the entire Rule They forbid holy Scriptures to be read in vulgar Tongues to the people being afraid belike least the light thereof should discouer their false errors and foule deeds Contrarie to the Doctrine of the Fathers they make the Bookes of Tobia Iudith Wisdome Ecclesiasticus the Machabees and those peeces of Bookes that are in the old vulgar Latine Translation and not in the Originals to be Canonicall Scriptures equall to the Law and Prophets The old Latine vulgar Translation they make authenticall and neyther the Hebrew nor Greeke Originals of the Old and New Testament They forbid all interpretations of Scriptures contrarie to the sence of the Pope and Roman Church and might as well forbid all Scriptures They teach that the worship of Dulia is due to Saints and Hyperdulia to the Virgin Mary They worship Images of Gold and Siluer and fall downe before the workes of their owne hands Before a Stock they say Pater noster and before Images of Stone and Mettall they say Mater nostra praying helpe of them that neyther heare nor see nor walke nor speake They desire the Picture of Christs Face giuen as is said to Veromca to blot out their sinnes and to bring them to the societie of Saints They call vpon Angels and Saints in all places as if they were euery where present and could heare their prayers and vnderstand their thoughts and could helpe Praying to the Crosse they say Aue spes vnica and desire it to encrease instice in them and to pardon their sinnes They giue diuine honor to the Crosse and to the Images of Christ and the Trinitie which is vnexcusable Idolatrie Consecrating a Crosse they desire it may be to them a Foundation of Faith and a Defence in Aduersitie They beleeue that the Image of the Virgin Mary can helpe the faithfull and that the Image of S. Iohn the Euangelist hath power to driue away Diuels as appeareth by their prayers in the Pontificall when they consecrate them They pray without vnderstanding in a strange Tongue and call vpon Saints and Angels that neyther are present nor heare them They make the Images of the Trinitie and not onely of Angels but mens soules in Heauen The Apostle sayth there is but one Mediator betwixt God and man they employ all Angels and Saints as Mediators Yea they call vpon S. George S. Katherine S. Christopher and XI M. Virgins yet are not assured that there are any such Saints in Heauen or euer were in the World In the Masse the Priest presumptuously taketh vpon him to be a Mediator for Christ Jesus beseeching the Father to looke vpon his Sonne with a serene countenance and to send Angels to carrie vp his Bodie into Heauen Masse-Priests beleeue that they are Priests according to the Order of Melchisedech but the Apostle Hebr. 5. 7. sheweth how that Office belongeth only to Christ They beleeue that Christ is by them continually offered to God but the Apostle sayth he was but once offered and that by that one Oblation he persited all that are sanctified They offer Masses for the redemption of their Soules as if men were redeemed by Masse-Priests as well as by Christ They say Masses also for Hogges and sick Horses which is an intollerable impietie presuming that Christ dyed for brute Beasts They hold the Masse to be a Sacrifice propitiatorie as if sinnes could be remitted without bloud which the Apostle denyeth Hebr. 9. S. Iohn 1. Epist 1. sayth Christs bloud doth cleanse vs from all sinnes quite contrarie to the Doctrine of the Romanists holding that sinnes are cleansed by Purgatorie fire and by our owne and the Saints sufferings They whip themselues thinking by their owne Penance to purge away sinnes like Baals Priests not considering that we are healed by Christs wounds The Apostle Ephes 2. sayth we are saued by grace they beleeue they are saued by the merits of their workes Hee sayth God called vs not according to our workes but according to his purpose and grace They hold that God doth predestinate and call such as by free-will admit that calling and iustifie men that first prepare themselues to iustification Rom. 9. he sheweth That it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth They teach that euery one that will may be saued if he run well They doe also teach that God giueth sufficient grace to all to be saued as if euery one were chosen and called and had grace giuen him to beleeue The Apostle Rom. 3. sayth We are iustified freely by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus They beleeue they are iustified by their workes and merits Christ breaking Bread sayd This is my Body These denie that he gaue Bread or called it his Body Christ distributed the Cup to all that had receiued the Bread They suffer not any but Priests to drinke of the Cup. They say Christ did eate himselfe and offer himselfe at his last Supper but for a man to eate himselfe it is absurd and for Christ to offer two Sacrifices was superfluous In priuate Masses the Priest doth eate and drinke all alone but that is contrarie to Christs Institution Christ bad his Disciples preach the Gospel The Popes Emissaries preach Traditions and Doctrine contrarie to the Gospel Among Papists Women baptize and sometime preach as Katherine of Siena and Joane of the Crosse did They thinke it is sufficient to beleeue implicitely Christ sayd eternall life consisted in knowing God and Christ Jesus They beleeue in a God that neyther made Heauen nor Earth and in Christ made of Bread contrarie to the words of the Creed Priests take vpon them to be creators of their Creator as if they had power ouer God They beleeue that Christs Body is in many places at once as if euery body were not circumscribed by place and continued to it selfe now what is this but to destroy Christs humane Nature Christs true Body in the Sacrament they say neyther seeth nor feeleth nor moueth How is that Body then a true humane Body that hath no sence nor motion The Masse they say is an externall Sacrifice How then is Christ offered in the Masse which is not externally seene Christ in the Capernaites condemned the reall eating of his flesh yet doe Papists beleeue they really eate his flesh and drinke his bloud with their mouthes Christ sayth they liue for euer that eate his fiesh Yet Papists say Reprobates eate his flesh which cannot attaine eternall life The Faith of Papists being founded on the Pope and his Decretals is meerely an humane Faith and therefore not true Christian Faith The Cardinals hauing elected a new Pope place him on the Altar and adore him Great Princes also kisse his feet and common people esteeme him as a God They forbid certaine Meates and prohibite their Votaries to Marrie which the Apostle 1. Tim. 4. calleth no better then Doctrines of Diuels They teach rebellion against Princes excommunicated contrary to the Apostle Rom. 13. that teacheth
also more euidently appeare by the answer made to his Obiections and by the whole Discourse ensuing The second shall manifestly bee demonstrated as well by our publike Confessions which containe nothing but sound Catholike doctrine as by his vayne friuolous and calumnious opposition in his Preface and idle Annotations See then I pray you the pride and presumption of this rinegate who at his first setting forth taketh that as granted which in all his tedious Discourse he shall neuer be able to proue For how can hee call himselfe and his fellowes Catholikes whose Doctrines reiected by vs are a composition of old and new Heresies And how can hee deny vs that title whose Faith is wholly Catholike and Apostolike Hee presenteth vs as hee professeth with a translation of S. AVSTINES Confessions A poore present God wot and nothing worth our acceptance being first as it seemeth rather turned out of Spanish then Latine and next differing from the Originall in diuers places and thirdly being corrupted with false Notes and glosses Hee presumeth it will be profitable and not vnpleasing so Geefe beleeue their owne Goslings to be goodly birds He addeth that the subject will bee now and then hard As if euery Schoole-boy could not translate S. Austines Confessions as well as hee or any Discourse could be more easie As the beauty of a person saith he consisteth in Complexion proportion and motion So he would proue S. Austine to bee excellent in the complexion of his Soule the proportion of the parts of his Booke and the actions of his Life A similitude borrowed from his skill in discerning the beautie and complexion of his out-landish Mistresses but euill befitting this Subiect For first what likenesse is there betweene Men and Bookes Secondly when did he euer see the complexion of S. Austines Soule Thirdly what beauty is there in the distinction of the Chapters made by some ignorant transcriber of S. Austines Confessions Lastly what maketh this tale of faire Complexion decent proportion and motion to his euill fauoured translation and jeiune Preface and Notes He pitieth some Critickes offended as hee saith with some tautologies of this Booke But such Critickes pitie rather the translators Morologies and Pseudologies handling an argument vnfit for such a person and with diuers lies commending his owne friends and taxing his aduersaries Vanting of his labours he saith It was not in his will to commit the least fault but what if ignorance and partialitie haue caried him into faults and errours shall wee accept his will for excuse In the Preface and Translation you shall find faults lyes and corruptions such as will easily conuince this vayne brag Hee taxeth some for falsifying and corrupting S. Austines bookes De ciuit Dei and his Meditations But his reproofe is easily answered For first he doth not nor cannot shew any proofe of the corruption of S. Austines bookes de ciuit Dei Secondly the booke of Meditations attributed to him is not his I haue seene it vnder the name of Anselme Others attribute it to some later Schoole-man and Master Rogers doth not so much translate the booke of Meditations as frame a new Discourse vpon that ground But that the beleefe and practise of S. AVGVSTINE and the Church of his time is fully agreeable to the Roman Church at this day and different from the Church of England as he affirmeth cannot bee proued out of any of S. Augustines workes This I haue cleerely demonstrated before Now I say onely hee cannot proue eyther the mysteries of the Masse or the Popes vniuersall Monarchy or the 7. Sacraments and Indulgences or the Decrees of Trent which wee refuse Onely it is easily proued that hee is an aduersary of this Church of England and so hee professeth himselfe to bee He is also an enemy of his Countrey and the State and a slaue of Antichrist albeit hee doth not professe it Hee complaineth of the great difficulty of Translating this Booke and yet a Child of 15. yeares old might well haue translated a harder Booke then this And if his betters thought so as well as himselfe both hee and his betters were poore weake and ignorant Translators The sentences of S. Austines Confessions are no such deepe matters but they may easily be vnderstood But to find Sentences that grew on the tree of S. AVSTINES soule and to gather them with Flewers and dowe vpon them is an absurd conceit and altogether impossiâ—le Neuer were any such Trees Flower or Dew heard of but in the Apostates harsh stile Let him rather beware of sentences growing out of Tiburne tree and of treacherous Doctrines taught him by Masse-Priests Monkes and Ignatians Hauing finished the Translation he found as he confesseth That hee had much mistaken the sence of diuers places And euery man that is not obdurat will yeeld that hee sayth it truely But that he reformed his mistakings it apeareth not Nay we iustly doubt he made the matter worse By his most significant and sententious soule saith hee his penne is thrust into so little roome A strange and monstrous kind of guibrish for who euer heard before of a significant and sententious soule and a penne thrust into a little roome but if S. Austine spoke significantly how could hee speake so obscurely as is pretended If the Apostates tongue were wedged in a wimble hole would he speake darke sentences thinke you The Heresie of the Manichees saith he is layd vnder the ashes of obliuion And yet in his Popish doctrine concerning prohibition of Mariage to elected Priests in the extending of Christs body into diuers places in the destruction of Christs humane nature and the Communion vnder one kind it is againe reuiued The arguments of the Chapters hee saith are not S. Augustines A very profound Speculation He might also haue added that the meaning expressed in his Translation is not S. Augustines but that shall appeare hereafter Going about to commend his Booke of Confessions hee saith He will borrow the wordes of Ribadineira And I doubt hee borrowed some light from his Spanish translation But if he had chosen out a hundred hee could not haue encountred a more wicked enemy of Religion and the State nor a more false and treacherous companion then that Jesuwide who translated and amplified that scandalous Libell of Sanders De schismate deuised of purpose to the disgrace of the Kings of England and this State The Iesuite compareth his Learning to a Spring that riseth and runneth perpetually And yet Masse-Priests and Fryars drinke rather of the puddle Decretals of the Pope then of S. Austines cleare Spring Hauing vowed Chastitie to God sayth the Translator he retyred in the companie of two friends into a solitarie house where he spent three yeeres in meditation of Scripture Prayer Fasting and other Penance But first it is most vntrue that he vowed Chastitie or other Monkish Vowes secondly he was no longer there then he pleased himselfe thirdly he read Scriptures which Monkes vse not much to doe now
glorious Saint But would he disclayme his lying and calumniating this accusation would soone cease To preferre holy Scripture before any one Father is no scorne nor wrong Caluin in some things leaueth him but Papists leaue him where he followeth the Apostle and setteth forth the grace of Christ they beleeue that Monicaes soule was in Purgatorie but so did not S. Austine Toward the end of his Preface hauing almost tyred himselfe with lying and busie search of that he cannot finde he cryeth out O Heresie how deepe are thy Rootes layd in Hell Some pang belike of Hellish Treason and Heresie wrung his rotten carkasse and pinched him at the heart for to denie Masses and Dirges for the dead is no Heresie but to destroy Christs humanitie to renounce his grace and to maintaine Pelagianisme as Papists doe is most grosse and notorious Heresie We esteeme S. Austine and other Fathers as much as they desire to be esteemed and preferre them farre before the Pope and his whole Consistorie of Cardinals But the Papists doe preferre euery blind and ignorant Popes Sentence before all the ancient Fathers of whom albeit they speake gloriously in their Breuiaries and Missals yet they neyther regard them nor the Apostles of our Sauiour if they speake against their holy Father and his profit and Monkes slow bellyes S. Austine beleeued repented and liued a boly life but yet he neyther whipped himselfe nor did Penance as Fryars do neyther did he make boast of his eminencie in all perfection of life which the Apostate attributeth vnto him The Fable of the writing of the seuen Penitentiall Psalmes before S. Austine as he lay on dying is not probable the same being a practise of Fryars and not mentioned by Possidonius We endeuor by Faith and good Workes and the testimonie of a good Conscience to make our election sure to vs and so no doubt did S. Austine but we perswade no man to assure himselfe of his saluation his life being flagitious and sensuall and himselfe being ignorant and liuing without repentance and hauing Faith onely without good Workes as this lying and flagitious Apostate doth falsely charge vs that is rather the flagitious error of the Apostate and his Consorts who promise saluation to all absolued by Masse-Priests and dying in the Popes Faith which was also the Heresie of Eunomius The example of S. Austine he sayth is profitable to all men whether they be in state of puritie or are fallen into sensualitie hauing darke and frozen soules As if S. Austine were a Catharist or Puritan or sensuall Papists whose hearts are darkened with ignorance and frozen with coldnesse of deuotion could reape any profit by S. Austines example Onely he would not haue his Reader so to remember S. Austine as to forget their deuotion to his Mother Monica who as he sayth had a manly soule indued with massie and solide vertues A note of remembrance full of stoliditie rather then soliditie for deuotion and religion in the opinion of all solide Christians tryeth vs to God and not to men or women departed this life and vnknowne to vs. Further if her soule were manly why may not the Apostate haue a female soule being so much addicted to the feminine gender If her vertues were massie why may not his vanities be spongeous and light like Tyffanie Lastly if S. Austine and his Mother were Saints being not canonized by the Pope then is the Popes power lately vsurped in canonizing Saints nothing And thus an end of the Apostates idle and long Preface proface to his indignitie that hath thus vnworthily disgraced himselfe and his gracelesse Cause CHAP. VI. Notes and Aduertisements vpon the Translators Aduertisement concerning S. AVSTINES Retractations ALthough his idle Aduertisement to the Reader is neyther worth any Animaduersion nor the Readers paines yet because it commeth in sute next after his Preface it followeth in order that vpon his Aduertisement we put our Animaduersions And first I could not ouerpasse his impudence and arrogance albeit noted before in calling himselfe and his companions Catholikes whose Faith is neyther Catholike nor Apostolike nor Christian Let him if he haue any shame demonstrate that Christs Body is made of Bread nay of Wine and that it is contained vnder the accidents of Bread and Wine and was eaten not onely by the Apostles but also by Christ himselfe yea by men and beasts eating the Sacrament that the Pope is Christs Vicar and hath two Swords and power to depose and kill Kings that Fryars and Monks were instituted by Christ and liue in perfect puritie and all the new Creed of Trent When we are vrged by Papists with the authoritie of Saint Austine making euidently against vs it is our vse sayth the Aduertiser to alledge that he made Bookes of Retractation But first he is not able to shew any authoritie of S. Austine making euidently against vs contrariwise we haue alledged places making euidently against the Popish Faction and their Heresies Secondly it is no fault to say he made Books of Retractations Thirdly wee alledge places neuer retracted Lastly it is an easie matter to auoid whatsoeuer is obiected against vs out of S. Austine without any such friuolous and idle shift as is by this poore shifter suggested and deuised for vs. Where S. Austine Lib. 9. Confess c. 13. speaketh of the price of our Redemption he sayth nothing is signified but the Sacrifice of the Masse A conceit fond and ridiculous for first what is more absurd then to confesse that the soule of the Translator and his companions is of so little value that they may be redeemed with euery three-halfe-peny Masse Secondly that Father doth not so much as in one word mention the Sacrifice of the Masse Thirdly hee vnderstandeth the Sacrifice made vpon the Crosse for our Redemption a memoriall whereof is made in the holy Mysteries prophaned by wicked Masse-Priests That which S. Austine sayth of Prayers for the Dead maketh nothing eyther for the sale of Masses or Dirges or the blazing fire of Purgatorie neyther is the Apostate able to auow his irreligion by any words of S. Austine of Vowes of Miracles or of the darkenesse of any Texts of Scriptures He telleth vs that S. Austine mentioneth Monasteries of Religious persons and great numbers of Hermites yet cannot he shew any such institation of Hermites nor demonstrate that S. Austine euer knew any Popish Monke or Fryar That one and the same Scripture hath very many and different sences is not the Doctrine of S. Austine but the foolish conceit of this idle Translator that hath in his head very many crotchets but very little sence or vnderstanding for how can we be assured of the truth and certaine vnderstanding of Scriptures if the same haue many sences Apollo Loxias gaue forth ambiguous Oracles but farre is that from the Text of holy Scriptures and the wisdome of the holy Ghost He noteth also that albeit S. Austine wrote the storie of his youth yet he was no young man