he is therfore capable of grace saluation which the clothes are not I thinke so also But then why doth he enuy that milke and blood should touch them If he meane the materiall and reall milke and blood that were in the bodies of Christ and his mother then he is more then mad to enuy the nayles the launce the cloutes for they did touch them and yet he cannot and if he complaine that he may not we aske him why then did not the Apostles take more carefull order to gather vp and preserue that milke and blood or if they did not at least why did they not complaine of the want of them as he doth heere surely either they had too little deuotion or the Iesuits too much superstition But if he meane the vertue merite and efficacy of the blood milkë then let him answer vs two short questions First what spiritual vertue and power had that milke what did it worke in our saluation more then the milke of another woman coulde what did it merit for vs what the blood did we knowe and most willingly acknowledge but what the milke did or can doe if the Iesuites can tell and teache vs we will not refuse to learne But supposing that it had much vertue as the blood as the Iesuite affirmes but farre be it from vs once so to thinke then secondly wee aske him doth he thinke the nayles launce cloutes were partakers of the vertue and merrit of that blood if he doe let him shew where he receiued such diuinity if not then to what end complaines he to God in such a fashion Lord I am better then the nayles and cloutes and yet they had blood and milke inough but I dye for thirst If this be not to take Gods name in vaine and that in a high measure we appeale to all Christian men of reasonable iudgement And thus at last are we come to an end of this Iesuiticall Gospell the impiety whereof I now remit to the censure of the Christian world And for my conclusion least any should say that this is but one priuate Iesuits deede and therfore may not preiudice the whole society of Iesuits and much lesse the religion of Popery To these I answere the booke is allowed and hath bene twise printed and stands approued by Posseuine amongst good and catholike authors 2. Shew what Iesuit or other popish doctor hath reproued or what Inquisitor or other popish magistrate hath censured this wickednesse 3. Which is worst of all It is no more in effect then others of them haue taught or approued though not in so open apparant a fashion But let any Christian man iudge what diuinity is laide downe in these points that follow 1. The Papists haue a booke called the Mariale It hath bene obiected vnto them that in that booke it is thus said Salomon saith the name of the Lord is a strong tower This hath bene long agoe laid to their charge in Catalogo testium veritatiâ— edit toais 1â—08 Prou 18.10 But Salomon knew little of the Virgin Mary let vs therfore say the name of our lady is a strong tower let the sinner flye vnto her and he shall be saued and againe thou art a sinner flye then to the name of Mary that alone shall serue to heale thee and againe The Lord was with Mary and Mary with the Lord in the same labour and same work of our redemption for the Mother of mercy helped the father of mercy in the worke of our saluation and therevpon was it spoken of the first woman It is not good for man to be alone let vs make him a helper But why then saith God Esay 63 I haue troden the wine presse alone and of all people there was no man with me the booke answereth It is true Lord that thou sayest there was no man with thee but there was a woman with thee which bore all the wounds in her heart that thou didst beare in thy body Loe heere a peece of rare diuinity Salomon is blamed for ignorance that he knew but little of the Virgin in a sort is rebuked for saying the name of our Lord and not rather the name of our Lady is a strong tower and though no man did yet a woman namely Mary did helpe Christ to tread the winepresse of Gods wrath and was fellow worker with God in the worke of our redemption This booke stands vnconfuted vncondemned vnreproued by the Iesuits or the Romish Church till this day for ought that I can yet find yet hath it bene many yeares laid to their charge 2. Againe the Papists haue a booke they call our Ladies psalter Vide Psalteâ—ium beate Virginâ—s Mariae â—mpressum cum Psalterio Cutercienfi Par. â—â—rca an 1520 Extat etiam idem PsalteriuÌ„ â—d verbum apud Chemnitium in Examine concil Trident in parte â— pag. 149. editi onts franco furt 1596. printed at Paris in the yeare 1520. or thereabouts wherein euery one of the 150. psalmes are in whole or in part turned from Dominus to Domina that is from God or Christ to our Lady as In the first psalme Blessed is the man that loueth thy name O Virgin Mary c. In the 19 Psalme The heauens declare thy glory O Virgin Mary c. In the 29 Psalme Bring vnto our Lady O you mighty bring vnto our Lady worship and honour c. In the 51. Psalme Haue mercy vpon me O Lady thou that art called the Mother of mercy and according to the bowels of thy mercyes cleanse me from all my sinnes poure out thy grace vpon me and take not thy wonted mercy from me c. In the 57 psalme Haue mercy vpon me O Lady haue mercy vpon me for my heart is ready to search out thy will and in the shadow of thy wings will I rest c. In the 68. psalme Let our Lady arise and her enemies shall be scattered c. In the 72 Psalme Lord giue thy iudgement to the King and thy mercy to our Lady his mother In the 94 Psalme God is the God of reuenge but thou O Lady the mother of mercy dost bowe him to take pitty c. In the 96 Psalme O sing vnto our Lady a new song for she hath done maruailous thinges c. In the 110 Psalme The Lord said vnto our Lady Sit thou mother at my right hand c. Thus I might goe ouer all the Psalmes but as he began he ends in the last words of the last Psalme Let euery thing that hath breath praise our Lady Now this booke stands not onely vncontrolled Gregor de Vaâ— in vol de rebâ— fidei controuersis sect 5. lib. â— Idolotria cap. 10. Bernardinus de Bustis in Marials part 3. ser 3. but rather euen defended by the Iesuits and those of the principall 3 Againe a famous Fryer well approued amongst them preacht this doctrine in the pulpit amongst many other little better A man may appeale from God
answere it that giue it to her Againe the ground of this replication is false for as he saith Come to me and names no other so neither sends he vs to her for ease but saith plainely and directly and I will ease you Further they not onely make Christ a mediator to his mother and that for spirituall ease and comfort but they doe it in such a fashion as they make Christ one that either is not able or not willing to helpe vs himselfe for if he were then why doe they say that he complaines to his mother that we thirst and for the ease of our soules do yeeld her milke If heere they were asked this question I wonder how they would answer it if Christ be not willing or not able to ease the thirsty soule then how is he a perfect Sauiour If he be then how is it likely that he would send him that humbleth his soule to him for helpe to another to be eased seeing he asketh of him who said come vnto me all that are weary doth he aske that that Christ hath to giue and is it likely he will deny it dooth he aske that that Christ hath not to giue and is it probable that his mother hath it then they may aswell say that she hath more grace and mercy or more power ability then Christ himself hath let thē answer these questions how they will heere will be found strange diuinity which we see is currāt in the Romish Church But whilst they prepare their answere let it please the reader to obserue how contrary the Romish doctrine is to the doctrine of Christ and of the holy scripture Iohn 14 28. Christ saith of himselfe as man My father is greater then I Rom sh doctrine makes him say My Mother is in some respects greater then I. Iohn 10.30 Christ saith of himselfe as God I and my Father are one Romish doctrine makes him say I and my mother are one Math. 11.2 Christ saith Come to me all that are weary I will ease you Romish doctrine makes him say Come to me and I will send you to my mother for ease 1. Tim. 2.5 The scripture saith Christ is the mediator betwixt God and man Romish doctrine saith Christ is the mediator betwixt man and Mary Iohn 14.6 The scripture saith No man commeth to the father but by me They make him say No man commeth to my Mother but by me Iohn 15.16 The scripture saith Whatsoeuer you aske my father in my name he will giue it you They make him say Whatsoeuer you aske my Mother in my name she will giue it you These and such like oppositions are common betwixt Christs Gospell and Romish diuinity may not this giue strong suspition that their religion is Antichristian which in the foundations of it are so repugnant to Christs as these and others which stand confirmed with more authority then yet these doe well thus Christ is made a mediator to his mother now the Iesuit proceedeth and to make him amends hee makes the mother a mediator to him Say to thy Sonne behold my brothers bands Sweete Sonne thou hast his ransome in thy hands That Christ Iesus hath the ransome of sinfull soules in his hands is good diuinity and we heartily imbrace it wishing it were as heartily and truly without Equiuocation intended by this papist if he and all other papists doe so hold it we heartily reioyce but then we desire them to answere to a fewe questions Who payeth this ransome is it not Christ who accepts it is it not God the father is it not mercy grace loue that either the one will accept it or the other pay it can any pay it but the one can any take it but the other are not thē they the foūtains fathers of mercy which haue done so if all these be true then what a religion haue they who in their liturgies daily prayers call a creature the mother of mercy and mother of grace oftner then either God the father or Christ the redeemer or both put together we desire some conscionable papist to answere vs seriously was the virgin Mary a Creator or a creature if a creature was she any more then an excellent creature set apart for the most excellent vse in the world was it not in Gods election to haue chosen any other woman at his owne good pleasure to haue bene the mother of Christ and was it not his owne free mercy that he regarded the low estate of her his handmaid if this be so then did she anything in our saluation which any woman had not done if God had taken her to be his mother was there any thing in her to moue God to chuse her which was not Gods owne gift in her and to her she may be then a vessell of grace but she can be no way a fountaine of grace for what had she but she receiued it but if as they say she be the fountaine of mercy and mother of grace then she giues but receiues not as the fountaine receiues from no other but hath of it selfe and sends out to others the mother takes not of her children but layeth vp for them Now if it be as their liturgie saith it is that she is the mother of mercy and grace c. as aboue of grace and mercy then sure she hath the ransome in her hands but if it be in Christs hands as heere they say it is then how is she the mother of mercy hardly would these be reconciled but that they haue equiuocations reseruations or destinctions that will make any thing seeme good inough to serue their turnes Thus then they haue not onely made Mary Mediator to Christ which is common in their religion but which was scarce euer heard of before they make Christ their mediator to her her to him for his blood but first him to her for her milke now to leaue this point obserue in one word how in these two messages of mediation here is no difference but she that is a creature and saued by her sonne is made to speake to him in the same tearmes as he to her and with no other words or signes of reuerence and he her sonne and sauiour yea God himselfe made to speake to her with the same reuerence as she doth to him as thogh there were no difference betwixt him and her and as though he being God and her sauiour was asmuch beholding to her for her milke as she being a creature is to him for his blood Loe what popish deuotion is heere now if they be ashamed of this then why are they not ashamed of the other But they are farre from that for where are the intreatings the cries the humble requests and submissiue beseechings to him for his blood heere be none such but contrariwise as though there were no difference in the world betwixt either the persons entreating which are Christ and Mary or the things
himselfe to the Virgin Mary If any Man feele himselfe agrieued at the iustice of God seeing God hath deuided his kingdome with her for whereas God hath Iustice and mercy he hath reserued Iustice to himselfe to be exercised in this world as it pleaseth him but Mercy he hath committed to his mother If therefore any man finde himselfe agrieued in the Court of Gods Iustice let him appeale to the Court of mercy of his mother This diuinity was so well relisht in the Romish Church that after he had preacht it he publisht it vnder the Popes owne Patronage and the booke was againe printed within these three yeares but what say the Iesuits to it they testifie that this booke is a learned and godly booke full of goodnesse and piety Fourthly Horatius Tursellinus himselfe a Iesuit of good esteeme amongst them Horatius Turellinus in Hiâ—toria virg lauâ—tanae in prefat writes thus Almighty God hath made the Virgin his mother as farre as he may lawfully partaker of his diuine power and Maiesty Now surely if God haue made her fellow with him of his diuine maiesty lesse maruel if Christ haue made her fellow in the worke of redemption Posseuinus in â—it H. And this booke written by a Iesuit hath publike allowance and is dedicated to Cardinall Aldobrandino Fiftly a great Spanish Doctor and professor of diuinity of his order writes thus Iohn Chriâ—ostomus a visiâ—atione de vertis domine to 2 â—ib 2 cap. 2. We haue often seene and heard of very many who in their extreame dangers haue called vpon Mary and presently were deliuered for oft times safety is sooner obtained by calling vpon the name of Mary then by calling vpoÌ„ the name of Iesus Christ the sonne of God Posseâ—inus â—â— apparatu â—icro lit l And this booke is both dedicated to Pope Clement the 8. receiues publike allowaÌ„ce by the Iesuits his name is Chrisostome as tho he were a golden mouthed speaker but if this be his doctrine that her mediation is as powerfull or rather more then is her sonnes it is pitty but he should be calld and accounted a leaden mouthed wretch By all these many more that as the learned know might easily be produced it may appere that this blaspheming Iesuit Bonarscius in this his detestable comparison of her milk with Christs blood saith no more in effect then others both of his religion perticular sect and therefore it may be iustly concluded this is the doctrine and diuinity not of him alone but of the Iesuits and of the popish Church it selfe as long as it stands approued or vncondemned by them Now then if this be the diuinity of the Romish Church 1. That a Creatures milke may be mingled with Christs blood in the matter merit of our saluation 2. That it helpes and heales spirituall sores of the soule as well as the blood 3. That though no man did yet a woman did help God in the worke of our saluation 4. That the Psalmes may be turned from Lord to Lady 5. That a man may appeale from God to the Virgin Mary 6. That God hath deuided his kingdome with her keeping Iustice to himselfe and surrendring Mercy to her 7. That God hath made her pertaker with himselfe of his diuine power and Maiesty 8. That a mans prayers are often heard rather by and through her then Christ Iesus If these I say be the doctrines of the present Church of Rome then let the Christian world be pleased to obserue 1. How farre the present Romish Church is degenerate from the antient 2. How great cause we and al Churches of God haue to seperate from such a sinagogue 3. How iustly they may be pronounced Antichristian who thus hainously disparage the person and office of the Mediator 4. How vntrue it is that by many is suggested that the present religion of Rome is much reformed refined at this day for it is most certaine in the former times these would haue beene condemned as blasphemies euen in the Romish Church it selfe And lastly you of this most Honorable and reuerend assembly of the church CoÌ„mon-wealth of England may here see what cause there is to pronounce the true Papists Hereticks considering the present Church holds not onely these but many other fundamentall errors both for matter of faith and of gouernement which are perticularized in my Epistle And considering that all meanes haue beene vsed to reclaime and reforme her but all is in vaine for she is that Babilon that will not be healed wherefore it is our duty to forsake her and leaue her to the iust hand of God Thus shall we follow the counsell of the Prophet in the like case who saith we would haue healed Babylon but she vvould not be healed let vs forsake her and goe euery man to his owne Countrey for her Iudgement is come vp to heauen and lifted vp to the cloudes
not golden childe Duty from me is not so farre exilde But one euen one poore drop I doe implore From thy right hand or side I aske no more To a strange accusation heere is a more strange answer for now the tide of his blasphemy is almost at the highest the quarrell he supposed Christ to haue against him was that he durst presume to touch his mothers paps or desire to taste of her milke a fearefull sinne doutlesse yet neither forbidden in the Lawe nor the Gospel but a sinne of the Popes making But what is his answer hereunto he plainely pleads not guilty alleadging for himselfe that he is not so bold so rude so presumptuous as to dare to entertaine any such thought or attempt any such thing as to touch her sacred paps or to drinke of that glorious milke no his ambitiō reacheth not so high he onely prayeth to haue part of his wounds and blood that he desireth as being a thing of an inferiour nature and not comparable to the other O miserable times of ours that we should liue to see that any mans heart should conceiue any mans tonge vtter especially any mans penne should publish such horrible blasphemy against the blood and person of our Sauiour what must the Virgin Mary be first compared afterward equalled is not that inough vnles now she be preferred before and aduanced aboue Christ is his blood inferiour to her milke and is it lesse presumptiō to be bold with Christ then her whither will Romish religion goe at the last that alreadie comes to this But to come to a more perticular consideration of the wordes the answer that here the Iesuits makes containes apparantly both absurditie and impietie both in the highest degree The absurditie appeares in the euident contradiction of himselfe for now as tho he had either forgottē or cared not what he said afore He denyeth that which afore he spake almost in euery verse dare you not now touch her paps nor taste her milke then who was it that afore said I am doutfull whether to take paps or side milke or blood If I looke at the paps I long for milke if at the wounds I would haue blood seeing therefore both are so good I will haue both I will catch the milke with my right hand the blood with my left Didst thou this euen now now saist thou dare not touch it Nay was it not thou that saidst I will mingle the milke of the mother with the blood of the Sonne and so make a soueraigne cōpound to heale my soule now darest thou not touch the milke nor paps was it not thy mouth that said if Anger Lust or any sinne vexe my soule blood will help it and so will milke therefore mother and Sonne heare my request I must haue milke I will haue blood I will haue both and dost thou now say oh I will haue blood indeede but I dare not desire milke was it then deuotion to take it and taste it and drinke it and mingle it with Christs blood and apply it to the soule and is it now presumption to desire it can one mouth send out such grosse contradictions but let it passe for no absurdity nor contradiction can be so vile as should euer haue moued me to haue set pen to paper at this time for they are sufficiently discouered already in these and other points but when dishonour and blasphemy is offered to the blood person of Iesus Christ how can a christian hold his peace for if that be true which the learned father saith Hieronim that in accusation of heresie he would haue no man patient wheras heresie is but the shame and hurt of the man that holdes it then sure in the case of blasphemy and impiety touching the very crowne and striking at the head of Iesus Christ our lord and redeemer who can be patient who can but speak neither thinke that heerein I chalenge ought to my selfe aboue my bretheren but knowe contrariwise that though I only write who first or with the first that discouered it yet speake I and write I in the person of many millions more who all with one heart and voice detest this Romish impiety The impiety that bewrayes it selfe in this answere is such as goeth beyond all we yet heard and wherein it seemes the blasphemer thought to exceed himselfe That we may the better discouer it marke the currēt of his speech O Christ saith he oft hast thou being prouoked with my sinne rebuked me and said darest thou sinfull wretch presume to touch my teates or medle with the milk that feedes me he answereth oh no blessed childe I dare not nor I will not so farre presume I neuer was so rude nor so vnciuil as to imagine that I might touch those precious papps or taste the blessed milke of thy mother I onely beg a little of thine owne blood from thy side thy hand or foote that shall content me what is this we heare you are content to haue Christs blood but as for the virgin Maries milke thou darest not desire it what is her milk more pretious more dainty more sacred then the blood of the mediator Yee heauens be astonied at this and all yee creatures of God in your kindes renounce and detest this haynous blasphemy And you my poore countrymen that are the devoted children of that church beholde heere a peece of popish diuinity and deuotion a creatures milke is of more esteeme then Christ his blood a christian by the power of his ordinary sauing faith may be partaker of the benefits of Christs blood but not of the blessed milke of our Lady The blood he may boldly challenge the milke he scarce may name in the blood he may diue and wash his soule the milke he may not presume to touch oh new diuinity for merly it seemed strange that her milke was but compared to his blood but when after it was made equall to it and mingled with it and held as fit to heale the soule as it that seemed incredible till we sawe it then what is this that now we heare that her milke is not onely comparable nay equall but euen more pretious more sacred more excellent then the blood of Iesus Christ oh miserable religion of popery whether wilt thou draw thy deceiued children in the end what will become of thee and thy followers If the diuels confessed that Iesus of Nazareth was the Christ of God that is the onely Sauiour of the world and the onely ānointed of God to be the mediator and yet for all this are diuelt still and no better then what are they and what a religion is that which makes his blood not so good so vertuous so soueraigne so pretious as her milke and so by consequent will neither let him be the onely nor the principall Sauiour Now the same glorious God and Sauiour Iesus Christ whose merrits are debaced whose person dishonored and whose blood little better then
troden vnder foote either conuert in mercy or in iustice confound all that shall consent defend or giue countenance to so fearefull a blasphemy and the same God giue you grace poore seduced Englishmen to relinquish that religion which is the mother of such monsters as vpon this theater of the Iesuits are presented vnto you and espetially to detest that Iesuititical sect whose honor it is to dishonour Iesus Christ and who bring vpon the great theater of their honour the blood of Iesus so dishonoured as it yet neuer was by any sect or profession Turke or Iewe Atheist or heretike deuill or man since the world began But let vs see what remaineth Sepae mihi Babilon patera propinat et auro Ingeminatque meis auribus euge bibe non faciam vel si Coelum misce bitur Orco Non faciam meretrix impia non faciam O sitio tamen o vocem sitis intercludit Nate cruore sitem cōprime lacte parēs Oft times doth Babilon in golde me proffer Delicious drinke and wooes me to her offer No no thogh heauen hel should meet I le none Ile none vngratious strumpet hence be gone But ah I thirst a drought my breast doth smother Quench me with blood sweete sonne with milke good mother After the discourse imagined as we heard before to be betwixt Christ and him contayning Christs accusation and his defence touching the high presumption of being as bolde with his mothers milke as his blood now sodainely he turnes himselfe from Christ to Babylon and supposeth that Babylon that spirituall strumpet allures him to her vnlawfull lusts and vilde idolatries and that her temptations haue bene both frequent and forcible And surely heerein we easily beleeue him for what is spirituall Babylon but the Kingdome of sinne and Sathan of impiety Idolatry blasphemy superstition prophanes and where is that as in Popery and where to be found so fully as in the bowels of the Popish state whome they well know all the world either cleerely condemnes or at least iustly suspects to be that spirituall Babylon so fearefully accursed and condemned in the Reuelation For what Citty is so notoriously knowne to stand vpon the notable and famous hills as Rome is what Citty in all the world did raigne ouer all the Kings of the earth then when St. Iohn wrote but onely Rome and the text saith as plainely as can be that the woman the great whore great Babylon the mother of fornications is that great Cittie that raigneth ouer the kings of the earth lastly there is no place person state nor power in the world in whome the number of 666 so fully concurreth in so many languages in so many respects so directly and with so little strayning as in the Popes I will specifie but fewe for many the Pope or none but the Pope chalendgeth to be the Prince of al the clergy in the world and therefore in these latter yeares hath calld himselfe vniuersall Bishop and pastor of Pastors Now it falls out that this his pride doth proclaime his shame to all the world for the number of the beast is in this name without adding altering or any strayning as he shall finde that will reckon DVX CLerI 500. 5. 10. 100. 50. 1. Totall 669. Againe the Pope glorieth in this title and honour that he is Gods generall Vicar on earth this is the foundation of all his pretended power and vsurpation this he and his imps fight for as for their liues This his seduced creatures English Priests and Iesuits doe in England dye for excepting some that dyed for horrible treasons and no maruel for they know they loose all if they loose this and yet the Pope cannot holde it but withall he must haue the number of the beast ingrauen in his forehead so as he that runnes may read it for put downe this title in the latine tongue which is the tongue by him aduanced aboue Greeke or Hebrew wherein he writes his Letters giues his lawes and his Bulls and workes all his feates and it containes the number of the beast and neither more nor lesse GENERALIS VICARIVS DEI. 50.1 5.1.100 1.5 500. 1. IN TERRIS 1. 1. 50. 1. 5. 1. 100. 1. 5. 500. 1. 1. 1. totall 666. Thus its cleer that as the Pope will needes be Gods generall Vicar on earth so he cannot haue it but he must beare the marke and number of the beast If any man say he calls not himselfe Gods Vicar but Christs Vicar I answere Christ is both God man and he holdes himselfe Christs Vicar euen as Christ is God and full little would he thanke him that holds him Christs Vicar onely as he is a man But I answer further that who euer reads his owne decrees publike constitutions shall easily see that he calls himselfe ordinarily the Vicar of God and suffers others so to stile him and that the world may see they haue not reformed it Tuccii Tuccii patritii lucensis protonet Apostol comment in cant lug 606. 4. In titulo libr◠the Pope that now is Paul the 5. hath suffered one of his owne creatures in a booke dedicated to him to call him the Vicar of God Thus he will needs be Gods vicar but his pride is well paid for for as he will be Gods Vicar against Gods will so God makes him beare the diuels marke in the number of the beast against his owne will If therefore it be so likely that Rome is Babylon and her doctrines and deceits superstitions and Idolatryes the fornications of that whore of Babylon then we easily beleeue this to be true that oft times did Babylon allure him with her entisements and wooe him to her spirituall fornications so hath she done many more and preuailes with too many But what with him No he wil haue none it is wel said Oh that you would do as well that is the worst we wish you Iesuits though you wish vs nothing but fire and gunpowder oh that you would turne into your selues and see your error in beleeuing her and in being deceiued with her inchantments and dronk with her fornications that you would no longer be the sonnes of her that is the mother of abhominations least you be also children of abhomination oh that you would forsake her and discouer her skirts and teare her in pieces as she hath deserued and then returne to be the children of the Church seruants of the liuing God! this is that we wish you from the Lord whome we also pray that thou whosoeuer thou art that wrote this and all other of thy faction in the worlde may haue grace to performe that which heere thou promisest No no though heauen and hell should meete I le none I le none vngratious strumpet get thee gone Well then if he will haue none of Babilons dainties what will he haue for he saith he thirsteth and must haue his thirst quenched but how Quench me with blood sweete sonne with milk good