ancient church accounted apocryphal as g In epist ad Paulin. in prolog in prouerb Hierome h In Synops Athanasius and diuers of the ancient fathers 〈◊〉 witnesse It alloweth also the old latin translation of the bible though different from the originall bookes the same also admitteth for principles of faith the sentences of popes the doctrine of the Romish church that now is the traditions of the Romish church the consent of fathers and diuers other grounds as Stapleton disputeth in his bookes De doctrinalibus principijs argument 7 i Arg. 7. Neuer certes did the church of Christ speake euill of scriptures k Lib. 3 aduersus haeres c. 2. Irenaeus saith It is the property of heretikes when they are conuinced by scriptures to fal into dislike of them and to accuse them as for the children of God they cannot either calumniate or lightly estéeme their heauenly fathers testameÌ„t or refuse to heare his voice but the scriptures conteine a declaration of the eternall testament of our heauenly father and therefore they are rightly called his testament in the scriptures also God speaketh vnto vs. and therefore if we be Christs sheepe we caÌ„not but hearken to his voice My sheepe saith our l Iohn 10. Sauiour heare my voice but the Romish church is still carping at scriptures as if they were neither sufficient nor perspicuous m Lib. 4. de verl die c. 4. Bellarmine saith they are neither necessarie nor sufficient without traditions n Praefat in reâ—act princip doctr Stapleton denieth them to be a sufficient foundation or rule of our faith the authors of the annotations vpon the Rhemish testament doe call them most blasphemously a killing letter and signifie that the reading of them is pernicious o Censur coloâ— others slander them as if they were a nose of waxe or a matter and subiect of contention argument 8 The church of God neuer called the bishop of Rome either a god on the earth or Christes vicar generall or vniuersall bishop but the church of Rome admitteth all this the canonists exalt him like a god p Epist ad Gregorium 13. ante princip doct Stapleton calleth him supremum numen in terris generally they call him vniuersall bishop and condemne all that hold contrary argument 9 The church of God doth kéepe the doctrine of the apostles and prophets q Gal. 1. without addition alteration or corruption and the apostle pronounceth him accursed r Aduers haeres c. 34. that teacheth any other Gospel than that which he taught Vincentius Lirinensis saith that this is the propertie of catholicks to kéepe the faith and doctrine of the fathers committed to them in trust and to condemne prophane nouelties CatholicoruÌ„ saith he hoc ferè proprium deposita sanctorum patrum commissa seruare damnare prophanas vocum nouitates sicut dixit iterum dixit apostolus si quis annuntiauerit praeterquam quod acceptum est anathematizare but the papists kéepe not entire the originall writings of the olde and new testament nor allow them as authenticall neither will they yéeld the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect and sufficient rule of faith nor doe they allow the law of God to be a perfect law nor doe they kéepe Christes institution in the Sacrament of the Lords supper distributing the kinds of bread and wine to the communicants but haue vnto this rule added vnwritten traditions and the determinations of popes concerning matters of faith they haue also encreased the numbers of Sacraments and added many precepts and rules not receiued in the Apostolicke church argument 10 The true Church can not endure hereticks and false apostles that teach doctrine contrary to the faith of Christ and doctrine of Christes apostles Christ Iesus speaking of his shéepe saith They will not follow a stranger but flie from him for that they know not the voice of strangers The apostles gaue vnto Christians a speciall charge concerning this point If there come any vnto you saith S. Å¿ Epist 2. Iohn and bring not this doctrine receiue him not to house neither salute him Tantum apostoli horum discipuli saith t Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 3. Irenaeus habuerunt timorem vt neque verbotenus communicarent alicui eorum qui adulterauerant veritatem Let vs separate our selues saith Cyprian as farre from them as they separate themselues from the church The true church certes can not embrace erroneous doctrine neither can any heretiks be accounted Christians Si haeretici sint saith u De praescrip aduers haeret Tertullian Christianiesse non possunt But the Papists communicate with hereticks as Liberius Felix Vigilius Honorius Iohn the 22. and 23. whom in my treatise De pontifice Rom. I declared to be heretiks they do also embrace the heresie of Angelicks in worshipping angels of the Collyridians in worshipping the blessed Virgin of Marcion Valentinus and others in denying Christes true bodie in the Sacrament to be solide and palpaple of the Pelagians in magnifying their merits and the force of frée will of the Carpocratians in burning incense and worshipping the images of Iesus and Paul and diuers others as we shall héereafter particularly declare argument 11 The true Church of Christ admitteth not the apocryphal legends of S. George Cyricus and Iulitta for these are condemned by the censure of Gelasius who testifieth that the olde Church of Rome receiued not any such legends but the latter Church of Rome and papists of our time doe admit these legends and out them they gather their traditions which they make equall to the word of God argument 12 The Church of God is the mistresse and teacher of trueth and admitteth no falshood nor vntrueth the apostle doeth call her the pillar and ground of trueth Est fons veritatis saith x Instit diuin lib. 4. c. vlt. Lactantius speaking of the church hoc est domicilium fidei that is she is the fountaine of trueth she is the house where true faith dwelleth but the church of Rome that now is is not only a receptacle of leud opinions but also the mother and mistresse of lies and vanities and so Petrarch for aboue two hundred yéeres doubted not to call her Madre d'errori e tempio d'haeresia saith he which authoritie albeit they regard not yet the same which he auoucheth is prooued first in that the church of Rome auoucheth lying traditions as for example the tradition concerning Ember fasts and fasts vpon Saints vigiles concerning the ceremonies of the masse concerning the words aeterni mysterium fidei thrust into the words of consecration of the challice and such like secondly the same approoueth lying and forged decretals as for example C. Constantinus dist 96. and c. ego Ludouicus dist 63. and c. quis nesciat dist 11. infinit more of that nature thirdly the same giueth credit to Caesar Baronius his most lying and fabulous narrations and the popes haue commended them
by solemne decretals although we doubt not but to make the vanitie of them appeare partly in this discourse but farre more at large hereafter finally the same admitteth most lying legends and now and then permitteth them to be read publikely in the church as for example the legends of Catherine Clement Gregory called also Thaumaturgus Peter Martyr a dominican S. Catharine of Siena S. Christopher and diuers others in the legend of S. Catherine y In breuiaer Ro. in festâ— Catharinae they write that she was a maiden of Alexandria and so well learned that at the age of eighteene yeeres she passed the most learned and in dispute ouercame fiftie Philosophers and that also she conuerted Faustina the empresse and Porphyrius a captaine of the emperors to the faith they say also that she broke the tormenting wheele with her praiers that after her death her body was buried in mount Sinah by angels in the feast of S. Clement in the Romish breuiary we read that Clement Peters successor was by Traian sent into the wildernesse of z Let Parsons tell vs where this is Cersona and that there he saw a lambe make a well to sally out of the top of the mountaine and that he being cast into the sea with a millstone about his necke the sea fled three miles from the shore and that in the very same place a little chappell was found in the sea where his body was bestowed On the festiuall day of Gregory of Neocesaria the church of Rome a In breuiar Rom. appointeth his legend to be read where it is said that he caused the riuer of Lycus to keepe within the chanell by planting his staffe on the banke and that his staffe grew presently into a great tree in the rituall books of Sarum we read that Gregory the first deliuered Traians soule out of hell which if it were true why is it now crossed out of the new bookes if false how hapeneth it that the church of Rome so long beléeued that tale b I'n breuiar Rom. in fest Petr. Mart. Peter Martyr one of Dominickes order as they write I thinke beléeue did keepe his virginity both in body and minde and in that sort that he neuer felt himselfe defiled with any mortall sinne they tell vs also that he did fast so long that he could scarce open his mouth to eat They tell vs further many wonders of Saint Nicolas Valerian and Tiburtius Lucia Christopher and other saints in the c Historia Louâ—bard del volto santo italic legend of Ieames of the colepit for else I cannot tell how to English Iacobus de Voragne we read that a certaine picture of our sauiour did lift vp his foot and cast off his slipper to a certaine pilgrime that deuoutly stood before it and would haue offred somewhat having nothing to offer Of Saint Catherine of Siena they say that she was betrothed to our sauiour Christ all which points are very incredible and not to be found in any authenticall writing If then the church of Rome publish and teach these fables and lies then is she no mistresse of trueth but of lies if Robert Parsons will say they are no lies I would pray him to declare vs the trueth out of authenticall histories argument 13 The faith of Gods true church cannot be built vpon any vncertainty or vntrueth for faith is an argument certaine or an euidence of things not seene est fides saith the d Hebr. 11. apostle sperandarum rerum substantia argumentum non apparentium and it is built on Christ Iesus that is trueth and on a rocke that is unmouable neither neede we long profes for this point for the aduersaries themselues confesse this to be true Nihil saith Thomas Aquinas cadere potest sub fide nisi inquantum stat sub veritate prima sub qua nullum falsum stare potest and afterward he saith quod fidei non potest subesse aliquod falsum if then the faith of the church of Rome be grounded on falshood then is it no true faith and if that churches faith be no faith then is not that church the true church but that the faith of the church of Rome is built vpon diuers false positions it may easily be proued for first the same beleeueth that the traditions of the church of Rome are either descended from Christ or the apostles for the most part and namely such as concerne the canon and ceremonies of the masse fastes praiexs for the dead praiers to saints and such like secondly it beleeueth all the determinations of popes concerning faith and manners to be true and infallible as for example that it is necessary for euery christian to be subiect to the Pope that he hath power to depose kings to giue power to cutthrotes to kill kings to dispense with the vncle to marry his neece with the brother to marry his brothers wife and such like thirdly that church beléeueth what is contained in the breuiary and missale as for example the stories or rather legends of Saint Christopher Saint George Saint Catherine and such like finally the same must beléeue whatsoeuer the Pope shall determine to be de fide But among such traditions determinations and legendes there are diuers both false and ridiculous fables neither can it be denied but that the Pope hath determined and may also determine falsely and contrary to the faith and this is shewed in my bookes de Pontifice Rom. at large e Lib. 4. de pontif Rom. and cannot be denied unlesse Robert Parsons can prooue vnto vs that all the Popes decretales concerning matters of faith and maners and all the traditions of that church and all legendes are true which to him will be a matter of some difficulty argument 14 The church of Christ is bounded within the limits of the holy canonicall scriptures habet vrbes legis prophetarum euangelii saith Saint f In Mich. lib. 1. c. 1. Hierome and againe non est egressa de finibus suis id est de scripturis sanctis he g Ibidem c. 7. saith also that it is the property of heretickes to flie to mens commandements and the leauen of the pharisees S. h Lib. 19. de ciuit Dei c. 18. Augustine also concureth with him and saith that the city of God beleeueth the holy scriptures that are called canonicall but of other reports he saith she doubteth but the church of Rome will not be bounded within the limites of holy scriptures neither will she acknowledge the canonicall scriptures to be a perfect rule of faith the same also from scriptures flieth to vnwritten traditions and is much soured with the leauen of the pharisées and mixture of Popish and Iewish ceremonies deuised and established by men finally the same doth rather or at the least as soone beleeue the determination of the Pope as the letter of holy scriptures for in the Pope Stapleton placeth the chiefe authority of the church
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
they professe their religion will neuer prooue ancient nor catholike not ancient for that diuers doctrines and traditions which they hold are new and vnheard of in the ancient catholike church argument 1 First they teach vs that the holy canonicall scriptures are no perfect canon of our faith for this doctrine is gathered out of the decrée of the councell of Trent that with equall affection embraceth vnwritten traditions and canonicall scriptures e Lib. 4. de verbo Dei c. 12. Bellarmine saith that scriptures are a part of the canon or rule of faith and not a whole rule dico secundò saith he scripturam etsi non sit facta praecipuè vt sit regula fidei esse tamen regulam fidei non totalem sed partialem f De doctrin princip li. 7. c. 1. Stapleton beside scriptures frameth a new rule which he calleth the order of tradition but this doctrine is new and contrary both to scriptures and fathers The g 2. Tim. 3. apostle he teacheth vs that the scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect and furnished for euery good worke he teacheth vs also that they are able to make vs wise to saluation likewise the fathers testifie that the scriptures are a perfect canon sufficiunt sanctae ac diuinitus inspitatae scripturae saith h Lib. contr idola Athanasius ad veritatis indicationem Basil in serm de fid confess saith it is an argument of infidelity and pride either to reiect scriptures or to bring in matter not conteined in scriptures he meaneth in questions of faith cum habeamus omnium exactissimam trutinam gnomonem regulam diuinarum legum assertionem saith i In 2. ad Corinth homil 13. Chrysostome oro vos omnes vt relinquatis quid huic vel illi videatur de his à scripturis haec omnia inquirite Tertullian writing against Hermogenes saith that he adoreth the fulnesse of scriptures And saint k Lib. 2. de doctr Christian c. 9. Augustine teacheth that all things concerning faith and maners are found in scriptures clearely propounded to conclude this point most derogatory it were to Gods diuine wisedome if any man should suppose the scripture to be an imperfect canon or halfe a rule or maimed doctrine as the papistes lately haue begun to teach argument 2 They haue made the bookes of Tobia Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus Machabeies and such fragments of bookes as are in the old Latin interpreter and not in Hebrew equall to the bookes of Moyses and other prophets and to the writings also of the apostles this is the determination of the councell of Trent and the common doctrine now of the Iebusites and papists but new and no way approoued by the ancient church for these bookes were neuer allowed by any prophets or by the church of God before Christs time nor did the ancient fathers allow them Gregory in his morals lib. 19. c. 16. directly affirmeth the bookes of Machabeis not to be canonicall sicut ergo Iudith Tobiae Machabaeorum libros legit quidem ecclesia saith l In Prouerb Solomon Hierome sed eos inter canonicas scripturas non recipit he saith m In praefat in lib. paralip also where controuersie is concerning Apocryphall writings we must haue recourse to the Hebrews neither doth Augustine so make them canonicall as he reputeth them equall to other scriptures as appeareth by his words lib. 18. de ciuit dei c. 36. conrra Gaudent lib. 2. c. 23. nay Sixtus Senensis albeit he make all these bookes canonicall yet doeth he not giue to all equall authoritie let vs therefore sée any ancient writer that alloweth the decrée of the councell of Trent if the papists will not haue all men sée that they haue innouated the very canon of the Christian faith argument 3 They haue also made the old Latin translation authenticall contrary not onely to reason séeing it differeth not onely from the originall bookes but also is contrary to it selfe as may appeare by the editions of Sixtus Quintus and Clement the 8. but also to antiquity which as appeareth by the testimony of Hierome and Augustine alwaies preferred the originall bookes in matter of difference before translations argument 4 Concerning the interpretation of scriptures the conuenticle of Trent n Sess 4. determineth that no man shall interpret them against that sense and meaning which the holy mother church holdeth to whome it belongeth to iudge of the true meaning and interpretation of scriptures end by the church they vnderstand the the pope and church of Rome but this act is altogether new for we do not finde that euer the easterne or African churches were forbidden to interpret scriptures as well as the church of Rome or that the fathers of the church were tied to expound scriptures after the opinions of the bishop of Rome nay we finde that no interpretations are more absurd then theirs or more contrary to the meaning of the holy ghost as for example may appeare in these two points In the law of Moyses we are expresly forbidden to make grauen images to worship them but the church of Rome interpreteth these words so galantly that men may both make grauen images and worship them our sauior Christ saith bibitē ex hoc omnes but the Romanistes turne it contrary and will haue no communicantes to drinke of the Lords cuppe but the priest onely argument 5 In time past o Dist 15. c. sancta Romana Christians were forbidden to read the legends of Quiricus Iulitta and George the 8. books of Clement the acts of Tecla and Paul the booke of the assumption of the virgine Mary and such like The acts also of Siluestre bishop of Rome and writings concerning the inuention of the holy crosse and of the head of Saint Iohn Baptist were doubted of but now these legends for the most part are the grounds of Romish traditions which the church of Rome placeth in equall ranke with holy canonicall scriptures is it not then apparent that the very grounds of Romish traditions are laid vpon fables and of late inuention argument 6 The foundation of the ancient apostolicke faith was laid vpon the scriptures as is euident for that the city and church of God is built vpon the prophets and apostles Christ Iesus being the corner stone p Lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. Ieremy saith that the apostles first preached the gospell and afterward by the will of God deliuered the same in scriptures that they might be a foundation and piller of our faith but now Bellar. teachech vs that the pope is the foundation of the church and Stapleton doubteth not to q De doctr princip in praefat say that the pope is the chiefe subiect of ecclesiasticall authority and r Cancanonicis dist 19. Gratian like a shamelesse fellow vnder the name of Saint Augustine doubteth not to recken the popes decretale epistles among the canonicall scriptures argument 7 Stapleton
Carranza and others in the canon of Laodicea before recited for angelos write angulos and so hope to hide their filthinesse in corners But Theodoret doth plainly conuince them both of heresie and falshood also Synodus saith he x In epist ad Coloss c. 3. quae conuenit laodiceae lege prohibuit ne precarentur angelos that this worship of angels is superstitious Chrysostome commenting vpon the epistle to the Colossians declareth and especially in his ninth homily vpon that epistle argument 17 The Seuerians were noted as heretikes for their miracles either vainly forged or by the diuels helpe effected their prophetesse y Augustin de hares c. 24. Philumena through a narrow mouthed glasse would put in a prety bigge lofe and draw it out againe without breaking the glasse the Mirabiliaries were likewise condemned for that by miracles and prophecies they sought to confirme their opinions and what doe the papists doe not they likewise confirme all their superstition false religion and idolatry with counterfect miracles doe they not tell vs tales of z Laurent Vall. contra donat Constanim images speaking of men headlesse walking of dead men reuiuing they will not deny it nay Bellarmine maketh these miracles a marke of his church but if they prooue false their church must néeds prooue a false church by a very good consequent argument 18 The Tatians and other heretikes absteined from mariage as a state of life impure and imperfect The Romish priestes therefore together with monks friers and nunnes haue abiured mariage as not compatible with their pretended monkish perfection a C. proposuisti dist 82. Syricius or at least Gratian or some other falsary vnder his name calleth mariage fleshly pollutions In Capgranes legends the Romish saints no otherwise talke of mariage then as if it were vncleannesse sinne and abomination diuers of our aduersaries haue written that it is lesse sinne for priests to commit fornication than to marry argument 19 The papists also agrée with the Manicheyes in diuers points sauoring of heresie for as the Mancheyes condemned mariage in their priests which for their excellency they called electos so likewise doe the papists in their monks and greater orders of their clergie secondly as the Manicheyes abstained from the cuppe in the Lords supper and receiued one kinde onely as appeareth by the testimony of Leo Serm. 4. de quadrages and of the chap. relatum and c. comperimus dist 2. de consecrat so likewise doe the papists diuiding if Gelasius say true one and the selfe same sacrament most sacrilegiously thirdly both Manicheyes and papists destroy Christes humanity the Manicheyes giuing him no true flesh nor solide body and the papists giuing him a body neither visible nor palpable nor indued with the right dimensions and true properties of a body both of them also say the body of Christ may be in many places at once lastly the Manicheyes in their fasts albeit they abstained from flesh yet vsed diuers other exquisite and dainty meates and this is also the rigorous fast of most papists which the rest will not deny to be a good fast after the popes law and a good feast as Christians say argument 20 Montanus did first b Apollonius apud Euseb lib. 5. c. 17. establish lawes of fasting as is recorded in the history of Eusebius and appeareth also by the practise of the church that had no law concerning that matter in his time the same also may be proued by the testimony of Augustine who denieth that any law concerning fasting was made by Christ or his apostles quibus diebus c Epist 86. ad Casulan saith he non oporteat ieiunare quibus oporteat praecepto domini vel apostolorum non inuenio definitum Montanus also began first to d Epiphan in haeres 48. dispute that the scriptures were not perfect and that they were to he supplied by his new paracletus that as he said was to teach all things necessary his e Augustin de haeres c. 26. followers had the prophecies of Prisca and Maximilla in great reuerence both he and his disciples did beléeue Limbum Patrum to be in hell f Lib. de anima in fiâ—t Tertullian hauing learned of Montanus taught that small sinnes after this life were to be purged and that his paracletus did often recommend that doctrine further by the testimony of vnwritten traditions and his paracletus he g Lib. de coron milit proueth that the suffering daies of martyrs were to be kept holy and that sacrifices should be offered for soules departed the doctrine therefore of the church of Rome concerning set fasts the imperfection of scriptures vnwritten traditions legendary prophecies of Brigit and other Romish saints and concerning Limbus Patrum in hell and remission of sinnes after this life and the oblations for soules departed séemeth rather to procéed from Montanus then from Christ or his apostles finally the Montanistes did not more'vant of their Prisca Maximilla then the papists of their Brigit Hildegardis and Mechtildis nor did Montanus offer for the soules departed otherwise then the papists argument 21 As the Pepuzians did honor their towne Pepuza and call it Hierusalem or the metropolis of their religion so doe the papists honor Rome and both papists and Pepuzians suffer wemen to minister the sacrament or baptisme should not then the papists haue great wrong if they were not made equall in ranke with Pepuzians herein they also surpasse them for we doe not read that any woman among the Pepuzians was made pope of Pepuza but Martin Polonus Marianus Scotus Chronicon Chronicorum Platina and diuers authors of great credit report that a woman was made pope of Rome and her picture is to be séene in the dome of Siena among other popes if it be not latele defaced finally the Iebusites contending to shew the contrary shew nothing but their owne impudency and the hardnesse of their faces argument 22 The Catharistes boast much of their merits purity and perfection Mundiores se ceteris praedicant saith h Lib. 8. orig â— de haeres Isidore they doe also deny absolution in somes cases to the repentant and rebaptize those that are already baptized and is not this also the case of papists they cannot well deny it for they say that all monks and friers are in state of perfection and deny that any iust man doth commit a mortall sinne they deny also to hereticks relapsed as they call them all fauour and absolue none in cases reserued to the pope finally the histories of France and Flanders doe shew that the popish priests haue there rebaptized many and in England albeit they doe not rebaptize yet they change the names and vse a number of greasie ceremonies frequented in the Romish church to supply our baptisme as they say argument 23 The Iacobites and Armenians were condemned for hereticks for that they made the images of God the father and God the holy ghost Imagines
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
a spiritu sancto dictatas c. pari pietatis affectu ac reuerentia suscipit ac veneratur scilicet haec synodus and afterward they pronounce alâ— cursed Lib. de verbo Dei that shall conteÌ„ne the sayd traditions Bellarmine also and the rest of his consorts teach that there is one word of God written and another vnwritten and that both are of equall authority But it is playne falsity to forge any part of a testameÌ„t Galat. 3. or to interline it or to adde to it hominis testamentuÌ„ saith the Apostle nemo spernit aut super ordinat that is no man addeth to a testament or taketh on him to superordinate or set downe more then is declared by the testators will And he signifieth that it is much more odious to adde to Gods testament and as it were with pretended nuncupatiue additions to corrupt Gods writen will and testament Qui testamentum falsum scripserit signauerit recitauerit dolo malo saith Paulus L. qui testameÌ„tum ad L. Cornel de falsis cuiusue dolo malo id factum erit legis corneliae de falsis poena damnatur Againe si quis legatum sibi ascripserit saith Africanus tenetur poena legis corneliae So if the Romish Church haue added to Gods eternall testameÌ„t any traditions vpon the credit of the church L. siquis legatum ff ad L. cornel de falsis and made them parte of Gods testament or meane to receiue benefit or as it were a legacie or authoritie by any thing therein contained the same is guilty of falsification falsification 5 Fiftly the Romish Church hath committed falshood by making the old latin translation authenticall which differeth in many poynts from the originall bookes of the old and new testament Statuit declarat saith the conuenticle of Trent speaking of it selfe vt haec ipsa vetus vulgataeditio quae longo tempore tot seculorum vsu in ipsa ecclesia probata est Sess 4. in pub licis lectionibus disputationibus praedicationibus expositionibus pro authentica habeatur Now that this translation doth differ from the originall bookes it cannot bée denyed For that by collation of both is apparent Beside that it is proued by the testimony of Isidorus Clarius in his preface to his translation of the Bible of Erasmus and diuers other learned men and sometime confessed by the aduersaries theÌ„selues that this is falshood it is proued for that to exhibit a false copie of a testament is falsity It is also a notorious absurdity to preferre a translation or a copy before the originall falsification 6 Sixtly it is falsity to adde to the rule of faith or canon of scriptures For if a man may not add to the rules and lawes of men but he shall falle within the danger of the law cornelia de falsis much lesse may a man adde to the rule of faith and canon of scripture Concil Trid. Sess 4. but he shall bee condemned for falsification But the Church of Rome hath in two sorts added to the rule of faith first making the bookes of Tobias Iudith Ecclesiasticus Wisedome the Machabees and others by the councell of Laodicea and Hierome and other auncient Fathers excluded out of the canon canonicall and next by making the Popes determinations and vnwritten traditions the rule of faith as is proued by Stapletons discourse de doctrinalibus principijs and other treatises of the Romanistes concerning that argument Neither hath the Romish Synagogue any thing to alleadge in excuse of her falsitie but that such bookes haue sometime béene accompted canonicall by the councell of Carthage Can. 47. and S. Augustine and next that traditions haue béene much stood vpon by the auncient Fathers But the third councell of Carthage and S. Augustine speake onely of the bookes of the Bible that were publikely read and of the canon as it prescribed a rule for the reading of bookes and not otherwise and by tradition they meane no other doctrine then that which is contained in holy scriptures and gathered out of them falsification 7 7. Either hath Sixtus Quintus or Clement the 8. egregiously falsified the holy scriptures For both of them hauing taken vpon them to set out the same according to the olde latin translation we finde in diuers places either manifest contradictions or at the least notorious differences betwixt them As for example Gen. 4. the Clementine edition hath in foribus pettatum aderit In Sixtus Quintus his edition set out at Louain peccatum tuum aderit Gen. 5. v. 3. Clement readeth genuit ad imaginem similitudinem suam Sixtus hath genuit filium ad imaginem Contrariwise Genes 1.27 Clement readeth creauit deus hominem ad imaginem suam ad imaginem dei creauit illum and Sixtus hath creauit deus hominem ad imaginem similitudinem suam ad imaginem dei c. Genes 9. Clement readeth de manu viri fratris eius requiram Sixtus hath onely de manu fratris eius requiram Exod. 16. Clement readeth cur eduxistis nos in desertum istud Sixtus contrariwise readeth cur induxistis Exod. 23. Clement readeth victimae meae and Sixtus victimae tuae Leuit. 27. Clement readeth iuxta aestimationem tuam Sixtus iuxta aestimationem suam and it the 28. verse of the same chapter Clement readeth non vendetur and Sixtus non veniet Deut. 24. Clement readeth animam opposuit tibi Sixtus apposuit tibi Deut. 29.19 Clement readeth absumat ebria sitientem Sixtus readeth assumat ebria sitientem Iosue 11.19 Clement readeth non fuit ciuitas quae se traderet and Sixtus quite contrarie quae se non traderet 2. Reg. 6. v. 13. These words that are found in Sixtus his edition dixitque Dauid ibo reducam arcam cum benedictione in domum meam are not found in Clements bible 2. Reg. c. 15.23 Clement readeth contra viam quae respicit ad desertum Sixtus readeth contra viam oliuae 2. Reg. 16.1 Clement hath vtre vini Sixtus readeth duobus vtribus 3. Reg. 7.9 Clement hath extrinsecus vsque Sixtus intrinsecus vsque 1. Paralip 8. v. vlt. Clement readeth vsque ad centum quinquaginta omnes Sixtus readeth ad centum quinquaginta millia lib. 1. Ezrae c. 2. v. 66. Clement readeth septingenti triginta sex Sixtus sexcenti triginta sex Sapientiae c. 2.11 Clement hath sit fortitudo lex iustitiae nostrae Sixtus readeth lex iniustitiae Eccles 8.8 Clement readeth in gâ—udium nolumus venire Sixtus readeth volumus venire c. 21. v. 15. Clement readeth est autem sapientia Sixtus hath est autem insipientia Iohn 6.65 Clement readeth qui essent non credentes Sixtus readeth qui essent credentes Heb. c. 5.11 Clement readeth grandis sermo ininterpretabilis Sixtus readeth grandis sermo interpretabilis Infinit repugnances also there are more betwixt these editions which who so list to sée let him peruse M. Th. Iames his painefull treatise intituled Bellum papale wherein he hath
no mention of them in scriptures Finally the description of the tabernacle tents and orders of the Israelites which doe not import or giue any signification of such an order of women but rather the contrary doth cléerly refute this vaine fiction deuised without colour of reason or testimony of good authors falsification 20 He telleth vs further a tedious fable of the holy virgins vow of virginity but if he will make his report good Pag. 33. 34. hée must shew first that women among the Israelites did vowe virginity and the rather for that we reade that it was a reproach for women of that nation not to be mothers of children Secondly he must shew that young women before the age of fourtéene did make such vowes Thirdly he must answere and cleare those places of scripture that say she was betrothed to Ioseph for after solemne vowes Nunnes neither marry nor are betrothed Finally he must bring vs better proofes then supposals of Epiphanius and Augustine and a counterfeit tale vnder the name of Gregorye of Nyssa For S. Augustine or at least he that lurketh vnder that holy fathers name saith that vowes of virginity did not then stand with the fashions of the Israelites Lib. de virginit c. 4. He signifieth also that the holy virgin thought it impossible hauing once vowed her maidenhead to God that she should know a man But that sheweth that all the Romish Nunnes are most vnlike to this holy virgin for albeit they vow and sweare and are walled vp so that none come at them yet they neither think it a matter impossible nor difficult to know men as experience and diuers witnesses can testifie and the Romanistes know very well if they durst speake it falsification 21 Diuers auncient fathers testifie that Ioseph the spouse of the blessed virgin had by his first wife diuers children and namely Hyppolytus as witnesseth Nicephorus hist lib. 2. c. 3. Origenes in Matthaei c. 13. Eusebius hist lib. 2. c. 1. Epiphanius haeres 28. 51. 78. Nyssenus homil de resurrect Christi homil 2. Chrysostomus homil de annunt Virg. Euthymius in Matth. c. 2. Hilarius in Matth. can 1. Ambrosius in epist ad Galat. And yet all this notwithstanding Baronius saith this is but an apocryphall fable Why then should we beléeue his apocryphall fables testified by one or two witnesses only and that in writings very doubtfull séeing he will not beléeue this narration that is confirmed as himselfe confesseth by many fathers Further why should we beléeue him that Iohn Baptist was conceiued in September in the time of the solemne fast or in that forme which he reporteth And why should he desire any to giue credit to his narration concerning the city of Zachary S. Iohn Baptists father and the sanctification of S. Iohn Baptist in his mothers wombe for which he alleadgeth no proofe séeing he will not beléeue others that bring testimonies of fathers falsification 22 Saint Luke sheweth that Christ was baptized going vpon the thirtéeth yeare of his age Luc. 3. Iesus erat incipiens saith he quasi annorum triginta and so doe most fathers and other learned men expound Lukes words But Baronius to maintaine the credit of the Romish ordinall will haue Lukes wordes to be so expounded as if he were going vpon the age of one and thirty when he was baptized But if this were so then would Saint Luke haue said quasi annorum triginta vnius falsification 23 In the accompt of years from the beginning of the world vntill Christs time he followeth the tradition of the Romish church that séemeth to allow the translation of the seuenty interpreters rather then the Hebrew text But what is this else but to digresse from the canon of originall scriptures to follow either corrupt translations or vnwritten traditions falsification 24 The scriptures say that our Sauiour was borne in Bethlehem and in a stable and that he was laide in a manger and albeit the place was very meane for the king of heauen and earth to be borne in yet it is very much to be presumed that there was neither Oxe nor Asse in the roome for they are no fit compagnions for men and women especially for a woman being with childe But Baronius by vnwritten traditions issuing from that pure fountaine which Sixtus quintus speaketh of hath found that our Sauiour Christ was borne in spelunca that is in a caue within the ground Saint Matthew calleth it a house but he findeth it was no house but a denne or caue He findeth also that Christ was borne in this caue which is some prety way out of Bethlehem for so Burchard in his description of the holy land part 1. c. 7. testifieth He saith further that our Sauiour was laid in a manger cut out of the rocke and proueth it by the testimony of Hierome albeit we reade but of few mangers cut out of rockes and although afterward he saith it was of wood and so must he say vnlesse he will deny that to be the manger that is shewed in the Church of our Lady ad praesepe in Rome He alleadgeth Chrysostome also that saith the manger was of earth or clay Finally he beareth vs in hand that there was an Oxe and an Asse tyed in that stable and thinketh it sufficiently proued because Hierome alluding to the words of the prophet saith that when Christ was borne the Oxe knew his owner and the Asse his masters crybbe and this he alleadgeth out of the third of Abacuck where no such thing is to be found Of all which traditions the sole reason is this that he may maintaine the credit of the manger which together with hey they shew at Rome as a holy relique He endeuoureth also by these fables to vpholde the pilgrimage to the holy land where little is remaining to be séene but holes dennes rockes and mountaines But if he beléeue these traditions as well as the gospell a man of small learning may see that he is a man of a strange faith falsification 25 He telleth that the swadling clouts wherein our Sauiour was first wrapped are religiously kept and that a church was built in honour of them and a holyday assigned to keepe the memoriall of them But his best witnesse of them is Lipomanus a man whose lies a man may feele with his hands The Apostles certes neuer taught vs to kéepe such reliques or ragges rather neither doth any authenticall sâ—…ry report any such thing Nay whosoeuer will examine them narrowly shall soone sée the notorious impostures of the Romanists that deuise and maintaine these superstitions not for any other purpose then for their owne credit and gaine falsification 26 The wisemen that came from the East if we will beléeue him were three kings but he maketh kings without kingdomes and like his holy father the Pope by â—…is charter or testimony giueth kingdomes away at his pleasure Very vnlike it is certes that thrée kings should consort together and take such a iourney putting
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
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
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
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
grant that any is saued iumbling catholike and Romane together as appeareth by the confession of the Iebusites of Burdeaux by Canisius Catechisme translated into Spanish by Hierome Campos Bristowes 12. motiue in the margent the cardinall of Cusa epist 5. ad Bohemos Cochlaeus hist Hussit lib. 11. argument 15 The papists also to fit their new fantasies haue coined a new definition of the church h De eccles milit c. 2. Bellarmine defineth the church to be a company of men conioined in one profession of faith and communion of sacraments vnder the gouernment of lawful pastors and especially of the bishop of Rome which definition is neither to be shewed in any authenticall writer nor prooued by any good argument for neither is it sufficient to professe the faith outwardly and to communicate in sacraments and to liue in subiection vnder lawfull pastors to make a man a true member of the catholike church nor can it be shewed that all christians haue euer liued in subiection of Romish bishops not that for that most wicked persons and atheists and heretikes may make an externall profession of their faith and receiue the sacraments as did Iudas and liue in outward subiection to their pastors which notwithstanding the ancient fathers doe not acknowledge to be true members of the church not this for the Easterne and Africane churches in time past were neuer gouerned by the popes decretales If Robert Parsons thinke otherwise let him produce thrée or foure decretales of popes whereto these churches yéelded obedience argument 16 The ancient fathers beléeued that the catholike church is a communion of saints and a multitude of true beléeuers the first is proued by an article of our creed and so proued that it may appeare that the fathers accounted no licentious liuers true members of the church Non ideo putandi sunt mali saith S. i Lib. 2. contr lit petil c. vlt. Augustine esse in Christi corpore quod est ecclesia quia sacramentorum eius corporaliter participes sunt the second is proued for that faith is the life of Christans Ecclesia est domus Dei saith k In Psal 51. Hilary omnes euangelicae fidei sectatores likewise l Lib. 1. de sacrament Ambrose saith that the first thing that is required in a Christian is faith and both these points I haue at large prooued against m Lib. de eccles part uat sedec 6. 7. Bellarmine but the papists if any credit be to be giuen to n Lib. de eccles miâ—it c. 2. Bellarmine do hold that a man may be a part and true member of the true church albeit he haue neither faith nor charitie nor any inward vertue so that by his confession the Romish church may consist of infidels atheists sodomites and abominable persons argument 17 The ancient church was wont to reuerence the apostles canons but the late Romish church doth not much regard them as is apparent by the the 5.9 and 31. canons which are not now obserued Ex 84. apostolicis canonibus saith o Lib. 5. de sacror hom continent c. 105. Michael Medina quos Clemens Romanus pontifex eorundem apostolorum discipulus in vnum coegit vix sex aut octo Latina ecclesia nunc obseruat likewise Martin Perez de tradit part 3. c. de autorit can apost saith that many things are conteined in the apostles canons which through the corruptions of times are not fully obserued argument 18 The ancient church neuer vsed to confesse their sinnes to angels saints and to the virgine Mary neither were Christians inioined in time past to say Confiteor Deo omnipotenti beatae Mariae semper virgini beato Michaeli archangelo beato Ioanni Baptistae sanctis apostolis Petro Paulo omnibúsque sanctis as the papists say in euery masse nay in ancient p In missa Jacobi Marci Basilij Chrysostomi missals this forme is not found argument 19 Neither did the priests clerke in ancient time giue absolution to the priest as it is in the missale of Rome nor say Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus dimissis omnibus peccatis tuis perducat te ad vitam aeternam for that is nothing els but to giue the keies to boies and preferre the scholar before the master argument 20 The confession of faith also set out by q Bulla Pij 4. super forma profess fidei Pius the fourth wherein all that take degrées in schooles or take charge of soules professe that they beleeue and admit ecclesiasticall traditions and constitutions and the scriptures according to the Romish sense the seuen sacraments and the doctrine of the councell of Trent concerning originall sinne iustice of works the sacrifice of the masse transubstantiation and other points there established is new and no where to be prooued out of the ancient fathers of the church argument 21 In the rehersall of the tenne commandements the ancient fathers neuer vsed to leaue out that commandement that concerneth the making of grauen images like to God and the worshipping of them But the Romish church knowing it selfe guilty of the breach of this commandement in their litle catechismes put before the office of the blessed virgine and diuers other r Catechism de Hieronymode campos bookes doe leaue the same quite out argument 22 In ancient time Christians beléeued that all was sinne that was contrary to the commandements of God for so they collected of the words of the law that pronounced all accursed Å¿ Deut. 27. Galat. 3. that did not abide in all things t 1. Iohn 5. that are written in the booke of the law to doe them and Saint Iohn saith expresly that all vnrighteousnesse is sinne and if it were not so then were the law of God a most imperfect and vncertaine rule but the u Consur colon f. 46. papists of late time affirme that all that is repugnant to the law is not sinne and that concupiscence is not sinne in the regenerate and finally that it is no sinne not to loue God withall our hart and all our soule argument 23 Ancient Christians beléeued that concupiscence euen in the regenerate is sinne for that is prohibited by the law of God that saith thou shalt not couet the apostle also doth call concupiscence in himselfe being now regenerate sinne and necessarily it must be so séeing we are by the x Deut. 6. law of God bound to loue God withall our hart all our soule all our strength Saint Hierome y In Amos 1. saith that it is sinne to thinke things that are euill and Saint z Lib. 2. contr Faust Manich. c. 27. Augustine teacheth vs that whatsoeuer is desired or coueted against the law is sinne but the late conuenticle of Trent decréeth that concupiscence in the regenerate is no sinne argument 24 The apostle Iames teacheth that we doe all of vs sinne and that in diuers things and Saint Iohn saith that he
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
argument 10 The Romanists n C. ad abolendam de haeret adiudge all to be hereticks which teach and hold otherwise of the sacraments then the church of Rome determineth and holdeth and commonly they condemne all that receiue not the popes determinations concerning faith but catholiks make the doctrine of Christ to be the squire of our faith Our o Matth. 28. Sauiour Christ gaue his apostles in charge to teach what he had commanded them the apostle likewise pronounceth him accursed that should teach otherwise than the Galatians had receiueth So it appereth that not those that taught other doctrine than the bishops of Rome but such as taught contrary to the apostles doctrine yea albeit they were bishops of Rome were condemned and accursed argument 11 The Romanists doe aswell build their faith vpon p Concâ—l Trid. sess 4. vnwritten traditions as the written word of God so the papists must aswell receiue the traditions of the legends as the holie scriptures aswell must they beléeue the wounds of S. Francis as Christ his passion and the miracles of S. Dominike and other braue Romish saints as the miracles of Christ and his apostles for these as they holde are traditions and the wounds of S. Francis are confirmed by diuers decretales of popes To this effect writeth q C. sancta dist 15. Gelasius and saith Gesta sanctorum martyrum recipimus but true catholikes haue more certeine grounds of their faith and would be much ashamed to beléeue such fables nay some of the papists haue much misliked these fabulous legends as may appeare by the testimony of Dante an Italian poet Cant. 29. and Laurence Valla in his treatise contra Donationem Constantini argument 12 The papists allow the legends of S. George S. Christopher S. Catherine Abgarus of the inuention of the crosse of S. Iohn Baptists head and diuers such like as conteining olde traditions but true catholikes will not allow any such fables to be read in the church nay Gratian himselfe vnder the name of r C. Sancta dist 15. Gelasius doth condemne the legend of George of Cyricus and Iulitta Abgarus of the inuention of the crosse and such like argument 13 Alij nunc à Christo saith Å¿ In praefat in relect princip doctrin Stapleton eorúmue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locum habebunt that is others beside Christ together with their doctrine preaching and determination shall be accounted of me as a foundation The rest also beléeuing that the popes can not erre in their determinations concerning faith must néeds rest vpon them as the foundation of their faith but true catholiks build their saith onely vpon Christ and his doctrine deliuered by the apostles and prophets argument 14 The church of God and all true catholikes kéepe the doctrine of the apostles and holy fathers without addition and alteration and auoid all prophane nouelties The t Galat. 1. apostle pronounceth him accursed that teacheth any other Gospel than that which he had taught Catholicorum hoc ferè proprium saith u Aduers hares c. 34. Vincentius deposita sanctorum patrum commissa seruare damnare prophanas nouitates sicut dixit iterum dixit apostolus si quis annunciauerit praeterquam quod acceptum est anathematizare If then the church of Rome and papists haue altered the apostolike and ancient fathers faith and haue added diuers points of new doctrine vnto it as I haue verified in the chapter going before he doth greatly wrong the catholike faith which calleth them catholikes argument 15 True catholikes beléeue in God onely Faith saith the x Rom. 10. apostle is by hearing and hearing by the word of God y De diuin non inib. c. 7. Dionyse saith that faith hath for his obiect the most pure and euer being trueth and euery catholike rehearsing his beliefe saith he beleeueth in God the Father God the Sonne and God the Holy Ghost but the papists after a sort beléeue in the virgine Mary in angels and saints and pray and confesse their sinnes vnto them for if they beléeue not in them how doe they call vpon them séeing the z Rom. 10. apostle saith how shall they call on him on whom they haue not beleeued and why doe they confesse their sinnes vnto them if they beléeue not that they do vnderstand the secrets of their hearts and know that their confession is sincere and true if they doe not beléeue in saints yet I hope they will not denie that they beléeue the determinations of the pope and of the Romish church a In oâ—usc contra errores Gracorum Thomas Aquinas saith it is a matter of faith to beleeue the determination of the pope ad fidem pertinct saith he inhaerere determinationi pontificis fummi in his quae sunt fidei imò in his quae spectaÌ„t ad bonos more 's with him also concurreth b Summa Siluest in verb. fides Siluester Prierius He saith also further that we are to beleeue whatsoeuer is taught by the church of Rome Ad fidem pertinent omnia saith he quae sunt in doctrina ecclesiae argument 16 True catholiks beléeue that Christ Iesus as he was true God so was he also true man and had a body like to ours in height bredth and thickenesse and that he filled the place where his body was as do our bodies We must beleeue saith S. c De essentia diuinitatis Augustine that the Sonne of God according to his Deitie is inuisible incorporeall and incircumscriptible but according to his humane nature that he is visible corporeall and locall d Contr. Eutychem lib. 4. c. 4. Vigilius saith that Christ is conteined in a place according to his humane nature and that this is the catholike faith Illud corpus saith e Dialog 2. Theodoret habet priorem formam figuram circumscriptionem vt semel dicam corporis substantiam so likewise saith f Ad Thrasymund lib. 2. c. 5. Fulgentius Si verum est corpus Christi loco potest vtique contineri If then the papists doe assigne to Christ such a body as is neither visible nor palpable nor circumscriptible in the sacrament nor hath the dimensions of height bredth and depth such as a mans body by nature hath nor is continued to it selfe as all bodies are but wanteth all the properties of a true bodie then are the papists neither catholikes nor Christians for how can they be either that erre in things so materiall argument 17 Euery catholike Christian beléeueth that our sauior Christs true body is ascended into heauen and that he there remaineth and shall remaine vntill his comming againe he g Iohn 16. told his disciples before his passion that he must leaue the world and goe to the father he saith also in another h Iohn 12. place that they should not alwaies haue him with them In the first of the Acts we reade that his
apostles did not commit all things necessary to saluation to writing cum ex scripturis arguuntur saith e Aduers hares lib. 3. c. 2. Ireney in accusationem conuertuntur scripturarum quasi non rectè habeant neque sint ex authoritate quia varie sunt dictae quia non possit ex his inueniri veritas ab his qui nesciant traditionem norrenim per literas traditam illam sed per vinam vocem ob quam causam Paulum dixisse sapientiam loquimur inter perfectos Tertullian saith it is a tricke of heretikes either to falsifie or by false interpretations to peruert scriptures alius manu scripturas saith f De praescript aduers haeres he alius sensu expositiones interuertit he saith againe that hereticks cannot stand if they be brought to try their cause by scriptures aufer haereticis saith g De resurr caernis he quae cumque ethnici sapiunt vt de scripturis solis quaestiones suas sistant stare non possunt in these points therefore these two fathers haue stricken the papists albeit generally they speake of hereticks for first h Bellar. de verb. Dei non scripto they deny that the scriptures containe doctrine sufficient to saluation or that we can learne all trueth necessary out of them without their traditions secondly they speake euill of scriptures as before hath bene shewed thirdly they say that scriptures receiue authority from the church fourthly they accuse them of vncertenty Turrian aduers Sadeelem lib. 1. doth call them Delphicum gladium and others call them a nose of waxe fiftly they allow no sence but such as the synagogue of Rome authorizeth sixtly either Sixtus Quintus or Clement the 8. hath corrupted the scriptures for both pretending to set our the olde latine translation the one is in diuers places contrary to the other finally they will not haue the scriptures to decide controuersies about matters of faith argument 42 i Lib. 8. Orig. c de haeres Isidore doth declare them to be heretikes that doe otherwise vndeâ—stand the scriptures then the meaning of the holie Ghost requireth quicunque saith he aliter scripturam sacram intelligit quam sensus spiritus sancti flagitat a quo conscripta est licèt de ecclesia non recesserit tamen haereticus potest appellari if then we list to reade the popes decretales or the writings of the popish faction we need not doubt but they are tresgrand heretikes hauing so notoriously peruerted the Scriptures and turned them to sences neuer intended by the holy Ghost as for example these words of the k Isai 1. prophet à planta pedis vsque ad verticem non est in eo sanitas which he spoke of the people of Israel being then most sinfull Clement the sixt in the chap. vnigenitus extr de poenit remiss doeth turne to our Sauiour Christ as if our Sauiour had béene vnsound from the foot to the head or that the prophet had ment that our Sauiour had shed all his blood that the pope might make sale of the frute of it at his pleasure God by his prophet l Hierem. 1. saith I haue appointed thee ouer nations and kingdomes ergo saith m C. vnam sanctam ext de maior obed Boniface the 8. if earthly princes goe out of the way they must be iudged by the pope Againe out of these words of the apostle the spirituall man iudgeth all things he n Ibidem o Ibid. collecteth that the pope hath no superior iudge thirdly because Christ saith to Peter put vp thy sword into the sheath he concludeth that both Peter and his successors ought to haue a temporall sword fourthly of these words ecce duo gladij hic p Ibid. he inferreth that the pope is to command and exercise both the swords The q Isai 8 28. prophets and r Rom. 9. 1. Pet. 2. apostles by the corner stone placed in the foundation of the church doe vnderstand Christ Iesus but Bellarmine in his preface prefixed before his bookes de potifice Rom. draweth these words to the pope and forceth them to serue to make him to be a corner stone and a foundation also of the church he will also haue these words super hanc Petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam to be ment of the pope these words of our Sauiour drinke yee all of this the papists expound in such sort as if Christ had said drinke not all of this the words of our Sauiour to Peter when he said pasce oues meas they appropriate to the pope that féedeth not as if none were to féed but the pope The apostle saith mariage is honorable among all men yet will they not allow that mariage is honourable among nunnes and monks and friers and masse priests and the rest of the Romish clergy where our Sauiour Christ saith scrutamini scripturas they say contrary search not the scriptures the apostle saith they are profitable they Å¿ Index libror. prohibit regul 4 say they are pernicious our sauiour saith that those doe in vaine worship him that teach doctrines of men these doe teach humane traditions and yet doubt not but that God is well pleased with them The spirit of God commandeth that praiers be made for princes and willeth euery Christian man to submit himselfe to the magistrate and to higher powers but the papists doe so expound these words as if it were lawfull for the pope to curse Gods annointed to excommunicate kings and emperors to massacre them if they can to raise rebellion against them It were infinite to reherse all the false interpretations of Scriptures deuised by papists beside that in this place it is not necessarie séeing by these few which we haue alledged already it may in part appeare that neuer any heretikes alledged Scriptures more peruersly nor more direct contrarie to the meaning of the holy Ghost then they argument 43 As the t Damascene de haeres Herodians gaue the name and honour of Christ to Herode so the papists doe giue the names and honour of Christ to the pope allowing these words of Bernard to Eugenius vnctione Christus es they cal him the foundation rocke of the church the head and spouse of the church the monarke of the church and Christes vicar generall u In epist dedic ante princip doctrin Stapleton doth call him supremum numen in terris some teach that he and Christ haue but one consistory betwéene them x Lib. Caerem others saie that all power is giuen to the pope in heauen and earth which words our Sauiour Matth. 28. speaketh of himselfe if then the Herodians deserue for honouring Herod with Christs titles to be reputed heretikes who can cleare the papists from the note of heresie that farre more impudently and wickedly giue Christs honour to the pope argument 44 y De haeres c. beicetae Damascene numbreth those
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
at Grotta Ferrata if that were materiall it will be verified by diuers priests if they be asked on their othes Why any man should beléeue this lying compagnion that speaketh without proofe or probabilitie there is neither colour nor cause He excepteth also against that which I say of the number of Priests that were likewise to come with the Spanish army and thinketh that a hundred Priests could not then bee found there being then but two Seminaries Rome and Rhemes and not aboue fiftie in both But he should be an eloquent fellow that could perswade me to beléeue that lying mate without all proofe Why I should beleeue the contrary I can alleadge good reasons For first this being the ende of the erection of the Seminaries to reduce England vnderneath the Popes yoke we are not to doubt but that all the English of the Seminaries should haue béene emploied in that action and the whole sinke of treason let out Secondly albeit in the Seminaries there were not so many Priests to be found yet might that number haue béene filled vp by diuers other priests that liued here and there dispersed Her Maiesty hauing dismissed and banished aboue fiftie priests that deserued death by her lawes rather then banishment not past two or thrée yeares before These therefore and others should haue come into England Neither would that barking curre Stapleton haue fayled if he could haue séene opportunitie to hurt those against which he had so long barked Thirdly diuers priests now in EnglaÌ„d testifie that many priests were to come with the Spanish forces Finally Allen in his wicked libell reporteth that priests came with the Spanish forces to serue euerie mans spirituall necessities But how could that be vnlesse the number were competent Among the rest I am enformed that R. Parsons should haue come with his assistants and whole councell of reformation and that to auoide idlenesse in the meane time he holpe to write and publish the most wicked declaration of Sixtus quintus against her Maiestie It may be also Owlyglasse had an ore if not in the fléete yet in the army or els was in England to attend the comming of it Let him therefore thanke God that he is not sought out and punished as a traytor that endeuoureth to plead the cause of traytors And let all indifferent men iudge whether I haue not said truely and he most falsely both concerning Allen and the Priests The third obseruation as he saith is that my dealiâ—… doth declare the weakenesse of the cause I maintaine the little conscience I possesse and small learning I am maister of For so it pleaseth our great maister Owlyglasse in a pang of popish zeale to rayle And his reasons are for that a good cause needeth not the helpe of lies and a good conscience will not be strained beyond the limits of truth and sinceritie These venerable sentences the execrable Iebusites and massepriests pare and pole most dispiteously as their poling indexes expurgatorie and their treatises in the Popes cause plentifully declare nor pare nor pole the venerable sentences of antiquitie nor a man of learning frame such arguments as flie ouer his aduersaries and may be driuen backe vpon his owne head And this he speaketh standing vpon his tiptoes and looking vpon himselfe very prowdly and verily beléeuing that he hath spoken very brauely and almost eloquently But if he had better looked vpon himselfe his conscience and cause he would haue extended more fauour to vs his poore friends himselfe being a sot of 24. carats and deuoid of all learning and conscience hauing giuen proofe of his learning in his miserable detection and hauing his conscience grounded on the cases of conscience resolued by Allen and Parsons and Peter Nauarrus that teach men against all conscience to play the villaines and so a man stand for the Pope to sweare and forsweare and finally to doe what a man list so he haue the Popes faculties for it And what face had he to talke of sinceritie his cause standing vpon falsifying of fathers lying of legends counterfaiting traditions rayling vpon innocents cogging of fabulous histories and vpon deuising of fraudes and impostures to abuse the world His want of learning I say is proued by his weake and base talent of writing wherein it appeareth he could not so much as tell how to frame a sentence or how to vnderstand the things he handleth Alleadging but two words of latin pag. 30. he sheweth he can no latin vsing the plurall for the singular saying prope initia where a latinist would haue said prope initium or rather in principio quoting one verse he marreth it pag. 4. his testimonies are Hierom Verdussen and English almanacks such proofes as a man may haue three or foure for a groate his arguments are such as I haue declared in my answere His want of conscience may I say appeare by the most damnable resolutions of cases of conscience of Nauarrus and other Romish casuistes and especially the resolutions of Allen and Parsons Vide resolut casuum conscientiae nationis Anglicanae per A. P. two rather diuels then diuines teaching nothing but how their schollers may forsweare themselues deny their names and profession and play the traitors in which cases of conscience Owlyglasse without conscience séemeth to be well practised The third is made manifest by the fabulous lies of Caesar Baronius lying Romish legendes counterfeit canons and writings lately published and such euidence as I shall in part hereafter discouer and that to the great griefe of this detector if he be not a man stupide altogether and sencelesse This also doth touch the cause of poperie in generall for if a good cause néede not to be supported with lies and fables then is the Popes cause very bad that cannot stande without lies If a good conscience will not be strayned beyond the limits of truth and sinceritie nor pare nor pole the venerable sentences of antiquitie then hath Bellarmine and Parsons no good conscience For Parsons maketh no conscience to tell any lies as I haue prooued in my answere to his woodden wardword and the priestes haue notoriously prooued in all their bookes against him and his trecherous faction Againe then haue the Iebusites no conscience that lie and falsifie according to the rules of their order and that most shamefully Le catechisme de Iesuites as is proued in their Catechisme Thirdly then hath the Pope no conscience that by his lewde and trecherous indexes and by his Talmudicall traditions and peruerse expositions hath taken a course to corrupt both scriptures and fathers If they haue no learning whose arguments conclude not effectually but may be retorted backe vpon the faces of the proponentes then if Owlyglasse be iudge neither hath Bellarmine nor Stapleton any learning For in diuers of our treatises we haue made their arguments to rebound backe vpon them As for my selfe I referre my cause to be tried by any indifferent man that shall reade Owlyglasses obiections
act of the conuenticle of Trent and so receiued of as many as liked that conuenticle So I may say likewise that the paradoxe of the Romish church concerning the subsistence of accidents in the sacrament without subiect was prated of and debated in schooles before the conuenticle of Constance but yet I may say also that it was not receiued generally nor by solemne act confirmed before the coÌ„uenticle of Constance where Pope Iohn the 23. was deposed for Sodomitrie Atheisme and other grieuous and enormous crimâ—s in the actes of that assembly recorded Secondly he would gladly finde some contradiction in my wordes for that pag. 21. I say as he setteth it downe that the opinion of Luther concerning the real presence concerneth not any fundamentall point of faith and yet pag. 54. of my Challenge affirme that the Papists holding transubstantiation doe bring in Eutychianisme teaching that Christs body is in the sacrament without visible shape or true dimension or circumscription which as Leo teacheth serm 6. de ieiunio 7. mensis is flat Eutychianisme But he striueth in vaine to force contradiction out of these wordes for papists may wel be Eutychianists and yet not Luther as I beléeue they teaching that the substance of bread is abolished in the sacrament of which followeth Eutyches his errour and Luther holding the contrarie For if the bread be abolished and the sacrament is like to the person of Christ consisting of two natures then it followeth that as bread remaineth not in the sacrament after consecration so Christs humanitie is abolished after the vnion of the two natures which is flatte Eutychianisme Further he was a simple fellow to leaue a charge of Eutychianisme vpon the Papists vpon a smal hope of taking me in contradiction Indéede I confesse he denyeth it in termes and saith that Christs body in the sacrament is not without shape and true dimensions He should also haue said circumscription if he would haue auoided the note of Eutychianisme but if that be so he dischargeth me of contradiction But in the meane while he sheweth himselfe to be ignorant of the state of his owne cause and very impudent to say that Christ his body hath all his true dimensions and shape in the sacrament which at large is disprooued in my treatise de missa against Bellar. Finally going about to take me in contradiction like a falsarie hee doth alter my wordes and peruert my meaning For I say onely Reply pag. 21. that Luthers and Caluins priuat opinions concerning either princes soueraigne authoritie or the real presence concerne not fundamentall points of faith And my reason is first for that our faith is not built on priuat mens opinions as the faith of the papists that are bound to beléeue all the determinations of euery Pope that doe concerne the faith And secondly for that Luthers opinion is not hereticall in it selfe and as it may be expounded but by inference of such conclusions as follow of it His thirde supposed contradiction is forced out of my wordes where I say that the Fathers make against Bellarmine and yet séeme to make Gelasius and Gregorie Papists that liued aboue a thousand yeares agone But herein is neither contradiction nor repugnance For first it will not be proued that either Gregorie or Gelasius maketh for Bellarmine in their authenticall writings Secondly these two are not for antiquity or learning to be compared to Hierome or Augustine or the Fathers that liued in their time and before Finally albeit the dialogues that go vnder the name of Gregorie or the decrée of Gelasius C. sancta dist 15. did sauour of the pumpe of Poperie and fopperie yet that maketh nothing for the papists For it shall neuer be proued that Gregorie did write so foppish fables and lies as are contained in his dialogues nor that Gelasius did indéede set downe all that decree that is reported C. sancta dist 15. especially that of lying and fabulous legends Neither if in any one point or ceremony Gregorie or Gelasius doth differ from vs is he therefore to be reputed to speake wholy for the papists But saith Owlyglasse we may as truely inferre that seeing the protestants doe with great applause admit the actes of their holy Martyres written by M. Foxe they receiue fabulous martyrologies and lying legends as it is inferred that Papists receiue fabulous martyrologies and lying legends but the case is so vnlike as Owlyglasse though a ridiculous fellow is vnlike to Gelasius for neither doe we reade our martyrologies in churches as the papists doe their legends nor doe we beléeue them as grounds of faith as the papists doe their legendicall traditions nor doth M. Foxe report any such abominable and ridiculous fables as are contained in the Romish legends But all this notwithstanding if Owlyglasse will impudently still compare our martyrologies with the lying legends let him shew if he can where M. Foxe telleth tales of men walking without heads talking without tongues passing the sea without shippes going inuisible restoring of birdes to life of a cowe bellowing being boyling in a cauldron of remoouing mountaines and such like as are in the legends very common and must be beléeued as ecclesiastical traditions His fourth obseruation is that it were a point of some cunning to guesse by my writings of what religion I am But it is a point of small cunning to guesse that Owlyglasse is a man of no religion making no conscience to snatch at any thing that may serue his turne though neuer so false to lie to falsifie to rayle at all that are not of his damned humor If any religion he haue it is some reliques of poperie which he notwithstanding is neither well able to vnderstand nor any way to defend A religion if we may call faction a religion most fond foppish absurd vaine superstitious false and impious as partly in this treatise is declared and shall God willing more at large be declared other-where As for my selfe I doe him to wit that I am a Christian and a true Catholike beleeuing the Apostolike faith and professing the same as it is set downe in the Apostles créede in the confessions of faith published in the foure first generall councels and in the créede of Athanasius I doe also beléeue whatsoeuer is expressed in holy canonicall scriptures or may be deduced out of them and I doe detest all popish superstition blasphemy hereticall abhominations and all other heresies and this Owlyglasse might well haue vnderstood by all the course of my writings if he had read them or would or could vnderstand them But saith Owlyglasse Page 110. on the one side reason there is to thinke him a conformable protestant c. Afterward he talketh his pleasure of new Geneua Iigs and of harmony puritanicall Which course of rayling if he doe continue there is good hope that to accorde with this Iigge he may ere it be long sing a base de profundis at Tiburne To the matter I answere that in England albeit
is now an infant or that he hath communicated his gouerment with his mother Thirdly neither doth Peter nor any other Disciple of Christ teach or maintaine the Romish doctrine concerning the worshippe of our Lady and the Popes authority All these figures therefore are lying and false figures falsification 7 Sixtus quintus in his decretall epistle profired before Baronious his bookes saith that he hath faithfully and diligentlye reported the stories of the Church and deliuered the true fountaines of apostolicall traditions speaking of his booke he calleth it opus fideliter scriptuÌ„ and not only reporteth so of his bookes that already were published but of those that yet he had not séene prophesiyng belike of Caesar Baronius his future workes perfections and exploytes speaking of his diligence in describing of Romish traditions he saith that in his bookes of Annales apostolicarum traditionum purissimi fontes aperiuntur But this is a notorious and large vntruth for not only his traditioÌ„s are fabulous but his discourse most vaine and false being grounded for the most part vpon lying legendes counterfect sermons and orations set out vnder the names of fathers lewd authors and such as Simeon Metaphrastes Anastasius Gratian Iuo Theodorus Studites certein bookes that neuer yet sawe light and Baronius allowing this Epistle of Sixtus must néedes proue himselfe a lyar falsification 8 The yeare and precise time of Christs natiuity being the ground of all his worke it must néedes follow that if he faile in that then that his whole booke is nothing but a packe of lies That the whole worke is layed vpon that point himselfe confesseth haec basis quaedam ac fundamentum annalium esto saith he Apparaâ—us ad annales eclesiast But that he hath erred in that point it is very probable Epiphanius in panario haeres 51. saith that our Sauiour was borne Augustus and Siluanus being consuls Seuerus hist lib. 2. saith hee was borne when Sabinus and Ruffinus were consuls why then should we rather beléeue Cassiodorus whoÌ„e Baronius followeth then the other two But if this were not erroneous yet in the supputation of yeares continually he erreth reducing matters rather to the false tradition of the Romish Breuiaries and other rituall bookes then to the truth falsification 9 This sentence which he placeth in the front of his booke in petra exaltauit me nunc exaltauit caput meum super inimi cos meos he doth falsely apply to the Romish church contrary to the meaning of the Prophet Psal 26. For he speaketh of himselfe Beside that he saith abscondit me in tabernaculo suoâ— in die malorum protexit me in abscondito tabernaculi sui that is he hath hidden me in his tabernacle and in the dayes of my trouble hath protected me in the secret place of his tabernacle But the Romanistes will not graunt that the Church of Rome is a congregation hidden or that God doth place the same in the secret place of his tabernacle Furthermore that which the prophet speaketh of himselfe cannot by any meanes be applyed to the Pope or Romish Church for it is not God that hath aduanced the Pope to this height of pride nor doe those heresies which the Church of Rome maynteineth nor those massacres and impostures which shée worketh proceede from god Finally God shall destroy antichrist with the breath of his mouth and shall not exalt him nor suffer him long to be thus exalted falsification 10 In his epistle to Sixtus quintus he giueth the title of Vniuersal or Catholike to the Romish Church and doubteth not to affirme the traditions of the Romish Church to be holy and auncient pro sacrarum traditionum antiquitate saith he ac saÌ„ctae Romanae catholicae ecclesiae potestate but of the prophanenesse and nouelty of the Romish traditions I haue spoken already both in my challenge and in my bookes de missa and other treatises against Bellarmine and I doubt not but thereby euery man may conuince him of lying both concerning the holinesse and also the antiquitie of Romish traditions To affirme that the Romish church is catholike concerning faith vniuersally taught I haue declared in my challenge to be most false to affirme that the Romish Church is the vniuersall and catholike Church in regard of time and place is not only most false but also most absurd for were the Church of Rome the true church as it was sometime yet as wel may we call London all england as the Romish Church the catholike Church falsification 11 In the same epistle most impudently he applyeth these words of Iacob Genes 27. surge sede comede de venatione mea vt benedicat mihi anima tua to himselfe as if he had béene a hunting about Rome and brought Sixtus quintus a goate or some like venaison and as if Sixtus quintus were a prophet like to Iacob And to fitte the words to his purpose he addeth to the text the word Pater and taketh away the word sede and saith surge pater comede de venatione mea vt benedicat mihi anima tua Which is a false and leud kinde of abusing of scriptures falsification 12 Concerning the visible monarchy of the Pope he telleth if not a visible yet a very palpable lye In praefat Catholicae ecclesiae visibilem monarchiam saith he à Christo domino institutam super Petrum fundatam ac eius legitimos verosque successores romanos nimirum pontifices inuiolatè conseruatam c. demonstrabimus But if Christ had apointed any such visible monarchy it is strange that neither the Apostles nor first church of christians could euer sée it Againe it is absurd to thinke that generall councels would haue made lawes if there had béene a generall monarke apoynted ouer them Thirdly if Peter had béene a monarke yet it is absurde to say that the visible monarchy is founded vpon him For no man saith that the kingdoÌ„e is founded vpon the King neither is it probable the foundation being inuisible that the building should bée visible Finally this being a ground of his legendicall fables that the bishops of Rome succeeded Peter in the visible monarchy of the church it must néedes follow if this ground faile him the cardinall lyeth in euery page of his annales and as often as he talketh of this matter But that neither Peter was constituted monarke of the church nor the bishops of Rome haue succeeded in any such phantasticall monarchy I haue at large proued in my booke de pontifice Rom. set out against Bellarmine some fowre or or fiue yeares sence falsification 13 Out of Clement lib. strom 6. most simply and falsely he affirmeth Apparat. p. 17. Cod. Antuerp that as the Iewes knew God by the prophets so God did separat from the commoÌ„ multitude of the Gentiles the most excellent of the philosophers and made them capable of Gods beneficence He alledgeth also an apocryphal text out of Paule and seemeth to affirme that some Gentiles did knowe Christ
falsification 14 He saith that the church of Ara coeli in Rome was built by Constantine in memoriam dei genitricis Mariae In apparat ad annal eccls and so called for that Augustus the emperor being admonished by a Sybille did there see the virgine Mary high aboue in the aire with christ in her armes and built an altar in that place where he sawe the vision Matters very fabulous for neither doth any authenticall story affirme that Christ was made knowne to Augustus nor is it likely that the blessed virgin and her sonne should be transported out of Iudea to be shewed to Augustus at RoÌ„e nor did any Sybille liue in Augustus time nor could he learne when our Sauiour Christ would appeare in the ayre by the bookes of the Sybilles nor doth there appeare any such matter in the Sybilles writinges It should seeme therefore that Baronius was abused with some idle tale of the friers of hara poreorum that dwell in the house called Ara coeli the rather I do beléeue it for that no churches were built in the honor of the blessed virgin in the time of Constantine neither was shee then in playne termes called dei genitrix falsification 15 Vpon the credit of Orosius he is bould to tell vs that in the place where now the Church of our lady standeth beyonde Tibre a certaine founteine ran oile a whole day together and not content herewith he affirmeth that Callistus bishop of RoÌ„e who liued long before the councell of Nice built there a large Church in the honor of the mother of God Meruit locus saith he nobilissima memoria illustrari ecclesia nimirum amplissima dei genitricis titulo à Callisto pontifice prima omnium Ibidem quarum extet memoria olim erecta Matters not only false but incredible For what probabilitie is there that in the times of persecution when Christians did hide themselues from their enemies Callistus should erect so braue a fabrike as that Church is or what reason had Nestorius and other heretikes to deny the blessed virgin to be the mother of God if so be in Rome so many churches had beene built in honorem dei genitricis as Baronius reporteth falsification 16 Out of apocryphall writings he telleth vs how many sisters Anna the mother of Mary had Ibidem and that shee was but once maried and bore Mary in her hold yeares after shee had made a vowe to consecrat her to the Lord. And these are the braue traditions that Sixtus quintus commendeth vnto vs as comming from most pure fountaines But if we are to giue no more credit to scriptures then to such traditions according to the determination of the conuenticle of Trent with a little helpe this cardinall will discredit the scriptures For neither are these things to be found other where then in legendes nor was it a fashion in the ancient time to consecrat nonnes to God nor doe we reade of many such vowes falsification 17 Out of Epiphanius he doth likewise alleadge a certaine tradition how an Angell told Ioachim the father of Mary being in the desert that his wife had conceiued Ibidem and out of Gregorius Nyssenus in orat in Natal domini that Anna the mother of Mary went into sanctuÌ„ sanctoruÌ„ there prayed séeing mothers had more honor then those that were barren that she might not be depriued of the benefit of lawe but might bee a mother And that then shee did vowe that shee would consecrat vnto God that which should be borne vnto her but we doe not reade that Angels did in scriptures foretell the birth of any but of great and singular men Againe the law telleth vs that women might not come into sanctum sanctorum Thirdly we finde not what seruice women did in the temple that the holy virgin should be consecrated to Gods seruice Finally those which report these strange things doe not agrée together as may appeare by the conference of the reporte of Epiphanius haeres 79. aduers Collyrid with Gregory Nyssens oration in Natali domini and Hieromes epistle ad Chromatium Heliodorum tom 9. falsification 18 Of the blessed virgin he bringeth a report out of Euodius that she was presented into the temple at the age of three years Ibidem and there liued eleuen yeares and was afterward by the hands of the priests deliuered to Ioseph to be kept Trimula cum esset saith he in templum praesentata ibi in sanctis sanctorum traduxit annos vndecim deinde verò sacerdotum manibus Joseph ad custodiam est tradita Matters deuised by idle fellowes not without the suggestion of Satan as it should séeme for when he could not discredit the gospell then he deuised other fables which being either false or improbable might bring the truth of christian religion into question That the virgin Mary should remaine in sanctis sanctorum is against the lawe Exod. 30. Hebr. 9. for thither went the hâ—gh priest onely once a yeare That she should be presented at three yeares of age into the temple is against reason for what seruice could a childe of those yeares do againe where are women commanded to serue in the temple Thirdly the priests kéeping her eleuen yeares as a thing consecrated to God they had no reason to deliuer her ouer at the time of most danger to be kept by Ioseph Finally the treatises set foorth vnder the name of Euodius Gregorius Nysseâ—us Damascenus Germanus Andreas Cretensis Georgius Nicomediensis and Cedrenus alleadged by Baronius are counterfeit and differ much one from another Is it not therefore much better to content our selues with the history of the gospell that reporteth that which was necessary to be knowne concerning the birth of our Sauiour and the holynesse of the blessed virgin and to omit such vaine fables as both to Iewes and gentiles make christian religion contemptible and ridiculous and yet haue no sufficient testimony either of the Apostles or other authenticall writers falsification 19 Whereas a brasen lauer and the base of it is said to be made of the glasses of women Exod. 38. that watched at the doore of the tabernacle Baronius doth gather of it that there were certaine women which renouncing the pompes and delightes of the world did together with the things they possessed especially such as were intisements to sinne mancipate and consecrate themselues to the seruice of God and giuing themselues to continuall prayers did watch at the doore of the tabernacle But séeing God appointed all the ministeries and seruices of his tabernacle and appointed no seruice to be done of women at the gate thereof it is a most ridiculous conceit of an idle braine to beleeue that these women did any such imagined seruice at the gate of the tabernacle Beside that it were very strange if so many women were employed to the seruice of the tabernacle as that a lauer and a base for it might be made of the trimming or cases of their glasses that we should finde
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