye his footstoole for it is holy 326 Psal. 110.4 Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech 419 Psal. 66.12 We went into fire and water and thou hast brought vs into a place of comfort 298 Psal. 107.13 14 He bâ—ake their bonds asunder ib Ierem. 35.6 Ionadab the sonne of Rechâ—b our father commaunded vs saying Yeâ— shal dâ—iâ—ke no wine neither you nor your sonnes for euer 59 Dan. 4.24 â—edeeme thy sinnes with righteousnes 392 Dan. 9.24 Seuenty weeks are determined vpon thy people 99 Dan. 8.14 Vnto the euening and the morning two thousand and three hundred then shall the sanctuary beâ—â—â—ansed 98 Zach. 9.11 I haue loosed thy prisoners c. 297 Mal. 1.11 And a pure oblation shall be offered euery where 468 Mal. 3.3 He shal fine the sonnes of Leui. 299 Texts of the New Testament MAtth. chap. 5 verse â—6 Thou shalt not depart thence vntill thou hast payed the vtmost farthing 300 Mat 12.32 He that sinneth against the holy ghost shal neither be forgiuen in this world neither in the world to come 299 Matt. 16 19. And whatsoeuer thou shalt binde on earth c. 272 Matth. 28.20 And beholde I am with you till the worldes end 208 Luke 18.25 It is easier for a camel to go through a needles eie then c. 472 Luke 22.36 The saâ—nts are equall to the angels in heauen 338 Luke 22.31 I haue prayed for thee that thy faith neuer faile 212 Iohn 16.13 He will leade you into all truth 210 Ioh. 21.16 Feede my sheepe 215 Ioh. 21.26 Then came Iesus when the doores were shut and stoode in the middes 270 Actes 2.24 Whom God hath â—aâ—â—ed vp and loosed the sorowes of hell 305 1. Cor. 3.12 13. And the fire shall trie euery mans worke of what sort it is 301 1. Cor. 15 29. What shall they do that are baptized for the dead 302 2. Cor. 2.10 To whom ye pardon any thing I also pardon 277 2. Cor. 8.13 14. That also their abundance may be for your lacke that there may be equalitie 295 Ephes. 4.11 He hath put pastors and doctors in his church vntil the worlds end 193 Philip. 2.10 That at the name of Iesus euery knee should bow 301 1. Corinth 9 5. Haue we not power to leade about a sister a wife 220 Coloss. 1.24 And fulfil the rest of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies sake which is the church 281 1. Timo 3.2 A bishop must be the husband of one wife 217 1. Timot. 3.15 The church is the ground of trueth 207 1. Timot. 4.3 Forbidding to marry and to abstaiâ—e from meates 226 1. Timot. 5.11 12. Hauing damnation bicause they haue broken their first faith 241 Hebr. 13 4. Marriage is honorable in all 225 1. Ioan. 5.16 If any man see his brother sinne a sin not to death 310 Apoc. 5 13. And all the creatures which are in heauen and on earth and vnder the earth and in the sea c. 304 Apoc. 19.10 See thou do it not I am thy fellow-seruant 321 A Table Alphabeticall A Abels death folio 46 Abraâ—â—mâ— birth and acts 49 Popish Abstinence 59 Adam created on friday 46 Adam though hee were mortall might haue liued foreuer 1 Adams age death and buriall 46 Ages of the world 2 Agnus Dei and the superstition thereof 492 Agrippa king of the Iewes 137 Allegeance taken away by the Pope 528 Alexandra the wife of Alexander 137 Angels if they heare our prayers 337 Antichrist See Supremacie and Priests marriage Antichristian tyranny 200 Antiochus his linage 147 The Apostles when and where they preached 172 Aristobulus king Herods sonne 139 Arrius and his heresie 178 Arrius thought to deceiue Constantine 179 Augustus the name of euery emperor 151 Auricular confession 493 B The tower of Babel 48 Babylon the place of the captiuitie 26 Praying vpon beades 487 Bernard condemneth merite of workes 389 Bernard affirmeth concupiscence to be sinne ibid. Bernard affirmeth the virgin M. to be a sinner 287 The Bookes of the scripture burnt and restored by Esdras 133 The Booke of Ieremie burnt by Ioachim and written againe 34 The Bookes of the Prophets 36 c. Bread remaineth in the eucharist 335 Popish Bulles 492 The building of the Temple 28 All Bishops erre by popish grant 204 C A Camel may passe through a needles eie 472 Candlemas day 491 The Captiuitie of the ten tribes 29 The Captiuitie of the two tribes 2â— The Cardinalles hat 488 The popish Carni-uale 492 Ceremonies of the Romish Church intollerable 486 Christs resurrection 168 Christs ascension and being in heauen 171 Christs body cannot be in two places at once 436 and 169 Christs body not carnally in the eucharist 466 Christs body truely eaten in the eucharist 464 Christs body not eaten by the wicked 452 Christs passion and the houre thereof 167 Christs resurrection 168 The Church cannot erre and how it is to be vnderstoode 207 The Church inuisible and how 206 The Church visible and how ibid. The visible Church among the Papists how ibi Church-seruice ought to be in the vulgar tongue 476 Circumcision a signe onely of the couenant 52 Concupiscence sinne in the regenerate 389 Confession in popish maner when it began 509 c Confession first instituted 515 Confession in popish manner impossible by grant of learned Papists 5â—6 Confession not knowne in Tertullians time 505 Confession abolished by Nectarius 509.510 The Communion of infants 186 Communion vnder one kinde 402 Communion of priests alone 415 Consecration in the popish masse and the forme thereof 432 The signe of the Crosse 157 Councelles summoned by the Emperour 518 D Dayes 2300. expounded 140 Dayes of popish abstinence 59 Daniel preached in Babylon 36 Daniel expoundeth the seuentie weekes 101 Darius king of the Medes 93 Dauid and other kings of the Hebrewes 24 The generall Deluge 27 The Departure of Israel out of Egypt 56 The Disciples of Christ 172 The Duration of the world 2 E Eli the priest Iudge of Israel 12 Elias at what time he liued 23 Elias the Cabalist his prophecie 2 Elias knew not the 7000. faithfull reserued in Samaria 206 The elect
antecedent or preiacent matter He created man in such state as he neuer needed to haue sinned and consequently as he might haue liued for euer although he were indeede mortall For as by eating of the tree of knowledge hee sinned and consequently died euen so by eating of the tree of life he might haue preserued his life from time to time The meate of other trees yeelded food to man the tree of life as an wholesome medicine defended him from all corruption which vertue was either in the tree by some supernaturall inherent qualitie as sun drie of the auncient fathers holde or els the tree was a sacrament of Gods diuine grace by which man might haue liued eternally if he had neuer sinned as other learned writers think Which latter opinion I preferre for the better as which I iudge to be saint Austens yet the former is probable and can not easily be refeiled The second Section of mans sustentation Meate was necessarie for mans sustentation euen in the state of innocencie and it should euer so haue continued albeit man had neuer sinned for to this end did God plant so many trees in paradise giuing man leaue to eate thereof neither after sinne came any newe necessitie to eate but a speciall modification of eating was annexed thereunto for before sinne man did eate without labour but after sinne he was appointed to eate with the sweate of his browes The third Section of eating flesh Albeit the eating of flesh before the floud was not in vse as not then approued for good yet after the floud to eate flesh was granted vnto man Why it was then prohibited and after the floud granted no infallible reason can be alleaged yet two probable coniectures may be yeelded in that behalfe the one because in the beginning mens bodies were stronger and so needed lesse norishment the other because in those dayes the earth brought foorth better and more wholesome fruits CHAP. II. The first Section of the ages of the world and the duration thereof THe Iewes had a prophecie of Elias not Thesbites but one of their own Rabbins a Cabbalist mentioned in their Talmud or canon-law that the world should continue six thousand yeeres that is to say two thousand yeeres before the written setled law published by Moses two thousand yeeres in the time of circumcision and two thousand yeeres after Christs incarnation Which opinion wanteth not learned patrons for defence of the same albeit in my iudgement it cannot stand as shortly shall appeare The second Section of the ages of the world There be sixe ages of the world designed by all approued antiquitie After saint Austen the first age is from Adam to the floud the second to Abraham the third to Dauid the fourth to the captiuitie the fift to Christ the sixt to the end of the world which sixt and last age saith he cannot be measured with anie number of generations because the Father hath reserued in his owne power the knowledge of the last day This diuision of ages which saint Austen assigneth may wel be holden neuertheles because the diuision of ages into sixe before Christs first sacred aduent bringeth greater perspicuitie to the vnderstanding of the scriptures I will followe that course with other skilfull writers and make a pithie briefe declaration of the same The varietie of writers concerning the yeeres of the world vntil Christs holy incarnation is wonderfull euen so many opinions almost of those that I haue read and I haue read a good many as there be writers that handle the same After Eusebius Caesariensis the duration of the world till Christ is 5199 after the Hebrewes 3962 after the Septuagints 5328 after others 4121 after others 3929 after others 3969 after others more after some lesse This being true as it is most true indeede commendable must that labor be if any such can be found which in such different confusion shal deliuer a plaine manifestation of the trueth And because the trueth ought euer to be embraced by what mouth soeuer it be vttered albeit I seeme to swarue both from old and later writers yet let the gentle Reader affoord me his indifferent censure at least so far foorth as my iust and irrefringible probations shall euidently conuince and deserue Marke therefore my discourse attentiuely gentle Reader and then I trust this great and mighty controuersie will be plaine and easie to thee The first age The first age from the creation of the world to the floud containeth 1656. yeeres whereof for the Readers better satisfaction I put downe this plaine demonstration Adam was made of the dust of the earth in the end of the sixt day Genes 1. vers 27 31. Adam begate Seth when he was 130. yeres old Gen. 5. v. 3 Seth begat Enosh when he was 105. yeres old Gen. 5. v. 6 Enosh begat Kenan when he was 90. yeres old Gen. 5. v. 9 Kenan begat Malaleel being 70. yeeres old Gen. 5. ver 12 Malaleel begat Iared being 65. yeeres old Gen. 5. ver 15 Iared begat Henoch being 162. yeeres old Gen. 5. ver 18 Henoch begat Methusalem being 65. yeres old Ge. 5. v. 21 Methusalem begat Lamech being 187. yeeres olde Gene. 5. verse 25. Lamech begat Noah being 182. yeeres old Gen. 5. ver 28 Noah was 600. yeres old when the floud came Gen. 7. v. 6 The whole summe of yeeres is 1656. and six dayes 130 105 90 70 65 162 65 187 182 600 1656 Make addition and this summe will amount to 1656 to which adde sixe dayes before Adams creation The second age The second age from the deluge to the birth of Abraham containeth 353. yeres and ten dayes whereof this is a plaine demonstration The floud indured one whole yeere and ten dayes Gene. 8. verse 4.13 14. Sem the son of Noah begate Arphaxad two yeeres after the floud when himselfe was 100. yeeres old Gene. 11. verse 10. Arphaxad begat Shale or Shelah when he was 35. yeeres old Gen. 11. verse 12. Shale begate Heber when he was 30. yeres old Gen. 11. verse 14. Heber begat Peleg being 34. yeres old Ge. 11. verse 16. Peleg begat Rehu being 30. yeres old Gen. 11. verse 18. Rehu begat Sarug when he was 32. yeeres old Gen. 11. verse 20. Sarug begat Nahor being 30. yeres old Ge. 11. ver 22. Nahor begat Thare or Terah at 29. yeres Ge. 11. v. 24. Thare begat Abraham when he was 130. yeres old Gen. 11. verse 26. though it seemeth by the text that he was but 70. yeeres old This difficultie shalbe solued by and by The whole summe of yeeres is 315. 1 2 35 30 34 30 32 30 29 130 353 Make addition and this wil be the summe 353. A graue obiection against the supputation last rehearsed It is written Genes 11. verse 26. that Thare begat Abraham when he was but 70. yeeres olde therefore three score yeeres must be substracted from the number abouesaide that is from the
so long For from the building thereof vntill the captiuitie be onely 432. yeares and eleuen yeares after that was it burnt as is prooued in the second doubt of this present chapter The captiuitie began the fourth yeare of Ioachim aliâs Eliachim Iere. 25. ver 1. Daniel with others of the Nobilitie were carried captiues Dan. 1. ver 3. yea Ioachim himself was bound with chaines and so carried to Babell 2. Paralip 36. ver 6. Nabuchodonozor carried away into Babell Ioachims mother his wiues his Eunuches and the mightie of the land carried he away into captiuitie from Ierusalem vnto Babell 4. King cap. 24. verse 15. The king of Babell made Matthanias his vncle king in his steed and changed his name to Sedechias verse 17. ibid. The first doubt The captiuitie beganne when Ieconias was carried away captiue to Babylon as it seemeth in S. Mathew cap. 1. v. 11. And yet was he eight yeares old when he was caried into Babylon 2. Par. 36. ver 9. before which time hee did not reigne ibid. Therefore the captiuitie could not beginne in the 11. yere of Sedechias as Iosephus and the Hebrews reckon neither at the birth of Ieconias as S. Mathew writeth The answere For the manifestation of this difficultie we must obserue that Ierusalem was thrise taken by the Babylonians to wit in the daies of Ioachim Iechonias and Sedechias 4. King ca. 24. 25. By reason whereof some reckon the beginning of the captiuitie from Ioachim some from Ieconias other some as the Hebrewes doe generally from the 11. yeare of king Sedechias See the answere of the third doubt heereof I haue spoken more at large in the second chapter in the handling of the fift age The second doubt The Prophet Ieremie writeth that the Citie of Ierusalem was burnt togither with the kinges pallace and the temple in the tenth day of the fift moneth in the 19. yeare of king Nebuchad-nezar Iere. 52. verse 12. but as the booke of Kings saith it was burnt in the seuenth day of the said moneth 2. Kin. 25. verse 8. The answere I answere that the citie was three daies in burning to wit from the seuenth day vntill the tenth Ieremie therefore speaking of the end is not contrarie to the booke of the kings speaking of the originall thereof The third doubt The prophet Daniel saith that the calamitie began in the third yeare of king Ioachim or Iehoiakim Dan. 1 ver 1. but the prophet Ieremie affirmeth that it was in the fourth yeare of Iehoiachim and in the first yeare of Nabuchad-nezar king of Babell Ier. cap. 25. verse 1. The answere We must here obserue that the captiuitie the first of the three was in the end of the third yeare of Ioachim as Daniel truely writeth in rigour of supputation yet may it be well said that it began in the fourth yeare as we reade in Ieremie because the remnant in the third yeare was in effect nothing at all The second Section Of the time of the siege The citie of Ierusalem was besieged the space of two yeres that is from the ninth yeare vntill the eleuenth of king Sedechias 4. Kin. 25. ver 1 2. during the time of which siege the famine was so sore and vrgent that the handes of pitifull mothers sod their own children to be their meate Lam. Ier. ca. 4. verse 10. which thing seemeth so repugnant to nature as it were ineredible to be tolde if holy writ had not first reported it The like horror was among mothers in murthering their children when Titus in the second yeare of Vespatianus his father besieged it and manie murthered themselues because the famine was so great The 3. Section Of Noe his floud The scripture recordeth that when God saw the wickednes of man to be great on earth and all the thoughtes of his heart to be naught continually it repented him that he had created man Wherefore his holy will was this to destroy from the face of the earth the man whom hee hadde made from man to beast to the creeping thinges and to the foules of the aire And this God purposed to doe by drowning of the world with a generall floud of water Yet Noah found fauour in Gods sight so that himselfe his wife his sonnes and their wiues eight persons in all with cattell foules and all liuing things two of euery sorte were saued in the arke Gen. 6.7 Noah was 600. yeares olde when the floud was vpon the earth Gen. chap. 7. ver 6. the floud preuailed on the earth 150. dayes Gen. 7. ver 24. The floud continued a whole yere Gen. 8. ver 13. It was in the yere of the world 1656. For from Adam to the birth of Noah are 1056. Gen. 5. And from the birth of Noah till the floud are 600. yeares The fourth Section Of the building of the temple King Salomon builded the temple in the fourth yeare of his raigne which was in the 480. yeare after the children of Israel were come out of Egypt 3. Kin. 6. ver 1. And in the yeare of the world after Iosephus 3102. after others 3149. but after the exact supputation 2994. as is already prooued While the temple was a building K. Salomon appointed seuentie thousand to beare burdens foure score thousand to hew stones in the mountaines and three thousand sixe hundreth ouerseers to cause the people to worke Par. cap. 2. ver 18. The fift Section Of the abode of the Israelites in Egypt There is a great controuersie and varietie not to be dissembled amongst Historiographers and learned writers concerning the time that the Israelites were in Egypt For Moses saith that the Israelites were in Egypt 430. yeares In Genesis it is said that they were there only 400. yeares S. Stephen saith that Abrahams seed should be a soiourner 400. yeares in a strange land And yet it is very certaine by authenticall supputation of the Scriptures that they were in Egypt only 215. yeares so that we want two hundreth yeares and odde of the accompt made in Genesis Exodus and the Actes S. Hierome confessed freely that he knew not howe to reconcile these places of the holy scripture S. Chrysostome reconcileth the places thus to wit that God appointed the Israelites to abide 400. yeares in Egypt yet for the heynous sinnes of the Egyptians he shortened the time euen as he abridged the 120 yeares which he graunted before the floud vnto men that they might repent and brought them to one hundreth Neither was Niniuie destroied after 40. daies Neither died Ezechias as God had said I answere therefore with Saint Austen and other learned writers that the 400. yeares mentioned in Genesis and in the Acts must be reckoned from the birth of Isaach vntill the departure out of Egypt and the 430. from Abrahams going out of his countrie For the seed of Abraham was so long afflicted in a land not their owne as the scripture speabeth Partly in Palestine partly in Mesopotamia and
Iapheth was the eldest sonne of Noah borne in the 500. yeere of his age Cham or Ham his second sonne borne in the 501. yeere of his age Sem his third and yongest sonne borne in the 502. yeere of his age Which tradition is very probable though not altogether certaine and vndoubted for Sem is said to be but 100 yeares olde 2. yeeres after the floud Genes 11. verse 10. yet is Sem named first in the scripture because the historie of the church is continued in his line Noah liued after the floud 350. yeares and when he was 950. yeeres old he died Gen. 9. verse 28. in the yeere of the world 2006. From Adam to the birth of Noah are 1056. yeres Gen. 5.3 from Adam vntill the death of Noah are 2606. yeeres The fourth section of the tower of Babel The tower of Babel was built about 130. yeeres after the floud in the yeere of the world 1788. The place where the tower stoode is now called Babylon that is to say confusion because from thence came the confusion of tongues Ioseph antiq lib. 1. cap. 4. Nimrod was a mightie hunter and the beginning of his kingdome was Babel in the land of Shinar for there was an other citie in Egypt called also Babel Gen. 10. verse 10. Nimrod was a cruell oppressor of the people and a very tyrant so as his tyranny came into a Prouerbe as Nimrod the mightie hunter before the Lord. Gen. 10. verse 9. Before the building of Babel the whole earth was of one language but they were puffed vp with pride and sought to build a tower to reach vp to heauen that so their name might be magnified and their power vnited on earth Yet sodainely such diuision of their vniforme language was made as one of them vnderstoode not another they were scattered abroade and the tower left vnperfect Genes 11. verse 4 7 8. Nimrod was the nephew of Cham who was son to Chus or Cush who first affected empire and beganne the forme of a kingdone in Chaldea his pallace was Babel Hee was the first that exercised hunting after Noahs floud Gen. 10. verse 7.10 About this time beganne a new kingdome amongst the Assyrians by Ashur the sonne of Sem his chiefe citie was Niniueh but he builded also Rehoboth and Calah Genes 10. verse 11. Genebr The fift section of Abraham Abraham was borne 352. yeares after the floud in the yeare of the world 2008. the promise was made to Abraham 427. yeeres after the floud which was 75. yeares after his birth hee was commanded to goe out of his countrey 423. yeares after the floud Abrahams father Terah died when Abraham was but 75. yeares olde Terah was 205. yeares old when he died Genes 11 verse 32. Abraham died when hee was 175 yeares olde Genesis 25. verse 7. At the death of his father Terah he was but 75. yeeres old Genesis 12.4 Gen. 11. verse 26 32. In which age of 75. yeeres Abraham departed out of Haran Genesis 12. verse 4. The first difficultie It seemeth by the twelfth chapter of Genesis that GOD spake to Abraham after the death of his father Thare or Terah when he was in Haran And it is euident by Genes 11. that God spake vnto him when hee was in Chaldea I answere that God spake to Abraham when he was in Chaldea his natiue countrey from whence hee went with his father to Haran where he abode by reason of his fathers infirmitie vntill his death After the death of his father hee went from Haran with Sarai his wife to Canaan the land of promise accordingly as God had commanded him which resolution will be cleare if we ioyne the beginning of the 12. chapter with the latter end of the eleuenth The second difficultie Saint Steuen saith in the seauenth of the Actes that Mesopotamia was Abrahams natiue country from whence he went to Charran Therefore it cannot be that Chaldea was his countrey I answere that Chaldea was his country and that his countrey was indifferently called either Mesopotamia or Chaldea Which I prooue by two reasons First because Plinius lib. 6. cap 26. saith that Chaldea is a citie in Mesopotamia Secondly because S. Steuen Acts 7. verse 4. confirmeth the same neither doth any graue writer denie but that Mesopotamia ioyneth to Chaldea and so Chaldea being in the confines of Mesopotamia may not vnfitly bee taken for the same The third difficultie It is said in the 11. of Genesis that when Abraham went from Vr of the Chaldees he dwelt in Haran but in the 7. of the Acts it is said that when he went out of Chaldea he dwelt in Charran so it seemeth that either holy Moses or S. Steuen must vtter an vntruth I answere that that word which Moses in Genesis calleth Charran is also called Charran by S. Steuen in the Acts although the Latine vulgata editio and other vulgar translations tearme it Haran The reason hereof is this because the first letter of that worde in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is of diuers pronounced diuersly See the second chapter aforegoing in the end of the second age The fourth difficultie This is a great difficultie and worthie to be well obserued The doubt standeth thus Moses saith Genes 11. verse 26. that Terah begat Abraham when he was 70. yeeres olde In the same place he saith that Terah died when he was 205. yeeres old in the twelfth of Genesis hee saith that Abraham was 75. yeeres old when he departed out of Haran or Charran for all is one as is already saide so that by this reckoning we must want 60. yeares of Terahs age for albeit the scripture say that Terah liued 205. yeeres yet by the computation already made we cannot finde more then 145. yeeres I answer first that this difficultie hath troubled many learned men Some thinke that God would conceale the 60. yeeres that so the end of the world might be kept secret from vs. Others thinke that Abraham stayed those 60. yeeres with his father at Charran I answere secondly that Terah was 105 yeeres olde when he begat Abraham Neither is holy writ repugnant to this my answere For although it say that Terah was 70. yeeres old when he begat Abraham Nachor and Haran yet doth it not deny him to haue beene more but doth connotate the lesse by the more by the vsuall figure synechdoche very frequent in the holy scriptures See the second chapter aforegoing and the obiection made in the second age The sixt section of Isaac When Izhak was borne Abraham was 100. yeeres old Gen. 21. verse 5. Isaac was circumcised when he was eight daies old Gene. 21. verse 4. in the age of the world 2108. Circumcision of euerie man childe was appointed by God Genes 17. verse 10. in the age of the world 2107. Sodome about this time was destroyed with brimstone and fire descending from heauen Genes 19. verse 24. The promise was made to Abraham in Izhak his sonne Genesis 17. verse 21.
with all popish recusants neuer to pay their debts to loyall christian subiects This assertion because it is strange to good christian eares cannot but bee obscure and hardly vnderstood for explication sake wee must note two principles of lately coyned romish religion First that our most gratious soueraigne Queene Elizabeth and al her faithfull subiects are flatte heretiques Secondly that all her maiesties dominions with all the landes and goods of her loyall obedient and christian subiects are the Popes due vnto him from the first day of the profession of their loyall obeysance and of the true ancient christian romain catholike and apostolike faith That these be their principles their best writers doe testifie their Iesuite Bellarminus their Canonists Nauarrus and Couarrunias their Diuines Syluester and Medina their religious friers Fumus and Alphonsus with many others Vppon these rotten principles of their newe no religion they grounde their most execrable dispensation to witte that it is lawfull for all popish recusants by reason of such dispensations to withholde what landes and goods soeuer from all such as wil not yeelde themselues captiues to the brutish bondage of poperie Hereof it commeth first that so many this daie make conscience to bee absent from diuine seruice in the church who haue no conscience at all to pay their debts Hereuppon it commeth secondlie that manie repute it deadlie sinne once to heare a godlie sermon who thinke it no sinne at all to owe great summes of money and neuer to pay the same Heereuppon it commeth thirdlie that sundrie recusants haue so intayled their landes and so fraudulently away their goods and that of late yeares as no law enforceth them to pay their debts to their poore creditors Hereupon it commeth fourthly that her maiesty is defrauded her faithfull subiects impouerished the Popes vassals enriched the lawes of the realme contemned and domestical rebellion fostered It therefore behooueth good Magistrates to haue speciall regarde hereof Good lawes are established but slowly in many places executed God of his mercie either conuert dissembling hypocrites soundly or else for the common good of his church confound them euerlastingly for a greater and more pestilent plague cannot come vnto the Church then to haue such magistrates as pretend publiquely to fauour it and yet are secret enemies to the same qui potest capere capiat this kind of popish pardoning my selfe though then a papist could neuer brooke but so soone as I vnderstood it did sharplie impugne the same The mediate externall sabboth is that which God appointeth mediately by his church in the new Testament to wit the sunday which is our christian sabboth And here obserue that when I say by the church I specially vnderstand the supreme gouernour of the Church much lesse doe I exclude the same which obseruation shall be made manifest before the end of my discourse And because no veritie doth clearely appeare vntill the difficulties and doubts be plainely vnfolded I will propound in order the greatest obiections that can be made against the same framing briefe pithie and euident solutions thereunto The first obiection The Sabbatharies contend with tothe and naile that christians are no lesse bound this day to keepe the legall sabboth then were the Israelites in time of Moses law and they proue it because God blessed the seuenth day and sanctified it which sanctification was nothing else but a commaundement to keep it holy as appeareth by the declaration made by Moses Againe bicause this sanctification was forthwith after the creation and therefore as all nations are bound to make a memoriall of the creation as well as the Israelites so must all nations as well as the Israelites keepe holy the seauenth day that is the day of rest after the creation which is our saturday and vpon which day the Iewes still keepe their sabboth The answere I say first that there is no precept in the olde or new Testament by which either the Gentiles then or christians now are bound to keepe the legall sabboth I say secondly that albeit it could be proued that the fathers before the law had kept it yet would it not follow that wee were bound by their ensample this day to keepe the same for otherwise we shoulde be bound to offer vp bloudy sacrifices as they did both before and after the deluge The second obiection God speaking of the sabboth saide it should be a signe betweene him and the children of Israel for euer and hee added for in sixe dayes the Lorde made heauen and earth and in the seauenth day rested therefore all nations are bound to keepe the sabboth of the seauenth day The answere I say first that the word euer is not taken there simpliciter but secundum quid as the schooles tearme it that is not for eternitie or for the duration of this life but for all the time from Moses vnto Christ which was 1495. yeares I say secondly that though the sabboth be not eternall as it is ceremoniall which I shall prooue by and by yet is it eternall in the thing signified that is ceasing from sin and rest in God which shall be accomplished in heauen for euermore The third obiection The decalogue was before Moses and this day is of force for the Gentiles were bound before the promulgation of the law written in the tables of stone and we christians after the translation of the law to abstaine from blasphemie periurie theft murder whoredome couetousnesse fraudulent dealing and the like as were the Iewes in time of the law The answere I answere that whereas the law of Moses was partly iudiciall partly ceremonial and partly morall the morall part being the verie lawe of nature engrauen in mens hearts in the hour of their natiuities as it was before Moses so shall it endure to the worlds end but all ceremonies which were types and figures of the promises made in Christ Iesus were accomplished and abolished in his sacred aduent such was the circumcision giuen to Abraham the sacrifices commanded to our first fathers and the sabboth in respect of the determination vpon the seauenth day for it was not Gods will to continue shadowes after the things indeede were exhibited The fourth obiection A perpetuall cause requireth a perpetuall lawe and consequentlie since the memorie of the creation and meditation of Gods works is a perpetuall cause of the law of the seauenth day it followeth necessarily that the law of the seauenth day must still abide in force The answere I answer that the memorie of the creation is indeed a perpetuall cause of a perpetuall sabboth but not of a perpetual precise and determinate sabboth the reason hereof is euident because the memorie of our creation may be done as conueniently vpon another day as vpon the seauenth day thus my answere is confirmed because the sabboth which wee now keepe is not the seauenth day but the eight for our sunday is the first day of the weeke
be caried away with false doctrine But if the pastors all haue erred as you would haue vs to beleeue then in vaine did God giue pastors to his Church to preserue vs in the trueth For they that should haue taught the trueth did euen themselues swarue from the trueth and so they became vnfit instrumentes to doe the will of God The answere I say first that albeit Gods wil be one as himselfe is one willing by his owne essence and by one eternall and immutable act whatsoeuer he willeth yet is his will said to be manifold aswel of the holy fathers as of the schooledoctors And this is done for two special considerations The former is for the varietie of the thinges which God willeth The latter is for the varietie of the maner by which God seemeth to will thinges Hereupon arise many diuisions of Gods will assigned by learned writers for explication sake Some deuide Gods will into antecedent and consequent Some others diuide it into the will of signe and will of good pleasure Others into the will reuealed and will not reuealed Others into the will absolute anâ— will conditionate and the like I say secondly that though Gods will consequent and will of good pleasure bee euer accomplished vndoubtedly yet is his will antecedent and will of signe oftentimes neglected and left vndone Of the former wil the prophet speaketh in these words whatsoeuer pleased y e Lord that did he in heauen and in earth and in the Sea and in all the depthes And the Apostle saith for who hath resisted his will Of the latter we haue many examples in the holie Scriptures First God commanded Pharao by Moses to let his people go but Pharao would not obey Secondly God would haue gathered the Iewes togither euen as the hen gathereth her chickens vnder her wings but they would not haue it so Thirdly God would haue all men to be saued as Paul beareth witnesse and yet we know by the holy gospel that the greater part shalbe damned I say thirdly that Gods will mentioned in S. Paule and now obiected against my resolution is only voluntas signi his will of signe and not voluntas beneplaciti his will of good pleasure and therefore it can neuer be effectually concluded out of this text which hitherto hath euer been reputed the strong bulwarke of poperie and either dissembled or lightly passed ouer by the grauest writers that the pastors of the visible church alwaies teach the trueth and neuer swarue from the same Thus more plainly for the simple and ignorant sort When the apostle saith that God placed pastors and doctors in the church that the people be not carried away with false doctrine he neither meaneth that the pastors shall alwaies infallibly teach the trueth nor that the people shall alwaies constantly embrace the truth I proue it because the apostle speaketh indefinitely and indifferently of all teachers and of al hearers of al shepheardes and of all sheepe neither excepting one nor other and yet both ye know and we know that many preachers preach false doctrine and that many hearers embrace the same Whereupon it followeth necessarily that if the Apostle meant as ye woulde haue him to meane then Christes intent and purpose shoulde be frustrate indeede which yet is it that your selues impugne The apostle therfore meaneth only this to declare voluntate signi what he would haue his shepheards and sheepe to doe albeit voluntate beneplaciti the same be not euer accomplished This my explication of S. Paules meaning is confirmed not only by the holy Scripture but also by the expresse testimonies of renowmed popish writers Touching the holy Scripture First it is euident that God would haue al men saued for so saith the apostle Deus vult omnes homines saluos fieri Gods wil is that all men shalbe saued and come to the acknowledging of the trueth Whereby we see that Gods wil and intent is to saue all and yet doe we know assuredly that al shal not be saued For the gospel saith plainly Multi vocati pauci verò electi Manie are called but few are chosen Secondly it is cleere that God appointed good workes to this end that men should walke in them for so saith holy writ Ipsius enim sumuâ— factura creati in Christo Iesu in bonis operibus quae praeparauit deus vt in illis ambulemus For wee are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them And yet we see by daily experience that it is farre otherwise Thirdly God gaue vs his holie lawe to the intent that wee shoulde accomplish it for so the scripture telleth vs and no papist doth or can denie the same and yet haue we infallible knowledge out of the same scripture that none liuing can keep fulfil the law in al points For if we could haue kept the lawe in al pointes wee shoulde haue been iustified by the obseruation thereof and so Chrâ—stes passion and his satisfaction had been needlesse In all these places therefore and the like Voluntas signi must be vnderstood but not voluntas beneplaciti Touching the popish Doctors the Iesuite Bellarmine hath these words At fine dubio singuli episcopi errare possunt aliquando errant inter se quandoque dissentiunt vt nesciamus quisnam eorum sequendus sit But without doubt all bishops may erre seuerally and doe erre sometime and sometime dissent one from another insomuch that we cannot tel whom we should follow Out of which wordes I note first that God who caused Balaams asse to speake hath enforced our Iesuite to confesse the trueth I note secondly that there is no Bishop in the worlde but hee both may erre and sometime doth erre and consequently that the pope of Rome is either no bishop at all by his owne Iesuites graunt or els that he both may erre and doth erre indeed Which point I haue prooued copiously in my booke of Motiues I note thirdly that by our Iesuites confession euery bishop hath so many errours that the people cannot tel whom to follow and consequently that S. Paul meant nothing lesse then that the pastors and doctors of the churche shoulde alwaies teach the trueth I note fourthly that since euery auncient father both may erre and doth erre and that by popish graunt there is no reason why the papistes should vrge vs as they doe to stand to the censure of the fathers in euery thing Their owne Cardinall Panormitanus hath these wordes Nam in concernentibus fidem etiam dictum vnius priuati esset praeferendum dicto papae si ille moueretur melâ—oribus rationibus noui veteris testamenti quam papa Nec obstat si dicatur quod concilium non potest errare quia Christus orauit pro ecclesia sua vt non deficeret quia dico quod licet concilium generale
thy footstoole he meaneth not that Christ shall sit no longer on his right hand No no God auert The 7. obiection If any man build on this foundation golde siluer pretious stones timber hay or stubble euery mans worke shalbe made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shalbe reuealed by the fire and the fire shall trie euery mans work of what sort it is This fire the holy fathers doe vnderstand of purgatorie Ergo it ought not to be denied The answere I say first that all the fathers as well old as latter writers confesse that S. Paules discourse is altogither metaphoricall consequently y t no doctrine of faith can be grounded thereupon I say secondly that the old writers dissent one from another in the exposition of his text For S. Chrysostome vnderstandeth it of hell fire S. Hierome of Gods examination in the day of general iudgment S. Gregorie of the fire of tribulation in this life S. Ambrose and S. Theodoret of the fire of Gods iudgemēt others otherwise Gregorius Magnus hath these expresse words Quamuis hoc de igne tribulationis in hac vita nobis adhibito possit intelligi albeit this place may be vnderstood of the fire of tribulation which we suffer in this life Out of which words I note that although this Gregory thought there was a purgatory of small sins after this life yet did he confesse y t this place could proue no such thing Hereunto I adde that if either this text or any other had been a sufficient warrantize for purgatory aswel the Greekes as the ancient fathers would haue receiued it both which their own Roffensis denieth as is already proued I say thirdly that it cānot possibly be vnderstood of purgatory and I proue it effectually First because al martyrs go straight to heauen as al papists confesse Secondly because al such as haue plenary pardons frō the pope escape purgatory go the ready way to heauē Thirdly because Ieremy Iob. Ioh. Baptist the blessed virgine sundry others in whose passions of supererogation they build the treasure of the church and popish pardons could neuer come in purgatory and yet doth the text say that all aswel good as bad must be tried by that fire whereof the apostle speaketh in this place I say fourthly y t the apostle here speaketh of y e fire of probation but not of purgation as y e papists would haue him to doe These are y e words vniuscuiusque opus quale sit ignis probabit the fire shal trie euery ones worke of what sorte it is Which S. Austen well obserued when he wrote in this maner Ignis de quo locutus est eo loco apostolus Paulus talis debet intelligi vt ambo per eum transeant id est qui aedificat supra hoc fundamentum aurum argentum lapides pretiosos qui aedificat ligna foenum stipulam The fire whereof the apostle Paul speaketh in that place must be vnderstood to be such an one that both sorts may passe through it that is aswel he that buildeth vpon this foundation gold siluer or pretious stones as he that buildeth wood hay or stubble I say fiftly that all thinges spoken of in this text are taken metaphorically gold siluer and pretious stones doe signifie sound doctrine timber hay and stubble signifie false doctrine the builders are such as teach that doctrine the day signifieth time the daughter of trueth and the fire signifieth Gods spirit which reuealeth all trueths maketh false doctrine knowen This exposition is gathered out of the circumstances of the text it selfe out of S. Ambrose and S. Austen and out of late popish writers For their owne Hofmeisterus if my memory faile me not and their Gagnaeius also haue this interpretation in flat and expresse termes It is long since I read them and I haue not now their bookes at hand otherwise I would haue alledged their wordes I say sixtly that al such as would ground popish purgatory vpon this text are enforced to confesse and admit manifold absurdities And for triall hereof togither with that which is already said these wordes of our Iesuite Bellarmine may suffice Respondeo nos cogi ab ipso textu ad aequiuocationem non vnam sed duas admittendas I answere that the very text doth compell vs to admit more then one equiuocation The 8. obiection What shall they do which are baptised for dead if the dead rise not at all Why are they then baptised for the dead out of this place as our Iesuite Bellarmine supposeth nay as hee braggingly boasteth is popish purgatorie prooued vndoubtedly The answer I say first that great is the impudencie of our Iesuit who glorieth so much in his late Romish exposition which neither any one of the ancient fathers approueth neither yet sundrie of his owne fellowes will admit For Epiphanius Theodoretus Chrysostomus Tertullianus Ambrose Sedulius Anselmus Oecumenius Haymo and Theophilactus do expound it flatly against our Romish Iesuite and so doe also his owne deare fellowes Aquinas and Caietanus I say secondly that S. Paul vnderstandeth by those that are baptised for dead such as are at the point of death and are reputed as dead or for dead this saith S. Epiphanius is the true meaning of the Apostle and that he saith truely I appeale to the true iudgement of the indifferent reader These are the words of Epiphanius Alii rectè hoc dictum interpretantes dicunt quod morti vicini si fuerint in pietatis doctrina instructi ob hanc spem ante obitum lavacro digni fiunt ostendentes quod qui mortuus est etiam resurget ob id indiget remissione peccatorū per lauacrū Others interpret this saying of the apostle truly say that such as are at the point of death if they be instructed christiāly are for this hope worthie of baptising before they die thereby signifying that he which is dead shall rise againe and for that ende hath need of remission of his sins by baptisme This then is the true meaning of S. Paul in this place what shall they do which are baptised for dead that is which are rather reputed for dead then for liuing Wherefore are they baptised if the dead rise not againe for since they cannot be baptised for anie commoditie of this life which presently they must forsake being so extreamely sicke their baptisme prooueth the resurrection of the dead And where our Iesuit listeth to wrangle vpon the words pro illis for them it shall suffice to tell him that their latin so magnified edition is false and that in the originall and Greeke copies it is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the dead and so his cauill is not worth a figge The ninth obiection S. Paul saith that in the name of Iesus euery knee voweth both of things in heauen and things in earth and things vnder the earth but the
damned in hell blaspheme Christ ergo there be some vnder the earth that is in purgatorie which worship and adore Christ. The answer I answere that the bowing of the knee whereof the apostle speaketh doth not signify worship or adoration but that subiection which shalbe shewed openlie in the last iudgement when and where the deuilles as well as men and the good angels shall yeeld homage and dominion vnto Christ. For so S. Paul expoundeth S. Paul in his epistle to the Romaines and S. Luke recordeth that the deuill falleth prostrate before Christ and acknowledgeth his power ouer him which is that bowing of the knee whereof S. Paul speaketh Other expositions whatsoeuer are repugnant to the text The replie S. Iohn saith that hee heard all the creatures which are in heauen and on earth and vnder the earth and in the sea and al that are in them saying in this maner praise and honor and glorie and power be vnto him that sitteth vpon the throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore Therefore they be vnder the earth which truely worship Christ and consequently since the deuils as yee grant do rather blaspheme then worship Christ they that worship Christ vnder the earth must needes bee the soules in purgatory The answere I answere that S. Iohn meaneth nothing els then that which S. Paul hath vttered he vseth the figure Prosopopeia after the vsuall course of the scriptures causeth things senselesse and voide of reason to sounde out the praise of God so saith the Psalmograph Dauid All thy workes praise thee O Lord and thy saints blesse thee and in another place thus The heauens declare the glorie of God and the firmament sheweth the worke of his hands yea as the prophet saith and as the three holy Hebrewes sang fire heate winter summer frost snow light darkenesse the starres the sunne the moone and creatures blesse the Lord. The tenth obiection S. Iohn saith that no vncleane thing shall enter into heauen but many depart out of this life which are not pure ergo such must be purged in purgatorie before they come in heauen The answere I say first that faith in Christ Iesus can as well purge a man in this life as the Popes pardons and yet as your selues teach vs a plenarie indulgence will salue this impuritie I say secondly that it is a needelesse thing to establish popish purgatorie because popish pardons supplie the want thereof This is proued copiously in my booke of Motiues I say thirdly that the faithfull and elect children of God haue their cleanenesse before him in Christ his sonne with which they may enter into heauen For as S. Iohn saith they haue washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lambe who as S. Paul saith when hee knew no sinne was yet made the sacrifice for sin that we might be the righteousnes of God in him And as S. Peter saith their hearts are purified by faith yea as Christ himself saith his sacred word hath made them cleane In fine holy Writ pronounceth them blessed that die in the Lord that they rest from their labors Which being so they neither haue any impurity nor suffer any purgatorie paine The replie You all confesse that your inherent iustice is vnperfect and impure and so your vncleanenes must be taken away after this life be fore yee come into heauen ergo there is a purgatorie The answere I answere that original concupiscence is an inseperable accidēt during this life aswel in you as in vs but as it is proper to this state so is it taken away in that very instant in which our state is altered The 11. obiection S. Peter saith that God raised vp Christ after he had loosed the sorrows of hel This place saith our Iesuite must needs be vnderstood of purgatory for first it cānot be meant of the damned because their paines shal neuer end Secondly it cannot be meant of the sorrowes of Christ because they were finished on the crosse Thirdly it cannot be meant of the fathers in Limbo because they had no paine at all it therefore remaineth that it be meant of the sorrowes which soules abide in purgatorie The answere I say first that if their Latin text were sound this obiection would solue it selfe for the originall and Greeke text is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hauing loosed the sorrowes of death Out of which words nothing can be gathered that fauoreth purgatory any thing at al. I say secondly that if it were as y e papists do reade the sorrowes of hel being loosed their soules should alwayes feele paine but neuer haue an end Which cannot be truely verified of their purgatorie fire I say thirdly that the fathers whō the papists hold to haue bin in Limbo at that time did according to their owne doctrine suffer poenam damni because they were not as yet partakers of the cleare vision beatificall which Bellarmine granteth in another place and so is repugnant to himselfe But let that be deemed a small fault in a Iesuite which is thought a great crime in another man Adde hereunto that poena damni is a greater pain then poena sensus by their best popish diuinitie I say fourthly that by the sorrows of death is meant nothing els but the bitter paines which Christ suffered vpon the crosse to accomplish mans redemption For then did he properly perfectly triumph ouer death when he rose againe from death who was deliuered to death for our sins saith Saint Paul and is risen againe for our iustification And the verie words of the text next following in the Actes doe confirme this exposition for there it is thus written whome God raised vp and loosed the sorrowes of death because it was vnpossible that he should be holden of it as if S. Peter had said although the passion of Christ was so bitter exceeding great as implying the curse and malediction due for our sinnes insomuch that the remembrance therof caused him to sweate out drops of blood yet could not death possiblie preuaile against him but that he should rise againe and conquer both hel and it The replie Although the greek word in the 24. verse signifieth death yet in the 27 verse it signifieth hel and so the sense is against you The answere I answer that the hebrew word in the psalme from whence this sentence is taken is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth a sepulchre or graue and so doth your owne great linguiste Arias Montanus interpret it as if the Prophet hadde saide thou wilt not leaue my soule or life in the graue For the course of holy scripture doth comprehende our life vnder the name of the Soule so saith the Prophet Ionas therefore now O Lord take I beseech thee my soule from me for it is better for me to die then to liue So is it in the Hebrew and original and yet by
to eate their owne bread but also to weare their owne clothes that so they be no way burdenous to him And yet as our Iesuite Bellarmine and other papists woulde haue it vnderstood in Genesis the text must yeeld this sense Wee will eate our owne bread and weare our own garments and desire onely that wee may inuocate thy name and make our prayers to thee when thou art dead Which sense is most absurd as euerie childe may perceiue for first if this had beene the meaning of the women in vaine had they made mention of eating their owne bread and wearing their owne garments as which coulde neither profite nor disprofite the man Secondly these women knew not whether the man should be a saued soule in heauen or a damned spirit in hel and therefore would they neuer make such a request to him Thirdly praying to him being dead could not take away their reproch on earth Fourthly the man might suruiue and liue after them all and so their desire was in vaine Fiftly Saint Hierome expoundeth this text euen as I haue saide For these are his words Tantùm ne absque marito esse videantur subâ—acere illi maledicto quod scriptum est maledicta sterilis quae non facit semen in Israel Onelie least they seeme to bee without an husband and to bee subiect vnto the curse which is written Accursed be the barren which bringeth not foorth seede in Israel In sundry places of the Scripture the selfe same phrase is found which can not possibly yeelde any other sense and therefore most impudent are the papists who blush not to father their praying to Saints vpon this fact of Iacob Peruse the ninth chapter of Daniel the eighteene and nineteene verses where it is thus written Beholde the citie wherevpon thy name is called For thy name is called vpon thy citie and vpon thy people That is to say it is named thy citie and they are called thy people Ponder well these words of Saint Iames the second chapter 7. verse Doe not they blaspheme the good name that is inuocated vpon you that is you that of Christ are called Christians The like phrases are in Ieremie the seuenth in Esay the 44. chapter in the booke of kinges and in other places But our Iesuite thinketh the wordes aforegoing in Genesis to prooue his purpose effectually For Ioseph praied to the angel to blesse the sonnes of Ioseph But I answere that that angel whereof Iacob spake is Christ himselfe And I prooue it by other places of the same booke where Iacob calleth God an angell The angel of God saith Iacob said to me in a dreame Yet in y e verse following the angel calleth himself the God of Bethel Which God was the angel that deliuered Iacob from all euill Which God was that Christ in whom Iacob and his seed are blessed And so by conferring place with place it is euident that Iacob praied to God not to the angel Our Iesuites vrge yet another Scripture to prooue inuocation of saintes Call now if anie wil answere thee and turne thee to some of the saintes I say first that these be the wordes of Elyphas the Themanite one of Iobes frindes and therefore not a sufficient warrantize for an article of our faith I say secondly that he speaketh not of the saints departed but of the godly then liuing Whose behauiour he willeth Iob to consider if any of the godly rage against God as he did I say thirdly that our Iesuite confesseth elswhere as I haue prooued that before Christes ascension praying to saintes was not vsed The second conclusion To pray to Saintes departed is a thing at the least vaine and needles I prooue it because God is most able and most willing to helpe vs. Most able for that hee is omnipotent the fountaine of all grace and the giuer of euery good gift Most willing in that he hath not onely mercifully inuited vs to call vpon him but withall faithfully promised to heare and graunt our petitions If any man lacke wisedome saith S. Iames let him aske of God which giueth to all men liberally and reprocheth no man and it shalbe giuen him If any man sinne saith S. Iohn we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and hee is the reconciliation for our sinnes euen for the sinnes of the whole world Call vpon me in the day of trouble saith God by his prophet and I will deliuer thee The scripture telleth vs in many places that whosoeuer asketh any thing of God shall receiue and whosoeuer seeketh shall finde and to euery one that knocketh the dore shall be opened And that whatsoeuer we shall aske in Christes name we shall attaine the same vndoubtedly The 1. obiection God will often accept the praiers of others for vs when hee will not heare our selues For when his wrath was kindled against Eliphaz the Themanite and his two friendes he would not heare them but yet accepted Iobs praiers for them The answere I answere that God meant not vtterly to reiect Eliphaz his friends for if he had so determined he would neuer haue accepted Iobs praiers for them But because they had contemned Iob and preferred their owne righteousnesse God to giue a testimonie of Iobs innocencie true faith and patience and to confound the proud conceites of Eliphas and his fellowes sent them to Iob and said that hee woulde accept his praiers for them Which my exposition is grounded on these words my wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two friendes for yee haue not spoken of me the thing that is right like my seruaunt Iob. As if God had saide yee haue offended much more then my seruaunt Iob in that yee condemned him by his outward afflictions and did not comfort and solace him with my mercies And therefore doe I send you vnto him that you may know that he hath greater fauour in my sight Thus God shewed the faith of Abraham praying for the Sodomites of Moses for the Israelites and of Paule for the 276. persons in the ship with him The replie If it were true that because God is most willing and most able to helpe vs therefore it is needles and vaine to inuocate or call vpon saintes departed by the same reason it is needlesse to inuocate and call vpon the saintes liuing which yet the scripture commandeth vs to doe The answere I say first that in proper kind of speech inuocation is a speciall part of diuine worship comprehending the affection of the minde that appealeth to his grace help and aid whom it doth inuocate and so it is proper to God alone yet in a large acception it may bee giuen to the liuing I say secondly that the one is vaine and needlesse not so the other The reason is this because we haue commaundement and promise for the one not so for the other For that is neuer to be deemed vaine or
learned and ancient father to teach vs to adore saints religiously for ciuilly I graunt it may be done is to induce vs to erre with Eue. S. Ambrose is consonant to Epiphanius as who hath these expresse wordes Age numquid tam demens est aliquis aut salutis suae immemor vt honorificentiam regis vindicet comiti cum de hac re si qui etiam tractare fuerint inuenti iure vt rei damnentur maiestatis isti se non putant reos qui honorem nominis Dei deferunt creaturae relicto domino conseruos adorant quasi sit aliquid plus quod reseruetur Deo Go to is any man so mad or so carelesse of his life that he will giue to a Lord the honour of the king or soueraigne when such as are knowne to deale in such a matter are iustly condemned of treason and yet these men doe not thinke themselues guiltie who giue the honour of Gods name to a creature and leauing God adore their felow-seruants as though there were any thing els reserued for God Out of these words I note first that S. Ambrose after hee had sharpely reprooued such as worshipped images affirmeth them to forsake God that adore his saintes their fellow-seruantes I note secondly that such as adore Gods creatures be no lesse guiltie of treason against God then they that rebel against their earthly prince I note thirdly that religious worship is so proper to God as if it be giuen to his creatures nothing is reserued for himself S. Augustine agreeth iumpe with S. Epiphanius and S. Ambrose and vttereth his minde plainly in these wordes Non sit nobis religio cultus hominum mortuorum quia si pie vixerunt non sic habentur vt tales quaerant honores sed illum à nobis coli volunt quo illuminante laetantur meriti sui nos esse consortes Let not the worship of dead men be our religion for if they liued well they are not of that account that they seek such honour but they would haue vs to worship him by whose inlightning they reioice that we be their fellow-seruants in well doing The good Iew Mardocheus would not adore Haman the kings lieutenant and that not of pride malice or presumption but lest he should giue that to man which was due to God alone I say secondly that there is great disparitie betweene the adoring of a footestoole and adoring before a footestoole for your owne pope Gregorie the great sharply reproued and bitterly condemned the worshipping of Images and for all that allowed prayer and worship done before the same I say thirdly that the place truely translated is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Hebrew Bow downe your selues at the footstoole of his feet he is holie so that the sence is not to adore the temple which is meant by the word Footestoole but to adore and worshippe God in his temple at Ierusalem the place which God had appointed for his worship and therefore it is not said It is holy but He is holy Yea so is it also in the greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he is holy I say fourthly that Saint Augustine and Saint Hierome doe expound this text of Christs sacred humanitie which is as the footestoole of his diuinitie These are Saint Hieromes expresse wordes Multae sunt de scabello opiniones sed hic propheta corpus dominicum dicit in quo maiestas diuinitatis tanquam super scabellum stat There are many opinions of the footestoole but the prophet heere vnderstandeth Christs body or humanitie in which his diuinitie standeth as vpon a stoole Yea S. Austen was so far from the opinion of our late Papists and Iesuites that hee was troubled howe to vnderstand this text and that for this respect onely because it seemed to command him to adore some creature which he durst not doe these are his owne words Terra scabellum pedum meorum anceps factus sum timeo adorareterram ne damnet me qui fecit coelum terramâ—rursum timeo non adorare scabellum pedum Domini mei quia Psalmus mihi dicit adorate scabellum pedum eius The earth is my footestoole I am doubtful what to doe I feare to adore the earth least hee condemne me that made both heauen and earth On the other side I feare not to adore his footestoole because the Psalme saith adore yee his footstoole Loe S. Austen found in the prophet Esay that the earth was Gods footstoole and hee knew well that it was not lawfull to adore creatures and consequently neither the earth least he should be damned in so doing as himselfe here saith and therefore was hee sore troubled what to vnderstand by the word footstoole in the Psalme But if he had been a Romish Iesuite hee woulde neuer haue stumbled at any such thing Whether therefore we interprete the word footestoole by the literall Hebrew phrase or with S. Austen and S. Hierome it will not follow thereupon that any pure creature may be adored I say anie pure creature because Christes body or humanitie is a creature but not a pure creature For the vnspeakable hypostaticall vnion maketh it to subsist in the person of God by which Christ is aswel God as man The fift conclusion The inuocation this day common in the Romish Church is the selfe same which the Gentiles in old time did vse when they did inuocate their false Gods I prooue it because they haue peculiar saintes for their seuerall necessities to wit S. Loy for their horses S. Anthonie for their pigges S. Roch for the pestilence S. Stephen for the night S. Iohn for the day S. Nicholas for their studies S. George for their warres S. Cosma and Damiais for their sores S. Apolonia for their teeth S. Agnes for their virginity and others innumerable for the like end They erect churches to their saintes they frame images to them they carrie their images about in procession they coÌ„secrate altars to them they dedicate holy daies to them they make vowes in their honour they offer presentes to their altars and images they bestowe more y t way in one houre then on poore folkes in a whole yeare they place lampes tapers torches and lightes before their images and thinke them the most happie that so bestow the most They kneele downe before their images they touch them they embrace them they kisse them they speake vnto them they intreate them as if they were yet liuing Yea they seeme to passe the folly and impietie of the Gentiles They ascribe their saluation to their saintes and to such saintes as of whose sainthood wee may well stand in doubt They inuocate Campion Sherwin Ballard Hart Nelson and the rest of that seditious faction Alphonsus the Iesuite and late rector of the Englishe Colledge in Rome caused the organes to be sounded and all the Students to come to the Chappel and himself hauing on his backe the white
the bone of a dead dogge if it be saide by any to be a relique of a saint will drawe them with facilitie to touch it to kisse it and to adore it as if it were God almightie For which cause saint Austen saieth truely that many bodies are adored vpon earth whose soules are damned in hell Yea the dead corps of Hermannus was adored for a saint twenty yeeres at Ferrara who yet was an heretique as writeth their owne Platina The first obiection They are vndoubtedly the true relikes of true saints which the church appointeth to be adored euery where And saint Austen speaketh onely against priuate abuses of certaine priuate persons not against the generall practise of y e vniuersal church For the vse of the church is first to canonize the saint and after to propose his relikes to be adored Which church being therein directed by the holy ghost cannot erre as you imagine The answer I say first that how your church both may erre and hath erred de facto is already prooued I say secondly that your abuses are as generall as your reliques For you all teach to adore all your reliques religiously in all places wheresoeuer insomuch as your owne Ludouicus Viues granteth that many christians do sinne no lesse in adoring their images and relikes then do the Gentiles in adoring their false gods I say thirdly that your worshipping of reliques is flatly reproued by S. Paul in what maner soeuer ye doe it The apostle of Christ yeeldeth this reason because it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluntarie worship◠not contained in Gods word I say fourthly that if Christs crosse must therefore be adored because it touched Christs bodie which is the reason of popish adoration euen so ought the lippes of Iudas to be adored because they touched Christs sacred mouth This reason is inuincible if it be well vrged I say fiftly that the Pope may erre in canonizing your Saints as your owne Doctour Melchior Canus telleth you neither can Aquinas indeede denie the same And certes as the pope may erre in canonizing your saintes so may he much more erre in determining such and such reliques to be the bodies bones or ashes of such and such saintes and consequently so may all papistes adoring them commit idolatry yea though it were granted that true reliques might be adored because as S. Austen grauely saide their reliques are adored on earth whose soules are broyling in hell fire I say sixtly that when the pope taketh vpon him not only to canonize saintes but withall not to erre in so doing he doubtlesse chalengeth to himselfe the authoritie of God omnipotent and may therefore fitly be called Antichrist howsoeuer the Iesuites and his other vassals labour to defend him in this The second obiection If it were not a godly act to adore holy reliques to translate them from place to place as the church hath a long time vsed holy Moses who had Gods spirite largely would neuer haue so reuerenced the dead body of S. Ioseph nor yet haue caried it so many miles The answere I say first that the flesh of Iosephs bodie was wholy consumed and nothing left but bones and ashes For the Israelites abode in Egypt about 215. yeares after the death of holy Ioseph I say secondly that as the wicked gaine nothing by being buried in temples after the christian maner euen so neither are the godly worse for being buried in places prophane For they who die in the warres for the seruice of their Soueraigne and defence of their natiue countrey are doubtlesse in as good case notwithstanding their base kinde of funerall as if they had died at home and been buried with all pompe and solemnitie I say thirdly that the translation of S. Iosephes bones out of Egypt was not for religion sake whereof holy Writ maketh no mention but to shew his hope and confidence in Gods promise and to confirme the faith of his brethren For these are the wordes God will surely visite you and yee shal take my bones away hence with you As if he had said Haue full trust in Gods promise for your deliuerance for vndoubtedly God will bring you into the land of Chanaan as he hath said and for the better confirmation thereof I appoint my bones to be taken with you thither and for this end doth the Apostle ascribe this charge giuen to Iosephes brethren to the great commendation of his faith The third obiection The scripture telleth vs that Helcana and Anna his wife went thrise in the yeare on pilgrimage to Hierusalem Sundrie of the Greekes left their owne countrey and came to adore in Hierusalem The Eunuch came from farre to adore in the same place S. Paul himselfe made haste in his iourney that he might keepe Pentecost at Hierusalem Christ likewise with his mother Mary and S. Ioseph her husband came on pilgrimage to Hierusalem The answere I say first that God appointed his temple at Hierusalem to be the peculiar place of his externall worship and that al his people should repaire thither at three seueral times in the yere To wit at Easter Pentecost and the feast of tabernacles So that S. Ioseph S. Marie S. Anna and Helcana went to Hierusalem at that day euen as we doe nowe to the Church to heare diuine seruice and sermons And therefore their pilgrimage was honourable and highly to be commended I say secondly that Christ himselfe went not of any necessity but for our sake and to giue vs an example of obedience and humilitie For hee came to fulfill the lawe not to dissolue the same I say thirdly that saint Paul hasted thither for the gospel sake because then there would be great concourse of people whom he desired to instruct with godly sermons I say fourthly that as Iosephus writeth sundry of the conuerted gentiles as the Eunuch Cornelius and others vsed to resort to Ierusalem with the dispersed Iewes where they adored the liuing God then as we do now in the church neere at home But they went not to adore stockes and stones as the papists do nor to put religion in dead creatures The fourth obiection Going on pilgrimage is a very auncient custome and that for religion sake for S. Alexander a most holy martyr who liued aboue a thousand and two hundreth yeares agoe went for that end to Hierusalem as writeth Eusebius in his historie The answere I say first that to go on pilgrimage is an holy and auncient thing indeed as which both Christ himselfe S. Paule and other holy men haue practised as I haue already graunted I say secondly that though Saint Alexander had a great affection to see those places where Christ hadde been present and wrought his miracles yet did he neither think his praiers more acceptable in y e place then in an other nor yet thought his iourney to be any part of satisfaction for his sinnes For hee knew right well
the same I say secondly that mans will is so brought into bondage and thraldome of sinne by the fall of Adam as man before his regeneration can neither do nor once will any one act which is acceptable in Gods fight Note well the second obiection with the answere to the same The second obiection If free will after the fall of Adam can not make election as well of good as of euill then doeth free will vtterly lose it owne nature for where sinne must needes be chosen of necessitie there can be no true libertie The answere I answere that there be three kinds of libertie as S. Bernard proueth learnedly in a peculiar treatise of free will the first is called Libertas à coactione vi vel necessitate Libertie from coaction violence or necessitie for all these three are one the same with him as euery one that readeth him seriously will perceiue The second is called Libertas à peccato liberty from sinne The third is called Libertas à miseria libertie from miserie The two latter liberties from sin miserie can not be had in this life the first was froÌ„ the creation is at this present and shalbe in al Adams posteritie world without end For such is the essence nature formall reason of will that it cannot be coacted or inforced The reason is euident because it implieth contradictioÌ„ that Wil do any thing which it is coacted or enforced to do For when we do any thing violently we doe it against our wil not with our wil. If this were not so the angels in heauen should haue no free wil contrary to the vniform consent of all learned men For they haue no more freedome in heauen to sin then the vnregenerate haue freedome on earth to do wel Further then this it would follow hereupon that the angels in heauen should not be happy For what happines can it be to wil do by coaction that which they wil do and yet it is certain y t they haue freedom only to do wel if any wil hold the contrarie he must likewise hold that angels in heauen may sinne and consequently that they may be damned into hel fire The third obiection If there be no free-wil to do good before regeneration then must all the morall good deedes of infidels be sin which to hold is most absurd For to serue our soueraigne to die in the defence of our countrey to honour our parents to feede the hungrie to cloathe the naked and such like which the infidels do cannot but be good acts The answer I answer that albeit these like moral deeds be indifferent in their owne nature glorious in the eyes of the world and right profitable to others yet are they meere sins in the doers displeasant in Gods sight And I prooue it because that without faith God cannot be pleased as the apostle witnesseth Again the same apostle saith that whatsoeuer is not of faith is sin and so euery act of the infidel must needs be sin because it is not of faith Neither wil it help to say that if the said acts of infidels be not good yet are they not euil For as their great popish canonist Nauarre their Romish cardinal Caietan auouch euery act in indiuiduo must perforce be good or euil the reason therof is euident For euery act must either be referred to some end or to no end at al if to no end then it is an idle act and wee must render an account for the same if it be referred to any other end then to God it is flat sin bicause as the apostle saith whatsoeuer we do we ought to do it for Gods glory S. Austen in his fâ—urth booke against Iulianus the Pelagian handleth this question so learnedly and in so ample and perspicuous maner as none that shal reade the booke with iudgement can stand any longer in doubt thereof I wil cite one onely periode for breuitie sake Thus doth he write Si gentilis inquis nudum operuerit numquid quod non est ex fide peccatum est prorsus in quantum non est ex fide peccatum est non quòd per se ipsum factum quod est nudum operire peccatum est sed de tali opere non in domino gloriari solus impius negat esse peccatuÌ„ If an infidell saist thou shall clothe the naked is such an act sinne because it is not of faith it is doubtlesse sinne in that it is not of faith not for that the worke it selfe is sinne of it owne nature for to clothe the naked of it owne selfe is not sin but to clothe the naked for any other end then for Gods glorie is sinne indeede And it is so manifest a sinne as none but the wicked can denie it to be sin Thus did Saint Austen answere the Pelagians then and thus do I answere the papists now telling them that they are become Semipelagians herein The replie If this be so indeed then may an infidel aswel rebel against his prince as truly serue his prince aswel betray his country as die in defence thereof as wel rob his neighbour as relieue him and so in the rest The answere I answer that it is farre otherwise because although they sin in so doing for want of faith in Christ Iesus yet shal their punishment bee so much more tolerable by how much their sinnes are the lesse Neither is this answere inuented of mine owne braine but long sithence framed by S. Augustine whose words are these Sed ad hoc eos in die iudicij cogitationes suae defendent vt tolerabilius puniantur quia naturaliter qua legis sunt vtcunque fecerunt scriptum habentes in cordibus opus legis hactenus vt alijs non facerent quod perpeti nollent Hoc tamen peccantes quòd homines sine fide non ad eum finem ista opera retulerunt ad quem referre debuerunt Minus enim Fabritius quam Catilina punietur non quia iste bonus sed quia ille magis malus minus impius quam Catilina Fabritius non veras virtutes habendo sed à veris virtutibus non plurimùm deuiando But in this their cogitations shall defend them in the day of iudgement that their punishment may be more tolerable because they haue done naturally in some sort those things that pertained to the law hauing the worke of the lawe so deepely written in their hearts that they did so to others as they wished to be doone vnto themselues Yet they committed this sinne that they beeing men without faith did not referre these workes to that end to which they should haue done For Fabritius shal be more gently punished then Catiline not because he is good but for that hee is not so bad as Catiline neither because he hath true vertues but for that he is not so farre from true vertues as Catiline The fourth obiection It is cleare by the
that by writing which he doth approue at least so farre forth as mans iudgement can haue place The fyft Paragraph That the holy Eucharist is a figure and signe of Christes body and bloud not the thing it selfe that is thereby signified corporally but in a diuine and spirituall sort FOr the perspicuous explication of this Paragraph I will vse certaine effectuall and distinct proofes and that done I will succinctly aunswere to such obiections as may be made against the same My first proofe is grounded in the analogie of our christian faith for first Christ tooke our nature vpon him and that so really and truly as it was like vnto ours in euery thing sinne only excepted The former part saint Paul prooueth in these wordes who being in the forme of God thought it no robberie to be equall with God but he made himselfe of no reputation and tooke on him the forme of a seruant and was made like vnto men and was found in shape as a man The latter part S. Peter proueth in these words for Christ suffered for you leauing you an ensample that ye should follow his steps who did no sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth And S. Paule sayth for he hath made him to be sinne for vs who knew no sinne that we should be made the righteousnes of God in him Now our bodies are such as they can not with one act be made to be in two places at one time ergo the priests words can not make Christs body in a thousand places at once for if he could so do Christs body should be of an other nature then ours contrary to the holy scripture Secondly Christ sayth Ye worship that which ye know not God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth Thus doth our faith tel vs but the Papists say that we must worship God in a round cake that we must worship for God that which neither we nor they know to be God for if the priest either want intention to consecrate which often chaunceth by reason of wandring imaginations or of purpose meaneth not to consecrate or of negligence omitteth any one word of consecration then by popish religion the thing adored is but pure bread and yet do they worship it for the euerliuing God It is therefore truely said to them that they worship they know not what Thirdly Christ must so be eaten of vs as he abideth in vs for to that end do we eate him that he may dwell in vs and yet is it certaine that he dwelleth not in vs corporally but spiritualy by faith The former part is not only euident in it selfe but verified by Christ himselfe in these words he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him the latter part S. Paule proueth in these words that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith Fourthly Christ ascended vp visibly into heauen and there must remaine til the day of generall doome as our faith telleth vs therefore we must feede on him in heauen by faith and not on earth with our teeth For which cause the auncient Church exhorted y e people before the communion to lift vp their hearts vnto the Lord as if it had beene said ye must not affixe your mindes to these visible creatures but meditate on heauenly things which are promised by y e reuereÌ„t faithfull vse thereof Fiftly S. Paul saith plainly that the faithfull in the old testament did all eate drinke Christs body bloud which they could not do but by faith because Christ was not then incarnate and euen so do we eate Christ spiritually by faith not corporally with our teeth To which effect grauely said S. Austen vt quid paras ventrem dentem crede manducasti Credere enim in eum hoc est panem vinum manducare qui credit in eum manducat eum Wherefore preparest thou a belly and a tooth beleeue thou hast eaten for to beleeue in him is to eate bread wine he that beleeueth in him eateth him Thus saith S Austen euen as their owne Gratian hath alledged him Sixtly S. Paule saith that so often as we eate and drinke of Christs cup so often do we shew his death till he come but doubtles if he be corporally present vnder the accidents of bread and wine then is he already come nay more truely is it said that he was neuer gone For as S. Austen saith donec seculum finiatur sursum est dominus sed tamen etiam hic nobiscuÌ„ est veritas domini corpus enim in quo resurrexit in vno loco esse oportet veritas autem eius vbique diffâ—sa est Our Lord is aboue vntill the worlds end but yet his truth is with vs heere for the body of our Lord wherein he rose againe must needes be in one place but his truth is diffused euery where Againe the same S. Austen writing against Faustus the Manichee hath these expresse words Secundum praesentiam quippe spiritualem nullo modo illa pati posset secundum praesentiam vero corporalem simul in sole in luna in cruce esse non posset For his flesh could no way suffer according to his spirituall presence and according to his corporall presence it was not possible for him to be both in the sunne and in the moone and on the crosse at one and the same time Againe he saith in another place after this manner Videte ascendentem credite in absentem sperate venientem sed tamen per misericordiam occultam etiam sentite praesentem Ille enim qui ascendit in coelum vt tolleretur ab oculis vestris promisit vobis dicens ecce ego vovestris promisit vobis dicens ecce ego vobiscum sum vsque in consummationem seculi Beholde Christ ascending beleeue in him absent trust in him that is comming and for all that feele him also present by his secret mercie Thus ye see the flat opinion of this graue writer of this ancient father of this holy learned doctour his resolution is so euident and so free from all obscuritie as none can pretend ignorance that once read his words For first he telleth vs that Christs naturall body must needes be in one onely place at one time Secondly hee telleth vs that Christs naturall body can not bee at one and the same time both in the Sunne and in the Moone and on the crosse Thirdly he maketh the same assertion plain by comparing his corporall presence with his spirituall For he saith that the one may be in many places but the other cannot as if he had saide Christs body may be spiritually in the sacrament but corporally it cannot be there Fourthly he proueth Christs corporal absence by the veritie of his ascension exhorting vs to beleeue in him that is corporally absent and withal to feele
and that it is truely receiued by faith and spirite according to this doctrine of our maister Christ. The wordes that I spake vnto you are spirite and life Seuenthly he telleth vs that as Christ is on earth still according to his deitie so is he in heauen til the daie of doome according to his humanitie And that as he is present in his god-head till that time so is hee absent in his manhood For saith S. Austen touching the presence of his fleshe hee was but a fewe daies on earth Yea say the papistes S. Austen lieth and when he thus wrote he was a sleepe and so were the rest of the fathers that hold as he doth We affirme without scriptures fathers rime and reason that hee is carnally present at the priestes appointment in ten thousand pixes at once More absurdly then this we say that a mouse can catch Christes carnall body carry it away into an hole and there deuoure it with her teeth Of which blasphemous doctrine the great papist Petrus Lombard surnamed their master of sentences knoweth not what to say or thinke but being at his wits end what answere to make thus answereth the question without answere for his answere is answerelesse in these wordes Quid ergo sumit mus vel quid manducat Deus nouit hoc What therefore doth a mouse take when shee catcheth the reserued hoast or what doth she eate God knoweth this Lo is not this a graue answere of the grauest father amongst our popish doctors He is tearmed the master of sentences and his bookes are publikely read in their schooles of diuinitie and so of the next authoritie to the holy scriptures And for al this so doubtfull and vncertaine is their faith that when a mouse catcheth their accidents without subiects he knoweth not in the world what is become of their carnall reall presence Eeightly he telleth vs that the sacrament of Christs body is not his body properly but after a sort and that sort he affirmeth to be this to wit as the sacrament of faith is faith Now euerie childe knoweth that baptisme or the sacrament of faith is not faith properly but improperly figuratiuely and by way of signification onely Ninthly Saint Ambrose whom â—he papists thinke to make wholy for their side hath these expresse words Si tanta vis est in sermone Domini Iesu vt inciperent esse quae non erant quanto magis operatorius est vt sint quae erant in aliud commutentur If there be so great power in the word of our Lord Iesus that things beganne to be which were not how much more is it workefull that things bee which were and bee changed into another thing In these words Saint Ambrose declareth the creatures of bread and wine to remaine still in their proper nature and substaunce and withall to bee changed into another thing that is to say into the sacraments of Christs true body and bloud To this our Iesuite Bellarmine answereth in these words Non dixit vt sint id quod erant tunc enim panis manere deberet sed vt sint quae erant id est nâ—n annihilentur sed maneant quamuis mutata Hee saide not that they may bee that which they were for then the bread ought to remaine indeede but that they may stil be which were before that is that they bee not annihilated but abide still though changed To this answere of our Iesuite I say first that Saint Ambrose meaneth no other thing then did Saint Austâ—n when he called baptisme the sacrament of faith For the omnipotencie of Christs word is required of them both in both sacraments And as the water is changed into another thing that is to be a sacrament and â—eaâ—e of Gods fauor which before was but common water euen so bread is chaunged into another thing that is to be the sacrament of Christs body which was before but common bread I say secondly that as a married man is by matrimonie chaâ—ged into another thing and yet keepeth still the nature of a man and as a Bishop by orders is altered into another thing and yet keepeth still his former substance euen so the bread in the Eucharist is changed mystically and still remaineth true bread This is a good argument against the papists who defend matrimonie and orders to be two holy sacraments I say thirdly that if aliud must needes signifie an essentiall change as master Harding our Iesuite and the rest will haue it to doe then either married men haue gotten nothing by their matrimoniall contractes nor Bishoppes by their consecrations or at least all married men and Bishops haue lost the natures of men and are changed into another substance But as the Logicians tel vs these three transcendents ens res aliquid may bee affirmed of whatsoeuer is and for the order of Bishops the papists tell vs that it imprinteth an indeleble character touching matrimonie Christ himselfe telleth vs that it is an indissoluble band Touching the persons themselues experience telleth vs that they are still as truâ—ly men as they were before and consequently the word aliud may as well signifie an accidentall alteration as an essentiall transmutation I say fourthly that euerie thing is truely denominate of it essentiall forme and therefore if the substance and essentiall partes of bread and wine bee cleane gone and the externall accidents thereof onely remaine as Bellarmine woulde gladly glosse Saint Ambrose then doubtlesse may wee truely say that they are gone which were before not that they still remaine vnlesse perhappes the papists will say that the horse remaineth when nothing is left but his skin and that a man liueth after he be dead For in both more remaineth then of their wine and bread I say fiftly that by Bellarmines answere if himselfe were changed into the essentiall nature of an asse and kept still the externall figure of a man yet shoulde hee still be as truely Bellarmine as he was before and so Iesuits may be both Asses and men at once a priuiledge granted to all others of their crew The first obiection S. Austen alluding to the facts and wordes of Dauid by which Christ was prefigured writeth in this maner Manibus aliorum potest portarâ— homo manibus suis nemo portatur quomodo intelligatur in ipso Dauid secundum literam non inuenimus in Christo autem inuenimus Ferebatur enim Christus in manibâ—suâ—s quando coÌ„mendans ipsum corpus suum ait Hoc est corpus meum Ferebat enim illud corpus in manibus suis ipsa est humilitas Dom. nostri Iesu Christi A man may bee carried in the hands of others but no man is carried in his own hands How this may be vnderstoode in Dauid literally we doe not finde but in Christ wee doe it finde For Christ was borne in his owne hands when he commended his owne bodie and saide This is my body For he helde
and in the sixt day in the end of al the works of euerie day are ioyntly commended for very good The seauenth diuision Of mysticall whispering in the Masse THe Papistes thinke the cannon of their masse as it were prophaned if the lay people shoulde but heare one worde thereof for which respect and other mysticall consideration the priest is commanded to whisper al to himself Of this secrecie thus writeth their Durandus Instante memoria dominicae passionis silentium obseruat vsquedum alta voce dicit per omnia secula seculorum illud insinuans quod Iesus post suscitationem Lazari non palam ambulabat apud Iudaeos When the memorie of the passion draweth neere he keepeth silence vntill hee speake a loud per omnia secula seculorum giuing vs to vnderstand thereby that Iesus after he had raised vp Lazarus walked not openly among the Iewes Behold this lerned sermon consider the edification The eight diuision Of the colours of the habits vsed in the Masse THe papists vse foure speciall colours in their masse and this they doe to signifie to the people foure speciall mysteries as if it were by the way of Sermons For their chiefest preaching consisteth in odde mysticall dreaming The first color is white the second red the third blacke the fourth greene They vse white colours to signifie innocencie red colours to signifie martyrdome blacke colours to signifie sorrow and mourning greene to signifie whatsoeuer els The red they vse in the festiuities of the apostles euangelists and martyrs so to declare to y e world that they shed their bloud for Christs sake also in the feast of the crosse and of the innocents staine by K. Herod The black they vse vpon good Friday in y e Rogations and vpon al fasting daies at which time their bellies mourne for lacke of meate at the least among the simple sort The greene they vse vpon workie daies and at other times not proper to the rest The white they vse in the feasts of al cōfessors and virgins which were not martyrs in all the feasts of the blessed virgin in the feast of al saints in the chaire of S. Peter in the conuersion of Saint Paul in the feasts of our Lord throughout the Octaues and in the natiuitie of saint Iohn the baptist And why forsooth to signifie that the persons in whose memories such feasts are celebrated were free from al actuall and originall sinne This is the point of importance marke it wel That this is their doctrine Durand affirmeth it for them These are his words In natiuitate Saluatoris etiam Praecursoris quoniam vterque natus est mundus id est carens originali peccato In the natiuitie of our sauiour and also of his precursor because either of them was borne pure that is free from originall sinne This is the mysterie of Popish colours in which they are not content vainely to flourish like Robin-hood in greene but they must also blaspheme god making the creature equall with the creator For onely the sonne of God was free from sin as is proued in the chapter of mans iustification The 9. diuision Of Candelmas-day THe old Pagan-Romanes in the Calends of Februarie honoured Februa the mother of Mars whom they supposed to be the God of battaile The honour that they did exhibit was this they went vp and downe the streetes with candels and torches burning in their hands In regard hereof Pope Sergius inuented another like ethnicall superstition to wit that the christian Romaines should go in procession with burning candels in their hands and that in the day of the purification of the blessed virgin the second of Februarie By which feast and burning candels the Pope giueth vs to vnderstand that the virgin Mary was pure from sinne and stood no need of purgation Of which point I haue spoken sufficiently in the chapter of mans iustification The 10. diuision Of the Popish Agnus Dei. THe Popes of late time haue vsed euerie seauenth yeare and the first yeare that euerie one is made Pope to consecrate solemnely with prayers chrisme and manifold ceremonimonies certaine round peeces of waxe hauing the print of a Lambe and for that cause so tearmed With this kind of paltery stuffe this world is so bewitched that infinite numbers do ascribe a great part of their saluation thereunto He that hath an Agnus Dei about him beleeueth that he shalbe deliuered by sea and lande from all tempests thunder earthquakes fire haile thunderbolts sodaine death and from all euill If any man will not beleeue me let him reade a little booke printed at Colonia containing the order sodalitatis B. Mariae virginis which is euerie where to be sold in which booke he shall find much more then I haue said The 11. diuision Of the Popes Bulles POpe Adrian the first of that name caused his pardons priuiledges and grants to be sealed with lead which they called the popes bulles These bulles were vnknowen to Christs church for the space of 772. yeares after Christ and if it had beene still so till these our dayes no detriment should we haue sustained thereby Polydore will haue them to bee called bulles of the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by corruption of speech The 12. diuision Of the Popish carni-uale or Shrouetide THe deuout Romaines who whip themselues in Lent for their sinnes till they seeme as pure as Christ all vse a long time before Lent to gadde vp and downe in the streetes and from house to house in visards neither can men be discerned from women nor women from men they are al so disguised by meanes whereof all iniquitie is committed as their owne deare friend Polydore hath witnessed But what skilleth it a little whipping in Lent will make condigne satisfaction for the fault Yea if the rich do hire the poore to be scourged for them the satisfaction is deemed sufficient Polydore saith that in his time they vsed this irreligious madding for the space of two moneths but of late yeares the Pope hath abbridged the time Neuerthelesse the practise is euen this day most execrable heathenish and intollerable CHAP. 12. Of Popish auricular confession COncerning auricular confession I haue spoken sufficiētly in my booke of Motiues It shal now be inough to answer to such obiections as the papists do or may frame against the same The first obiection Christ commanded to confesse our sinnes when he gaue his priests authoritie to loose them for they cannot loose any man vnlesse they first know him to be bound The answere I say first that Christ speaketh in that place not of confession but of excommunication and discipline of the church which Christ promiseth to ratifie and approue in heauen so often as his ministers shall execute the same vppon earth according to his word Which sense may be gathered out of Saint Paules discourse as well to the Corinthians as to the Thessalonians I
sea by the deuils He came to Hierusalem at the feast of Easter he entred into a ship to auoid the prease of the people and sent his apostles two by two to preach the gospel He went into the mountaine when the people would haue made him king he sayled into Magedan Dalmanutha he returnd to Bethsaida came into the coasts of Cesaria Philippi He was transfigured in the mount Thabor he returned to Capernaum and passed through the middes of Samaria hee sent his twelue disciples to Hierusalem to the feast of Tabernacles and secretly followed after them He sent his messengers to Samaria the Samaritaines would not receiue them he came to Hierusalem and taught openly in the temple He sent 72. disciples two by two into euerie place whither hee would come In Bethania Martha did intertaine him In the feast of the dedication hee walked in the temple in Salomons porch euen in the winter season Hee passed into the coasts of Iewrie beyond Iorden where Iohn did first baptize in Bethania he raised vp Lazarus from death to life thence he went to Ephraim beside the desert where hee fasted hee came to Bethphage beside the mount Oliuet he entred into Hierusalem riding on an asse-colt whereon neuer man sate before he went vp into the temple and did cast out them that bought and solde therein hee returned to Bethania and went againe to Hierusalem where hee ate the Paschal lambe After supper he went forth with his disciples ouer the brooke Cedron into the Garden of Geth-semani where he praied while drops of bloud trickled downe his cheekes after his praier he returned to his disciples was apprehended by Iudas and his complices was led away to Annas first then to Caiphas then to Pilate then to Herode then to Pilate againe after whipped and scourged crowned with a crowne of thorne condemned and crucified And all this long tedious paineful and bitter pilgrimage Christ Iesus the sonne of God suffered for the sinnes and loue of man Saint Paul likewise the chosen vessell of God had a long and painefull pilgrimage for the Gospel sake For being miraculously conuerted from a raging Wolfe to bee a meeke sheepe from a mortall foe to bee a deere friende from a cruell persecutour to become an holy Apostle hee foorthwith preached the gospel at Damascus From thence hee went to Arabia from Arabia hee turned againe to Damascus and after three yeres came to Ierusalem Before which time the Iewes at Damascus tooke counsell to kill S. Paul and for that end they watched the gates day and night But the disciples tooke him by night put him through the wal and let him downe by a rope in a basket The Iews laid hands on him while he was in the temple at Hierusalem They lay in waite to kill him but the chiefe captaine cōmanded to bind him with two chains to leade him into the castle he caused him also to be scourged and examined and sent him away to Felix the gouernour hee came to Antiochia by the meanes of Barnabas where they twaine taught the people a whole yere insomuch that the disciples were first called christians in that place From Antioche he went with Barnabas to carrie their charitable almes which the Antiochians sent to the faithfull in Iudea he passed from Antioche to Seleucus and from thence he sayled to Cyprus from Cyprus to Salamis and thence to Paphus where he found a Iewe named Bariesus who was with the deputie Sergius Paulus from Paphus he wēt to Perga from Perga to Antioche not in Syria but in Pisidia and afterwarde to Iconium But being stoned at Iconium hee fled to Lystra and Derbe the cities of Lycania and to the regions round about He returned to visite the brethren in euerie citie where hee had preached stablishing the churches of Syria and Cilicia And when he had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia he was forbidden of the holy ghost to preach in Asia And being admonished in a vision to go into Macedonia he went to Troas from Troas to Samothracia from Samothracia to Neapolis from Neapolis to Philippi the chife Citie in the parts of Macedonia After this he returned to Ierusalem and being cast in prison he pleaded his cause before Felix and Drusilla his wife before Agrippa Festus and Bernice and appealing to Cesar hee was sent to Rome where afterward hee was beheaded as approued histories make relation So Lycurgus as authenticall histories record profited much by his pilgrimage into forren countries So did also the Decemuiri of y e Romans while by their pilgrimage into Greece they learned their prudent politike lawes and trained vppe their owne people accordingly More commendable then all these was the pilgrimage of y e three wise men that came from farre to adore the sweete babe that was newly borne Christ the Sauior of the world Neither for all that was the pilgrimage of the queene of Saba to be reprooued when she came so many hundred miles to heare and trie King Salomons wisedome The fourth conclusion Popish inuocation adoration visitation translation eleuation asportation and reseruation is superstitious blasphemous and idololatrical This conclusion is euidently proued by that which is already said of the inuocation and adoration of saints For if no religious worship nor adoration can be giuen to the liuing saints as is already proued much lesse may that which is contained in this conclusion be yeelded to the dead bodies reliques of the same And doubtlesse the faithlesse Gentiles haue not committed more grosse and palpable idolatrie in adoring their idols then our late Papists in adoring their relikes For first when the relique which they terme Vultus sanctus is eleuated as solemnly as their bread-god in the masse though not ouer the priests head but publiquely in both his hands the people of Rome are taught to crie aloude misericordi misericordi mercie mercie for our sinnes Which as euerie child knoweth is the proper inuocation of God himselfe Againe they doe ascribe so much Religion in handling and in touching the tabernacles or coffers wherein the reliques are put that the lay people may scarcely touch them with their bare handes or yet the priestes eleuate the same vnlesse they first adore them vpon their knees and in their surplesses with stoles about their neckes Thirdly they thinke that if their beades do but once touch those coffers they receiue a great holinesse from thence Fourthly they think that to come on pilgrimage to Rome especially is a great parte of satisfaction for their sinnes Fiftly they thinke it a farre greater holines to pray in one place then in another greater at one altar then at another more blessed in one church then in an other and that it is the next step to heauen to say masse or cause masse to be said at the church of the blessed virgin in Lauretto Sixtly they repute such holines in externall rites and corruptible reliques that