alter his iudgement according to the iudgement of the church we sée also that the popes are still publishing decretales of faith and that one destroieth that which another buildeth and contrariwise 4. it were plaine impudency to affirme that the doctrine of the church of Rome concerning frée will and works sacraments and the popes authority and such like points was alwaies taught and receiued of all nations and in all places and that shall appeare by diuers perticulars where wée declare that the papists are no catholickes 5. that church hath no certaine nor continuall succession of bishops for neither doe the aduersaries know who succeded Peter nor what bishops from time to time succeded one another nor haue the popes bene true bishops a long time wanting due election and ordination and relinquishing vtterly the office of bishops to rule the temporall state of Rome nor can they deny but that the succession of that sée hath bene often interrupted by long vacations distraction by schisme intrusion of Dame Ioane into the popedome 6 we shall easily proue that the doctrine of that church agréeth not with the apostles doctrine for I doe not thinke that Bellar. can shew the decretales to consent with Paules epistles or to haue bene written with the same spirit 7. the papists haue not onely ouerthrowne Christs propheticall office in teaching new doctrine but also his regall and priestly function appointing a new gouernment neuer established by him and erecting a new priesthood and sacrifice contrary to Christes doctrine furthermore that church not onely hath bene oftentimes distracted by schisme but also is much distracted by contrary opinions of schoolemen monks and friers in euery point of doctrine as to goe no further appeareth both by Dionysus Carthusianus vpon the master of sentences Iosephus Angles his Flores doctorum and Bellarmines disputations wherein he alledgeth in euery point diuers opinions 8. their decretaline doctrine is neither sound nor holy standing more on temporall iurisdiction then pointes of faith and establishing the blasphemies of the masse the idolatrous worship of saints departed and of images and the tyranny of the pope 9. the same doctrine is without effect being vpholden with lies fables fraud fire and sword and not being otherwise able to stand 10. Gregory the 9. was a most wicked ambitious man of Boniface the 8. it is said that he sought rather to rule by force then religion Clement the 5. was a notorious adulterer as f Villani Vrsperg stories write Iohn the 22. was an hereticke an ambitious man yet were these the principall authors of Romish doctrine for as for friers and monkes they might prate their pleasure but the chiefe authority to allow or disallow was in the pope 11. the reportes of Romish miracles and prophecies are nothing but lies and fables and stand onely vpon the report of their legendes 12. Bellarmine shall neuer prooue that any of vs haue confessed the doctrine of popery to be true finally it appeareth that the popes of Rome and their agents in most of their attempts haue had no good successe Charles the fift and his sonne Philip the greatest protectors of the popish cause died discontent to say no more Henry the third the principall agent in the massacre of France was killed by a frier The duke of Guise and other massacrers came to violent ends contrariwise it hath pleased God to maintaine true Christians against all the forces and ambuscadaes of their enimies by small meanes if then Bellarmine say true the Romish church will prooue no true church argument 68 The church of Rome is also conuinced not to be the true church by the confession of g Relect. doct princip contron 1. q. 5. Stapleton for if the true church began at Hierusalem and is vniuersally dispersed ouer the whole earth and hath continued in all ages and hath a true and certeine succession continued from the apostles and disagreeth not about matters of faith nor dissenteth from the head of the church and hath planted christian religion and preserued the same throughout the world and hath kept the apostolike forme of gouernment and preuailed against all heresies and temptations keeping the rule of faith sound and intiere and also sheweth the true way of saluation and keepeth the scriptures sound pure from corruption and finally holdeth the decrees of general councels as blundring h Princip doctrinal relectis Stapleton not onely confesseth but after his rude and most odious and tedious fashion with multitude of words goeth about to prooue then is not the church of Rome that now is the true church of Christ Iesus for to say that the church of Rome began at Hierusalem is as absurd as to say that Rome is Hierusalem or to affirme that Rome now is like to old Rome Robert Parsous should do vs a speciall fauour to shew vnto vs that the glory and fulnesse of power that the pope challengeth with his glorious cardinals masse priests mitred prelats idle monks lying friers and all the popes doctrine concerning the law faith sacraments ceremonies and other matters came from Hierusalem he may do well also to prooue that the latter scholastical decretaline doctrine which the church of Rome mainteineth was vniuersally receiued throughout the world nay that it was receiued in any part of the world during the apostles times or the times of the ancient fathers of the church as for the rocke of succession of popes vpon which our aduersaries build so large conclusions i Lib. de pontif Rom. de notis ecclesiae we haue shewed it to be nothing but a banke of sand for neuer shall the popes agents be able to shew the same to haue beene certeine or continued without interruptiō it is also apparent that popish doctrine is not onely diuers from Christs doctrine but also contrarie to the same and that there are infinit contradictions and contrarieties in the opinions of the chiefe patrons of popery albeit all dissent from Christ the head of the church the church of Rome hath also béene torne in pieces by diuers schismes further we shall héereafter shew that the later popes haue not planted but rather rooted out Christian religion out of diuers places and in the rest haue corrupted it with diuers nouelties and heresies finally the church of Rome hath not onely abrogated ancient canons and changed the ancient forme of church gouernment but also corrupted the rule of faith by adding of vnwritten traditions determinations of popes and their fancies to the canonicall scriptures the gates of hell therefore preuailing against the church and popes of Rome it is easily to be inferred that the same is not the true church argument 69 Héere we will also adde the testimony of Bristow a man as the aduersaries imagine well séene in motiues and markes of the church He k Bristowes motiues commendeth that for the true church that is catholike and apostolike and which abhorreth all nouelties heresies and
idolatries and whose doctrine is confirmed by scriptures most certeine traditions councels fathers and practise of the ancient church and which teacheth the narrow way and maketh subiects obedient and is sure to continue but neither is the church of Rome catholike nor apostolike which embraceth vncerteine traditions and apocryphall scriptures with equall affection to canonicall scriptures and which receiueth all the popes decretales concerning matters of faith albeit they conteine doctrine neither apostolicall nor general secondly it will be an easie matter to shew that the Romish church abhorreth neither heresie nor idolatrie nor noueltie thirdly in diuerse discourses against Bellarmine I haue shewed that popish doctrine hath neither ground of scriptures councels nor fathers thereby also it may appeare that popish traditions are most vaine vncerteine and superstitious fourthly the way which that church teacheth is broad and easie for what is more easie than to heare masses and to eat fish and to confesse sinnes and to obserue diuers externall ceremonies and yet by these small things papists hope to be saued fiftly we finde that all the rebellions of England Ireland and France haue wholly procéeded from the church of Rome and the doctrine of the seditious Iebusites and Cananites and masse priests neither will euer rebellion be rooted out vnlesse the tyrannicall vsurpation of popes be repressed and their parasites taught to submit themselues to their liege princes sixthly what certeinty in iudgement can the papists haue that depend vpon the resolutions of blinde vnlearned and wicked popes finally we sée Antichrist to be reuealed and the city of Babylon to fall to confusion who then doth not expect and beléeue the vtter ruine and desolation of Antichrists state Further Bristow telleth vs that euery church that is risen after the first planting of religion and gone out of the catholike church and from apostolike doctrine and is not the communion of saints nor euer visible and which is not the teacher of all diuine trueth and the vndoubted mother of Christes children is not the true church But the church of Rome as it is now visible in the pope and cardinals in the officers of the popes chamber in popish prelates sacrificing priests monks friers and nunnes and their officers and adherents whose faith is built on popish decretals and mincing scholasticall distinctions as fine wouen as any spider webbe rose out of the earth long after the apostles times and first planting of religion and that the Romish church crept out by little and little out of the catholike and apostolike church for apostolicall doctrine embracing apostaticall and light fancies and traditions and for the maintenance of mens bellies and the popes authoritie is departed from Christ and hath made war vpon the saints in the same also whores are openly mainteined cutthrotes by rewards incited to kill and poison princes and a way to all periuries and vices by the popes indulgences opened how then can any call this a communion of saints finally he that expecteth trueth at the popes hands shal be gulled with fables and he that calleth Rome a mother can be content for gaine to call the whore of Babylon and mother of errours his mother argument 70 The church of Christ neuer allowed the decretals of popes or the extrauagants or rules of Chancery concerning the popes authoritie and procéeding but in these lawes the church of Rome hath diuers rules of the Romish faith and thereby gouerneth her procéedings argument 71 In the church of Christ clerks were not exempt from the subiection of princes The apostle saith Let euery soule be subiect to higher powers But in the church of Rome all clerks are quited and exempted from the princes power as Bellarmine in his booke of that argument by the popes canons and all his wit endeuoureth to proue argument 72 The true church neuer baptized belles nor held monkes coules to be equall to baptisme but the popish church as the l Grauam 51. Germanes in their grieuances declare baptizeth belles and compareth the entrance into monkish profession with baptisme argument 73 Finally neuer was Christes church or any part of Christes church within any kingdome gouerned by an archpriest and certeine seditious Iebusites masse priests and such like vermine Howsoeuer then they deny it in others yet can they not deny but that the papists of England are not members of Christes church but rather of the synagogue of Satan CHAP. II. That the doctrines and traditions of the Romish church which the church of England refuseth are mere nouelties and late deuised fancies IF when the papists doe recommend vnto vs their old religion they meant nothing els but the religion of Christ Iesus which the apostles first taught and which the apostolicall and most ancient Christians receiued and deliuered to posterity we should not much contend with thim for that is the religion which we professe not varying in any thing from the apostles créed and other créeds either set out by Athanasius or the most ancient generall councels of the church nor denying any thing that is expressed or proued out of the holy canonicall scriptures But when they talke of old religion they meane the religion of the church of Rome which was either established by later popes or taken vp by lewd custome and vncerteine tradition the which though it séeme to some ancient yet in very truth is new and no way to be compared to the religion that was first deliuered by Christ and his apostles neither doth it deserue the name of old religion for as Ignatius said a Epist ad Philadelph sometime antiquitas mea Christus est so we may say that Christ is the top of our ancestry that the apostles doctrine is both ancient most true id verius quod prius saith b Lib. 4. contra Marcion Tertullian id prius quod ab initio id ab initio quod ab apostolis if thē the papists as they bragge could prooue their religion to be deriued from the apostles then would we indéed confesse it were ancient if they cannot then we must say to them as c Epist 65. ad Pammach Ocean Hierome said to one in his time cur profers in medium saith he quod Petrus Paulus edere noluerunt why doe they produce articles of faith vnknowen to the apostles nay why doe they teach vs points of religion which in times of the ancient fathers of the church were vnheard of will they haue that accounted old which the fathers of the church which were long after the apostles neuer knew nor the ancient church euer receiued they would so d Contra. haeres c. 35. but Vincentius Lirinensis doeth call him a true catholike that doeth onely beléeue and hold whatsoeuer the ancient catholike church did vniuersally beléeue quicquid saith he vniuersaliter antiquitus ecclesiam catholicam tenuisse cognouerit id solum sibi tenendum credendumque decernit if then the papists will hold all the religion which now
immunitat in 6. nos iustitiam nostram saith he ecclesiae sponsae nostrae nolentes negligere argument 90 The ancient fathers neuer called the pope vniuersall bishop for n Lib. 4. ep 32. Gregory the first doeth much mislike that title and calleth it sacrilegious and profane and a certeine councell of Africa cited by Gratiam dist 99. c. primaesedis importeth that the bishop of Rome should not be called vniuersall but now euery lousie frier made pope will be called vniuersall bishop and the papists dare not deny him this title argument 91 Ancient Christians neuer called the pope god nor supremum numen in terris but the canonistes doe not sticke to call him and honor him as God as appeareth by the chapter satis dist 96. and by Augustine Steuchus in lib. de donat Constantini and Stapleton in his epistle dedicatory before his booke intituled doctrinalia principia calleth him supremum numen in terris that is the soueraigne god of the world argument 92 In ancient time the church was gouerned by the lawes of councels and Christian emperors as appeareth by the acts of councels and lawes of Iustinians Code it appeareth also that in the time of Charles the great and his sonnes the church was gouerned for externall matters by lawes of princes but now the popes exclude both emperors kings and princes and take on them the sole gouernment of the vniuersall church argument 93 In the councell of Constance it was holden that the councell was aboue the pope the same also appeareth for that diuers popes haue answered and some haue béene deposed by councels but now the papists holde contrary and say that the pope is aboue the councell neither doe they allow any councels to be authenticall but such as are called and confirmed by the pope argument 94 The apostles their successors were subiect to emperors princes and paid tribute vnto them the apostle S. Paul taught all bishops and priests to be subiect to higher powers but now they hold that the pope is aboue all princes and kings whatsoeuer Papa est dominus dominantium saith o In c. ecclesia vt lite pendente Baldus ius regis regum habet in suos subditos and p De pontific Rom. lib. 5. Bellarmine holdeth that the pope hath power to depose kings and to take their crownes from them argument 95 The apostles and their successors in ancient time exhorted subiects to obedience now the popes of late haue exhorted subiects to rebellion as appeareth by their execrable bulles against Henry the 8. king of England and his daughter Elizabeth now reigning against Henry the 3. of France and against diuers emperors argument 96 In ancient time bishops spoke reuerently of kings and princes and in the q C. 83. canons of the apostles the censure of deposition is inflicted vpon such of the clergy as vtter words of reproch against princes but now the popes raile against princes as is euident by their wicked bulles and when railing will not serue by assassins and murdrers hired and aposted they séeke to cut their throates as appeareth by the fact of Iames Clement that murdred Henry the 3. Chastell that assaulted Henry the 4. of France and diuers assassins hired to kill our noble Quéene argument 97 Before Gregory the firsts time the popes made no bishops either in England or France or Germany or Afrike or Asia but al nations and prouinces were frée from his vsurpations neither did any bishops sweare fealty to the pope but now all this is quite changed and the pope claimeth a generall power to ordeine bishops ouer the world and maketh them r C. ego N. de iurtiurando sweare fealty vnto him as to their souereigne argument 98 In S. Cyprians and Augustines time the bishops of Afrike would suffer no appeales to be made to Rome now Bellar. disputeth that it is a point of the popes right to heare appeales out of all the world argument 99 Now also the papists make the pope supreme iudge in all causes and controuersies of faith but the ancient church nâ—uer imagined that such matters could be decided without a councell argument 100 The pope now Å¿ C. vnam extr de maior obed challengeth both swords but our Sauior Christ taught that his kingdome was not of this world and the apostle Paul said that the weapons of his warfare were not carnall The ancient bishops of Rome certes neuer vsed swords nor souldiers but sincerely taught the Gospel argument 101 Vntill Boniface the ninth his time the city of Rome was either vnder the emperors or vnder her owne magistrates as Å¿ Lib. 2. de schism Theodoric à Niem testifieth is it not then strange that the emperor will suffer his imperiall state and empire to be holden from him which is so lately vsurped and by fraud intercepted by the pope argument 102 It is not long since the pope began to weare a triple crown and to be borne on mens shoulders and to tread on princes necks and to make others to kisse his pantofle Let Robert Parsons shew that this was done before Gregory the seuenth and Celestine the third argument 103 Neither is it many hundred yéeres since the pope challenged annates and tooke money of archbishops for their palles argument 104 The popes prouisions reseruations translations and other extraordinary dispensations were vnheard of in the ancient church argument 105 Finally whether we respect the foundations of popish religion or the doctrine of the Law and Gospel or the doctrine and ceremonies concerning sacraments praiers and the worship of God or the gouernment and lawes of the popes chamber chancery and consistory we may boldly say that so much as we reiect in this church is nothing els but a packe of nouelties CHAP. III. That the papists are no true catholikes nor holde the catholike faith if they beleeue the popes decretals and his schoole diuinitie IF false teachers as they secretly broch erronious doctrine so would openly manifest their malicious and wicked natures we should not néed so watchfully to looke to their procéedings nor so earnestly to exhort all Christians to beware of their deceits and entisements but séeing like wolues in shéeps clothing they come abroad with the names of catholiks and catholike religion and abuse simple people I thinke it very necessary to take this maske from their false visages and to shew that they are woluish papists and not Christes shéepe or true catholiks the which that we may with all plainnesse and sincerity performe we will first declare what is meant by the catholike church which we professe in our Creed and next what is the catholike faith which euery Christian is to embrace and with all constancy to mainteine The catholike church therefore is the vniuersall societie of Gods saints and it comprehendeth all the faithfull from the beginning vnto the end of the world This catholike church saith S. a In Psal 56. Augustine is
in England is nothing but a packe of impostures lies fables and superstitious toyes I shall haue occasion to declare at full in some other treatise But least any might thinke that I wronged the sée of Rome from whom all these abuses are deriued I would pray euerie man that hath skill and leysure with indifferencie to reade the Legends of the Romish Church the Rubtikes of the masse their rituall and ceremoniall bookes their treatises of the Popes authoritie the fabulous lies of Caesar Baronius that filthy lying Cardinall and such like testimonials as they prooue their religion by Now we will onely talke of the definition of a Romish Catholike that euery man may sée what a bare fellowe he is and how little religion and honesty he hath I say that Bellarmine teacheth that he is a good Romish Catholike and a true member of the Romish church that professeth the Romish faith and communicateth with the Romanistes in their sacraments and is obedient to the Pope yea although he haue neither inward faith nor charitie nor other inward vertue And thereupon I conclude that the Papists are like to the Eunomians that taught that so a man were of their religion it skilled not what sinnes he committed That Bellarmine so teacheth it is apparant by his words in his second chapter de ecclesia militanti Nostra sententia est saith he ecclesiam vnam esse non duas illam vnam veram coetum hominum eiusdem christianae fidei professione eorundem sacramentorum communione colligatum sub regimine legitimorum pastorum ac praecipuè vnius Christi in terris vicarij Romani pontificis And afterward he saith Non putamus requiri vllam internam virtutem sed tantum externam professionem fidei sacramentorum communionem scilicet vt aliquis aliquo modo dici possit pars verae ecclesiae de qua scripturae loquuntur If then he be a good Romane catholike of whom the true definition of a Romane catholike may be affirmed then may all wicked and damnable heretikes be true Romish catholikes if they professe the Romish faith and communicate with the Romanists in sacraments and submit themselues to the Pope But saith Owlyglasse Bellarmine saith not that such as want inward verrues are good Catholikes but onely that they are true members of the Church As if the true members of Christs church were not good catholikes or as if he were not a good citizen of whom the definition of a citizen may truly be affirmed and as if he could not be a good and true pope that is no good man Of which point our aduersarie must beware least he touch too rudely the sores of his holy father and of a pope make no pope He saith further that this obiection of Eunomianisme is rather to be charged vpon Lutherans and Caluinists for so this papal swad doth call Christians and vpon M. Willet they giuing excessiue prerogatiues to faith and such as teach that a true faith cannot be lost But albeit he take his pleasure to rayle vpon me yet should he forbeare to wrong those that are either at rest or at the least neuer wronged him And in this place hauing his hands so full of me he might well haue spared to contend with others being no match for any To his charge I answere that Eunomius his heresies touch vs nothing For neither doe we déeme them good Christians as Eunomius did that haue no inward faith nor workes nor did Eunomius talke of the faith of Christ Iesus as we doe when we say the iust shall liue by faith but of his owne new deuised faith Owlyglasse therefore hath no reason for any thing done by me to crie out that Bellarmine is abused and his words falsified nor to charge vs with Eunomius his heresie But his consorts will and iustly may thinke him an idle fellow if he can no better either cleare himselfe or conuince others especially taking vpon him to doe both Sect. XIII Of second mariages and whether the Papists dislike them or no. THe last place out of which our aduersarie goeth about to fasten an imputation of falsification vpon me is for that I say that the Papists like to the Montanists dislike second mariages and denie to blesse them accounting these mariages not so holy a sacrament as the first And this he saith is a slander for that Papists doe not mislike second mariages But here as before oftentimes he forgetteth the subiect of his discourse for he should haue conuinced me of falsifications if he had remembred what he had in hand And yet in this place he doth not so much as touch any place by me alleadged or supposed to be falsified Onely to conuince himselfe of notorious ignorance he hath quoted a marginall note belonging not to this but to the next place as he might haue perceiued by the direction if hee had not béene blinde and hath set the same ouer against my words in this place as if I had proued my sayings of the Montanistes by Damascens chapter beginning Christianocategori in his booke de haeresibus such a learned aduersarie haue we to deale withall I answere further that I doe not slander the Papists as my aduersarie chargeth me when I say that they sauour of Montanisme in disliking second mariages for their counterfeit canons doe pronounce them punishable by excommunication that marie more then once De his qui frequenter vxores ducunt say they de his quae saepius nubunt 31. q 1. de hi◠tempus quidem poenitentiae his manifestum constitutum est And afterward Cum praecipiatur say they Ibidem secundis nuptijs poenitentiam tribuere quis erit presbyter qui propter conuiuium illis consentiat nuptijs It appeareth therefore that they enioyned penance for second mariages as for a grieuous crime and forbad the priest to be present at the feast of such maried folkes Beside that they doe not allow that a Priest shall blesse the second mariage nor doe they accompt the second mariage to be so holy a sacrament as the first Finally Syricius calleth maried folkes C. Plurimos dist 82. and defenders of priests mariages followers of lustes and teachers of vices sectatores libidinum C. proposuisti Ibidem praeceptores vitiorum And Innocentius as if they were vnholy and could not please God and were in the flesh excludeth maried folkes from the ministerie of the altar Which sheweth that they sauour of Montanisme if not worse But saith Owlyglasse if it be Montanisme to denie second mariages to be so holy a sacrament as the first what then be they that denie first and second mariages to be any sacrament at all But this is a balde kinde of disputing to propose a mans argument otherwise then he frameth it We doe not say they be Montanists in denying the second mariages to be a sacrament but that they sauour of Montanisme in disliking second mariages and preferring the first before the second Of which that is
it concerneth my aduersaries exceptions is not great nor the controuersie betwixt mine aduersarie and me materiall but the fault was not mine but his whose trifling pamphlet at this time gaue mee no better subiect to worke vpon yet this profit may the readers reape by it that they shall hereafter not need to feare either the vaine brags or great words and titles which the Papists do arrogate to themselues seeing they are demasked and declared neither to be true catholicks nor loiall subiects if they hold the grounds of Popery But whatsoeuer this treatise is or may effect I beseech your Honor to accept it as a token of his deuotion that is a member of that Vniuersitie whereof you are Chancellor and as you do succeed your worthy father in that place so I beseech God that you may not only succeed him but also surpasse him if it be possible in his zeale and pious care to aduance true religion and learning During his time although none of Baals priests durst either looke into the Vniuersitie or shew himselfe abroad in this realme yet did they secretly keepe in corners but by your Honors care and vigilancy according to her Maiesties late Edict we do hope to see them not onely repressed but also quite expulsed and returned to him that sent them What their errors are and what they deserue it may in part appeare by this treatise the rest we refer to those whom it concerneth And so loth to interrupt the course of your more serious congitations and actions I end beseeching the God of heauen to blesse you with his heauenly graces and as he hath vsed you hitherto as a notable instrument to aduance religion learning and iustice so to grant that all that loue true religion learning and iustice may long enioy your helpe and fauor Your Honors in all dutifull affection MATTH SVTCLIFFE The Preface to all indifferent Readers wherein not only the purpose of this treatise is declared but also diuers points of the aduersaries Preface and first chapter that fell not within the compasse of any order examined and refuted ALthough the quarrels and cavils of false teachers and haeretikes gentle reader proceed from the fountaine of their malice and are set forward by the suggestions of satan who by all meanes endevoureth to trouble the peace of gods church and to shake the faith of such weaklings as are not firmely built vpon the immooueable rocke Christ Iesus yet it pleaseth God oftentimes by his vnsearchable wisdome to dispose mens evill purposes and actions to his great glory and the aduancement of religion the great good of his church which those men thought to ruinate Etiam sic veris illis catholicis membris Christi malo suo prosunt saith Saint a Lib. 18. de ciuit dei c. 51. Augustine speaking of haeretickes that contumaciously resist the trueth and seeke to defend their pestilent and wicked opinions Whereof although I had no great experience before this time yet now by the friuolous and vaine cauils of a certaine corner-creeping disciple of antichrist against my late challenge made to Robert Parsons disguised vnder the maske of two letters and calling himselfe N. D. I finde to be most true For whereas heeretofore my challenge was not knowne to many and now beganne to be forgotten of such as first had read it I doubt not but this vaine cauiller by his vaine exceptions will cause the same to be both more diligently read and better remembred than it was like to be otherwise for I doe not beleeue that any man will offer me that wrong that he will condemne me before he hath both read what I haue written examined the matters wherewith I am charged Secondly because he hath alledged that I deliver out matters upon mine owne credit without proofe I have taken occasion to peruse my former challenge to fortifie the same with divers authorities and arguments and so to publish it assuring thee if any thing now want proofe that it is of that nature that it is of it selfe most euident and needeth no proofe being either knowen publikely or confessed by the aduersaries themselues Thirdly this miserable fellow that maketh himselfe partie against me seemeth rather to betray the cause of the papists then otherwise For taking vpon him to debate some matters in my late challenge he is neither able to contradict my arguments whereby I prooued that the papists were neither catholicks nor the true church nor mainteined the old Christian faith nor hath he abilitie to discharge his consorts of the crimes of haeresie and treason wherewith they stand charged and now by his silence seeme to be conuicted So that I doubt not but if the pope may vnderstand and be well informed of this prating fellowes treacherous dealing in his cause that he will either punish him as a false traitor to his See or at the least commaund him to silence as a weake ideot and foolish pleader in matter of religion Fourthly he doth greatly grace my writings against his father Robert Parsons for if he be not able to except against more places then sixe and twenty or thereabout it is cleare that I haue said true in the rest and that I haue argued and alledged authorities to good purpose For if I had offended I doubt not but I should haue heard of it And because you shal not suspect that these are but surmises rather than firme conclusions I doe before hand tell you that this vaine bangler will not hereafter vndertake to answer my challenge from argument to argument allegation to allegation testimony to testimony Behold then ô miserable papists your poore distressed proctor and let the cacolike conuertite sisters relieue him with some good words of comfort that in his needlesse quarrell hath ouerthrowne himselfe and his cause and hath done me more fauour than I shall be willing to requite him in haste Fiftly he doth discouer the vanitie of his owne bragges in his most miserable pleading I require no more learning saith b Detect Ch. 1. p. 8. he then the vnderstanding of Latin no more labour than to open the books view the places quoted no more conscience then that the tongue can truly report what the heart thinketh and yet when it commeth to the iumpe with all that little learning he hath and withall his labour could he not fasten any one vntrueth or falsification vpon me as shall sufficiently appeere by my answer beside that it is ridiculous to talke of learning and vnderstanding of Latin when in most of the places by him touched I speake English and alledge not the fathers words in the rest it will appeare that his prouision of Latin is not superabundant this sentence therefore he hath translated out of the pretended bishop of Eureux his discourse although it fit not his purpose in any sort Sixtly He is a very vaine fellow to demand of vs such a conference as passed in France for well might he haue seene
if he had not wilfully shut his eies that the case is not like and the reasons he might have vnderstood if he had not bene sencelesse they being so plainly laid downe in my refutation of his father Robert parsons his calumnious relation sent vs from Rome very wisely of matters done in France Further he might well haue remembred if he had not bene forgetfull that I offred the papists more then was demanded for I did not onely promise to deale with Parsons or any of his consortes in any priuate conference but also in publicke writing which might not onely be viewed of all men but also remaine to posterity as a testimony against those that should be conuinced either of vntrueth or forgery and which being extant in print neither we nor our aduersaries should be able to alter or deny or misreport any thing that is written as is the ordinary course of Popish Parasits in such conferences and to shew that I meant to performe as much as I promised I began to obiect certain epistles and canons forged not by such base thred-bare companions as himselfe but by the popes and church of Rome I shewed also that they had falsified the scriptures and published infinit and montrous lies in their legends read publickly in the church finally I put Robert Parsons in minde of the notorious clipping and corrupting of fathers of late practised by the papists by their rubarbatif and expurgatorie indexes but he like a wise fellow kept himselfe close and would no more heare of the matter thinking it was better as the old prouerbe teacheth in this Carian to make triall of this hard aduenture and to c The proverbe In care periculum facito teacheth that in base fellowes it is best to trie dangerous experiments thrust this asse downe headlong from the rockes knowing well that if we should ouercome him or come to the taking of him up we should finde nothing but the carcase of a dead asse wherefore then is our adversary so desirous of a conference that doubteth to trie his manhood in iustifying his friends falshood and forgery concerning matters already laid to their charge d Protrusit asinum in rupes Horat. ep againe when he seeth our readines to answer why is he so slow to obiect Finally where he thinketh to triumpth most gloriously and to leade my brother Willet and me both captiues and fast chained at the taile of his chariot there he doth most pitifully disgrace himselfe and free vs and marre all that he medleth withall For first speaking of falsifications he compareth them to Christ and such mens incredulity as will not beleeue him he compareth to the incredulity of Thomas that would not beleeue Christes resurrection before he saw and felt manifest signes of it the sentences alledged out of fathers and other authors saith c Praes fol. 5. he be so mangled and maimed c. as no protestant I am sure will beleeue vntill feeling and seeing with Saint Thomas convince his incredulity is not this a braue gallant then trow you that compareth trueth to falshood the feeling of Christ to the feeling of falsifications Secondly where the maine controuersy betwixt me and Robert Parsons in my challenge is concerning the church of Rome and where this blinde baiard might see that I haue alledged diuers strong reasons to prooue that the congregation of Romanistes under the pope and cardinalls is not the true church of Christ there all this notwithstanding my adversarie smoothly dissembleth the matter and taketh that as granted which he poore fellow can neuer prooue and saith that my brother Willet d Fol. 1. praef and I imploy our forces in assaulting the impregnable sort of gods church and battring that rocke against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile as if the congregation of the malignant and wicked rable of antichrist could be the true church of Christ or as if the gates of hell had not long since prevailed against the pope and church of Rome our aduersary therefore taking this for granted that is the controuersy if without controversy I haue not demonstrated that the church of Rome is not the true church sheweth that he is pregnant with folly of which he will not be deliuered before he die that his face is as hard as the rocke of which he talketh Thirdly he calleth popish religion Catholicke and affirmeth f Fol. 2. praef it was planted here by Gregory the great who by succession receiued it from Peter c and that it was alwaies visible since Christ bearing still saile in the tempests of all persecutions but he should doe well to shew how true religion can be visible for our saviour Christ saith g Iohn 4. that true worshipers worship God in spirit and truth but spirituall worship and true internall deuotion is not so easily seene unlesse therefore our adversary suppose popish religion to consist in the popes mitre and in coules of monkes and such like externall matters he shal hardly proue religion to be visible Againe he doth greatly wrong the popish cause if he affirme popish religion to have bene planted here in England by Gregory and be not able to answer my challenge and to demonstrate those novelties and late receiued fancies which I have mentioned either to haue beene taught by Gregory or at the least by his disciples to haue beene planted here in England Furthermore seeing in my challenge I doe prooue that popish religion is not catholike and giue for iustification of that point notable instances such as our aduersary shall not be able to answer is it not notorious impudency to take this as a matter either prooued or confessed and slily to call haeresie catholike religion finally I must entreat some plaine dealing papist to admonish this detector or rather detractor of ours not to say that Gregory receiued the popish religion that now is mainteined by the pope of Rome and was first established in the conuenticle of Trent from Peter or that all that is taught in Gregories dialogues or epistles came from Peter or that the Romish church that now is visible in the pope cardinals monkes and swarmes of friers and in Romish ceremonies hath borne saile in the tempests of all persecutions for it is the pope and his bloody inquisitors that do persecute others and are not persecuted and if this be a quâ—…ty of the church to beare saile in tempests of persecutions certes the pope and his retinue cannot be the true church that for many hundred yeeres have lived in all pompe iolitie and pleasure but if the Romish church be so well able to beare saile in tempests it were much to be wished that the pope and his cardinals would saile to the Indiaes where we might heare no more of them and that they would take our aduersary with them who percase would prooue a better swabber then a disputer Fourthly In the beginning of his Praeface he saith he will present to his
call Rome vnder the popes false and wicked Babylon Gia Roma saith he hor ' Babylonia fals'eria his opinion is likewise confirmed by the bishop of Salzburg Auentin lib. 7. Michael Cesenas Petrus Blesensis and others and so guilty are the Romanists in their owne conscience that either they can not endure the interpretation of the Reuelation of S. Iohn or els they giue out such vaine constructions of it as neither satisfie themselues nor others argument 63 The true church of Christ did neuer worship S. Peter nor the ancient bishops of Rome nor did S. Peter suffer himselfe to be worshipped or carried on mens shoulders or to haue his pantofle kissed but the Romish church doth worship the pope and call him a god on the earth and Christes vicar and the foundation and spouse and head of the church the bishop of Modrusa in the councell of Lateran cried out to Leo the tenth te beatissime Leo saluatorem expectauimus others beare him on their shoulders others crie out to the pope to haue mercy on them others leade his palfrey others kisse his féet argument 64 The true church did alwaies reuerently thinke of the holy mysteries of Christian religion and accordingly did she vse them it is a common saying that holy things are respectiuely and reuerently to be vsed But the Romish church neither thinketh nor beléeueth reuerently nor vseth the mysteries of Christian religion so respectiuely as the holinesse and grauity of such things require one pope cast the eucharist into the fire Hildebrandus saith x In vita Gragor 7. Beno sacramentum corporis Domini responsa diuina contra imperatorem quaerens iniecit igni Pius Quintus cast one Agnus Dei into the water of Tybre y In vita de Pio 5. and another into the fire Cresciuto il Teuere saith Hierome Catena Pio vi gittò vn ' agnus Dei il fuoco appreso in vna casa piena di fieno vi si gitto vn altero All papists for the most part affirme that if a dogge or hogge or mouse eat a consecrate host he eateth the body of Christ really and properly the conspirators that were suborned by Sixtus Quartus to kill Laurence and Iulian de Medici were commanded to do it in the church and at the instant of the eleuation of the sacrament Dato signo saith z Lib. Geograph 5. Volateran cum eucharistia tolleretur When the pope rideth abroad he sendeth his corpus Domini before with the baggage and with the basest seruants of his house as Mouluc in a treatise directed to the Quéene mother of France declareth finally albeit the papists teach that the crosse is to be worshipped with latria or diuine worship yet doe the popes make crosses on their slippers to shew what base reckoning they make of their religion argument 65 The church of Christ is a society of beléeuing and faithfull people and a communion of saints this is an article of our faith that is proued by the definition and nature of the church but the Romish church requireth in her followers no more to make them her true members but that they professe the Romish faith outwardly and communicate with the church in sacraments and be subiect to the pope vt aliquis aliquo modo dici possit pars verae ecclesiae de qua scripturae loquuntur non putamus requiri vllam internam virtutem saith a De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine so by his account the church may consist of hereticks and most wicked persons so they make an externall profession of Christianitie and holde with the pope but such can not be parts or members of Christes church without true faith and charity argument 66 b Matth. 18. Whosoeuer heareth not the church is to be accounted as a heathen man or publican but he that heareth not the church of Rome that excommunicateth Christian princes and stirreth vp subiects to rebellion and debaseth holy scriptures and setteth vp vncerteine and false traditions and mainteineth false doctrine idolatry and heresie is neither to be accounted a publican nor a heathen man but a true Christian and follower of Christ Iesus the papists will denie perhaps the church of Rome to be guilty of this crime but the wicked excommunications of Paul the third denounced against Henry the 8. K. of England of Pius 5. Sixtus Quintus against her Maiesty and of other popes against other princes and the stirres that haue ensued of them doe prooue them to be authors of rebellion the rest we haue already touched and shall more at large proue hereafter argument 67 c Lib. de notis ecclesiae Bellarmine confesseth and all papists agree with him first that the true church of Christ is the catholicke church and maintaineth catholicke doctrine 2. that the same is most ancient sine dubio saith he vera ecclesia antiquior est qùam falsa 3. that the same shall alwaies continue ecclesia dicitur catholica non solum quia semper fuit sed etiam quia semper erit saith Bellarmine 4. that it shall be enlarged to the endes of the earth ecclesia catholica saith he non solum debet amplecti omnia tempora sed etiam omnia loca omnes nationes omnia hominum genera 5. that it hath a succession of bishops certaine and continuall 6. that it consenteth with the apostolicke church in the doctrine of faith sexta nota saith Bellar. est conspiratio in doctrina cum ecclesia antiqua 7. that it be vnited to Christ Iesus and haue the partes vnited among themselues septima nota saith he est vnio mēbrorum inter se cum capite 8. they confesse also that the doctrine of the church is holy 9. that it is effectuall 10. that the authors of the docttrine of the church are holy ecclesia enim saith Bellar. habet doctores sanctos 11. that the same is adorned with miracles prophecie 12. that the aduersaries of the church confesse the doctrine thereof to be true and finally that such as haue fauored the church haue prosperous successe and such as disfauour it euill successe and vnhappie endes but the Romish church is neither called catholicke of all nor is it catholicke in respect of place or doctrine nor is the same ancient the doctrine of popery being not established but since the councell of Lateran vnder Innocent the third the first father of transubstantiation enacted for the most part by the conuenticles of Constance Florence Trent nor hath the Romish church any assurance that it shall alwaies continue seing the same dependeth on the Pope and his determinations in neither of which is there any certainty for the pope may be taken away as saith d De auserribilit papae Gerson and his decrées doe oftentimes alter e Epist 2. ad Bohemos Nicholas of Cusia saith that the scriptures are to be fitted to the time and that they are diuersly to be vnderstood and that God doth
laieth 7. principles or grounds of Christian doctrine ſ Lib. 1. doct◠princip c. 1. whereof the first concerneth the church of Rome the second concerneth the pope the third the meanes that the pope vseth in iudgement the fourth the popes infallible iudgement the fift his power in taxing the canon the sixt his certaine interpretation of scriptures the seuenth his power in deliuering doctrine not written Which principles are not onely new but the most rascall deuises that euer procéeded out of the mouth of a diuine or man of learning for among all these principles neither the scriptures nor ancient rules of faith are numbred nay in plaine termes he doubteth not to affirme that Christian religion is built vpon the popes authority in hac docentis hominis authoritate saith t In praefat ante relect princip doctrinal he in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscendae fundamentū necessario poni credimus but if this be the foundation of popish religion then before Stapletons time that religion had no foundation for no man euer heard of either such principles or such a foundation so laid argument 8 We finde that the religion of papists concerning the masse and transubstantiation and diuers other points of faith is founded vpon the decretales of popes but these decretales were not collected into forme nor established for law before Gregory the 9. Boniface the 8. Clement the 5. and Iohn the 22. by whose authority as appeareth by the seuerall prefaces of Gregory the 9. Boniface the 8. and Iohn bishop of Rome that published the Clementines secondly it appeareth for that in all these bookes there is but very few constitutions of ancient bishops of Rome thirdly for that by the lawes of the Code and canons of councels it appeareth that the church for aboue a thousand yeares was gouerned by the lawes of Emperors and generall councels fourthly for that Aeneas Syluius confesseth that before the councell of Nice the church of Rome was not respected and finally for that he that maketh the collection of the Popes lawes and Bulles that were authenticall u In Bullari◠beginneth with Gregory the 7. that was a thousand yeares after Christ which he would not haue done if he could haue found any lawes more ancient than his Indéed I confesse that now and then our aduersaries produce the decretales of Clement Anacletus Euaristus and others but the matters conteined in those epistles and the stile doth so much differ from those times that euery modest and learned papist is ashamed to say these epistles were those whose names they cary argument 9 The power and authoritie likewise of popes in receiuing appeales granting rescripts aswell of fauor or iustice dispensing in cases reserued electing and translating of prelates and all other matters dependeth vpon the decretals of late popes and this appeareth not only by the decretals of Gregory the 9. Boniface the 8. Clement the 5. and Iohn the 22. but also by the rapsody of decrées which Surius collecteth in his first tome of councels for albeit he alledgeth the names of Anacletus Zepherinus Calixtus Fabianus and others yet they speake onely great words and vse generall termes for the particulars of the popes authoritie he can not alledge them albeit such counterfeit and rifferaffe stuffe would aduantage him nothing if they were truly alledged argument 10 The foundation of the ancient church is strong being built vpon the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles our Sauiour Christ being the chiefe corner stone but the church of Romes foundation being laied on the pope and his decretales is weake and not durable Videtur nostra ecclesia saith x Lib. 5. de prouident Dei Saluianus ex vna scriptura foelicius-instituta aliae habent illam aut debilem aut conuulneratam habent veterem magistrorum traditionem corruptam per hoc traditionem potius quà m scripturam habent the foundation therefore of papisticall religion is both new and weake being grounded vpon men both subiect to errors and other grosse sinnes argument 11 Scriptures in the apostles times and long after were neuer forbidden to be translated into tongues that could not be vnderstood of the vulgar sort but now the papists suffer them not to be so translated y Index libr. prohib reg 4. that euery man may vse them Cum experimento manifestum sit z Ibidem say they si sacra biblia vulgari lingua passim sine discrimine permittantur plus inde ob hominum temeritatem detrimenti quam vtilitatis oriri they punish also both the bookesellers and the readers that haue vulgar bibles without licence albeit translated by themselues argument 12 In ancient time the gouernors of the church exhorted Christians to reade the scriptures our Sauior a Ioan. 5. Christ speaking to the people exhorted them to search the scriptures and the Beraeans were b Act. 17. commended for searching the scriptures S. Paul writing to the Colossians c Coloss 3. wished that the word of God might dwell in them plentifully in all wisdome the fathers also teach that the reading of Scriptures belonged also to lay men S. Hierome writing vpon the third chapter to the Colossians Hic ostenditur saith he verbum Christi non sufficienter sed abundanter etiam laicos habere debere docere se inuicem monere and Chrysostome homil 9. in epist ad Coloss Attend saith he as many of you as are secular persons and gouerne wife and children how the apostle doth command you also to reade the scriptures aboue all and that not lightly and carelesly but with great diligence d In Isai homil 2. Origen finally wisheth that all Christians performed that which is written of searching the scriptures but the papists haue a contrary spirit speaking of the vulgar bibles translated by their owne side they say thus Qui absque tali facultate ea legere e Index libr. prohib reg 4. seu habere praesumpserit they punish also the booksellers f Ibidem that haue such books without licence argument 13 In the times of the ancient fathers we do not reade that any holy bishop condemned bibles translated into vulgar tongues or burnt them albeit some errors were conteined in the translations neither did they repute lay men to be heretikes and burne them because they read the scriptures in their mother tongue but now the papists burne the holy scriptures vpon pretence of errors which notwithstanding they are not able to proue to be errors they haue also burned Christians for reading scriptures as appeareth by the register of Bishop Longland in king Henry the 8. his daies g Index libr. prohib reg 4. and now they punish both such as reade bibles and such as sell them argument 14 The ancient fathers of the church beléeued the church to be catholike but our papists now beléeue no church but the Romane church and without the Romane church they will not
spred thorowout the world and conteineth not only those that now liue but those also that are past and are yet to come The catholike faith is the faith of Christ Iesus which the apostles first taught and which all true Christians both haue holden and do holde and shall holde to the worlds end In this catholike church saith b De haeres c. 3. Vincentius Lirinensis we are to hold that which alwaies hath beene beleeued of all Christians for that is truely and properly catholike he c De haeres c. 34. teacheth vs also that the property of catholiks is to keepe the doctrine committed to them and left with them by the ancient fathers and to auoid profane nouelties finally he determineth that those onely are truely and rightly called catholikes which onely beleeue and holde that which the catholike church in olde time did vniuersally holde Saint d De vera relig c. 5. Augustine doth take catholikes to be nothing els but Christians and true beleeuers which mainteine the sincere faith and follow that which is right Apud eos solos saith he quaerenda est religio qui Christiani catholici vel orthodoxi nominantur he doth also oppose catholikes against heretikes e Epist 81. ad monach palaest epist 95. Leo saith also that there is one true only perfect and inuiolable faith whereto nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken If then the papists be hereticks and no true beléeuers then are they no catholikes if they holde a faith grounded vpon priuate opinions of men and not alwaies nor vniuersally holden then doe they not holde the catholike faith but that they holde diuers heresies and false opinions shall be shewed in the chapter following that they hold many new points altogether vnknowen in ancient time and when the Gospel began first to be preached we haue alreadie proued and demonstrated in the last discourse f That papists hold points of doctrine not catholike It resteth then now that I héere declare that the papists mainteine diuers points of doctrine neuer generally holden of all Christians nor vniuersally taught in the church of Christ and that may appeare first by the doctrine of the church of Rome concerning the foundations of Christian religion next by the doctrine of that church that cōcerneth both the law and the Gospell thirdly by the faith of the Romish church concerning the sacraments fourthly by their faith concerning praier and the whole seruice of God fiftly by their doctrine concerning repentance ordination of ministers marriage almes and fasting and finally by their doctrine concerning the church and the gouernment of it argument 1 Concerning the foundations of religion they teach first that scriptures are an g Bellar. lib. 4. de ver◠Dei c. 12. vnperfect rule of faith as hath béene declared in the chapter going before and h Bish of Eureux some of them haue not feared to write books of the insufficiency of scriptures but the i 2. Tim. 3. apostle saith they are able to make the man of God perfect and wise to saluation and true catholikes alwaies held the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule both for faith and maners Saint k Lib. 2. de doct Chr. c. 9. Augustine saith that all things necessarily belonging to faith or maners are conteined in plaine places of scriptures argument 2 The papists will not allow the scriptures to conteine all that word of God which we are now to follow for albeit they do not in expresse termes say so much yet it is necessarily inferred of their doctrine where they l Bellar. de verb. Dei teach that we haue one word of God written and another vnwritten and m Sess 4. concil Trid. determine that we are with equall affection to embrace vnwritten traditions and the holy scriptures but the catholike church neuer taught that after the writings of the prophets and apostles once perfected and published we had a word of God vnwritten which is to be placed in equall ranke with the holy scriptures n Aduers gent. Athanasius saith that the holy and diuine scriptures are sufficient to instruct vs in all trueth S. o In Mich. 1. Hierome calleth the scriptures the limits or bounds of the catholike church Non est egressa de finibus suis saith he id est de scripturis sanctis What saith p Regul 80. Basil is the propertie of a faithfull man forsooth to beleeue with certine fulnesse of minde whatsoeuer is conteined in scriptures and neither to reiect any part thereof nor to adde any new thing vnto them Saint q Lib. de paradis c. 13. Ambrose saith we may no more adde to Gods commandements than take from them and S. r In Ioan. tractat Augustine electa sunt quae scriberentur quae saluti credentium sufficere videbantur that is those things are chosen out and thought fit to be written which séemed to be sufficient for the saluation of the faithful and albeit the fathers mention traditions which were sometime vnwritten yet if they were necessary they signifie that now they are written Si aut in euangelio praecipitur saith * In epist ad Pompeium Cyprian aut in apostolorum epistolis aut actibus continetur obseruetur diuina haec sancta traditio he signifieth that no tradition is to be admitted vnlesse it be conteined in scriptures argument 3 The papists also teach that the pope and his Sée is the foundation of the church est Petri sedes saith ſ In praefat ante lib. de pontif Rom. Bellarmine lapis probatus angularis preciosus in fundamento fundatus these words also he applieth to the pope whom he calleth Christes vicar in another t Lib. 2. depont Rom. c. 31. place he calleth the Pope the foundation of the church and Sanders in his Rocke of the church disputeth that the pope is that rocke is not then the Romish church a weake building that in euery vacation is without foundation and relieth wholly vpon one man true Catholikes certes neuer applied the words of Isay ch 8 28. to the pope nor thought him to be an approoued stone or corner stone or a precious stone laid in the foundation of the church the u 1. Cor. 3. apostle teacheth vs that no man can lay any other foundation then that which is laid that is Christ Iesus and in another place he x Ephes 2. saith that the church and citizens of saints are built vpon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone with him also consenteth all the company of true catholikes argument 4 Stapleton in plaine tearmes denieth the scriptures to be the foundation of his religion aliud hodie saith he y In praefat ante relect princip doctrin Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus and afterward ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud the same z In analysi ante
Onus eccles c. 22. bishop doeth compare to locustes issuing out of the bottomlesse pit of hell for that they corrupt religion as the other deuoured euery gréene thing illi mendicantes peruersi saith he designantur per locustas de puteo abyssi exeuntes quia ipsi sunt scurriles leues volatiles rodentes sacras literas virides paganicae philosophiae sequaces quasi equi currentes sic illi in vanam disputationem argument 89 True catholikes neuer thought that the pope had two swords knowing that Peters successors had keyes and not swords deliuered vnto them and well vnderstanding that their commission was to teach and administer sacraments and not to cut Christian mens throats but c C. vnam de maior ebed Boniface the 8. vpon pretence of these words ecce duo gladij hîc imagineth that the pope is to vse both the temporall and spirituall sword and the Iebusites stoutly defend his authoritie and with their two handed swords and gentle receits of their sophisticated drugs kill more honest men than honest men can easily conuert from superstition and impietie to Christ Iesus argument 90 Among Gregory the seuenths d Ioseph Vestan de oscul ped pontif dictates the 12. is that the pope hath power to depose the emperour the 8. that he may lawfully vse the ensignes of the emperour the 27. that he hath power to absolue subiects from their allegiance but S. Peter that was a farre better catholike than this Gregory called otherwise Hildebrand or rather Helfirebrand teacheth contrary doctrine and e 1. Petr. 2. willeth Christians to honor the king so likewise S. Paul exhorteth all sorts of men to be subiect to the higher powers finally the law of God bindeth so fast f Rom. 13. that no deuice of man can vntwist the bond of an oth taken to his prince as true catholikes euer beléeued argument 91 g Concil Nicen c. 5. Catholikes in time past did not permit one bishop to absolue him that was excommunicate by another but the pope of Rome absolueth now all at his pleasure by whomsoeuer they be excommunicated argument 92 The councell of h Can. 22. Mileuis in Afrike excommunicated all priests that appealed to Rome Ad transmarina qui putauerit appellandum say the fathers of that councel a nullo intra Africam in communionem suscipiatur but the pope and his adherents adiudge him worthy to be excommunicate that shall denie that it is lawfull to appeale to Rome let it then be iudged whether therein they deale as catholikes argument 93 Gregory the first doubted not to censure him as the forerunner of Antichrist that should call himselfe vniuersall bishop and this title he accounteth prophane and sacrilegious yet doth not the pope refuse this title neither doth i Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 31. Bellarmine mislike it argument 94 In the catholike church no man might be ordeined without a charge as appeareth by the acts of the councell of Chalcedon but now the popes without charge ordeine infinite monks and friers which are the moths that fret and consume Christian religion argument 95 Catholikes neuer vsed to kisse the popes pantofle nor to fall downe before him and to crie Miserere nostri are then the papists catholikes trow you or flanes and base fellowes that kisse the slipper of Antichrist and fall downe before him crying out Miserere to a most miserable mortall man argument 96 Ancient catholikes were not acquainted with the popes prouisions reseruations expectatiue fauors indulgencies iubileyes and such like tricks and hooks to ouerthrow order and enrich the pope neither would they haue liked any such Babylonish traffike if they had knowen it shamelesse therefore are they which take to themselues the titles of catholikes and yet either commit or allow these abuses argument 97 Ancient catholikes neuer knew the rates of the popes chancery for writs of iustice of benefices of pardons nor did they beléeue that the pope could pardon incests murders sacrilege Sodomy blasphemy and such horrible crimes those therefore that allow this sinfull traffike of popes and their courts they are neither good catholikes nor ciuill honest men argument 98 No catholike euer adhered to Antichrist or embraced his damnable doctrine but we haue k Lib. 5. de pontif Rom. shewed that the pope is Antichrist and that popery is nothing els but Antichristianisme and that by such arguments as for any thing yet answered séeme inuincible if then papists adhere to the pope they must leaue the name of catholikes which without all reason they haue vsurped and taken to themselues argument 99 Finally no catholike euer embraced any heresie or false doctrine for as S. l De vera relig c. 6. 7. Augustine teacheth vs catholikes are true Christians and embrace the right faith but the papists haue embraced and yet holde many both olde and new heresies and thereof popery séemeth to consist the which to be very true it shall appeare by the particulars discoursed in the chapter following CHAP. IIII. That papists doe mainteine many both olde and new heresies and erroneous points of doctrine contrary to the catholike faith LIttle reason haue the papists to charge others with heresie if they would narrowly looke into their owne opinions and heresies which are so many and so vgly we may therefore well say vnto them Pull out the beames out of your owne eies you hypocrites and then you shall more clearly see the motes that are in other mens eies so grosse are your errors and so foule that beames in mens eies séeme not more deformed argument 1 For first as the a Rom. 2. 3. Iewes and especially the scribes and Pharises rested in the law and gloried in their works b Luc. 18. and as the apostle declareth Rom. 2. and Galat. 3. sought to be instified by their works and by the law so the papists rest and relie much vpon the law not doubting but by obseruance thereof to enter into life and thereto they apply these words hoc fac viues they glory also in their works and if they said true that by the works of the law they were iustified they had reason so to doe for to him that worketh the reward is imputed not according to grace but according to debt as the c Rom. 4. apostle saith finally they séeke to be iustified formally by their works and by the law which they say is fulfilled by charity for that is the end of Bellarmines dispute of iustice of works and habituall iustice and so much doe they rely vpon their owne iustice that they d Concil Trid. sess 6. can 10. 11. exclude the iustice of Christ out of our iustification argument 2 Secondly the sect of the pharises was condemned for that they made void the law of God by there owne traditions reprobastis mandatum dei per seniorum vestrorum traditionem saith our e Marc. 7. sauiour speaking to the pharises they were likewise
the state vnder the name of Dolman hath forged a booke of forged titles to the crowne and Baronius for a cardinals hat hath béene hired with apocryphall trash raked out of euery blinde corner and oft times most impudently forged to corrupt the history of the church argument 11 The Nazarites were condemned for hereticks first for that they mingled Iewish ceremonies with Christian religion and next for that they boasted much of their reuelations and miracles as is testified by Augustine de haeres c. 9. and partly by Epiphanius in haeres 29. The like sentence therefore is to be pronounced against the papists which f Missal Rom. consecrate euery yéere a Paschal lambe after a Iewish fashion and obserue a certeine forme of Iubiley and haue translated the priests apparel and diuers ceremonies from the Iewes as appeareth by Durand and those that write of their ceremonies Innocentius the third by a solemne decretale determineth that what is conteined in Deuteronomy is now to be obserued in the new testament cum Deuteronomium saith g C. per venerabilem qui filij sint legitimi he secunda lex interpretetur ex vi vocabuli comprobatur vt quod ibi decernitur in nouo testamento debeat obseruari but Deuteronomy conteineth an epitome of Moyses his law finally they bragge much of their reuelations and miracles and h Bellar. de notis eccles make them a marke of the church argument 12 The Heracleonites did anoint their followers departing out of this life and gaue them a kinde of extreme vnction Feruntur saith S. i De haeresib c. 16. Epiph. haeres 36. Augustine suos morientes nouo modo quasi redimere id est per oleum balsamum aquam inuocationes quas Hebraicis verbis dicunt super capita eorum and these their anointings and praiers they thought to be grounded vpon the place out of the fift of S. Iames commonly alledged to this purpose all which notwithstanding they are numbred among hereticks it séemeth therefore that the papists haue borowed their extreme vnction their dirges and masses for the dead from hereticks and I am the rather confirmed in this opinion for that the praier for the dead that is now in the canon is not found in the olde ordinall of the church of Rome neither did ancient Christians anoint those parts and senses that the papists do finally they did anoint the sicke while the gifts of healing continued in the church and to the intent that the parties grieued might recouer their health which circumstances do now faile in our aduersaries cause argument 13 The followers of Helzai and hereticks called Osseni as k Haeres 19. ante Christ Epiphanius reporteth did vse to swere by salt and bread and other creatures they worshipped also the spittle and reliques of two of their saints l Ibidem thirdly Helzai taught his disciples to pray in a tongue not vnderstood by them nemo quaerat interpretationem saith he sed solùm haec dicat then he added a praier in a strange tongue Do we then thinke that it is catholike religion in papists to sweare by bread and salt and by creatures and are they good Christians that worship the reliques of saints and reserue their ashes and reliques in their altars pray in a tongue not vnderstood of them which pray and say it is not materiall although a man vnderstand not the interpretation of the words argument 14 m Damascen de haeresib Marcion gaue women power to baptize and albeit he had corrupted and abused a maiden yet was he not ashamed to extoll virginitie à Marcione saith Epiphanius n Haeres 42. virginitas praedicatur Irenaeus lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 30. saith that he and Saturninus began to teach abstinence from liuing creatures he did also o Epiphan haeres 42. teach that by Christes descending into hell diuers mens soules were thence deliuered and separated mariages vnder pretence of religion of which heresies p Tertull. aduers Marcion the papists sauour very strongly for first they authorize women to q C. adijcimus 16. q. 1. c. mulier de consecrat dist 4. baptize as did the Marcionistes secondly they extoll virginitie and fasting highly and make both a meanes of great merit and yet obserue neither virginitie nor fasting for their priests kéepe commonly harlots if no woorse the nunnes albeit mured vp yet prooue oftentimes very frutefull thirdly they imagine that flesh is not so holy meat as fish and beléeue that he that filleth himselfe with fish and other dainties doeth fast where he that eateth a bit of flesh fasteth not fourthly they separate mariages vpon pretence of monkish religion and hold that parties so separated may not againe cohabite together without sinne and that contrary to the apostles commandement 1. Cor. 7. lastly they teach that the patriarks before Christs time were deliuered by Christs descension into hell out of that place which they call limbum patrum or receptacle of the fathers soules argument 15 The Messalians beléeued that baptisme was onely auaileable to cut away former sinnes so likewise the papists beléeue that baptisme doeth onely purge and respect sinnes past and that sinnes committed after baptisme are to be done away by penance against them both Theodoret r De diuin decret c. de baptism teacheth that baptisme is the earnest of future graces and the communication of Christ his passion againe he saith non vt dicunt amentes Messaliani baptismus nouaculam imitatur quae praecesserunt peccata auferens hoc enim ex superabundanti largitur likewise the Messalians did mumble ouer their praiers with their lips hauing their heart otherwhere and beléeued they were heard for their much babling which custome blinde papists doe so well like that they rehearse infinit auemariaes pater nostres and creedes liking that babling religion which mumbleth vp her praiers on a string of beades ſ Mantuan Alph. lib. 4. Quae filo insertis numerat sua murmura baccis and pattreth praiers like an ape clattring with his chappes the pope also giueth great indulgences to those that say the ladies Rosary and pray vpon their beads albeit the poore soules vnderstande nothing of that they praie or rather pratle argument 16 The Caians were reputed heretikes for worshipping angels and praying to them vnusquisque eorum saith t Heres 38. Epiphanius vniuscuiusque angeli nomen inuocat for the same cause also the u Epiphan de angelicis Augustin de haeres c. 39. Isid lib. 8. orig Angelickes were condemned both by the writings of fathers and acts of councels non oportet Christianos say the * C. 35. fathers assembled in the councell of Laodicea derelicta ecclesia abire ad angelos idololatriae abominandae congregationes facere what then are we to thinke of papists that pray to angels and say masses in honour of them and serue them deuoutly as their protectors to auoid this blemish
monkes and nunnes among heretikes that méeting together vsed to skip and dance also together as they thought to the praise of God yet doe not the popish sort leaue their piping and dancing processions nor doe priests monkes and nunnes cease to celebrate their comedicall dancing masses skipping and hopping about the alter like apes that are taught to skippe and to leape for their masters best aduantage argument 45 Gnosimachi were certaine heretiks that held an opinioÌ„ that vulgar Christians were not to study the scriptures omni Christianorum congnitioni ac scientiae ita aduersantur z Ibidem c. gnosimachi saith Damascene vt vanum minus necessarium laborem esse dicant eorum qui in diuinis scripturis aliquam exquÃrunt scientiam neque enim deum aliud à Christiano postulare quam bonas praeclarasque actiones Itaque aliquem simplici rudique animo institutum suum persequi melius est vt aiunt quam multam curam in cognoscendis decretis sententijs ponere and like to these hereticks are the papists for they holde it to be mortall sinne for lay men to dispute vpon matters of faith as Nauarrns in his enchiridion declareth they suppose also that the coliars faith is sufficient albeit he knoweth nothing but being demanded a reason of his faith answereth that he beleeueth as the church beleeueth a De legit iudicibus lib. 1. Hosius writing against Brentius doth greatly commend ignorance and doth greatly allow this saying thy faith hath saued thee and not the exercise of scriptures b Lib. 3. de authorit scripturae he saith also that nothing is more pernitious then with scriptures to enter into a combat with Satan generally they allow an implicit faith in the rude sort and dehort them from knowledge of scriptures which is the flat heresie of the Gnosimachians argument 46 The c Damascene de haeres 6. Ethnophronians were by the church condemned for obseruing diuers heathenish customes holidaies which notwithstanding pope Boniface the 8. instituted the Iubiley euery hundred yeares in imitation of certaine plaies or games called Ludi seculares the papists also haue their expiations and lustrations with holy water like to the gentles they kéepe their carneual as the Romans kept their lupercalia running disguised vp and downe the stréets they canonize saints as the heathen did canonize their benefactors for gods and like as they burned incense to their idols so papists burne incense to their idols neither doe they regard that such as offered incense to dumbe idols in the primitiue church were condemned as idolaters as appeareth by diuers censures of Cyprian and others contra thurificantes that is against those that burned incense before idols they doe likewise offer sacrifices or inferias for the soules of the departed as did the Gentiles finally they vse lots and coniurations and lash themselues before their images and haue diuers other tricks of gentilisme argument 47 As the Montanists so likewise doe papists mislike second mariages denying to blesse them and not accounting those mariages so holy a sacrament as the first nay they séeme to goe yet farther to enioine pennance for 2. mariages d 31. q. 1. de his qui. concil Neocaesar they decrée presbyteruÌ„ conuiuio secundarum nuptiarum interesse non debere maximè cum praecipiatur secundis nuptijs poenitentiam tribuere quis ergo erit presbiter qui propter conuiuium illis consentiat nuptijs it appeareth therefore that they would not haue priests to allow second mariages or to blesse them or to be present at them argument 48 e De haeres c. Christiano-categori Damascene also accounteth them hereticks that worshipped the images of our sauiour of the blessed virgine and the saints as the gentiles did their gods which is iust the case of papists for both of them bow vnto them pray before them burne incense to them offer sacrifice in honor of them and yet both of them deny that they worship stocks or stones and say that they worship only the things represented by them as f Lib. 2. diuin instit c. 2. Lactantius testifieth of the Gentiles and is very often repeated by papists argument 49 The papists doe likewise in diuers conditions and qualities resemble the olde hereticks and false teachers of which the apostles and ancient fathers make mention the g Rom. 16. apostle when he had warned the Romans to beware of those that caused diuisions and scandals he addeth also against that doctrine which they had receiued In the first epistle to Timothy chap. 6. he sheweth that hereticks had a fashion to teach other doctrine and not to rest in the wholsome words of our Lord Iesus Christ The apostle h 2. Pet. 2. Peter saith that there shall rise vp false teachers which shall priuily bring in heresies and damnable sects i De praescript aduers haeret Tertullian doth oppose hereticks to the apostles and their doctrine to apostolicall doctrine vnde extranei inimici apostolis haeretici saith he nisi ex diuersitate doctrinae quam vnusquisque de suo arbitrio aduersus apostolos aut protulit aut recepit If then the schoolemen and doctors of the popish synagogue haue caused a great diuision from the apostolicke and ancient church and haue taught doctrine diuers from that of Iesus Christ and if they rest not in the holsome words of Christ Iesus but make humane traditions equall to the word of God if they haue troubled and corrupted the déepest and highest mysteries of Christian religion by their late inuentions and haue digressed from the doctrine of the apostles and refuse to be tried by the writings of the prophets and apostles then are they cléerely prooued to be false teachers and heretikes that they are departed from the doctrine of the apostles and haue brought in diuers heresies and sects and new doctrines which by no meanes are to be reputed catholike it may be proued by this whole discourse It is made euident also by the grounds of popish religion by the popes decretales by the schoole diuinitie by the lying and fabulous legends of the Romish church by the doctrine of the conuenticle of Trent by the manifold corruptions of the masse by the idolatrous worship not onely of saints but also of stocks stones rotten bones and ragges by their rebellion against princes and by the tyranny of the pope and finally by the Iebusites new doctrine concerning these points nay if they teach doctrine contrary to scriptures and to the apostles by their owne confession they will be proued heretikes Haeresis saith k Lib. 2. part 1. Occham est dogma falsum fidei contrarium orthodoxae l Apud Matt. Paris in Henric 3. Robert Grosthed saith that heresie is an opinion chosen of humane vnderstanding contrary to scripture and either openly taught or defended m Apud Dionys Carthus in 3. sent dist 31. Durand signifieth that heresie is onely an opinion contrary
obedience then to be made priest by the popes agents is argument sufficient to prooue a man to be a traitor likewise it is no treason simply to be addicted to the superstitions of the Romish church no more then it is to be Sarracen or Turke yet to bée reconciled to the Pope and to receiue absolution from his agents is treason he being a professed enemie of the state and vsing this reconciliation and colour of religion for a meanes to ouerthrow her Maiestie and this kingdome and to réestablish yet once againe his tiranny in England finally to obey good bishops cannot be euill interpreted but to submit a mans selfe to the pope that pretendeth to haue right to depose princes and to translate kingdomes from one to another at pleasure a matter repugnant to scriptures to the practise of the apostles and primitiue church and as Sigebertus Gemblacensis testifieth speaking of Gregory the seuenth his time a notarious and plaine condemned heresie cannot but preiudice the right of a prince in enmity with the pope prooue flat treason Thirdly the true martyrs of Christ suffered for defence of the trueth wronfully and therefore deserued the honour and title of martyrs and very high commendation that is thankeswoorthy saith saint c 1. Pet. 2. Peter if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe suffring wrongfully such were the martyrs of times past who suffred death because they would not deny the Lord Christ Iesus nor sacrifice to idoles but the popes martyrs suffer for practising with forren enemies and die for the Popes pleasure and desire nothing more then to set vp idolatry for conscience they cannot say they suffer vnlesse the make treason against their prince and countrey a matter of conscience and rule their conscience by the Popes will and make no conscience of idolatry or blasphemie neither can they say they are punished wrongfully being punished for their treasons rebellions and packings against the state with forren enemies whosoeuer therefore shall entitle and call these fellowes martyrs he shall greatly wrong religion and the state of martyrs and much resemble the Donatistes and other old heretikes Saint d Epist 68. Augustine saith of the Donatists viuebant vt latrones honorabantur vt martyres Alexander also an heretike of whom e Lib. 5. eccles Iust c. 17. Eusebius maketh mention liued as a thiefe and died for his deserts and yet by those of his sect was honored as a martyr such martyrs also are those of the popish sect for whatsoeuer reckoning their consorts make of them they were punished iustly for their offences and died for treason rebellion practising and packing with forren enemies Fourthly true martyrs are charitable and die in charitie for without charitie furious and Iesuiticall zeale to promote the Popes cause auaileth nothing if I giue my body to be burned saith the f 1. Cor. 13. apostle and haue not loue it profiteth me nothing now what charity thinke you had they that were emploied by publike enemies to the hurt and destruction of their liege Lady and most deare countrey Charity saith the g Ibid. apostle is patient gentle humble but these by force of armes sought to returne into their countrey and like fierce lions endeuor by conquest to subdue men to their opinions anno 1588 their common talke was of sharing of lands and liuings In Wisbich also all the stirres among the papists grew about superiority the Iesuits seeking to rule the rest refusing to be ruled by them Parsons they say hath an old prophecy how England must be ruled by certeine men in long blacke gownes and square caps that is by Iesuites and long he hath béene dreaming of a cardinals hat yet none falleth to his share in all the English colledges and seminaries the Iesuits by great stirres haue sought the gouernment h A discouery of Campian and his consorts Cottam an English Iesuite being condemned to die praid God that he would send downe fire from heauen to consume all the people that stood round about him to gaze on him and this is the gentlenesse and charitie of Iesuiticall martyrs when Sixtus quintus told the Iesuites that he wondred that none of their order were canonized for saints some of them answered that they sought honors in the church triumphant and not in the church militant such triumphant martyrs are these of the popes and Iesuits calender Fiftly true martyrs are men of a peaceable disposition and no way desirous of tumults and troubles l Lib. 3. contr parmen si supra memoratos saith Optatus videri martyres vultis probate illos amasse pacem in qua prima sunt fundamenta martyrij aut dilexisse deo placitam vnitatem aut habuisse cum fratribus vnitatem sine qua nullum vel nomine potest vel re esse martyrium his words in effect amount to this that none can be martyrs vnlesse they they be studious of peace and vnity if then the papists neither agrée with vs nor with themselues and are giuen much to contention and continually haue stirred vp warres and hurliburlies in diuers countries and haue like firebrands set most parts of Christendome on a flame as appeareth by their actions in England Scotland France Germany Flanders Suethland and other places why should such men dying rather be accounted martyrs then the contentious Donatists Sixtly the true martyrs of Christ Iesus died in time past for the true faith of Christ deliuered vnto vs in the apostles writings but the popish mastifs died for the popes excommunications for defence of his most vniust and tirannicall vsurpations according to such doctrine as they had receiued out of the popes decretales their masters dictates who then doth not maruell that any should be so bold as to call such obstinat fellowes that died out of the church for no point of faith were so much as once called in question martyrs cum deo manere non possunt saith Cyprian qui esse in ecclesia dei vnanimes noluerūt ardeant licet flammis ignibus traditi obiecti bestiis animas suas ponant nō erit illa fidei corona sed poena perfidiae occidi talis potest coronari non potest if then these good fellowes haue forsaken the church and linked themselues with enemies and traitors die they may for their treasons but crowned they shall not be as martyrs neither is it death but the cause that maketh christians dying to be estéemed martyrs Seuently no true martyr euer séemed more desirous of the applause and praise of men then of the glory of God good of Christes people fi ita martyrium fecerimus saith i In epist ad Galat. lib. 3. c. 5. Hierome vt nostras velimus ab hominibus reliquias venerari si opinionem vulgi sectantes intrepidi sanguinem fuderimus substantiam nostram vsque ad mendicitatem propriam dederimus huic operi non tam praemium quà m paena debetur perfidiae magis
obseruation againe desire me to procure him a free conference but what shall that néede when I yéeld him more then is desired Notwithstanding if he thinke to winne any thing at my hands by conference let him procure me first a frée conference at Paris and Salamanca and I doe promise to procure him a frée conference at Cambridge and Oxford In the meane while I pray him I prouoke him I by all means vrge him to answere in writing such lies as I auerre his consorts to haue made and to cleare the Church of Rome and her principall proctors of such notorious falsifications as I say they haue committed If he be not able as indéede I take him to be altogither vnsufficient let Robert Parsons Frier Garnet or the Archpriest answere and maintaine the quarrell which this idle compagnion hath begun And let them set their names to their writings and come foorth with bare faces that wee may know what they are we deale with and not as hitherto fight with N.D.E.O. and such like hollowe fellowes and meere shadowes If not let them assure themselues I wil by publike writing discouer such a packe of impostures lies falsifications villanies and treasons committed by Rob. Parsons and his consorts that they shall wish Owlyglasse hanged that first prouoked me and beganne this quarrell I will also make it knowne that they are so guiltie that they cannot answere His second obseruation is that no credit is to bee giuen vnto me concerning matter of fact because in matters of faith and learning as he saith I make no scruple to corrupt and vse broad falsification But his collection is so childish and foppish that his owne clients if they list may sée that he knoweth not what concerneth fact and what concerneth faith and learning that distingusheth learning from matter of fact as if no learning were required of Ro. Parsons to discusse matters of fact and would make fâ—ith and learning both one as if his consorts that take themselues to be learned were also faithfull christians and teacheth that the controuersie concerning falsifications and vntruthes obiected by him toucheth faith and not fact as if we did not as well contend about matter of fact as faith in this idle quarell begonne by our aduersarie and wherein the state of the mayne controuersie is whether I haue spoken vntruth or not and whether I haue falsified any authors alledged by me or not Secondly if no credit be giuen to those that tell lyes and falsifie authors as Owlyglasse affirmeth then by his sentence we are not to beléeue either the pope of RoÌ„e or his agents the most notorius lyers falsifirrs that euer the world sustained Againe if no credit be to be giueÌ„ vnto my discourse concerning the packing trechery of his consorts why doth he not answere me and conuince mee of vntruth And what reason hath he to desire his readers not to beleeue that which himselfe is not able to controule Is not such a bald compagnion ashamed to take to him as much authority as the Pope that all the generation of antichriste is to beleeue vpon his owne bare word Thirdly if all his idle obiectioÌ„s concerning pretended corruptions and falsifications he so cleared as that I looke for no more answere of so nastie a disputer as this Owlyglasse is then it can be no credit for him to cry so loud or to vse these odious and slaundrous termes of corruptions and falsificatioÌ„s but he ought rather to looke downe vpon his owne and his consorts filthy factes then to pinche at others meÌ„s faultes Fourthly if the papistes his clients be so cleare as he maketh them why doth he not answere for them playnly and honestly refuting euery point of my charge If they be guiltie why doth he not rayle a spirt at Rob. Parsons that so foolishly brought them forth to this triall and there left them to speake for themselues Fifthly if he list not to excuse any Papist for the cariage of his life as he confesseth what reason hath he to blame me if I vpon so iust occasions giuen me by that rinegat and false traytor Rob Parsons haue toulde them some parte of their faultes Sixtly if he will not haue my verdict admitted against his clients though conuinced by playne euidence witnesse he hath no reason to require that the verdict of Robert Parsons a most notorious and infamous libeller and a knowne and professed traytor and an infamous person conuicted by his owne wicked and treasonable writings and by the testimony of his owne consorts or the accusations of such libellers as Owlyglasse and such worthlesse and namelesse fellowes should be admitted or receiued Againe if he wil haue nothing to be affirmed without authenticall testimony proofe then must he and his malicious mates forbeare to send forth so many vaine and fabulous pamphlets 7. Further if hee charge me hereafter with wilfull and witting falsification as he sticketh not very boldly and often to doe then must he proue first falsification then this quality of wilfull knowledge wherof hytherto he hath done neither againe if I obiect that to him which he cannot deny then modesty would require that he should confesse shame force him not to defend any more matters knowne notoriously to be false 8. If hee take to himselfe and his consorts the name of Catholike Church and will néedes charge me with a setled malice and desperat resolution against the Catholike Church he must proue two thinges First that Popish religion is the ancient catholike religion and next that I oppugne the catholike faith Vnles he doe this his reader will take him for a lewd begging compagnion that taketh that for granted that is in controuersie and we must accompt him for a paltry fellowe that is not able to answere our arguments whereby we proue that Popish religion which we refuse is neither catholike nor ancient 9. If boldly and falsely he will denie that our faith hath had continuance and succession from Christs time and challeng both to himselfe he must then deny that the faith taught in the Apostles créede and established in the fowre first general counsels and contained and grounded vpon the holy canonicall scriptures hath alwayes continued since Christs time and hath had continuall succession vntill our dayes And to prooue the Popish faith he must shew that the Apostles taught and that the holy fathers beléeued First that Christ had a body inuisible and impalpable and that might be in heauen and earth and many distant places all at one time secondly that Christs body did not fill the place wherein it was 3. That accidentes may subsist without foundation or subiect 4 that préestes may celebrate masse without communion 5 that the préestes may take away the cuppe of the newe testament from Gods people 6 that christians are to worship the crosse and the sacrament with Latria or diuine worship 7 that the préest doth offer vp the true body and bloud of Christ to God the
there hath béene some difference betwéene priuat persons about ceremonies and gouernment and that without disagréement in religion yet now all that quarrell to the great griefe of Owlyglasse and his consorts is ended and all godly christians iointly concurre to the repressing of the seditious massepriests and their adherents that by faction and heresie seeke to vndermine both the Church and state In this obseruation he goeth about also to prooue that I doe not séeme to allow the doctrine established in this church of England But as in the rest so in this Owlyglasse doth but trifle I doe holde I confesse that baptisme is not so necessarie but that diuers may and haue beene saued without it especially where there is no contempt committed in procuring it Further I doe beléeue that it is vnlawfull for women to take vpon them to administer baptisme and doe aduise in case of extremitie all christians to procure the ministers presence Thirdly I doe vtterly condemne the doctrine of the papistes concerning their limbus patrum Fourthly I doe much mislike their superstitious stationary obambulations about the limits of parishes for the blessing of new corne and their superstitious letanies and ceremonies vsed in the fame Fiftly I deny that euer the catholike church had any precepts or canons to forbid mariages on such daies and in such sort and for such respects as the Romish Church doth practise Sixtly I doe beléeue that Luthers opinion absolutely considered in it selfe is not a fundamentall point of religion especially if we giue his wordes a fauourable construction Finally I accompt none to be true christians and professours that make no conscience of sinne and liue not according to their profession But what of all this doe I therefore teach contrarie to any point of doctrine maintained by the church of England so Owlyglasse my good friend would insinuate But his proofes are simple and his assertions most false He saith Page 111. that the Church of England teacheth that baptisme is necessarie to saluation But the booke which he alleadgeth out of which he cannot bring one word to prooue his saying doth conuince him both of lying and impudencie Secondly he affirmeth that to deny womens baptisme is contrarie to religion established But it is not contrarie to his religion to lie and face out lies most impudently Thirdly to prooue that our church beléeueth limbus patrum he should haue alleadged our confession and not a certaine verset of the créede in méeter Beside that in that verset nothing is said but that Christ illuminated those that sate in darknesse which is nothing to limbus patrum a place that cannot be illuminated as papistes holde Further that verset may be rather an exposition of the words of the song of Zacharie Luke 2. of the illumination of the ignorant and of the like wordes of the Prophet Esay chap. 9. then an assertion of limbus pactum Fourthly the papists in their perambulations of parishes vse to blesse or rather to exorcise corne and to say most wicked litanyes They vse also diuers superstitious ceremonies which vnlesse Owlyglasse prooue to be allowed by our Church he will prooue himselfe a cogging compagnion Fifthly he talketh of prohibitions of the solemnizations of mariages at certaine times but he alleadgeth neither lawe nor record to prooue that our Church alloweth either the doctrine or the ceremonies of the Romish congregation in this point And there whither he sendeth vs we finde nothing but the testimonie of an Almanacke Sixtly albeit the church of England doth not holde Luthers real presence of Christes body in the sacrament yet cannot the detractor shewe but that his opinion may be reconciled with the Christian faith if a man will not vrge those points that follow of that doctrine too seuerely and further percase then at the first Luther himselfe allowed them If a man doe gather what doth followe of it then is the doctrine dangerous as I and others confesse Finally he doth not so much as go about to shewe that I haue deliuered any thing contrary to the doctrine of our Church where I affirme that good life is as well required in a true professour as true faith Why then is this point touched in this place Doth it grieue him that I touch the filthy Sodomiticall priests and friers and shut that abhominable generation out of Gods church It séemeth so and therefore to requite me he saith that this doctrine may touch me for that I haue falsified and maliciously corrupted the fathers But if I haue cleared my selfe of all those matters that he hath laide to my charge I hope the vanitie of his collection will manifestly appeare to all indifferent men But hee poore ideot appeareth not but séeing the Romish Church and diuers of her principall pillers to be charged with notorious lies and falsifications passeth away in silence and is not able to answere one worde Nay hee leaueth his clients in the briers and signifieth for ought he can doe they must pleade for themselues Wherefore to leaue off further to vrge this distressed followe that is able to say nothing for the defence of them whom he doth principally fauour I may well conclude séeing the arguments which I brought in my Challenge stand immooueable and the detectors exceptions are prooued to be vaine and friuolous first that the Romish church is not the true Church of Christ Iesus Secondly that the religion of Papists is neither auncient nor catholike Thirdly that all papists maintaining the doctrine of the Pope and his adherents are heretikes Fourthly that such as embrace popish religion are idolaters Fifthly that all the Popes adherents and agents that haue suffered for his cause in England are to be reputed no better then disloyall traytors and not as some would haue it Martyres Finally that my aduersary by his friuolous obiections hath much confirmed and strengthened our cause against which he was not able to obiect any one thing of moment and iustified my allegations being not able to take any iust exception against any thing said by me nor to obiect any thing which is not fully answered CHAP. IIII. Of diuers falsities committed by the Popes and Church of Rome IF our aduersarie had well remembred his promise he ought not onely to haue conuinced me of vntruthes corruptions contradictions and falsifications according to the title of his pamphlet but also of maliciousnesse and wilfulnesse for so he vaunteth he will I challenge the challenger saith he of many malicious vntruthes Cap. 1. pag. 8. and many palpable and wilfull falsifications But when it commeth to performance of corruptions he saith nothing contradictions he toucheth slenderly vntruthes and falsifications he can by no meanes fasten vpon me The qualitie of maliciousnes and wilfulnesse being a matter purposed and fully promised he vtterly forgot In the rest how poorely he hath demeaned himselfe by my answere to his whole dispute it will appeare But suppose I had either mistaken a report misalleadged a place yet
words forcing him to speake for praiers to angels which true S. Ambrose as may appeare by my answeres to his exceptions condemned falsification 12 Pag. 36. he produceth Hierome as a witnesse for prayers to saints and alledgeth his booke against Vigilantius for that purpose but vnlesse he falsifie S. Hieromes words he shall not find any thing in him that maketh for his aduantage falsification 13 Pag. 53. 54. he falsly alledgeth the 4. councell of Toledo c 1. Ignatius his epistle ad Trallianos Cyrilles cateches 4. Epiphanius haeres 46. Hierome vpon the 4. to the Ephes Gregories Morals lib. 13. c. 20. and all to prooue Limbus patrum which the papists fancy to be in hell and a receptacle of the fathers before Christ His falshood may appeare for that not one of these testimonies maketh for Limbus patrum and that if he will not beléeue me Bellarmine will teach him lib. de anima Christi c. 14. where he shall not once finde his Limbus patrum mentioned in any father falsification 14 Pag. 62. he doth falsly ascribe the defence of womens baptisme to Master Hooker of blessed memorie whosoeuer listeth to reade Master Hookers fift booke of Ecclesiast policie sect 62. shall finde that he condemneth women that presume to baptize children albeit he do not pronounce the baptisme by them administred to be of no validitie falsification 15 Pag. 80. 81. he alledgeth S. Augustine ser 243. de tempore and the councell of Neocaesarea c. 7. to prooue that the custome of not blessing second mariages is no new deuice but a practise of the primitiue church and yet neither doth the canon alledged nor the author of that sermon speake one word of blessing of second mariages Furthermore neither this sermon that he alledgeth séemeth to be S. Augustines nor are the acts of the councell of Neocaesarea authenticall Finally if this simple fellow had alledged more places more he would haue alledged falsely being not able to alledge any thing almost truely If then the Archpriest Blackewell doe happen to méet with this owle of Canke wood he may doe well to admonish him not to abuse the testimonies which he alledgeth and his readers patience which he trieth to the vttermost with such notable falsities he himselfe confesseth that it is a flagitious matter to poule and pare the sentences of venerable antiquitie There resteth therefore nothing but séeing he hath confessed his fault that the Archpriest set him to penance and afterward cause him if he haue a good voice to sing masse séeing he can say no better CHAP. XII A Note of diuers vntrueths told by Owlyglasse in his pamphlet wherein he pretendeth to charge others with vntrueths IT is a shame for any man to lie but for him that taketh vpon him to charge others with lying euery foot to lie is not only a great shame but also an argument that he is past shame let him therefore the next time looke better to himselfe and desist to raile face and slander vnlesse he stood himselfe vpon better ground and did vse more trueth in his dealing falsification 1 In his preface he saith that popish religion was planted here by Gregory the great but he telleth a great vntrueth for neither was Gregory euer here in this Island nor did either he or his agents mainteine that doctrine that is published by the conuenticle of Trent or those points which I haue declared neither to be ancient nor generally holden falsification 2 He doubteth not also to affirme that Gregory receiued that religion which now the papists professe from Peter Let him therefore shew that all those points of doctrine against which I except in my challenge were receiued from Peter or els he must receiue answere that speaking of religion he speaketh without religion reason or conscience falsification 3 He chargeth me and M. Willet with assaulting the impregnable fort of Gods church and battering that rocke against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile but if he meane the true church then doth he make a lie of vs. if he meane the present Romish congregation adhering to the pope he maketh a lie of the pope his church for we haue by many arguments declared that the Romanists and their adherents are not the true church We haue also shewed that the gates of hell haue preuailed against them and that declining from the apostolike faith they are fallen into many foule heresies falsification 4 Further speaking of his consorts he saith they repaire to the continuall tradition and practise of the church and that we reiect the same but he lieth both in the one and the other for neither doe the Romanists regard the generall practise of the apostolike church for many hundred yéeres after Christ nor doe we desire any thing more than that late customes and traditions reiected we may returne to the sound forme of apostolike faith and gouernment falsification 5 He saith they haue recourse to the consent of the ancient learned fathers and that we reiect them but the first is proued a lie by Bellarmine and other popish proctors who most lightly reiect the fathers when they make against them the second is reproued by our confessions wherein we shew that we desire nothing more than that all latter decretals called we may returne to the ancient fathers faith falsification 6 He telleth vs further that papists appeale to generall councels and that we will not admit them but after his fashion hée hudleth vp lies by couples for neither doe they admit any councels but such as pleaseth them nor do we refuse to admit any article of faith established by ancient and lawfull generall councels falsification 7 He would make men beléeue that popish religion is most seuere and yet the world knoweth that in all places papists mainteine open stewes and in Rome and diuers great cities suffer Iewes and Turks to dwell quietly Further the pope doeth set to sale all sinnes and euery polshorne paltry fellow thinketh he can giue absolution to sinners which bringeth the keyes of the church into contempt Finally no sect euer liued more loosely or leudly These things therefore vnlesse they be better answered do sufficiently conuince him of lying and his consorts of loose liuing and popish religion of lightnesse falsification 8 In the same lying preface he saith that protestants doctrine looseth the raines to all liberty that vnbrideled sensualitie will neuer put vp petition for any greater and by protestants he vnderstandeth true Christians that abhorre the abominations of Babel but if he had not giuen the raines to his vnbrideled tongue to speake all villany of honest men he would not haue vttered and if he had not béene a brutish beast that vseth not to be rained he would not haue written such impudent lies Let him therefore set downe our doctrine wherein wée seeme to let loose our sensuall affections and let him if he can shew any man of our side that alloweth publike stewes as the Iesuite
suffered to raise against the lawes of England and this state as they haue done in their railing libels entitled Aduersus persecutores Anglos Andreas Philopater Sanders de schismate and diuers other of that nature or why should any be suffered in corners to whisper against so lawfull and godly procéedings The papists will not yéeld to vs sufficient safeconduct and libertie to dispute in Milan Paris Collen and Salamanca Why then do they bragge as if they were desirous to dispute and trie their cause in Cambridge and Oxford and what a ridiculous point is it to desire that for papists which themselues will not yéeld to vs They will not suffer any bookes of ours to be published in Rome or other places where popery is professed if they conteine matter of religion and most seuerely doe they punish such as either sell such bookes or reade them or kéepe them without licence Why then should not papists confesse that we haue great reason to take a more strict course than hitherto we haue done with all their books and pamphlets and with all that haue them especially now séeing that few of them come foorth but they are fraught with slanders against the state lies and impostures against religion and doctrine tending to sedition and corruption of maners observation 6 We may further obserue that no man euer had lesse reason to talke of conscience than Rob. Parsons and his disciple Owlyglasse and their damnable consorts deuoid of all conscience for conscience is grounded onely vpon the lawes of God and is nothing but the inward iudgement of euery man of his owne actions according to the knowledge which he hath of Gods law and his word And this is gathered out of the apostles words Rom. 1. where he saith that the Gentiles do shew the worke of the law written in their hearts their conscience bearing them witnesse and their thoughts either accusing them or excusing them S. Iames 4. Iames he also sheweth vs that we haue one lawgiuer and iudge which is able to saue and destroy S. In exposit proposit ex epist ad Rom. Augustine expounding the wordes of the apostle Rom. 1. sheweth that conscience is nothing but the iudgement of euery mans soule of his owne actions Si cor nostrum nos reprehenderit saithe he rehearsing the words of Iohn 1. epist c. 3. maior est Deus conscientia nostra But the papists ground their conscience vpon the decrées of the pope vpon the customs of the Romish church vpon the vaine opinions of euery louzy canonist vpon the wicked and treasonable conceits of Parsons and Allen in their resolutions of cases of conscience for the English nation vpon the damnable commandements of their superiors breaking their necks running headlong into hell as soone as they are commanded and that blindly wilfully for other priuat mens pleasures and this appeareth first by Martin Aspilcuetaes enchiridion of cases of conscience by the compendium of the Iesuit Alagona and all the doctrine of Casuistes which as the aduersaries cannot deny is grounded as wel vpon the popes decretales and customes and vpon the lawes traditions and customes of the Romish church and opinions of canonists as vpon the law of God nay there are farre more cases that concerne the popes law then that concerne Gods law Secondly Lib. 4. de Pontif. Rom. c. 15. seq Bellarmine teacheth that the pope hath power to make lawes that binde in conscience semper creditum est saith he episcopos in suis dioecesibus Romanum Pontificem in tota ecclesia esse veros principes ecclesiasticos qui possint sua authoritate etiam sine plebis consensu vel presbyterorum consilio leges ferre quae in conscientia obligent héereof it followeth also that all papists are bound in conscience to beléeue the popes decretales concerning faith and to obserue his rules concerning manners and that for conscience sake and I thinke no papist will deny it Thirdly Allen and Parsons in their most wicked resolutions teach their traitorous schollars first to weare long haire secondly not only to change their names but also to deny their names thirdly to deny their country parentage Resolut cas nation Anglic. cap. 1. cas 1. fourthly to deny her Maiestie to be lawfull Queene her officers to haue power ouer masse priests for that is also taught in the resolution albeit not propounded in the case Ibid. cap. 3. cas 5. finally to forsweare themselues and to dissemble and practise all maner of trechery they also shew how they may eat flesh on fasting daies and come in company with men of our religion neglect the popes lawes also in case of danger in summe their resolutions tend to no other end but to shew how masse priests with a good conscience well wrought suppled by Robert Parsons may by helpe of a good Romish conscience betray their countrey to the Spaniard and cut their countrimens throats Fourthly the Rhemistes in their expositions of the new Testament writing vpon the 23. of the Acts teach their disciples how to forsweare themselues and resolue that vpon paine of damnation they must breake their othes are these fellowes then Christians trow you that handling the most sacred word of God doe by their wicked expositions teach men to violate their othes and to abuse the holy name of God Finally the Iesuits hold that the inferior being enioined by the pope or the generall of that wicked race of Iebusiticall impostors and traitors to doe any act or to beléeue any thing is not to dispute of the matter but resolutely to execute what they are commanded and this they call obedientiam caecam If then the pope or the generall of the Iesuits command Parsons or Garnet to kill the Quéene or any principall man of England or their owne mother by this doctrine it followeth that they are bound to doe it is it not strange then that any Christian state can suffer such traitors and parricides or their adherents to liue among them observation 7 The seuenth obseruation shall be for the edification and instruction of the Romish cacolicks they call themselues catholicks and would so be called but I haue declared them to be in a grosse error by very plaine euidence to them therefore I say that if they desire to be made members of Christes true church they must come out of the Synagogue of Rome and forsake the whore of Babylon and drinke no more of her cup full of all abominations Secondly if that religion which is sprong vp of late time and long after the times of Christ and his apostles cannot be true then the Romish doctrine must néeds be false and counterfeit Thirdly if papists desire to be true catholicks then must they renounce the particular religion of Romanists that hath not either of all christians béene knowen or at all times generally béene receiued Fourthly if no hereticks deserue the name of Christians then must they forsake the hereticall opinions of the popes and their proctors if they will be accounted Christians and true beléeuers Fiftly if idolaters shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen let them beware of the notorious idolatries maintained by the doctrine and practise of popish religion finally if the Iesuits and massepriests be a faction adhering to the pope and forrein enemies then had they néed to take hede how they receiue them aide them ioine with them or haue any dealing with them observation 8 Finally I obserue that popish religion is nothing else but a packe of lies and impostures and cannot stand without falsification fraude and violence I haue already verified the same by many particulers and euery man shall hereby discerne that I haue said trueth for that neither Parsons nor any of his consorts will vndertake from point to point to answere my chalenge and to iustifie both all such allegations as I haue said to be falsified and also all such narrations as I haue challenged to be lies and false reportes I doe rather looke for such a bald ribald like railing libell as this was and such pamphlets as Parsons vseth to set forth vnder counterfect names All you therefore of the Romish religion beware of the abominations of Babylon and of the falshood and fraud of that whore which sitteth vpon the 7. hils I haue as you may perceiue touched but few particulars in comparison of those which I could haue obiected if time laisure would haue serued but if Parsons come forth againe you shall haue the rest I will also adde the notorious forgeries lies calumniations of Posseuin Gregory de Valentia Professores quinti euangelij Andreas Iurgiuits Vilnensis that denieth vs to beléeue the articles of the apostles créed and other such villenous companions not forgetting Alan Copus alias Harpesfield nor Stapleton nor any notorious stickler of that wicked crew In the meane while marke I pray you how the pope with his Italians and Spaniards laugh and enioy their ease while a number of English youthes are drawen into danger both of body and soule running headlong of a blind and furious zeale into treason and séeking how to maintain the popes tyranny and to teach his errors and heresies God for his mercy sake if it be his holy will open their eies that they may sée their owne grosse errors and forsake these pernitious courses and in the end ioine themselues with the rest of their friends kinsmen and countrimen in a firme resolution not onely for the maintenance of the honor of their prince country and nation against all forrein enemies but also for the defence of true religion against the attempts and assaults of antichrist and false doctrine of all idolaters and hereticks the onely vpholders of the kingdome of antichrist
had done before them and yet affirmeth also that pope Syricius was seduced by Sathan published wicked doctrine taught the flat doctrine of the divel that pope Sozimus brought in superstition and falsified the decrees of the Nicene councell so to mainteine the vsurped primacie of the Church of Rome as if M. Belles propositions might not well stand together for he saith not that all the bishops of Rome were good and godly men and taught true doctrine vntill S. Augustines time but speaketh indefinitly of the bishops of Rome without adding all which maner of speech in materia contingenti is not to be taken absolutely and vniuersally but for the most part and so no doubt saint Augustine speaking of the bishops of Rome vnderstood it knowing that Marcelline sacrificed to idoles and that Liberius was an Arrian and we may say also that the apostles of Christ were good men although Judas was a traitor and lanterne bearer to the Iewes as some popish writers say that betraied Christ and much of the nature and condition of this detectour of falsifications and detractor from honest men and a very lanterner of Antichrist and a traitour to his countrey let him therefore beware he be not taken passing through backe dores like the idolatrous priests of Bel and so for his gordian knot be taken tied in a Tyburne knot 10 I need not say much of our adversaries forme of writing or frame of sentences for it appeereth euery where that he did not know the difference of pneuma and periodus nor could distinguish betwixt colons and periodes commaes and colons his whole discouse is liker to nothing that I can imagine then to the way betweene Chard and Honiton in the west countrey that is rude and rugged vp hill and downe hill and very vnequall but to let that passe yet may I not passe in silence that a Praefat. fol. 1. speaking of the great commanders and princely pilots that sit at the sterne of the common wealth he seemeth to communicate her Maiesties souereigne authority to inferior persons and doth not once vouchsafe to acknowledge her princely power or to name her among the governors of this state and yet such disloiall traitors that acknowledge the popes supreme authoritie and deny her Maiesties power as being excommunicate by the popes scuruinesse our fellow percase would say holinesse are not sought out nor brought to such a triall as their offences deserue By this therefore it may appeare that as our aduersary hath no ability to disproue any point of religion which we hold so he hath vtterly shamed his consorts and the crew of papists that hitherto haue made great brags of this their champion of his inuincible arguments all hard knotty like the haft of a dougeon dagger he hath also vtterly shamed himself in medling with these matters being a mā not read nor any way fit to discourse or handle matter of cōtrouersy the which that it may further appere I purpose god willing not only to iustify my former chalenge which this poore menowe would nibble at but also to discharge my selfe honestly of all those vntruthes and falsifications which the detractor maliciously goeth about to charge vpon me Wherein that I may proceed more formally not onely skin this dead dog whose ouerthrow shall helpe vs nothing but handle somewhat else that may make for the aduantage of true religion and the instruction of the ignorant The order and chiefe propositions chapters of the discourse ensuing I wil God willing declare first that the church of Rome that now is and which embraceth the doctrine of the pope and conuenticle of Trent is not the true church of Christ Iesus and secondly that the doctrines and traditions of the Romish church which the church of England refuseth are meere nouelties and late deuised fancies for the most part thirdly that the papists are no true catholikes nor hold the catholike faith and that it is a great wrong offred to Christes church to call them catholikes vnlesse it be as we call dead carcases men fourthly that papists mainteine many both old new haresies and points of doctrine contrary to the word of God and to the catholike faith fifthly that they are idolaters finally that such as haue died in the popes quarrell in England were vnnaturall traitors and no true martyrs and that such priests also as come from Rome with commission and faculties from the pope are traitors and enemies to their prince and countrey and so to be reputed and taken and not otherwise All which points one or two excepted I handled in my last challenge this challenge thus iustified I shall God willing presently encountre our detractor and answer first his obiections concerning vntruthes secondly his quarrels concerning supposed falsifications thirdly his vaine childish obseruations and to shew the vanitie of our aduersaries pleading and how much the papists are to shunne all conferences and disputes concerning lies and falsifications I will also for further euidence against them set down first certeine notorious lies and forgeries committed by the popes and church of Rome and next such lies and forgeries as are committed by their principall agents and heerein first I will declare Bellarmine to be most guiltie in this point the next place shall conteine Baronius his cardinall leasinges after them I will note certeine notorious lies and forgeries conteined in the writings of other papists yea of Parsons himselfe and of this Momus in his new nothing which he calleth a detection of lies and falsifications finally to answer his obseruations I will also discourse of such things as in our aduersaries and their writings seeme woorthy to be obserued and all this to let our aduersaries know that they had more need to defend themselves then to presse vs and to take the beames out of their owne eies rather then to espie motes in our eies As for his railing words rustical vnciuil behauiour I leave to be censured by the archpriest in his next generall synod which if he doe not I will referre him over to be answered by master Kempe vpon the stage and if he desist not his railing and rusticalitie either vpon the archpriests admonition or master Kempes censure I assure him I will set a fellow to answer him that shall so currie him and his consorts the papists and that shall in such sort tippe vp their vilanies that the whole fraternitie of asses shall curse him for braying so vnciuilly I hope also that some odde priest or other out of his grammer dictates will admonish him to looke better to his grammer rules and tell him that he hath falsified a verse out of Horace and made a grosse fault in it This is the onely verse in the booke for where Horace saith quid dignum tanto feret hic pro missor hiatu our wise b Pag. 4. aduersarie hath quid dignum tanto proferet promissor hiatu both altering his authors words and
committing a fault in the verse and marring the sence His reprochfull termes omitted and his small errors pardoned there is nothing in his pamphlet which I haue not answered and I hope in that sort that he shall not be able to take iust exception against any thing I haue said or done it may be that he will be offended for that not being able to speake by letters and finding his name to be E. O. I doe name the baby somtime detector or detractor somtime ectaticall owliglasse I haue great reason to doe it for I doe perceiue that he is a desciple of Robert Parsons who in his pamphlet of reasons for not going to church calleth himselfe Iohn Howlet what then can be more consonant then that his disciple that goeth about to imitate him in his pride railing and phrase of speech though very vnhandsomly should be called Owliglasse alias Howlyglasse and ectaticall that is leapt out of his wit into a little fit of foolery if he like not this name then let him set downe his owne name and for my part he shall not heare worse then his name vnlesse his faults deserue it Both this challenge and the answere to the detractors exceptions presuming vpon thy indifferency I recommend to thy reading much I will not request at thy hands and small fauours are easily granted Examine I pray thee both my answere and my aduersaries obiections and yeeld to neither side more then is prooued compare his great brags with his poore talent of writing and his scornefull termes with his slender matters and thou shalt easily perceiue that short answeres may serue such simple arguments it may be that thou and I differ in opinion yet neuer refuse to yeeld to trueth nor resolue to defend disloialty or errour I haue as thou maiest see dealt plainly and professe openly that I will not mainteine any error whereof I can be conuinced if the aduersarie would take the same course there might be an end of this contention Rob. Parsons beganne this quarrell albeit he hath first giuen it ouer the ground of his pleading standing principally vpon the title of ancient and catholike religion and the innocency of massing priests and friers and their consorts I gaue him a short issue in my former chalenge and offered to proue that popish religion established in the conuenticle of Trent and now receiued by the church of Rome is neither ancient catholicke nor true if they cannot proue themselues to be catholicks why doe they entitle themselues catholickes if their relsgion be new why doe they bragge of antiquity if they be haeretickes why are they not ashamed to take to themselues the praerogatiues of the true church if the Iebusites and rheir consorts be combined with forrein enimies what reason haue they to challenge the fauour due to subiects Vpon occasion of an ecstaticall fellowes importunity I doe renew the same challenge againe and by all meanes prouoke Robert Parsons to answere and because percase he is busie comploting of matters against his country at Rome I addresse it also to Frier Garnet and the archpriest Blackewell that are neerer at hand and not vnaquainted with the worthy volume of exceptions lately published against me If Parsons haue not laisure let one of them answere it is a shame to begin a quarrell and to giue it ouer first for one bout they haue no reason to refuse me if they pretend want of books and laisure they know Doway is not farre off They haue begon to crie out of falsifications and untruthes let them therefore make triall how they can answere for themselues Parsons was woont to be ready to plead for others now therefore he hath no reason but to plead for himselfe In time past he and that false traitor Allen filled mens eares with their clamours contra persequutores Anglos let them therefore defend their consorts that are preditores Angliae enimies to their country no man hath greater cause to defend traitors then traitors If they refuse to answere for themselues or to satisfie others I hope for modesty sake hereafter they will neither arrogate to themselues the title of the church nor the shelter of catholicke religion neither can they with honestie vant of antiquity or accuse true men of heresie whereof themselues are most guilty finally if shame restraine not their tongues yet feare of punnishment may keepe them in temper being declared to be professed enimies to their prince and country a packe of rinegned english cōspiring with the enimies of this state combined together for the ouerthrow of religion the realme If my aduersary and his consorts shall no way be able though otherwise willing inough to cleare themselues of most malitious libelling lying and forging I trust they wil hereafter spare me a plaine fellow and one that no way standeth in need of such poore shifts for the iustification of my cause And I doubt not but with shame inough they will for euer hereafter cease to make any challenge concerning lies and falsifications hauing so euill successe in this first incounter If I haue cleared this state from all imputation of iniustice in the proceeding against Iesuites seminary priests popish rebels and their adherents neither haue the magistrates reason to suffer Robert Parsons his libels to flie abroad to the slander of the state nor any good subiect to allow of his calumniations and most wicked libels If it doe clearely appeare that Robert Parsons and his trecherous consorts are linked and combined with foraine enemies and by no meanes will submit themselues to her Maiesties lawes and authoritie those that haue the custodie and execution of her lawes committed vnto them I doubt not will haue a watchfull eie ouer the proceedings of such slippery companions and with great constancie and resolution mainteine hir Maiesties authority and execute her lawes against such as wilfully impugne it the late edict published against this vermine doth shew that the state is not onely well acquainted with their leud practises but also resolute to punish such wicked practisers and plotters as hitherto haue abused her Maiesties great clemency toward them If it appere that the Iebusites and priests teach haeresie and lies it behooveth all true christians to auoid them Saint Iohn in his second epistle doth giue vs warning not to haue any familiaritie with them or so much as once to bidde them God speed the church c Apocal. 2. of Thyatira is reprooued for permitting a wicked false prophet to teach and seduce Gods people and our sauiour d Matth. 7. Christ giueth vs warning of false prophets that come vnto vs in sheepes clothing and inwardly are rauening woolues these false masse-priests deuoure many widdowes houses and abuse the simplicity of many yoong youthes to their vtter ruine and destruction and yet that is not the woorst for they do not onely ouerthrow their worldly states but also destroy their soules and lead them headlong into hell If the popes agents vnder
pretence of religion haue intangled their folowers in diuers practises of faction and treason I hope all English albeit otherwise fauorers of popery wil better looke how they engage themselues in treason they come from forreine enemies and depend vpon them and though they talke of religion yet their intention is wholy for the pope and Spaniard and their course is irreligious and factious If popish religion founded in the conuenticle of Trent and taught by late popes and their proctors be catholike and ancient then will it be an easie matter to shew it and to answer our obiections where we prooue the contrary if our aduersaries flie triall and will not ioine with vs and directly answere then haue all papists and others reason to flie from such false teachers and heretikes and to abandon all their wicked haeresies there is no agreement betwixt Christ and Belial 2. Cor. 6. betwixt trueth and error light and darknes if they can shew themselues that they are no idolaters they will cleere themselues if not why do they seeke to erect altars of Baal in euery corner and why doe not all Christians auoid to communicate with the priests of Baal in their idolatrous masse 2. Cor. 6. there is no agreement betwixt the temple of God and idoles neither 1. Cor. 10. can any drinke the Lords cuppe that doth participate at the table of diuels or diuelish masse but what should I talke of the Lords cup when these idolatrous priests take the Lords cup from all that follow them If the aduersaries be cleare of lying and falsification then will they answer plainly and directly as I haue answered them if their lies and forgeries be made notorious to the world he is not very wise that will trust such lying and forging companions But what should I need to declare that briefely which at large is prooued in the discourse following reade onely diligently and examine carefully and iudge indifferently and so leauing thee to thy meditations and referring thee to the touch of both our aduersaries accusations and our answers I beseech God to giue thee true vnderstanding of his sauing trueth and that hee will giue thee grace if thou knowest the trueth to perseuere constant vnto the end if thou cariest a preiudicate affection towards popery then to see into the deformities impostures and abuses of popish religion and that in the end it will please him to discouer all fraudes impostures conspiracies trecheries and vilanies of the popish faction and to let thee see the damnation of the great whore and the abominations of Babylon Adieu Thine in all Christian affection MATTH SUTCLIFFE A CHALLENGE concerning the malignant church of Antichrist and false doctrine and lewd practises of Papists Directed to Rob. Parsons Frier Garnet G. Blackwell the Archpriest and all their adhaerents CHAP. I. That the Church of Rome that now is and that embraceth the doctrine of the Pope and conuenticle of Trent is not the true Church of Christ Iesus THe Church of God being a 1. Tim. 3. the house of God and b Ibidem the pillar and ground of trueth and c Galat. 4. the mother of all faithfull people as the Apostle teacheth vs it is no maruell if all congregations that professe Christian religion do also challenge to themselues the name and title of the Church d Inst lib. 4. c. vlt. Singuli quique haereticorum coetus saith Lactantius se potissimum Christianos suam esse catholicam ecclesiam putant euen the couenticles of hereticks doe imagine themselues to be true Christians and entitle their Congregations by the name of the Catholike church and that this is true the papists affoord vs most euident proofe for albeit in many points they know not the voice of Christ Iesus but follow a stranger that without all colour challengeth to himselfe to be Christs vicar yet very confidently and proudly they call themselues Christes true catholicke church and challenge to themselues all those prerogatiues that are due to his most holy spouse neither do they only challenge to themselues the title and name of the Church but also exclude all others from the same and as Leo said speaking to certeine monkes of Palestine ecclesiae nomine aduersus ecclesiam armaminï so we may well say of these blinde zelators of popery that in the name of the Church they fight against the true Church of Christ Iesus That the papists adhering to the pope of Rome and imbracing the doctrine of the conuenticle of Trent are not the true church of Christ Iesus it may be prooued by diuers inuincible reasons argument 1 for first the church of Christ is built onely vpon Christ Iesus as a principall rocke and a foundation most sure and immoouable No man saith the e 1. Cor. 3. Apostle can lay any other foundation beside that which already is laied which is Christ Iesus for he is that f Isai 28. corner stone that is placed in the foundation of Sion he is that g Matth. 16. rocke vpon which the church is built Super hanc petram quam confessus es saith S. h Serm. 13. de verb. Dom. Augustine super hanc petram quam cognouisti dicens Tues Christus filius Dei aedificabo ecclesiam meam id est super meipsum filium Dei viui aedificabo ecclesiam meam he saith the church is built vpon Christ Iesus whom Peter confessed neither doe the fathers meane otherwise where they affirme the church to be built either vpon the confession or faith of Peter or els vpon Peter himselfe for all these doe either indirectly vnderstand Christ whom Peter confessed or Peters faith concerning Christ but the Romish church that now is is built vpon the pope and vpon his Sée and doctrine Est Petri sedes saith i In praefat in lib. de pontif Rom. Bellar. lapis probatus angularis pretiosus in fundamento fundatus he k Lib. 2. de pontif Rom. saith also that the Pope is the foundation of the building of the church and goeth about to prooue it by certeine words of Hierome although that good Father neuer thought of any such matter l Sanders his rocke of the church Sanders doth endeuour to proue that the Popes of Rome are the vnmouable rocke of the church Turrian likewise because Christ said aedificabo ecclesiam meam non aedifico ecclesiam meam concludeth that the popes of future times and not onely Saint Peter were vnderstood by that rocke vpon which the church is built seeing then the church of Rome is built vpon a foundation diuers from the foundation of Christ his church and relieth vpon the pope as much or more then Christ Iesus it cannot be the true church for if the papists say that Christ is the chiefe foundation and the Pope is the next they crosse the scriptures that make Christ the sole foundation and onely attribute the name of foundation to the apostles and prophets in that
they built all vpon Christ Iesus and taught that which immediatly they receiued from God but the Pope receiueth nothing immediatly from God nor doth he now preach Christ as did saint Peter argument 2 Further the true church of Christ is built vpon a rocke most solide and vnmouable against which the gates of hell can neuer preuaile but the church of Rome is built vpon the popes and their see against which the gates of hell both haue already and may further preuaile as appeareth by the Ch. Si papa dist 40. where it is supposed that the Pope may draw with him innumerable soules into hel and m In Matth. 16. Lyra confesseth that diuers popes haue proued apostataes from the faith and that finally is proued by diuers particular examples as of Marcellinus that sacrificed to idoles of Liberius that fell into Arrianisme of Honorius condemned for a monothelite and diuers other popes that fell into diuers heresies and forsooke the true faith neither doe I thinke the papistes will denie but that some of their popes for diuers impieties and wickednesses are damned and cast downe to the nethermost hell How then can that be the true church of Christ which is built vpon a foundation against which the gates of hell haue preuailed argument 3 n Arg. 3. The true church of Christ is neuer without her head for Christ Iesus who is the head of the church was yesterday and to day and the same for euermore he is the head of the church and shall alwaies so continue and of him his church hath continuall dependance but the church of Rome is often without her head the pope and hath no such dependance on him but that she may well subsist without him as the continuall vacation of the papacy doth shew and p Lib. de auferribilitatâ— papa Gerson doth confesse the church of Rome therefore cannot be the church of Christ vnlesse we will grant that the church of God may be without a head or that the church of Rome neuer wanteth a head argument 4 q Arg. 4. The church of God also hath but one faith for as there is but one Lord r Ephes 4. so there is but one faith and one baptisme but the faith of the church of Rome is not that one faith which was professed in the apostles times and in the primitiue church as appeareth by the doctrine of faith published in the wicked conuenticles of Constance and Trent and by ihat profession which Pius the 4. decreed to be exacted of all that are promoted in schooles for neither did the first christians admit all the traditions which the church of Rome now calleth apostolicall nor the 7. sacraments and vsuall rites practised by the church of Rome in the administration of them nor the sacrifice of the masse or transubstantiation or the rest of the doctrine therein contained if any papist thinke otherwise let him shew me either any such like faith or proue me any such doctrine to haue bene in the ancient church of Rome or else we must needs beleeue that this doctrine was first published by the conuenticle of Trent and by Pius the 4. by name but a wicked man for doctrine and life and by other popes confirmed argument 5 Å¿ Arg. 5. The grounds also and foundations of the catholike christian faith are diuers from the grounds foundations of the faith of the church of Rome the t Ephes 2. apostle saith that the houshold of God and citizens of saints are built vpon the foundations of the apostles and prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone neither doeth he admit any other foundation Saint u Apocal. 21. Iohn sheweth that the wall of the city of God hath twelue foundations and in them the names of the twelue apostles and this because vpon that doctrine which they deliuered the faith of the church is built for as x Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Ireneus signifieth the canonicall scriptures which she apostles left vnto vs are the foundation of our faith neither may we thinke that Peter was more the foundation of the church then Paule or the rest of the apostles at dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia saith y Lib. aduers Jâ—uiâ— Hierome licèt id ipsum in alio loco super omnes apostolos cuncti claues regni coelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesia solidetur Theophylact also without giuing any prerogatiue to one saith z In Ephes 2. the church is built vpon the apostles and prophets neither doe the auncient fathers either allow or mention any foundation beside Christ Iesus and the apostles and prophets who in all their writings doe preach Christ Iesus But the faith of the Romish synagogue is now built vpon a diuers foundation for first they acknowledge vnwritten traditions to be a foundation equall to the written word of God a Sess 4. concil Trid. traditiones ipsas tum ad fidem tum ad mores pertinentes tanquam vel oretenus à Christo vel à spiritu sancto dictatas continua successione in ecclesia catholica conseruatas pari pietatis affectu ac reuerentia scilicet ac scripturas sacras suscipit ac veneratur the conuenticle of Trent maketh traditions as well concerning faith as maners to be equall to the written word of God whereof it foloweth that we must as well beléeue the fashions and ceremonies of the Romish church as the written word of God Demonstrate conabimur saith b Lib 4. de verb. dei c. 4. Bellarmine scripturas sine traditionibus nec fuisse simpliciter necessarias nec sufficientes he denieth also the scriptures to be a perfect canon or rule of our faith without traditions next they receiue the popes decretals and vpon their determinations doe they build their faith as c C. inter dist 19. c. sancta dist 15. appeareth by their decretals though counterfeit and d Jn praefat in relect princip doctr Stapleton sticketh not to affirme so much in expresse words Alij nunc à Christo missi saith he eorumue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locum habebunt and e ibidem againe Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus ab ipsis literis euangelicis apostolicis aliud We haue saith he another foundation of Christian religion diuers from the writings of the apostles and prophets can then the Romish congregation be the church of Christ that euen in the maine foundation of religion is departed from the church of Christ argument 6 f Arg. 6. The principles likewise of the doctrine of the Romish church are diuers froÌ„ the grounds principles of Christs true church for we haue shewed in our last argument that the true church hath no canon or rule of faith or certeine principle of faith beside the canonicall scriptures but the church of Rome admitteth the books of Iudith Tobia Ecclesiasticus Wisdome of the Machabees by the
body to absteine from the cup of the sacred blood but the church of Rome doth expresly forbid all communicants beside the priest to receiue the cuppe and taketh this to be good religion The papists also are well content to be depriued of the cup of the new testament and thinke not the sacrament so mangled to be imperfect argument 34 The true catholike church neuer taught nor thought so basely of the most holy body of our Lord and Sauiour Christ Iesus as that a mouse a hogge or dogge or other creature eating the consecrated host did also eat the Lords body presse it with téeth and swallow it downe into the belly nor did the same imagine that the Lords body might be throwen in the mire and troden vnder féet and throwne into places vncleane and too homely to be named but the synagogue of Rome beléeueth that brute beastes may eat Christes bodie If a dogge or hogge saith b P. 4 q 45. Alexander Hales should eat a consecrated hoste I see no cause but the Lords body should go therewithall into that dogges or hogges belly some haue said as it is in the third part of Thomas Aquinas his summe of diuinity that as soone as the sacrament is taken of a mouse or a dogge straightway the body and blood of Christ cease to be there c. but that is derogatorie to the trueth of this sacrament it is also the common opinion of all papisticall doctors that the body and blood of Christ so long continue in the sacrament as the formes of bread and wine continue vncorrupt and that they goe into all places together vnlesse therefore Robert Parsons or some other doe helpe héere and shew that the true church of Christ did beléeue and teach as before is declared both he and his consorts must néeds confesse that the Romish church is not the true church argument 35 The ancient catholike church had but one sacrifice one altar one priest after the order of Melchisedech the priest after the order of Melchisedech was Christ Iesus he was also that sacrifice the altar was his crosse tu es sacerdos in aeternum saith God by his c Psal 109. Hebr. 5. prophet secundum ordinem Melchisedech he because he remaineth for euer hath an eternall priesthood as the apostle saith Hebr. 7. but the papists erect altars of stone whereupon they say they offer their sacrifices they beléeue also that their priests offer vp sacrifices and that they are according to the order of Melchisedech as if they had neither father nor mother nor certeine genealogy and were holy and impolluted doe they not then declare that they haue erected a new congregation that is diuers from the church of Christ neither is it materiall that the fathers doe call the Lords supper or eucharist a sacrifice for they doe not so call it for other cause but for that it is a memoriall of Christs sacrifice on the crosse Christ saith d Dedemonstrat Euangelic lib. 1. c. 10. Eusebius offred a most excellent sacrifice for vs all and gaue vs a memoriall or sacrament thereof in stead of a sacrifice Chrysostome writing vpon the epistle to the Hebrewes teacheth vs that our sacrifice is but a samplar or memoriall of Christs sacrifice and this Peter Lombard frankly confesseth that which is offered and consecrated by the priest is called a sacrifice and oblation saith e Sentent 4. dist 12. he because it is a memoriall and representation of the true sacrifice and holy oblation made on the altar of the crosse argument 36 The true church of Christ neuer erected more altars then one in one church nor did the same distribute the sacrament in diuers angles in one and the same church aliud altare constitu◠saith f Epist 25. pleb vniuersae Cyprian aut sacerdotium nouum fieri praeter vnum altare vnum sacerdotium non potest likewise saith g Epist ad Philadelph Ignatius quod vnus sit panis pro omnibus confractus vnus calix totius ecclesiae but the papistes haue alters in euery corner of their churches and there diuers priests sing or say diuers masses and offer sacrifices there also they consecrate and diuide the sacrament making a diuision no lesse in their congregations then in their altars chalices and sacrifices argument 37 The true church did neuer agree for trentales of masses nor for aniuersary memorialles nor sell the sacrament of Christes body but the Romish priests take mony for trentales of masses and without hire they will not make aniuersary commemorations they sticke not also to sell Christs body or at least their masses for mony deteriores sunt Iuda saith h Onus ecclesiae c. 23. one speaking of Romish priests alledging the authority of saint Brigit qui pro solis denariis me vendidit illi autem pro omni mercimonio argument 38 Our sauiour Christ and his apostles taught the church that the sacrament of his body and blood was to be receiued and eaten and drunken of which we collect that it was auaileable onely for the quicke that could receiue eat and drinke and not for the dead that could doe none of these things neither did Christs church beléeue that the Lords supper was satisfactory for paines in purgatory or good against lightning and thunder or such calamities but the Romish church doth hold that their eucharistical sacrifice is propitiatory for the dead as well as the quicke that the same is expiatory and doth worke diuers other woondrous effects hoc sacrificium saith i De valore missae parad 12. Guernerus est expiatiuum debitae poenae tam hic quam in futuro exoluendae k ibidem parad 9. he sheweth also that the same worketh miraculous effects against thunder danger of enemies and other calamities and that he that frequenteth the masse shall be directed in all things which new doctrine vnlesse Robert Parsons can prooue that it hath béene taught in the ancient church of Christ will greatly endanger the state of the Romish church argument 39 In the true church of Christ no priest euer tooke to himselfe so great presumption as to become a mediator to God for Christ Iesus for he is a mediator betwixt God and man and méere blasphemy it is for a mortall man to challenge to himselfe to be a mediator betwixt God the father and his sonne but in the Romish church the priest becommeth a mediator and intercessor for Christ for speaking of the body and blood of our Sauior he saith l In canone missae supra quae propitio acsereno vultu respicere digneris accepta habere sicut accepta habere dignatus es munera pueri tui iusti Abel sacrificium patriarchae nostri Abrahae Vpon which saith he vouchsafe to looke with a fauourable and pleasant countenance and to accept them as thou vouchsafest to accept the gifts of Abel and the sacrifice of our patriarch Abraham and afterward iube haec perferri
per manus sancti angeli tui in sublime altare tuum Command these things saith the priest speaking of the bodie and blood of Christ to be brought by the hands of the holy angell vnto thy high altar these things are blasphemous and cannot be allowed of Christ his church neither can Parsons or Bellarmine answere that these words are found in the booke of sacraments attributed to S. Ambrose lib. 4. c. 6. for there is great difference betwixt the words of the canon of the masse the words of that author and the meaning of him is cleane contrary for neuer shall it be prooued that the author of that treatise beléeued that the body and blood of Christ was vnder the formes of bread and wine in the sacrament or that he meant the body and blood of Christ where he compareth the sacrament to the sacrifices of Abel and Abraham argument 40 The true church of Christ neuer added to the words of Christ in the consecration of the cup saying noui aeterni testamenti mysterium fidei neither are these words found in the old formularies of the liturgies of the church of Rome as I haue shewed in my treatise of the masse against Bellarmine doth not then this new tricke of the latter Romish church departing from the former shew a manifest difference betwixt them argument 41 The true church did neuer offer the sacrament pro redemptione animarum suarum neither did the same vse the commemoration for the dead as it is in the Romish missal saying memento domine famulorum famularúmque qui nos praecesserunt cum signo fidei dormiunt in somno pacis nay this forme is not to be found in the olde formulary which the Romans vsed about fiue or six hundred yeeres agone but now all m In canone missae Romanists do thus say and pray if then Rob. Parsons could shew this forme or any such prayers or words in ancient authors he might doe a great pleasure to the church of Rome that otherwise is like to proue the synagogue of Antichrist argument 42 The true church of Christ did neuer consecrate incense nor say n In ordinar missae per intercessioneÌ„ beati Michaelis archangeli stantis a dextris altaris incensi omnium electorum suorum incensum istud dignetur dominus benedicere in odorem suauitatis accipere if Robert Parsons can prooue the contrary let him do it otherwise the Romish church will fall out not to be Christes true church argument 43 The true church neuer had distinct masses whereof some were ordinary others proper for the times others proper for saints others for particular mens deuotions as for example for the election of the pope for taking away schismaticall contentions for time of warre for time of sicknesse and such other occasions but the o Missale Rom. Romish church hath masses for all these causes and occasions argument 44 The true church did neuer consecrate holy water and say exorcizo te creatura salis c. and exorcizo te creatura aquae c. vt fias aqua exorcizata ad effugandam omnem potestatem inimici ipsum inimicum eradicare explantare valeas cum angelis suis apostaticis it is not the true church therefore that doth practise these exorcismes argument 45 The Christian church doth not reteine the ceremonies of the Iewes nor eat the Paschall lambe for as the p 1. Cor. 5. apostle saith Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus but the q In fine missalis Rom. Romanists according to the rules of their missal doe consecrate and eat a Paschal lambe and pray thus Deus qui per famulum tuum Moysem in liberatione populi tui de Aegypto agnum occidi iussisti in similitudinem Domini nostri Iesu Christi vtrosque postes domorum de sanguine huius agni perungi praecepisti ita benedicere sanctificare digneris hanc creaturam carnis quam nos famuli tui ad laudem tuam sumere desideramus argument 46 The true church of God neuer formed any image of God the Father or God the Holy ghost or of Gods diuine essence neither did the same euer set vp images in churches to be worshipped with lights incense kissing crowching prayers or other such like ceremonies the second commandement directly forbiddeth the making of grauen images to be worshipped and districtly commandeth vs that we should not bow downe vnto them and that this commandement was direct against the worwip of images the first Christians did well vnderstand r Aduers gentes Arnobius saith that they had no altars nor temples nor images worshiped in open shew ne simulachra quidem veneramur saith Å¿ Contra Celsum lib. 7. Origen quippe qui Dei vt inuisibilis ita incorporei formam nullam effigiamus t Lib. 2. diuin instit c. 19. Lactantius doubteth not to affirme that there is no religion where there is an image and when images and pictures began to créepe into the churches as an outward ornament the councell of Eliberis to preuent all inconueniences forbad pictures in churches Placuit saith the u Concil Elib c. 36. councell picturas in ecclesia esse non debere ne quod colitur aut adoratur in parietibus depingatur such was then the religion of Spaine Arnobius declareth that Christians were not woont to worship the crosse Cruces saith x Aduers gentes lib. 8. he nec colimus nec optamus nay y Lib. 9. epist 9. Gregory the first himselfe albeit he would not haue images broken downe yet would he not haue them adored or worshipped and Ionas Aurelianensis albeit a defender of images yet writeth thus of them Creaturam adorari eÃque aliquid diuinae seruitutis impendi proh nefas ducimus huiusque sceleris patratorem detestandum anathematizandum libera voce proclamumus saith z De cultu imaginum lib. 4. Ionas but papists fall downe before images and giue diuine worship to the crosse and crucifixe neither do they onely make the images of the Father and Holy ghost but worship them finally they burne incense knéele and pray to stocks and stones argument 47 The true church did neuer pray or administer the holy sacraments of the Lords supper and Baptisme in a strange tongue not vnderstood of the common sort Si orem lingua saith the a 1. Cor. 14. apostle spiritus meus orat mens autem mea fine fructu est he saith it is fruitlesse to pray in a tongue not vnderstood and reason teacheth vs that this is true for if God respect not the mouing of our lips vnlesse our heart accord with our tongue how can our heart accord when we vnderstand not what our tongue vttereth finally the practise of the church teacheth vs that a knowen tongue is to be vsed in publike praiers and in the administration of sacraments as the answers of the people to the priest in all ancient liturgies and the
testimony of Iustine Martyr apolog 2. of Dionyfius ecclesiast hierarch c. 3. of Origen lib. 8. contra Celsum of Hierome in epitaph Paulae ad Eustochium and in his 17. epistle to Marcella of Ambrose de sacramentis and Cyrill catech 5. and others doth declare but the Romish church will haue no other tongue vsed in the common liturgy of the westerne church and publike administration of the sacraments but the latin of which the vulgar people scarce vnderstand one word argument 48 The true church of Christ contenteth herselfe with the religion first taught by Christ his apostles for vpon the fouÌ„dation of their doctrine is the church built and as b Lib. 4. contra Marciâ—n Tertullian saith id verius quod prius id prius quod ab apostolis contrariwise c Aduershares c. 26. Vincentius Litinensis saith that is a tricke of heretikes not to content themselues with the ancient rule of faith but to seeke nouelties from day to day and to desire to adde to change to take away but the church of Rome first denieth the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule of faith secondly the same is departed from the doctrine of the apostles thirdly the same is bound to beléeue all determinations and decretales of popes concerning matters of faith finally that church hath added and changed the ancient faith argument 49 True christians neuer kissed the popes toe nor admitted his outragious dispensations or gréeuous lawes nor were tied to beléeue that the popes iudgement in matters of faith was vnfallible but the Romish church thinketh it a great fauour to kisse his pantofle and séeketh for dispensations at his hands and beareth all his burdensome lawes albeit not with out great grudging as may appeare by Peter de Alliaco his treatise de reformatione ecclesiae by Vllerstones petitions proposed in the councell of Constance and diuers complaints both of English French and Dutch finally if they doe not yéeld his iudgement to be infallible then must they confesse that the church of Rome is built rather on sand than on a rocke argument 50 The church of Christ neuer beléeued that the bishop of Rome could depose princes take their crownes from them or that they could dispense with subiects for their othes of allegeance to their liege princes nay the apostles teach obedience to princes and Peter did rather exhort to obedience then rebellion the canons that goe vnder the names of the d Can. 83. apostles doe seuerely punish such as doe speake reprochfully of princes and magistrates and certes most vnlike it was that euer king or prince would haue embraced christian religion if the same had giuen power to bishops to depose them from their regall throne and to subiects to rebell against their liege soueraignes but papists doe beléeue and e Bellar. lib. 5. de pontif Rom. c. 6. 7. 8. teach that the pope hath power to depose kings and to translate kingdomes from one to another they also do beléeue that he hath power to dispense with the othes of subiects to command them to rebel Howsoeuer the rest beléeue pope f In Bulla contra Elizabetham Pius the fift most wickedly commanded her Maiesties subiects to take armes against her vpon paine of excommunication and the like insolency did g In declarat eiusdem bullae Sixtus quintus vse against her being the Lords annointed and he being the greased and marked slaue of satan both he and Pius quintus doe wickedly raile against her and the like course did that flagitious pope h In bulla contr Henric. 8. Paule the third take against her Maiesties noble father and this is now the popes and their agents most common practise to raise sedition against christian princes and when they cannot otherwise doe hurt like helhounds to barke against them and to publish infamous libels tending to their dishonour and disgrace argument 51 The true church of Christ is also catholike and compriseth all the faithfull of all times and is not limited within any one countrey or nation for our Sauiour Christ commanded his apostles to teach all nations and in our créed we beléeue the catholike church now this catholike church as saint i In psal 56. Augustine saith is spred throughout all the world and conteineth not onely those that are present but those also that are past and are yet to come but the Romish church is not catholike neither doeth it conteine the Greekes or Africanes or men of Asia that for many ages past haue shaken off the yoke of antichrist of Rome further it doeth not reach to the people of God before Christ finally k Lib. de ecclesia milit c. 2. Bellarmine doeth define those onely to be of the church which liue vnder the obedience of the pope this church therefore differeth much from the catholike church argument 52 The true church consisteth not of fierce lyons nor of wolues nor tygers nor such like wilde and fierce beastes but of sheepe and lambes which learne of Christ and are méeke humble and gentle these did Christ commit to Peter and all godly pastors his successors to be fed and these are the members of his church and not those cruell ones that are more like to lyons then shéepe they shall not hurt nor kill saith God by his holy l Isai 11. prophet in all my holy mountaine nay the force of Christes religion is such that it maketh sauage and fierce people to become méeke and gentle the wolfe saith the m ibidem prophet shall dwell with the lambe and the pard shall lie with the kidde quis coegit barbaros gentesque alias in suis sedibus saith n Lib. de incarnat verb. Athanasius immanitatem deponere pacifica meditari nisi christi fides crucis signaculum Optatus in his second booke against Parmenian speaking of catholickes to heretickes which of vs saith he hath persecuted any man can you shew or proue that any of you hath bene persecuted by vs But the Romish church doth consist of lyons tygers wolues and inquisitors popes and friers more fierce and cruell then lyons tygers and wolues their o Extr. de haereticis per tot lawes are most cruell their executions notwithstanding passe both law and reason In the time of Charles the emperor the fift of that name it is recorded p Meteran de Belgit tumult that aboue fifty thousand persons were condemned by sentences of inquisitors and iudges and executed to death in the low countries for the profession of their faith In France as the stories of that country declare thréescore thousand christians without all order of law and contrary to solemne othes giuen them by the king for their security were most shamefully and trecherously murdered and massacred for the profession of their relion at the kings sisters mariage Circiter sexaginta hominum millia saith q Hist Nat. com lib. 23. p. 508. Natalis Comes speaking
of one onely massacre committed anno 1572. variis in locis per illud tempus trucidata fuisse dicta sunt in Gallia and so extraordinary was the fury of the papistes that they spared neither age sex nor quality vel puberes vel impuberes saith he trucidati sunt neque vllius sexus vel aetatis vel dignitatis habita est ratio neither may we thinke that they haue shewed lesse cruelty against christians in Spaine Italy or Germany as for the realme of England it hath sufficient experience of the aduersaries extreme rage and cruelty by the short and bloody raigne of Queene Mary And can any christian man notwithstanding endure to nourish vp yong wolues and tygers within our bosomes The r Apocal. 17. Romish harlot is drunke with the blood of the saintes and hath her garments made red with the slaughter of innocentes that therefore which Optatus lib. 2. contr Parmen saith of the Donatistes may with good reason be applied to papistes Iacerati sunt viri tractatae sunt matronae in fantes necati abacti partus ecce vestra ecclesia episcopis ducibus cruentis morsibus pasta est for by the Romanistes many innocent christians haue bene tormented and murdered women haue bene abused infantes haue bene cut in péeces women haue bene forced to loose their children and they haue fedde themselues with cruelty and the popes of Rome and their agentes haue bene ringleaders in these cruell executions they are therefore professed enimies rather then members of Christes church argument 53 The catholicke church neuer shewed more fauour to Iewes and infidels then to Christians that misliked the pompe tyranny and corrupt doctrine maners of the popes or bishops of Rome for with her children the church dealeth like a kinde mother most mildely she correcteth them if they offend genly and instructteth them carefully contrariwise she auoideth those that will not heare her admonitions and conuerseth not with them Christian emperors Å¿ Hac valitura C. de Iudaeis Caellâ—olis excluded the Iewes from all gouernment and authority in the common wealth t ibidem they did also restraine their insolencies with diuers sharpe lawes the like u Cod. de paganis sacrif templ course also they tooke with pagans and infidels shutting vp their impious temples and forbidding their sacrifices and idolatries but the Romish sinagogue doth procéede by a contrary course for she massacreth and murthreth christians resembling that vnnatural whore that before Salomon would haue the childe in controuersy cutte in peeces but the Iewes and wicked atheistes she nourisheth so they meddle not with the popes scuruinesse the popes by their inquisitors and executioners torment christians and receiue tribute of Iewes that dwell quietly in Rome x Onuphr in Alexandr 6. Alexander the sixt receiued Turks and Maranes into Rome when the Spaniardes could not endure them in Spaine and all popes shew more fauour to Turks than to such Christians as come within the reach of the Spanish or popish inquisition argument 54 The true church neuer sought either by forgery and falsification of mens writings or by lying and slandering to aduance the cause of religion for trueth is sufficient and strong enough of it selfe and néedeth not to be supported with falshood and lies Among ancient Christians false witnesses and slanderers were so fare from being estéemed in the church that they were quite excluded out of the church as appeareth by the acts of the councell of Agatha c. 27. and councell of Eliberis in Spaine c. 73. 74. but the church of Rome perceiuing that she cannot preuaile by plaine trueth and honest dealing goeth now about by suppressing of trueth and forging of counterfeit canons and false writings and by all maner of vntrueths and slanders to abuse the ignorant and simple multitude the scriptures as much as she can she suppresseth in vnknowen languages and corrupteth by making the olde Latin translation authenticall she deuiseth and spreadeth abroad false traditions and setteth out falshood vnder the names of false canons and constitutions vnder the name of the apostles false canons of councels counterfeit treatises set out vnder the name of Origen Athanasius Ambrose Nazianzene Hierome Chrysostome Augustine Epiphanius and other fathers forged decretale epistles vnder the names of Clement Anacletus Euaristus and other ancient bishops of Rome that were neuer acquainted either with such matters or such a stile Of late time most audaciously the Popes agents haue taken vnto them power to put out and to put in and to change what they list in mens writings of which forgery their expurgatorie indexes do plainly conuince them Bellarmine he with all his witte wresteth scriptures and fathers to serue his cause Caesar Baronius out of Simeon Metaphrastes Iacobus de Voragine Surius and such like fabulous legends hath sent vs from Rome whole cartlodes of lies To help him Alanus Copus or rather Harpsfield Alfonsus Ciacone and diuers popish companions haue set out diuers notorious and ridiculous fables finally to disgrace the trueth by slanderous accusations of such as haue shewed themselues forward in defence of it the popish faction hath hired Sanders Robert Parsons Creswel Cope or rather Harpesfield Genebrard Surius Cochleus Stapleton Allen Ribaldineira Bolsecus Laingius and other such like sycophants to raile aswell against princes as inferiour ministers can this company then be the true church that delighteth in lying slandering railing cogging and plaine forging argument 55 That cannot be the true church that offereth sacrifice to other then the true God that made heauen and earth qui sacrificat dijs eradicabitur praeterquam domino soli saith y Exod. 22. God to Moyses S. z De ciuit Dei lib. 10. c. 4. Augustine saith that God only is to be serued with sacrifices of praises and thankesgiuing and to haue the worship of Latria done to him Iohn Apocalyp 22. fell downe vt adoraret ante pedes angeli that is that he might worship before the feet of the angel but the angel forbad him and said vide ne feceris see thou do it not and afterward Deum adora The papists also confesse that the worship of sacrifices is due to God alone Sacrificium saith a Lib. 1. de missa c. 2. Bellar. est externa oblatio facta soli Deo he addeth superfluously the word externa for if we may not offer externall sacrifices to creatures much lesse may we offer our internal deuotions and sacrifices vnto them But the Romish church doth offer the sacrifices of incense of praiers and thanksgiuing not only to God but also to angels to the virgin Mary and to other saints In their Letanies they call vpon the virgin Mary vpon the angels vpon saints they confesse their sinnes to them and yéeld them thanks for benefits receiued neither do they offer incense only to saints but to their images either planted on the altar or néere vnto it finally they confesse that they say masses in the honour
that wicked city then doth it necessarily fellow that the church of Rome now is not the citie and church of God but rather the malignant church synagogue of Satan adhering to Antichrist and opposite to Christ and his church but that the state of new Rome and of the Romish sect as it adhereth to the pope and is the fountaine and metropolitane citie from whence all idolatry heresie and superstition stoweth is meant by the purple whore Apocalyp 17. and by Babylon Apocalyp 18. diuers arguments may teach vs. first the order of S. Iohns reuelation doth shew it for after that in the 12. chapter and in the beginning of the thirtéenth he had described the state of olde Rome vnder the Romane emperors and foreprophecied the ruine and decay of that empire and the rising of another state out of the ruines of it there is no likehood that he should returne backe againe to describe the flourishing state of that empire in the seuentéenth chapter or that the holy ghost would relate things confusedly or disorderly secondly he representeth vnto vs the decay of old Rome the arising of Antichrist out of the ruines of it in the end of the thirtéenth chapter and therefore whatsoeuer followeth after that chapter the same with good reason may be drawen to Rome after it came to be vnder the pope whose state is wholly built vpon the fall of the empire and can by 〈◊〉 meanes be applied vnto Rome as it was vnder the Romane emperors Thirdly after the destruction of the purple whore and of Babylon the apostle prophesieth of the end of the world and of the last iudgement as if the one were to follow immediately or at the least not long after the other but we sée the Romane empire long since destroied and nothing remaining but a vaine name or title of it and yet the end of the world and last iudgement is not come the ruine of old Rome therefore by the destruction of the whore and of Babylon is not prefigured but rather the destruction of antichrists seat and kingdome Fourthly the beast which saint Iohn saw and vpon which the purple whoore did sit was not then as she should be as he saith non adhuc erat t Apocal. 17. saith he ex abysso ascensura erat but the Romane empire did most flourish in saint Iohns time and therefore that beast must néeds signifie another state and empire which in Rome was to be erected after the Romane empires decay Fiftly those ten kings which are signified by ten hornes Apocalyps 17. did not arise during the time of the old empire of Rome but vpon the decay of the empire and rising of antichrist for we doe not reade that kings did giue their power to the Romane empire nor had that strong empire any néed of their power but we reade that diuers kings haue giuen their power to the papacie and made themselues slaues to make the popes great lords this therefore must néeds be a figure of the papacy and not of the old Romane empire Sixthly we doe read that the kings of the earth committed fornication with the purple whore and may well vnderstand that the purple whore was a figure of one from whom corruption of doctrine and idolatrous worship should be deriued for that is spirituall fornication but from the Romane emperore we cannot vnderstand that any kings receiued any forme of religion or corrupt doctrine or idolatrous worship this therefore must néeds touch the pope and his sée from whence manifolde superstitions idolatries are deriued into all places and not the imperiall state which regarded but little the state of religion Seuenthly the kings of the earth did rather reioice then lament at the destruction of the Romane empire for vpon the ruines thereof they built their own kingdomes and states but diuers kings that are linked with the Pope haue lamented his losses the king of Spaine wept when he heard of the euill successe of English rebels which the pope u Vita de Pio 5. Pius the fift stirred vp hoping by them againe yet once more to recouer footing in England Eightly the purple whore Apocalypse 17. is called the mother of fornications or idolatry which is termed in scripture spirituall fornication this prophecy therefore doeth rather touch the popish idolatry corruption in religion than the ciuill gouernment Ninthly after the empire of Rome began to decay the state of christian religion began to flourish in Rome and therefore that which is said of Rome that it shall after the reuelation of the whore become the habitation of diuels and vncleane spirits cannot be spoken of old Rome after whose decay religion began to flourish but of new Rome vnder the popes which is now become a receptacle of all abominations and filthinesse 10. This Rome that is described Apocalyps 17. shall persecute the saints néere to the end of the world as may be gathered out of saint Iohns reuelation this therefore belongeth to the pope and his bloody inquisitors and not to the old Rome whose persecutions are long since ceased 11. The description of the purple whore and of Babylon doeth best fit the state of Rome vnder the subiection of the pope the great whore is said to sit vpon many waters and to inuegle the kings of the earth with her spirituall fornications she was clad with purple and sclarlet and set out with gold and precious stones she had in her hand a golden cup full of abhominations and in her forhead was written this word mysterium and great Babylon the mother of fornications and abominations of the earth finally it is said she was drunke with the bloud of martyrs Babylon also is called an habitation of diuels and a receptacle of foule spirits and vncleane birds and saint Iohn saith the nations of the earth did drinke of the wine of the wrath of her fornication and that kings did commit fornication with her and marchants grew rich with trading with her so likewise the pope doeth rule many nations and hath wonne the kings of the earth to like his corrupt and idolatrous doctrine he and his religion also is decked with all precious furniture and nothing séemeth more gallant in externall shew like a woman the pope preuailed by fraud periury and pretence of great mysteries and from him all abominations and corruptions procéeded it is he and no other that for this foure or fiue hundred yeres hath persecuted the saints of God and to him the kings of the earth yéeld their forces and are ready to execute his sentences and excommunications beside that neuer was more vncleannesse nor filthinesse practised by any than by the Romish Sodomiticall and lecherous monks and priests nor was there euer in any place more buying and selling of all things than in the Romish church lastly Arethas and Ambrosius Ansbertus writing vpon the Apocalypse say that new Rome may be vnderstood by Babylon and Petrarch doubteth not in plaine termes to
coronae Ignis thura preces coelum est venale detisque Benedict the 9. sold his popedome for a great summe of mony and al the world knoweth that without simoniacall compacts no man can enter into that seat they sell mens sinnes and for money they offer to sell heauen the priests sell masses as deare as they can albeit such marchandise be now decried and of little woorth for which cause Brigit inueigheth bitterly against them and saith they are woorse then Iudas deteriores sunt Iuda saith u Brigit 132. onus ecclesae 23. Christ in Brigits reuelations qui pro solis denariis me vendidit illi autem pro omni mercimonio so it séemeth that these are the merchants of which mention is made Apocalyps 18. which sell mens soules beside that the canonists dispute that it is lawfull for the pope to buy and sell benefices palles and mitres and Bellarmine with all his skill mainteineth the sale of Iubileies and other indulgences of Simon Magus also x De haeres c. 1. Augustine affirmeth quod docebat detestandam turpitudinem indifferenter vtendi foeminis quod imagines suam Helenes praebebat discipulis suis adorandas that is he taught it was no sinne to vse women without making difference betwixt wife concubine and whoore for that is the signification of the word indifferenter and gaue his owne image the image of his leman Selena to be worshipped of his disciples finally he carried a concubine about with him called Selena let it therefore be iudged with indifferency whether the papists haue not some touch of these hereticall tricks who in Rome and all great cities almost mainteine common bordels and y They put adultery and fornication in the ranke of lesser crimes c. at siclerici de iudicijs account lechery a small sinne whose priests commonly kéepe concubines and finally which worship the images of diuers lecherous priests and their whoores canonised by the pope for saints as Dunstane and Alfgina Bernac and his leman and many others and albeit we are not able to say much for the honesty of Francis and Clare yet it is apparent that the papists worship their images so it appeareth that the first foundation of the worship of images was laied either by Simon Magus or by Carpocrates and Marcellina and other heretikes of Simon Magus also it may be they borrow their exorcisations for they are rather magicall than Christian like as appeareth by them as they are set downe in Hierome Menghus a disciple as it séemeth of Simon Magus argument 7 The Basilidians were reputed heretikes for that they worshipped images and vsed enchantments and superstitious adiurations for that is prooued by the testimony of z Lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 23. Irenaeus how then can the papists wipe away the blot of heresie that not onely priuately worship images but also fill euery corner of their churches full of them and like the statues of Mercury set them vp in high waies they doe also coniure and enchant water saying exorcizo te creatura aquae and salt saying exorcizo te creatura salis as if the creatures were possessed or corrupted by diuels likewise they coniure and enchant candles hearbes and make exorcistes and coniurers a holie order and that order a sacrament of the church argument 8 a Irenâ—y lib. 1. c. 24. Carpocrates vsed to worship images and Marcellina one of his followers adored the images of Iesu and Paule and burnt incense vnto them Colebat saith b De bares c. 7. Augustine imagines Iesu Pauli Homeri Pythagorae adorando incensumque ponendo if then this were heresie in them why should it not be heresie in papists to worship the image of Iesu with diuine worship and to burne incense not onely before the images of Iesu and Paule but also before other petie saints and percase no saints if the image of Christ Iesu and Paule might not be adored how come the images of Christopher and saint Catherine that neuer were in the world of George that was an heretike and Thomas Becket and Campian that were traitors to be adored and honored with light and incense argument 9 The Carpocratians and Basilidians did conceale and hide the mysteries of their religion least holy things should be cast to dogges as may appeare partly by the testimony of Irenaeus aduersus haeres lib. 1. c. 23. and Epiphanius intreating of the 24. and 27. heresie and what doe the papists doe not they reherse the words of the canon so that no man can heare and doe they not keepe the mysteries of their religion secret when they c Nauarri enthirid Alagona teach that it is mortall sinne for lay men to dispute of matters of faith and reade scriptures and the publike liturgy in tongues not vnderstood of the hearers finally haue not diuers of them alledged that the reason why scriptures are not translated into vulgar tongues nor in that tongue read publikly is because holy things are not to be cast to dogs argument 10 The Marcosians did baptise in an vnknowen language and anoint those whom they baptised with chrisme or opobalsamum that is testified by Epiphanius haeres 34. this by Irenaeus aduers haeres lib. 1. c. 18. they did also anoint their dead and giue them extreme vnction Marcus their founder went about to make his followers beleeue that he did transubstantiate wine into blood in the sacrament In that which he calleth the eucharist saith d Haeres 34. Epiphanius they say that the rednesse viz. of the wine is changed straightwaies into blood The followers of Marcus accounted themselues perfect but as e Lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 15. Irenaeus saith perfectus nemo nisi qui maxima mendacia apud eos fructificauerit Finally they alledge a multitude of apocryphall writings forged by themselues as Ireney testifieth of them lib. 1. aduers haeres c. 18. all which points of heresie the papists séeme to haue translated into their religion for first they baptize in a language not vnderstood of the multitude next they vse greasing and anointing in baptisme and confirmation thirdly they grease their disciples when they lie on dying fourthly they beléeue that wine in the Lords cup by certeine words of consecration is transubstantiate into blood fitly their orders of religion doe account themselues to be in state of perfection but the most perfect of them which are emploied by the pope in defence of the popish faction and religion do fructifie plenteously in telling of greatest lies as we shall in his place exemplifie by Bellarmine a cardinall and Robert Parsons in hope and desire a cardinall and a most famous forger of lies his putatiue father father Coobucke they say could not with more art forge a horseshoo than he can forge a lie Finally for proofe of their traditions and doctrine they haue forged diuers decretale epistles and counterfeit canons and haue written diuers lying legends Parsons to trouble
saith i Lib hist 18. c. 52. Nicephorus patris spiritus sancti effigiant quod est perquam absurdum yet this absurdity is a high point of popish religion argument 24 The worshippers of the crosse which were termed Chazinzarij and Staurolatrae were for that point estéemed hereticks Nicephorus he woondreth at them as strange fellowes Crucem saith he adorare colere dicuntur k Lib. hist 18. c. 54. Is not then this a plaine conuiction of the papists which worship the crosse and say aue sancta crux and desire to be protected by it and giue to it latriam which I suppose the Staurolatrians were not so simple and stupid as to giue to their crosses argument 25 The Collyridian heretikes were condemned for worshipping the virgin Mary and that worthily for as l Haeres 78. Epiphanius saith she was a virgin and honorable but not to be adored and againe non dominabitur nobis antiquus error vt relinquamus viuentem adoremus ea quae ab ipso facta sunt all which notwithstanding the papists adore her and worship her and say many a masse in her honor and pray vnto her which I doubt whether the Collyridians did so grosly or no. Bonauenture to make her equall with God as Dauid made Psalmes in the praise of God so applied or rather distorted Psalmes to the virgin Mary turning God into the blessed virgine argument 26 The worshippers of images of saints by a certeine m Hist miscel Paul Diat lib. 21. councell of Constantinople whose actes are recorded and inserted in the sixt action of the second Nicene councell were noten as idolaters and condemned by the fathers as heretikes or woorse the synod of Francford did cōdemne the second Nicene councell that allowed the worship of images non nos imagines in basilicis positas n In lib. Carol. Magni contr Synod in partib Graeciae pro imaginibus adorandis say they idola nuncupamus sed ne idola nuncupentur adorare colere eas recusamus which is nothing but the iudgement of Gregory the first also that would not haue images worshipped Epiphanius haeres 79. saith that by worshipping of images the minde is turned from one only God to commit fornication with images all which notwithstanding the papists kisse them bow to them worship them light candles and burne incense vnto them or at the least before them argument 27 The barefooted brethren were condemned for their hereticall singularity in going barefoot Est alia haeresis saith Saint o De hares c. 68. Augustine nudis pedibus semper ambulantium yet this is accounted by the papists a part of their frierlike perfection who haue orders of men and women that go barefoot and beléeue it is meritorious to goe barefoot in pilgrimages and processions argument 28 The apostolikes notwithstanding their arrogant presumption in taking on them the name and profession of the apostles followers were condemned as heretiks for that they receiued none into their order that had wiues or possessed any thing in priuate Apostolici qui se isto nomine arrogantissimè vocauerunt saith Saint p De hares 40. Augustine eo quod non receperunt in suam communionem vtentes coniugibus res proprias possidentes quales habet ecclesia catholica monachos clericos plurimos where note I pray you how that Augustine saith that monks and clergy men had wiues and goods in property and how néere the papists come to this heresie condemning all monks and friers that possesse any goods in property and both monks and priests that match themselues in mariage though very honorable in the iudgement of the apostle argument 29 The Heraclites as saith Isidore were heretikes that receiued only monks and refused married folks to be of their company Monachos tantùm recipiunt saith q Orig. lib. 8. c. de hares he coniugia respuunt further they beleeue not that children dying yoong shall possesse the kingdome of heauen and doe not monks and friers and other sects among the papists beléeue the like do they not also exclude all infants dying before baptisme out of the kingdome of heauen albeit the parents did by all meanes endeuour to haue them baptized and doe they not place such in limbo puerorum which is either in hell or els the papists know not where it is argument 30 The Priscillianistes disioine married folks for religion sake Coniuges saith S. r Haeres 70. Augustine speaking of Priscillian quibus hoc malum potuerit persuadere disiungens viros à nolentibus foeminis foeminas à nolentibus viris likewise for hiding their wickednesse and filthinesse they made no account to forsweare themselues ſ Ibidem propter occultandas contaminatioens turpitudines suas habent in suis dogmatibus haec verba iura periura secretum prodere noli they doe also refuse to eat flesh as vncleane meat as S. Augustine testifieth And what do papists doe not they likewise separate married folks that vow monasticall religion and do they not holde that man or wife before marriage consummate may enter into a monasterie albeit the other party be most vnwilling Of othes also they make no account If thou be put to an oth say the t In annot in act 23. Rhemists to accuse catholikes for seruing God so they please to speake of papists worshipping idoles and hearing the idolatrous masse or to vtter any man to Gods enemies thus they call her Maiestie and the Iudges thou ought first to refuse such vnlawfull othes but if thou haue not constancy and courage so to doe yet know thou that such othes binde not in conscience and law of God but may and must be broken vnder paine of damnation where note that they aduise men to forsweare themselues vnder paine of damnation and that they call catholikes and Gods seruants such as are combined with the Pope and Spaniard and come with an intention to murder their dread Souereigne to raise rebellion or at least embrace the idolatrous religion of the pope this is also the resolution of the two traitors Allen and Parsons in their wicked resolutions of cases of conscience for the English nation through which they haue brought diuers yong men to the destruction both of bodie and soule Finally if papists did not account flesh vncleane why do the Carthusians forsweare flesh and why doe papists account it more holy to eat fish than flesh on fasting daies argument 31 The Helcesaits make Christ in heauen to differ from Christ on earth Christum saith u Haeret. fab lib. 2. c. de Helcesaeis Theodoret speaking of them non vnum dicunt sed hunc quidem infernè illum verò supernè eum olim in multis habitasse so likewise the papists beléeue and teach that Christ in heauen is visible and palpable and hath the fulnesse thicknesse and iust proportion of a body but their Christ on the altar they beléeue to be
be imperfectly and analogically argument 25 Saint Ambrose teacheth vs that to worship the crosse or crucifix is plaine idolatry and paganisme Inuenit Helena crucem domini saith h De qbitu Theodosi ◠he regem adorauit non lignum vtique quia hic Gentilis est error sed adorauit illum qui pependit in cruce he saith that Helene finding the crosse did adore her king that is Christ Iesus and not the wood because this is the error of the heathen idolaters he addeth also that she worshipped him that hung on the crosse i In epist ad Ioan. Hierosolym apud Hieron Epiphanius also sheweth that the image of Christ is not to be worshipped nor hung vp in churches for that he tore a vaile wherein such an image was figured and that contrary to scriptures as he saith inueni velum pendens in foribus eiusdem ecclesiae tinctum atque depictum habens imaginem quasi Christi saith Epiphanius and afterward cum hoc vidissem in ecclesia Christi contra authoritatem scripturarum hominis pendere imaginem scidi illud the papists therefore by the iudgement of Epiphanius place Christ his image in the church contrary to scriptures and like to the heathen idolaters worship the crosse giuing to it latria as to Christ Iesus himselfe argument 26 The worship also of angels which the papists practise is idolatrous for they pray vnto them k In litanijc saying sancte Michael sancte Gabriel sancte Raphael omnes angeli archangeli orate pro nobis they l In itinerario ad finem Breuiarij pray likewise to vnknowen angels they confesse their sinnes to them saying confite or beato Michaeli archangelo they set them out in imagery and bow to them and burne incense to them and kisse them finally they erect churches and altars and say masses in honour of angels all which to be idolatrous not onely the scriptures but also the fathers teach vs. non oportet Christianos say the fathers of the m Can. 35. councell of Laodicea derelicta ecclesia abire adangelos idolatriae abominandae congregationes facere Christians say they ought not to leaue the church of God and to assemble themselues idolatrously to worship angels they do also excommunicate such as worship angels as idolaters n In summa concil Laod. c. 35. ◠Carranza to wipe away this blot from the papists turneth angelos into angulos but Chrysostome and Theodoret in their commentaries and homilies vpon the epistle to the Colloss c. 2. 3. doe plainly shew that the councell condemned the worship of angels which they also condemne synodus quae conuenit Laodiceae saith Theodoret in epist ad Coloss c. 3. lege prohibuit ne precarentur angelos Nos non dico martyrum reliquias saith o In epist ad Riparium Hierome sed ne solem quidem Iunam non angelos non archangelos non cherubim non seraphim omne nomen quod nominatur in praesenti seculo in futuro colimus adoramus ne seruiamus creaturae potius quam creatori qui est benedictus in secula he saith p Haeres 79. that Christians do not worship or adore angels and signifieth that such worship is idolatrous as sauoring of seruice of creatures honoramus eos charitate saith saint Augustine lib. de ver relig c. 55. speaking of angels non seruitute nec eis templa construimus angelos adorari non vult that is God will not haue vs saith l Epiphanius to adore angels and againe angeli non capiunt talem glorificationem Augustine doeth therefore condemne the Angelikes as heretikes for that they worshipped angels Angelici saith he de haeres c. 39. in angelorum cultu inclinati argument 27 The papists worship the sacrament of the altar in the rubrike of the Romish misial after the words of consecration the priest is enioined to worship the sacrament hostiam consecratam genu flexo adorat likewise calicem genu flexo adorat the people also knocke their brests and adore it neither doe the papists deny but that the sacrament is to be adored latriae cultu that is with such worship as is due to God but the sacrament is a creature therefore they are plaine idolaters that worship it and this is prooued by the testimony of Epiphanius stultum est saith q Haeres 69. Epiphanius creaturam deificare reprobat autem primum praeceptum quod dicit dominum deum tuum adorabis ipsi soli cultum praestabis he saith it is a foolish thing to worship a creature as God and therefore prooueth that Christ is God and no creature because he is worshipped and for that the church doeth not worship a creature vnlesse therefore Christ be hypostatically and personally vnited to the sacrament those that worship the sacrament are idolaters as for those that worship vnconsecrated hostes the papists themselues deny not to be idolaters argument 28 They are also idolaters that worship the images and pictures of the virgine Mary of angels and saints departed this life the councell of Eliberis to auoid this idolatry r Can. 36. decréed picturas in ecclesijs esse non debere ne quod colitur aut adoratur in parietibus depingatur that is that pictures should not be in the church least any thing that is worshipped or adored should be painted on walles Non est dubium saith ſ Lib. 2. instit diuin c. 18. Lactantius quin religio nulla sit vbicunque simulachrum est nam si religio ex diuinis rebus est diuini autem nihil est nisi in caelestibus rebus carent ergo religione simulachra quia nihil potest esse coeleste in ea re quae fit ex terra he teacheth vs that there is no religion where images are worshipped as being earth and not sauoring of any heauenly or diuine quality or substance Inueni velum pendens in foribus eiusdem ecclesiae tinctum atque depictum saith t Ad Ioan. Hierosolym apud Hieronymous Epiphanius habens imaginem quasi Christi vel sancti non enim satis memini cuius imago fuerit cum ergo hoc vidissem in ecclesia Christi contra authoritatem scripturarum hominis pendere imaginem scidi illud and afterward Precor vt iubeas presbyteros eiusdem loci suscipere velum à latore quod à nobis missum est deinceps praecipere in ecclesia Christi istiusmodi vela quae contra religionem nostram veniunt non appendi he doth plainly shew that to place pictures images in churches is contrary to scriptures religion neither doth he only condemne heathen idoles but images in churches also Vnto this place our aduersaries answer that these words were not written by Epiphanius but soisted in by some other but in his booke against heresies he sheweth himselfe to be of the same opinion and doth strongly confirme that which is héere said Writing against the Collyridians haeres 79.
most lawfull e Theodorick Niem lib. 2. de schismae 36. Vrbane the sixth vpon pretence of a conspiracy against himselfe put diuers of his cardinals to death and proceeded with all rigour against such as were but a little suspected of practising against him neither did his aduersarie Clement vse a milder course against such as were taken practising against his faction f Iouio in vita de Leon. 10. Leo the tenth spared not Cardinall Petrucci but put him to death most cruelly for vttering some words tending to the alteration of the state of Siena although that city was no part of his dominions but onely recommended vnto him finally Clement the fift by the aide of the French king abolished the whole order of the Templars and of late the whole order of the Humiliati was suppressed and dissolued and diuers of them executed to death for a practise against the state of the Romish church and shall the Romish church and her agents be suffered without punnishment to practise against this state or can any reasonable or indifferent man iustly finde fault with the execution of such persons as haue bene taken practising the very aduersaries I thinke albeit very bold yet will not be so impudent to affirme it for hetherto their pleading hath bene that the massepriests and other Romanists are cleare from such practises Let vs sée therefore whether they speake truly or no. and albeit we should greatly wrong the state if we should dispute this point as a matter doubtfull yet let vs I say briefely touch it for satisfaction of the ignorant especially such as are strangers and vnacquainted with the triall of such priests friers and other the popes agents as haue bene executed in England as offending in cases of treason I say then that no one priest Iesuit or other papist in England hath beene executed for treason but he hath bene found guilty of practising against her Maiestie and the state or at the least aiding and assisting and intertaining of such practisers and seditious persons and that diuers of them haue either stood armed against the state in open rebellion or else ioined with the rebells and assisted them to their vttermost power and meanes and this appeareth first by faculties granted to Thomas Harding about the yeere 1567. for the reconciliation of the people to the pope and for the disturning of them from their obedience to the Prince for whatsoeuer the pretence was the end was sedition and rebellion he being appointed for nothing else but to be a forerunner of that filthy friers Impius Quintus his excommunication against the Queene secondly it is proued by the rebellion in the north anno 1569. which was stirred vp by one Nicholas Morton and other seditious priests thirdly by the rebellion and treason of the duke of Norfolke stirred vp by the pope as appeareth by the report of Hierome Catena in the life of Pius Quintus fourthly by the erection of two seminaries of treason the one erected at Doway anno 1569. and another at Rome anno 1579. or thereabout which were receptacles of such scattered and lost priests as had bene in rebellion and open schooles to teach treason to malcontent papists fiftly by the rebellion of the earle of Desmond in Ireland raised by the solicitation of Sanders the popes legat and set forward by diuers seditious priests and friers and other malcontents sixthly by the faculties of Parsons and Campian and their companions which came to make a way for the execution of the Popes bull seuenthly by the iudgement of Sanders and Bristow who commend these rebels and put them into the catalogue of martyrs Sanders in his 7. booke of his visible monarchy saith that the purpose of the earles of Westmerland and Northumberland and their followers in the northren rebellion was to bee praised albeit they had no succcesse nobilium illorum laudanda erant consilia he doth also call the rebellion pium institutum fidei confessionem that is a godly and deuout resolution and a plaine confession of the Romish faith neither doeth hée esteeme of them that were executed for that rebellion otherwise then of holy martyrs Bristow likewise in his fiftéenth motiue putteth the earle of Northumberland the two Nortons and two massing priestes called Woodhouse and Plomptree and others that were executed as principall actors in that rebellion in the catalogue of martyrs for now the pope doeth account rebellion for his cause good religion and celebrateth the memory of traitors for martyrs an eight argument is ministred vnto vs by the most scandalous and traitorous libell set out by Allen and printed not without the helpe of Parsons they say and other English traitors wherein they by all the meanes they can deuise doe exhort her Maiesties subiects in England and Ireland to take armes against her to seaze vpon her person and to deliuer her into the hands of her enemies they endeuour also to perswade them to forsake their allegeance and to ioine with forreine enemies The 9. argument may be drawne from the practise of Charles Paget with the earle of Northumberland anno domini 1583. that by all meanes solicited him to reuolt and to ioine with the French against the State The 10. is ministred vnto vs by the treacherous plot of Parsons and Hesket to draw in Ferdinand the late earle of Darby into action The 11. is grounded vpon the insurrection of Tyrone and the rest of that rascall rout stirred vp by Monford a priest yet lurking in England and diuers other seditious agents of the pope The last is that dangerous attempt of the late earle of Essexe which maketh my heart to bléed in respect of some priuate causes as oft as I remember it and moueth many to woonder that he should be made an instrument by these firebrands of sedition to set vp that religion which I thinke he neuer loued and my arguments are prooued good for that no one of those that haue béene executed for the popes cause can be named but either he was an agent in some of these practises or allowed them or were priuy vnto them nay I doe beléeue that if the question were asked of any Iesuit or Iesuited priest or any of their adherents he would not disallow the popes act or the acts of his agents in stirring vp rebellion in England and Ireland especially for matter of religion what others would doe I know not but hitherto we finde that they speake honorably of Card. Allen as of their foster father yet was he the most notorious and seditious traitor that euer this land bred Robert Parsons onely excepted that Parsons and Campian knew of a rebellion or change intended it is apparent by their petition to the pope wherein they doe onely prouide for their consorts rebus sic stantibus that is so long as the state of things did continue in termes as then it stood a certeine g Quod lib. 9. art 10. secular priest affirmeth that no
the Queene and her subiects alwaies but not the papists while matters stand in termes as now they doe but then onely when the bull may be put in execution so it appeareth by the facultie granted to Parsons and Campian that papists are a faction adhering to the pope resoluing to execute his bull assoone as they shal be able fiftly it cannot be denied but that such priests as came with the Spanish forces by sea or land either ann 1588. or ann 1597. or at any other time or that came with the popes or spanish forces into Ireland doe adhere to forrein enemies but of this sort there are diuers as may be prooued by the secular priests confessions in seuerall treatises and by the libell of cardinall Allen that Italienated traitor and alienated fugitiue that signifieth so much Parsons also is charged to haue thrust diuers English priests aboord the Adelantadoes ships being more then halfe forced to come against their country neither doe the rest of the priests and their adherents cease to conuerse with these secret traitors and to interteine them and to hide them sixtly b Deschism l. 3. Sanders doeth testifie that the schollars of the seminary at Doway are protected and maintained by king Philip the same king also caused other seminaries of English schollars to be erected in Spaine which no man doubteth but they adhere to the Spanish king so likewise the Romish seminaries and their schollars adhere to the pope for they take an oth and sweare to the pope and those of Spaine to the Spaniard as is testified by Nauarrus consil lib. 3. de regular consil 1. and Ribadineira de schism part 3. c. 21. seuenthly those that sweare to mainteine the Infantaes title to the crowne of England set downe by Robart Parsons a notorious traitor to the crowne of England must néeds adhere to the Spaniard but that is the case of all the English priests that are now vnder the Iesuits gouernment as appeareth by the testimonie of diuers treatises set out by the secular priests against the Iesuites and by Charles Pagets booke against Parsons the matter also is very euident and notorious to all that know the orders of the English seminaries of traitors fostered in Spaine 8. the Iesuits and their schollars are linked to the pope and spaniard to the pope swearing to goe whether he will send them to the Spaniard for his liberality toward them and for that he is ready alwaies to execute their trecherous deuises 9. diuers fugitiue English are the Spaniards and popes pentioners and sworne seruants 10. the archpriest and his adherents as they are enemies of the state and therefore hide their heads so are they dependents on the pope and Spaniard and professe themselues their clients finally you shall hardly finde either masse-priest or sound papist that will renounce the pope and take an oth to serue the Quéene either against the pope or Spaniard and if any do so they performe their seruice very slackly which if any doe endeuour to excuse because they take the pope to be Peters successor and the Spaniard to séeke nothing but to establish popish religion in England they shew themselues to be ignorant both of religion and matters of state for Peters successors of which number the pope is none haue a commission onely to féed Christes shéepe and not to cut their throtes c Important considerations p. 25. and the Spanish generall anno 1588. said openly that if he once came into England both catholikes and heretikes should be one to him so he might make way for his master and his reason was for that his sword could not discerne betweene them wherefore as the pope and Spaniard are professed enemies to her Maiestie and this state so all that adhere vnto them or fauour them and depend vpon them are traitors to their prince and countrey argument 6 It is also treason to send letters to enemies or rebells or to helpe them with aduise counsell or intelligence Maiestatis crimine tenetur saith d L. 1. ff ad l. Iuliam maicstatis Vlpian qui hostibus populi Rom. nuntium literásue miserit signúmue dederit feceritúe dolo malo quo hostes populi Rom. consilio inuentur aduersus remp the same is also adiudged treason both by Spanish French and the Popes lawes as English traitors if they should be taken writing or aduising the enemies to the Pope or Spaniard or french king should well know but the archpriest and his adherents both send letters and giue aduise to the Pope and Spaniard the best they can they doe also write to Irish and English rebels neither is there any almost of the Iesuited faction but he writeth to Parsons a notorious traitor and Allen while he liued was made acquainted by these fellowes of whatsoeuer passed in England either publickely or priuatly argument 7 Neither can any subiect cleare himselfe of treason that shall receiue letters or directions from forrain enemies as both lawes ciuill and martiall doe teach vs. in what case then is the archpriest Blackewell and his assistants and whole faction that continually receiue letters directions briefs and other instructions from forrain enemies and if these fellowes be so farre engaged in treason then are they not cleare that shall hide them and conceale them and maintaine them argument 8 By the common lawes of England it is treason not onely to take the crowne from the king or Quéene but also to séeke to dispossesse the right heire of his right or to translate the crowne to such as haue no right it is also a great wrong offered to the lawes and state to endeuour by supposed titles to defeat the intent of the law and to ouerthrow the fundamentall lawes of states is it not then to be wondred that no greater poursuit is made after Robert Parsons and the priests that come out of the seminaries of Rome and Spaine who either by oth or promise stand ingaged to promote I know not whether I should call it a title or a dreame of Parsons concerning a title by him cast vpon the Infanta of Spaine to the crowne of England The e Prooued by the treatises of secular priests same man also not long since offered the crowne to the duke of Parma and others neither wanteth he a number to consort with him especially of those that fauour the spaniard argument 9 Neither is it lesse then treason to forsake a mans country and contrary to the princes lawes and commaundement to runne to forrein enemies Paulus the lawyer doth account of such no otherwise then as of enemies Qui malo consilio saith f L. post liminium §. transfugae ff de Captiu postliâ—… he proditoris animo patriam dereliquit hostium numero habendus est neither do I suppose that either the Pope or Spaniard or any prince in the world doth otherwise account of their rinegued fugitiues theÌ„ of traitors which may in part also appeare by the
seuerity of the punnishment by law inflicted vpon such persons transfugae ad hostes saith the g L. si quis §. transfugae ff de paenis law aut viui exurantur aut furca suspendantur by this law it appeareth that our rinegued english Iesuits and priests haue great fauour that hitherto haue escaped the penalty of the law that adiudgeth men in their cases woorthy of such grieuous punnishment and certes séeing our aduersaries thinke it lawfull to burne men for transgressing the vaine traditions of men as for example for reading of an english testament for eating flesh in lent and such like they cannot say but such as seeke the destruction of their country and runne to forrain enemies deserue with all seuerity to be punnished that our masse-priests haue forsaken their countrey to flie to the enemies it cannot be denied nay in the cases of conscience resolued by Allen and Parsons cap. 1. cas 1. cap. 3. they are taught by prety equiuocations to deny their country argument 10 The Roman lawes adiudge him a traitor which fraudulently enforceth a man to to take an oth to doe an act against the state h L. cuiusque ff ad l. Iuliam maiest cuius dolo malo saith Sceuola iureiurando quis adactus est quo aduersus remp faciat likewise i L. quisquis c. ad legem Iuliam maiestatis Arcadius and Honorius pronounce him a traitor qui scelestam cum militibus vel priuatis vel barbaris inierit factionem aut factionis eius sacramentum susceperit vel dederit that is which shall enter into a wicked faction with soldiers with priuate men or barbarous nations or shall either giue or take an othe to maintaine that faction the Romans did therefore call conspirators Coniuratos because those that entended treason against the state did binde themselues one to another by an oth not onely to kéepe matters secret but also to prosecute the intended treason with effect If then the Iebusits and seminary men take an oth to their superior of blinde obedience as they call it to the Pope that they shall goe whether he will send them to the Spaniard to serue him faithfully to Robert Parsons to maintaine the title of the Infanta of Spaine how can they excuse themselues from treason in this point if they deny that they take such othe not onely their owne conscience but also the testimony of Nauarrus consil lib. 3. de regularib cons 1. and Ribadineira lib. 3. de schism c. 21. and the confession of diuers seculer priests in diuers treatises published against the Iesuits and their faction will plainly conuince them argument 11 Likewise as in warre enemies are discerned from friends by the word and some priuy note so traitors in ciuill dissention are knowen from true subiects by this that those haue their words and notes of faction whereby one of them knoweth another and as in warres those are taken for enemies that cary the enemies signal so in ciuill gouernment those are vndoubtedly traitors and enemies that are marked with the priuy signes of traitors and enemies the papists therefore that carie about with them their agnus dei their graines their consecrated beades and such other trash and are shorne and greased for the popes shéepe and Spanish seruants are vndoubtedly by all reason to be taken for traitors And if any reply that it is a ridiculous and strange law that men should be reputed traitors for bringing in or hauing the popes bulles and an agnus dei and blessed graines medalles and such toies it may be answered that not to haue these things simply is treason but to haue them as markes of faction and signes to discerne the heard of anthichrist from others and that doe the papists well know Allen also and Parsons in their hellish resolutions of cases of conscience affirme that such medalles and graines binde men in deuotion to the popes see which they call apostolike haec grana metalla benedicta say k Resolut c. 1. cas 2. they multum conferre possunt ad afficiendos populos erga apostolicam sedem againe to be shorne a priest and greased after the popish maner in it selfe is not so much treason as superstition and false religion but when it is knowen that such greased goates are signed for the popes and Spaniards agents in England to set forward the Spanish inuasion or the Popes cause he is very simple that doeth not vnderstand him to be a traitor whose pole is shorne by the pope and his faction and who carieth with him the marks of the Spanish faction argument 12 It is treason also to conspire the death and destruction of principall men about the prince that are his principall agents in the gouernment of the state and this is not only according to the lawes of England but also according to the Romane lawes l L. quisquis Cod. ad l. Iuliam maiestatis Arcadius and Honorius pronounce them guiltie of treason which shal by faction attempt to murder their principal counsellors or officers and the reason is for that they in doing iustice are but the princes lieutenants and doe nothing but his commandement in this point therefore the Iesuites and priests are no lesse guilty then in the rest the pope he excommunicateth not onely the Quéene but all that doe adhere vnto her and doe her seruice being therefore to execute the popes bull as calues begotten by the bull of Bashan the pope the priests and Iesuites must néeds séeke first the destruction of these principall men then of the rest furthermore we are giuen to vnderstand that one principall point of Parsons and other Iesuites consultations is how to procure certeine principall men to be either made away or disgraced in the meane while being not able to doe worse Parsons and Creswell vnder the title of Andreas Philopater and others haue set out most vilanous libels against her Maiesties principall counsellers officers and agents argument 13 It is also treason to betray her Maiesties armie or any part of her forces into her enemies hands or for a captaine or soldier to yéeld vp any towne deliuered vnto him to kéepe héerein therefore Stanley and Yorke and their followers shewed themselues to be notable traitors to deliuer vp Deuenter and their soldiers into the Quéenes enemies hands Allen also and all his schollars and followers that allowed that fact shewed themselues to be traitors in applauding to their disloialty and wickednesse argument 14 The latter Romane m Extr. feud c. qui sunt rebaelles emperors doe declare them to be rebels and disloiall traitors which either openly or conuertly doe the works of rebels or practise against the prosperity of the state in this case therefore are they that either oppugne or deny the princes right and title or else aduance the right of forrain potentates to dispose of the crowne or els which practise against the person of their soueraigne lord as saith Socinus the yonger lib.
3. consil 105. and Alciat consil 456. or that shall conspire against the state of the prince or common welth as may be proued by the testimony of Baldus consil 58. sequent and Alexander consil 13. lib. 6. and Iason consil 86. lib. 3. or that shall make peace or contract friendship with the princes enemies as saith Decius consil 604. 605. or finally that shall doe any act preiudiciall to the prince or state especially if they be subiects and bound by their naturall allegeance to the prince and state all which points doe nearely touch Robert Parsons Creswel Walpoole and other rectors and scholars of the english seminaries a broad the archpriest Blackewell his adherents and al massepriests and pensioners of the Pope and Spaniard both abroad and at home all that intertaine intelligence with traitors and any way releiue them and finally all factious malcontents that are offended with the present state or present gouernors and practise or endeuour to worke innouation in the gouernment and as for Parsons Creswel Garnet and other Iebusits and cananites that are archplotters of treasons against the prince and state there is no question to be made but they are traitors the n In the epistle before the treatise of important considerations secular priests charge Parsons Creswel Garnet and Blackwell to be wicked members and shew that they haue sought to bring in forrain enemies into England to the ouerthrow not onely of many noble families but also of the whole state The author of the Quodlibets quodlib 8. art 10. confesseth that the English seminaries beyond the seas are greatly degenerated from their primitiue foundation and that now the heads of the scholars are filled with treacheries aequiuocations dissimulation hypocrisie and all kinde of falshood and that now priests in their missions are bound to take an oth for the setting foorth the Spanish Infantaes title but if he had said nothing thereof yet we vnderstand that the seminaries beyond the sea are nothing els but dennes wherein yoong traitors are fostered vp for the restoring of the popes tyranny and the furthering of the Spanish inuasion therein also for many yéeres no other consultations haue béene more rife than how to bring her Maiestie to destruction or to raise a rebellion or to worke some hurt to the state or to some principall gouernors thereof As for the archpriest and his faction wherein I comprehend the prouinciall Garnet and other viperous Iesuites it is méere simplicitie not to vnderstand that they are still working against the prince and state and haue wholly deuoted themselues bodie and soule to serue the Pope and Spaniard To the pope they complaine and from him they receiue not only authoritie and direction but commissions also and faculties grants to sell licences for eating white meat dispensations in diuers cases and to traffike for beads graines and other such like merchandise of Babylon O simple papists that suffer your selues to be abused with these montebanks charlatanes impostors and cousening merchants O vnwise people that prefer these toies and this most vaine trash and other tricks of popish superstition before true religion before your allegiance to your prince and your loue to your countrey and as if you were bewitched run your selues headlong into danger for loue of those vaine toies to ioine with enemies that hate your countrey and care not a straw for you if they may obteine their owne wicked purposes All those likewise that enterteine intelligence with Parsons and such like traitors or with rebels or ioine in any practise to further forren enemies or to hurt the state which are many abroad and at home both priests and others can not cleere themselues of treason Finally whosoeuer is a true papist and according to Bellarmines o Lib. de ecclesia militant c. 2. definition liueth in subiection to the pope must needs be a false traitor to her Maiestie and this countrey as the case now standeth for if euery papist be bound to obey the popes sentence and to hold them excommunicate and deposed whom the pope shall excommunicate and depose as most papists teach and none dare deny that beléeueth the popes power and authoritie then if the Pope haue excommunicated and deposed her Maiestie they are bound to hold her excommunicate and deposed and to concurre with him and his wicked agents as oft as he will command and charge them to make ready for the execution of his sentence Againe if as Allen a notorious traitor in the iustification of Stanley teacheth euery papist in all warres which may happen for religion is bound in conscience to employ his peâ—son and forces by the popes direction viz. how far when and where either at home or abroad he shal be directed then is euery papist bound to be a rebell and traitor as oft as the pope pleaseth and commandeth and this sequele the secular priests also confesse in their p Pag. 24. treatise of important considerations to be good and acknowledge that this is Allens doctrine contrariwise if so be a man do not regard the popes sentence excommunication and direction then he is no papist neither may he euer looke for the popes blessing argument 15 Finally it is treason not onely to practise against the prince and state but also to abet to mainteine to aide to relieue or conceale such practisers and traitors By the common lawes of England all that are accessaries in cases of treason are punished as principals likewise the Romane lawes punished not only the principall actors in treason and rebellion but also their abetters counsellers and aiders as lawyers teach in their commentaries in l. proximum l. cuiusque and l. maiestatis ad l. Iuliam maiestatis the same also may be gathered out of the text of the law Finally this is vsuall in all crimes as both the q L. 16. qui epem ff de furto ibid. dd ciuill and r 11. q 3. c. qui consentit extr de homicidio c. ficut dignum canon lawes doe teach vs. but few papists of any note can be found in England but they haue either consulted with traitorous priests and Iesuites or relieued them or receited them or had intelligence with them let them therefore thanke God for the fauor which this state bestoweth on them without all desert of theirs and beware hereafter that they send no reliefe to seminaries abroad nor receit such traitors at home nor haue any dealing with such as are knowen to depend vpon forren enemies The state hath had excéeding patience in their behalfe hitherto but euen most patient persons by continuall prouocations may be vrged to change their course Å¿ Cicero de legibus lib. 3. Salus populi suprema lex est the safetie of the state is a matter aboue all others to be regarded t L. lex ff de legibus the law also without punishment of offenders is dead Lex saith Papinian est delictorum quae sponte vel
ignorantia contrahuntur coercitio u Ibidem l. legis virtus Modestinus teacheth vs that the life and efficacy of the law consisteth in commanding forbidding permitting and punishing take away execution and punishment and you not only ouerthrow the law but the state also Now if any offence deserue punishment then sure traitors may not thinke to escape that séeke to dissolue both lawes and state Treason saith x Rerum Graec. lib. 2. Xenophon is so much more dangerous by how much it is more difficult to take heed of traitors than of enemies with our enemies we may be reconciled but traitors are neuer to be trusted the offence being so great many extraordinary courses are taken in the repressing of treasons In hoc atrocissimo delicto saith a certeine y Clarus sententiar lib. 5. §. laesae maiest lawyer lex nonnulla specialia introduxit and commonly such persons are most hatefull I haue learned saith z In prometheo Aeschylus to hate traitors neither is any villany more hatefull than treason Traitors are common enemies to all men that loue the state or their liege Souereigne Omnium communis est hostis saith a Lib. 1. accusat in Verrem Tully qui hostis est suorum Who then would not hate them that wickedly consort themselues with the Pope and Spaniard against the state The prince hath principall reason to represse this faction for she carieth not the sword for nothing and if she should neglect the danger in regard of her owne particular yet will shée not neglect their safetie whose estate dependeth so much vpon the saftie of her person further she hath little cause giuen her to extend her clemency to this viperous generation and their adherents that shew extreme malice in séeking the destruction of her kingdome by bringing in forren enemies they haue also slandered her Maiesties noble father herselfe her friends her seruants and the whole state as appeareth by Sanders his booke of schisme by Andreas Philopater Didimus Veridicus and diuers other infamous libels set out by Parsons and other wicked Iesuites Finally no prince can endure such to haue the benefit of subiects that will neither acknowledge his souereignty nor submit themselues to lawes The ecclesiasticall state may not endure either Baals priests to set vp idolatry or false teachers to broch false doctrine and priuily to bring in superstition and heresie Her Maiesties councell assuredly will not winke at any practise or complot against their prince and country but with all seuerity will procéede against the authors of them and all their factious partakers The chiefe officers and nobility of the relme haue no reason to beare with them which by alteration of state séeke to depriue them of their honors and to dispose of their lands and goods at their pleasure neither is it the part of a generous and noble english minde to suffer themselues to be disgraced and ouerruled if not tirannized by Parsons his councell of reformation by Italians and Spaniards and the very scumme of all villany The reuerend iudges will neuer suffer such to escape vnpunished as séeke the subuersion of iustice neither may lawiers endure those that goe about to ouerthrow their countrey lawes and to bring in strange lawes and to rule all by force and violence as may appeare by Parsons trecherous plots and his most infamous councell of reformation All true subiects I suppose will rather die then suffer the tyranny of strangers and therefore I néed not animate either her Maiestie or the ecclesiasticall state or her councell or her chiefe agents or her nobility or iudges or the lawiers or the rest of her subiects to encounter and to resist the plots of these Iebusits and traiterous massepriests that séeke for the establishment of their massing ceremonies and most wicked religion to bring in strangers to cut their owne countrymens throtes to abuse their wiues and daughters and finally to destroy this flourishing kingdome and their owne most deare country the safety of the common welth as all politicks know and b Arist polit lib. 3. c. 3. teach is the common worke of all true citizens and well minded subiects and I doubt not but as all men detest such as oppugne the state so they will all ioine together and haue a vigilant eie to looke to their execrable plots entended against the state Finally reason and experience may teach the papists that howsoeuer some of them hope to win by shuffling of matters of state yet that most of them shall rather loose then winne they may also see that many haue lost their liues and liuings that haue bene practisers in rebellion and treason and forrain aides doe commonly first oppresse those that vse them and finally forsake them examples hereof they may sée in the rebellion of the north and of Ireland if they be not blinde and consider them they may if they will be led with reason Wherefore I doubt not but as all men may sée the treasons of priests and Iesuits and their adherents to be made manifest so they shall shortly sée the execution of lawes against them that such as haue bene executed for practising in the popes cause are no martyrs as papists giue out it may easily be proued for euen the aduersaries themselues will confesse that traitors against the prince and state are no martyrs vnlesse therefore Parsons can cleare his consorts of those points of treason which I haue declared and obiected and shew that they adhered not to forrain enemies nor had intelligence with traitors that sought the destructoon of the prince and state nor offended in any other points of treason before rehearsed he must néeds confesse himselfe and his consorts to be rather in state of treason then martyrdome Secondly martyrs died in time past for the testimony of Christ Iesus but such papists as haue bene executed in England of late yeares haue died for the maintenance of antichrists tyranny and packing with forren enemies and matter of treason against the prince and state and for other offences deseruing death and this is manifestly proued by the enditements framed against them by the depositions of witnesses confessions of the parties and the whole forme of their triall iudgement and execution neither is it materiall that some were accused for bringing in or hauing of medalles or graines others for being made priests by the popes faction others for reconciling men to the pope which are points as the papists say of their popish religion for albeit medalles and graines are not simply of themselues notes of treason yet seeing the pope doeth vse them as marks of his faction it were simplicity not to vnderstand that such as vse them are of his adherents Againe to be a priest simply in it selfe is no treason but if priests that are ordred by the popes faction take an oth of obedience to him that is our enimie and are bound to set foorth his cause for the regaining of England to his
tormenta sunt quà m corona victoriae his meaning is that they cannot be martyrs that séeke the applause of the multitude for vain-glory die obstinate in their opinions if then the popes agents in England sought nothing more then their owne glory praise and the applause of the pope and cardinals and the simple people adhering vnto them it were but a simple imagination to suppose them to be martyrs Christian martyrs certes sought not their owne glory nor the applause of men nor did they solicite the inuasion of their countrey and domesticall tumults that they might reigne like yoong lords Eightly it was not the fashion of martyrs in ancient time to renounce their kings and soueraigne princes to refuse to acknowledge their authority for wel they knew that the apostle had taught them obedience not rebellion nor contumacious resisting against the princes power omnis anima saith k Rom. 13. he potestatibus sublimioribus subdita sit neither did the holie martyrs of Christs church set out most slanderous libels against men in authority or allow any such course finally we doe not read that euer any godly martyr did beare armes against lawfull princes or go about to depose them or murder them vpon bishops or other mens commandement whatsoeuer Hieremy he had more authority then hath the pope constitui te hodie super gentes saith l Hierem. 1. God vnto him that is I haue appointed thee ouer nations and he had power to pull vp to destroy yet we read not that he commanded any prince to be deposed or murdred but Campian and his consorts whom the papists notwithstanding celebrate repute martyrs did disclaime her Maiesties authority and adhered to the popes declaration as appeareth by their answers yet to be séene all priests also that come from Rome in their cases of conscience which they will not deny are taught to deny her Maiestie to bee their lawfull Queene Robert Parsons Campians fellow hath since his execution prooued a notorious libeller both the pretended martyrs themselues haue set out slanderous libels against their prince and the state and haue well liked of the slandrous and lying writings of Sanders Harpsfield Ribadineira Rishton Parsons Bristow Creswell others When the army of the Pope Spaniard was ready to come for England anno 1588. then was Parsons they say very busie in printing pope Sixtus his scandalous declaration against her Maiestie and Allens railing and scurrilous letters to the nobility and people of England and Ireland A m In an answere to a libell set out by Parsons friend of his also doth charge him that his finger was both in the making and dispersing that infamous libell and yet the pretended popish martyrs would neither mislike the authors nor these wicked libels nor any thing els that might worke disgrace either to her maiesty or the state Finally the earle of Northumberland and the two Nortons and diuers priests whom Bristow in his Motiues and Sanders in his books De visibili Monarchia and diuers others do celebrate for martyrs are in the Crowne office and publike records registred for men of a far diuers qualitie Among these certes the earle of Northumberland and the Nortons were principall actors in the rebellion anno 1569. and diuers of the rest were spotted with other treasons But percase it is a matter not vnusuall for the pope to put those in the Calender of martyrs whom publike executioners register in their books for rebels and traitors in which ranke it may be that Iames Clement that murdered king Henry the third of France and Ghineard the Iesuite that allowed that murder and was therefore executed and Chastell that assaulted Henry the fourth of France now reigning shall sometime or other be entred and be reputed as good saints as the best No martyrs of Christ Iesus did euer suppose it a thing lawfull to breake their others of allegeame to their princes vpon any excommunication or other warrant of popes or bishops n In Chronic. Auentin annal 7. Sigebertus Gemblacensis saith it is a pernitious heresie to beleeue that the pope can discharge subiects from the bond of an oth and from their allegeance but the popes martyrs or rather vnnaturall and churlish masâ—ifs did not only take themselues to be discharged from their allegeance and ioyned with forren enemies but also perswaded as many as they could to take armes against their prince and countrey In ancient records of ecclesiasticall stories we do not reade that any martyr of Christ Iesus did euer denie his name qualitie kindred and prince all together nor that they vsed equiuocations and dissembled their faith nor finally that they went apparelled like spadassins and ruffians but these pretended popish martyrs doe not only all this but also are resolued by Allen and Parsons that it is lawfull so to do The o Resolut quorundam casuum nationis Anglicanae c. 1. case being put vtrum sacerdos possit habitum mutare comam nutrire nomen patriam parentes negare they answer thus potest nec videtur in ea re dubium potest enim quis veritatem tacere vel dissimulare The same good fellowes determine also quod dissimulatio est licita that is that dissimulation is lawfull and afterwards they say it is pious to vse dissimulation for that it is lawfull to lay ambuscadoes for enemies so it appeareth they take all their countreymen that fauor the state for enemies and would take them in ambuscadoes if they could and this if we looke not to it they haue fully purposed and resolued as may appeare by their resolued cases Concerning the Queene they say shee is not lawfull the more they to blame that holde them for lawfull subiects Regina haeretica say p Ibidem they non est legitimè regina and againe non gerit se vt reginam sed exercet tyrannidem Finally the disciples of these traitors are taught to renounce their countrey and to giue no respect to their parents if they be not of the Romish religion It was not the fashion of Christian martyrs in times past to vse machiauelian tricks nor to equiuocate in places of iudgment nor to forswere themselues being examined and interrogated by their superiors but the schoolemasters of our popish priests and the popes calues and designed popish mastifs doe enforme them that they may doe both without any scruple of conscience sciant say q Ibidem c. 3. cas 3. they se vti posse aequiuocationibus iurare sine peccato Now by aequiuocations they meane promises and othes made not according to common and literall meaning nor according to the vnderstanding of the iudge but according to a certaine hidden meaning of the party and by swearing they vnderstand false forswearing according to our common vnderstanding they r Ibidem teach also that a priest is no more to regard an oth to the Queenes officers then if he should sweare to pirates
and robbers are not these gallant fellowes then trow you that suppose the Queenes iustices to be like pirates and robbers and that pirates and robbers may as well spoile men by the high way as they deale with priests according to her Maiesties lawes Finally no hereticks nor miscreants can iustly be reputed martyrs albeit they die for their false conceites and opinions the Donatists died desperatly so likewise did the hereticks called Euphemitae which for the multitude of their supposed martyrs would needs be called Å¿ Epiphan haeres 80. Martyriani yet did the church of god no otherwise account of them then as of leud hereticks and not as of martyrs as appeareth by the testimony of Eusebius Epiphanius Augustine and other fathers We read also in histories that Turks Tartares Mores oftentimes die most resolutely or rather desperatly for the blasphemous opinions of Mahomet that the t Matth. Paris Assassins that were a sect of desperate cutthrotes like to the Iebusits that desperately would aduenture to dispatch whomsoeuer their generall commanded them to murder suffered death most willingly and constantly and this they accounted a speciall point of their bloody religion yet it were mere madnesse to repute such fellowes martyrs why then should the papists that haue broken their necks and died for the popes cause whom we haue clearely proued to be hereticks be accounted martyrs nay why should rebels traitors and Assassins such as Parrye who by the Cardinall of Comoes letters the popes promises was enduced to lay violent hands on her Maiestie such like wicked men be named martyrs if because they are put in the popes calender it may be easily replied that as at Rome they are put in the popes calender so at Newgate such places they are put in the hangmans calender further it is Christs trueth and not the popes faction that maketh martyrs Those therefore that died in the popes quarrell are traitors and not martyrs and that will be the case also of all their consorts if they passe that way which I would haue not onely all Iesuits and massepriests to consider but also all those that like their humors and opinions neither is it materiall that grace hath bene offered to some that haue bene executed for treason if they would haue renounced the pope his trecherous doctrine and faction for that sheweth not that the parties to whom this grace was offered were no traitors but rather her Maiesties great clemency that was willing to pardon all of whom any hope might be conceiued that they would become good subiects so likewise if a man should offer pardon to an Assassin it doth not proue that such as murder men vpon a leud conceit of wrong religion died as martyrs If then the papists be not the true church I trust all true Christians will avoid them if their doctrine be neither ancient nor catholicke I hope true catholicks will no longer suffer themselues to be abused by them if they be hereticks they will I trust for very shame forbeare to impute heresies to true Christians if massepriests be idolaters I hope religious Christians will take order with them as godly kings did with Baals priests finally if massepriests and the popes agents haue so farre engaged themselues in treason I hope all true subiects will learne to detest popery not onely in regard that it is a false religion but also because it is a packe of leud opinions borne out with all fraud vileny and treason which because it floweth from the forge of Antichristes authority and inuention let vs beséech God to reueale dayly more and more the man of sinne that such as now are abused by him may forsake him and serue God in spirit and trueth according to his holy word And thus much may serue for the declaration and iustification of my challenge it resteth now that I answere my aduersaries exceptions and cauils An answere first vnto such exceptions as by a certaine namelesse and worthlesse fellow are taken to the Challenge precedent and next vnto the same parties most idle obseruations Thereto also is added a briefe of certaine notorious falsifications and vntruthes of the Papists Chap. 1. An answere to Owlyglasses exceptions concerning thirteene vntruthes supposed to be contained in M. Sutcliffes Chaâ—lenge Sect. 1. The first supposed vntruth cleared IN 19. pages of my challenge and all direct contrary to the doctrine of Papists Owliglasse cannot find so much as any occasion of cauill In the 20. pagâ—rapiâ—… numb 10. in my former and in the latter cap. 4 numb 43. bee taketh holde of this that I say That the Papists vse exorcismes blowings salt spittle halowed water annoyntings light and diuers ceremonies neither vsed by the Apostles nor practised by the ancient Church And this sayth he is an vntruth so manifest that Caluin doth confesse it Owlyglasse talking of vntruths in others himselfe vttereth two grosse vntruths in the first charge But what if it be true and what if Master Caluin do not confesse that which I say to bee vntruth Is not Owlyglasse where he goeth about to detect me of one vntruth manifestly takeÌ„ in a tray and detected to haue vttered two vntruthes in one breath he cannot though he would denie it Well then let vs see first whether my wordes containe vntruth and next whether Caluin confesseth so much or no. Of my proposition there are two partes First I denie that the Apostles vsed these ceremonies now in question and secondly I denie that they were practised by the auncient Church of Christ Iesus Now against the first part of my wordes Owliglasse can obiect nothing neither doth hee so much as touch it But weÌ„t he about to alledge any thing yet the Hystorie of the Actes of the Apostles and Christ his institution would refute his allegations For in neither of the two are any such ceremonies to be found Agaynst the second part he alledgeth Caluins wordes Instit lib. 4. ca. 15. art 19 for exufflations halowing of water annoynting and light and for exorcismes in baptisme he produceth Nazianzen For salt hee quoteth the words of Origen For spittle he citeth the wordes of Ambrose and the name of Petrus Chrysologus But neither doth Caluin nor any of these fathers mention either the vse of the Apostles or practise of the ancient Church nor doth any father speake of all these ceremonies together nor can the practise of the Romish Church in the signes and formes of these ceremonies be iustified by fathers either to haue béene in the whole Church or in any one singular Church nor to come nearer to our aduersaries can any one concludent argument be drawne out of any of the Fathers agaynst that which I teach Caluin sayth He knoweth how ancient the ceremonies of exufflation Lib. 4. instit ca. 15 num 19 halowing of water of annoynting and lights is Which if I should confesse yet could not Owlyglasse conclude that such ceremonies were vsed in the time of the
fellow that could not see that the communion might bee administred to the sicke although the sacrament was not hung ouer the altar in a boxe Ambros de Oâ—it Theodos Satyrus kept the sacrament about him in shipwracke and a certaine woman of whom Cyprian maketh mention kept sanctum domini in her chest but our aduersarie is a simple disputer that would haue the abuses of simple women and men vnchristened such as Satyrus then was obserued for lawe Beside that it is one thing to hang the sacrament ouer the altar and another thing to put it in a womans chest or to lappe it vp in a clout for this the Romanistes themselues allow not Caluin 4. institut 17. sect 39. confesseth that the sacrament was in olde time reserued But he doth not say as our aduersarie insinuateth that this was the order of the church Finally our aduersary himselfe purposing to proue that the sacrament was kept in pixes ouer the altar concludeth only that the sacrament was kept abandoning the pixes to be defended by some other his dealing therefore sauoureth of great simplicitie if not of fraud and malice and vanitie But that which I said is most true and is at large iustified in my discourse of the masse against Bellarmine and is prooued first by the wordes of our Sauiour who instituting this holy sacrament tooke bread blessed it and broke it and gaue it to his Disciples saying take eate where I would wish that simple Papists would consider that he said take and eate and not depart without eating or els keepe the sacrament in boxes or hang it ouer the altar Secondly the Apostle 1. cor 11. declareth that the disciples of our Sauiour at his last supper did take and eate and drinke How then happeneth it that the massepriests doe not deliuer the sacrament to the people but hang it ouer the altar Will they prooue themselues to be not onely sacrificers and killers of Christ but also hangmen of Christ and the very famishers of Gods people Thirdly the fathers giue cleare testimonie against our aduersaries that keepe the sacrament in pixes Apolog. 2. ad Antonin De ijs quae cum gratiarum actione consecrata sunt saith Iustine Martyr vnusquisque participat eademque ad eos qui absunt diaconis dantur perferenda Dominus panem saith Origen hom 5. in Leuit. c. 7. quem discipulis dabat dixit accipite manducate non distulit nec seruari iussit in crastinum they both signifie that the sacraments presently vpon consecration were receiued Hesychius also writing vpon Leuit. lib. 2. cap. 8. sheweth that what remained of the sacrament the same was forthwith consumed Fourthly councels haue repressed the lewde customes of such as in auncient time began to reserue the sacrament The first councell of Toledo c. 14. decreeth that he ought to be thrust out of the Church as a sacrilegious person which eateth not the sacrament which he receiueth from the Priest the like decree is found in the councell of Saragossa c. 3. Fiftly we doe finde the practise of Christ his church to be repugnant to this reseruation of the sacrament in pixes as appeareth by the testimonie of Dionysius eccles hierarch c. 3. of Ambrose de sacramentis lib. 4. 5. of Euagrius lib. 4. c. 35. of Nicephorus lib. 17. c. 25. and all auncient formularies of administring the sacraments Finally the aduersaries themselues in this point ouerthrow their owne practise as appeareth by the chapter Tribus gradibus and the chapter Triforme de consecrat dist 2. and the chapter sâ—ne cum olim de celebrat miss that declareth Honorius to be the first bringer in of pixes if then Owlyglasse haue no more to say in this point he will rather carie pixes out then bring them into the church He will also ouerthrow the worthie decrée of Honorius the principall patron of the idolatrous worship of the sacrament in the Romish Church and disgrace himselfe whose words are like painted boxes full of empty words Sect. XII That the prayers of the Romish Church to our Ladie to Saints and to Angels were not in vse in the auncient Church IN most of his obiections Owlyglasse doth not only giue the lye vnto me but to the whole Church for that which I say concerning diuers pointes of popish religion is also mantained by the consent of Christs Church as may appeare by that which already is aunswered concerning the abuse of the sacrament prohibitions of mariage and such like In this place I touch an abuse of Popish prayers and say that auncient Christians had noe mediators but Christ Iesus and that they did not pray to our Lady or to Saints or to Angels but to God onely in the name of Christ Iesus Of which assertion the first parte is proued by the words of the Apostle 1. Tim. 2. Vnus deus saith he Vnus mediator dei hominum homo christus Iesus Likewise by the words of the Apostle Hebr. 7. Whereby we vnderstand that our mediator must be pure and impolluted and offer vp himselfe and Hebr. 9. where Christ is called the mediator of a new testament and hath that office ascribed vnto him only to intercede and mediate for vs with God Secondly by the testimony of S. Austine lib. 2. contra Parmen c 8. Si Ioannes ita diceret saith he haec scripsi vobis vt non peccetis si quis peccauerit nos mediatoreÌ„ habebitis apud patreÌ„ ego exoro pro peccatis vestris sicut Parmenianus quodam loco mediatorem posuit episcopum inter populum deum quis eum ferret bonorum fidelium christianorum Albeit the Bishop doth intercede and pray for the people yet Austine will not haue him called a mediator Thirdly the same is proued by diuers arguments drawne froÌ„ the nature of a mediator He must be pure and impolluted and able to reconcile vs to God by his death and merites he must offer sacrifice for vs he must mediate our peace with God the Father as may be gathered out of the 7. and 9. chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews he must also be able to make a propitiation for our sinnes as it is to be gatherered out of the 1. Iohn 2. and finally he must be such a one as can heare vs and procure our requestes to be granted But neither are Saints departed so pure and impolluted that they can oppose their holinesse to Gods iustice nor are they able to reconcile vs vnto God by their merites Nay themselues néede Christs mediation and therefore cannot mediate for others further it is derogatory to Christs priesthood to make them priests able to reconcile vs to God and then appoynt them mediators to make God propitious vnto vs. Finally Saints cannot be in all places to heare the prayers of those that call vpon them nor are they able to giue vs that we aske nor doe they allow those that leauing Christ Iesus come to theÌ„ Owlyglasse aunswereth to this point and
pennance that is inioyned them Otherwise in his life time he is shut out of the Church and after his death prohibited christian buriall The councell of Trent Sess 14. c. 6. saith that auricular confession is necessary vnto saluation by the law of God Francis à victoria lib. de sacrament c. de confessione saith that a man being at the point of death is bounde by Gods law to confesse to a Priest If I say he had but one sparke of honestie or graine of modestie he would not haue affirmed that this maner of auriculer confession had béene ordayned by Christ hauing neither testimony of scriptures nor standing with the doctrine of the fathers Delicta sua quis intelligit saith the Prophet Psalm 18. How then can a man confesse all his sins which no maÌ„ is wel able to conceiue nor the papists in their multiforme cases of consciences able to eâ—presse Secondly the Prophet saith that at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne God will put all his wickednesse out of his remembrance If a sinner therefore repent he may haue remission of sinnes without auriculer confession Thirdly the fathers doe refell this confessionall doctrine nondico vt confitearis peccata conseruo tuo saith Chrysostome Homil. 2. in Psalm 50. qui exprobret dicito deo qui curet ea I say not confesse thy sinnes to thy fellow seruant which may reproch it to thee but speake to God which careth for such matters Ambrose vpon the 10. of Luke c. 96. saith hee readeth of Peters teares but not of his satisfaction And againe let teares saith he wash your sinnes that by word you are ashamed to confesse Lib. 10. confess c. 3. what haue I to doe saith Saint Augustine with men that they should heare my coÌ„fessions as if they were to heale my griefes Cassian also collat 20. c. 9. teacheth men to confesse to God such thinges as they blush to confesse to men Fourthly it is an absurd thing to say Christ ordained coÌ„fessioÌ„ not to be able to proue it out of the scriptures Fiftly if confeson of all sinnes were necessarie then who should escape damnation Sixtly Papistes themselues bring diuers cases wherin they say coÌ„fession is not necessary the Pope dispenseth in case of omisssion of confession which sheweth that confession is not iuris diuini nor necessary to saluation Finally Nectarius Bishop of Constantinople tooke a way a kind of auriculer confession for publike sinnes which was vsed in that Church as Sozomenus testifieth And this is sufficient to cleare me of all vntruth obiected against me by Owlyglasse If he thinke otherwise or if any man will not be perswaded let him orderly answere this and other latin treatises which I haue written concerning diuers of these seuerall causes If they cannot let them leaue for shame to belche out their wicked slaunders against vs that shall alway be able to iustifie our allegations and writings better then the aduersaries that care not much how falsely they speake or write CHAP. II. An answere to Owlyglasses exceptions concerning thirteene falsifications pretended to be committed in M. Sutcliffes late Challenge Sect. I. Of two allegations of Epiphanius and Augustine pretended to be falsified SICVT canis qui reuertitur ad vomitum suum saith Salomon Prouerb 26. sic stultus qui iterat stultitiam suam for if a foole haue a toye or fancie in his head you shall hardly bring him from it This appeareth plaine by the foolish and fond deuises of our aduersaries who hauing a conceit to worke vs some disgrace vnder pretence of vntruths and falsifications are still talking and prating of falsifications wherein notwithstanding the cause being examined all the disgrace will fall vpon themselues Robert Parsons being at Rome and hearing of the conference that had passed betwixt M. Plessis and M. d' Eureux would needes forsooth send a pamphlet concerning that matter into England with a request that a triall might also be made concerning allegations by men of our side with vs as it had passed before in France The which pamphlet albeit he might sée to haue beene answered two yeares agone and his challenge concerning matters of falsification to be accepted by me and that I haue begone to obiect against him diuers notorious and most materiall falsifications whereupon Romish religion séemeth to depend yet is Owlyglasse our aduersarie still returning to his vomit and still babling of falsifications himselfe being not able either to answere one word in defence of those falsifications which I shewed to haue beene committed by the Romish church and principall men actors in the Popes cause or well able to declare what falsification is albeit by practise he be most cunning in it And that appeareth by the first section of his third chapter page 47. for albeit I doe not set downe any words either of Saint Augustine or Epiphanius yet he pretendeth that I haue falsified both A strange matter that a man should commit a forgerie in writing and yet neither make nor preduce any writings at all But I quote them in the margent for that hée may alleadge in excuse of his dizardrie as if euery man that quoted an author in the margent either vnfitly or erroneously were to be charged with the crime of falsification The worst therefore that he is able to say against me is error and mistaking but if I haue not erred or mistakene ither Saint Augustine or Epiphanius I hope some cacolike massepriest will tell Owlyglasse that himselfe was much ouerseene in the verie first setting out of the harbour which is a verie euill presage and a most certaine signe that he will make no good voyage as long as he dealeth with me in this cause That I haue said truely it will appeare by comparing S. Augustines and Epiphanius his words with mine I say the Heracleonites did annoint their followers departing out of this life and gaue them a certaine kinde of extreme vnction And I quote Augustine de haeres c. 16. and Epiphanius de haeres 36. Let vs then sée whether S. Augustine and Epiphanius doe not prooue my words true Heracleonitae saith he feruntur suos morientes nouo modo quasi redimere id est per oleum balsamum aquam Likewise saith Epiphanius H quandoque aliqui ex ipsis oleum aqua mixtum capiti defuncti immittunt I say further that those heretikes said prayers for the dead and that is prooued both out of Augustine and Epiphanius Augustine said they vsed certaine inuocations inuocationes saith he quas Hebraicis verbis dicebant super capita scilicet morientium Hoc faciunt saith Epiphanius vt hi qui has inuocationes in vitae exitu accipiunt cum aqua oleo aut vnguento permixtis incomprehensibiles siant So it appeareth that these heretikes did annoint their Disciples with oyle hoping thereby to redéeme them and saue them It appeareth also that they said praiers ouer the dead in a tongue not vnderstood Do not then the
that is nothing to the cause which by priuat mens errors cannot be eyther charged or preiudiced But if the Pope of Rome to whom the papists flie in all controuersies and extremities commit falsifications then is the cause of poperie quite ruined and ouerthrowne For he is the Sanders Rock Bellar. in praefat in lib. de pontif rocke and Bellar. ibid. lib 2. de pontif Rom. Stapleton doctrinal princip foundation vpon whom the papists build all their religion Againe if the Church of Rome haue practised these falsifications then is no trust to be giuen to her If both the Pope himselfe and the Church of Rome doe deliuer vnto vs lyes and fables then is the pope no vpright iudge but a lying hypocrite and the Church of Rome is not the true Church nor a mistris of truth but a mistresse of errors and lyes Let vs therefore sée whether the pope or Church of Rome may not in this poynt be more iustly charged then we and whether they be cleare of this fault or no. For that is a point farre more materiall then any thing which the aduersary can deuise against vs. Let vs also consider how Bellarmine Baronius and others the Popes agents haue acquited themselues in their narrations and allegations For so it may best appeare how vnaduisedly this detector began his quarell our aduersaries being so notorious offenders in telling vntruthes and committing most grosse and wicked forgeryes and wée so cleare and innocent at the least from all willfulnesse violence and malice if not from error L. qui testameÌ„tum ff ad leg Corneliam de falsis Whosoeuer shall conceâ—e or hide away a testament or take it from a man or shall blot it or adde by interlining or else shall forge or write a false testament or exhibite it or signe it or vse it and fraudulently reherse it is punishable as guiltie of forgery by the lawe Cornelia concerning forgery and falsitie And this is the determination of Paulus the lawyer and allowed by all men of vnderstanding and iudgement in law Qui testamentum amouerit celauerit eripuerit deleuerit interleuerit subiecerit resignauerit saith Paulus the lawyer quiue testamentum falsuÌ„ scripserit signauerit recitauerit c. legis corneliae Poena damnatur Those also are guilty and by this law punishable Ibidem quorum dolo malo id factum est by whose procurement and fraude any of the foresaid points are committed But the pope and Church of Rome many wayes offende against this lawe as is most euidente by many particulers falsification 1 First they do suppresse as much as they can the eternall testament of almightie God conteined in the bookes which we for this cause call the old and new testament For simply do they prohibit all translations of scriptures made by any of our doctors not without streite limitatioÌ„s do they permit chrâ—stiaÌ„s to haue scriptures translated into vulgar tonges by theÌ„selues publikely by no meanes will they haue scriptures red being translated into tonges vnderstood of the multitude And all these thrée points are manifestly proued by the index of prohibited bookes set out by Pius quartus and by the decrée of the councell of Trent speaking of our mens translations librorum veteris testamenti versiones viris tantum pijs doctis Index lib prohib regul 3. saith he iudicio episcopi concedi poterunt And afterwarde versiones noui testamenti c. nemini concedantur Speaking of vulgar translations of scriptures Ibid. regula 4. he saith hac in parte iudicio episcopi aut inquisitoris stetur vt cum consilio parochi vel confessarij bibliorum a catholicis authoribus versorum lectionem in vulgari lingua concedere possint So it appeareth they first absolutely forbidde al vulgar translations made by any of our doctors and Secondly with harde conditions grant licence that to very few to reade their owne vulgar translations of scriptures and Thirdly that they doe forbid all latin translations made by vs of the new testament and with conditions and limitations permit our translations of the old testament to be read and that of very few Concil Trid. Sess 22. c. 9. In publike liturgies of the Church they also signifie that scriptures are not to be read in vulgar tongues And by their practise we gather that they thinke the publike reading of scriptures in vulgar tongues to be nothing for their profit and purpose Who then seeth not that by al meanes the pope and Romish Church endeuore to suppresse Gods testament and shew themselues therein notorious falsaries falsification 2 Secondly they burne the holy scriptures vnder pretence of false translations as may be prooued by diuers witnesses and by their owne practise And I thinke they will not deny but that they haue burned scriptures traÌ„slated by our doctors wil defend it yet to corrupt or teare or spoyle a testament is the part of a falsary as these wordes declare si quis testâ—mentum deleuerit Neither could the lawe speake more playnely against Papistes vnlesse it had sayd si quis testamentum dei combusserit falsification 3 Thirdly they haue depriued the Lords people of the cup which our Sauiour Christ calleth the newe testament in his bloud hic est calix saith he nouum testamentum in sanguine meo Luc. 22. In the conuenticle of Constance they decrée vt sacramentum a laicis sub vna specie tantummodo recipiatur that is Sess 13. that lay men are to receiue the sacrament onely vnder one kinde In the conuenticle of Trent they pronounce them Anathema or accursed that shall say that the faithfull ought to receiue the sacrament vnder both kinds Sess 21. c. 1. 2. or that shal denie that they tooke away the cuppe from the communicants and ministred the communion vnder one kinde onely for iust and reasonable causes Whether then the Lords cup be the new testament or the seale of the new testament it is euident that the Pope and Church of Rome doe shew themselues to be notorious falsaryes the words of the law are cleare si quis testamentum celauerit amouerit c. that is whosoeuer doth concele or keepe a testament out of the way he is to be punished as a falsary the same also is apparant for that they goe about to breake the seale of Gods testament And although man cannot or will not punish this falsity in the Romish Church and in the masse préests yet God will assuredly punish so notorious a falsification of his eternall testament falsification 4 Fourthly the Pope and Romish Church haue added to Gods eternall testament corrupting the same by their traditions and makg ivnnwritten traditions equall to the canonicall scriptures omnes libros tam veteris quam noui testamenti Sess 4 concil Trid. say the Popes slaues assembled at Trent cum vtriusque vnus deus sit author nec non traditiones ipsas tum ad fidem tum ad mores pertinentes tanquam vel oretenus a Christo vel
S. Christopher or Saint Catherine in the worlde falsification 29 Likewise doth Capgraue tell strange matters which of English papists were beléeued in time past Capgraue in Bernaco Saint Bernacus saith he killed a mortiferous beast at Rome that before had killed and deuoured much people and cattell but it is not like that Bernac coulde doe more then his holy father the Pope A certaine fellow that stroke S. Bernac was punished with swarmes of flying lice toto corpore pediculis saith Capgraue alatis obsessus He spoke with Angels sayled ouer the sea vpon a broade stone turned oke leaues into loaues viz. by changing one letter stones into fishes water into wine his cow being cut in pieces he restored notwithstanding to life and committed her to be kept by a wolfe Finally ke yoaked Harts and made them draw in a cart which Owlyglasse will hardly defend to be nâ— lies falsification 30 He saith that Christ appeared to Augustine the monke and talked familiarly with him Capgraue in Augustino and telleth also how hee plagued the men of Dorset with fire But the Saints of God in time past did rather pray for poore men then call for fire downe from heauen vpon them Saint Peter also a man of as good credit as Capgraue saith the heauens must containe Christ that is thither ascended vntill the time of the restoring of all things falsification 31 When Bartilmew a monke came to Durrham and saluted the crucifixe the same wodden crucifixe bowing downe himselfe saith Capgraue resaluted him againe He saith also that he sawe the diuell sometime in the forme of a mouse sometime of a cat and that he imprisoned a Hawke two daies and made her to fast for killing him a little bird and many such lies telleth Capgraue of Bartilmew the monke falsification 32 Scripsit ex ore angeli sanctus Brendanus sanctam regulam saith Capgraue In Brendano quae vsque hodie manet that is he wrote his rule as he receiued it of an Angel When as a poore fellow being followed by his enemies that meant to kill him fledde to Brendan desiring succour he willed him to get vp vpon a stone hard by and not to mooue this done his enemies that followed stroke the stone for the man and beleeued the man to bee the stone He caused a fountain also to rise out of a drie ground and was carried into paradise as for dead men hee raised them to life without any difficulty Which things no man can passe for truth vnlesse he be as sencelesse as the stone that Capgraue talketh of falsification 33 Of Edith Capgraue writeth that when she died Angels were heard to sing harmoniously In Editha and seene carying her soule to heauen that she appeared to Dunstane being dead that her body remained without corruption especially her thumbe with which she made the signe of the crosse That she did quiet the seas and deliuered Aldred Archbishop of Yorke being in danger in the Adriaticke sea when he called vpon her All which lies if Owlyglasse will beléeue he must be very credulous and one of those that are giuen ouer to beléeue lies But to make others beléeue that these are no lies he néedeth more eloquence then he hath now ignorance In the 8. session of the councell of Constance as it is called the popish church affirmeth that Wickleffe taught quod deus debet obedire diabolo That is that God must obey the diuell also that Princes being in mortall sinne are not to bee obeyed And diuers other matters neuer taught by Wickleffe which may appeare first by his bookes and neâ—t by the articles collected against him and recorded by Thomas Walsingham Neither haue our aduersaries any arguments to proue the contrary vnlesse a man wil beléeue those infamous articles which were by his aduersaries obiected against him after his death which neither law nor reason will admit to passe for proofe falsification 35 Likewise did the papists deale with Iohn Husse in that wicked assembly condemning him for holding articles which he in open audience denied One reported Sess 15. that he should affirme that there was a fourth person in the trinitie others that he should call Gregory the first rimer matters which hee vtterly disclaymed Yet these and many more lies that conuenticle beléeued of him and condemned him for them and these lies of that holy man the synagogue of Rome now commonly beléeueth falsification 36 Now the church of Rome not being able to ouerthrow our doctrine goeth about to calumniate our principal teachers as Luther Caluin Zuinglius Oecolampadius Bucer Beza and others the principall agents either in shaking of the popes tyranny or the establishing of religion and namely her Maiesties most noble father her mother her brother her selfe her counsellors and principall agens the prince of Condey and his father the Admirall of France Henry the 4. nowe reigning and diuers others in Scotland Germany and otherwhere Vnto Luther Leo the tenth imputeth calumnious assertions which he neuer held Commonly the papists giue out that he taught that if the wife would not yeeld to her husband that the husband might go vnto his maide that he died sodainly that his body did stincke and many such like slanders stincking in the nostrils of all honest men Of Bucer they report that he turned Iewe and died blaspheming a matter refuted by the testimony of his enemies that were present at his death and not onely by his friends Of late they published a lying pamphlet of the reuolt of Beza and of his death which he yet liuing refuted The slanders of Sanders and ribaldry of that ribald Ribadineira which the papists receiue with such applause shall shortly godwilling be made manifest to the world Now it may appeare that they are false being deuised by Sanders and Rishton two lewde lozels vnacquainted with state matters and as it is thought published and much encreased by Rob. Parsons the most notorious traytor and infamous libeller that the congregation of Iesuites euer did affoord vs. falsification 37 Pius the fift in his letters to the Emperor most impudently affirmeth In vita Pij quinti. that the councell of Nice made the Pope which he termeth the successour of Peter Lord and gouernour of all Princes christened and also of all prouinces and nations whatsoeuer and that the same councell did anathematise all that should contradict that authority A matter proued to be a notorious lye by the actes of the councell for therein no such matter is found The same also is refuted by this argument for that councels haue not to doe with the disposing of temporall states falsification 38 Sixtus Quintus in his rayling bull against the king of Nauarre now raigning and swaying the scepter of France and the Prince of Condey publisheth most notorious lies He saith they polluted and spoyled Churches and with torments killed Priests monkes and friers and did compell men to religion with threates and bastonadaes minis verberibusque No one point being to be
proued against them or that they did any thing more then the lawes of armes enforced them for their owne necessary defence The like slandrous Buls did Paul the third publish against Henry the 8. king of England and Pius Quintus and Gregory the 13. against her Maiesty Wherefore vnlesse Rob. Parsons and his consorts can iustifie these matters to be true it will appeare that the Romish religion is not onely maintained with lies but also grounded vpon a packe of lies For such as these are an infinite multitude of lies may be found in the Popes and the Churches of Romes principall recordes Of which I shall haue occasion if God bee pleased to talke more at large otherwhere CHAP. VI. A taste of Bellarmines vnsauoury falsifications I Would be loth to wrong any especially in writing where all that reade may be witnesses of the wrong if any be offered Wherfore to answere my aduersaries accusatioÌ„ that saith I haue slandered and infamed the worthy prelate Cardinal Bellarmine Praeface where I charged him with falsifications and lies I will nowe godwilling iustifie my saying and shewe that his workes are not as Owlyglasse saith the sworde of Gedeon but rather the sworde of Goliath whereby a man with labour and diligence may cut off both his owne head and the head of antichrist The same is also like a leaden sworde guilted ouer and fayre in shew but nothing trenchant in proofe Hee might more fitly haue compared them to Augias stable that coÌ„tained an infinit heape of dung but to be purged if learned men would take the paines to examine them For my part I doe testifie before God that they haue much confirmed mee in the truth and truly affirme that they are more tedious to read then hard to refute in matters especially that concerne vs. But now to come to the matter I will offer to the reader a taste of his falsifications and lowde leasings purposing to adde more if our aduersaries please to continew this course of examination of ours and popish authors writings I will also ioyne with him his fellow Caesar Baronius with his x. legions of lyes Not doubting but if they vnderstand their errours their faces will turne crimsin And why not their faces as well as their roabes especially if they haue any remaynder of their pretended Virginall modestie falsification 1 First he doth wilfully corrupt the sixt canon of the councell of Nice lib. 2. de pontif Rom. c. 13. the canon beginneth thus mos antiquus perdurat in Aegypto vel Lybia vel PeÌ„tapoli But Bellarmine maketh the canon to begin far otherwise Obseruandum saith hée in libris vulgatis dâ—esse initium huius canonis quod tale est ecclesia Rom. semper habuit primatum but these last words are playnly forged as may appeare by all the copyes of the actes of the Nicene councel neither can it excuse him that one Paschasius act 16. concil chalced hath these words or that Copus a counterfect câ—mpagnion doth affirme that a certaine Abbot called Dionysius doth so read this canon for Abbots may proue forgers as well as others and little credit is to be giuen to the Popes agente in his owne cause Further Paschasius his words so stand that we may probably coniecture that some latter falsary hath so set down the words of this canon as we read them now in the tâ—mes of councels set out by Papists Finally all authenticall histories testifie that before the councell of Nice the Church of Rome was litle respected and Aeneas Siluius doth in playne termes confesse so much Neither can Parsons deny it vnlesie he put on his visor of impudency falsification 2 In his booke de pontif Rom. c. 31. he falsifieth Hieromes words and peruerteth his meaning to proue that he called Damasus the foundation of the Church Hieronymus saith he in epist ad Dâ—masum de nomine hypostasis super hanc petram ecclesiam aedificataâ— scio vbi Damasum petram ecclesiae vocat But Hieremes words stand thus ego nullum primum nisi Christum sequens beatitudini tuae id est cathedâ—ae Petri coÌ„munione consocior super â—am petram ecclesiam aedificatam scio Whereby it appeareth that Hierome meant to follow none but Christ and that he meant Christ when he speaketh of the Rocke For so the pronoune Illam that is referred to that which is further of doth teach vs. But Bellar. to proue the Pope to bée the foundation of the Church leaueth out Christ and for the pronounce Illam writeth hanc like a cunning falsary falsification 3 In the same booke and chapter he falsifieth the actes of the councell of Chalcedon septimum est saith hée caput ecclesiae quo vtitur concilium Chalcedonense in epistola ad Leonem qui but tu veâ—ut caput membris praeeras These words I say are falsely alledged For first it cannot bee prooued that this epistle was written by the councell as Surius hath recorded Act. 3. Concil Chalced. Secondly admit the whole epistle was not forged yet there is no mention made of the heade of the Church as Bellarmine affirmeth for the worde Caput in these words quibus tu velut Caput membris praecras is referred to certeine Priests of Leoes order in which ranke he sheweth himselfe principall Bellarmine therefore to make some shew leaueth out both the words going before and the words following after which playnly shew that the authors of that epistle neuer meant to cal him the head of the Church His falshood may appeare by the words as they follow in that epistle Act. 3. concil Chalced. set out by Surius Si vbi sunt duo aut tres congregati in nomine eius say they ibi se in medio eorum fore perhibuit quantam circa sacerdotes peculiaritatem potuit demonstrare qui patriae labori suae confessionis notitiam praetulerunt quibus tu quidem sicut caput membris prae eras in his qui tuum tenebant ordinem beneuo lenriam praeferens imperatores vero ad ornandum decentissimè praesidebant The Latin is rude and barbarous sauoring of a monkish humor But by the words we may sée that the authors of that epistle made Leo heade of preestes and men of his cote and not of the Church nor councell Wherein emperors most decentely did praeside and sitte as cheefe moderators as the fathers of that councell teach vs. falsification 4 Likewise reckening vp the names and titles of the bishops of Rome he saith that Eusebius in his cronicle anno 44. doth giue them the title of Pontifex Christianorum Which is a mere forgery For not the bishops af Rome but to Peter only is that title giuen if it be not thrust into the text But what belongeth and is peculierly giuen to Peter may not be claymed by euery bishop of Rome For I hope euery one of them will not be called Simon nor an Apostle nor the cheefe or first Apostle Nor will they I suppose write as Peter did in his
popes vsurped supremacy for which his grosse head fit to beleeue all fond fables was neuer framed falsification 44 Out of Abdias which he confesseth to be an apocryphall author he telleth that Iohn the Euangelist by Christs perswasion did neuer desire mariage as if Christ were an enemy to mariage falsification 45 He saith that it was Simon Zelotes that was maried when Christ was present in Cana of Galiley Tom annal 1. p. 122. Antwerp and turned water into wine and declareth how the memory of that miracle being celebrated in the Church the vi day of Ianuary diuers riuers and fountaines that day ranne wine Matters méerely fabulous and which bring christian religion into question if not into contempt being auouched without any good ground falsification 46 Pag. 132. he alloweth the epistle of Abagarus to Iesus Christ and his epistle also to Abagarus which by the testimony of Gelasius c. sancta Rom. dist 15. are testified to be apocryphal and by the letters themselues appeare to be forged falsification 47 In the same place also he reporteth that our Sauiour Christ printed his image in a cloke and sent it to Abgarus The painter should haue taken the portrait but saith Baronius for the beames that came from his countenance he could not doe it He sheweth also that by this image diuers miracles were done and all this to confirme the worship of images falsification 48 Pag. 157. he telleth vs that by diuine and humane lawes one chiefe bishop both in time past did and ought to decide all ecclesiasticall controuersies But the place Deut. 17. and diuers places of the new testament doe shew this to be a notorious vntruth as I haue shewed in my bookes de Pontifice Rom. falsification 49 Pag. 167. he telleth out of Euthymius that the rich man Luc. 16. was called Nynensis and doubteth not to affirme that this was a story and not a parable because diuers churches are erected in the honour of Lazarus but the fathers thinke otherwise And the naming of tongues fingers and other things which are corporal where our Sauiour talketh of soules doth shew this discourse to be parabolicall and the papists to be idolaters that worship their owne fancies and imaginations In the meane while it is no hard matter to discerne Baronius to be a fabler falsification 50 Pag. 176. he would make his reader beléeue that our Sauiour did celebrate his passeouer in S. Iohn the euangelists house But Simeon Metaphrastes denieth it which is often alleadged by Baronius as a graue witnesse and the words of the gospell séeme to speake of the owner of that house as of a stranger falsification 51 Pag. 191. he saith Missa is deriued from the Hebrew or Chaldey word but Bellarmine his fellow telleth him Lib. 1. de missa he is deceiued In the same page he alleadgeth the counterfeit epistles of Pius ad Iustum and Cornelius ad Lupicinum and other forged writings and all to shew that the word Missa was vsed in their times falsification 52 Out of Gregory of Tours he reporteth this fable that diuers making thonges put them about the piller whereto Christ was tyed when he was scourged and that the same heale diuers diseases He would haue tolde vs als◠if he could haue brought any proofe for it that the same piller is to be shewed in Saint Peters Church at Rome for that is a Romish tradition but he perceiued that he had tolde a lye sufficient alreadie And thus we may sée albeit I tell not all how many lies are contained in the beginning of his first booke of Annales being by iudgement of all men the best and most frée from lyes and yet I neither touch his errors in Chronology nor much meddle with his forged and false writings After this he telleth things most incredible and yet without good testimony of any man of credit Of S. Paul he writeth that his head being stricken off there issued out milke in steade of bloud He telleth also that Peters chaines being kept by Plautilla worke great wonders and saith that when Iohn the Euangelist wrote the gospell it thundered and lightened as when the lawe was giuen in mount Sinah Infinit such strange tales are contained in his huge legends If then we would doe him right we should rather call them Aniles fabulas then Annales CHAP. IX A sampler of Robert Parsons alias Coobucke his manifold falsities and lies taken out of diuers libels and pamphlets published by him NOw I come to Robert Parsons alias Coobuck a man I confesse vnworthy to bee ioyned with Bellarmine and Baronius being farre inferiour to them in learning yet in regard of his falsehood and treacherous dealing comparable with the most wicked and shamelesse Iebusite of the whole order and with the most false packer of all the popish faction His scholers beléeue that he is learned but if his trecherous complots and packings were not more to be feared then his learning he were not to be reputed halfe so dangerous as we finde him The which albeit I meant not here to dispute being without the reatch of my purpose yet because I would not haue euery such woodden fellow as Philip Woodward alias Owlyglasse for so men call the author of the detectiō to take exceptions vnto my sayings as destitute of proofe I will briefly verifie in this place and that by two of his bookes which his followers for learning workmanship beléeue to be singular If any man néede any further trial he may if he please read my reply to his wardword where I haue sounded his learning to be very shallow The first of the two is entituled a briefe discourse containing certaine reasons why papists whom falsely he termeth Catholikes refuse to go to Church and this booke Parsons vnder the maske of Iohn Howlet a fit name for such a night-bird doth presume most impudently to offer to her Maiesty The next is called a christian directory and commonly knowne by the name of Parsons his resolution His former discourse is wholy grounded vpon this rotten foundation that the popish religion which the Iebusiticall faction and their followers by all their witte learning and other meanes séeke to promote is the true Catholike religion This being the foundation of the worke if he had béene a wise builder he would haue confirmed and proued so strongly that her Maiesty before whom he pleadeth might haue conceiued well of his cause and allowed of his reasons but alleadging no one word to prooue this the whole worke doth not onely fall to the ground but also ministreth matter that may be turned backe vpon himselfe and employed to the hurt and preiudice of his clients For as it is a good reason if the popish religion be the true christian religion to mooue men to refuse all religions opposite vnto it so if the same be false odious trecherous damnable then neither haue papists any reason to professe it nor others to beare with those that obstinately defend it but
those that haue beene destroyed by this change of religion A most shamelesse and palpable vntruth For not religion or any alteration therein but the malice of the Pope and wicked practises of Iesuites and there consorts haue caused most of these troubles The rest haue happened vpon other accidentes By the Popes secret practises and Charles the 9. his great disloyalty many thousandes of innocentes were massacred in France the yeare of our Lord 1572. by the working of Claude Matthieu a Iesuite and others his consortes that league was made which brought infinit calamities to the people and kingedome of France Paule the third stirred vp warres against the princes of Germany Pâ—us the fift was the firebrand that inflamed the Northren rebellion in England Sanders the Popes legat was the originall cause of the destruction of the earle of Desmond And happie had the late Quéene of Scots beene if shée had not béene to credulous to beléeue Sammier and other seditions Iesuites entisinge words and promises the attempt of Spaniardes against England anno 1588 was set forward by Frier Sixtus quintus at the solicitation of Robert Parsons and his fellowes albeit here he would gladly discharge himselfe and lay the fault vpon others the Iesuites were the causes of the destruction of the Duke of Guise of Henry the french King that was murdered by Iames Clement of the Duke of Parma of the discontentment of the Prince of Transiluania neither was the losse of Sebastian King of Portugal of his whole army his estate to be ascribed to any other theÌ„ to the wicked counsaile of the Iesuites which gouerned him wholy and drue him into that action they haue also brought the King to Poland in danger to loose his kingdome of Suethland and caused the ouerthrow of Ferdinand of Croatia by the Turkes and finally both haue they ruined as many as haue harkened to their turbulent counsels and will they ruine as many as will be guided by them And this is not only proued by experience but also testified by diuers records and bookes in England and France of late set out by men of their owne religion The diuisions certes which they haue caused in the emperors army in Hungary haue wrought many calamities to christendome falsification 5 In the same encounter he saith that before the late alteration of religion there was one forme of seruice one number of Sacraments one tongue one Sacrifice one heade of the Church throughout all christendome but in my reply pag. 19. I haue shewed that this shorte sentence containeth the truth haue respected temporal commodity or as if we did not vrge them with the truth of apostolicall doctrine and the ancient christian faith falsification 38 In the preface of his directory fol. 13. p. 2 he saith that S. Ambrose S. Augustine S. Gregory S. Bernard perswade men by their examples to be afraid of purgatory A fourfold lye for neither did S. Ambrose nor any of the rest speake of a purgatory wherein christians did satisfie for the temporall punishment of sins remitted in earth nor did they beléeue any such purgatory Whatsoeuer they held of another purgatory viz. for veniall sinnes yet false it is that they perswaded men to be afraid of it by their examples falsification 39 In his directory lib. 1. p. 42. he saith that the world knoweth that Socrates was put to death for iâ—sting at the multitude of gods among the gentiles a matter which the world knoweth to be a lie and is refuted by Plato al that write of his death falsification 40 In the same place he saith Plato was wont to report of Zeno the stoike that he should say that either there was one God or no God but the record of the report will not be found Further if Plato liued before Zeno it was not like that he should prophecy what Zeno would say These lyes certes being the grounds of Parsons proofes where he goeth about to shew that there is a God are rather like to make a gentile or heathen maÌ„ obstinate then to make him beléeue in one God falsification 41 Pag. 174. he telleth that the number of infants slaine at Bethlehem was 14. thousand and this he goeth about to proue by the greeke calendar and the liturgy of the Aethiopians but such fables as he bringeth doe rather discredit christian religion then prooue it We beléeue that Herod killed the yoong children in Bethlehem and thereabouts but so many as 14. M. could not be found in that quarter as is very likely falsification 42 Pag. 269. he saith that Philo the Iew doth set forth strange things in the life and exercises of S. Marke and of his disciples that liued in Alexandria But if Philo in his booke de vit conteÌ„plat do neither speake of S. Marke nor his disciples in Alexandria I hope that Parsons disciples will be ashamed of their masters ignorance and confesse that he hath lyed It were an easie matter to set downe infinit lyes of this lying compagnion whoe without lying is not able to speak any thing as his consorts the seculer priests say but when he hath cleared himselfe of these he shall haue twise so many more obiected against him and drawne out of his simple writings In the meane while it may appeare that neither he nor his disciple Owlyglasse had any great reason to challenge the combat of vs for falsifications and lyes CHAP. XI That Owlyglasse himselfe hath falsified diuers authors and allegations in his little lewd Pamplet wherein he chargeth others with falsifications IS it possible thinke you to worke somewhat out of nothing certes no. Strange therefore it may seeme vnto you that I endeuour out of this small Pamphlet that is as nothing to make something Yet if you please to consider the particulers ensuing you shall finde that in this trifling discourse of the woodden detector wherein he hath shewed neither witte learning nor honesty nor any good thing that there are diuers points contained that may conuince him both to bee a falsary and a false lying compagnion falsification 1 Out of Origen pag. 11. c. 2. he citeth these words qui renascitur debet sale saliri Homil. 6. in Ezech. But the fathers words are these oportet ergo eum qui renascitur vtique in Christo renascentem rationabile sincerum lac desiderare prius quam rationabile sine dolo lac desideret debet sale saliri pannorum inuolucris colligari ne dicatur ad eum sale non es salitus pannis non es inuolutus So then by this it appeareth that he cutteth away the words in the midst and leaueth out the words in the end of the sentence and the maliciously to serue his purpose for otherwise it would haue appeared that Oregin spoke allegorically or that al children and others that are to be baptized must as well drinke milke and be lapped in cloutes as salted or touched with salt falsification 2 In his preface he abuseth
fathers and auncient bishops of Rome to be forged Their owne testimony therefore doth condemne them to be falsaries if they vse these false writings and alleadge them as they do most commonly falsification 34 And least any man might doubt whether the papists are falsaries or no in their expurgatory indexes they openly professe themselues to be falsaries In epist ad Pium 5. ante bibliothec sanâ—am For what is falsity but to take away to adde to alter mens writings but this the papists doe ex professo Sixtus Senensis confesseth that Pius 5. caused all the writings of the fathers to be purged and cleansed Expurgari ernaculari curasti saith hee omnia catholicorum scriptorum ac praecipuè veterum patrum scripta haereticorum aetatis nostrae faecibus contaminata venenis infecta But vnder colour of purging and cleansing away of things noxious it appeareth the Romanists haue taken out such things out of the fathers as made against them As for other writers they alter and mangle them at their pleasures In Bertram they change visibiliter into inuisibiliter Index expurgator All that commeth betwéene the words considerandum quoque quod in panc illo and the sentence beginning sed aliud est quod exterius geritur they dash out and so they deale in the rest In the censures of Erasmus and annotations of Viues vpon S. Augustine and in the scholiaes marginall notes and indexes of Augustine Chrysostome and others they take themselues liberty to doe what they list Capnioes speculum oculare Fabres commentaries on the gospels and epistles Beatus Rhenanus his annotations on Tertullian they falsifie most impudently Likewise doe they deale with all late writers Not long since we â—…nde they haue corrupted both the glosse and sometime the text of the canon law And this is now a common practise of Iebusites according to a direction and commission giuen them of the Pope to corrupt all authors that passe their fingers Posseuima shamelesse compagnion curtalling auncient writings saith ex lib. 2. Hermetis col 16. Select bibliotheca lib. 1. c. 19. deleatur rectè audisti paulò pòst qui enim crediderunt aut credituri sunt In transitu sanctae Mariae qui falsò ascribitur B. Melitoni deleantur illa verba in solatium ferendum angugustijs quae superuenturae sunt mihi deleatur etiam à capite 8. vsque in finem tractatus ex libro Nicolai Cabasilae deleantur capita 29. 30. In quaestionibus Anastasij quaest 87. scribatur in margine haec intelligenda sunt de gloria corporis The treatise of Antonius Abbas he turneth and mangleth most impudently and practiseth the like in diuers other authours workes If then any man séeke for falsaries let him go to papists that make profession of forging and falsification and which without forgery cannot maintaine their new forged deuises as theÌ„selues by their indexes of bookes prohibited confesse and by bookes plainly falsified it manifesty appeareth Finally they are falsaries that produce or suborne false witnesses or that vse their depositions Poena legis Corneliae irrogatur ei L poena ff ad l. cornel de falsis saith Marcianus qui falsas testationes faciendas testimoniaue falsa inspicienda dolo malo coierit But the Popes produce counterfeit fathers and legends to testifie for them They haue also suborned diuers vile persons to speake shame of honest men as Bolsecus of Caluin Laingius of Buchanan and others Sanders Rishton Robert Patsons and Creswell against King Henry the eighth Quéen Elizabeth the late Lord treasurer the Earle of Leicester sir Christopher Hatton Lord chancellor sir Francis Walsingham and others The falsehood of these witnesses is conuinced by diuers publike actes and sufficient witnesses Bolsecus in a synode in France publikely recanted his slanderous booke and professed that he was hired and drawne on by the aduersaries Parsons shall heare some of his lies hereafter His conscience in the meane while hath often tolde him of his lying Wherefore vnlesse Owlyglasse can answere in these pointes the accusation of falsification doth fall on his dearest friends farre more heauily then vpon vs. CHAP. V. A briefe Catalogue of certaine notorious lies vttered and recorded by the Popes and Church of Rome TO go about to comprehend in one Chapter all the vntruthes and lies of the popes of Rome and the synagogue adhering vnto them were as possible as to measure the sand or to bring the Ocean sea within the compasse of one vessell I will therefore out of many choose some fewe that by the example of some part euery man may iudge of the rest and discerne and hate the false packing of papists and their adherents falsification 1 Innocentius the first or rather some other Pope vnder his name affirmeth that none did found Churches in Italy France Spaine Africke Sicily and Ilands lying betweene these countries but those whom Peter and his successors made Priests He denieth also that any of the Apostles taught in those countries beside S. Peter and those which he sent Cum manifestum fit saith he in omnem Italiam Gallias Hispanias C. quis nesciat dist 11. Africam atque Siciliam insulasque interiacentes nullum instituisse ecclesias nisi eos quos venerabilis apostolus Petrus aut eius successores constituerunt sacerdotes aut legant si in istis prouincijs alius apostolorum inuenitur aut legitur docuisse quod si non legunt quia nusquam inuenitur c. A lowde and large lye for we reade in the Actes of the Apostles that the Apostle Paul who was not ordained nor sent by Peter taught at Rome and other places in Italie Freculphus writeth that Philip the Apostle taught in France the French acknowledge Dionyse of Areopagus whome Paule conuerted to be their Apostle and first teacher Iereney ioyneth Paule with Peter in the foundation of the Church of Rome In the old records of our Church it is reported that Ioseph of Arimathia first planted the gospell in Britany Saint Augustine sheweth that the Gospell came into Afrike from other contryes then from Rome For he distinguisheth Rome from those countries froÌ„ whence the sound of the Gospell first passed into Afrike as appeareth by these words of his epist 162. ad Glorium Eleusium et alios Cum se videret Romanae ecclesiae in qua semper apostolicae ecclesiae viguit principatus ceteris terris vnde euangelium ad ipsam Aphricam venit per. communicatorias litteras esse coniunctum Finally so lowd was the lye that the glosse is constreined to say that the word Alius doth signifie contrarius which is quite contrary to Innocentius his purpose For if his argument stand vpon this point that therefore all the Churches in the prouinces mentioned are to obey the Church of Rome because shée was their founder then if other not contrary to Peter did founde those Churches it followeth that the same were not to harken to the pope or the Church of Rome but to their
founders falsification 2 Gregorie the fourth saith that all bishops causes and the discussing of matters of religion belōgeth to the apostolike Romane See as the head of all Churches the place frō whence the Church tooke her beginning cum nulli dubium sit saith hée quod non solum pontificalis causatio C. praeceptis dist 12. sed omnis sanctae religionis relatio ad sedem apostolicam quasi ad caput ecclesiarum debeat referri inde normam sumere vnde sumpsit exordiū Anatorious lye For the law went out of Sion and not from Rome and bishops causes were handled in times past in councels and not before the bishops of Rome There also were matters of faith decided and not by the Romish bishops as this lying Pope affirmeth Nay the causes of the bishop of Rome himselfe as wel as of all other bishops were handled in councels falsification 3 Vnder the name of Athanasius the Church of Rome c. Septuaginta dist 17. teacheth that the counsell of Nice published 80. canons which were reduced afterward to the number of 70. according to the number of 70. disciples and that the copie brought to Alexandria was burnt by heretikes But authenticall stories doe refute this lye and shew that there were onely 20. Canons established in that councell Beside that Luke 10. Luke saith that Christ sent 72. disciples As the old latin transtation hath Thirdly if the canons were 80. it were a méere falsity to cut of or reduce 80. to 70. Finally of the burning of the canons of the Nicene counsell there is no recorde in any authenticall writer falsification 4 Marcellus saith that these words Psal 81. ego dixi dij estis are spoken of Preestes And thereby would proue them to bée aboue magistrates Si seculares in publicis iudicijs saith he C. synodum dist 17. libellis vtuntur appellatorijs quanto magis sacerdotibus haec eadem agere licet de qubus dictum est ego dixi dij estis The Pope therefore may bee conuinced of notorious lying and forging by all interpreters and not only by the text it selfe falsification 5 Vnder the name of Leo. c. ita dominus dist 19. They teach that Peter was assumed into an inseperable bond of vnitie with Christ hunc in consortium indiuiduae vnitatis assumptum id quod ipse erat voluit nominari a matter vntrue and blasphemous and vnworthy to be vttred by Leo. For albeit Christ consist of two natures yet no man euer yet sayed beside this counterfect◠Leo that Christ and Peter made one person falsification 6 Anacletus saith that Peter was made bishop when Christ sayd to him thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will builde my Church and the gates of hell shal not preuaile against it C. innouo dist 21. and I will giue thee the keys of the kindome of heauen He saith also that the rest of the Apostles made Peter their prince ceteri vero apostoli cum eodem pari consortio honorem potestatem acceperunt ipsumque principem eorum esse voluerunt But this second poynt is refuted by the whole tenor of the euangelical history and the actes of the Apostles recorded by Saint Luke For in no place we finde where the Apostles did ordaine or make Peter their prince or gouernor Nay we rather finde where Christ made all the Apostles equall The first point is contradicted also by the words of Christ who in the future tence said Dabo tibi and not Do tibi Bellarmine also holdeth that Peter in this place receiued nothing but a promise quorum verborum saith he planus obuius sensus est lib. 1. de pontif Rom. 10. vt intelligamus sub duabus metaphoris promissum Petro totius ecclesiae principatum Hee speaketh of the sence of the words rehersed by Anacletus and by his exposition it appeareth that Anacletus sayd vntruely that Peter was made bishop by christs words vttred Mat. 16. which may also be proued by Turrecremata in his treatise de ecclesia Finally all the Popes agents hold that Peter receiued the primacy from Christ and not from the Apostles falsification 7 Gelasius saith that the Church of Rome obtained the primacie not by any ordinances of synodes C quamuis dist 21. but by Christes owne words in the Gospell A matter most vntrue For the scriptures speake no where of the primacy of the Romish Church neither can it be proued out of the wordes tu es Petrus alledged by Gelasius Neither doth euery prerogatiue of Peter belonge to the Church of Rome Nor had the apostle Peter any such high primacy As the Pope nowe claymeth and practiseth falsification 8 Pope Nicolas saith that Dioscorus was not condemned for matter of faith C. in tantum dist 21. but for denouncing an excommunication against Leo bishop of Rome But the actes of the 2. councell of Ephesus being in fauour of Eutyches and the councell of Chalcedon do reproue him and playnly conuince him of vntruth The same also may be gathered by the chapter Canones dist 15. And therefore the glosse to salue this lye saith we must so vnderstand Nicolas his words as if he had sayd that Dioscorus was not condemned for matter of faith onely which was no part of Nicolas his meaning falsification 9 Omnes siue patriarchij cuiuslibet apices siue metropoleon primatus aut episcopatuum Cathedras vel ecclesiarum cuiuslibet ordinis dignitates C. omnes dist 22. saith Nicolas the Pope instituit Romana ecclesia But he telleth a grosse vntruth for the scriptures tell vs that the Apostle Paule ordeined bishops in Crete Ephesus and diuers places both in Europe and Asia and ecclesiasticall histories tell vs that neither the Church of Ierusalem nor Antioch nor other easterne Churches nor their dignities were founded by the Church of Rome Finally the actes of councels tell vs that councelles did appoynt the seuerall limits of bishops diocesses did enlarge their dignityes according to diuers occasions and that emperours and the dignities of greate cityes did adde dignity to the bishops falsification 10 The same Nicolas also affirmeth that Christ gaue to Peter terreni simul caelestis imperii iura that is the right both of the kingdome of heauen and kingdome of earth Ibidem But our Sauiour Christs words shew that he gaue him no earthly kingdome but promised him onely the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Nay if he be Christes vicar then he must clayme no earthly kingdome For our Sauiour Christs kingdome was not of this world falsification 11 Anacletus affirmeth that Peter and Paule were both crowned with Martyrdome in one day and at the same time C. sacro sancta dist 22. a matter denyed by Prudentius peri steph hym 12. Arator in Act. Apost lib. 2. and the author of the 18. Sermon de sanctis that goeth vnder Saint Augustines name and diuers others falsification 11 Pope Nicholas saith that Constantine called the bishop of Rome God Constat à pio principe