ouer the night So in the firmament of the vniuersall Church God hath set two great dignities the authority of the Pope and Emperor of the which two this our dignity is so much the weightier as that we must giue account to God for the Kings of the earth and for the Lawes of men Wherefore know ye Emperors that ye depend vpon the iudgement of vs and we must not be reduced to your will for looke what difference there is betweene the Sunne and the Moone so great is the power of the Pope ruling ouer the day that is ouer the spiritualty aboue Emperors and Kings ruling ouer the night that is ouer the Laity Now seeing then the Earth is seauen times bigger then the Moone and the Sunne eight times greater then the earth it followes that the Popes dignity many degrees doth surmount the estate of Emperors And although Constantine the great writing to a Pope alleadged the words of Peter 1 Pet. 2. 13. Submit your selues to euery humane creature as to Kings c. Yet in their Decretals they expound the minde of Peter to exhort all subiects and not his successors to be subiect proouing the Priesthood to be aboue Kings by the wordes of Ieremy Behold I haue set thee ouer Kings and Nations c. Neyther must Kings and Princes thinke it much to submit themselues to my iudgement for so did Valentinianus the Emperour and also Carolus For my power is not of man but of God who by his celestiall prouidence hath set me Master and gouernour ouer his vniuersall Church whereby all criminall causes as well of Kings as all other to be subiect to my censure For my Church of Rome is Prince and head of all nations the Mother of the Faith the foundation cardinall whereupon all Churches doe depend as the doore doth vpon the hinges The first of all other seates without spot or blemish Lady mistresse instructer of all Churches a glasse and spectacle to all men to be followed in all whatsoeuer she obserues Against which Church of Rome whosoeuer speakes any euill is forthwith an hereticke yea a very Pagan a witch an Idolater and Infidell hauing fulnesse of power onely in her owne hands in ruling deciding absoluing condemning casting out or receiuing in To which Church of Rome it is lawfull to appeale for remedy from all other Churches although it was decreed otherwise in the Councell of Carthage that no man should appeale ouer the Sea vnder paine of excommunication yet Gratians glosse can helpe that with a limitation Nisi forte Romanam sedem appellauerint Vnlesse they appeale to the Sea of Rome Of the which Church of Rome the Pope is Head the Vicar of St. Peter yea not the Vicar of St. Peter properly but the Vicar of Christ and successor of Peter Rector of the vniuersall Church and directer of the Lords vniuersall flocke chiefe Magistrate of the whole world Lex animata in terris A liuing Law in the earth hauing all Lawes in the chest of my breast Yea Nec Deus nec homo quasi neuter inter vtrūque Being neyther God nor man but the admiration of the world and a middle thing twixt both The Pope hath both swords in his power both of Temporall and spirituall iurisdiction able by his owne power alone without a Councell to depose the Emperor to transferre his kingdome and to giue a new election as hee did to Fredericke and diuers others to whom Emperors and Kings bee more inferior then lead is to gold for doe you not see the neckes of Kings and Princes bend vnder our knees yea and think themselues happy and well defenced if they may kisse our hands What doe wee talke of Kings The Pope is aboue Angels as his Clarke Antoninus writes That hee is greater then Angels in foure things 1 In iurisdiction 2 In administration of Sacraments 3 In knowledge 4 In reward And so in Bulla Clementis the Pope commands the Angels of Paradise to absolue the soule of man out of purgatory and to bring it into the glory of Paradise Who is able to comprehend the greatnes of my power and seate For by me onely generall Councels take their force and confirmation and the interpretation of the said Councels and of all other causes doubtfull must stand to my determination yea my Letters and Epistles Decretall are equiualent to Generall Councels and whereas God hath ordained all causes of men to be iudged by men he hath only reserued me that is the Pope of Rome without all question of men vnto his owne iudgement and whereas all other Creatures be vnder a Iudge onely I which am Iudge of all can be iudged of none neyther of Emperor nor the whole Cleargy nor of Kings nor yet of people For who hath power to iudge vpon his Iudge so that I differ in power and maiority and honor reuerentiall from all degrees of men For the better declaration of it the Canonists make three kindes of powers in earth 1. Immediata which is mine immediately from God 2. Deriuata which belongeth to other inferiour Prelates from mee 3. Ministralis belonging to Emperors and Princes to minister for me for the which cause the anointing of Princes and my consecration differ for they are annoynted in the arme or shoulders and I in the head This order of Priests Bishops Archbishops Patriarkes and Cardinals the Church of Rome hath instituted following the example of the Angelicall Army in heauen and the Apostles on earth For among them there was a distinction of power and authority albeit they were all Apostles yet it was granted to Peter they all agreeing to it that hee should haue superiority ouer them all and therefore had his name giuen him Cephas that is say they head or beginning of the Apostles whereupon the order of Priesthood first in the new Testament began in Peter to whom it was said Thou art Peter and vpon thee will I build my Church Math. 16. 18. And I will giue thee the keyes of the kingdome of Heauen Whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth c. v. 19. Seeing then such power is giuen to Peter and to the Pope in Peter as his successor who is then in all the world that ought not to be subiect to my Decrees which haue such power in heauen in hell in earth with the quicke also the dead whereupon Pope Clement in his Bull of lead sent to Vienna granted to all such as died in their peregrination to Rome that the paine of hell should not touch them And all such as tooke the holy Crosse vpon them should euery one at his request not onely be deliuered but also deliuer 3. or 4. soules out of Purgatory And againe Christ said to Peter I haue
world hath blinded that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ which is the image of God should not shine vnto them let them all know that these voices sound from heauen vnto them to their conuersion and consolation if they accept them or condemnation and confusion if they reiect them Come out from among them separate your selues saith the Lord and touch no vncleane thing and I will receiue you and I will be a Father vnto you and you shall be my sonnes and daughters saith the Lord. This voice is not the voice of man but of God Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers in her sinnes and that ye receiue not of her plagues for her sinnes are come vp into heauen and God hath remembred her iniquities as it is there prophecied of the fall of mysticall Babylon which is Rome Therefore let my exhortation bee that vnto you which a reuerend and learned Doctor gaue as a farewell to his friends Commendo vos dilectioni Dei odio papatus I exhort you to loue God and leaue the corrupt doctrine of Popery which is a forme of Religion yet Non secundum Iesum Christum nec verbum nec tenet capâ—t Not according to Iesus Christ or his Gospell nor doth it rightly hold the head making the Church a monster with two heads the Pope a visible Head on earth and Christ in heauen the inuisible Head We beseech you in the tender bowels of Christ to haue pitty vpon your owne soules open your eyes without partiality or preiudice to behold the truth and embrace it and to moue your hearts with Peters wordes as newborne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that ye may grow thereby so shall you and we haue infinite cause to reioyce and our Church say with Peter yee were as sheepe going astray but are now returned vnto the chiefe shepheard and Bishop of your soules With which sauing Grace the God of all grace and goodnesse Iesus Christ enrich your soules withall to grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ to him bee glory both now and for euer Thus hauing declared in part the corruptions of popish Doctrine which must be reiected of all who desire to be faithfull seruants to our Sauiour or performe seruice acceptable vnto him for what concord hath Christ with Belial what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols Take heede of the Leauen of Rome as our Sauiour warnes his Disciples of the leauen of the Pharisees and Sadduces their pernicious doctrine full of errors repugnant and decrogatory to Christ and his Gospell It remaines and followes in the next place to touch That if you beleeue and embrace al the points of moderne Popery now broached and maintained in the Church of Rome you cannot bee dutifull and obedient Subiects to our and your Soueraigne and since I haue in my former Tractates obiter by the way promiscuously touched lesuiticall precepts and practise in this kinde papall depositions of Kings from their Regiment and absolutions of subiects from loyall obedience applauding traytors by canonization commendation for treasonable attempts I will not be large and liberall heerein onely propound a few positions and propositions to your consideration to iudge of them whether they be not opposite to all loyall obedience which are maintained and divulged to the world by your great Doctors and Pillars of the Romane Church And first you are not ignorant that very lately Anno 1606. Pope Paul the fifth prohibited all the Romane Catholickes so tearmed by his Breue that they should not take the oath of Allegiance vnto which they were enioyned by the Kings Maiesty which argues hee would haue them refractary in matters which onely concerne ciuill obedience for the scope of that oath tended to professe and practise a dutifull allegiance to the King in all loyall submission The like also did Pius quintus Pope to the late Queene Elizabeth commanding her Subiects to rebell and discharging them from allegiance But omitting these things as vulgarly knowne I will goe to the Iesuites schoole and heare how they teach you If a Christian King become an Hereticke immediatly his people are freed from his command and their subiection saith Symancha But all Christian Kings are esteemed Heretickes who are not Catholikes of the Romane size Ergo. The Iesuite Creswel vnder the name of Andreas Philopator against the Decree of the Queene of England sect 2. â—u 157. deliuers this proposition Principem qui a Catholica religione deflexit excidere statim omnipotestate a Prince who declines from their Catholike religion rather superstition falls presently from his Regall power But all Protestant Princes decline from that religion Ergo no King or no power The same Iesuite num 160. saith Omnium Catholicorum esse sententiam obligatos esse subditos ad principes haereticos depellendos qui sidei Catholicae inuriosi sunt si modo vires ad hoc habeant idoneas It is the sentence of all Catholikes that the subiects are bound to driue away hereticall Princes who are iniurious to the Catholike Faith if they haue forces fit for this purpose And againe num 162. Subâ—â—ti â—…di Principes suos non tantum legitime possunt 〈◊〉 sedetiam ad hoc praecepts divine conscientiae arctissimo vinculâ— ac extremo animarum suarum periculo tenentur Subiects may not onely lawfully trouble such Princes but are bound to doe it by Diuine precept and most strict band of conscience and extreame perill of their owne soules And the same Iesuite againe Si Imperator vel Rex haereticuÌ„ fauore prosequatur ipso facto regnum amittet If an Emperor or King fauour an heretike he shall lose his kingdome ipso facto Now Protestants in their Calendar are branded for heretickes Ergo. And to these accord and publish the like doctrine many others of their writers Ribadeneira de principe lib. 1. cap. 18. pa. 177. c. 26. pag. 172. c. Paulus Chirlandus de haeret q. 3. nu 2. Conradus Brunus de haeret lib 3. cap. vltimo Io. Paulus Windeck de extirp haer Antidoto 10. pag. 404. Antidot 11. pag. 408. Stapleton in oratione contra politicos Duaci habita Baronius Card. in Epistola contra Venetos Bellarmine the Cardinall full of such stuffe Hee affirmes that Kings are subiect to Popes Bishops Priests Deacons and would prooue this inferiority by Scriptures and Fathers De laicis lib. 3. He holds many other propositions disgracefull to Kings vndutifull for subiects and contradictory to all Scripture Secular principality is ordained by men and hath his being by the law of Nations de Rom. Pontif. lib. 1. c. 7. § praeterea a grosse Assertion for so great a Doctor In causes onely Temporall Cleargimen are bound to obey Princes and no longer obey then the Pope will de clericis lib. 1. cap. Per totum caput So ridiculous positions
relogo saith he Romanorum regum imperatorum gesta nusquam inuenio quenquam eorum ante hunc à Romane Pontifice excommunicatum vel regno priuatum I reade ouer and ouer the Acts of Kings and Emperors and I find no where any of them before this excommunicated of the Pope or depriued of their Kingdome but this Popes enterprise had a sutable successe for by the Councell of Brixia hee was deiected out of the Popedome for it and being in extreamity calles one of his best beloued Cardinals to him and confessed to God Saint Peter and the whole Church that he had greatly offended in his Pastorall charge Et suadente Diabolo contra humanum genus iram odium concitasse By the Diuels perswasion he had raised vp wrath and hatred vpon Mankind Well this Heldebrand whose Orator was the Diuell was the first that attempted to depose Emperors and since that Prince of the Ayre who beares rule in the childrē of disobedience hath moued Peters false friends and Kings foes to follow the hellish steppes of proud Heldebrand seeking to depose Kings to dispose of their Crownes and depriue them of their liues to excommunicate them to free subiects from their allegiances to excite Armes against them to make Martyres of King-killers euery way labouring to disparage their sacred Persons diminish their Regall rights encroch vpon their Prerogatiues altogether contemning Peters Precepts yet arrogating Peters Place Honour the King How dishonourably and contemptibly that Milo who bare the Pope on his shoulders Cardinall Bellarmine writes of Kings That they are rather slaues then Lords De Laicis c. 7. Not onely subiects to Popes to Bishops to Priests but to Deacons Depontifice lib. 1. c. 7. That Kings haue not their authority immediatly from God nor his law but onely from the law of Nations De cleric c. 28. That Churchmen are as farre aboue Kings as the soule aboue the body De Laicis c. 18. That Kings may be deposed by their people for diuers respects De pontific lib. 5. c. 8 That obedience due to Kings is onely for certaine respects of order and pollicy De clericis cap. 28 His workes are full of such foule and false assertions base bald and blockish Paradoxes repugnant to al Scripture right and reason that he may say with the Poet Hoc equidem studeo bullatis vt mihi nugis Pagina turgescat Many of his propositions so dishonourable and iniurious to Kings that to confute them Non opus est verbis sed fustibus Armes not Arts should beat and breake in peeces such pernicious Paradoxes But to leaue these Machiauelismes of the Conclaue dethroning Kings to enthrone Popes let vs learne of God with what honourable titles and high prerogatiues in the Booke of God they stand possessed There they are called Gods and Children of the most High The Lords Annointed The Angels of God The Light of Israel Sitting in Gods Throne The Higher Powers the Ministers of God The Kings of Nations that beare rule euery where with variety of such high and stately Titles great Prerogatiues commanding euery soule to be subiect to them that he who should goe about to empaire their honour must first infringe the Booke of God Vnworthy is that Creature to breathe the Ayre which denies honour to the breathing Image of God his annointed Soueraign or with vnreuerent action or elocution enterprise to debase their sacred Soueraignety such tongues are worthy with Diues to be tormented or with Progne to be cut out or with Nicanors to be diuided in crummes for Birds that will not honour with tongues and honour with hearts their annointed and appointed Kings the earthly pictures of the King of Kings And not to trauel so farre as forraine Climates to teach them to honour Kings let our speech bee bounded within the circumference of his Highnesse Countries People aboue all other Nations bound to honour and obey our gracious Soueraigne We blessed with a King of incomparable wisdome Rex natus ad Regna natus descended of blood royall A blessednes to a Kingdome when a King is the Son of Nobles and much more of noble vertues prudent in a peaceable gouernement compleate in the perfection of Learning eares may ouercome eyes to hear the wisdome of our Salomon and which is most of all and best of all to be extolled sincerely and soundly religious labouring to make his Kingdomes by aduancing Euangelium Christi Regnum Euangelij A trusty defender of the true Faith Tam Marti quā Mercurio both by Pen and Pike ready to defend Religion against superstition often hath he entred into Theologicall disputes and foyled Romes most illustrious Cardinals Yea his Maiesties dinners like Salomons Table making Auditors say with Salomon A diuine sentence shall be in the lips of the King or with wisdome her selfe Heare for I wil speak of excellent things and the opening of my lippes shall teach things that are right A Patron of the Church and a Promoter of the Gospell as Hortensius raised vp eloquence to Heauen that he might goe vp with her so our dread Soueraigne aduances the Gospel the Iacobs ladder to climbe to Heauen by it Macte virtute sicitur ad astra I am vnable and vnfit to make the Map of our Kings perfections De ipso ipsiloquuntur Antipodes not any Zone habitable wherein his glory hath not habitation and they say We must praise a King as we honour God Sentiendo copiosius quam loquendo and herein such plenty of praise is offered that Inopem me copia fecit Xenophon might see that in our vertuous King Iames which he wished in his King Cyrus O fortunatos Anglos bona si sua norint Oh happy wee if wee be thankefull for our happinesse Nihil his bonis accedere potest nisi vt perpetua sint Nothing can augment our earthly ioyes but to make these lasting and thanks be to God our Soueraigne hath I thinke already out-lasted the Regency of a dozen Popes Hominum breuis regum breuior pontificum vita brenissima saith Petrarcha Of all men the Popes haue shortest liues but God grant our Soueraigne Nestors dayes wishing for him as Martial did for Traian Lib. 10. Epig. 34. Dij tibi dent quicquid Princeps Auguste mereris Et rata perpetuò quae tribuêre velint Long may this glorious Candle of Israel last who as vpon this day was proclaimed with infinite ioy receiued with peaceable entry enthroned with glorious inuestiture and hath hitherto gouerned with admired wisdome comfort and content of all good Subiects so still to continue in all Princely prosperity and to hold the Scepter of great Britanny with a tripled addition of yeeres to come for the yeeres past wishing in desire though it cannot be indeed His egonecmetas rerum nec temporapono Imperium sine fine dedi Adde to his dayes of the dayes of Heauen that he and his posterity may here sit
done wrong to or whom haue I hurt c. And all the People of Britanny must answere with the people of Israel there Thou hast done vs no wrong nor hurt vs nor taken ought of any mans hand the Lord is witnesse His Highnesse speciall care and gracious desire is to haue Gods Religion sincerely imbraced Iustice executed Vertue promoted Vice punished Gods Lawes and the good Lawes of the Land generally maintained and obserued so that the Church finds him a true Defender of the Faith the Common-wealth a Father the proud a powerfull Prince the meeke and humble a mercifull Gouernour All find him a most religious and vertuous King carefull of the good of Church and Common-wealth that all the politicke members of this Princely Head may leade a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty These Princely properties and sacred graces will procure his Maiesty an eternall Crowne of glory in Heauen as God hath promoted him to a soueraignety and supremacy here on Earth and may truely moue all sound members of this politicke body whereof his sacred Highnesse is supreame Head to pray with the Psalmist Giue thy Iudgements to the King O Lord and thy righteousnesse vnto the Kings sonne then shall he iudge the people with righteousnesse and thy poore with equity In his dayes shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace shall be so long as the Moone endureth yea to pray like the Isralites for the life of our King and the life of his royall Queene his Princely Sonne the County Palatine of Rhene with the Princesse Elizabeth and their Progeny that all their dayes may be vpon the Earth as the dayes of Heauen and that God would giue vs strength and lighten our eyes that we may liue vnder their shadow and may long doe them seruice and find fauor in their sight That God would confound all their enemies and put them to a perpetuall shame That the Lord of Hosts may be euer with them and the God of Iacob may be their Refuge to protect and direct them to hide them from the conspiracy of the wicked and from the rage of the workers of iniquity that God may euer blesse them and preserue their going out and comming in from henceforth and for euermore So we thy people and sheep of thy Pasture the louing and loyall subiects and seruants of the Lords Annointed will praise thee for euer and pray vnto thee from generation to generation God saue our King Corporally Spiritually Politically Peroratio I will draw these lines to the maine Center of all making our conclusion short and gratulatory First to your Grace sacred Soueraigne the mighty Monarch of these flourishing Kingdomes shall I that am but dust and ashes prefume to speake vnto my Lord and King Let not my Lord be angry though I speake once and how happy shall this poore Embrio be if euer it be graced with the milde aspect of your Princely eyes and once but touched with your Regall hands which holds the Iacob staffe to measure the height of all learning Giue patient leaue and licence to your vnworthy and vnable vassall prostrated in all submissiue obedience at your Highnesse feete to celebrate and congratulate the happy day of your Maiesties entrance into this kingdome A day of good tidings and who can hold his peace A day which was the beginning to multiply and aduance our chiefest ioyes on earth making vs sing with the Psalmist This is the day which the Lord hath made let vs be glad and reioyce in it O Lord I pray thee saue now Lord preserue him whom thou hast giuen giue him O King of Kings good successe peace prosperity multiply these good daies grant him many of these happy yeares Annos vt annis addat è nostris Deus Eusebius the Bishop of Caesarea thought himselfe much honoured that he was appointed to preach at the inauguration of Constantinus the Emperour so I take it as my great ioy that I the most weake of all our tribe am one of the first in this kinde to write the aniuersary of Englands happinesse by your Maiesties entrance to put them in a perpetuall remembrance to reioyce with thankefulnesse And if I should remember in your presence the innumerable benefits and blessings your subiects of great Brittaine enioy by your Princely comming to this Crowne I might be iudged a flatterer a creature most odious in your Graces eyes modesty compels me to be silent I will onely say that which I haue read the Painter Zeuxes did who being to make the portraiture of Iuno chose out certaine amiable Virgins put the seuerall beauty of them all into that picture so indeed the wise Creator of all hath made you such a King the liuing picture of all earthly perfections and as it was an old saying That in one Austen there was many Doctors in one Iulius Caesar many Captaines so in one and our King Iames many Kings the very perfection of most Kings But I will turne our praises into prayers remembring Antaloides saying to a certaine Orator making a long oration of Hercules praises cut him off thus Quis eum vnquam sanus vituperauerit VVho euer in his right wits discommended him So who dare nay who can except the seed of the serpent dispraise your Highnesse whose vertues finde fauour with God and men euery tongue pronounces your name with ioy and euery heart affects your Maiesty with content and comfort As God hath giuen you power in hand so haue you pittie in heart Clementia Regis est quasi imber serotinus saith Salomon The pitty or fauour of a King is like the latter raine and your princely delight is not in sono catenarum in the noyse of chaines but like the good Emperor rather desirous to call the dead to lise then put the liuing to death So that I may say to your Grace as Mecaenas saide of Octauius Caesar Omnes te tanquam parentem seruatorem suum intuentur te moderatum vita inculpata pacificum amant c. All people fixe their dutifull eyes vpon you as vpon the publike Father of the Common-wealth loyally louing you being milde and mercifull holy in life and peaceable in gouernment So that though at last there must be a translation to an incorruptible Crowne in Heauen yet all your Subiects pray the time of that transmigration may bee long dedeferred Horac Serus in coelum redeas diuque Laetus intersis populo Britanno I need not heere play the part of King Philips Page to cry at your Princely chamber dore Memento te esse mortalem Remember you are mortall or with the Artificers of the Emperors tombes at the day of the Emperors Coronation offer a lap full of stones with these verses Elige ab his Saxis ex quo Augustissime Caesar ipse tibi tumulum me fabricare velis Of these same stones most
prayed for thee that thy faith shall not faile hauing such a promise and assurance who then will not beleeue my doctrine So that all they that beleeue not my doctrine or stand against the priuiledge of my Church of Rome I pronounce them heretickes for he goeth against the Faith which goeth against her who is the mother of the Faith And moreouer to shew the strange vertue of the Popes keyes his Schoole Doctors haue a twofold distinction 1. Clauis ordinis the key of order hauing authority to binde and loose but not ouer the persons whom they binde loose which authority they take not immediately from Christ but from the Pope the Vicar of Christ 2. Key is Clauis Iurisdictionis the key of Iurisdiction which the Pope hath from Christ immediately as being his Vicar hauing not onely power to binde and loose but also dominion ouer them on whom this key is exercised By the iurisdiction of which key all are subiect to the Pope the Emperours ought to subdue their executions to him Onely the Pope is subiect to no creature no not to himselfe except hee list in foro poenitentiae to his ghostly father submitting himselfe as a sinner but not as a Pope the papall maiesty euer remaining vnminished No man must iudge or accuse the Pope of any crime as murder adultery simony c. but as the Iewes were commanded to obey the High Priest of the Leuiticall Order so are all Christians bound to obey the Pope Christs Lieutenant in earth Concerning whose obedience or disobedience reade Deutron 17. 12. where their ordinary Glosse payes it home saying That he who denieth to the Priest obedientiam obedience lyeth vnder the sentence of condemnation as much as he that denieth to God his omnipotentiam his omnipotence The greatnesse of the Popes priesthood began in Melchisedech solemnized in Aaron continued in his children perfectionated in Christ represented in Peter exalted in the vniuersall iurisdiction and manifested in Syluester c. So that in regard of this priestly preheminence it may be verified of the Pope which the Psalmist writes Psalm 8. 6. 7. c. Thou hast put all things vnder his feete all sheepe and oxen the beasts of the field the fowles of the aire and the fish of the Sea c. which place his owne Antoninus hath applied to the Pope and with a clearkely Paraphrase hath expounded thus By Oxen are signified the Iewes and heretickes by the Cattell of the fielde Pagans by Sheepe all Christian men Princes Prelates and people by the Birds Angels and powers of Heauen by the Fishes of the Sea the soules departed in paine or purgatory as Gregory by his prayer deliuered the soule of Traiane out of hell By them which passe through the paths of the Sea are signified such as are in Purgatory and stand in need of others helpe and yet be in their iourney Viatores de foro Papa passengers and belong to the Court of the Pope and may be relieued out of the storehouse of the Church by the participation of Indulgence And though it be truely doubted that pardons haue no power to extend to the departed yet Romes Doctors can helpe that for though it was said to Peter Whatsoeuer thou shalt loosevpon earth and so being not on earth they cannot be loosed yet they will dissolue that doubt by a distinction vpon super terram vpon the earth that may be taken two waies eyther to the looser and so a Pope being dead cannot loose or to the loosed which must be vpon the earth or about the earth But what do I talke of the Popes power in such points the whole Quire of the Popes Cleargy in their books tractations distinctions glosses summaries c. sing altogether such notes The Pope say they being the Vicar of Iesus Christ throughout the whole World in the stead of the liuing Lord hath that dominion on earth which Christ would not haue yet had it in habitu and gaue it to Peter in Actu that is the vniuersall iurisdiction both spirituall and also temporall which double iurisdiction is intimated by the two swords in the Gospell and by the wisemens offering of Incense and Gold to Christ to signifie that the dominion spirituall and temporall belong to Christ and his Vicar And as Christ saith All power is giuen to him both in Heauen and Earth so it is holden inclusiue that the vicar of Christ hath power on things cclestiall terrestriall and infernall which he tooke immediatly of Christ and all other take it mediatly by Peter and the Pope And they that say The Pope hath onely dominion in spirituall things may be compared to the Counsellors of the King of Aram 1 Kin. 20. 23. Their Gods are Gods of Mountaines and therefore they ouercame vs but let vs fight against them in the plaine or vallies and doubtlesse we shall ouercome them So Counsellors flatter Kings saying Popes and Prelats be Gods of Mountaines that is of spirituall things but not of vallies that is of temporall things Therefore let vs fight against them in the vallies in the power of temporall possessions and so we shall preuaile ouer them But what saith God v. 28. Because the Aramites haue said that the Lord is the God of mountaines and not God of the vallies therefore will I deliuer all this great multitude into thine hands and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Which place though very impertinent in this point they vrge with great importunity to proue the Popes power ouer all mountaines and vallies that is say they ouer spirituall and temporal matters and so very vnthankfully they regard Constantines gift of their patrimony to Syluester saying It was not so much a Donation as a Restitution Yea they say the Pope is superior to Emperors yea superior to Lawes and free from all Constitutions Who is able of himselfe and by his interpretation to preferre equity being not written before the Law written The Faith Supremacy Chaire of Peter Keyes of Heauen power to bind and loose all these be inseparable to the Church of Rome being presumed that God prouiding and Saint Peter assisting the Diocesse of Rome that it shall neuer fall from the Faith and though the Pope be not alwayes good yet the merites of Saint Peter be sufficient for him who bequeathed a dowry of merites with inheritance of innocency to his posterity And if the Pope be an Homicide or an Adulterer he cannot be accused but rather excused by the murders of Sampson the thefts of the Hebrewes the adultery of Dauid or if any of his Clergy be found imbracing of a woman it must be presupposed that he doth it to blesse her To be briefe All the Earth is the Popes Diocesse and he the Ordinary of all men hauing the authority of the King of Kings vpon Subiects yea God and his vicar haue
Nazianzene Teares the onely medicine against his mischeefe teares were their Speares Orizons their weapons They knew that they that resisted power resisted the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to themselues damnation These had not beene catechized in the Popes Schoole teaching Subiects that the Pope hath power to depriue Kings if they be defectiue in their regiment or not pliable to his commandement but were obedient as the Apostle exhorts Propter conscientiam for conscience sake Oh but will Master Parsons reply We hold this point that a Prince is to be obeyed Propter conscientiam for conscience sake but not Contrae conscientiam Against his conscience And he is so stiffe in this assertion that he saith If one authority example or testimony out of Scripture Fathers or Councels contradict it we then speake to purpose VVe answer Against Conscience rightly instructed and warranted by the word It is true but there is Asinina lupina or leprosa conscientia A foolish woluish or leprous conscience which vicious or erroneous conscience is not rightly called conscience but error and peruersenesse and therein it failes If a King command things expressely contrary to Gods word the Apostles rule then is plaine VVe must obey God rather then men yet not fall to violence or outward resistance in body but in spirit submitting our bodies to suffer with patience what shall bee inflicted like the three Children to Nabuchadnezar but in our soules to shew our selues more then Conquerors for our Conscience sake Thus doe we see that the foure forenamed crimes Tyranny Infidelity Heresie Apostacy yet great and greeuous sinnes are not sufficient to depriue a King of his regall Inheritance or to free his Subiects from their obedience CHAP. XI I VVil in the next place briefly consider the goodly Harmony of the holy Doctors of Rome in the managing and maintaining of this new Doctrine of deposition of Kings by making their Pope an absolute Lord of all Temporalties and of the Spiritualties by vertue of which vaste omnipotency of power as being the Supreme spirituall and temporall Prince of all and ouer all they ascribe vnto his Holinesse this plenitude of power to haue the iurisdiction of both swords and so may passe against Kings if they bee faulty by tyranny infidelity heresie or apostacy or not Roman Catholickes Sentences of Excommunication Breues of Interdiction Depriuation Buls of Absolution of Subiects from Alleagiance yea giue Licence and Indulgences of pardon to misereants to murder them and yet this is not to be counted King-killing for a King excommunicated or deposed is no King in Popery Let vs see the consent of these Doctors or rather heare the confusion of their tongues in building of this Babell Some of the cheefe pillars of Popery defend the direct ordinary and inherent authority of the Pope whereby as Lord of the whole VVorld in all temporall matters hee may at his pleasure depose Emperors and Princes The cheefe of these is Cardinall Baronius and to alleadge his reasons I omit his Bookes are common and extant in the world And this opinion that the Pope is Lord of all the Temporalties and that the supreame Iurisdiction both in temporall and spirituall matters belong to Peters Successors which was the brainelesse assertion of old blockish Canonists and exploded of all sober Papists is now renewed and passeth for Catholick Doctrine Your Francis Bozius defends it that the Pope is directly Lord of things temporall and is the Ruler and Monarke of the whole world So Rodericus Sancius a Bishop of theirs goes further It is to be holden according to the naturall morall and diuine Law wth the right Faith that the Lordship of the Roman Bishop is the true and onely immediate Lordship of all the world not as concerning spirituall things onely but also as concerning temporall things and that the imperiall Lordship of Kings dependeth vpon it and oweth seruice and attendance thereunto as a meanes minister and instrument and that by him it receiueth institution and ordination and at the commandement of the papall Lordship it may be remoued reuoked corrected and punished In the gouernement of the world the secular Lordship is not necessary either of pure or meere or expedient necessity but when the Church cannot Resoluing this Article therefore we say That in all the world there is but one Lordship and therefore there must be but one Vniuersall and Supreame Prince and Monarke who is Christs Vicar according to that of Daniel He gaue him dominion and honour and kingdome and all people and languages shall serue him In him therefore is the Fountaine and originall of all Lordship and from him the other Powers flow so farre goes this Popish Bishop And diuers others agree with him It is iudged that no Christian Monarke hath his Crowne wholly giuen him from Heauen vnlesse it receiue firmenesse and strength also from Christs Vicar the Pope so Possevine Christ committed to Peter the Key-keeper of eternall life the right of earthly and heauenly gouernement and that in his place the Pope is the vniuersall Iudge the King of Kings the Lord of Lords saith another yea the holy Writer in the old law made the Priesthood an adiectiue to the Kingdome but Saint Peter made the Kingdome an adiectiue to the Priesthood faith the same writer Carerius a Doctor of Padua in his Booke De potestate Romani Pontificis which he made specially to confute Bellarmine who denied the ordinary and direct power of the Pope in the Temporalties doth in many places and pages maintaine that all dominion as well in spirituall things as in temporall is fetcht by Christ and the same is committed to Saint Peter and his Successors that Christ was Lord of all these inferior things not onely as he was God but also as he was Man hauing at that time dominion in the Earth and therefore as the dominion of the world both diuine and humane was then in Christ as man so now it is in the Pope the vicar of Christ That Christ is directly the Lord of the world in temporall things and therefore the Pope Christs vicar is the like and this power giuen to Peter is set out by the sole comming of Peter to Christ vpon the water for vniuersall gouernement is signified by the Sea As God is the Supreme Monarke of the world productiuely and gubernatiuely although of himselfe he be neither of the world nor temporall so the Pope although originally and from himselfe he haue dominion ouer all things temporall yet he hath it not by any immediate execution and committeth that to the Emperor by an vniuersall iurisdiction It would weary a man to reade ouer this worke of Carerius wherein he sweates and toyles himselfe striuing with arguments and laying a curse vpon his aduersaries that shal gainsay him or denie the ordinary direct power of the Pope in the
the politicke body of the Kingdome all cut off at one blow the kingdome left headlesse heartlesse hopelesse depriued of her directing Iethroes Dij quibus imperium hoc steterat Virg. The pillars and supporters of this Christian Monarchy and changed it to a confused Anarchy then preuailing as Garnet the Arch-Priest and Archtraytor praied Auferte gentem istam perfidam de finibus credentium Take away this perfidious nation meaning vs Protestants from the borders of true belieuers vnderstanding Romanists vt laudes Deo debitas alacriter persoluamus that we may praise God for the same ioyfully But such prayers of the wicked is an abhomination vnto the Lord and though they make many prayers the Lord will not heare them because their hands are full of blood the enemies to our King and Kingdome opened their mouthes against vs saying Let vs deuoure them Certainely this is the day that we looked for yea which they longed for wherein they hoped to haue swallowed vs vp quicke when their wrath was kindled against vs to haue ouerthrowne the temporall and politicke estate of our Kingdome by the ruine of the royall Head and the most noble members of the same but the Lords eyes were vpon the faithfull of the Land to shield them vnder the shadow of his wings when as the proud had laid a snare for them and spread a net with cords in their way and set grins for them then did the Lord deliuer them from those euill men and preserued them from those cruell men and recompenced them their wickednes and destroied them in their owne malice to moue all Gods people in great Britanny to say with Zachary That being deliuered out of the hands of our enemies we should serue him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our liues Yea this pernicious proiect had not onely procured a fatall disturbance and destruction of the temporall and politicall welfare of the Kingdome but also aimed to alter the State of our Religion and to set vp the abhomination of desolation in the holy place to establish the corrupt profession of popish superstition this was the Helena for which these Greekes contended Then all of vs might with the children of Israel led captiue to Babilon cry like them By the riuers of Babilon we sate downe and wept when wee remembred thee O Sion for then wee should haue liued in captiuity to the Romish Babilon and haue sung the songs of Sion in a strange land and strange tongue Then England should haue beene againe as once one called it the Popes Asse to beare his burthens in a miserable bondage Those debosht and banished Popelings Iesuites Seminaries and Masse-Priests who can cry to their Images like Baals Priests O Baal heare vs lo then Hagar and Ismael not long since cast out with bagge and baggage reen tring againe insolently insulting ouer honourable Dame Sara and would driue her and Isaak out of the familie VVhat heart zealous of the glory of God and religious to the pure Gospell of Christ that would not with Dauid euery night water his couch with his teares to behold the Candlestickes of our Church who hold the light of the word broken in peeces I meane the spirituall labourers in the worde to be thrust out of the vineyard of the Church and the loyterers of Rome haruest-men for Antichrist to take the howses of God in possession So that with Dauid we might cry * O God thine enemies are come into thine inheritance thy holy Temple they haue defiled c. Romes wolues in sheepes cloathing worrying the Lambes of Christ Sathans Foxes running vpon the mountaines of Sion and stealing away the soules of the simple making them drunke with the dregs of the Romish grape enchanted with their Circes cup in which is the wine of infection spirituall fornication and abhomination The people then should haue beene depriued of the pure riuer of the water of life and for lacke of the bread of life compelled to complaine in the famine of their soules like the distressed Iewes in the famine of their bodies Where is bread and drinke where is the Manna which once was tasted the worde of grace wherewith wee once were feasted where are the painefull Pastors of our soules who once refreshed vs fedde our hearts with bread from heauen and filled our cares with comfortable tidings of peace who prayed for our soules with zealous spirits and spent themselues like vnwearied messengers in the worke of the Gospell Oh the Priests lippes which preserued knowledge they are silenced and sent to their graues expelled the Church or put in prison or turned to ashes in Popish flames their persecutors are swifter then the Eagles of heauen who pursue them vpon the mountaines and lay wait for them in the wildernesse they hunt their steppes that they cannot goe in the streetes their end is neere for their daies are fulfilled their end is come Oh this is come vpon vs for our cold loue and churlish entertainement of the Gospell when we had free liberty to call one another Come let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the God of Iacob and hee will teach vs his waies and we will walke in his paths but then wee stopped our eares like deafe Adders against the voice of those charmes most expert in charming they piped vnto vs but we would not dance we then regarded not those songs of Sion and now both harpes and harpers are hung vpon the willow trees our soules are starued with Latine Masses wee haue no English Bibles wodden blockes are called the Lay-mens bookes we cannot see the way we should walke in but must like blinde men be guided by the spectacles of purblinde guides we must beleeue as they beleeue and yet doe not know what they beleeue all ready to repeat that wishing voice of Iob Oh that wee were as in times past when God preserued vs when his light shined vpon our heads and when by his light we walked through darkenesse all saying with Valerius though not in the same case who when Caligula that monster was killed and it could not be found out who had done it Noble Valerius rose vp and said vtinam ego would to God I had killed that monster So will they cry vtinam ego would to God wee had killed that monster which whisome wee indulgently cherished in our bosomes Ingratitude and Contempt of the Gospell then while we had the same in plenty and purity without commixtion of drosse and darnell trash and tares we began with the Israelites to loath this Manna We can see nothing but this Manna our soule loatheth this light bread and now Verbum amissum quaerimus inuidi Wee wander from Sea to Sea and from the North to the East to seeke the worde of the Lord and cannot finde it Now the Lords
complaint is verified vpon vs My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge the seeds-men of the worde sent from the blessed sower who broke vp our stony hearts and made them flexible and did labour to turne many to righteousnesse they are taken from vs and now Impius haec tam culta novalia miles habebit Barbarus has segetes Not Masse but Mars-Priests in the Churches field Possesse the fruits which others labours tilld These and more pittifull mones would haue beene fresh and frequent in this land crying with Ieremy The ioy of our heart is gone our dance is turned to mourning the Crowne of our head is fallen woe vnto vs that wee haue sinned our necks are vnder persecution wee are weary and haue no rest Our King a Nursing Father to the Church and Common-wealth Our Noble men of Sion comparable to fine Gold Our reuerend Prelates and Pastors the salt of the earth and light of the land the chiefe Iudges and choice Gentry of the Kingdom who were as eyes to the blinde and feete to the lame All the pillars of Church and Common-wealth maintainers of the Law and Gospell had perished in this intended Massacre So that the shepheard being smitten the sheepe will be scattered yea sheepe not hauing a shepheard will fall into the hands of wolfes who will deuoure their flesh and their fleeces And looke still further and behold these powder-traitors men nourished with Tygers milke who enterprised not onely to procure a temporall politicall and spirituall ouerthrow of Church and Common-wealth but also so farre as in their power they could seeked to procure the eternall death of body and soule vnawares by force of fire to part vnprepared soules and blow vp with a fiery Dimittis bodies and soules before they could haue time to say feelingly Inmanus tuas Domine O Lord into thy hands we commend our soules heerein shewing themselues desirous to be bloudy murtherers to murder the body with death temporall and also to make away the soule with death eternall which second death worse then millions of corporall deaths Continet Myriades mortis Prima mors animam dolentempellit de corpore secunda mors animā nolentem tenet in corpore as Austen The first death driues the pained soule out of the body the second death keepes the vnwilling soule in the body for then men shall seeke death and shall not finde it for in life there is some ease in death an end but in the second death neyther ease nor end Mors sine morte finis sine fine So that to draw all to a conclusion which should haue beene the conclusion yea confusion of vs all I may supply my defects in the description of this immatchable treason with the Poets excuse Non mihi si centum linguae sint oraque centum Ferreavox omnes scelerum cōprendere formas Omnia poenarum peccurrere nomina possem No tongue can tell no pen descry This Map of mischiefe the Powder-Tragedy The Lord of Hosts who neither slumbers nor sleepes who in pitty and prouidence prouides for the safety of his Church and Children beheld our English Israel and Popish Amaleck the members of the Church militant and malignant the one secretly plotting to blow vp the other but the Lord against whom no wisdome nor vnderstanding nor counsell can preuaile became an impenetrable shield suffered not one of his seruants haires to be burnt with fire but besotted these Traytors to communicate their counsels though darkly to others by which meanes they were discouered And we are perswaded and confirmed of the all-sauing protection of our good God towards his deare Seruant and our dread Soueraigne with the rest of the religious assembly congregated for the glory of his name and good of his Church in that Honourable House of Parliament that if the Lord had suffred them to haue made a further progresse to the instant of that disastrous and dismall action that hee would haue disabled the party who with his vnhappy hand should haue kindled that fatall fire as he did the hand of infamous Ieroboam in the very act of stretching it against the Prophet it withered or like the hand of Valens the Emperor when hee tooke his pen to confirme the sentence of Basils banishment strucken of God shooke and shrunke not able to hold the pen So surely the Lord would haue benummed that accursed hand which sought to ouerthrow Christs Church among vs for it is as easie to pull Christ from Heauen as to put his Church out of the Earth Christ cannot be a bodilesse Head nor the Church an headlesse body and though outward meanes of deliuerance to vs may seeme defectiue yet stand comforted and couragious for the gates of hell shall not preuaile against the Church It is a lame and halting confidence which cannot goe to God without the stilts and crutches of externall meanes for the Lord knoweth to deliuer the godly and in the very point and article of time will be a present helpe in trouble God came to Adam with a promise in the time of despaire to Abraham with supply in the time of sacrifice to Isaacke with reliefe in the time of famine and danger to Ioseph with honour in the time of exile to Elias with comfort in the time of persecution to Gideon with helpe in the time of battle to Daniel with safety in the Lyons denne to Ionas with release in the Whales belly to Susanna with life condemned to death to the three Children with a protecting Angell in the fiery Furnace yea to this Kingdome of England with a most mercifull preseruation neere the time of the appointed Powder-destruction to make all our English Israel alwayes in all distresses and dangers say with Moses Feare not stand still behold the deliuerance of the Lord which he shewed vnto you this day Dies Ista Salutis erat candore notabilis ipso The Lord would not haue this Powder-proiect to haue power to burne one haire of his seruants head or any smell of fire come vpon them yet caused some of these vault-pyoners to be wounded and disfigured with powder In quo peccarunt in eodem plectuntur Wherewith they sinned by the same they were also punished So that all these extraordinary mercies of Almighty God summed vp together should haue more then a Magneticall attraction to draw all Christian hearts euer to praise his infinite goodnesse and continually inuite and induce all to a serious consideration and conseruation of this admirable deliuery from this intended miserable calamity agnizing God the sole and supreme cause in preuenting of it and therefore ascribing all the glory to him who hath preserued still his Church in tranquility our King in glory the State in safety the Realme in prosperity Iutuere rupem erige ratem The snares of death and destruction prepared
Church that is the Pope concerning any place of Scripture although he neyther know nor vnderstand whether and how it agreeth with the words of Scripture yet notwithstanding he hath ipsissimumverbum Dei the very word of God saith Hosius voices most odious to all the Fathers whom they boast of to name but one S. Chrysostome saith Scripturis sacris potius credendum quam omnibus hominibus in mundo VVe must beleeue the Scripture before all the men of the world and not to cleaue to the Popes exposition for as the same Father Sacra Scriptura seipsam exponit auditorem errare non sinit the holy scripture expounds it selfe and will not suffer the hearer to erre Their Cardinall Cusanus hath written a booke which he entitleth De Authoritate Ecclesia Concilij supra contra Scripturam of the authory of the Church and of a Councell aboue and against the Scripture with many others who haue vomited out blasphemous speeches and would infringe the authority of the worde of God robbing it sacrilegiously of her all-sufficiency and bestow it vpon their Pope the Master of the mystery of iniquity and herefie 4 They prohibit the people to read the Scripture and odiously exclaime against vs as Bellarmine the Rhemists because our translated Bibles be in the hands of euery husbandman artificer prentise boy girle mistresse maide man and for the maintaining of their practise to depriue the people of the worde they would colour it with certaine paradoxes 1 The Scripture makes heretickes 2 Ignorance is the mother of deuotion 3 Images are the Lay-mens Bookes 4 They must belieue as the Church belieues implicitly Christ commands all Search the Scriptures but they say The Scripture makes heretickes Paul saith Let the worde of Christ dwell in you plenteously but they say Ignorance is the mother of deuotion Iohn saith Babes keepe your selues fram images but they say They are the Lay-mens bookes Abakuk saith The iust shall liue by his faith but they say You shal liue by another mans faith beleeue as the Church beleeues and doe not know what the Church beleeues Their doctrine to the Scripture is as opposite as heauen is to hell and therfore would not haue the people acquainted with the Scripture It is lamentable to reade how impiously they write in this kind their great Cardinall and president in the Trent Councell Hosius saith It was fitter for women to meddle with their distaffe then with Gods word So Duraeâ—â— God hath left them not the bookes of the Scriptures but Pastors and Doctors They take away from the Christian Souldier his weapon scriptum est and in stead thereof giue him traditum est a wooden dagger pictures legends and fables forsaking the fountaines of liuing waters and digge them broken pits that can hold no water They imitate the malicious Philistims who stopped the wells of Abraham and filled them vp with earth to put their memoriall out of minde so that they might challenge the ground so these stop the veines of life found in the Scripture with the earthly drosse of traditions legends Sathans songs to make a merchandize of ignorant soules and to starue them with a famine of Gods worde as if the contents in the Scripture were like the mysteries of the goddesse Ceres which might not be reuealed making the bread of life like the shew-bread whereof it was lawfull for none to eat of it but the Priests onely To colour this Gorgon with a cleanly vizard they say Ignorance is mother of deuotion Pessima mater est saith Austen itidem pessimae duae filiae falsitas dubietas illa miserior ista miserabilior illa perniciosior ista molestior Ignorance is the worst mother and her two daughters worst falshood and doubtfulnes that very wretched this more miserable that more pernicious this more troublesome but they make much of this mother for she is the vpholder of the Popes chaire Pythagoras said well Aboue all take care to keepe thy body from diseases the city from sedition and thy soule from ignorance But we may say to these popish Interpreters of the Law as our Sauiour did to the Pharasaicall ye haue taken away the key of knowledge yee enter not in your selues and them that came ye forbad I haue the longer insisted vpon this marke a red lattise to shew the house of the great whore which sits vpon many waters by which signe I may say Pulchrum est digito monstrari dicier haec est The second meretrician marke is her outward face pontificall pompe and gouernment How vnlike is her Pope to Peter Peter arrogated no primacy no Episcopall vniuersality painefull to preach the worde neuer medling with the temporall sword To feed Christs sheep was all his ioy he neuer had Emperor hold his stirrop or kisse his toe neuer deposed King from his Crown neuer freed subiect from obedience hee gaue himselfe no other title but an Apostle of Iesus Christ He neuer gloried in these smoaky titles Vicarius Christi sponsusecclesiae the Vicar of Christ the husband of the Church Vniuersalis Episcopus caput Ecclesia Vniuersall Bishop Head of the Church or as others stile him lumen orbis the light of the world or vice-deus in the roome of God not a meere man but mixt with other Luciferian titles which by me are elsewhere touched his vsurped prerogatiues and power they may that will finde in Bellarmines bookes de Romano pontifice yea as some say the Goates of Candie haue al their eyes fixed vpon the canicular star when it ariseth in the Horizon so all popish eyes fixed vpon this star of Rome homagers to his chaire all their tongues saluting with Gallinae fillus albae Peter and the Apostles were no fishers of Gold as it may be said of these Popes praedam quaerunt non animas they fish for siluer not for soules Innocent the third a Pope of Rome told Aquinas being in his Gallery among his gold that Peter could not shew so much gold when he said siluer and gold haue I none to whom Aquinas gaue a good answere and saide your Holinesse cannot doe that which Peter said and did to the cripple surge ambula arise and walke How vnlike are Romes Cardinalls to Christs Apostles State pride ambition and policy are their foure cardinall vertues Their stile ego Rex I and the King their purple hat and scarlet habit will scarce giue way to regall robes The pride ambition and vaine-glory of the Romane prelacy hath beene taxed in most histories yea their owne side hath condemned them for these sinnes and are branded with these markes by Cusanus Zarabella Marsilius Occham Duareaus c. Their selling of Pardons symoniacal corruption hath made it a common by-word omnia venalia Romae Templa sacerdetes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces coelum est venale deusque
by a deputy shall goe to heauen by an Attourney Staphilus relates at large a Colliars faith which Colliar at the point of death and tempted of the Deuill to know his Beliefe sayd I belieue and die in the faith of Christs Church vrged againe what the faith of Christs Church was answered That faith that I belieue in Thus the Deuill receiuing no other answer was vanquished This implicite faith rather fancy is that folly which they would haue their laity to loue excluding knowledge from the nature of faith and make a naked Assent sufficient for saluation Thus these Soule-thiefes doe not onely put out the Candle of knowledge the Scripture and put it vnder a Bushell least it should descry them but would extinguish all light of grace their Creede which doth condemne them To belieue as others belieue or as the Church belieues and yet know not the beliefe of the Church a purblind faith to saue the blind They teach the people not to trouble themselues with searching into the misteries of Christian religion or points of faith but say as their Rhemists tutor them that they will liue and dye in that faith which the Catholicke Church teaches and this Church can giue a reason of the things belieued a very quicke way if it were a good way but God requires a distinct knowledge of the points of our faith to be able and ready alwayes to giue an answere to euery man that asketh a reason of our hope and faith not to haue the particular knowledge of our faith locked vp in the Church-chest but in our owne breast not to send to Rome or the Pope for an answere to ground their faith on for they may be dead before their message be deliuered or an answere returned This implicite faith was in no request in Iustines time who writes that such as could no letter on the booke vnderstood all the mysteries of faith and indeede it is most necessary for all Christians to know and learne the fundamentall points of faith which in the Church of Rome by the vnlearned cannot be attained for how should any know that which is propounded to him in an vnknowne tounge how should he vnderstand his Creed that knowes not a word in English of his Credo It is expounded to them may some say Worthily I doe warrant you when as many of their Priests and some of their Popes could not be Latin expounders Their expositions like their Legends commonly-read by them in the Church to the people full of monstrous lyes as the Virgine Mary came downe from heauen to visite sicke S. Fulbert and gaue him her breasts to sucke and that Saint Francis vsed to preach to Birds and instruct them who did heare him with great deuotion c. Good stuste to be read in the Church yet this read in the mother tounge that they might learne this apace but the booke of truth the Scrpture read in an vnknowen tounge to belieue that implicitly still they labour to imprison the people in the dungeon of ignorance and superstition It is heresie for a Lay-man to dispute in a point of faith sayth Nauarre Neither will they suffer the people to reade any bookes which examine their religion If any write honestly against their errors their congregation of Cardinalls serues on them a Prohibition commit them to the prison of suppression If Lara speakes of Iupiters lust her tounge must be cut out the people may not looke vpon their enemies in the open face nay their these Bishops and learned Priests who should know light from darkenesse are not permitted this priuiledge without a special Licence therein obtained and their Authors must be of the Romane stampe or first purged before they may peruse them Whereas our Church giues free liberty to all to reade priuatly their bookes Veritas non quaerit angulos truth seekes no corners and were they not conscious of the guilt of their owne cause they would neuer take this course to depriue the people of the word and reade it in an vnknowen tounge or tell the people an implicite faith is sufficient Thrirdly worshipping of Images I am come to the third monster of this Beast and I am loath to touch it for the very Iewes abhorre it Their worshipping of Images the booke of God euery where cries woe to them that worship any carued Images Cursed are all such and to shew the vanity and iniquity of Image-worship I first recommend to euery Lay-papist to reade soberly and diligently the Chapter of Esay namely the 44. And wheras these Papists commonly excuse themselues with this answere we worship no Images but onely they serue vs to put vs in remembrance of God First let them know that if they will follow the Doctrine of their Tutors and I feare they follow them too much they must worship them with a diuine worship the old schoolemen saith the Iesuite Vasquez doe say Imagines Christi esse colendas adoratione latriae The Images of Christ are to be worshipped with the highest adoration their Iesuite Azorius sayth Constans est Theologorum sententia imaginem codem honore cultu coli quo colitur id cuius est imago It is the constant opinion of Diuines that the Image is to be worshipped with the same honor and worship wherewith that is worshipped whose Image it is Is not this I pray plaine idolatry Bellarmines proposition heerein is this Imagines Christi Sanctorum venerandae sunt non solum peraccidens vel improprie verum etiam proprie The Images of Christ and Saints are to be worshipped not accidentally or improperly but also properly yea the second Councell of Nice decreed that Images are to be worshipped Their late Councell of Trent sayth and commands all to doe it with Diuine honor So that we truly say that whosoeuer is a true Papist is a true idolater yea their owne writers who write sparingly therein testifie as much Dici non potest quanta Idolatria apud rudem populum alatur per Imagines Saith Agrippa and Cassander it cannot be expressed what great idolatry is nourished among the rude people by Images Yea as an other Sunt bene multiqui Imagines colunt non vt figuras sed perinde quasi ipsae aliquem sensum habeant magisque ijs credunt quam Christo There are very many who worship images not as shapes but euen as aliue and more trust their Images then Christ Manifestidus est hoc quam vt verbo explicaripossit Saith Cassander This is more manifest then can be expressed in a word Dum imaginibus exhibent latriae cultum Saith Gerson while they offer to images the worship of Latria Let not Bellarmine outface men with Quis Catholicorum diuinum honorem imaginibus vnquam detulit Who of the Catholickes euer offered diuine honor to Images no true Catholickes euer did it but Papists doe it and he with many
as the very naming of them is a confutation Simancha and Creswell haue concluded that no hereticke that is a Protestant is capable of a Crowne and though a lawfull heire yet no iust possessor hauing obtainedit And to this effect Pope Clements Bull was After the death of the late Queene whether by course of nature or otherwise whosoeuer should lay claime or Title to the Crowne of England though neuer so directly or neerely interessed therein by descent and Blood royall yet vnlesse he were such an one as would not onely tollerate the Catholicke Romane religion but by all endeuours and force promote it they should admit or receiue none to the Crowne of England And Samancha Tit. 64. Sect. 75. faith The father may be deposed for an hereticke and his sonne and heire also excluded from claime of succession vnlesse he be a Romane Catholicke Thus they seeke to dispossesse Kings who are enthroned by God and haue their Scepters from the King of Kings yea they â—ind Kings to their good behauiour if they doe displease the Pope then depose them and so no Kings Molina saith The King can vse his Temporall sword but at the Popes becke Tract 2. de Institut Di. 29. Thus debasing Kings the highest powers on earth to be subiects to the Pope who yet in a counterfeit style cals himselfe Seruus seruorum a seruant of seruants Sonat humilit as in voce sed superbia in actione Saith Gregory Iacobs voice and Esawes hands Hypocriticall humility is worse then manifest pride And truly if the Pope had a sparke of the spirit of humility he would condemne his Parasites voices Papa est per queâ—reges regnant The Pope is he by whom Kings reigne Saith Bozius or Papa data est omnis potest as in caelo in terra Dominatur amarivsque admare à flumine vsque adtermin os orbis To the Pope is giuen all power in heauen and earth and reignes from one Sea to an other from the stood to the end of the world or Papa potest omnia facere quae Deus potest The Pope can doe all that God can doe horrible impiety and intollerable flattery And these tell the world he can make and vnmake Kings and the Popes like it well enough excommunicating Kings deposing them and disposing of their Kingdomes to others So that it mooued Art 〈◊〉 King of Peru to say as Benzo and Lopez tell it Insigniter fatuum esse opertere papam qui quae non haberet alijs liberaliter largitur vel carte impedentem nebulonem qui eiectis veris possessoribus alienas terras peregrinis addiceret in mutuas cades mortale genus armaret That either the Pope was an egregious Sot who would liberally giue things which he had not or a very impudent companion who expulsing the true possessors giues it to strangers arming the world to mutuall yea mortall slaughters I will not trouble my selfe to behold the nakednesse rather wickednesse of these drunken Noes vncouered in the midst of their Tents vomiting out vile positions full of sedition and disobedience against the Kings of the earth it require rather teares to bewaile it then a pen to report it and the learned heerein know more then I write and for the ignorant it is good for them in this case to be ignorant still yet I confesse I aimed most in this labour to informe the ignorant hauing no minde to meddle with seducing Priests I cannot charme such deafe Adders if this litle handfull of my loue and labour presented vnto you may be profitable to win any of you I will say and end with the Apostle Iames Brethren if any of you haue erred from the Truth and some man hath conuerted him let him know that hee which hath conuerted the sinner from going astray out of his way shall saue a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sinnes The Lord who is a God of Truth for his mercy sake and for Christs merits sake open all your eies to behold the Truth and your hearts to embrace it that we may all hold one Head in vnity and haue one heart in verity that all with one minde and mouth may praise and pray vnto the Lord in the militant Church on earth and be thrice happy members of the Triumphant Church in heauen Amen Candido lectori Humanum est errare errata hic corrige lector quae penna aut praelo lapsa fuisse vides FINIS * Epist 34. * Baron annal tom 1 ad an 1. fol. 53. * Math. 2. 11. * Walafriâ— Strabo lib. de rebus Eccles * Epist 77 * Eccluâ— 24. 39. * 1 Cor. 4. 3. * Le moribus a 2 Kings 11 3. b 2 Chr. 22. 9. 10. 11. c 2 King 11. 4 d 2 Chr. 23. 2. e 2 Kin. 11. 4. f 2 Ch. 23. 3. g 2 King 11. 6. 11. h 2 Chr. 23. 11. i 2 Kin. 11. 12. * A queene ouer men a queene ouer her selfe for a maiden queen k Mundi totius vna decus Beza Epigram in class hisp Anno 1588. l Gen. 27. 41. Ad certum tempus sunt Christiani postea peribunt redibunt Idola verum tum cum expectas miserinfidelis vt transeant Christiani transis ipse sine Christianis Aug. in P s 70 m Quo nil praestaÌ„tius orbe nobiliusque nihil nostro sol aspicit aeuo Mortua regina quasi non est mortua quia reliquit similem plus quam fimilis hic n Quem beneficia accepta memorem non redduÌ„t is grauius suppliciuÌ„ meretur Chrysost de Sacerd. lib. 4. o Tertul. in Apâ—log c. 30. p Psal 132. 18. q Plut. in vita Flaminij r 1 Kin. 1. s 1 King 1. 40. t 39. Proditor est martyr coeli certissimê° hares u Mariana de reg lib. 1. c 7. * Maria. p 60. Vid orat sixt Qt habit in consistoria Saunders Fra de Verone Azorius Philopater Allen aly x Tertul in Apol. Spolia opima Joui Sen. Prosperum scelus vocatur virtus y 1 Chr. 16. 22. z Reu. 17. 46. a Machau Princ. c. 11. b Psal 21. 8. 9. c Psal 129. 6. a 1 Tim. 2. b Tribus argumeÌ„tis ostendit oranduÌ„ esse proregibê° quorum duo sumpta sunt ab effectu vtili Pisc in locuÌ„ c Plin 2 Panegy ad Traianum Rex sapiens est stabilimentum populi Wisd 6. 24. Rex si bonus est nutritor est tuus si malus tentator tuus est Aug. ser 6. de verb. dom secund Math. Bellua multorum capitum homine nullum morosius animal nec maiori arte tractandum Sene. d Quot capita tot sententiae quot homines tothumores quot humores tot mores Lipsius e Exod. 18. 19. f Psalm 2. 10. g 2 Chr. 1. 10. h Wisd 6. 21. i Magna seruituâ— est magna fortuna nam ipsi Caesari cui omnia licent propter hoc ipsu multa non licent Seneca consolat ad
tongue in Diuine prayers Diaboli calliditatem sapit saith their Catharinus sauors of the Deuill rather this speech sauors of the Deuill And truely these Foxes in this chase haue beene so hunted out of all their blinde holes of ignorance and vnable to vphold this Babell of Barbarisme that they are at last brought to a very desperate defence to produce but two of their Champions who haue drawen out their weapons for the defence of this cause Their Iesuite Salmeron and Cardinall Bellarmine Salmeron saith Finis proprius diuinorum officiorum non est populi instructio adificatio sed potius cultus Deo debitus The proper end of Diuine duties is not the instruction and edification of the people but rather a worship due to God I will not vouchsafe an argument but say with that reuerend Deane Hoc est causae perditissimae vltimum refugium desperationis plenissimum omnis authoritatis rationis praesidijs destitutum This is the last refuge of a most wretched cause full of desperation and void of all authority and reason Bellarmine saith almost the same words vsus precum praecipuus non est aedificatio aut consolatio populi sed cultus Deo ab ecclesia debitus the chiefe vse of prayers is not the edification or consolation of the people but a worship due to God from the Church and so that God doe vnderstand the tongue no matter whether men doe or no a strange argument God knowes our wants before we pray why then should we pray at all or make our petitions to him and yet know not the tenor of our petitions Neuer did any Church teach the people to pray for that which they do not vnderstand but the Church of Rome Yet they themselues confesse it were better if the seruice were in the vulgar tongue yet will not suffer it as Bellarmine Est melius ad consolationem orantis It were better for the consolation of him that prayes melius ad instructionem vt preces intelligantur say the Rhemists better for instruction that the prayers should be vnderstood and Caietan better for the edification of the Church ad fructum deuotionis conducibilius saith Aquine more conuenient for the fruit of deuotion and so their Cardinall Contarenus saith The prayers that men vnderstand not want the fruit which they should reape if they vnderstood them Yea themselues confesse That in the time of the Primitiue Church the people in the vulgar tongue did celebrate their diuine seruice In primitiue ecclesia benedictiones caetera communia fiebant invulgari saith Lyranus in the Primitiue Church benedictions and other common duties done in the vulgar tongue nay Bellarmine goes further Longo tempore post tempore Chrysostomi ac Cypriani ac Ieronymi ea consuetudo valuit long after that in the time of Chrysostome Cyprian and Ierome this custome to celebrate sacred things in the vulgar tongue preuailed The cause which the Trent Councell alleadgeth why all diuine seruice should bee in the Latin tongue is this mos generalis ecclesiae habet vt tantum tribus linguis hebraica Graeca latina celebretur The generall custome of the Church hath beene that in these three tongues Hebrue Greeke and Latin it should bee celebrated In the Primitiue Church and long after no such custome by their owne confession and if any tongue rather the Hebrue the most ancient but the Hebrue and Greeke originals of the Scripture are by them little regarded and the vulgar Latin translation of the Scripture is by the Councell of Trent canonized charging all to vse it as the authenticall text in all their readings disputations sermons and expositions and that they doe not reiect it vpon any pretence whatsoeuer Yea the Bishop of Toledo putting forth the Bible in diuers languages printed the Latin betweene the Hebrue and Greeke saying hee had placed them as the two theeues on eyther side but the Romane or Latin put in the midst betweene them as Iesus Christ and yet I thinke neuer did the sunne see any thing more defectiue and maimed then the vulgar Latin thus by them extolled I could with my finger point at grosse corruptions therein but I may spare that labor their own tongues shall tell it Their owne Bishop Lindan saith it hath monstrous corruptions of all sorts scarce one coppy hath one booke of Scripture vndefiled many points translated improperly abusiuely with many other learned Papists who might be named complaining of seuerall additions detractions falsifications deprauations and barbarismes of the vulgar Latine now by them preferred aboue the Hebrue and Greeke coppies Well if the Lay people may haue this Latin Bible read vnto them yet vnderstand neuer a worde of it and other Church prayers they thinke this seruice is sufficient which is but a little better then vox porcorum or mugitus boum then crying of hogges or the bellowing of buls for it is the comparison of Isidorus Quid potest strepitus labiorum vbi cor est mutum oratio sine deuotione est quasi mugitus boum what is the sound of the lips the heart silent Prayer without deuotion is like the roring of oxen what deuotion or feeling is in that minde which is senselesse of the wordes of his mouth a senselesse petitioner who vnderstands not the sense of his petition If a wauering minded man shall receiue nothing of the Lord as Iames what shall a filly sot obtaine who is both inconstant and ignorant how to pray and what to pray for his Pater noster c or Credo indeum will stand him in small flead Sathan in all his shop of fraud hath not a craftier guile to erect his kingdome of iniquity then this accursed pollicy Therefore let all men who feare God and desire his fauour to heare their prayers follow S. Pauls rule Pray with the spirit and vnderstanding also 2 Implicite saith The Church of Rome which rockes her children in the cradle of ignorance tells them implicite faith is sufficient for them which is the faith of Asses as images are fit bookes for Idiots The description of implicit faith I will fetch from themselues who know best the true image of this their false Idoll Implicita fides est credere secundum quod credit Ecclesia vnde non omnis Christianus tenetur illos articulos fidei scire explicite sed tantum clerici saith their owne writer Implicite or infold faith is to belieue as the Church beleeues so that it is not necessary for euery Christian to know those Articles of faith explicitely but onely Priests a strange faith onely deuised to suppresse knowledge and to countenance ignorance so Bellarmine fides melins per ignorantiam quam per notitiam definitur Faith is better defined by ignorance then by knowledge In their Church a Lay-man may belieue by a proctor or by a Priest explicitly but he that thus belieues