Obedience With their equiuocations and mentall referuations which they take to bee lawfull they deceiue not onely priuate men but also publike Magistrates affirming denying and swearing what they list without any scruple of Conscience especially if they take the Iudge to be incompetent or themselues not bound to answer Neither doe they thinke it vnlawfull to murther Excommunicate persons being moued with zeale toward their mother the Church c. Excommunicatorum 23. q. 5. The Conuenticle of Constance giueth them libertie to breake their Oathes made with Heretikes And the Pope if any be more scrupulous then other doth easily dispense with them in cases of Periurie For Heresie they account it meritorious for Parents to bring word to burne their Children condemned for heresie and for Children to doe the like to their Parents They permit for the same cause Wiues to depart from their Husbands and husbands from their wiues Neither doe they make any scruple either to defraud their creditors or to spoyle good Christians if they be censured as Heretikes As Mariana and Philopater teach They forbid their Masse-Priests Monkes and Friers to marrie yet cannot they keepe them out of Brodels Nay they forbid not publike Stewes albeit they thinke it a great sinne for Votaries to marrie Before Marriage consummated they giue permission to either of the parties that are publikely married to betake themselues to a Monasticall life The law of God teacheth Children to honour their Parents But the law of the Popes Alchoran permitteth Children either to marrie without their Parents consent or to forsake their parents and to enter into a Monastery For Prisoners to breake prison and to breake their word and oath giuen to the Gaoler they hold to be no sinne And this is a common practise of Masse-Priests and their disciples in England They thinke it a small sinne to steale things of small value and to curse and blaspheme if it be done without premeditation They teach that Penance is not needfull for veniall sinnes and that such offences are done away by knocking of the brest or by the Bishops blessing or sprinkling with Holy water As if Christ had not made satisfaction for mens sinnes they teach that all must satisfie for sinnes committed after Baptisme eyther in this life or in Purgatorie Nay albeit sinnes be remitted yet they hold that euen iust men must satisfie for the penaltie of sinne As if debtors were to pay after the Obligation is taken vp and they which owe nothing were to make payment They teach there are 4. Stages or receptacles in Hell to wit The 1. of the Damned the 2. of Purgatorie the 3. of Children dying before Baptisme the 4. for the soules of the Patriarkes before Christs ascention But let them beware they make not their Disciples to doubt of Hell as their proofes for the other 3. places are weake and doubtfull and make men deny them The wise-man Sap. 3. saith The soules of the just are in the hands of God and that no torment toucheth them Are they then wise that cast iust men into the fire and torments of Purgatorie By Masses and Indulgences and Almes they say Soules are drawne out of Purgatorie as if S. Peter and ancient Bishops of Rome had sung Masses and granted Indulgences to Soules in Purgatorie or Soules might be freed out of Hell which comprehendeth Purgatorie Christ say they instituted Indulgences but they know not where The Conuenticle of Trent sayth also they are wholesome and profitable but the Germans in Grauam 3. denie it In the Taxe of the Popes Chamber there is a Rate set downe what is to be payd for Incest Periurie Parricides and all sinnes From the Iewes they borrow Altars Priestly Orders and Apparrell burning of Incense offering of Paschall Lambes and such like Traditions Sacrifices for the Dead Purgatorie consecrated Water and such like seeme to proceed from the Gentiles rather then from the later Iewes Because Peter had the Keyes of the Church committed vnto him the Pope inferreth that he hath power to make Lawes to dispense against Law to dispense with persons periured to dissolue Matrimonie and to depriue Princes of their Crownes Monkes and Fryars albeit they liue wickedly yet boast of their workes of supererogation and hold their profession to be a state of perfection Generally they establish their iustice of Workes and inherent Charitie the iustice of God in remitting sinnes and imputing vnto vs Christs iustice they regard not And least any man should except against them for this wicked Doctrine they giue out that the Pope defining ex Cathedra cannot erre and that the Church of Rome is the ground and pillar of Truth matters most absurd and false Finally vnlesse the Apostate can proue that these Doctrines which are aboue specified are Catholike himselfe must needes confesse that neither the Papists are Catholikes nor their Faith Catholike or true CHAP. IIII. The Examination of the Apostates Title page and his Epistle dedicatorie THus hauing declared that S. Austine either knew not the Apostates Popish religion or else oppugned it and that Papists cannot by any meanes be esteemed Catholikes beleeuing and teaching as they doe it followeth now that we enter into the listes with this Confessionist and examine his whole proceedings In the fore-front and title Page of his booke he promiseth a Translation of S. Augustines Confessions But how foolish he was and euill aduised to vndertake this worke both that holy Father himselfe and this Discourse ensuing will declare I haue also partly touched this point heretofore Here it will be sufficient to remember that hee maketh his Confessions to God onely and not to Angels or Saints or to the Virgin Mary as this idle fellow and his mates vse to doe He maketh his sinnes knowne to God these fellowes thinke they are bound to confesse all their sinnes in the Priests eares All his deuotion was to God who could forgiue sinnes this Apostates deuotion is toward the Virgin Mary and to Saints to whom if hee be in his right wits he will not giue power to absolue him from his sinnes Hee consecrated his confessions to God this Apostate doth consecrate himselfe and his translation to the Virgin Mary A translation I say so idle false malicious and full of errours that he durst not set his name vnto it Which I take to be done with some cunning the man percase meaning to deny it Hee vaunteth that his large Preface will make the Booke more profitable and pleasant But it had beene farre better if it had beene shorter for of harsh and foppish Prefaces the shortest are best His Discourse is full of obseruations false vnpleasant full of poyson and hurtfull if any of his readers bee so foolish as to giue eare and credit vnto them For his Motto or word hee setteth downe this sentence Cibus sum grandium I am meat for the strong grow and thou shalt eate mee As if his translation and notes were meat for great men and sit to bee deuoured of
but this may serue for a tasse in the interim vntill we discourse hereof more particularly in the second Chapter of the Treatise following Now this is sufficient to shew the falsitie and pouertie of the Translator and his Notes and Obsernations vpon S. AVSTINES Confessions wherein most simply and weakely hee endeuoureth to make that worthie Father of his partie Quid est egere sayth S. AVSTINE de Vit. Beat. And he answereth Sapientiam non habere And againe he sayth Nihil est aliud habere egestatem quam habere stultitiam So that by Saint AVSTINES iudgement this man being void of Wisdome and full of Foolerie is but a poore Translator wracking himselfe vpon S. AVSTINE vpon whom he meant to lay the ground of his foolish and vaine Religion Therein also we may percciue how vainely our Aduersaries boast of Fathers and especially of S. AVGVSTINE who in all important matters of Faith are directly opposite vnto them But leauing all further preambular speeches we will now begin to handle such matters as the rinegned Translator doth principaelly insist vpon THE VNMASKING of a Masse-monger WHO In the counterfeit habit of S. AVGVSTINE hath cunningly crept into the Closets of many English Ladyes OR The Vindication of S. AVGVSTINES Confessions from the false and malicious Calumniations of a late noted Apostate CHAP. I. That S. AVSTINE neuer knew either the Decrees of the conuenticle of Trent enacted against vs or that part of the Romish Religion which the Church of England admitteth not and which the Apostate and his consorts hold to bee Catholicke MVch doe our Aduersaries insist vpon the name of Catholikes and title of the Catholike Church So doe also all other Heretikes as saith Lactantius lib. 4. Diuin instit c 30. Singuli quique haeriticorum caetus se potissimum Christianos suam esse ecclesiam eatholicam putant But if that be Catholike which at all times of all Christians and in all places hath beene holden as Vincentius Lirinensis aduers haeres teacheth vs then certes the Doctrine of the Church of Rome is not Catholike In the judgement of S Augustine it cannot be accompted either Catholike or soundly Christian For first S. Austine referreth himselfe in all matters of faith to holy Scriptures and speaketh most reuerently of them Canonica scriptura veteris noui Testamenti saith he Lib. 11. contr Faust c. 5. Est in sede quadum sublimiter constituta cujus authoritati seruiat omnis fidelis pius intellectus Hee placeth their Authoritie aboue all Councels Fathers and Popes and would haue all pious Christians to submit their vnderstanding vnto them but such as rayled vpon them and called them a dead and killing letter and said they were imperfect obscure ambiguous and flexible he neuer did acknowledge to be Catholikes or Christians He neuer beleeued nor knew the traditions of the Church of Rome concerning the consecrating of Crosses and Images their greasing and crossing of Altars their-hallowing of Churches with oyle holy-water and ashes their consecrating of paschall Lambes Salt Holy-water Ashes the baptizing of Bells the blessing of Priests garments the mysseries of the Masse their shauing and greasing vsed in giuing Orders nor the rest of their traditions He beleeued not that traditions not written were to be receiued with like affectiō as we receiue holy Scriptures Nay contrary he gaue the highest place to Canonicall Scripture That traditions should be added to the rule of Faith was more then he could euer imagine Sancta scriptura saith he Debon viduit c. 1. Nostrae doctrinae regulam figit Holy Scripture giueth vs a fixt and certaine rule And l. 2. con Donatist He accounteth the Scriptures to be a diuine ballancer wherein Doctrines may be justly weighed But other ballancers he accounteth deceitfull Non afferamus stateras dolosas saith he Vb◠appendamus quod volumus quomodo volumus pro arbitrie nostro dicentes hoc graue hoc leue sed afferamus diuinam stateram de Scripturis sanstis tanquam de the sauris Dominicis in illa quid sit grauius appendamus imò non appendamus sid à Domino appensam recognoscamus The Church of Rome beleeueth that the old vulgar Latine translation of the Bible is authenticall and neither the Hebrew text of the old nor the Greeke of the new Testament But S. Austine gaue no such credit to that or any other tranflation Nay contrary lib. 15. de ciuit D.c. 13. hee preferreth Originals before all Translations Ei linguae potius credatur saith hee vnde est in aliam per interpretes facta translatio And lib. 2. de doctr Christ c. 11. He would haue men to haue recourse to the Hebrew and Greeke text for the variety of Translations Lib. 2. de doctr Christ c. 15. he saith Translations ought to giue place to the Greeke text of the New Testament To come to the Pope who is the founder of the grand Idoll of the Masse and the Oracle from whom his followers deriue the certainty of their Romish traditions S. Austine neuer knew the man Nay if any man in his time had said that the Bishop of Rome had two Swords and power to depose Kings and dispose of their Kingdomes and that he was the Vniuersall Bishop of the Church the head foundation and Spouse ministeriall of the same and finally that hee was the supreame judge of Faith and had Authoritie to make new Articles of the Faith doth any man thinke that so holy and wise a man could haue contained himselfe within the limites of patience hearing such monstrous Paradoxes The Schoole doctrine concerning Merites of congruitie and condignitie Iustice by workes bodies being in many places at once and filling no place accidents nourishing like substances and yet subsiding without any subiect Popish dispensations for all flagitious sinnes Diuels tormenting just mens soules in Purgatory satisfactions for sinne by Whipping and going Bare-foot washing away sinnes with Holy-water and expiating them by knocking the brest and the Priests blessing and such other Schoole-points were not knowne to S. Austine nor heard of in his time All the authenticall Doctrine of the Romish Synagogue is contayned in the Popes decretals and decrees and was published and confirmed in the second Nicene Synode in the assemblies of Laterane Constance Florence and Trent How then could that holy Father know a Faith that was so long after his time established Could he Prophecie that the men of Trent would decree that Christians should be justified by the Popes law That the Images of the Trinitie should bee worshipped with Latria That Saints and Angels should be inuocated That men should beleeue Transubstantiation auricular Confession seauen Sacraments and such like late doctrines S. Austine lib 11. contr Faust c. 5. Would haue all pious vnderstanding made subiect to the high authority of Scriptures Neither did he beleeue that the same might be confirmed by any mans writing Is it then likely that he should teach or thinke that Scriptures in respect of vs receiued their
there is no mention of Centre or Circumference neyther is God in the lowest place as a Centre but filleth all things with his presence And where S. Austine sayth Exarsi aliquando satiari in inferis in adolescentia he turneth it thus I did sometimes burne with a kind of hellish desire to be satisfied as if Hell were nothing but hellish desires And commenting vpon the second Booke and second Chapter he sayth in his Marginall Note That Virginitie is a better disposition to receiue Diuine consolation then the state of Marriage But S. Austine talketh nothing of this disposition nor do Popish Votaries that forsweare Marriage eyther attaine to perfect chastitie or receiue the Diuine consolations he speaketh of nay Abraham Isaac Iacob Moses and other marryed men receiued more consolations from God then all the packe of vnmarryed Popes Monkes and Fryars These words Lib. 2. c. 3. Et volutabur in caeno eius tanquam in Cinamomis Vnguentis praetiosis he translated thus And I weltred in the myre thereof as if I had beene regaled in a Bed of Spices and precious Odours as if there were no Spices but Cinamon and Oyntment did signifie Odours Would he not be anoynted with Hogs-dung for corrupting the Text and bastonaded with a Ruler which maketh an English word of a Spanish and thrusteth it into the Translation without warrant of the Text Lib. 2. c. 4. S. Austine thought himselfe in the bottome of the Deepe remembring he had stollen his neighbors Peares But the Apostate and his Teachers account such sleight matters veniall sinnes and say they are done away with knocking the breast and holy water Hee translateth also these words in imo Abyssi in the bottome of Hell as if God redeemed soules out of Hell and Purgatorie Seruus fugiens Dominum consequut us vmbram Lib. 2. c. 7. he translateth a slaue flying his Lord and finding nothing to lay hold vpon but a shadow Where many words are redundant and the meaning not attained for S. Austines meaning is that a slaue flying and obtaining a shadie place had but a small rest Quis audet viribus suis tribuere castitatem innocentiam suam sayth S. Austine Lib. 2. c. 7. But this Apostate translateth it pedantically thus Who dares presume to entitle himselfe to the vertue of his chastitie and innocencie quite beside the Text and this of purpose least S. Austine should seeme to condemne his cooperations and that power of Free-will which Pelagianizing Papists maintaine Veni Carthaginem circumstrepebat me vndique sartago flagitiosorum amorum sayth S. Austine Lib. 3. Confess c. 1. But the Apostate durst not note any thing vpon the place because comming to Rome he was boyled in a Frying-pan of impure flagitious Lusts and reboyled againe in Cornelius Tub and yet confesseth nothing as did that holy Father S. Austine Lib. 3. c. 3. speaketh of certaine Companions called Euer-sores or ouer-turners of Ciuilitie a cruell and diuellish name yet not so cruell as the name of a Traytor and Apostate and a hyred slaue of Antichrist He compareth them to roaring Boyes and Wittes but English turned Italian and Spanish are farre more cruell and diuellish In the Margent of the fift Chapter he noteth that there is great difficultie in vnderstanding holy Scriptures but quite contrarie to that holy Fathers meaning for he sayth they profit such as are little ones and humble albeit they be not vnderstood of the proud and ignorant such as the Pope is that presumeth he cannot erre and such as his Disciple here is that with vnwashen hands and feet falleth vpon handling holy Scriptures The Manichees as the Translator sayth in his Notes vpon the 3. Booke of Confess c. 6. professed to beleeue the three Persons of the holy Trinitie But in the Text of S. Austine there is no such matter nay contrarie hee sayth their heart was void of all truth But did they beleeue some truth yet destroying the humanitie of Christ and forbidding Marriage to their elect Priests and not receiuing the Cup in the Sacrament and holding diuers other lewd fancies they were grosse Heretikes Likewise are the Papists who albeit they hold the Apostles Creed yet hold these Manichean Heresies and those of the Simonians Carpocratians Angelikes Collyridians Staurolatrians and others They teach also the fictions of Bodies which haue no being at all as S. Austine reporteth of them Lib. 3. c. 7. S. Austine confesseth he was perswaded to yeeld to foolish Deceiuers which he lamenteth Lib. 3. cap. 7. Yet this Apostate sorroweth not that he hath abandoned the Apostolike Faith and yeelded to seducing Masse-Priests and Iesuwides teaching the Heresies aboue mentioned and diuers others onely he noteth them to be Atheists which as it seemeth dislike that the Pope should allow that in one Age which is vnlawfull in another Flagitious sinnes against nature S. Augustine Lib. 3. Conf. c. 8. detesteth He sayth also it is a generall agreement of humane socictie to obey Kings Yet Popes disturbe this generall agreement forbidding men to obey Kings excommunicate and his marked slaues clayme exemption from this obedience And many forswearing Marriage fall into these enormious and flagitious sinnes Gladly would the Apostate cap. 8. excuse his companions who in their Catechismes leaue out the second Commandement against I dols or grauen Images But first S. Austine leaueth out nothing secondly more Father diuide the Commandements into 4. in the first Table and 6. in the last then into 3. and 7. Thirdly these words 3. and 7. seeme to haue crept into the Text hauing no connexion with other words In the 3. Booke and 9. Chap. the Apostate noteth that in the Catholike Church there is no danger of indiscretion in doing Penance But first most absurdly he doteth where he reputeth the Pope Cardinals Masse-Priests Monkes and Fryars to be the Catholike Church S. Austine certes doth not talke of Popish Penance in whipping themselues and lying on the ground or on Ropes Noli esse vana anima mea obsurdescere in aure cordis sayth S. Austine Lib. 4. Confess c. 11. And hereupon the Translator noteth That sinne maketh vs deafe to the voyce of God We may therefore well esteeme by his owne confession what the cause is why he heareth not the voyce of God but rather heareth and followeth the call of Satan drawing him away from the truth his heart is deafe in hearing the Word his soule foolish in obeying the voyce of Antichrist and delighting in forraine and strange fashions He talketh also here of the Centre of Rest corrupting his Author himselfe being not only out of the Centre but also all the Circumference of Rest In the Margent he noteth as an absurditie that any should preferre the part before the whole and yet he and his fellowes doe preferre the Pope before the Cardinals and Priests and before the whole Romish Church Lib. 4. cap. 16. When we relye on our selues sayth the Translator our strength is nothing but meere