same Church so Apostolicall so Christian that me thought I saw the very Primitiue faith and practise of the Apostles and the verie rites of their Church to be in it obserued And in these obseruations I began more inwardly to be moued because as my knowledge and inclination to allow of the Church of England and to abhorre the Romane heresies and abuses increased so also my soule increased in the loue of God detestation of sinne and auoiding the occasions of sinne the loathing of this life and an earnest desiring to be with Christ whom since my renouncing of Papistrie with the Father and holy Ghost as my soule euidently testifieth vnto me I do most sincerely loue and esteeme aboue all things in this world and so fully with my whole soule heart that me thought I could comfortably and confidently say vnto it with the words of the holy Prophet k Psal 114. conuertere c. my soule be couerted into thy rest for the Lord hath done well to thee And I could not me thought hinder the working of God within me nor refuse that testimony of S. Paul the holy l Ad Rom. 8. Ghost giueth testimonie vnto our soules that we are the children of God yet so if we suffer with Christ that we may also raigne with Christ The ninth Motiue I Should heere adde somewhat largely of their pernicious The ninth Motiue doctrine of equiâ—ocation which hath beene another no small Motiue with me for my conuersion which doctrine the Ignatians haue specialy set a foote at least in practise within this kingdome they forsooth who will not permit that the Scriptures of God should be promiscuously read by the vulgar people haue in their vulgar language in Pamphlets rather libels being without name dispersed throughout this kingdome the pestiferous doctrine of equiuocation with their strange and paradoxicall half propositions Amphibologies propositions forsooth out of their r Treatise of equiuocation written or published by Henry Garnet Ignatian Logicke halfe written halfe spoken halfe concealed and why bring they not in also as well propositions of a triple difference whereof one part may be spoken a second written a third concealed and not vttered and why not propositions of a quadruple difference as part written part spoken part by signes and part by concealment and so make mentall verball written and dum or silent propositioÌ„ all in one to set vp their vaine doctrine of equiuocation Some ingenious Pontificians of my acquaintance there are who do what you can yet you cannot driue this doctrine of equiuocation into their heads but such as haue beene brought vp vnder the Ignatians and are deuoted vnto them they haue their lesson at their fingers ends Not long since there was Å¿ Iohn Koome one of these Ignatian Priests who being examined by the Archibishop of Canterburie not long before his death did not onely denie himselfe to be a Priest but also by religious oath did forsweare the same being challenged for it he excused the same by the art of equiuocation stoutly auouching that he had beene so taught by his master a reader of the societie of Ignatius and indeed it is the doctrine almost of them all that any proposition whatsoeuer is or may be allowed by the art of equiuocation the same also may be confirmed and auerred true by religious oath and yet this equiuocating swearer so ready to forsweare and deny his Priesthood was a most bitter enemie against all such as would take or allow the taking of the oath of Alleageance in any sense whatsoever I could produce many such examples of equiuocating Ignatians one I will not omit of a friend of the Ignatians who wouldfaine haue beene an Ignatian before this but that Master Strange the Ignatian lately banished * R. C. the common collector for Recusants by the art of equiuocatioÌ„ protested to certaine Priests in the Clinke cóplaining of their wants the very day before the 1000 and certain 100 of pounds were taken from him that he knew not in the world where to fetch 20 shall this man had not sorgotten his Accidence rule huic habeo non tibi I dare auouch there is no day passeth in which he doth not religiously vse this art Some three daies since the 9. of Ianuary he hath sent in writing an equiuocating super sedeas that because he was thé sicke with an il stomack for the oath of allegeance he would provide for the Clinke prisoners no longer out of the towre told him that his imperfections should not be laid vpon their order being of such rare pharisaicall perfection forsooth This man is gracious with diuers worthie persons of the feminine sexe into whole fauours he hath wound himselfe so greatly that he can obtaine one of their fauours to weare next his skinne and ouer his whole bodie a whole weeke togither yea in the time of his holy imprisonment to comfort his imprisoned corps Freshly vpon the discouerie of the damnable powder-treason it was his chance to be taken to be brought before the honorable Lord Maior of London by whom being examined vpon suspition of his person and religion and asked whom he thought to be head of the Church of England without any difficulty he answereth thus the King which his answere might well haue deceiued that honorable person if he had not more narrowly obserued some other of his answers in which he found him faultering and thereupon committed him to the Counter where he staid not long he being afterward questioned withall by some zealous Romane Catholicks how he could without deniall of his faith concerning their article of the Popes supremacie acknowledge the King to be supreme head of the Church what replieth he peremptorily I meant not the King of England but the King of heauen the truest word he euer spoke for the King of heauen is indeed the onely supreme head of the Church of England and he added that he thought in respect of the dangers of the times that he might iustly vse such equiuocation Pardon me courteous Pontifician Readers that I thus particularize this man there is more in store I doe it onely that our English Ladies and some worthie persons of the deuout sexe may know what manner of men those are to whom they commit their secrets And if he hereafter deale with some of them as he hath alreadie dealt with a verie worthie Ladie too worthy for him or any other Pontifician Priest they will haue no great cause of Comfort in him or his like I could discipher the spirits of some other equiuocating and dicing westerne Priests to conceale the rest God turne their hearts to consider the states in which they stand and vouchsafe O mercifull Iesus in t 1. Pet. 2. whose mouth was found no guile nor deceit rather to confound them then suffer them to defend their equiuocating practise by your most sacred doctrine and immaculate examples of your purest conuersation The tenth Motive TO proceed
indeede some doubtfull speeches in Caluines Institutions but if it would please them but to interpret fauourably his speeches in like for as they interpret the speeches of many later Dinines yea and sentences of the very scripture it selfe which in some places seemeth more directlie to make God the Author of sinne then euer Caluine did their calumniating spirit would bee satisfied and know that hee teacheth nothing else then what their own Christian Philosophers do teach therein of Gods immediate and positiue concurring to the entitie and nature of euery sinne and to the entitie and nature of euerie morall or naturall occasion of sinne and if hee should say that God as a vniuersall Cause doth not onely immediately concurre and intrinsecally coworke with morall second Causes in their morall euill actions as you all teach or must teach vnlesse you bee Heretikes but also that God as the Prime vniuersall and supreame independent Cause of all things doth in a kind of priority of nature also preuent and moue such morall second causes in their free morall actions beeing either of vice or of vertue tell mee is there none of your Pontifician Doctours Friars or Monks who teach the same if not farre worse who can be ignorant of this who hath vnderstood of the great * I my selfe when I was some yeere ago in Doway saw this doctrine that God doth moue with a priority of nature of causality and effectually all morall agents in all their actions printed in certaine Theses which were to be defended publikely vnder the moderation of one D. Estius who obstinately as I was there informed defended the same position controuersie betwixt the Ignatians at Doway and some other Professours of that Vniuersity the noise of which scandalous controuersie soundeth euen vp to Rome it selfe there to be determined c. The English Liturgy is most egregiously calumniated to be vaine irreligious a most slanderous imputation for the forme thereof is conformable to all antiquity is very religious and if some priuate disorderly persons sometimes minister not the Sacrament according to the forme there prescribed what of that But I haue often wondered why the speciall absurdities and abuses if there be so many in the Booke of English Common Praier as they pretend haue not been by any of the aduersaries in some special sort largely discouered and confuted considering how often and in how speciall sort the many turpitudes abuses cōtradictions fooleries of their Roman Masses haue been learnedly deciphered Commonly and daily is the Church of England calumniated for giuing vnto the Prince the Title of Supreame head or gouernor of the Church of England which yet is giuen in no other sense then to shew that very power and Supreame Iurisdiction which all Ancient Christian Emperours and Kings in the q 1. Paralipom 28. 2. Paralip cap. 17. 19. Reg. 4. cap. 18. 3. Reg. 2. old Testament and since haue euer more or lesse had in their Kingdomes to wit that for the publike setling establishing execution and administration of all manner of iustice whether in matters of Religion or other Temporall causes the Prince hath Supreame authority and that without his command or permission no man may so much as beare or wagge any rodde of any publike Iustice or gouernment But touching the ministration of Sacraments giuing of Orders giuing the power of the Keies and in or touching defining of faith it is a meere foppery to say the Prince challengeth any such matter in this Kingdome or that any such is giuen him But in al such respects he doth most religiously acknowledge himselfe to be one of the sacred sheepe of Christs sacred flocke vnder Christ his ministeriall Shepheards of the English Churche Remember I pray you how r Parsons his Catholike letter and answer to our Kings Apology Parsons admitteth that the Kings supreamacy as his most excellent and pious Maiesty most religiously and excellently explaneth the same in his Apology for the Oath of Allegeance is allowable and such as may be receiued The truth is you care not so much for what the Prince hath as for that the Pope is excluded from his gainful Supremacy ouer this Kingdom who was accustomed with his Annats Reseruations Vnions Comendaes Expectatiue graces Prouisions Presentations Nominatiōs and with infinite such like ſ 1 ad Tim. 6. nouelties of names and prophanations to corrupt all Church discipline and Religion of this Kingdome as the t Lincoln Epise apud Matth. Paris in Henrico 3. famous and holy Robert Bishop of Lincolne long agoe obiected to your holy Pope Innocent the 4. And heere to note by the way your vanities you thinke it to be eternall blemish to the Church of England for that King Henrie for loue of Queene Anne Bolleyne as you say and to be diuorced from Queene Katharine did exclude the Popes authority out of England meerely vpon fancy and passion But alas your deuise is vaine for it was first giuen vnto him by the learned Vniuersity of Oxford then Pontifician vpon this occasion which I desire you to marke There was earnest suite made by some certaine Pontificians to the Kings Maiesty to condemne Martin Luthers opinions as being the very same in many points with those of Iohn Wicleff who had beene long before often condemned in that famous Vniuersity of Oxford and by many of his former predecessors whereupon the King being desirous to see a copy of Wicleffs Articles one was brought vnto him the which hee seriously perusing found one of them to be thus to wit that the Bishop of Rome had no power nor iurisdiction by right ouer the Church of England Which when the King saw hauing at that time the weighty controuersie about his diuorce with the Bishop of Rome he seemed to like thereof but willing to doe nothing rashlie or against Faith u This standeth recorded in Oxford as M. Thomas James hath affirmed vnto me very lately hee presently dispatched the same Article to the Vniuersity of Oxford to haue it by the learned anew examined and their iudgements freely to bee giuen vpon it the which was accordingly done and the Article approued whereupon that Prince resolued by Consent and Authority of Parliament to exclude the vsurped power of the Bishop of Rome ouer the Church of England which vnder his most tyrannicall oppressions had a long time groned but by this meanes came to be deliuered from the Egyptian seruitude as the holy Bishop of Lincolne long agoe Prophesied it would And if King Henry the 8. vpon your supposed motiues did impugne the Papacy yet I pray you what greater disgrace is it to the Church of England that King Henry should exclude the Popes supremacy then it is to the Church of Rome that he should establish the Statute of sixe Articles for your Masse auricular confession c and what disgrace to your doctrine of adoration of Images because the vsurping and auaricious Empresse x Baron in
all a whole day and then make most sparing and temperate meales with a little flesh at night only With them you may cramme your paunch to the brimme you may drinke till you be drunke ten times a day if you please and yet you shall not bee reputed to haue broken your fast so you make but one though lucullian meale of Fish only in Lent and of Fish and white meates out of Lent but if you liue neuer so soberly fasting till night and then eate but a morsell of flesh a Lollard must be your name a faggot your reward O hypocrisie simulata sanctitas duplex iniquit as dissembled sanctitie is double iniquitie yet herein I must needes Apologize for some of the good simple and deuout Pontifician Women of this Kingdome who in very truth obserue sober and godly fasts for which I cannot but commend them and will be gladde euer therein to imitate them as farre as the libertie of conscience and Christian charitie may permit I haue heard a very probable narration how Robert Parsons hee who had prouided rules of reformation against These rules were most of them deuised by Cardinall Allen but hee being dead least the child should haue beene fatherlesse Parsons challenged them as his owne the conuersion of England as he speaketh vpon a fasting euening commending a kinde of order for fasting which hee had in his head and greatly taxing the libertie vsed by the English Romane Catholikes spoke thus Well said he if England be euer conuerted I make no doubt but that I shall set downe an excellent order for fasting and that stricter I hope then that which himselfe at that present vsed or else it would haue beene easie enough for that very euening for his part he eate vp a prettie boxe of marmalet And here by the way I must needes say that I haue seene in that man more care of dyet then euer could iustly bee obiected against Caluin whome the Pontificians so calumniate for his spiced bread and purestwines But surely Caluin could not bee iustly taxed more for his bellie then this man might be But that you may know how many of the Pontifician Priests keepe their fasts heare what I also haue most credibly heard There commeth a certaine Formall Priest to a certaine Ladies one fasting euening for his entertainement shee prouideth some two or three sorts of fruits yet withall seemeth to excuse herselfe that it was no better this is well Madame somwhat solemnely replieth the Priest but at such a Ladies said hee wee haue seuen or eight seuerall dishes vpon fasting nights c. but enough of these their Apostolicall fasts for my part I condemne none I wish my whole heart more fasting were vsed by such as are able whose weakenesse requireth such fauourable fasting but I vtterly condemne the hypocrisie of their Doctors who challenge their fasts only to be Apostolicall and Christian whereas it is most euident that they are nothing lesse then such and no where worse then in Rome the inerrable See The third Law THat there are permissiue and toleratiue lawes for houses of prostitution in some Papisticall Countries I doe not so much admire although they are vtterly to bee condemned considering the circumstances of those Countries and dispositions of the people but that in the Citie of Rome the Mother-Citie the Mother-Church in the Citie of the Apostolicall See there should be publike tolleration and Papall permission with a ciuill protection both of bodies and goods of such impudent prostituted Queanes that is wonderfull but more wonderfull and most intollerable that the only Vicar of Christ the Suffragane of the blessed Trinitie the Vice-God of earth should receiue tole out of such a Faire of prostituted Whores but most execrable it is that through permission of such abhominations the hearts of Cardinalitian and Papall Courtiers are so linkeed with those infamous persons that they cannot liue without them I will not speake of the Clergies impuritie St. Bernard shall speake for mee in their behalfes p Bern. lib. 4. de considerat c. 2. serm ad Pastores in Synod charging them with keeping of Queanes in their priuate chambers But heare how the soules of those lasciuious Courtiers and Romanes are glewed to those filthes When Pius Quintus a man of many morall good parts endeuonred seriously to purge Rome of that sinke by banishing the Whores from out of the Citie with them he droue away so many of the Courtiers so many of ignoble Nobles so many of the voluptuous Citizens that Rome seemed almost naked and dispeopled so that thereupon the irresolute Pope by a conniuencie was content to permit the filths to returne againe to their old trade in Rome the Roman Bishops to receiue stil their customary tribute for that wicked liberty impurity O most abhominable most filthy purpured city thy sinne is preached abroade like that of Sodome and Gomorrhe and thou art not ashamed Frons meretricis facta est tibi thou hast gotten the forehead of a strumpet shew me the like abhomination amongst the reformed Churches You pretend many great matters but doubtlesse in comparison of their Rome the very serrals of Constantinople Adrianople are pure and chast yet who will excuse or defend the impurities of any reformed Churches not I amendment will be the best defence God grant it The fourth Law HOw wicked and sacrilegious is that law of theirs by which they will not vpon any extremitie whatsoeuer celebrate or say any Masse without their Altar stones Altar-clothes Corporals or Candels c. And although they almost all hold that to receiue the Sacrament at the houre of death is absolutely necessarie necessitate precepti vnder necessitie of precept yea and as my Master Vasques in Rome with diuers others held that it is necessarie necessitate medij by necessitie of meane like as faith is without which by Gods ordinarie power it is not possible for any one to be saued yet forsooth they must and will let their sheepe goe out of the world without this Sacrament if so be they want either Masse Vestiments or Altar stones or Altar clothes to say their Romane Masse withall O vaine Traditions of men against the Commandement of God is it not here most manifest that r Math. 15. irritum fecerunt c. they haue made voide the Commandement of God for their owne Traditions their owne Traditions I said for there is not one of them who can shew any authenticall record that either St. Peter or any of the Apostles or any of the Primitiue Priests vsed at celebration of the diuine mysteries massing Vestments Altar stones burning lights c. it were a meere toy to challenge these thinges to bee Apostolicall which they cannot otherwise proue then either out of some counterfait Martiall or Abdias or else the commentitious Pontificall as they pretend of Damasus whereof the Author is not yet certainly knowne and if he were knowne yet their owne Cardinals and Doctors haue pared so