A SHORT COMPEND OF THE HISTORIE OF THE FIRST TEN PERSECVTIONS MOVED AGAINST CHRISTIANS DIVIDED INTO III. CENTVRIES WHEREVNTO ARE ADded in the end of euery Centurie treatises arising vpon occasion offered in the historie clearely declaring the noveltie of Popish Religion and that it neither flowed from the mouthes of Christs holy Apostles neither was it confirmed by the blood of the holy Martyrs who died in these ten persecutions IEREM 6. ver 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand in the wayes and behold and aske of the old way which is the good way and walke therein and ye shall find rest vnto your soules but they said we will not walke therein LVC. 10. ver 42. Marie hath chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from her EDINBVRGH Printed by Andro Hart and are to be solde at his shop on the North side of the high streete a litle beneath the Crosse ANNO DOM. 16. 13. TO THE MOST NOBLE VERtuous and elect Ladie MARIE Countesse of Mar wisheth Grace Mercie and eternall Felicitie IT hath pleased God most noble and elect Ladie to prolong my life these yeeres bypast vnder many infirmities of a dayly decaying tabernacle yet my good God hath not left me destitute of comfort to the end I might fulfil my course with joy One of my chiefe comforts vnder God was your La. reuerent hearing and faithfull practising of the worde of God I delited to see that thing begun in earth which shal be perfited in heauen The glorified Saintes in heauen they cast down their crownes at the feete of the Lambe who sits vpon the Throne When noble persons in earth humblie kisses the feete of the Son of God beares ' his light burden and submittes themselues vnto his easie yoke then some resemblance of the heauen is found in the earth The rarer this vertue is the more I reverenced it in your La person and the oftener I commended your noble houshold to God and to the worde of his grace which is able to build further and to giue you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified The Queene of Adiabene HELENE when she left her owne countrie and came to dwell at Ierusalem she filled the bellies of the poore with the cornes of Egypt and the fruits of Cyprus forit was a yeere of vniuersal famine and spared for no cost to doe good to the Saincts that were in Ierusalem therefore her name is vntill this day in reuerent remembrance And in our dayes honorable Ladies who refreshes the barren soules of ignorant people in this land with examples of humilitie modestie godlinesse and all other Christian vertues many generations after vs shall call them blessed The Lord in mercie augment the number of honorable persons who rejoyce to goe vnto the house of the Lord. These are the toppes of the mountaines which beeing once free and not couered with ouerflowing waters it is a comfortable presage that the great flood that drowned the world shall be abated These are the Minerals of gold and siluer which are not easily found out but after they are discouered they replenish the land with infinit treasures of riches The Prophet ZACHARIE when he saw in that celestiall vision IEHOSHVA his body honoured with change of apparell wished also the Diademe to be set vpon his heade but if he had seene the Diademe set vpon his head and the body lapped vp with ragges of vile apparel hee had wished the body also to be honoured with ornaments proportionallie agreeing to the heade It hath pleased the wisedome of our God in this part of the countrie whereinto I dwell first to decke with glorious ornaments the head the Lord in mercie cloth the body also with change of rayment to the end that Satan that vigilant enemie who delighteth in the filthie ragges of our beggerly apparel may be grieued for our change from worse to better I speake the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse that it is lawfull to me toreuerence the image of Christ where euer I see it clearely shining either in rich or in poore And so much the more because it was my lot to conferre with many persons of a contrarie religion whom I found to be like reprobat siluer fra whō the drosse could not be separated What is next If they will harden their heartes against the truth of God then let the dead burie their dead but let the noble house of Mar follow Christ. Receiue from my hands Madam this short cōpend of the ten first great persecutions with certaine treatises added to the compend of the historie and be not afraid to follow the religion and faith of the Apostles and Euangelists because their eares heard the words of the great shepheard of our soules their eyes saw God manifested in the flesh they were chosen to be faithful witnesses to the world of the doings sufferings and doctrine of Christ the holy Ghost was sent to teach them in all trueth Here we may rest vpon a sure foundation against the which the gates of hell cannot preuaile Next to the Apostles their true successours are to be had in reuerent regard who sealed vp that faith which they receiued from the Apostles with riuers of blood for the space of three hundreth yeeres To this antiquitie of Apostolicke doctrine let vs firmely adhere This is the clearest mirrour whereinto the precepts of wholesome doctrine are contained After the holy Apostles had finished their course the disciples of the Apostles were worthie men yet not like vnto the Apostles who had bene both called taught immediatly by Christ. If any doūg was in their sacrifices it was couered by the glory of their sufferings the fire wherwith they were burnt the water wherinto they were drouned the aire wherinto their bodies were hanged vp the mountaines wildernes through which they wandered the darke prisons whereinto they were enclosed as people vnworthie of libertie whom notwithstanding the Son of God had made sree and they were free indeede Yea all the verie elements the light of Heauen wherefra by most vnrighteous violence the righteous heires of heauen were excluded all these I say were witnesses of their glorious sufferings Vnder pretence of climming to this antiquitie the Papists would cloacke the turpitude of their new found doctrine So did the Hagarenes boldly vsurpe the name of Saracenes yet they were but the brood that spran◅s out of the bellie of HAGAR the handmaid of SARAH And the Priests boy in the daies of ELI came vnto the Caldron while the flesh of the peace offering was seithing and thrust in his flesh-hooke all that the flesh-hooke brought vp the Priest tooke for himselfe This thing was done by violence but the Priest had not just right to euerie piece of the sacrifice that the flesh-hooke brought vp The Romaine Church in our dayes hath borrowed the flesh-hooke of the Priestes boy and violently arrogates vnto themselues the faithfull keeping
of their Hierarchle haue forsaken it yet this they gaine that Marriage beeing counted an holie Sacrament they haue drawne the cognition of all Matrimoniall causes vnder their judicatorie This beeing done and their authoritie beeing setled they tooke boldnesse to make lawes both impious against GOD and injurious to men as namelie that Marriages bound vp betwixt young persons without consent of Parentes shoulde bee firme and itable That amongst kinsfolke it shoulde not bee lawfull to marrie within the seuenth degree and these were alreadie married within these degrees shoulde bee separated againe That a man who is diuorced from an adulterous woman shall not haue libertie to marrie during her life-time That they who are spirituall brethren and sisters by the Sacrament of Baptisme and Confirmation shall not haue leaue to marrie one another And Marriage is forbidden at certaine seasons of the yeere And finallie that the Church may dispense with the degrees of consanguinitie forbidden in the eighteenth CHAPTER of LEVITICVS and finde out moe degrees impeding Marriage to bee bound vp The Apostle PAVL when hee calleth Marriage a great mysterie EPHES. CAP. 5. VERS 32. hee is speaking concerning CHRIST and concerning His Church And it is indeede a mysterie vnspeakeable whether wee consider the beginning or the progresse or the consummation of this Marriage It is begunne in Earth and perfected in Heauen And the loue of CHRIST and His Church is vnspeakeable For euen the Spouse of CHRIST albeit shee bee infirme and weake in the Earth yet her heart is so inflamed with the loue of her husband that shee forgetteth all thinges and remembereth vpon Him shee counteth all thinges to be dongue in comparison of him one sight of His reconciled face is dearer to her than all the treasures of the worlde His name is like a sweete oyntment powred out and delighting her soule with the sweete smell of saluation And if the loue of the Church towardes CHRIST bee vnspeakeable who can comprehende the length breadth and deepnesse of the loue of CHRIST towardes His Church who hath purged her from all spotte of sinne in this worlde and prepared a glorious mansion for her in His Fathers house that is in Heauen But this is not spoken of the marriage of mortall men with their wiues True it is that the Apostle PAVL in that same place setteth downe some similitude betwixt corporall marriages and the spirituall marriage betwixt CHRIST and His Church But that is not enough to furnishe out an ordinarie Sacrament in the Church of GOD for then shoulde there bee infinite Sacramentes For the Kingdome of GOD MATTHEW 13. is compared to a man who soweth good seede in his fielde It is compared to leuen and to a treasure that is hidden in the fielde and to a drawe nette and to a graine of Mustard seede yet all these thinges are not Sacramentes in the Church Yea and in the marriage of ADAM and EVA wee see a certaine similitude of the spirituall marriage betwixt CHRIST and His Church for ADAM loued the woman which was fleshe of his fleshe and bone of his bones and in whom hee saw his owne similitude GENES CHAP. 2. VERS 23. And CHRIST in like manner by feeding vs with His owne bodie and blood Hee maketh vs fleshe of His owne fleshe and bone of his owne bones and more-ouer Hee stampeth vs with His owne similitude to assure vs that He loueth vs whom Hee hath stamped with His owne likenesse In like manner a matrimoniall bande is more indissoluble than other bandes for other bandes like as they are bounde vp with consent of parties so in like manner they maye bee dissolued and vndone with consent of parties but the bande of Marriage cannot bee vndone except by death or fornication But the conjunction betwixt CHRIST and His Church ROMAN CHAP. VIII cannot bee vndone by death it selfe As concerning spirituall whordome the true Church which consisteth of a number whome GOD hath elected called justified sanctified and whome Hee intendeth to glorifie These I saye the LORD in mercie preserueth from spirituall whordome and apostasie from the knowne trueth And like as a chaste woman delighteth in her husbande whether hee bee present with her or absent from her if hee bee present shee delighteth to conferre with him if hee bee absent shee delighteth to talke of him to reade his letters to beholde the tokens of his fauour towardes her and finallie in the secrete parloure of her heart to meditate of his goodnesse towardes her Basil. Magn. De vera Virginiâ—… Euen so the Church is rauished with an vnspeakeable delight of her husband IESVS CHRIST Hee is spirituallie present and by holie prayers shee talketh with Him night and daye Hee is corporallie absent therefore shee delighteth to talke of His loue and goodnesse towardes her and to reade the bookes of holie Scripture wherein His good will towardes her is clearlie manifested and in the secrete chamber of her heart continuallie to meditate of His second blessed appearance IN nothing doeth the ROMANE Church agree better with vs for a time than in magnifying Marriage as an holie bande instituted by GOD in PARADISE and hauing a type and similitude of the loue of CHRIST towardes His Church and therefore they make it an holie Sacrament in the Church which no man euer did before the dayes of Pope GREGORIE But when they perceaued that this was not consented vnto that Marriage shoulde bee counted one of the ordinarie Sacramentes in the Church especiallie the whole Hierarchie of the ROMANE Church disclaiming it and the East Church in a generall Councell disallowing prohibition of Marriage to men called to spirituall offices The ROMANE Church tooke offence at euerie thing which was repugnant to their opinion They coulde neither abide them who denied that Marriage was a Sacrament nor yet them who gaue libertie to Church men to marrie And so beeing irritated on all sides they beganne to speake euill of Marriage as a worke of the fleshe and an estate vncompetent to men in spirituall offices Is not the ROMANE Church in this poinct like vnto the Riuer EVPHRATES which flowing out of the Mountaines of ARMENIA setteth its course Westward vntill it forgather with the skirtes of Mount TAVRVS and then when the course of it is hindered it fetcheth a contrarie course and runneth directlie East vntill it bee mixed with the water of TYGRIS Euen so the ROMANE Church which coulde neuer abide to bee controlled it tooke occasion to speake vnreuerentlie of Marriage because their opinions were not receaued in the Church without contradiction NOwe seeing the cause is euidentlie knowne wherefore they were so serious to drawe in Matrimonie into the number of Sacramentes namelie to the ende that matrimoniall causes might bee founde spirituall causes and might bee judged by spirituall Iudges Let vs consider what constitutions they made in matters of Matrimonie without anie warrand or regarde of Scripture insomuch that their vilepending of Scripture maketh a number of
betwixt the Riuers Arnon Iordan and Iabbok by one apparent right the king of Ammon claimed that these lands should be restored vnto the Ammonites to whom of old they did belong but Iphtah refused to giue ouer the possession of these landes wherein the Reubenites and Gaaites dwelt and that for three great reasons First they receiued these landes out of the handes of their GOD by whose expresse commandement and warrant MOSES faught against Sihon king of Hesbon Secondly since the dayes of MOSES vntill the dayes of the gouernament of IPHTAH that is the space of three hundreth yeeres the people of Israel peaceablie possessed those landes And thirdly euen in the dayes of Moses these landes were taken out of the handes of the Amorites who were possessors of them at that time and not from the Ammonites For the like reasons I say we cannot agree to the doctrine of Inuocation of Saints First because wee haue receiued a perfect forme of prayer out of our LORDS hands wherein we are taught to pray onely to our Heauenly Father and not to Saints Secondly because the Church for the space of three hundreth yeeres after the LORDS ascension used no other forme of prayer then this to pray to GOD alone through IESUS CHRIST Thirdly if Papistes will needes make anie controuersie in this matter let them controuert with CHRISTS Apostles who haue left vnto their true successors this forme of prayer which we now use and such new young school-maisters as Papistes are wee cannot admit Against the seconde of the three preceeding reasons if they object that in the dayes of Cyprian the Christian Virgine whom Cyprian before his conuersion pursued with Magicall arts labouring to circumueene her shee prayed for helpe to the Virgine Marie as Nazianzenus writeth To this I answere that this narration which Nazianzenus hath found in some Apocryph booke is rejected by the learned as an vncertaine thing whereof Ierom writing of the conuersion of Cyprian maketh no mention Secondly this forme of prayer that a weake and timorous Virgine used was no liturgie nor forme of prayer used amongst Christian people in their holy assemblies and that thing which any one person doth of infirmitie and weakenesse is not to bee counted an ancient doctrine in the Church Seeing the Apostle warneth vs to absteine from all appearance of euill at least Papistes in their Inuocation of Saintes shoulde haue absteined from formes of speaking used in prayers made vnto the eternal GOD lest they should seeme to giue the glory onely due to the Creator to the creatures But in the matter of Inuocation of Saintes they haue set themselues forward with such impetuous speate that they cannot absteine from the honourable stiles giuen to GOD but these also must bee giuen to the Saintes The Prophet Dauid calleth the LORD his Rocke his Fortresse his Strength his Shield the Horne of his Saluation and his Refuge And in another Psalme GOD is our hope and helpe ◅rength in troubles readie to be found Are not all these honourable stiles and many more attributed to the Saintes in the ordinary prayers of the R◅ane Church Is not the Virgine Marie called the Queene of Heauen the prouident gouernor of Heauenly and Earthly powers the mother of mercie obteiner of pardon mediatrix to GOD-ward restorer of the grace to bee hoped for the mother of the militant Church the aduocate of the world Such pretious ointment as this is more meete to bee poured out vpon the feete of CHRIST then vpon the head of the Virgine Marie but a prodigall waster neither regardeth what hee giueth nor to whom they are but one steppe from calling the Virgine Marie directly eternall GOD for they put the gouernement of Heauenly and Earthly things vpon her shoulder they call her Queene of Heauen and the prince of peace What remaineth to bee said but one word that shee is almighty GOD and this stile also will bee necessarily inferred vpon the preceeding honourable titles attributed to her The honourable stile of an Aduocate Bellarmine is the bolder to attribute vnto the Virgine Marie because that Ireneus writeth Et sicut ill◅ seducta est ut effugeret DEVM sic h◅c suasa est ◅bedire DEO uti Virginis Euae Virgo Maria fieret advocata that is and like as she to wit Eva was seduced to depart from GOD euen so this woman to wit the Virgine Marie was perswaded to obey GOD to the end that the Virgine Marie might be an aduocate for the Virgine Eva. I am certaine that Bellarmine vnderstood not the meaning of Ireneus better then hee vnderstood the sence and meaning of his owne words In the words immediately preceeding Ireneus declares that like as sinne came in by disobedience in eating of the fruite of the forbidden tree euen so righteousnesse came in by him who manifested his obedience in another tree that is in suffering death vpon the Crosse. What neede had Be◅larmine to wreast the wordes of Ireneus after hee had set downe so cleare a commentarie of his owne words for hee calleth the Vi◅gine Marie an aduocate in respect of her blessed birth who by his obedience satisfied for the sinne that Adam brought in by his disobedience Now it is true that superstitiō is like vnto the Feau◅r called Hectica in the beginning hardly discerned but easie to bee cured and in end easily discerned but not easily cured Euen so it was hard to know what would bee the issue of the disputation of Origen when he disputed concerning the affection that Saintes departed carried towarde the members of the Militant CHURCH of GOD but it was easie to stay the course of this errour when hee who was the first author of it durst not auow it but in secret disputations said that possibly such a thing might bee But in our dayes the Feauer is growne to such an height that it is easier to discerne the errour then to find out a way to correct it What is then to bee done at this time where into errour hath preuailed so farre and of so long time that it is like vnto a Gangrene dayly becomming worse and worse so that it is apparently a remedilesse euill shall wee cease from damning superstition and let the people pray as they list It is better to follow the example of the holy Prophet Helias albeit Idolatrie was vniuersally ouer-spred in the kingdome of Israel yet he reproued the people for halting betweene two opinions and hee bowed his knees to GOD and prayed that the LORD would send fire from Heauen to burne the sacrifice and to seale vp in the hearts of the people that the GOD who made the Heauen and the Earth was the onely true GOD and onely to bee worshipped Euen so beside reprouing of superstitious Inuocation of Saints which also I haue done according to the measure of my knowledge in this Treatise I pray to the eternall GOD that hee
of Constantinople left his charge entred into a Monastrie and lamented that he had consented to the abolishing of Images Gregorius B of Neocesarea one of the chiefe disallowers of Images in the Councill holden at Constantinople gaue in his supplicant bill in the second Councill of Nice confessed his error and subscribed to the decreet of that vnhappie Councill by whose example the bishops of Nice Hierapolis of the Isles of Rhodes and Carpathus were mooued to doe the like Let this bee a warning to them who are in eminent places that they fall not from the trueth of GOD lest by their fall they procure a great ruining and desolation to the house of GOD. The LORD keepe vs from defection to whome bee praise and glory for euer AMEN A TREATISE Of Satisfaction and Indulgences SATISFACTION of olde was publicke repentance made for grieuous faultes such as murther adulterie apostasie And this publicke humiliation made in sight of the people with fasting teares basenesse of apparrell and such other tokens of an humbled minde with a sense of sorrow for by-past offences it was called satisfactio as Augustine writeth quia satisfiebat Ecclesiâ—… that is because the Church was satisfied yea and the slander was remooued This humiliation foresaide in the Greeke Church was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a punishment because it was inflicted as a punishment in Church discipline to terrifie others from committing the like offences Now seeing this Ecclesiasticall discipline was very rigorous and indured many yeeres as the Canons of Councils clearely declare It pleased the Church vpon weightie considerations to relent somewhat of the severitie of the first prescribed discipline yea and the people ofâ—… times intreated the Pastor by earnest requests that the time of publicke repentance might be shortned because they saw great tokeâ—…s of vnfained repentance in the offender This dispensation with the rigour of olde discipline was called indulgentia but in Poperie which was beginning in this Centurie to haue great vpper hand the abuse of these two words hath vtterly vndone the ancient puritie of religion and discipline The word satisfaction which of old was referred to the people now in Poperie is referred to God in this maner They teach the people that the sinnes committed before Baptisme are abolished in Baptisme but sinnes committed after Baptisme wee must obteine pardon for them by our own satisfactions namely by fasting praying almesdeedes pilgrimages and such other workes done by our selues And to maâ—…e this doctrine the more plausible vnto the people they bring in the similitude of a man sailing in a ship if he fall out of it into the sea the ship say they goeth away without recouerie and incace he find not another vessell to support his distressed estate and to bring him to land he must needes perish and drowne euen so say they if after baptisme we commit any transgression we must either be supported by our owne satisfactions els wee must perish in our sinnes No similitude can be more repugnant to Scripture than this For albeit there bee many vessels whereinto mens bodies may bee preserued from the danger of drowning yet is there not many vessels whereinto our soules can bee saued from damnation but â—…ee are saued onely by our spirituall Baptisme whereby the filth of our soules is washen away in the blood of Christ. And like as God commanded not NOE to make two arkes but one alanerly for the safetie of a fewe so hath GOD appointed only one way for safetie of our soales so that if wee sinne after Baptisme wee must haue refuge to the sweete promises of remissiion of sinnes made to vs in Baptisme In what sense indulgentia was taken of old I haue already declared In the Romane Church Indulgences and Pardones are a dispensation of the merites of Christ and his Saintes to the vtilitie of sinners This presupponeth that the merites of Christ and his Saintes are put in the custodie of the bishop of Rome and that his treasures can keepe them Concerning the merites of CHRIST they say that there was such precious vertue in his blood that one droppe of it was sufficient to redeâ—…me all the world now say they what shall become of all the rest of his blood which he shed in great abundance shall all this precious blood be lost and where can it be better kept than in the treasures of CHRISTS Vicar to be dispensated to the vtilitie of sinners when need requireth To this vaine assertion of Papistes I answere that the LORD neuer dealt sparingly neither with our bodies nor soules The LORD hath prouided greater abundance of aire for the refreshment of our bodies than all the breathing senses of men and beasts is able to draw in The LORD rained downe MANNA from heauen in greater plentie than might haue sufficed the people of the Iewes in the wildernesse euen so when the LORD is content to shed great abundance of his precious blood he hath done it to set foorth the great riches of his mercie toward our soules but not to make a mortall man a dispensator of one drop of his blessed blood Nothing is more repugnant to holy Scripture conteined in the old and new Testament than this that the dispensation and application of Christs blood should be committed vnto a mortall man In the old Testament the high Priest who entred once in the yeere into the moste holy place sprinckled the blood of the sacrifice with his own fingers vpon the Arke euen so the blood of the euerlasting Couenant which Christ caried vp to heauen is sprinckled on the Saints of God on the earth but by whom only by the fingers of our high Priest the Lord Iesus In the new Testament wee see that albeit many things were committed to the dispensation of the holy Apostles yet some things were reserued to the Lords owne dispensation allanerly Christ gaue power to his disciples to wish peace to euery house which receiued them but the dispensation and application of this peace Christ reserued vnto himselfe because hee alone and not his disciples knew who was the true Childe of peace In like manner power of preaching the Gospel was committed to the Apostles but the conferring of the gift of faith which is wrought by hearing belongeth onely to CHRISTS euen so the preaching of saluation by the merites of CHRISTES blood is committed to many but the application of that precious blood to the safetie of our soules is onely proper to Christ himselfe who shed that blessed blood for our saluation The merites of the Saintes also that is the workes of supererogation are thought to enter into the Popes treasurie and to be at his dispensation Of this we haue spoken somewhat alreadie But what presumption is this that they dare mixe together the blood of the Saints and Christs blood and the merits of Saintes with the merite of Christ and cast all in ore heape and treasure The verses of Praxilla
his treasures can keepe them Concerning the merites of CHRIST they say that there was such precious vertue in his blood that one droppe of it was sufficient to redeeme all the world now say they what shall become of all the rest of his blood which he shâ—…d in great abundance shall all this precious blood be lost and where can it be better kept than in the treasures of CHRISTS Vicar to be dispensated to the vtilitie of sinners when need requireth To this vaine assertion of Papistes I answere that the LORD nâ—…uer dealt sparingly neither with our bodies nor soules The LORD hath prouided greater abundance of aire for the refreshment of our bodies than all the breathing senses of men and beasts is able to draw in The LORD rained downe MANNA from heauen in greater plentie than might haue sufficed the people of the Ieweâ—… in the wildernesse euen so when the LORD is content to shed grâ—…at abundance of his precious blood he hath done it to set foorth the great riches of his mercie toward our soules but not to make a mortall man a dispensator of one drop of his blessed blood The chiefe questions betwixt vs the Romane Church anent Originall sinne are two First whether or no concupiscence which remaineth in the godly after their baptisme be in a proper acception called sinne or not for the Romane Church saith that it is called sinne by the Apostle because it came of sinne and it tendeth to sinne but not because it is sinne is a proper acception And the Council of Trent pronounceth an anathema against them who thinke otherwise than they haue determined The second controuersie is whether or no the naturall concupiscence mouing vs to euill can be called a sinne before wee giue the consent of our mind to it The Romane Church thinketh it no sinne vntill we yeeld the consent of our hearts vnto it The third question anent sinnes coÌ„mitted before after baptisme what way they are remitted because this question pertaineth more properly to another treatise I shal oueâ—…passe it at this time Now anent the first question I affirme that the Apostle Paul when he calleth concupiscence sin hee calleth it sin in a proper acception of the word sin Many names are giuen to sin in Scripture which expresseth what it is properly but especially these 3. names 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concupiscence is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a transgression of the Law as the Apostle manifestlly witnesseth when he sayeth I had not knowne lust except the Law had saide Thou shalt not lust therefore concupiscence is sinne in a proper acception In like manner concupiscence or originall sinne is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an aberration to wit from the Lawe and Commandement of GOD and in exprâ—…sse wordes the Apostle speaking of Originall sinne sayeth Wherefore as by one man sinne entered into the worlde and death by sinne and so death went ouer all men forasmuch as all men haue sinned c. In this place concupiscence is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an aberration from the Commandement of GOD and consequently a sinne in a proper acception of the worde sinne Remember also that the Apostle is speaking of all men yea and of himselfe also in the estate whereinto hee was presently when he wrote this epistle that is after he was baptized Then let vs marke the third word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a snappering and a falling to wit from the Lawe and Commandement of GOD and this word also is attributed vnto Originall sinne in these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is through the offence of one man many bee dead so that all these three wordes concurring in one doe declare that concupiscence euen after baptisme in a proper sense is sin because it is a breaking of the Lawe an aberration from the Lawe and a falling from the Lawe Nowe the curses of the Councill of Trent which they cast out so prodigally against vs are not worthie one figge because they are not grounded in reason but are expresly repugnant to the written worde of GOD. The second question is this whether or no is concupiscence a sinne before we yeeld the consent of our heart vnto it To this I answere that if they vnderstood by concupiscence a bad inclination it is sinne euen in infants who doe not knowe what it is to consent either to good or euill but if they meane of the first motion or cogitation of sinne presented vnto the soule apparently this question belongeth rather to actuall than to originall sinne but whether it belongeth to the root of sinne or to the branches of sinne I shall produce three reasons wherfore the first motion of sinne is sinne euen before we yeeld vnto it the consent of our heart First because a consent is an indifferent thing called good or euill according to the nature of that thing whereunto we giue our consent and consequently the consent is euill because that motion of sinne whereunto wee consented was euill and if it had not beene euill in it selfe the consent of our heart giuen vnto it had neuer beene called euill Secondly Fathers from whome Papistes haue learned this Theologie that in them who are regenerated concupiscence is not to bee counted a sinne vntill a man giue the consent of his heart vnto it these same Fathers I say after they had pierced deeper into this question they corrected themselues as clearely appeareth by the wordes of Augustine against Iulâ—…anus a Pelagian saying Desiderium mali malum est etiamsi ci non consentiatur donec co perveniamus ubi nec habeatur that is the desire of euill is euill albeit consent be not giuen vnto it vntill wee attaine vnto that estate whereinto we shall be free of it Thirdly the Apostle IAMES when he damneth actuall sin he agreageth it by three circumstances to wit by the conception of it the birth of it and the punishment of it the conception of it is by concupiscence and this the Apostle setteth downe as the first circumstance of the amplification of sinne and not as a thing indifferent vntill wee giue consent vnto it how beit it is true that actuall sinne is not committed vntill consent be giuen to concupiscence yet in it selfe it is a sinne and the conception and root of sinne as the Apostle speaketh It is no point of wisdome to extenuate or to obscure and hide our sinnes for GOD can set them all in order before our face as the psalmist speaketh and if this bee all the gaine and aduantage wee haue by denying and obscuring a part of our sinnes it were better to lay all open before the great Phisitian of our soules to the end that in due time we may be cured by his medicinall plasters Augustine maketh rehearsall of three medicinall cures against concupiscence in these wordes In corpore mortis