repentance before the Lord Iudg. 20. 26. Now the sinne of the Israelites for which they receiuing such a double foyle appeareth by the text to haue beene first too much confidence of the victorie in regard partly of the goodnes of their cause partly of their great multitude and secondly that although they sought vnto god in that behalfe yet they sought not in such humble and earnest manner as they should haue done and also did at the last when they had not onely warrant from God to goe againe to battell but also a promise of victorie Now if these sinnes be so dangerous to a good and iust cause what may be feared of great sinnes Thus much shall suffice to haue spoken concerning them that are of our religion THE FOVRTH VSE CONCERning Atheists and all those that are of no religion TOuching them that are not of our religion they are especially either Atheists and such as are of no religion or Papists By Atheists I meane not onely such as in deede and openly professe theÌ„selues to be such not fearing plainly to denie God and all religion of which sort we hauee too many euen in our lande but also such as doe beare men in hand that they are of our religion but in truth are not For albeit they will goe to Church and performe other outward duties that our religion requireth yea will also sometime speake and doe something for our religion yet all is but in pollicie they practise onely the precepts of cursed Machiuel and therfore if any change should come which the God of heauen keepe from vs they are as readie for any religion as for this To this sort of Atheists I doe also referre many ciuill men that neuer knew or heard of Machiuel himselfe neither of his precepts which come also to Church c. and liue likewise vprightly as touching ciuill righteousnes and outward equitie amongst their neighbours which will also sometimes talke of religion both ours and poperie and yet in truth also are of no religion at all neither Protestants nor Papists Moreouer hitherto belongeth a great multitude of poore soules in this land that for want of instruction are so ignorant that they know not what religion is or any point of religion and which therefore make no difference betwixt our religion and poperie All these I wish seriously to consider of my former arguments and thereby to prouoke themselues to make more account of religion generally and secondly of our religion onely then euer they haue done As they haue heard our religion to be of God and acceptable vnto him so let them know that they cannot please God in any other waie but onely in our religion How miserable therefore wretched and fearefull is their estate and condition Let all such therefore lament this their miserie heartily thanking God that they vnderstood it before their ende and whilst it is called to daie let them not harden their hearts but heare the voice of God yet calling them to his true religion and knocking at the dore of their consciences to be entertained with his truth Let them seeke the Lord whilst he may be found and call vpon him whilst he is neare Esa 55. 6. least neglecting his grace offered vnto them the Lord remooue his kingdome and depart himselfe as it were out of their hearing and so withdraw his mercies from them and poure out his iudgements vpon them that they stretch out their hands and the Lord hide his eyes they make many praiers and the Lord heare not Esa 1. 15. they seeke and there be none to be found to helpe them Ioh. 7. 34. yea least notwithstanding their seeking they die for all that in their sinnes Ioh. 8. 21. Let such as now laugh at and make as it were a Maie-game of all religion and the professours thereof weepe mourne in time for their such laughing least the Lord also doe laugh them to scorne in their miserie Psal 73. 13. and doe mocke theÌ„ when their feare commeth Prov. 1. 26. bringing such heauines vpon them that they cannot laugh though they would yea and in the ende casting them into the place of vtter darknes feare horrour where is nothing but weeping and gâ—ashing of teeth Math. 8. 12. that is in hel fire that neuer shall be quenched where their worme dieth not and their fire neuer goeth out Mark 9. 43 44. Those also that hitherto haue beene secure and careles regarding no religion let them likewise in time better regard such meanes as whereby they may be drawne to our religion THE FIFTH VSE CONCERning weake and ignorant Papists TO Papists also I saie the same especially to such as are Papists in a kind of conscience that is to such as are not of that religion of any obstinate and wilfull minde but because in ignorance they are perswaded their religion to be the right waie and ours to be a wrong or by-waie I doubt not but that there are many such in the land Yea I hope that many Papists are such This I doe hope of such Papists as bring not forth those fruits that poperie approoueth of whereof I haue spoken in my sixt argument before which are also mercifull and readie to doe good not to them onely of their owne religion but also to other These I hope to be rather ignorant then wilfull Papists therefore I haue also some good hope of their conuersion in time especially if it might please God to mooue their hearts to haue regard of the perfect law of god which conuerteth the soule Psal 19. 7. And truly in the Christian loue that I beare vnto these and in the pittie and compassion I haue of their soules as I see them full of pittie and compassion towards the bodies of other and likewise to haue many other excellent commendable things in them I haue the rather set penne to paper for the writing of this treatise to trie if it might please my good God to blesse my labour vnto their good euen to the winning of them to our religion For I protest vnto them and God knoweth I speake the truth of my heart and lie not neither dissemble that I so desire their saluation that I would be gladder thereof then of all worldly wealth and good whatsoeuer In the meane time me thinketh that howsoeuer they be commended for many excellent things indeede not very common yet all their commendation is very defectiue and lame for want of commendation touching true religion Yea certenly when a man hath saide all that he can in commending such persons and then saith that these were excellent men or worthie women were it not for one thing that is for their religion this one thing wanting is more then all they haue For this one thing concerneth God all the other for which Papists are commonly coÌ„mended concerne but men And our Sauiour saith that the great and first or chiefest commandement is to loue the Lord our God c. Math. 22. 38. yea
gods as their are saints in their Kalender doe they not also ascribe power to forgiue sinnes vnto the Pope and to euery shauen priest which yet God challengeth onely to himselfe and which also their forefathers acknowledged to be God his owne due Yea doe they not in their Decretals Distinctions Canons and such other bookes allowed by generall authoritie of their Church in most plaine words write that of him which is a so the onely prerogatiue-royall of God verely it can not be denied For proofe hereof to the reader I will set downe some of their owne words that no man may challenge me of a slander neither the pope himselfe bring any action against me for belying his holines These therefore are the words of the glosse vpon the distinction Jn canone Quanto de translatione episcopi titulo 7o. Papa dicitur hasere câ—â—leste arbitrium ideo etiam naturam resum immutat substantialia vnius rei applicando aâ—ij Et de nihilo potest aliquid facere sententiam quae nulla est aliquam facere quia in his quae vult câ—est proratione voluntas Nec est qui ei dicat curitafacis Ipse enim potest supra ius dispensare de iniustitia facere iustitiam corrigendo iura mutando Nam plenitudinem obtinet potestatis That is that I may interpret these wordes to let the most ignoraÌ„t see what blasphemies popery teacheth The Pope is said to haue aÌ„ heaueÌ„ly power therefore he changeth the nature of things by applying the substantiall properties of one thing to an other And he can make something of nothing and that sentence which was none or nothing worth to be somewhat or of force because in those thinges that he will to him will is for reason Neither is there anie man that may say why doest thou so For he can dispense aboue right and of that which is iniustice make iustice correcting and changing lawes because he hath full authoritie Who doth not see by these wordes that they make the Pope another God for to change the nature of thinges as God turned Lott his wife into a pillar of salt made Baalam his asse to speake and gaue Nebuchadnezzar the heart or qualities of a beast to make something of nothing to make iustice of iniustice as God is said to ferch light out of darknes to make his owne will sufficient reason to dispense aboue right to correct change lawes to haue ful authority to do al these things is it not proper vnto God An other also of their doctors saith Excepto peccato Papapotest quasi omnia facere quae Deus potest Sinne excepted the pope can doe in manner all things thai God can doe Iohannes also Capistranus a fit name for one so well worthie of an halter of the authoritie of the Pope and of the Church p. 93. B. writeth to the same effect Vbi quaeritur ad quid protenditur authorit as Papae respondeo breuiter quòd ad omne bonum nulluÌ„ malum est enim quasâ— Deus in terris maior homine minor Deo plenitudinem obtinens potestatis That is If it be asked how farre the pope his authoritie extendeth I aunswer briefly that it extendeth to all that is good to nothing that is euill for he is as God in the earth greater then man and lesse then God hauing full authoritie Marke good reader how they are not ashamed euen to attribute these words vnto him whereby the Apostle doth describe Antechrist 2. Thess 2. 4. saying that he should sitt as God c. So God will haue themselues to acknowlenge the Pope to be Antichrist though they intend no such thing but rather to make him God or at the least pew-fellow with God In their Decretalls also they write that the Pope is neither god nor man but the Viccar of God and mixt or compounded of God and man Oftentimes also they ascribe vnto him all power aswell in heauen and hell as in earth But for further view of the monstrous blasphemies of the Pope I refer the reader to the large description of him which is in the booke of Martyrs in the verie end of King Henrie the 7. his reigne in the verie ende also of the first volume where plentifully are laid downe both their wordes of him and also the places of their owne bookes quoted in which any man may finde them By these things it is euideÌ„t that although they think great scorne to be charged to teach that there are many Gods yet in truth by communicating that vnto other which is God his onely due they teach as much God himself hath said that he will not giue his glorie to any other but they scotch not they feare not to giue it to manie other 3 The like do they touching the Mediatour For they teach that there are manie Mediators yea so many as there are Saints and a great many more Yea they teach that the Virgine Marie is not onely a Mediatour but also a Mediatour aboue Christ himselfe For proofe I will note their owne words but yet onely in English for breuities sake Thus therefore they speake to the Virgine Marie as I do faithfully traÌ„slate their words in a certaine horarie c. Reioyce O celestiall matron triumphantly praise God thy Sauiour which hath made thee singular Thou wast content to be called the handmaid of Iesus Christ but as the diuine law teacheth thou art his Ladie For right and reason requireth that the mother should be aboue the Sonne Therefore aske humblie and commaund loftilie that he guide vs that are here in the euening or twilight of the world vnto the supreame kingdom And againe in the same place Thou alone art without example whome god hath chosen to be Mediat our betweene God and man the repairer of the world the end of destruction the washing away from sinnes the way of counsell the trust of reward the ladder of hèauen the gate of paradise In their common praiers also they call her the mother of gracâ— the mother of mercie and they pray her to defend them from their enemies and to receiue them in the houre of death Againe they call her the certaiâ—â— hope of them that are in miserie the mother of Orphanes the Sauiour of the oppressed the phisick of the sicke all to all What can be more contrarie to the doctrine and matter of religion for this is not onely to make her another Mediatour but also another God and indeed if she be another Mediatour shee must also of necessitie be another god because there caÌ„ be no Mediatour which is not also god Neither is this much to be marueled at for they also pray to god to be heard not onely for the blood of Christ but also for the blood of the Martyres Yea of Thomas Becket which was no Martyr but iustlie put to death for his insoleÌ„ctreason Yea they teach that euery maÌ„ must also be his owne Sauiour that is merit his
is euill and contrarie to scriptures therefore their fruits can not be good and sutable to the scriptures Many indeede teach good doctrine that beare not fruits agreeable but where the doctrine is euill there are neuer any other then euill fruits To begin with the practise of the commandements of the first table it is certaine that they make no conscience or account at all of them Their strait obseruation of the precepts of men in their diuine worship hath iustled all care of the commaundements of God cleane out of the dores Neither can it be otherwise For euen as when a wife openeth the dore of her heart and giues entrance vnto the loue of a straunger this new loue iustleth out the old towards her former husband so is it in the loue and worship of God We haue heard before how many other the papists doe inuocate worship offer gifts obsâ—â—â—â— daies vnto and such like and therfore also how many they trust in loue and feare besides the Lord for it cannot be that the performance of those outward duties can be without the inward things We haue also heard touching those duties which they performe vnto God how repugnant they are to his word which requireth no such things or at the least in no such manner Now besides these things their other fruits doe further bewraie that they haue no regarde at all of any thing that God himselfe in his first table concerning his worshippe doth command For what Papist careth for the publique hearing or priuate reading of the word of God except it be onely to gather some colour of matter either for the confirming and hardening themselues in their errours as also the animating themselues the more boldly to transgresse the word in other things as all the wicked doe or for the railing on our religion So also which of them maketh any conscience at all of swearing either falsly or at the least idlely or vainely by the name of God and by euerie part of Christ Iesus or prophanely also and wickedly by the names of their Saints masse and such other their abominable idols yea which of them thinketh not him a foole and suspecteth him not to be of our religion though otherwise they know him not that is sparing of such oathes or that at least sheweth any dislike of such oathes in others 2 Yea and here not to speake onely of the breach of the third commandement by particular persons let vs also adde something of the violating of the same by the blasphemous praiers of their whole Church Something hath beene noted before of this point in shewing the contrarietie of the matter of their religion to the matter of the religion coÌ„mended in the scriptures where we haue seene how derogatorie their praiers to the virgin Marie are vnto the Mediation of Iesus Christ Notwithstanding in this place also it shall not be amisse further to shew howe blasphemous both to God and also to Christ their praiers are to the virgine Marie to other whome they account as Saints and finally to the woodden crosse of Christ To the virgin Marie thus they praie Te laudamus rogamus mater Iesu Christi Vt intendas defendas nos à morte tristi Here they praie vnto her to be kept from sorrowfull death and so ascribe vnto her power of life and death Againe Threnosa compassio dulcissimae dei matris Perducat nos ad gaudia summi Dei patris that is Let the pitifull compassion of God his most sweete mother bring vs to the ioyes of the most high God the father These praiers are full of blasphemie yet behold greater blasphemie then this For thus also they pray vnto her Virgo singularis inter omnes mitis nos culpis solutos mites fac castos vitam praesta puram iter para tutum vt videntes Iesum semper collaetemur Here they pray vnto her that they beeing released from their sinnes shee would make their life pure and their iourney safe that they seeing Iesus might reioyce together Againe Dele culpas miserorum terge sordes peccatorum dona nobis beatorum vitam tuis precibus In these wordes they intreat her to blotte out the faults of them that are in miserie to wype out the staines of sinners and by her praiers to giue vnto them the life of the blessed In another praier they speake more blasphemously calling her Mairem orphanorum the mother of orphans consolationem desolatorum the consolation of the desolate viam errantium the way of them that straie salutem spem in se sperantiuÌ„ the health and hope of such as trust in her fontem consolationis indulgentiae that is the fountaine of mercie of health and grace of godlines and ioy of consolation and fauour Are not all these petitions blasphemous to the Deitie It is here also to be obserued that although these and most of their praiers in their seruice books from whence I haue verbatim word for word borrowed these fragments be in latine yet that all ignorant meÌ„ may thinke the more highly of that praier and vtter the wordes with more deuotion wherein are these last attributes proper onely to God communicated to the virgin Marie they haue prefixed this inscription and commendation in English with redde letters ouer the head of the praier To all them that be in the state of grace that deuoutly say this praier before our blessed Ladie of pitie shee will shew them her blessed visage and warne them the day and houre of death and in their last ende the Angels of God shall yeelde their soules to heauen and he shall obtaine fiue hundred yeares and so many Lents of pardon graunted by fiue holy fathers Popes of Rome In an other praier next to the former as they praie vnto Christ to be defended from the wrath of the Saints and of his holy mother so also they desire him to giue them health of bodie and power to liue well c. by the intercession of his holy mother So they make Christ a Mediatour betweene theÌ„ and the Saints and his mother and yet they pray vnto him for the intercession of his mother c. In an other not long after the former they call her sororem angelorum the sister of angels regiâ—am patriarcharum the queene of patriarks magistram euangelistarum the mistris of Euangelists doctricem apostolorum the teacher of the Apostles confortatricem martyrum the comforter or strengthener of the Martyrs fontem plenitudmem confessorum the fountaine and fulnesse of confessours And before this praier is set a redde lettered preface promising to euery one that shall read it deuoutly not to depart out of this world without penance and administration of the holy sacraments In the next praier also they call her the bottomlesse pit of all grace and mercie c. This praier likewise hath a redde promise prefixed of an hundred daies of pardon graunted by Pope Goodface I should sale Pope Boniface In the
not haue vs to haue any thing that should not passe through the hands of Marie that none of our works are acceptable vnto him except it be offred by the haÌ„ds of Marie Therefore that little that thou wouldest offer vnto God prouide thoâ— deliuer it into the hands of Marie if thou wilt not haue the repulse Then he addeth his owne wordes Hoc etiam patet exemplo quod legitur in Chronicis nostris c. that is This also is manifest by an exaÌ„ple that is read in our Chronicles namely that on a certaine daie S. Frances did see two ladders one redde vpon which Christ stoode and an other white on the which was the virgin And when as by the admonishment of blessed Frances the brethren assaied to ascend by the redde ladder whilst they beganne to goe many fell backeward and could not ascend At which thing S. Frances did grieue with weepinge to whome Christ saide Cause thy brethren to runne to my mother The virgin a better ladder for heauen then Christ and to the white ladder that they may ascend by it which when the brethren did they were entertained of the virgin with a cheerefull countenance and then with ease they went vp to heauen 11 In his second sermon of the 9. part of the booke with this title Maria terra leafe 303. at the letter R thus he writeth Si quis querat quareoum diabolus tempore Tobie 7 vii ros Sare strangulauerit c. that is If any man The word eum is superstuous or els should be cum aske why the deuill in the Time of Tobia did strangle the seauen husbands of Sara for their sinne as it is Tob. 2. and yet now doth not kill all whome mortall sinnes doe giue into his hands I answer that this proceedeth froÌ„ hence that God hath giuen vnto men this most mightie virgin which hath in her hand The virgin giuen to keepe men from the deuills c. a rodde of iron to driue away all infernall beasts and to put to flight the deuills themselues Wherefore he saith vnto her in the 2. psal Thou shalt rule them with a rodde of iron and breake theÌ„ in peeces like a potters vessel And this power of the glorious virgin is figured in the 7. of Exod. in the rodde of Aaron which was turned into a serpent and deuoured the roddes of the inchanters In the same sermon leafe 304. he applieth many thinges spoken of the power of God of Christ c. to the virgin As Thou canst doe all things If thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Thou art The virgin is omnipotent stronger then all He hath deliuered me from the mightie aduersarie All things are possible with thee Neither is there any thing that is not in my power Thou rulest the raging of the sea and the surging floods thereof thou doest mitigate God hath giuen him power ouer the things that are in the earth In Ierusalem is my power Thy dominions is to the ends of the whole earth His authoritie is an euerlasting authoritie from generation to generation We have heard the fame of his power and wonderfull is his power All these things that I say and many other the like partly blasphemously and partly foolishly he applieth to the virgin Marie In the ende of that sermon he applieth many things also to her that are spoken of the book The virgin is the booke of life c of life exhorting such as desire to attaine vnto eternall life to studie this booke daie and night In the same sermon leafe 308. a little before the letter G thus he saith Beate igitur virgini quae omnes demones superauit debellauit dici potest illud Isaij vulnerasts dracones illud Apocal. 20. Apprehendit draconem antiqaum serpentem that is To the blessed virgin therefore which hath ouercome and subdued all the deuills may that be saide of Esai Thou hast wounded the dragons and that in the 20. of the Revelation Shee tooke the dragon that olde serpent Againe in the same sermon leafe 309. Habet etiam solicitutudinem in custodiendo quia sub alis c. that is She is also very carefull of keeping because shee keepeth vs vnder her wings and protecteth Her two great wings vs from the snares of the deuill for shee is that woman to whom are giuen two great wings Revelat. 12. one is the wing of mercie vnder the which sinners doe flie that they may be reconciled vnto God the other is the wing of grace vnder which the iust do stand that they may be preserued in grace 12 In the fourth sermon of the same 9. part all almost spoken in the scripture of light is applied to the virgin so also that which is spoken of the citie of God 13. In his first sermon of the Assumption of Marie thus he saith Omnis natura a deo est facta deus est ex Maria factus Deus omniuÌ„ factor se ex Maria fecit c. that is Euery nature is made of God God is made of Marie God the maker of all things made himselfe of Marie 14 In the second sermon of the same matter leafe 363. he telleth vs that the virgin standing at the feete of her sonne desired him to shewe her the order of the Angels and Saints in heauen because saide shee Moses alij prophete de hoc nihil dixerunt Marie desireth to know more then Moses and the prophets had taught The nine orders of Angels Moses and the other prophets haue said nothing of this matter To whome the sonne shewed first touching Angels that there were nine degrees or orders of them and that euery order was tenne times more excellent then other 1. of angels 2. of archangels 3. principalities 4. powers 5. vertues 6. dominions 7. thrones 8. cherubins 9. seraphims Here note before I proceede any Repugnance betweene Bernardine and other Papists further let the reader obserue that this agreeth not with that which some other Papists write of this matter For he saith that Christ himselfe shewed these things vnto his mother but other Papists and namely Saint Vincent in his sixth sermon for the ninth Lords daie after the feast of the Trinitie saith that Dionysius learned this diuinitie of Paul and that to Paul it was first reuealed when he was rapt vp into the thirde heauen After that Christ had shewed his mother these orders of the Angels then he proceedeth to shew her further the seuerall places of the Saints which were these â—t first that in the first order of Angels before mentioned are placed those which shall repent of their sinnes In the second order of Archangels shall be placed they that ouer and aboue their repentance shall haue actual deuotion which he saith is more then repentance Thirdly that with principalities shall be placed they that are mercifull in corporall and spirituall workes Fourthly that with powers shall be placed they that are