though there were no saluation but by bloud and as though blessed Maries milke had no merit at all It seemes that as thou wert a persecutor and delighted in bloud afore thy conuersion so thou beares still a bloudy mind but now behold these meeke milde and mercifull men the Iesuits a generation that loues no cruelty nor seekes to shed no bloud as most nations Witnesse in England the Powder treasoÌ„ In France the last Kings death the present wars in Sweden and broyles in Poland c. of the world can well beare witnesse these sweete and gracious fathers being possessed with a better spirit are weary of bloud and do rather choose and desire milke to quench the spirituall thirst of their soules If they would vtter what their prophane harts think or discouer openly what they mutter amongst themselues we should here them publish euen such diuinity as this is a taste whereof besides the present poems you shall read anon But now for his conclusion this blaspheming Iesuite dare proceede and turne his speech to God and not fearing the commaundement that forbids him to take Gods Name in vaine vnder paine of standing guilty at the barre of Gods iustice hee dare offer to abuse the name of God with such a prayer as this O Lord thou must pardon mee though I cry aloud for it is not bloud will serue my soule I long for milke and am so a thirst that I may not keepe silence and why Lord shouldest thou so long keepe me a Peâ—ioner in this case I am better then the nayles yet they had bloud inough I am not so vile as clouts yet they wanted neither milke nor bloud What kind of men are these Iesuits or what a God is their God to whom they dare present such a prayer as this surely they thinke as basely of him as they doe highly of themselues or else they neuer durst thus insult ouer him thus abuse him as after he hath told them plainely that his bloud is drinke indeed and commanded them that are a thirst to come and drinke of that well of water Iohn 6. 55 Iohn 7. of life to come and tell him to his face that their soules thirst for milke they must haue it belike these crawling frogs thinke that they haue such a God as they may leape and play vpon at pleasure But O thou that dwellest in heauen langh them to scorne haue them and their wickednesse in derision and either worke them to repentance and visible conuersion or bring them to vengeance and iust confusion The Iesuite concludes with a comparison of himselfe to body and the cloaths that toucht him in his infancy and death indeed the first comparison is not much vnequall for the Iesuits are most like to nayles launces in Christs body for seeing the holy Ghost tells vs that wicked men by their sinnes did and doe pierce Christ then the Iesuites who by their Atheismes cruelties periuries equiuocations treasons and manifold impieties haue beene sharper nayles and launces in Christs body and greater dishonorers of his Religion then any other sort of men if the voyce of all Christendome the testimony of their owne brethren be true theÌ„ the Iesuits I say are not vnfitly resembled to nayles launces and indeed they are thornes in the eyes and pricks in the side of all princes and states where they come lesse maruell though they be like the nailes and speare in Christs body therefore let the Iesuit please himselfe in this comparison as long as he will we enuy it not But for the second that hee is better then the clothes that were about these two blessed bodies I say but this that either the Iesuits are farre more holy then the Prophet Esay or els he farre more humble in his owne eyes then they for he professeth in his owne the churches name that they were no better then the filthiest clout that euer was euen a menstruous cloth But saith the Iesuit I am better then the best cloth that euer was for though wee hold that God hath giuen lasting vertue to his Word and Sacraments but none that we know to rags or clouts yet we acknowledge that as farre as clothes may one excell mother those that touched the bodies of our Loid and his mother are the most precious and if we could be sure wee had them we would esteeme them aboue cloth of gold we therefore wonder how a man comming before the Lord his God dare in his prayer make himselfe better then those clothes especially hearing the Prophet cry before him O Lord all our righteousnesse is like a menstruous clout If our best be so filthy what is our nature what is our sin if he answer that this is but a cauill for he meanes that he being a man he is therefore capable of grace and saluation which the cloathes are not I thinke so also But why then doth hee enuy that milke and bloud should touch them If he meane the materiall and reall milke and bloud that were in the bodies of Christ and his mother then he is more then mad to enuy the nayles the launce the clouts for that they did touch them and yet he cannot and if he complaine that he may not we aske him why then did not the Apostles take more carefull order to gather vp and preserue that milke and bloud or if they did not at least why did they not complaine of the want of them as he doth heere surely either they had too little deuotion or the Icluirs too much superstition But if he meane the vertue merit and efficacy of the bloud and milke then let him answere vs two short questions First what spirituall vertue and power had that milke what did it worke in our saluation more then the milke of another woman could what did it merrit for vs what the bloud did we know and most willingly do acknowledge but what the milk did or can do if the Iesuites can tell and teach vs wee will not refuse to learne But supposing that it had as much vertue as the bloud as the Iesuite affirmes but farre be it from vs once so to thinke then secondly wee aske him whether he thinke the Nayles Launce and Clouts were partakers of the vertue and merrit of that bloud if he do let him shew where he receiued such diuinity if not then to what end complaines he to God in such a fashion Lord I am better then the Nayles and Clouts and yet they had Bloud and Milke inough but I dye for thirst If this be not to take Gods name in vaine and that in a high measure we appeale to all Christian men of reasonable iudgement And thus at last are we come to an end of this Iesuiticall Gospell the impiety whereof I now remit to the censure of the Christian world And for my conclusion least any should say that this is but one priuate Iesuits deede and therefore may not preindice the
indeed thou Mother if thy brests the rest exceed Ah when shall I with these be satisfide when shall I swim in ioyes of brest and side Pardon O God mine eager earnestnesse if I thy lawes and reasons bounds transgresse Where thirst ore swayes patience is thrust away stay but my thirst and then my cryes will stay I am better then thy nailes yet did a streame of thy deere blood wash both the lance and them More worthy I then clouts yet them a flood Moistned of Mothers Milke and of Sons blood THE APPROBATION OF THIS AVTHOR CLarus Bonarscius otherwise called Carolus Scribanius is a Iesuit now liuing at Antwerpe and of much account amongst them he wrote this booke and spewed this blasphemy out of his vncleane heart some foure or fiue yeeres agoe And whereas both the Author and his booke deserued the fire and halter it was so farre from being misliked in the Romish Sinagogue or any way censured that since then the booke hath bin reprinted and the Author and his booke stand enrolled approued and commended in their great volumes set out for that purpose for good and Catholike Glori Bornascij Amphitheatrum Honoris Iesuitici in quo Calunistarum in societatem Iesu criminationes iugulatae Prostant palaeopoli 1605 postea 1606. Haec Posseuinus Palaeopoli hâ—c est Antuerpiâ— Iesuitâ— in Appararâ—â— sacro Tom 1. l it G. pag. 3â—7 edition is vltimâ— And it is to be noted that these volumes of Posseuine containe only an inrolement and approbation of no writers at all saue such as are approued Romish Catholicks and are set out with great and publike allowance of the Romish State as may be seene at the beginning of the first Tome Besides let all men know the booke stands yet vncensured and the man liues still vnpunished nay vnreproued or rather commended and rewarded for it therefore this cannot be called an obscure or priuate fact but may properly be held the fact of the Romish Church or State A DISCOVRSE OF THE LADIES OF HALL AND SIchem in way of preface shewing particularly the occasion of this new Gospell THE blessed Mother of our Lord as the Church in all ages hath done so doth ours willingly honour as the most blessed of all Saints yet as a creature and as one saued by her sonne that Sauiour in whom her spirit reioyced a Luke 2. we know acknowledge that not she but the holy ghost hath said that all generations shall call her b Luke blessed Yet we must confesse we are of that fathers religion who said c August lib. de virginit her spiritual bearing of Christ was happier then her carnall and her selfe more blessed by conceiuing Christ in â—ellcior partus spiritualis quam carnalis beatior enim Maria suit concipiend Christum side quaÌ„ earne materna enim propinquitas nihil ei profuisset nisi felicius christum corde quaÌ„ earne gestasseâ— her heart then in her wombe and by beleeuing in him then by bearing him for her bearing him in her body would not haue saued her soule if she had not more happily borne him in her heart And in another place d Idem Inde felix quia verbum Dei custodiuit non quia in illa verbum caro factum est Papists themselues cannot deny but our men do out of this case speak and write most reuerently of the blessed Virgin as namely Luther Oecolampadius BreÌ„tius Spangenbergins vrb Rhegus Bucer Bullinger All this is confessed by Coccius the great papist in his The â—â—ure Caâ—helico To. 1 Li. 3 at 5. p. 300. she was happy and blessed not because in her the word was made flesh but because she heard the word of God and kept it This her blessednesse far be it from vs to impeach and who would not yeeld her all blessednesse and honour that a creature may haue of whom GOD vouchsafed to take the flesh of man And if any of our Religion hath giuen any words of her that may giue the least blemish to her blessed state it was not done in any the least contempt of her but in the zeale they bare to the honor of their Sauior whom they held dishonoured by the vnequall coÌ„paring of her with him for what will not a Christian mans zeale cause him to do when he seeth his God dishonoured who would haue thought that Moses would haue cast so carelesly out of his hands so precious a Iewell as were the two Tables written with the finger of God and yet when he heard the name of the Lord blasphemed he forgot himselfe and them and as though he remembed none but God he threw them away and brake them in pieces If Moses his zeale makes his hastines excusable then no reason to condemne them whose 〈◊〉 gaue passage to their passions and caused them for the honor of the Creator to forget the priuiledge of a Creature I dare say there was neuer learned man of our profession that presumed to touch the very skirt of the garment of her glory vnlesse they saw her set in comparison with God or Iesus Christ which seeing the Romish Church dare offer to doe thereby ecclipsing the glory of Gods mercie and the worthynesse of Christs satisfaction wee hold it our duties to bee zealous for the Bonauenture himselfe said that we must take heed least we so farre aduance the glory of the mother that we diminish the glory of the sonne glorie of our God and to preserue as farre as in vs lieth the prerogatiues of our Sauiour If it be said that they match her not with God or Christ I answer they doe and that in such a measure as wee dare pronounce her or any Angell accursed that should either arrogate or accept of that which the Romish religion ascribes vnto her Too good euidence hereof hath beene seene in all ages for these 200. yeares last past wherein they haue fallen from honoring her as a Saint to magnifie her as a Mediator to pray to her as to a God to trust in her as in a Sauiour Many perticulars haue beene specified by many of our writers which by the aduersaries could neuer be denyed they are so euident yet were they neither recanted nor remooued but contrary-wise Reinoldus de Idolatria Catalogus testium veritatis Perkins of the Idolatry of the last times they haue proceeded from euill to worse till their blasphemy haue euen pierced the heauens and touched the Crowne of the Almighty and confronted the wounds merrits and bloud of our Sauiour Perticular instances hereof are many which may be collected out of the Authors of late yeares part wherof shall if God permit be particularized in this Treatise But aboue all there is one which as it is the latest so is it the fowlest and wherein Popish Blaspemy is at that height as now it giues hope to all Christian men that their prayers are heard her end is at Reuel hand and that her iniquity is come
whole society of Iesuits and much lesse the Religion of Popery To these I answere 1. the booke is allowed and hath beene twise printed and stands approued by Posseuine Posseu in appar see lit C amongst good and catholike authors 2. Let them shew what Iesuite or other popish doctor hath reprooued or what Inquisitor or other popish Magistrate hath censured this wickednesse 3. Which is worst of all it is no more in effect then others of them haue taught or approued though not in so open apparant and foule a fashion for let any Christian man iudge what diuinity is laid downe in these points that follow 1 The papists haue a book called the Mariale It hath beene obiected vnto them that in this booke it is thus This hath beene long agoe laid to their charge in Catalogo testium veritatis editionis 1609. said Salomon saith the name of the Lord is a strong tower Pro. 18. 10. But Salomon knew little of the Virgin Mary let vs therefore say the name of our Lady is a strong tower let the sinner flye vnto her and he shall be saued and againe thou art a sinner flye then to the name of Mary that alone shall serue to heale thee and againe The Lord was with Mary and Mary with the Lord in the same labour and same worke of our redemption for the Mother of mercy helped the Father of mercy in the worke of our saluation and thereupon was it spoken of the first woman It is not good for man to be alone let vs make him a helper But why then saith God Esay 63. I haue troden the wine presse alone and of all people there was no man with me the booke answereth it is true Lord that thou sayest there was no man with thee but there was a woman with thee which bore all the wounds in her heart that thou didst beare in thy body Loe heere a peece of rare diuinitie Salomon is blamed for ignorance that he knew but little of the Virgin in a sort is rebuked for saying the name of our Lord and not rather the name of our Lady is a strong tower and though no man did yet a woman namely Mary did helpe Christ to treade the winepresse of Gods wrath and was fellow worker with God in the worke of our redemption This booke stands vnconfuted vncondemned vnreproued by the Iesuits or the Romish Church till this day for ought that I can yet find yet hath it beene many yeeres laid to their charge 2 Againe the Papists haue a booke they call it the Ladies Psalter printed at Paris in the yeere 1520. or therabouts Vide Psalterium beate Virginiâ— Maria â— impressum cum Psalterio Cisterciensi Par. circa anno 1520. Extat etiam idem Psal ad verbum apud Chem in examine concil Trident in parte 3. P. 149 editionis franco furt 1996. wherein euery one of the 150. Psalmes are in whole or in part turned from dominus to domina that is from God our Christ to our Lady as In the first Psalme Blessed is the man that loueth thy name O Virgin Mary c. In the 19. Psalme The Heauens declare thy glory O Virgin Mary c. In the 29 Psalme Bring vnto our Lady O you mighty bring vnto our Lady worship and honour c. Ine 51 Psalme Haue mercy vpon me O Lady thou that art called the Mother of mercy and according to the bowels of thy mercies clense me from all my sinnes poure out thy grace vpon me and take not thy wonted mercy from me c. In the 57 Psalme Haue mercy vpon me O Lady haue mercy vpon me for my heart ie ready to search out thy will and in the shadow of thy wings will I rest In the 68 Psalme Let our Lady arise and her enemies shall be scattered c. In the 72. Psalme Lord giue thy iudgement to the King and thy mercy to our Lady his mother In the 94 Psalme God is the God of reuenge but thou O Lady the mother of mercy doest bow him to take pitty c. In the 96. Psalme O sing vnto our Lady a new long for shee hath done maruailous things c. In the 110. Psalme The Lord said vnto our Lady sit thou mother at my right hand c Thus I might go ouer all the Psalmes but as he began he ends in the last words of the last Psalme Let euery thing that hath breath prayse our Lady Now this booke stands not onely vncontrolled but Greg. de val in vol. de rebus â—idei controuersis sect 5. lib de Idolatria 5. cap. 10. Bernar. de Bustis in Mariali parte 3. ser 3 rather euen defended by the Iesuits and those of the principall 3 Againe a famous Fryer well approued amongst them preacht this doctrine in the pulpit amongst many other little better A man may appeale from God himselfe to the Vitgin Mary if any man feele himselfe grieued at the iustice of God seeing God hath deuided his kingdome with her for whereas God hath iustice and mercy he hath reserued iustice to himselfe to bee exercised in this world as it pleased him but mercy hee hath committed to his mother If therefore any man find himselfe agrieued in the court of Gods iustice let him appeale to the court of mercy of his mother This Diuinity was so well relisht in the Romish Church that after hee had preacht it he publisht it vnder the Popes owne Patronage and the booke was Alexan. the 6. againe printed within these three yeeres but what say the Iesuits to it they testifie that this booke is a learned and godly book full of goodnesse and piety Fourthly Horatius Turcellinus himselfe a Iesuit of Horatius Tursellinus in Hist virg lauretanâ— in prâ—fat good esteeme among them writes thus Almighty God hath made the Virgin his mother as far as he may lawfully partaker of his diuine power and Maiesty Now surely if God haue made her fellow with him of his diuine maiesty lesse maruell if Christ haue made her fellow in the worke of redemption And this booke Posseu in lit 11. written by a Iesuit hath publike allowance and is dedicated to Cardinall Aldobrandino Fiftly a great Spanish Doctor and professor of diuinity of his order writes thus We haue often seene and heard of very many who in Iohn Chrysost a visitatione de verbis dominae to 2. lib. 2. cap. 2 their extreame dangers haue called vpon Mary and presently were deliuered for oft times safety is sooner obtained by calling vpon the name of Mary then by calling vpon the name of Iesus Christ the sonne of God And this booke is both dedicated to Pope Clement the Posseu in apperatu sacro lit l. 8. receiues publike allowaÌ„ce by the Iesuits his name is Chrysostome as tho hee were a golden mouthed speaker but if thiâ—â—e his doctrine that her mediation is as powerfull or rather more then is her sonnes it is pitty but he should be call'd and accounted a leaden mouthed wretch By all these many more that as the learned know might easily be produced it may appeare that this blaspheming Iesuit Bonarscius in this his detestable comparison of her milke with Christs bloud saith no more in effect then others both of this Religion and perticular sect and therefore it may be iustly concluded this is the doctrine and diuinity not of him alone but of the Iesuits and of the popish Church it selfe as long as it stands approued or not condemned by them Now then if this be the diuinity of the Romish Church 1 That a Creatures milke may bee mingled with Christs bloud in the matter merit of our saluation 2 That it helps and heales spirituall sores of the soule as well as the bloud 3 That though no man did yet a woman did help Christ in the worke of our saluation 4 That the Psalmes may bee turned from Lord to Lady 5 That a man may appeale from God to the Virgin Mary 6 That God hath deuided his kingdome with her keeping Iustice to himselfe and surrendring Mercy to her 7. That God hath made her pertaker with himselfe of his diuine power and Maiesty 8. That a mans prayers are often heard rather by and through her then Christ Iesus If these I say be the doctrines of the present Church of Rome then let the Christian world be pleased to obserue 1. How far the present Romish Church is degenerate from the ancient 2. How great cause we and all Churches of God haue to seperate from such a sinagogue 3. How iustly they may be pronounced Antichristian who thus hainously disparage the Person and office of the Mediator 4. How vntrue is it that by any suggestion that the present Religion of Rome is much reformed and refined at this day for it is most certaine in the former times these would haue beene condemned as blasphemies euen in the Romish Church it selfe And lastly you of this most honorable City especially you the Lord Maior and your brethren being one most worthy renowned Benches of the world one of the greatest glories of this land may here see what cause there is to hold the true Papists Hereticks considering the present Church holds not only these but many other fundamentall errors both for matter of faith and of gouernment which shewes them not only enemies to all true religion but the subuerters or at least the vnderminers of all ciuill states in the world wherein they were euer suffered And considering that all meanes hath beene vsed to reclaime and reforme her but all is in vaine for she is that Babilon that will not be healed wherefore it is our duty to forsake her leaue her to the iust hand of God Thus shall wee follow the counsell of the Prophet in like case who saith We would haue healed Babilon but she would not be healed let vs forsake her and goe euery man to his owne Country for heâ— Iudgement is come vp to Heauen and lifted vp to the Clouds FINIS