Romanes and your Deifications are still multiplied at this day as it shall be declared in the owne place God willing CHAP. II. Of the antiquitie of Religion WEE approoue the antiquity of the word of God yea it is eternall and wee reproue that which is against the truth seeing that in no wayes she can prescribe or bee preiudiced saith Tertullian The Lord commandeth vs expresly by the Prophet Ezechiel not to walke according to the commandements of our Fathers neither yet to obserue their lawes and statutes or to defile vs with their Idols but to liue according to his lawes and keepe his commandements And who should speake in man Whither the spirit of God or antiquitie And what other rule hath our vnderstanding then the holy Scriptures which enableth vs to iudge of antiquitie The Fathers haue called it an exquisite ballance the square of verity the rule of equity saying that there is no other proofe in the world but by the same S. Cyprian teacheth vs that wee ought not to haue any regard vnto that which our predecessours haue thought fit to bee done but vnto that which Christ hath done who was before all those And wherefore are you so strictly tied to the institutions of your Fathers that you will not yeeld a iot not considering if they speake well or not If any presse to reforme them by the line and rule of the word of God which is the anchor of our faith saith S. Athanasius the foundation and ground of our cause saith Saint Austin immediately they are pulled and drawne to the fire that will once attempt any such holy reformation among you You haue learned this maxime which is become so common among you to wit that no change or innouation ought to be made of the religion of your predecessours and Fathers And who are those Fathers Pythagoras Plato Mecaenas Agrippa and such other Politicians worldly wise which haue taught you that euery man ought to serue God according to the manner of the Countrey and the inueterate custome of his predecessours and that they ought to die the death whosoeuer doe the contrary thereof And for as much as you are in a manner buried in the coffin of antiquitie Antichrist hath found the doore open that he may the more easily snatch and take hold of your decayed Church and not onely crooked but pulled downe to the ground through age of the putrified burden of your traditions and vnwritten word CHAP. III. Of Schoole Diuinitie WHat is more sacred among Sciences then Diuinity You haue prophaned it by bringing in of that which you terme Scholastique gathered out of Lombard Master of the sentences which hath engendred vnto vs the race of the Thomists Scotists Albertists Ocamists Realists Nominalists and such others whose foundation is laid vpon the subtilities of Aristotle Let any man remarke the themes of your Sermons the disputations of your Schooles together with those great and huge volumes of Commentaries vpon the foure bookes of the Sentences Oracles are receiued euery where from the Tripus of this Philosopher and the Vniuersities that ought to be instituted after a Christian manner are changed into the Academies of that heathenish Athens You spend more time in clearing that which seemeth ambiguous and doubtfull in the doctrine of that ingrate disciple toward Plato then in teaching your flockes the law of the Gospell The oathes which the Vniuersities doe exact of their initiates and Batchelours that they shall not controll him and those Hoods or Doctorall caps are witnesses of the truth of that which I speake And your Diuines of Collen haue determined that as S. Iohn Baptist was the forerunner of Christ Iesus in Diuinis in like manner also was Aristotle in Naturalibus CHAP. IIII. Of Diseases THe whole Scripture declareth vnto vs that vnto God onely wee ought to haue recourse in all manner of afflictions aswel of the bodie as of the spirit The Saints according to your iudgement are more fit to impart their fauours vnto you in your diseases Doth it fall out that a woman is in trauell and labour of her childe Behold incontinent S. Margaret in readinesse her ayde and fauour is prayed for of God no newes at all Is not this the verie same which the Gentiles practised who were woont to commit this charge of attending women that were in this case vnto Diana or Iuno surnamed Lucina The examples of this your imitation are so frequent and ordinary that it were but superfluous to repeate them And that olde hagge in time of her sicknesse could tell some newes concerning this purpose which being prostrated before the image of the Virgin Marie and thereafter demanded by one what she was doing answered that shee was praying to this good Lady to the end that shee would make intercession for her at that good Ladies hands that was in heauen which answere being accepted with a little nodding of the head shee thinking to correct her former speach added moreouer that shee was praying to the good Lady in heauen to the intent that shee might recommend her to this holy image before which shee had bowed downe her selfe Pope Pius maketh great account of a certaine Virgine Marie Prunetane in the Countrey of Florence whom the people doe reuerence with a most feruent deuotion for the opinion which they haue conceiued that in time of necessity and drought she is able to send downe raine Her Temple is decored with incredible riches by reason of the propines which are daily sent thither The Gentiles in the like case did call vpon Iupiter whom they named Pluuius And the Athenians as saith Pausanias made an image of Ceres praying to Iupiter that she might obtaine some raine to be a memoriall of a certaine great drought which had grieuously afflicted the countrey The Aegyptians only were voyde of this sort of Paganisme to addresse their prayers to Iupiter seeing that the riuer Nilus ought to performe this taske as Tibullus witnesseth Against the pestilence you haue S. Sebastian and his successour S. Roche who is worshipped in Venice The Romanes had their Ancile that is to say their Buckler and as their tradition beareth fallen downe from heauen in the time of Numa sent from their Gods for the like disease And doe you not recommend your Hogs to S. Antony The Romanes also vowed and promised to their God such beasts as should happen to be borne to them during the time of the Spring which for this reason is named Ver sacrum Diana was the patronesse of Hunters and Dogs she had these in her protection S. Hubert of the Forrest of Ardenne hath succeeded her and is very deuoutly called on against madnesse for which they say that his Masse is a singuler preseruatiue That Iupiter of the Gentiles thundring lightning did send downe as those poore soules
angit CHAP. XIIII Of washing of the feete CHrist Iesus before he did institute the holy Supper washed his Disciples feete willing thereby according to the custome of the Countrey and of those dayes in washing the feete of such as they lodged in their houses for nothing as it may be seene throughout the whole Scripture to declare what the dutie of hospitalitie and charitie was euen of the greatest toward the meanest sort as the Apostle also maketh mention and in that sense commaunding vs to wash one anothers feete But in stead of imitating him after this manner behold a stage-play as you grossely abuse it brought into the Church to wash the feete of twelue poore ones vpon Mandy Thursday as you terme it CHAP. XV. Of extreme Vnction THe Apostles as it is to be presumed following their masters commaundement added sometimes vnto the wonderfull healing of diseases an annointing with oile And behold thereupon a new Sacrament of extreme Vnction continued and practised so idlely vnprofitably after that this extraordinarie gift of healing hath ceased hauing beene giuen vnto them for a certaine time onely and till the preaching of the Gospell were furnished with sufficient authoritie against the greatest vnbeleeuers CHAP. XVI Of the Dedication of Temples ANd in the dedication of your Temples doe you not play the Iewes Let vs giue eare to the reasons that you vse The Iewes say the Canons had certaine places where they sacrificed which were hallowed by heauenly and solemne prayers and offered their offerings to God no where else If the Iewes therefore who serued the shadow of the Law obserued this ceremonie with farre more reason ought we to doe the same vnto whom the truth is reuealed and grace is giuen by Christ namely to build Temples to decore them after the brauest manner and to dedicate them through sacred vnction together with altars vessels garments and other ornaments Thereafter it is added We ought not to celebrate but in such places as are hallowed by Bishops You shall acknowledge here if it please you your Gratians stile In the meane time we find no fault with your Temples we require onely the true vse thereof to wit that God may be called on in the publicke Congregation his word preached and embraced the holy Sacraments ministred and receiued For this cause hath the temple beene called the house of Prayer for all manner of people generally Origen also calleth the Temples of the Christians houses of Prayer Tertullian sayth that we doe assemble our selues in the Temple first for prayer secondly to heare the lesson or lecture thirdly for exhortation c. That which we reprehend is that which hath proceeded from Iudaisme whereunto Christ Iesus hath put such an end that the Apostle comprehending all those ceremonies vnder the name of Circumcision sayth expressely That if one be circumcised Christ auaileth him nothing so that to gather vp all in one word whatsoeuer colour of deuotion can be pretended what antiquitie soeuer can be alledged all those fopperies wherethrough by little and litle the true seruice of God in spirit and veritie hath beene transformed into a most hideous foolishnesse are not onely to be reiected as friuolous and vnprofitable but also to be abhorred for hauing degenered first into superstition and finally into a detestable impietie And I will aske you where is there any Churches in the Popedome that are dedicated vnto Christ Iesus It is to Angels and Saints that they dedicate them vnto whom they addresse their prayers their sweete incense and such other seruices belonging to God alone CHAP. XVII Of Traditions AS touching traditions vnder the name whereof so many superstitions haue beene by little and little brought into the Christian Church and are so stoutly defended at this day that you dare euen terme them Apostolicke doe you not follow in the introduction thereof the paterne and modell of your fathers the Iewish Rabbins and Pharisies As in that they bind heauie burdens and grieuous to be borne and lay them on mens shoulders but they themselues will not mooue them with one of their fingers for so much as they doe all their workes to be seene of men for that they keepe the keys of the Kingdome of Heauen and they themselues goe not in neither suffer they them that would enter to come in for that they proclaime by sound of trumpet their fasts and abstinences for that they make their Philacteries broad and would appeare outwardly to be very worshipfull Saints and are nothing within but whited Sepulchers And then your Doctors whom you call Magistros nostros haue they not borrowed their titles from the Iewish Rabbines Of whom our Sauiour speaketh that they loued the greetings in the markets and to be called of men our Master Your ordinary bragging is that you haue no tradition or custome which is not of ten or twelue hundreth yeares standing and we grant to you a farre longer time to wit that you haue of two or three thousand yeares standing aboue such as are those which you haue borrowed from Gentilisme and retained of Iudaisme And ought they to be the more embraced for that respect By the contrary as one of the auncient Fathers sayth an old custome is an old errour and ought so much the rather to be abolished CHAP. XVIII Of Transubstantiation LEt vs come to Transubstantiation Although this word with the doctrine annexed thereto be new for what Doctor of the primitiue Church hath written that the consecration is perfected by the vertue of these words hoc est enim corpus meum Neuerthelesse to the end that you may set the same to sale the better vnto the people as good and vpright antiquities you make them proceede from the Iewish Rabbins euen as if they had euer dreamed thereof Rabbi Moyses Hadarsan writing vpon this verse of the 136. Psalme Lord thou giuest foode vnto all flesh speaketh in expresse termes these words This text agreeth well with that which is written in the thirtie fourth Psalme Tast you and see how gracious the Lord is for the bread and meat which he giueth vnto euery one is his flesh and by eating thereof it is changed into flesh Are not these very goodly consequences No otherwise then witches doe milke a Bucke or the haft of an axe Although this Iew meaneth that all manner of foode is changed into the flesh and bloud of the person that eateth it through the digestiue power and facultie yet you would haue gathered your transubstantiation from thence as likewise out of this text of Moses where Iacob foretelling in the agonie of his death what should happen vnto his children addressing his speech vnto Iuda the fourth in order speaketh these words He shall bind his asse foale vnto the vine and his asses colt vnto the best vine he shall wash his garment in wine and his cloake in the bloud of grapes His eyes shall be red with
our God And therein Peacocke-like doth iett But in De Croys Conformities You may his errours plainely see Where all his foule deformities To life discou'red fully bee Obiection vnto the former SONNET VVHat the Church of Christ may it be sedus't And can it erre and can't so foully faile When Christ himselfe hath said Deuill nor hell Should haue no powr'e the faith though small t'assaile Answere Know that the church two waies may be cōceiu'd The one aptly to speake doth comprehend None but Gods children such as he elects And seales and gratiously will defend The other doth containe both good and bad Is that you see here in the world belowe Which erres so oft as Sathan it doth heare And by an euill life the same doth showe The first doth neuer erre for shee attends The sweete voice of her spouse to vnderstand The last may euer erre and be deceiu'd For in foule blacke blindnesse she loues to stand To those of the Romish CHVRCH YOu Romane Catholicks who sees this work I' st possible that it you can behould And cannot marke that horrible inchaunt Wherein bewitching Sathan doth you hould If the Apostles those most holy men Should now into the world againe returne Would neuer thinke that Christians you were Because al means might teach you truth you shun I speake and pronounce this not bitterly I speake it with a godly louing zeale Your pietie of which you make such bragges No warrant hath your grieuous sinnes to heale For you in humane merits firme your trust And that 's your anchors-hould and not in him Who sets you free from the eternall death And is the onely ransome for your sinne Antichrist by little and little and by craft And subtill shifts into the Church is slid And in Gods holy Temple now at last He sits in pompe trusting there still to byd It was often foretold that he should come And for our sinnes this reuolt was suffr'ed And that there must of meere necessitie Great and most blind errours be permitted Yea so ordain'd by our most puissant God That his most sacred Church should be opprest For a time in the bonds of Papacie For so long time as he would thinke it best But from these crooked and peruersed wayes Full of dreadfull and most deadly darknesse God hath bin pleased through his great bountie Vs for to draw and eke with peace to blisse Euen so Christ our Lord and Ionas were The figures of Gods Church in these last dayes For one was dead the other prisoner Christ in tombe Ionas in the fish he prayes Lift vp your eyes with speed behould this light Which shines in you and Iesus Christ imbrace By liuely faith cast off those euill Sp'rits Which makes you scorne Gods word to your disgrace Christ is the truth the way and onely life The Churches most deare spouse run then amaine And by a constant faith liue chast to him His company brings comfort that 's your gaine THE PREFACE To those of the Romish CHVRCH MY Masters who would discerne true coyne from that which is adulterated will not content himselfe with looking on the superscription the stamp colour roundnesse thereof but going on a little farther will come to the triall of the substance of the mettall will take the touchstone and draw thereon to examine the goodnesse or insufficiencie thereof Euen so to discerne true Religion from false and to know the Church of Iesus Christ in this confusion of so many that are like thereunto we must not be contented with the iudgement of the Church which you call representatiue but we ought to goe straight on to the onely Scriptures which are the foundation and pillers of the true cause in matters that concerne Religion And if we had stayed there we should not see at this day such horrible confusions in Christendome neither yet this mixture of cockle with good corne and there would remaine nothing but pure wheat in the garnar and store-house of the Church And would to God that some of the auncient Bishops could haue contented themselues with the marches established by the holy Ghost the greatest part of the world should not now be wandering in the auncient pathes and footsteps of Gentilisme against which the Apostles and many other infinite numbers of the most excellent and worthie men haue foughten and obtained the victorie through shedding of their bloud Should not this exquisite ballance square and canon of the Scripture this rule of right and veritie haue beene sufficient to teach vs whatsoeuer belongeth to the whole perfection of our beleefe We ought not to haue beene ignorant of these beautifull markes of antiquitie That there is no other proofe of Christian Religion but by the Scriptures if any controuersie arise where to find the bodie that is to say the Church that it ought not to be sought amongst our words but amongst his words who is the truth and knoweth his bodie to wit Iesus Christ. It was thither that the Bishops should haue led the Gentils to teach them to worship one onely God to make them turne from their old superstitions and idolatrous customes by the violence whereof they haue beene forced to worship their false Gods and creatures and should not haue giuen way to so many things which are so farre from hauing any warrant in the holy Scriptures that they are meerly contradictory thereunto It is after this manner that it hath seemed good vnto the wisedome of man to iest and play with the high and holy mysteries of true Religion It is after this manner that thinking onely to winke at things and that through tolerating of the lesser euill to eschew greater inconuenience this holy spring of Christian pietie hath beene infected by the filthie mud of Paganisme from whence those deludges haue proceeded which haue ouerwhelmed some fundamentall points of our saluation And would to God that those zealous ones without knowledge had taught their Neophytes to thinke it abhomination to suffer themselues to be led away by degrees vnto such things as at first seemed pleasant we should not see at this day such pestilent doctrine neither yet those superstitions and ridiculous ceremonies which haue caused as well in times past as in these dayes so many troubles in Christendome But this is their reward who haue chosen to preferre the Church to the Scripture and man to God as if it were more expedient to find out the head by the proofe and testimony of the members then the members by the testimonie of the head I am exceeding sorie to consider that when the time of appearing before the tribunall seate of God shall come the damned Gentiles shall know their markes and liueries on you and that in great aboundance as this present table of your conformities vnto their fashions and customes shall clearely and faithfully beare record But let vs examine how this filthinesse hath corrupted that beautie that was among you Those poore Gentils liuing vnder the Empire of Constantine the
sayth That he sacrificeth the Gospell that the Fathers say that to preach the Gospell is the worke of a Sacrificer And what say you As in old times the Church of Israel had a sacrifice which was offered vp euery day so also you boast your selues that euery day in your Masse you offer a propitiatorie sacrifice without bloud for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead Verily I confesse that you differ from the Iewes in so much as you sing not your Masses at night vnlesse it be at Christmasse in the mid-night and in some extraordinarie case and by the Popes dispensation But you cannot deny that you haue framed your Masse after the Leuiticall morning and euening sacrifices and your Sacrificers after the manner of those that were established in the auncient law although you ought not to be ignorant speaking of Sacrificers as they are taken properly that among Christians there is none because there is no more sacrifices according to their proper signification If by sacrifice we vnderstand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euery holy worke behold then we agree But it is certaine that the faithfull are such according vnto S. Peter by powring forth their prayers and consecrating their liues vnto GOD through Christ Iesus And at what gate then or rather at what window did the Masse enter into the Church You borrow it from the Hebrewes and for so much as you haue red in the holy Scripture Missah nidbath iadecha asher titten caasher You thinke verily that you haue found out some warme and sunnie place of refuge for your Masse euen as if the Masse could be that homage which the people by Gods ordinance did offer once in the yeare of the first fruits euery one according to his meanes and as the Lord had blessed him All such as are skilfull in the Hebrew tongue haue vnderstood by this word a voluntary oblation out of their owne hands such as pleased them best according to their faculties and meanes To build then vpon this place of Moses that pretended sacrifice is no more to the purpose then if a stage player would proue and confirme his odde pranks and souple trickes by the same place of Scripture The desire that I haue to be briefe shall stop my pen and I shall be content to shew vnto you that the Sacrificers of the new couenant are but Stewards of the word and of the Lords Sacraments for as much sayth Saint Chrysostome and Gregorie Nazianzene vnto vs as by the sword of the word of God they doe sacrifice and offer vp the people to God wherefore it followeth from thence that we haue no need of materiall altars There was no altars in the primitiue Church but tables onely appoynted partly for receiuing of the offerings partly for participation of the holy Supper And what is the vse thereof among you In the verie text of the Decrees it is said that the custome of anointing altars and adorning them with fine knackes hath proceeded from the Iewes And behold what is written That if the Iewes who serued onely darke shaddowes and types haue done it with far more reason ought we to do the same vnto whom the truth is reuealed And thereupon the glosse addeth moreouer this obseruation remarke how that there may be good and sufficient arguments grounded vpon the example of Iewes and Infidels And from whence haue those goodly vessels iewels candlestickes and other ornaments belonging to the altars beene borrowed but from Iudaisme CHAP. IX Of Priests Garments BEhold in your Religion Sacrificers as they are taken properly behold altars also not by translation but after the Iewish manner where are your Priestly vestures now to the end that your Priest may not appeare before the altar in your Church with lesse state and pompe then did the Leuiticall Sacrificer before the altar of the Tabernacle In the primitiue Church the garments were indifferent in the celebration of the mysteries afterwards they became different but simple and this simplicitie was corrupted vnder Gregorie through the imitation of Gentilisme as we haue declared in the conformitie preceeding and of Iudaisme according to Rabanus who taketh the paines to reckon them one by one which we would set downe here at length if we were desirous to inlarge our Booke And will you denie that the greater part of the garments which your Priests vse in your Temples hath beene borrowed from the Leuits and Iewish Sacrificers All the world perceiueth that the modell of all the institutions and mysteries that you Romish Catholicks haue is generally framed after the paterne of the auncient Israelites though some of them I grant may be soberly and moderatly vsed so it be without superstition which haue lent you the needle and thread wherewith your Church hath sowed all those goodly Dalmatique vestures and ierkins of cloth of gold of siluer and of silke very richly imbrodered as likewise the hoods rochets chanons furres miters and long robes You acknowledge that the girdle that your Priest vseth was represented by that which girded the Ephod about that was aboue the garments of the soueraigne Leuiticall Sacrificer your Amice by the miter your Albe by the tunicle the cope by that robe that was shorter then the tunicle which was without sleeues and was put on by thrusting of the head out at a hole that was aboue that your Crosier staues haue succeeded to the rod of Moses that the Nazareans are the authors of your shauen heads And who doth not perceiue here that Iudaisme buddeth out againe in your Church CHAP. X. Of Temples IN the end like as the false Prophets in old times cried out The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Law shall not depart from the Sacrificer so likewise to set your idoles to sale you doe nothing but extoll the holinesse of the places whereunto the poore superstitious ones doe runne in pilgrimage witnesse your preachings and writes amongst others touching that which you name our Ladie of Loretto vnto which place you haue made the credulous pilgrimes beleeue that an image was brought downe from heauen and that the Angels brought a Chappell through the aire from one place to another the whole being grounded on a heare say of some superstitious persons In stead of Salomons Temple you haue builded a million following therein the footsteps of the Samaritanes your predecessors which on euery high place and hillocke and vnder euery high tree builded and set vp chappels altars and idoles We are not ignorant what was the vse of the Iewish Temple erected by Salomon We abhorre the abuse which hauing beene declared by Ieremie he was readie to be condemned to death and S. Steuen was stoned In like manner we detest those superstitions which haue beene brought in whether it be in regard of the dedications of your Temples as we shall make mention or of that which is contained in your oiles your holy
to loue God with our whole heart Syluester Prierias holdeth that this commandement is not of necessitie but of honestie Which is the very same opinion of Molanus and this is as much as if they had taught that it were not needfull to loue God most perfectly but that it should be sufficient for vs to know that he ought to be loued so Let vs reason briefely vpon euery one of the commaundements and let vs see the antithesis which is betweene them the Popes Thou shalt haue no other God but me The Pope is called God not hyperbolically but effectually Dominùs Deus noster Papa Thou shalt not make vnto thee any grauen image Contrariwise the Pope commandeth that all manner of images and representations be affixrd and set vp in the Temples and Churches of Christians that they may be honoured apparelled lighted and that we may bow downe our selues before them in all reuerence as it may be seene in your Canons and the Bookes of your chiefest Doctors Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine sayth the Eternall The Pope absolueth subiects from the oath which they haue made to their naturall Prince Honour thy father and thy mother The Pope dispenseth with his Priests and Fryers yea and with all those that be on his side Thou shalt not kill Our Fraunce hath made triall in the parricide that was practised on the person of the most Christian King Henry the third what dispensation is graunted in this case Thou shalt not commit adulterie but Hildebrand a Fryer of the order of the Clumacenses called Gregorie the seuenth forbade mariage neuerthelesse it is well knowne after what manner he behaued himselfe with Mehant Countesse of Mantua And who knoweth not that the Pope approueth whordome sith he receiueth tribute from the whores of Rome Robberies and false witnesses are but childrens sport And touching concupiscence you are of the opinion that it is not forbidden and that it is no sinne vnlesse the fact be ioyned therewith What shall I say farther In the Romish Church they take away change diminish and adde to the Law what pleaseth those best that haue the charge thereof They haue taken away the knowledge of the word of God from the people reseruing the same for great Doctors They haue forbidden to read the holy Bible which is against Gods ordinance Enniche the mother of Timothie shall rise vp in iudgement and condemne them They haue bin so bold as to stretch forth their sacrilegious hands vnto the sanctuarie of God that they might pull away from thence the second commandement of the first Table They haue changed their Priests into Sacrificers the Euangiles into Masses the preaching into ringing of Bels singing lights and such like trash They haue changed the breaking of the bread in the holy Supper into hostes altogether round They haue diminished to wit the cup contenting themselues with a part onely They haue added namely the commandements which they call of the Church Christ comwaunded vs to loue our enemies and pray for them Yet notwithstanding your Molanus denieth that God hath commaunded vs to pray chiefly for our enemies and that we ought to salute them louingly You vpbraid vs with the debates that are among vs. We are at one together praised be God But make Torrensis agree with Catherin to whom he reprocheth that he hath written that the law of Moyses is not the Law of God and that the commaundements of the Apostle S. Paul are not the commandements of Iesus Christ. CHAP. VIII Of Predestination THis Doctrine of Predestination is of great importance S. Austin hath written whole Treatises thereof Through it we know that without Christ there is no saluation It is a refuge in time of temptation to perswade vs more and more of the assurance of our saluation which we beleeue to be grounded on the sonne of God that we may cast away farre from vs all manner of desperation It is a spurre to pricke vs forward to the studie of good works which are the effects of our election It is a bridle to containe our insolencie and bragging within the limites of Christian modestie that we may not attribute to our selues that which proceedeth of the grace of God All the holy antiquitie doth send vs vnto the pure free mercy of God through Iesus Christ vnto iustification by faith vnto our infirmitie and wretchednes of our workes And neuerthelesse you are not contented with this simplicitie contrariwise you doe attribute predestination vnto good workes that are foreseene as the Pelagians haue done The common opinion of the greater part of your Schoolemen is bent that way as Catharin can well reproch vnto your Diuines his fellowes CHAP. IX Of the Scripture IS it not true that the theefe abhorreth nothing so much as the Law nor the heretick any thing so much as the Scripture May I not liken you to the Owles that cannot endure those glistering beames of Gods word Vnto those betelles that aboue all things hate the balme of those celestiall decrees You say that it is imperfect obscure doubtfull ambiguous a dead letter that killeth a matter of debate and riddles Your whole refuge is vnto homilies trophonaries passions legends lectures antiphonas graduaries breuiaries fermologues and Missals And for the Scriptures you beleeue them no more then the fables of Aesope vnlesse they be authorised by the Pope Eusebius sayth that the holy auncient Fathers accused and that with very good reason Samasatenus because that by departing from the Canonicall bookes he had beene the author of an hereticall Doctrine in so farre as he had not followed the Apostolicke Doctrine And to whom belongeth this censure more then to you Ought you to speake not onely when the holy Scripture is silent but also when you are flatly condemned therby Would to God we had not this right to blame you of that which S. Austin sayd in old times vnto those that were like you That you ayme at no other thing but that the whole authoritie of the holy Scripture may turne to nothing Bellarmine hath laboured much for his part when of purpose he hath made a whole Chapter of the insufficiencie of the Scripture the Scripture I say which is the true rule of our vnderstanding and the solide anchor of our saluation Tertullian in his time fought against your fellowes who denied the Scriptures to be perfect And likewise the heretickes would neuer graunt them to be the true rule of faith notwithstanding that Ireneus did send them backe vnto this doctrine of the Apostles which S. Chrysostome and Basill in diuers places of their workes haue called the exquisite balance the rule of equity and the canon of veritie Your Eckius your Pighius yeeld no more authoritie vnto the holy Scripture then that which your Church is pleased to bestow theron And in that
not grounded on the Scripture And how should they be so seeing that for the most part they were inuented more then a thousand yeares after the death of the Apostles such as monasticall rules and others of that sort are Truly you cannot deny either that they haue beene vnknowne or else haue beene kept backe for the knowledge of the posteritie to wit of you my Masters the Prelates that haue the keys to draw whole bags full of them out of your Councels either generall or prouinciall and out of the determinations of your Sorbonists or Iesuites Let vs see farther what is the chiefe foundation of your traditions the most beautifull plants and roses of the garden of the Romish Church Behold it is here That the Apostles knew not all things or if they haue knowne all things and none of them hath preached otherwise then the rest did that they haue not taught all things to all persons Is not this to accuse those great Stewards of the Church of ignorance of cowardlinesse and that they haue not dealt vprightly in their calling That they haue not beene faithfull obseruers of the Couenant or new Testament whereof the preaching was committed vnto them The Ambassador hath no power to dispense with his Masters will It is the dutie of a seruant to discharge things faithfully in their fulnesse and as he hath beene commaunded to doe In the making of our contracts or testaments we would not suffer the notarie and witnesses to keepe backe a part thereof and not to beare ful testimony of our will vnlesse they would incurre the danger of punishment and can that be tolerated in a matter of so great moment to wit in the Testament which the sonne of God hath ratified by his death The Apostles hauing declared faithfully the whole will of their maister and hauing discharged their businesse very well it were sacriledge and an intollerable blasphemie to accuse them either because they knew not or were not able or would not beare witnesse of the kingdome of God as they were enioyned to doe I could here insert that ample discourse which Tertullian maketh in answering to the arguments of the heretickes as also what infallible prescription he vseth against them but to be briefe I will send you backe to that which himselfe hath written and hath spoken to you as well as to the heretickes of his time Ireneus that was a disciple of the disciples of the Apostles writing in expresse termes of the true iustifying faith which the Church receiued from the Apostles and hath deliuered from hand to hand vnto their children is no other thing then the Gospell that we haue receiued from the Apostles themselues for as much as they first preached the same with their mouth and thereafter penned it to the end that it might be the foundation the pillar and proppe of our faith Then without the Gospell we cannot imagine any doctrine of saluation what name or title so euer it haue For Christ and the Apostles haue left vnto vs by writ all whatsoeuer is necessarie vnto true pietie and honest conuersation Why then doe you alledge vnto vs the insufficiencie of the written word Truely it must needs be that those famous men Hierome Cyprian and the Fathers that were assembled in the Councell of Laodicea had a beame in their eye when they could not perceiue that which you say is more cleare to you then the Sunne is in the noone-day to wit that the holy and canonicall Bookes were not sufficient to proue matters concerning faith and charitie and that we must haue recourse vnto traditions and the vnwritten word And for this cause when we goe about to conuict you by the proofes of the Scripture that we may declare what harmonie and agreement is betweene you and the Marcionists the Valentinians the Ebioneans the Apellians by imitating of them you couer your selues with this buchler to wit that the Scripture is obscure and that the truth cannot be fully collected from thence vnlesse we helpe our selues with the vnwritten traditions which the Apostles deliuered from their owne mouth without Scripture And what manner of things are they which they would haue vs to embrace vnder this pretence The forbidding of certaine meates on certaine dayes the forbidding of a certaine order of persons to marrie Lent chastitie and such like things that belong not to faith but to a simple custome which is diuers in diuers places according to the humour of such as beare rule in the Church These are the things of so great weight as you will haue them to be which Bellarmine sayth that the Apostles did not preach to the common people to whom they ministred simply that which was necessarie and profitable vnto them but concerning other things to wit those weighty matters before mentioned they taught them apart and in priuate vnto those that were of greatest vnderstanding that therafter they might deliuer them from hand to hand vnto those that should be found most capable of them Are not these goodly reasons Reasons that are so pertinent that it hath seemed expedient vnto you to make vp huge Tomes thereof that haue bin published wherunto notwithstanding our writers haue not failed to answer reasōs I say that are so vnreasonable that you cannot deny that by the meanes thereof you collude and agree with the auncient heretickes The chiefe argument of those of Ireneus and Tertullians time which was ordinarie in their mouths was grounded on that which our Sauiour saith to his Apostles That he had yet many things to say vnto them but that they could not beare them Of this did S. Austin complaine in his time and chiefly in two places of his workes In the first he vseth these termes All the madder sort of heretickes who will be called Christians doe labour to shadow the boldnesse of their inuentions which the vnderstanding of man doth euen abhorre by taking hold of these words of the Gospell where the Lord sayth I haue yet many things to say vnto you but you cannot beare them now In the second he writeth thus And sith our Lord hath made no mention of them which of vs will say they are such or such like things Or if he were so bold as to say so how could he be able to proue it For who will be so foolish or so rash when he hath sayd all that he listeth to whom pleaseth him best although it be true as to affirme without any diuine proofe that he hath spoken those things which our Lord would not reueile at that time And if S. Austin hath written after this manner against the heretickes of his time If Ireneus and Tertullian could not endure the Gnostiques and others to abuse the same why may not we doe after the same manner with you to the end that we may exclude all the fansies of men We will adde further to that which is said before how that
fasting had become rather weake then holy Ifidore saith that the Nouatians Hereticks gloried in the merit of their works And at this time who vaunt themselues more then those of the Romish Church cheefely the Fryers and among them the Capuchins most The Nouatians said that they were pure and separated from the rest of the world and who is liker vnto them then those that are of another world who say that they liue like Angels although they draw the glory and pride of this age after them yea and into their draughts which are become redoubtable not onely vnto the common people but vnto the Popes also After such manner that one of them said that hee would chuse rather to offend a Monarch then the least Harpie of the Minorite Fryers The sect of the ignorant Fryers whom the Italians call Frati ignoranti is it not like vnto that of the Gnosimaches of whom Damascene speaketh and who gloried in this that they knew nothing Some of your Doctors haue maintained that ignorance is the cause and mother of all piety and obedience and wee may perceiue the print of this maxime in the Faith which you terme implicite or intricate But what will they answere to the Councell of Toledo whereof one Canon saith that mater omnium errorum est ignorantia and to S. Austini that the kingdome of ignorance is the kingdome of error The abstinence from flesh which chiefly the charterous Monkes and some others obserue very strictly in their rules as being willing to die rather then to enioy the vse of flesh next the abstinence from egges white meate and such others hath proceeded from no where else but from the Diabolicall shoppe of the Encratites Tatians and Manicheans as Epiphanius Austin and Philastrius writ for they haue the like markes on their visage Those vowes touching meates of fish dayes whitmeate dayes cheese dayes and flesh dayes are against the Canons which we haue noted in the margent The Gangrene Councell and that of Ancyra which were holden almost at the same very time with the first councell of Nice haue ordained that one should not and ought not to chastise or condemne those that eate flesh on Friday or in Lent P yea and that in matters which concerne Matrimony and meats our consciences ought not to bee burdened with new commandements The Chartrous Monkes haue learned their silence in the Schoole of the Hereticks whom S. Austin calleth Pattalornichites which had this custome to put their finger to their mouth that they might hold their peace And if you enter into the Monasteries of the Charterous Fryers and meete any of them all the salutation that you shall haue of them will be only a very humble inclinabo Now it may be that those silent Fryers will haue the prôfession of their silence to come rather from the Echimithie of the Pythagorians then from those Hereticks I giue them libertie to chuse for it is all one to me And the Iesuites are they not descended from the Carpocratians auncient Hereticks of whom Ireneus writeth that they bragged themselues to bee fellowes with Iesus and to beare rule ouer the Princes of the earth Iesuits I say the most pestiferous Grashoppers that euer came out of the pit of hell The Capuchins goe bare footed poore men truely they are worthy of compassion those poore snakes Philastrius Bishop of Brixe in the catalogue of Hereticks hath made a whole chapter of purpose wherein he speaketh de excalceatisf and S. Austint likewise maketh mention in the booke of Heresies ad quod vult Deum and hee addeth that they grounded themselues on this that the Lord had said vnto Moyses put off thy shoes from thy feete which perhaps is the same place whereupon the Capuchins and obseruantins haue grounded this custome to goe barefooted Wee shall ioyne with Monachisme the foolishnesse of the Asse of Gignac a towne in the lower Languedoc which hath proceeded of none but the Gnosticks of whom Epiphaniusu writeth that they taught that he that appeared to Zacharie the Father of Iohn Baptist had the shape of an Asse which Zacharie being about to reueale to the end that hee might diuert the heople from burning of incense in the Temple had his mouth stopped and was not able to speake by the meanes of this Asse So much haue we thought good to speake concerning the harmony of your Friers and of their ceremonies with auncient Hereticks Wee auouch the antiquitie of the custome of Monasteries and that some chused this manner of life that they might the better employ their time in the studie of the holy Scriptures and that they might bee the better prepared to beare the Lords crosse vnder the see uritie of discipline neuerthelesse without making of any vowes or bonds which might concerne Monasticall rules But the whole being degenerate and this vow that was onely temporall if there was any at all hauing taken sure hold and perpetuall possession of the poore consciences of the moderne Fryers with good reason we abhor such monkerie such as we see it now to the great hurt of Christendome And we may speake of this goodly Monacall Celibate that which Ouid spake in old times of poore Calisto Quae fuerat virgo credita mater erat CHAP. XXIII Of the Popish Lent IT is a commandement of the Romish Church to obserue Lent and not amisse if you had not made a part of Gods seruice of it as it is to be seene in the preface of your Lent Masses wherein you sing Qui corporaliieiunio vitia comprimis mentem eleuas virtutem largiris praemia And by these words doe you not bring it into the place of the bloud of Iesus Christ S. Chrysostome sayth that our Lord Iesus did not command vs to imitate his fast of fortie dayes but onely learne of me to be meeke as I am S. Austin writeth that he could neuer find that the Apostles or the Lord himselfe had left any ordinances touching dayes wherein we behoued to fast or not fast whereunto Socrates the Historiographer agreeth and declareth what great varietie was in the vse of Lent in his time Out of what storehouse then haue you taken this obseruation that is so necessarie vnto saluation according to your doctrine They attribute the same vnto Telesphorus the ninth Pope in order but without discipline and without any penaltie set downe for the breakers thereof Wherfore we must attribute it to Hildebrand called Gregorie the seuenth who in the yeare 1075. established the rigorous lawes of this fast threatning them with great punishment that should happen to breake the same And of whom did he learne it but of the Montanists which as Eusebius writeth in the yeare 144. inuented the same The Ebionians commaunded abstinence from flesh as we see at length in Epiphanius I heare that