therefore thinke that either the Christians there made the images of God the father and the holy ghost or else worshipped and burnt incense to them and very absurd it were if any man should suppose that the Popish inuocation and worship of Saints and Angels is to be proued by their practise Philo in legat ad Caium saith the Iewes thought it impious either in picture or grauen worke to represent God that is inuisible inuisibilem Deum pingere aut singere nefas duxerunt maiores nostri saith he neither if we runne through the Bible shall wee find any precedent of the popish inuocation and worship of Saints vsed in the Romish church Finally if the Church of Hierusalem had knowen or suspected that S. Peter or his successors had been designed Christs vicars general and monarchs of the Church and appointed to giue lawes to the whole world then would they neuer haue suffered him to depart from Hierusalem The Pope and his complices therefore must seeke some other place than Hierusalem whence to deriue their doctrine lawes ceremonies and formes of gouernment or else they will neuer find out the true descent of their church In Babylon certes they shall rather find out these matters than in Hierusalem CHAP. XII That popish religion was neuer taught either by the old Prophets or by the Apostles of Christ Iesus FAithfull Christians as the Apostle teacheth vs Ephes 2. are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ himselfe being the chiefe corner stone and this the Papists must needs confesse although much to their griefe vnlesse they will denie the words of the Apostle but popery is built vpon the Pope and vpon his decretales and determinations and supported stoutly by his purple Cardinals and the merchants of Babylon the Masse-priests and neither vpon Christ nor the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets The Apostle 2. Tim. 3. sheweth that the scriptures are able to make vs wise to saluation and are giuen of God that the man of God may be absolute and made perfect vnto all good workes but Papists teach that they are an imperfect rule and without traditions vnsufficient for that is the doctrine of Bellarmine and all his consorts they doe also raile against holy scriptures and call them a dead and killing letter The holy Prophets brought no message to those nations to whom they were sent but they confirmed the same by the testimony of God that sent them saying thus saith the Lord. and the Lord hath spoken it but the conuenticle of Trent confirmed their doctrine by their owne pleasures for the most part and albeit sometime the same alleadgeth scriptures yet their best and common argument was placet nobis their schoole doctors also for matters controuersed doe more commonly alleadge the Popes decretales than holy scriptures Rom. 10. we read that faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God but Camsius in his catechisme de sid symb signifieth that we are not to beleeue Gods word reuealed vnlesse the same be also propounded by the church and by the church he vnderstandeth the Pope and his adherents Peter and Iohn Act. 4. shew that God is rather to be obeied than man but the Romish church doth excommunicate all that hearken not to the Pope whatsoeuer is contained in the scriptures to the contrary The conuenticle of Trent Sess 4. teacheth vs that we are to imbrace traditions not written with equall affection to traditions and holy scriptures but this doctrine was not knowen either to the Apostles or Prophets nay Moyses doth teach quite contrary ye shall put nothing to the word which I command you nor shall ye take ought therefrom saith he Deut. 4. and S. Paul Galat. 1. if any man preach vnto you otherwise than that ye haue receiued saith he let him be accursed this curse therefore doth fall on the Friers and Masse priests that preach the Popes doctrines which they shal neuer proue to haue beene receiued from the Apostles though they read vntill their eies drop out of their heads The religion of Papists doth for the most part consist in praiers to Saints Masses and offices in the honour of Angels the Virgin Mary martyrs confessors and the Popes canonized creatures in erecting of crosses and crucifixes and other images in burning incense before images nay they giue diuine honour to creatures which themselues cannot denie to bee idolatrous cum Christus adoretur adoratione latriae consequens est quòd cius imago sit adoratione latriae adoranda seeing Christ saith Thomas Aquinas p. 3. q. 25. art 3. is worshipped with latria or honour properly belonging to God it followeth that his image is also to be worshipped with the adoration of latria or diuine worship either therefore must our aduersaries shew that the Prophets and Apostles offered sacrifices in honour of Angels and Saints and made praiers vnto them and set vp images to be worshipped in temples and vsed to burne incense vnto them and to honor them after the manner of Papists or else they must confesse that their religion proceedeth not from the Prophets and Apostles how hard this proofe will bee it may appeare in this that Gods lawes Deut. 4. and Exod. 20. directly forbid the making of grauen images after the likenesse of God and the worship of idols and Christ ordeined the eucharist to be receiued in commemoration of his death and passion and neuer so much as mentioned the offering of his owne body and bloud or other sacrifices in the honour of Saints and Angels The Masse-priests that plotted the ruine of religion at Trent sess 6. ascribe mans iustification to his workes and exclude iustification both by Christs iustice and by faith apprehending Christ and beleeuing in him but both the Prophet Abacuc chap. 2. and S. Paul Rom. 1. affirme that the iust do liue by faith the Apostle also 1. Cor. 1. saith that our Saour Christ is made wisedome and righteousnesse vnto vs. which if it were wrought by our workes then should we haue beene made wisedome and righteousnesse vnto our selues nay the Apostle Rom. 3. saith if Abraham were iustified by workes that then he had wherein to reioice but not with God Popish religion consisteth most in externall ceremonies as for example in salt holy water holy candles incense ringing of sacring belles adoring crosses and images greasing of sicke men and masse-priests shauing of crownes vowes Monkish rules and such like toyes but these fooleries were neuer knowen either to the Apostles or Prophets Nay our Sauiour Matth. 15. teacheth that in vaine they seeke to worship God that teach for doctrines the precepts of men he sheweth also Iohn 4. that true worshippers worship God in spirit and truth and the Apostle Coloss 2. condemneth such as put religion in touching fasting and such like vaine ceremonies The Masse-priests call the Pope the spouse and head of the church but if he meane to deriue his authoritie from the writings of the Prophets and
Popes regard them not one straw if they talke against their triple crowne two swords or glorious and pompous state as may appeare by the light accompt made of S. Bernardes bookes de consideratione ad Eugenium all of them if the Pope defineth otherwise reiect the fathers with great facility Bellarmme lib. 1. de verb. dei c. 3. declaring his opinion of the new testament departeth from the exposition of Chrysostome Theodoret and other fathers Generally in the accompt of the bookes of canonicall scriptures of the old testament they reiect the testimony of Hierome in prologo Galeato of Ruffine in the exposition of the Creede of the councell of Laodicea c. 59. of Athanasius in synopsi of Gregory Nazaanzen in his verses of Epiphanius lib. de ponderib mensuris and diuers other fathers and will haue the bookes of Tobiah Iudith Ecclesiasticus Wisdome and the Machabees to bee of equall authoritie with the law and the Gospell in despight of all the fathers Contrarie also to their opinion they preferre the old Latine vulgar translation of the bible before the Hebrew text of the old and the Greeke text of the new testament that is the standing puddles before the cleare fountaines of holie scriptures The fathers exhort Christians the Papists dehort them from reading and hearing scriptures read in tongues vnderstood Origen homil 2. in Isaiam wisheth that all Christians would performe that which our Sauiour Christ speaketh of searching scriptures Hierome writing vpon the Coloss c. 3. heere saith he it is shewed that lay-men ought to haue the word of Christ not only sufficiently but also abundantly and that they ought to teach and admonish one another Ghrysostome also in his 9. homily in 1. ad Corinth attend saith he as many of you as are secular persons and gouerne wife and children how the Apostle doth command you also to read the scriptures aboue all and that not lightlie and careleslie but with great diligence That the Pope should be aboue all councels it neuer entred into the fathers thought nay all of them haue recourse in matters of doubt concerning faith not to the decretales of Popes but to the determination of generall councels next after holy scriptures The bishop of Rome oftentimes consulted with learned fathers concerning the interpretation of scriptures and no learned bishop did in time past attribute more to the bishop of Rome then to other bishops the Papists therefore making the Pope that is often blind in matters of religion supreme interpreter of scriptures digresse from all the fathers and haue not so much seuce heerein as litle children that know that blinde-men cannot iudge of colours The conuenticle of Trent determining that traditions and holy scriptures are with equall affection to be receiued digresse from all the fathers that make not traditions but the scriptures to be canonicall and of sacred authority The Papists that say that scriptures are not authenticall to vs without the determination of the Pope and Romish church are of an opinion contrary to all the fathers who deriue their authoritie and credit from God and not from man Bellarmine lib. 3. de eccles c. 16. saith that Hierome Apollinaris and Hippolytus were deceiued in the exposition of the ninth chapter of Daniel concerning the times of Antichrist In his 2. booke de Purgatorio c. 1. he reiecteth the opinion of Ambrose Hilary Lactantius Hierome and Aleuinus that teach that as well good as bad neede to be purged In the number of 7. Sacraments the conuenticle of Trent departeth from the opinion of all the fathers for not one can be alledged that saith there are iust 7. Sacraments and neither more nor lesse Ambrose in his books de Sacramentis and de initiandis in myster mentioneth onely two so doth Iustine Martyr long before him in his 2. apology S. Augustine lib. 3. de doctr Christ c. 9. reckneth only the Sacrament of baptisme and of the body and blood of Christ where he talketh of sacraments he saith also Christ left but few and easie but Popish sacraments are many and hard to be performed The fathers no where mention spittle salt blowing light and such ceremonies as the Pope hath added to baptisme These words this is my body are expounded figuratiuely by Tertullian lib. 4. contr Marcion Origen in leuit Chrysostome homil 46. in Ioan. Augustine contra Adimantum and lib. 3. de doctr c. 16. in comment in psal 3. but the Papists in this exposition forsake all the fathers Gregory dial lib. 2. c. 43. willeth those to depart that communicate not si quis non communicet saith he det locum the Apostles canons doe excommunicate him that departeth before communion the same is also confirmed by the chap. si quis dist 2. de consecrat the Masse-priests therefore in the practise of their priuate Masses depart from the canons of the Apostles and all the fathers Innocentius the third lib. 4. de myster missae c. 6. thought that Christ consecrated without words others beleeue hee consecrated by praier the moderne Papists reiect both Bellarmine lib. 4. de eucharist c. 26. maketh the best proofe hee can for the communion vnder one kind but it appeareth by his silence that the fathers are all aduerse to him Gelasius in the chap. comperimus de consecrat dist 2. condemned those of sacriledge that receiuing one kind abstained from the cup. and Lyra in 1. Cor. 11. declareth that in the primitiue Church all Christians receiued both kinds The fathers speaking of the sacrifices of Christians call them sacrifices of praise and spirituall sacrifices and signifie that the eucharist is a commemoration of Christs only sacrifice on the crosse that is confirmed by the testimony of Iustin in dialog cum Tryph. of Tertullian lib. 4. contr Marcion of Eusebius lib. 1. de demonstr euangel of Cyprian aduers Iudaos c. 16. of Basil in Isaiae c. 1. and others this is proued partly by the same authours and by Chrysostome in Psal 95. in epist ad Hebr. homil 13. and Theodoret. in epist ad Heb. c. 8. 10. and by diuers others amplie cited by mee in my bookes de missa against Bellarmine all which doe shew that the Papists bringing an external and reall sacrifice of Christs body and bloud actually offered as they teach by euerie Masse-priest into the church are departed quite from the doctrine of the fathers Canus lib. 7. loc Theol. c. 1. confesseth that all the fathers which speake of the Virgin Maries conception teach that she was conceiued in originall sinne as Ambrose in Psal 118. ser 6. Augustine in Psal 34. Chrysostome Eusebius Emissenus Remigius and others yet most of the Popes proctors especiallie the Franciscans reiect these fathers The fathers with one confent teach that we are not to fast between Easter and Pentecost nor vpon Sundaies as Bellarmine de bon oper in part c. 23 consesseth yet doth he reiect their authority and all Papists doe contrarie Leo in epist ad Rusticum Narbonensem and
foundation and pillar of our faith they doe make the traditions of the church not written equall to the scriptures and vpon them nay vpon the decretales of Popes and practise of Massepriestes doe build their faith all antiquitie esteemeth holy scriptures to be the canon of our faith and therefore calleth them canonicall But the Romanists esteeme them to be an vnperfect canon without their traditions and the Popes decretales and determinations Bellarmine lib. 4. de verb. dei c. 4. saith they are neither necessary nor sufficient without traditions The fathers neuer accounted the bookes of Tobiah Iudith Ecclesiasticus Wisdome and the Machabees equall to the bookes of the law and Prophets extant originally in Hebrew as appeareth by the testimony of Hierome in prologo Galeato of Athanasius in synopsi of Nazianzen in carm of Epiphanius and diuers others old and new writers the Papists in the synode of Trent decree them to be of equall authoritie with the rest the auncient catholikes euer esteemed the Hebrew text of the old testament and the Greeke of the new to be more authentical then anie translation the conuenticle of Trent hath made the old latin vulgar translation of the bible authenticall and doth not giue that honor to the originall bookes of the bible the canonicall scriptures we say receiue their force from the author of them and this is to be prooued by the consent of fathers and by arguments from scriptures law and reason they say that scriptures receiue force and authoritie in respect of vs from the Church or rather from the Pope Papists are neither willing that scriptures be turned into vulgar tongues nor will permitte them to be read of the vulgar sort without licence or publickly read in vulgar tongues in the church finally they say they are obscure and hard to be vnderstood and speake what they can in their disgrace Secondly they teach erroneously concerning Christs naturall body and concerning his office the body of Christ they beleeue to be both in heauen and on earth on euerie altar at one and the selfe same time they also hold that his body is really vnder the accidents of bread and wine giuing him a body neither visible nor palpable nor in any sort like to ours they teach further that his body is in diuers places where it filleth not the places and that his one body hath relation to diuers places they beleeue that the soules of the faithfull before Christes comming were in hell or at least in Limbo which is a part of hell and were thence deliuered by Christes going to hell as if his crosse had wrought nothing for them they teach that Christ as man is omniscient and per consequent omnipotent and that he was vir perfectus that is a perfect or growne man from the first instant of his conception his office of mediation they giue to the virgin Mary to Angels and to Saints they make also Saints our redeemers teaching that by their merits Christians obteine their desires and are deliuered out of purgatorie to Masse-priests they giue priesthood according to the order of Melchisedech and say that they offer vp Christs body and blood really for quicke and dead finally they make the Pope head spouse and monarke of the Church Neither doe they teach more catholikely of Christes mysticall body then of his naturall body for they subiect the same to the Pope and exclude all from Christ that are not subiect to the Pope the true members thereof they persecute and make heretikes and reprobates and such as liue without order or law professing their religion outwardly true members of Christes body the Church say they is alwaies so conspicuous and visible that euery one may see it and discerne it the true markes of the church that is true doctrine and the sincere administration of Sacraments and holinesse of life they denie assigning most common and vncerteine markes as vnitie vniuersalitie antiquitie succession and such like The Pope they make a most certeine and infallible interpreter of Scriptures and iudge of matters of faith they giue him authoritie to make lawes for the whole Church and power to binde mens consciences they make him more souereigne then a generall Councell and say that his power in giuing indulgences reacheth into purgatorie they say he hath power to excommunicate and depose kings and to giue away their kingdomes to others Betwixt the Catholicke church and Roman church they make no difference equalling a part to the whole they say also that the Roman church can neither erre nor faile The worship of God consisteth in spirit and trueth but they place the same in certeine externall rites and ceremonies and in meere humane inuentions and deuices nay for God they worship creatures not onely giuing diuine honour to the Sacrament but also to crucifixes and images of the Trinitie made of wood stone and colours they doe also adore not onely saints but rotten bones and ragges they know not of whom to Saints they pray they make vowes they confesse their sinnes to saints they erect churches and altars to their images they burne incense and present diuers oblations and finally in the honour of Saints haue deuised particular masses and offices transforming the Psalmes and wordes of Scriptures to Angels and Saints Their doctrine concerning the Sacraments is most exorbitant for they doe not onely adde vnto water in Baptisme salt spittle oile and diuers other ceremonies partly idle partly superstitious but also vnto the two Sacraments instituted by Christ they equall confirmation matrimonie penance orders and extreme vnction making them Sacraments as well as Baptisme or the Lords Supper in Confirmation they haue deuised both a new signe and new wordes in extreme Vnction they haue deuised new formes in the ordring of Priestes they say accipe potestatem offerendi sacrisicium in ecclesia pro viuis mortuis that is receiue power to offer sacrifice in the church for quicke and dead in Penance they vrge a necessity of confession strange formes of whipping and vncerteine hopes and new deuices of satisfaction from Matrimonie they exclude Priestes monkes and friars and make it a Sacrament albeit they know neither certeine signes nor words of the institution of it but the institution of the Lords supper they haue quite abolished for that which Christ ordeined to be receiued of the Communicants that the masse-priest doth offer for quicke dead and in the honour of Saints and Angels of which there is not one worde spoken in the institution our Sauiour in bread and wine instituted his last supper these neither leaue bread nor wine but make Christians eaters of mans flesh and drinkers of mans blood like the canibals Cyclopes Christ ordeined this Sacrament in remembrance of his death and passion these make of the same a sacrifice in honour of Angels and Saints the cup of the new testament they take from Christians abrogating as much as in them lieth the new testament established in Christs blood and
yet they say Christians sinne mortally if they heare not Masse euery Sunday and holiday Of grace they speake as men deuoid of grace and knowledge for by grace by which we are saued and made acceptable to God they vnderstand nothing else but either charity or a habit not distinct from Charity so that albeit they exclude not grace from the worke of our saluation yet making grace a habit or vertue they ouerthrow grace and ascribe the merit of our saluation not to Gods mercie through Christ nor to the merit of his Passion but properly to our owne workes and merites diuers of them saie that men are predestinated for their merites foreseene and all hold that men were reprobated for their sinnes foreseene before they say further that the vnregenerat hath freewill as well as the regenerat and that not onely in matters of this life but also to doe workes of piety and other supernaturall effectes The doctrine of faith they haue also much corrupted for they make Charity the forme of faith as if faith were without forme or life of it selfe and as if the iust man did not liue by faith to this purpose they say that not onlie wicked and reprobat men but also the diuels of hell maie haue true and iustifying faith they hold further that by faith we are not onely to hold whatsoeuer is conteined in holy scriptures but also whatsoeuer is deliuered by tradition or determined by the Pope and lastly that no man is to beleeue that he shall assuredly be saued but rather to hold that he that is truly iustified may be damned Concerning the law of God they teach both contrary to reason and law for first they cut out the 2. commandement in their offices of our Lady and their primers because it cannot well stand with the Popish worship of images secondly they teach that concupiscence without our consent is not sinne albeit the law say non concupisces thirdly they say that it is sinne as well to transgresse the Popes decrees as Gods lawes fourthly they beleeue that the Pope is able either to dissolue the law as for example where he absolueth subiectes from their obedience to princes and children from their duty to parents or at the least to dispense with the transgressors of the law as for example with periured persons adulterers Sodomites murtherers assassinors theeues sacrilegious persons and such like fiftly they beleeue that a man is able perfectly to fulfill the law of which it followeth that man is able to liue without all sinne which as Augustine sheweth lib. 4. de bono perseuerat c. 2. 5 and Hierome aduers Pelag. is flat Pelagianisme In their doctrine of praiers they offend much yet is the practise of Papists farre worse than their doctrine in this point our Sauiour teacheth vs to goe to his father in his name they go to God by the intercession of Saints nay oftentimes they run to Saints Angels and the blessed Virgin without once thinking of God especially if they thinke no more than they vtter in their praiers they pray in a tongue which they vnderstand not which is rather prating than praying they pray for remission of sinnes for the dead not knowing whether they bee damned or no. they pray before stockes and stones nay they put their trust in them for if this were not so why should they hope for better successe at the image of our Lady of Loreto or Monserat than at any other image or forme of our Lady They beleeue that almes satisfie for sinnes and that those are best bestowed that are giuen to Monkes and Friers and such idle vagabonds and plagues of states whereas the first ouerthroweth Christs merits and satisfaction the second is an occasion of all the mischiefes brewed by these mothes of religion and blemishes of state They teach that it is mortall sinne not to fast on Saints vigiles embre daies and other times appointed by the Pope and that fasting standeth in eating fish and abstaining from our suppers and such obseruances and finally that such fasts doe not only satisfie for sinnes but also merit heauen Conscience they know not for they make no conscience to cut Christian mens throats for not yeelding to all their abhominations and thinke it conscience to obey the Popes decrees though very vnlawfull Neither can they well auoid sinne that know not what sinne is The virgin Mary by most of them is acquited from originall sinne and they define sinne to bee not onely the transgression of the law of God but also euery transgression of the law of the Pope nay euery breach of the law of man which vtterly taketh away the difference betwixt the lawes of God and man Of the state of soules departed they seeme to know little truly although some say they know too much for they do not say as we doe that there are two waies after this life the one of the faithfull to eternall life the other of the wicked to eternall death but they say that some go into purgatorie and others into limbus puerorum and out of purgatory they say soules are deliuered partly by masses and partly by indulgences All these points of erroneous false doctrine and all others which either contrarie or beside the word of God the Pope and his complices haue inuented and brought into the church of Rome we call Popery and this is the subiect of this discourse and the doctrine against which we dispute let no man therefore thinke because the Papists maintaine many points of Christian religion that either we reprehend that truth which they and we defend or that they can defend the errors of Popery because they hold some trueth but either let them iustifie their errors or else they shall bee forced to confesse that the proper doctrine of Popery is wicked and erroneous CHAP. II. Of the grounds and foundations of Popish religion AS Popery is diuers from Christian religion so hath the same other foundations than Christian religion The doctors of Trent in the fourth session of that synode hauing pronounced them anathema that shall not receiue all the bookes of the Bible as they are found in the old Latin vulgar translation and read in the church of Rome for holy and canonicall or that shall wittinglie contemne the traditions of that church doe signifie that this is the foundation of the confession of faith which they meant to publish so it appeareth they ground their faith beside canonicall scriptures vpon apocryphall writings of Tobiah Iudith Wisedome Ecclesiasticus and the Machabees and diuers fragments of books not found in the Hebrew text of the Bible and vpon traditions not written but deliuered from hand to hand from the Apostles as they say and so come to their hands but where they speake of scriptures it is to be obserued that they doe not simply allow them but as they are contained in the old vulgar translation and as they are expounded by the Church of Rome those which vnder any
pretence doe reiect the old translation or vse any interpretation contrary to the Romish Churches meaning they condemne Stapleton in his booke intituled Principia doctrinalia doth deliuer vnto vs seuen grounds or principles of his religion the first is the Church the second the Pope the third the means vsed by the Pope in iudgement the fourth the Popes infallibility in iudgement the fifth his power in taxing the canon of Scriptures the sixth his certaine interpretation of Scriptures the seuenth his power in deliuering doctrine not written these I say are his grounds and principles absurdly deuised confusedly disposed and ridiculously propounded as God willing shall be shewed otherwhere now it is sufficient to declare that whatsoeuer he bableth elsewhere of scriptures councels fathers yet heere they are all suppressed in this diuision or at the least concealed vnder the name of the Church or Pope which in his preface to Gregory the 13. hee calleth supremum numen in terris that is the supreme God of the world and who to him is all in all likewise in his preface to his relection of doctrinall principles hee seemeth directly to exclude the scriptures Christianae religionis fundamentum habemus saith he ab ipsis literis apostolicis euangelicis uliud that is we haue another foundation of Christian religion diuers from the writings of the Apostles Prophets if he exclude not scriptures yet he admitteth them no otherwise than according to the interpretation of the Pope and his complices nay without the Popes declaration he doth tediouslie discourse that Christians are not to receiue the canon of scriptures The decretale epistles of the Pope no doubt they admit for the foundation of their faith for in the rubricke of their decrees c. in canonicis dist 19. they doe determine that the Popes decretales are to bee numbred among canonicall scriptures inter canonicas scripturas say they decretales epistolae connumerantur likewise Gelasius c. sancta Romana dist 15. defineth that the Popes decretale epistles are to bee receiued with veneration In the same decretale Gelasius authoriseth the Romane martyrologe or legends of martyrs neither can Kellison or his kettle companions deny this to be one of the grounds of his rammish I would say Romish religion seeing these martyrologes and legendes conteine diuers traditions which the conuenticle of Trent will haue all Papistes to receiue with equall affection to scriptures Canus lib. 1. loc theolog c. 1. assigneth tenne places out of which he saith diuines are to draw arguments the first is the authority of scriptures the second the authority of traditions not written the third is the authority of the catholike church the fourth the authority of councels the fifth the authority of the church of Rome where wee are to note that more honestly than his companions hee maketh the church of Rome to differ from the Catholike church the sixth is the authority of ancient fathers the seuenth the authority of Romish schoole doctors the eighth naturall reason the ninth the authority of Philosophers the tenth the authority of writers of stories so wee see how hee buildeth his faith vpon men as well as vpon God and matcheth traditions not written with the most diuine writings of the Prophets and Apostles and conioyneth the authority of councels and fathers nay of schoolemen and Philosophers with the testimony of holy scriptures framing to vs rather an humane then a diuine foundation of Christian faith Martin Perez a plaine dealing Papist knowing that all those points of doctrine which are in controuersie betwixt his fellowes and vs are grounded rather vpon tradition then scripture doth entitle his whole discourse of these matters de traditionibus that is a discourse of traditions Finally Bellarmine lib. 2. de Pontif. Rom. cap. 31. doth call the Pope the foundation of the building of the church Fundamentum aedisicij ecclesiae and in his preface before his bookes de pontisice Rom. he saith that the seat of Peter or the Popes chaire is the approued stone the corner and pretious stone placed in the soundation of which the Prophet I say speaketh c. 8. and 28. and with him concurreth Sanders in his booke of the Rocke of the church Stapleton also declareth the matter most plainely in praefat in relect princip doctr where he saith that the foundation of the knowledge of Christian religion is necessarily placed in the authority of the Pope teaching vs in whom he saith he heareth God speaking to vs. his wordes are in hac docentis hominis authoritate he speaketh of the Pope in qua deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscenda fundamentum necessariò pom credimus and this others must necessarily also hold for they hold him to be the supreme interpreter of scriptures and an infallible Iudge of all controuersies of religion and a law-giuer to our consciences binding all mens consciences by his lawes which is the common opinion as Bellarmine lib. 4. de Pontifice Rom. c. 16. saith of all casuistes a pitifull case therefore it is wherein the Papistes stand whose consciences are chained with so many bondes This then being found in the suruey of the grounds of Popish religion let vs also consider what conclusions may be hence inferred that we may as well suruey the conclusions as the premisses First it followeth that these grounds being blasphemous both in regard of the spirit of God which is the enditer and author of holy scriptures and also in regard of Christ Iesus the foundation of the church and finisher of our saith the doctrine and religion of Popery cannot be cleere of blasphemie for to match Popish decretales with holy scriptures and the Popes determination with Gods law is derogatory to Gods holy spirit and a plaine disparagement to Gods holy law likewise it is blasphemous to accuse the holy scriptures of insufficiencie and imperfection and to attribute more certaintie and perspicuitie to the decretales of the Pope then to the lawes of God it is also blasphemous either to remoue Christ out of the foundation of the church or at the least to ioyne the Pope with him in the foundation and that as a more necessary foundation for the knowledge of Christian religion as Stapleton saith the same also is directly contrary to the words of the Apostle 1. Cor. 3. Ephes 2. and of S. Iames. c. 4. in the first of which places we finde that no other foundation can be layd of the church but Christ Iesus in the 2. we reade that the Church is founded vpon the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the cheefe corner stone in the 3. we vnderstand that there is only one Law-giuer and Iudge which is able to saue and destroy it is finally very impious and blasphemous to assirme that the Pope is a more certaine and superiour Iudge then God himselfe speaking to vs in scriptures or then the Apostles and Prophets that were ledde into all truth by the spirit of God of other blasphemies of Popery
draue Gregory the 7. out of his seate and appointed another in his place Henry the 5. his sonne tooke Paschalis prisoner and made him sweare to certeine articles he broke them afterward I confesse but that is rather an argument of the Popes perfidiousnesse then a proofe against the Emperours authoritie neither did the Emperors succeeding for many yeares cease to defend their right against the Popes encrochments and vsurpation vntill such time as the Popes by force of armes and rebellion of subiects had preuailed against them and when they could not by force resist yet did they often publish their complaints as appeareth by the message of Maximilian the first to the Pope by certeine memorials of Charles the fift concerning wrongs offered by the Pope by the greenances collected by the princes of Germany presented to Adrian the 6. by the apologies of the Bohemians English French and other nations Philip the French king writing to Boniface the 8. vsed these wordes Sciat tua maxima fatuitas nos in temporalibus nulli subesse I do thy great foolery saith he writing to him to wit that for temporall matters we are subiect to none the same king did also handle the Popes nuncioes according to their deseruing Henry the 2. as Matthew Paris testifieth forbad the paiment of Peter pence and such as appealed to the court of Rome he coÌ„mitted to prison appellantes ad curiam Rom. mandauit custodiae afterward writing to the bishop of Colein he threatueth to impugne the Pope and to thrust out of his kingdom all his fauourers Papam omnes suos saith he manifestè impugnabimus quicunque in terra mea inuentus fuerit qui Papae posthac adhaerere voluerit expelletur è regno happie had he beene if he had alwaies persisted in this purpose the kings of England afterward by their lawes against prouisions restrained the Popes authoritie and in the end that famous and worthy Prince King Henrie the eight did vtterly exclude the Pope and his Agents from all iurisdiction within his kingdome Furthermore albeit some princes were so sencelesse that they felt not the wrongs offered them by the Pope yet did such as loued the honour of their country neuer cease to complaine thereof Alan Chartier sheweth that Priests in the eies of the people were become most vile and that the hearts of men were alienated from the Popes obedience corda hominum ab obedientia scilicet Papae alienata Iulian the cardinall writing to Eugenius the fourth sheweth it was to be feared lest the laitie should fall vpon the clergy ne irruerent in ecclesiasticos laici The Germans in the end of their grieuances say that they neither would suffer nor could indure the wrongs offered them by the Pope Dixerunt Germani Principes saith he that reported their grieuances se onera Papae nec perferre velle nec tolerare posse Nicholas de Clemangis sheweth that both Princes and others murmured against the Popes exactions Charles the French king inueying against Benet the 13. signifieth that God would displace the Popes out of their seates for oppressing and spoiling Christs sheepe facti sunt greges mei in rapinam c. propterea cessare eos faciam vt non pascant vlterius gregem meum these words Charles applied against the Pope the English being excommunicated in king Iohns time called the Popes agents marcidos ribaldos that is rotten rascals and signified that they would not indure their tyranny Petrus de Ferrarijs in form resp rei conuenti bewaileth the miserie of Christian princes that indured so many wrongs at the Popes hands and made themselues his slaues and yet prouided no remedy for it heu miseri imperatores principes seculares saith he qui haec alia sustinetis vos seruos Pontificum facitis mundum per eos infinitie modis vsurpari videtis nec de remedio cogitatis Christian Princes and Kings therefore haue alwaies abhorred the Popes tyranny refused his religion and the more christian they haue shewed themselues the more resistaÌ„ce they haue made both against his corruptions in doctrine and his vsurpations and abuses in gouernment Vlrichus Vttenus in his preface to Laurentius Vallaes treatise against the counterfet donation of Constantine doth thus exclaime against the Popes as enemies and spoilers of all Christians annon fuerunt Christianorum hostes illi pontifices qui omnium ad se opes attraxerunt onmibus liberis seruitutem moliti sunt qui imper to reges peâ— unia ciâ—es deâ—l aliabant were not the Popes enemies of Christians which drew vnto themselues the wealth of all and endeuoured to oppresse all free men which spoiled kings of their gouernement and the subiects of their monie CHAP. XIIII That the auncient Britans and English were not first conuerted to Popish religion LEt that abide in you saith S. Iohn 1. epist 2. which you haue heard from the beginning so likewise we say let vs abide in that faith and let that faith abide in vs that was first preached by the Apostles schollers and successors in this Iland and let vs not be caried away by the poleshorne crew of the Pope to beleeue popish nouelties and fables that the auncient Christians of this land whether Britans English or Scots were not conuerted to popish religion that is now predominant in the kingdome of antichrist we haue three most euident demonstrations to assure vs. Frst those doctrines and grounds of Popery which before I haue mentioned will neuer be proued to haue beene taught by the first planters of Christian religion in this land and very absurd it were to suppose them to haue beene the authors of those heresies impieties and blasphemies which are so rife in Popery If S. Peter or S. Paul or any of their schollers did plant religion heere we must not thinke that they taught one thing and wrote another or that the schollers preached otherwise then they had learned from their masters If Ioseph of Arimathaea did first conuert the Britans and Fugatius and Damianus confirme them in the faith or if Austen the Monke and his fellowes did first conuert the Saxons or English yet can it not bee shewed that any one of these did teach that the traditions of the church of Rome and holy scriptures were with equall affection to be receiued or that the doctrine of Popish holy water paschall lambes tosaries images and such like traditions is the word of God or that Christs true body is torne with teeth and receiued downe into the belly and may be eaten of dogges and hogges or that Christians are iustified by extreme vnction or eating saltfish and redherrings vpon fridaies and fasting daies or that incense is to be burnt to images or the Sacrament adored for God and caried about in procession or the rest of the points of Popery before mentioned either therfore let Parsons shew vs that the seueral points of Popery before touched were taught by S. Peter the Apostle and Eleutherus and Gregory
for it Ambrose Catharine tractat de imaginibus saith God prohibited images simply but that this prohibition was positiue others deny both images to be forbidden and the second commandement to be positiue Occham Maior and Richardus are of opinion that a sacrament cannot be defined Scotus in 4. dist 1. q. 2. holdeth that it may be defined imperfectly Ledesma in tract de sacrament in genere q. 1. art 2. saith it may properlie bee defined Finally to shew the contradictions of Papists we need to seeke no further than to Bellarmine who in euery controuersie bringeth in different opinions of men of his side Gardiner a pillar of popery did oftentimes contradict himselfe and his fellowes sometimes hee swore against the Popes supremacy sometime like a forsworne creature hee stood for it somtime he consented to the dissolution of monasteries as sinkes of Sodomy and all tibaldrie and villany sometime be spoke for them his booke entituled Marcus Constantius is full of contradictions M. Foxe hath scored vp great multitudes The contradictions of Robert Parsons in his book of three Conuersions I haue noted in my answeare to that treatise The whole masse also of Poperie doth consist of contrary pieces as I haue shewed in the contradictions of the doctrine of the Masse of purgatory of indulgences of the Pope and diuers other principall points and haue proued the same in treatises of that argument For example they say the Masse is an vnbloudy sacrifice and yet teach that euerie Priest doth really offer and drinke Christs bloud Sometime they say the sacrifice is but one sacrifice yet in the canon they say sacrifices in the plurall number Sometime they say the Priest only offereth this sacrifice but in the canoÌ„ they make the people to offer sacrifices In the canon they pray that Angels may carry Christs body vnto Gods high altar but all confesse that Christs body is in heauen before There also they make the Priest a mediatour for Christ. but where they speake soberly they make Christ a mediator both for the Priest and others In heauen they say Christ is visible and palpable on the altar they make him inuisible and impalpable They say the Masse is an externall sacrifice yet no man euer yet could see Christs body externally sacrificed In purgatorie they say soules suffer extreme paines but in the Masse they saie they slâ—epe in peace They teach that Christians may performe the law of God perfectly but they will not grant that they may liue without sinne which is all one Talking of auricular confession they make it necessarie but in the chap. Petrus doluit and lachrymae dist 1. de poenit they denie it The Pope calleth himselfe seruant of seruants yet doth he take vpon him as lord of lords Order they say is one sacrament yet they teach also that there are seuen Orders and euerie one of them a sacrament which is as much as if they should make one seuen and seuen one The Pope they saie is head of the Church but that is as much as if they should teach that their Church in the vacatio nis headlesse If then the catholicke faith be one and those that professe the faith agree in one then cannot popery be the true Catholicke faith that containeth so many contradictions CHAP. XXVII That popery is a most foolish and absurd religion AS the lawes of God are full of wisedome and giue vs a true vnderstanding so when man of his owne braine vndertaketh to adde vnto his commandements the same in proofe falleth out to be nothing but vanity and foolery the same wee sind verified in the additions of the superfluous religion of Papists for although it haue a shew of wisedome as the voluntarie worship of Angels had of which the Apostle Coloss 2. speaketh yet compared with the wisedome of God reuealed in the Gospell it is meere foolery For first what is more foolish then to forsake the liuing springs of holy scripture out of which do sally waters of life and to follow after the puddle streams of Romish traditions of scriptures we are assured that they are the word of God but no man can affirme that of Romish traditions or the Popes decretales that either professeth piety or loueth truth is it not then strange that any Christians should bee so foolish as to match the word of man with Gods word and where we haue a certaine rule to seeke for a broken vncertaine and crooked rule Againe it is most absurd not to beleeue the scriptures without the Popes warrant but to say that Christians are not to beleeue in God nor in Christ Iesus nor to receiue the rest of the articles of our Creed vnlesse the church of Rome doe deliuer them vnto vs is not only a peece of great foolery but also a very high streine of madnesse and yet this is the doctrine of Popery for Stapleton saith that the church must needes consigne the scriptures vnto vs and the authoritie of the church both he and others giue to the Pope likewise in their catechisme the Papists signifie that faith is of things onely proposed to vs by the church so that if the church propose not the articles of faith we are not to beleeue them if these men teach truth further this sheweth the Romish church to consist of a packe of infidels for if the same beleeued not without the authority of the church then did she beleeue nothing of Christ seeing the Papists acknowledge no other Church but that of Rome and no church can teach it selfe Finally this is as much as if they should say that the law of the Prince is not to be receiued vnlesse it be proposed by the crier or other such like officer The Masse-priests of Trent sess 4. most absurdly prefer the old Latin vulgar translation of the Bible before the originall text which is as much as if they should preferre S. Hierome and other interpreters before the Prophets and Apostles and the streames before the fountaines Generally they forbid scriptures to bee read publickely in vulgar tongues but they permit most fabulous legends to bee read publickely The holy scriptures they will not permit to bee read in vulgar tongues of the multitude without licence but they are content that any of their followers should reade the Popes decretales or the miracles of their god of paste or the history of our Lady of Loreto and other such lying legends without licence To say that the Pope is the head of the vniuersall church is meere foolery for grant that and it will follow that the Church is sometime without head as in the time of vacation of the papacy and sometime a monster with two or three heads as when two or three Popes reigne at once and sometime a mad Church as hauing a mad and franticke head The church they say albeit catholicke yet is alwaies visible but this being granted it followeth that vniuersall things may be the obiect of sense and that the church of
primitiue church holy scriptures were read in the church and taken only for the word of God but now in the Romish church lying legends and fables are read in the church and lying and vncertaine traditions are made equall to scriptures In time past it was accompted folly to reade scriptures in tongues vnknowen and the Apostle sheweth that it is vnprofitable to pray in a strange language but now the Romanists both reade scriptures and pray in languages not vnderstood of the multitude and yet defend it as well done In ancient time no man euer beleeued either that the scriptures were made to vs authenticall by the Popes determination or that the Popes determinatiō in matters of faith was certeine now all is turned vpside downe scriptures are made vncerteine and obscure and the Popes determination is made most liquide and certeine The ancient bishops of the church preached diligently liued vprightly dealt with their people mercifully now the Popish bishops preach not nor leade their liues according to their profession but contrariwise liue scandalously and are the only bouchers to murder all that shall either reprehend the abuses of the church or their corruptions in manners and the powdermen and vndermining Papists follow their steppes Ancient Christians suffered most cruell torments and death because they would not worship images now the Romanists put all to death that will not worship images The ancient Romans according to S. Paules doctrine beleeued not to be instified by the workes of Gods lawe the late Romanistes hope to bee iustified by the workes of the Popes Lawes They looked for no peace by their owne satisfaction but by the redemption wrought by Christ Iesus these moderne fellowes beleeue that they can satisfie for their owne sinnes and trust in the redemption procured them by the Popes indulgences The Romans vnto whom S. Paul wrote were obedient to Kings these loose the bonds betweene kings and their subiects and stirre vp traytors to blow vp their princes They diligently obserued Christs institution in administring the sacraments and neither spit in the faces of Christians baptized nor stole away the cup from the communicants the moderne Romish priests spit on those whom they baptize and refuse to administer the cup to others then themselues Finally they are digressed from the ancient Romans in all those particulars both concerning faith and maners wherein I haue shewed that they differ from ancient Catholikes and haue deuised meere nouelties CHAP. LI. That the Romish Church that now is was inuisible in old time MVch doe our aduersaries boast of the visibility of the Romish church supposing because the scriptures speake much of the glory of the kingdome of Iesus Christ that al that honor belongeth to the church of Rome of late times but while they mistake things spirituall for things corporall and externall and suppose things vntrue all this their boast and glory will turne to their great preiudice and shame for first the beauty of the church consisteth rather in inward vertues then in outward shewes and apparell Secondly be it that the church is alwaies seene and apparent to the true members of the church yet the moderne Romish church and the glory thereof was neuer seene either of the Apostles or ancient fathers of the Church or of ancient Christians For what I pray you is the church of Rome but a multitude of people professing the moderne saith of the Romish synagogue communicating with the same in sacraments and subiecting themselues to the Popes holinesse this is confirmed by the testimony of Bellarmine in his booke de ecclesia and of Canisius in his catechisme c. de fide symbolo and I hope will not be denied by any Papist but such a church shall neuer bee shewed in ancient time and that we shall proue by inuincible reasons for first we finde not during the time of the Apostles any such head of the church as the Pope nor any such sholders as the Cardinals nor any such rotten members as the chantery priests singing Masses for soules departed as Monkes liuing in heards like swine as friers begging for fashion sake and yet abounding in all things necessary 2. The Pope with his triple crowne two swordes crossed pantofle and his guard of Suizars and purple Cardinals following him began onely of late time to be visible if such a sight had appeared in the time of the ancient fathers they would haue woondred at it as a thing most monstrous and vnbeseeming him that pretendeth to be the successor of Peter 3. While S. Peter liued no man euer saw a church persecuting of Christes disciples and deliuering them ouer to haue their throates cut by the secular power nor did either the bishops of Rome or the ancient fathers for more then a thousand yeeres after Christ imprison torment or kill such Christians as were not of their faction and opinion 4. The ancient church of Christ did neither excommunicate kings nor assoile their subiects from their obedience commanding them vpon paine of excommunication to rise vp in armes against them and to depose them the Romish church therefore which doth all these things was not then visible neither can any Masse-priest shew vs where in old time miners and powder-men sought to blow vp the principall men of the state 5. So long as the primitiue church continued in the doctrine and steppes of the Apostles and ancient fathers the same was ruled by the holy Scriptures and canons of councels and then the decretales of Gregory the 9. Boniface the 8. Clement the 5. Iohn the 22. and other later Popes were not in the world who can then say that the Roman church ordred by these decretales was then visible 6. The moderno Romish church beside the two Sacraments instituted by Christ beleeue other 5. Sacraments and hope as well to be saued by greasing when they lie a dying as by Baptisme and the Lordes Supper but such a church was altogether inuisible both in the Apostles time and long after 7. Now Papistes beleeue that Christians receiuing the Sacrament swallow downe Christes body into their stomacke nay they teach that dogs hogs and brute beasts eating consecrated hostes doe also deuoure Christs bodie but such a company of Canibals and blasphemers against Christian religion were neuer taken for Christes church for more then a thousand yeares after Christ 8. The Roman church commandeth Christians to keepe the feast daies of monkes and friers and other saints to heare Masse vpon ember daies in Lent and fridaies to absteine from flesh to goe to auricular confession at the least once a yeare and not to celebrate marriage vpon certaine daies but if all the monkes and friers in the world were set to seeke such a church and if the Masse-priests of the Romish church were ioyned with them yet could they not finde such a church for a thousand yeeres after Christ 9. In the Romish missals the priest praieth that God would be pleased to accept of the body and blood
we shall haue further occasion to speake hereafter Secondly seeing the Papistes are not certaine of their grounds it must needes follow that the religion of Papists is most vncertaine that they cannot be certain of their grounds diuers arguments declare for neither are they certaine whether Clement Leo or any other sitting in the Popes chayre be true Pope nor canne they assure themselues whether the decretales which goe vnder the names of Popes were indeed their decretales whose names they cary Antonius Contius a learned Papist in a certaine annotation of his added to the ch sancta dist 15. in Plantins edition saith that all the decretales set out vnder names of Popes before Siluester are false and this he saith he hath shewed manifestly further it cannot be proned that all the determinations of the Popes are right and equall nay contrarie we haue by diuers most certeine demonstrations prooued that both concerning scriptures faith the law sacraments praier the worship of God and diuers pointes of faith they haue determined contrary to the rule of saith as shall hereafter more particularly appeare Thirdly it were plaine impudencie to say that the Apostles instituted the consecration of the Paschal Lambes the forme of hallowing of churches salt water and all Popish trinkets the form of praying vpon beades and the rest of the Romish traditions neither shall Kellison euer be able to iustifie all those reportes which his teachers haue receiued by tradition and publikely heretofore set forth and now read out of their legendes Fourthly diuers of those 84. canons which goe vnder the names of the Apostles are disclaymed by the Papists themselues and the rest cannot be proued that they were made by the Apostles of the actes of the Nicene Councell the Papists themselues haue no certainty Most confesse 20. as Ruffin and Pope Stephen others in c. vigint dist 16. Gratian vnder the testimony of Athanasius telleth vs of 70. c. septuaginta dist 16. now one Alphonsus a pisa a Iebusite hath published 80. canons the acts of the councell supposed to be held vnder Siluester Bishop of Rome are all conterfeit as the barbarous stile and strange forme of gouernment represented in those acts and diuers barbarous names and other arguments doe signifie sometimes Peter Crabbe the collector of councels doth set downe diuers actes of councels not only differing but also repugnant one to another fiftly diuers bookes are set foorth vnder the name of fathers that no man can certeinly say were written by the fathers whose names they cary Nay some of them doe containe doctrine contrary to the faith professed by the fathers sixtly they are not certaine either what is the sense of the Romane church diuers doctors yeelding diuers interpretations of scriptures or what is the old Latine translation for Sixtus Quintus setteth out the old vulgar Latin translation after one sort and Clement the eight after another and he that alloweth the translation of Sixtus Quintus must nedes condemne that of Clement the eight contrariwise finally seeing diuers Papists assigne diuers grounds of their faith and scarce two of many doe agree in all points concerning their foundations and the assurance of them how can they pretend either vnity or certainty in their religion Thirdly the foundations of Popery being laid vpon false decretals and lying legends hardly shall our aduersaries be able to deny their religion to be false and full of lies that the Popes doe in their decretales report notorious lyes it is apparent by the decretale set out vnder the name of Innocentius c. quis nesciat dist 11. where he denieth that anie taught or gathered churches in France Spaine Afrike Italy beside S. Peter and those which were sent by him and his successors and likewise by the decretale of Gregorie the 4. c. in praeceptis dist 12. where it is said that all causes are to be referred to the church of Rome as to the head and from thence to receiue direction from whence it receiued his beginning and by the chapter in nouo dist 21. where it is said that the rest of the Apostles made Peter their Prince and infinit others that the legendes which are the ground and receptacle of many traditions are ful of lies I haue shewed els where if Kellison the Suruey or deny this let him proue vnto vs that S. George killed a dragon ready to deuour the kings daughter of Silena and conquered Palestine that Catharine ouercame 50. Philosophers and conuerted the Empresse and the general of the emperors army and broke a wheele with her praiers that with turning killed 4000. pagans that S. Nicholas being an infant fasted Wednesdaies and Fridaies that Bernacus yoked harts that Saint Brendan sayled into Paradise that a crucifixe of wood resaluted Bartilmew a monke of Durrham that the blessed Virgins body was caried into heauen by Angels that her house was carried ouer the seas first into Dalmatia and then into Italy and lastly to Loreto and the rest of those tales Fourthly the Pope being the foundation of the church it followeth that as oft as the Pope dieth the church is without foundation it followeth also that the Pope going to hell as it appeareth by the chap. Sipapa dist 40. that he may the foundation of the Church should lie in hell that the Pope falling into heresie as Liberius Honorius 1. Iohn the 22. and diuers others haue done that the Church should faile which be matters absurd and impious to affirme Fifthly feeing diuers old traditions are now out of vse as for example that of celebrating baptisme at Easter and praying standing betwixt Easter and Whitsontide and of praying with our faces turned to the East and such like it must needes be granted that the foundations of Popery are ruinous for why may not the like happen to other traditions as to these and if traditions be temporary and ruinous which they make equall to holy scriptures what can they alleadge for the continuance and perpetuity of the Popes decretales which are not only contrarie to holy Scriptures but also repugnant one to another Sixthly the old translation differing from it selfe in the editions of Sixtus Quintus and Clement the eigth and others set out at Colein Louain and Antwerpe and much more from the originall bookes of the old Testament in Hebrew and new in Greeke and the interpretations of the scriptures being so diuers in the chiefe doctors of the Romish church and so repugnant to the meaning of the holy Ghost it doth necessarily follow that Popish religion is composed of contrary pieces and cannot be the faith of Christ which is one and hath onely one firme foundation Finally there can bee no consent or vnity in the points of Popish doctrine for that the same consisteth of contrary opinions of Popes and is grounded vpon contrary traditions contrary legends contrary interpretations of fathers and schoolemen and either of traditions or decretales contrary to scriptures or of sentences of fathers contrary to
commit fornication in thought than to marry the Popes of Rome haue not onely coueted but also vsurped diuers parts of the Empire and thus hoping to be saued by the law the Papists not onely by their practise but also by their doctrine ouerthrow the law the Pope by his dispensations annulleth and frustrateth the law his complices more regard the Popes decretales than the eternall law of the liuing God This law of God they say may bee persectly performed by the assistance of Gods grace and as touching the substance of the action they hold that it may be performed without grace ex quo efficitur saith Bellarmine lib. 5. de lib. arbit c. 9. tot am Dei legem absque auxilio gratiae quoad substant iam actionis ab hominibus recte seruari posse in the same booke c. 2. hee saith that without any speciall helpe of God man may know veritatem moralem or the morall law with the circumstances thereof which is not onely contrary to scriptures declaring mans weakenesse and blindnesse but also ouerthroweth the necessity of Gods grace for if man without grace both knoweth the truth and is able according to the substance of the action to performe the law then is he not dead in trespasses and sinnes as the Apostle saith nor doe the Papists beleeue in Christ which saith without mee you can doe nothing doth it not then appeare that popery is false erroneous and repugnant to Gods law the ancient faith in the doctrine of the law CHAP. IIII. Of the damnable doctrine of Papists concerning faith and iustification THe Apostle teacheth vs that the iust shall liue by faith but the Papists doe so handle the doctrine of faith that the same cannot quicken any but is like rather to be the occasion of the fall and death of many first they teach that iustifying faith is nothing else but a firme assent to the word of God but if a firme assent to euery word of God do iustifie then are Christians iustified by beleeuing that there is a Diuell as well as beleeuing that there is a God and as well are they iustified by beleeuing the curses of the law as beleeuing that grace and mercy is offered them in Iesus Christ nay as well may the Diuels haue iustifying saith as faithfull Christians for they do giue their assent to the word of God and beleeue that hee is truth but these are most damnable doctrines Secondly they say that Christians are as well to beleeue the traditions of the church not written as the holy scriptures the doctors of Trent will haue both receiued with equall affection the authors of the censure of Colleinsol 91. teach Christians to beleeue not only such things as are reuealed in scriptures but also such points as are deliuered from hand to hand but if this be granted then will it follow that Christians are as wel to beleeue the Pope or the Church of Rome as God himselfe and that faith is built vpon mans word and not onely vpon the word of God and lastly that faith is built not only vpon vncertainties but also vpon falshood for such are the traditions of the church of Rome many are vncertaine and some very false and erroneous as is particularly shewed in diuers treatises against Romish traditions Thirdly they teach that faith is a gift and light by which a man being illustrated doth firmly assent adhere to those things which are reuealed by God and proposed to vs by the Church est Dei donum lumen saith Canisius Cathechismi c. 1. quo illustrat us homo firmiter assentitur atque adhaeret ijs quae vt credantur sunt diuinitus reuelata ab Ecclesiae nobis proposita now by the church they vnderstand the Pope and church of Rome but of this it followeth first that the Church of Rome hath no faith for how can a Church propose and teach matters to itselfe this doth vtterly destroy the nature of relations and therefore I thinke the learned Romanists will hardly confesse this to be true it followeth next that Christians are neither to beleeue in Christ nor to professe the articles of the faith vnlesse the Pope and Church of Rome propose them vnto vs. but this is most absurd and impious for we beleeue in God and not in the Pope nor in the Church adhering to him that these consequents are good it is euident because they no lesse require that the articles of faith be proposed to vs by the Church of Rome than that they be reuealed by God Fourthly as well doth Canisius require that Christians beleeue that the whole body of Christ be contained in the eucharist as Papists do hold it as the article of the Trinity the creation of the world and Christes incarnation for all these articles he ioineth together Catech. c. 1. § 4. but hee could not say worse if he meant to ouerthrow the whole Christian faith for the Popish real presence of Christs body bloud in the sacrament is contrary to Christs meaning to words of scriptures exposition of fathers the nature of sacraments and to humane reason and fense as at large is iustified in my bookes de missa against Bellarmine Fifthly they teach that the wicked and reprobate nay that the diuels of hell may haue true faith but our Sauiour Christ saith Iohn 3. that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not perish but haue euerlasting life so it followeth by the doctrine of Papists that the reprobate and the diuels of hell may be saued Sixthly they affirme that charity is the forme of faith but the Apostle teacheth vs that the iust doe liue by faith of which it followeth that faith hath a forme of it selfe whereby it quickneth vs. furthermore it is an absurd thing to make one vertue or habit the forme of another and if this were tolerable that one qualitie were the forme of another yet would it seeme farre more probable that faith should be the forme and life of charity and workes for that without faith it is not possible to please God than that charity should be the forme of faith which doth follow of faith Seuenthly the Iebusites of Collein fol. 122. teach that faith is onelie of generall propositions and hope of particulars so it followeth of their doctrine that no Christian ought to beleeue that he or any other particular person hath his sinnes forgiuen or is of the body of the church or shall be saued but if this were true then do not the Iebusites beleeue that themselues shall rise againe or appeare in iudgement further then can they not beleeue that Pope Clement or Leo or Paul is the head of the church or that they are to subiect themselues vnto him or that this particular Church of Rome is the true Church and such other particular propositions Eightly they teach that we are not iustified by the remission of sinnes or by imputation of Christs righteousnesse but the Apostle 1. Cor. 1. sheweth that Christ is made to
was onely auaileable to cut away former sinnes so likewise doe Papists teach against them both Theodoret de diuin decret c. de baptismo teacheth that baptisme is the earnest of future graces and the communication of Christs passion and againe non vt dicunt amentes Messaliani baptismus nouaculam imitatur quae praecesserunt peccata auferens hoc enim ex superabundanti largitur likewise both Papists and Messalians mumbled ouer their praiers and thought to be heard for their much babling the Papists for saying the ladies rosary and certaine number of creeds and pater nosters haue many indulgences giuen them by their holy father 19. The Angelikes were condemned for worshipping and praying to Angels Synodus quae conuenit Laodiceae saith Theodoret in Coloss 3. lege prohibuit ne precarentur angelos this is also testified by S. Augustine de haeres c. 39. Epiphanius haeres 38. condemneth the Caians for inuocating Angels and Tertullian de praescript aduers haeret sheweth that this heresie proceeded from Simon Magus this condemnation of the Angelikes therfore serueth against the Papists that inuocat worship and say Masses in the honour of Angels 20. S. Augustine taxeth the Seuerians for their forged miracles Philumena one of that sect as he testifieth de haeres c. 24. did worke a strange miracle drawing a loafe of bread out of a narrow mouthed glasse but all their miracles are nothing to the popish miracles reported in legends Bellarmine maketh miracles a marke of the Church heerein therefore they resemble heretickes 21. The Tatians and Encratites condemned mariage as not so pure as single life so likewise Papists thinke that it cannot stand with the perfection of orders in the chap. proposuisti dist 82. they call mariages fleshly pollutions and in their legends account them corruptions 22. As the Manichees condemned mariage in their Priests called electi so do the Papists they abstained from the cup in the eucharist as Leo ser 4. de quadrages doth testifie and as it may be gathered out of the chap. relatum and comperimus dist 2. de consecrat and so doe the Papists the Manichees giue Christ no solide body and place it in diuers places this heresie therefore is also common with them to the Papists lastly both Manichees and Papists abstaine from flesh in their fasts but vse other delicate and banqueting dishes 23. From Montanus the Papists haue receiued their laws of fastings and learned to aduance their vnwritten traditions from him also they haue borrowed their sacrifices for the dead and their doctrine of purging small sinnes after this life S. Augustine epist 86. ad Casulanum sheweth that he found not in any commaundement of Christ or his Apostles what daies we are to fast and what not as Apollonius Eusebius write li. hist 5. c. 57. he did first appoint lawes for fasting Tertullian montanizing in his booke de corona militis derineth sacrifices for the dead from tradition and from his Paraclet and in his booke de anima teacheth that small sinnes are done away after this life Epiphanius in haeres 48. sheweth that Montanus disputed that the scriptures were not perfect and with him in this point do Papistes concurre 24. The Papists take Rome to be their Hierusalem as the Pepuzians did the town of Pepuza and both of them admit women to baptize nay among the Papists we read of a woman that was Pope which was a degree aboue the Pepuzians that neuer made a woman chiefe priest 25. With the Catharists the Papists bragge of their merits purity and perfection further they will not admit heretickes relapsed lastly as the Catharists so Papists sometime vse rebaptization as the histories of France and Flanders testifie against Papists 26. The Iacobites and Armenians were condemned for heretikes for making the images of God the father and God the holy ghost Imagines saith Nicephorus lib. hist 18. c. 52. patris spiritus sancti effigiant quod est perquam absurdum yet doe the Papists offend therein and giue these images diuine honour which is more than those heretikes did 27. The worshippers of the crosse called Chazinzarij were reputed heretikes as Nicephorus hist lib. 18. c. 54. testifieth crucem tantum saith he adorare colere dicuntur yet is either tantum added or else he meaneth they worshipped no images but the crosse for if he should say they worshipped not God then had they beene pagans with them also the Papists concurre for they adore the crosse and pray to it which I doubt whether those foolish heretikes did 28. The Collyridian heretikes worshipped the Virgin Mary and offered cakes in her honour how then can the Papists shift their hands of this heresie that worship the Virgin and more deifie her then they did offering their consecrated cakes nay offring Christ himselfe as they say in her honour some say they worshipped her as a God but that doth not appeare by any presumption some say they offered triangular cakes as if Epiphanius did allow round cakes and onely condemne triangular cakes whose whole purpose was to shew that she was not to bee adored she was a virgin saith he and honorable but not to be adored he sheweth that to giue adoration to creatures is idolatrie and gentilisme non dominabitur nobis saith he haeres 79. antiquus error vt relinquamus viuentem adoremus ea quae ab ipso facta sunt 29. The councell of Franck ford vnder Charles the great condemned the second Nicene councell vnder Irene and all that worshipped images set vp in churches which is a plaine condemnation of the error of the Papists in this behalfe they pretend that this councell was disallowed by Adrian the Pope but what if Liberius should haue condemned the councell of Nice when he ioined with the Arians and what if Marcellinus when he sacrificed to idols should haue condemned Christian religion shall all Christianity depend vpon one mans pleasure 30. S. Augustine de haeres c. 68. telleth vs of an heresie of certaine fellowes that went barefooted est alia haeresis saith he nudis pedibus semper ambulantium the barefooted friers therefore and such as go on pilgrimage barefooted are to take his report as a sentence pronoūced against themselues 31. The Apostolikes were condemned as heretikes for that they receiued none into their communion that had wiues or possessed goods in propriety for Clergie men and Monkes in those daies had both wiues and goods in property as S. Augustine de haeres c. 40. sheweth Apostolici quise isto nomine arrogantissime vocauerunt saith he non receperunt in suam communionem vtentes coniugibus res proprias possidentes quales habet Ecclesia Catholica monachos clericos plurimos see therefore I pray you how he excludeth Papists with the Apostolikes out of the Catholike Church 32. The Heraclites saith Isidore orig lib. 8. c. de haeres were heretickes that receiued onely Monkes and excluded maried folkes out of their company monachos tantum recipiunt coniugia
si huius quae ab ipso docebatur fidei particeps esset so likewise the Popes grant indulgences to all those that fight for their sect whatsoeuer outrages and villanies they haue committed neither do Priests refuse absolution to any of their sect if they be ruled by them Bellarmine lib. 2. de eccles c. 2. requireth neither faith nor vertue in a Christian if he professe outwardly the Romish faith 43. The Apostle 1. Tim. 4. doth condemn them as heretiks that forbad men to mary entoined them abstinence from certaine meats recte posuit prohibentium nubere saith Theodoret in 1. Tim. 4. neque enim caelibatum aut continentiam vituperat sed eos accusat qui lege lata ea sequi compellunt but Papists by lawes forbid the mariage of Priests and of such as haue vowed single life and haue made diuers lawes against eating flesh burning all that teach otherwise 44. The heretikes called Anomi were condemned for corrupting the law of God but I haue shewed that the Papists by their irregular doctrines and traditions haue not only corrupted it but also disanulled it for the most part 45. Irenaeus aduers haeres c. 2. rangeth them among heretikes that accuse scriptures as if they were not right or not of authority or diuersly to be vnderstood or not sufficient without tradition quasi non rectè habeant neque sint ex authoritate quia variè sunt dictae quia non possit ex his inueniri veritas ab his qui nesciant traditionem all which qualities are incident to the Papists for they complaine of their flexibility and insufficiency and without the churches determination make them to vs of no authoritie Tertullian lib. de praescrip aduers haeret saith some heretikes by their hand others by expositions peruert scriptures alius saith he mancel scripturas alius sensu expositiones interuertit the Papists excell in both for by their additions and false versions they haue falsified scriptures and their commentaries in cases controuersed are nothing but peruersions and false expositions of scriptures Turrian writing against that worthy seruant of God Master Sadeel doth call the scriptures delphicum gladium or an instrument seruing to diuers purposes others call them a nose of waxe or a shipmans hose some esteeme them a matter of strife 46. Isidore lib. 8. orig c. de haeres doth declare them to be heretikes that doe otherwise vnderstand the scriptures then the meaning of the holy ghost requireth quicunque aliter scripturam sacram intelligit saith he quà m sensus spiritus sanâ—â—i flagitat licet de Ecclesia non recesserit tamen haereticus potest appellari but this is a common fault of Papists throughout all their bookes of controuersies and commentaries 47. As the Herodians did giue the title and honour of Christ to Herode and were therefore reputed heretickes by Damascene lib. de haeres so the Papists do giue Christs titles and honour to the Pope calling him the head and foundation and spouse of the Church yea the king of kings and Christ why then should they not be called papall heretickes aswell as the other Herodian heretickes 48. Damascene accounteth them heretickes that were enemies to the knowledge of Christians and misliked their study of scriptures Gnosimachi saith he omni Christianorum cognitioni ac scientiae ita aduersantur vt vanum minus necessarium laborem esse dicant corum qui in diumis scripturis aliquam exquirunt scientiam the Papists likewise condemn lay-men that read study scriptures especially in vulgar tongs and commend ignorance they doe also speake high commendations of a colliars faith and thinke it sufficient without more adoe that they beleeue as the Church doth 49. The Ethnophromans are likewise put in the role of heretickes for that they brought in diuers heathenish dustomes into the church as we may read in Damascene de haeresibus if then the Papists haue their right they are there also for their carnenal candle bearing holie water censing of images and infinite such trickes to bee calendred among heretickes 50. The dislike of second mariages expressed c. de his 31. q. 1. and for that they debarre such from Priesthood is borrowed from the Montanists 51. In the Roman Cathechisme part 1. in exposit 3. art fid they teach that our Sauiour passed out of his mothers wombe as the raies of the sunne do pearce through the substance of glasse quomodo solis radij concretam vitri substantiam penetrant but this heresie doth quite ouerthrow the article of the natiuity of our Sauiour 52. The conuenticle of a sect 6. Trent teacheth vs alwaies in this life to doubt of Gods fauour towards vs and of our own saluation but this heresie sheweth that the Papists teach infidelity rather then true faith 53. Finally if heresie be an opinion contrarie to faith as Ocham saith or to scriptures as Robert Grosthed affirmeth apud Matth. Paris in Henrico 3. or to conclusions deduced out of scriptures as the councell of Basil signifieth apud Aen. Sylu. de gest concil Basil lib. 1. then are all the opinions of Papists condemned by the church of England for heresies as being repugnant to canonicall scriptures and the faith deduced out of them And these heresies albeit anciently condemned are yet generally holden by the Papists but if I should rehearse the particular heresies of Popes and their chiefe doctors there would be no end of the rehearsall Gelasius the Pope in his epistle to the Bishops of Picenum saith that the substance of man is depratied by originall sinne which importeth rather the destruction of nature than the losse of grace according to his opinion The master of sentences lib. 2. dist 31. teacheth that the flesh only and not the soule is made vncleane by originall sinne Likewise lib. 1. dist 24. he saith that names of number put nothing in the Trinity which ouerthroweth the real distinction of the three persons in the Trinity Againe lib. 1. dist 17. he saith that the holy ghost is nothing but charity whereby we loue God his addendum saith he quòd ipse idem spiritus sanctus est amor siue charitas qua nos diligimus Deum proximum which ouerthroweth the subsistence of the holy ghost Iohn the 22. as we read in the letters of Michael Cesenas placed after the workes of Occham denied the personall distinction of the father the sonne and the holy ghost he denied also that the soules of the faithfull do see God before the day of iudgement The abbot Ioachim as we read in the chap. damnamus de sum trin sid cath saith that the father the sonne and the holy ghost are one non vnitate essentiae sed collectionis tantum not by vnity of essence but by vnity of collections as diuers citizens make one people which ouerthroweth the vnity of the diuine essence Albert vpon the first booke of sentences dist 9. and Thomas Aquinas in scripto confesse that speaking of the persons of the
reprochfull humours but neuer did Catholickes so teach the Apostle 2. Tim. 3. saith they are able to make vs wise to saluation and that they are giuen of God to make the man of God perfect S. Augustine lib. 2. de doct Christ c. 9. saith that all things necessarily belonging to faith or manners are conteined in plaine places of scriptures the ancient fathers do euery where speake honorably of scriptures and Ireney saith it is the propertie of heretikes when they are conuinced by scriptures to accuse them Secondly these are speciall points of Popery viz. that the Pope is the foundation head and spouse of the church that his decretales concerning matters of faith are infallible that vnwritten traditions are the word of God not written and equall to scriptures that the old Latine vulgar translation of the bible is authenticall for the most of this is deliuered and determined in the conuenticle of Trent sess 4. the rest is holden by the canonists and the Popes proctors these doctrines are contrarie to the wordes of the Apostle 1. Cor. 3. who sheweth vs that no other foundation can be laid but Christ Iesus and Ephes 2 where it is said that the faithfull are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the chiefe corner stone Irenaeus lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 1. sheweth that the scriptures are the pillar and foundation of our faith Chrysostome hom 6. in Matth. saith the church is Hierusalem whose foundations are laid vpon the mountains of the scriptures that the Pope should be the foundation of the church and not be subiect to error in determining matters of faith is contrary both to scriptures and fathers as I haue already shewed in my bookes de pontifice Rom. the diuersitie and contrarietie of diuers editions of the old Latine vulgar translation of the bible we haue proued heretofore that it differeth from the originall it is apparent and Arias Montanus Erasmus Caietan and diuers others acknowledge it the fathers in matters of doubt send vs to the originals the falshood of Romish traditions the repugnance betwixt them and scriptures I haue proued in my booke de scripturis against Bellarmine Thirdly the Papists allow no interpretations of scriptures against that sense Cont. Trident. sess 4. which the church of Rome holdeth contra eum sensum quam tenuit tenet sancta mater ecclesia and by the church they vnderstand the Pope principally but that was neuer the opinion of Catholikes nay the Pope and his followers allow diuers interpretations contrarie to the iudgement of all auncient fathers and catholikes they beleeue that these words of Christ feede my sheepe do properly belong to the Pope and that thereby he hath power to depose Princes these words Hiercm 1. I haue appomted thee ouer nations and kingdomes they transferre to the Pope Boniface the 8. in the chap. vnam sanctam extr demaior obed doth thereof conclude that the Pope hath power to iudge all earthly princes Innocent the 3. in the Chap. solitae de maior obed because it is said Genes 1. that God made a greater and lesser light in the firmament collecteth that the Pope is aboue the emperour Christ said do this in remēbrance of me they interpret it as if Christ had said offer vp my body and blood to my father and do it in remembrance of Angels and Saints Christ said search the scriptures and drinke yee all of this which they expound as if he had forbidden laie-men either to search scriptures or to receiue the cup. They haue also infinite other such like peruerse interpretations of scriptures contrarie to the exposition of Catholike fathers and yet stiffle maintaine them 4. Catholikes neuer allowed the legends of S. George S. Christopher S. Catherine S. Vrsula S. Cyprian the magician and such legends as the Papists reade in their churches publikely and beleeue them as traditions of their Elders and grounds of faith the legend of S. George of Cyricus Iulitta of Abgarus and of the inuention of the crosse is condemned by Gelasius c. sancta Romana dist 15. 5. Tho. Aquin. opusc cont errores Graec. saith it is a matter of faith to beleeue the determinatiō of tho Pope in matters belonging to saith or maners a matter neuer beleeued by Catholikes 6. Bellarmine and others say that the Popes lawes doe bind vs in conscience but this neuer entred into the thought of Catholikes S. Iames. c. 4. saith we haue only one lawgiuer and iudge that can saue and destroy 7. They beleeue that images are to he made and worshipped and consequently fil euery corner of their churches with images they also thinke it lawfull to picture God the father like an old man and the holy ghost in the figure of a doue but the law of God expressely forbiddeth the worship of grauen images and all such similitudes and Lactantius lib. 2. instil c. 19. saith there is no religion where such images are S. Augustine de fid symbolo saith that it is impious to place the image of God in the church tale simulachrum deo nefas est Christiano in templo collocare 8. The Iebusites of Collem in their censure teach that we are iustified by the law and that our life and saluation doth consist therein but the Apostle teacheth vs that the law is the minister of death and Irenaeus testifieth lib. 3. aduers haeres c. 20. that the law being spirituall doth only manifest sinne and not kill it and so doe Catholikes beleeue 9. The conuenticle of Trent sess 5. teacheth that concupiscence is not sinne in the regenerat but the Apostle Rom. 7. sheweth the concupiscence is sinne and all true Catholikes must needes confesse it seeing it is forbidden by the law 10 Bellarmine and his consorts beleeue that all Christians are able to performe the law perfectly but Catholickes beleeue that this sauoureth of Pelagianisme for if they be able to performe the law of God perfectly then may they liue without all sinne which Augustine and Hierome in their disputes against the Pelagians declare to be heresie 11 Papists beleeue that the Pope is able to dispence with oathes and to absolue subiects from their obedience and fealty to their Princes but Catholickes assure themselues that it is impious to take Gods name in vaine and to violate lawfull oathes vpon the Popes or any other mans warrant 12 Papists teach that the Virgin Mary was exempt from originall sinne as we may perceiue by Bellarmine lib. 4. de amiss grat c. 15. and by the decrerale of Sixtus 4. and this is the most common opinion but Catholickes thinke contrary for the Apostle Rom. 5. saith that through the offence of one all men are subiect to condemnation 13. They beleeue that the blessed virgins house was caried out of Galiley into Dalmatia and from thence into Italy by the ministery of Angels and that the same is now at Loreto but Catholikes laugh at such fables and esteeme the worship
Platina saith obteined of Phocas the Emperour that the church of Rome should be called and holden the head of other churches The councell of Rome that authorised the Popish real presence of Christs body and blood in the Sacrament was celebrated vnder Pope Nicolas the 2. some 1050. yeares after Christ the 2. Nicene Councell that established the worship of images in some sort was assembled long before vnder the reigne of Irene but the actes of the councell could not bee receiued in the Westerne church till long after the councel of Lateran that decreed transubstantiation was assembled in the times of Innocentius the 3. the councell of Constance that first brought in the communion vnder one kind and the subsistence of accidents without subiect was summoned about the yeare of our Lord 1414 the synode of Florence that first established the 7. sacraments and beganne to talke of their formes and confirmed the Popes supremacy and Purgatory published her decrees about the yeare of our Lord 1439. the actes of the conuenticle of Trent that made vp a complete body of Popery were confirmed by Pius the 4. in the yeare of our Lord 1564. and this is the antiquity of those conuenticles that doe principallie confirme the doctrine of Popery The scholemen crept into the church about the yeare of our Lord 1200. the father of them al was Peter Lombard that flourished some 1140. yeares after Christ The canonists began after the times of Gregory the ninth that liued and flourished about the yeare of our Lord God 1230. The chiefe founders of Popery were the Popes by their authority the Cardinals by their counseill the Monkes and Friers by their bookes and preaching the Masse-priests by their massing and practising the dinel himselfe by his craft malice and violence the Popes authority in ecclesiasticall canses was not great before the times of Boniface the third nor in temporall matters before Gregory the seuenth Boniface the ninth as Theodoric à Niem testifieth by craft entered vpon the temporall inrisdiction of Rome The cardinals were but parish priests vntill such time as the Pope of a Priest became a Prince the monkes in the West church are descended from Benet of Nursia that liued about the yeare of our Lord 530. the Friers arose out of the bottomlesse pit about the yere of our Lord 1230. their first fathers were Francis and Dominicke the last brood of Friers flew abroad into the world vnder the leading of Ignatius Loyola a lame souldier anno Dom. 1540. the diuell being bound vp for a thousand yeere counting from the time of Constantine began to be loosed againe about the time of Innocent the third and by all fraud to worke in the heads of Popes Friers Monkes and Masse-priests and with violence to make opposition against all those that preached the truth The foundation therefore of Poperie being so lately laid and the chiefe founders thereof beginning to stirre so long after the times of the Apostles and ancient fathers it were great simplicitie if we should affirme poperie to be ancient But the same doth most clearely appeare by the particular doctrines of poperie which the Popes factours maintaine against vs. first they hold that holy scriptures are imperfect and no sufficient rule of faith Bellarmine lib. 4. de verbo Dei c 12. affirmeth that they are onely apart of the rule but none but heretickes in ancient time did derogate from scriptures 2. They teach that holy scriptures and the traditions of the church are to be receiued with equall affection but that was first determined in the 4. session of the conuenticle of Trent 3. In that wicked conuenticle also they first determined that the old Latine vulgar translation of the Bible should be authenticall 4. That the bishop of Rome is souereigne iudge of al controuersies of religion and the principall interpreter of scriptures is a point taught of late since Friers began to steele their faces with a double maske of impudency 5. Before the late conuenticle of Trent wee neuer read but that concupiscence was sinne both in the regenerat and vnregenerat as being contrary to the law of God 6. Stapleton in his preface to his relection of doctrinall principles is the first man that euer taught that wee heare God speaking in the Pope and that the church is founded vpon his authoritie 7. The first that euer called the Pope a God on the earth are the Popes canonists they likewise began first to call him the head and spouse of the church an vniuersall bishop 8. The Papists of late time only began to prohibit scriptures to be read publickely in vulgar tongues and to repine at Gods people that desire to reade them in those tongues for the ancient fathers exhort men to reade scriptures 9. Since Dioclesians time wee do not reade of any that burned bookes of scriptures besides Papists neither did any since his time hold out his feet to be kissed 10. Of late time Papists beleeue no Catholicke church but that which is subiect to the bishop of Rome whereas in time past the Catholicke church was held to bee dispersed through all nations and not vniuersally subiected to other head than Christ 11. The Romish church now obserueth not the old canons of the Apostles as they are commonly called ex 84. Apostolicis canonibus sayth Medina de sacror hom continent c. 105. quos Clemens Romanus pontifex eorundem Apostolorum discipulus in vnum coegit vix sex aut octo Latina Ecclesia nunc obseruat Martin Perez also de tradit part 3. c. de authorit cc. Apost confesseth that the Apostles canons now are not well obserued 12. The ancient Christians did neuer confesse their sinnes to the blessed virgin to S. Michael to Peter and Paul and other saints as the Romish Masse-priests do 13. Of late the Clerke at Masse hath taken vpon him to absolue the Priest and to pray for him a matter both strange and absurd 14. The confession of the faith set out by Pius the fourth concerning Romish traditions instification by works the seuen sacraments the sacrifice of the masse indulgences and such like points of Popery was neuer heard of before the time of that wicked Pope 15. The Papists can not shew that any Christian before of late durst cut out the second commandement out of the first Table as they haue presumed to do in their short Catechismes This they did knowing themselues to be guilty in worshipping images of the breach thereof 16. The decree of Sixtus the fourth concerning the conception of the blessed virgin without originall sinne is but a late deuice 17. It is not long since the Papists taught that veniall sinnes are done away with holy water 18. He should be very shamelesse that would say that Christians in time past did whip themselues either going in procession or before the crucifix as now Papists doe hoping to redeeme their sinnes with their owne blood 19. Ancient Christians neuer beleeued that it was sinne to transgresse
followers to haue other gods The law forbiddeth vs to make grauen images and similitudes to the intent to worship them the Pope commandeth his followers to make them and to worship them and burneth such as teach contrary The Apostle calleth concupiscence in himselfe sinne the Masse-priests of Trent denie it to bee sinne in the regenerate Our Sauiour in the fifth of Iohn commanded his followers to search the scriptures these followers of Antichrist forbid Christians to search the scriptures translated into vulgar tongues without licence At his last supper after the blessing he said take and eate but these good fellowes say gape and gaze on the Priest saying masse and eate not but rather keepe the sacrament in the pixe He said doe this in remembrance of me they doe it in remembrance of Angels and Saints and obserue not that forme which hee prescribed The Apostles of Christ did receiue and eate the sacrament the false Apostles of Antichrist commaund their schollers to heaue it to adore it and to carrie it about in procession In the conuenticle of Constance the Popes adherents establish the communion vnder one kind and where Christ said drinke yee all of this they say drinke not all of this Christ taught his Disciples to pray to his father and to say Pater noster they teach their Disciples to praie to our Lady and to say mater nostra or at least mater miscricordie God in the 50. Psalme saith inuoca me call vpon mee and the Apostle 1. Tim. 2. sheweth that there is but one onely mediator betwixt God and man they teach vs to call vpon Saints and say they are our intercessours When S. Iohn Apocalyps 22. would haue worshipped the Angell he said to him see thou doe it not these say see thou doe it The Apostle 1. Cor. 14. commandeth him that speaketh in a strange tongue or that is not vnderstood to keepe silence in the Church he addeth that praiers in a strange tongue or without vnderstanning are without fruit but the Romanists contrarie do enioine their Priests to reade scriptures and to say seruice in Latine which of the vulgar sort is not vnderstood Coster in his Enchir c. de precibus latinè recitandis saith that he that praieth in Lattin albeit he vnderstand not what he praieth receiueth fruit by his praier hune tertium fructum orationis non minus percipit saith hee qui non intellecta à se lingua precatur quà m qui verborum intelligentiam assequitur S. Paul 2. Tim. 3. teacheth vs that scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect Bellarmine lib. 4. de verbo Dei saith they are imperfect and insufficient without traditions The Apostle Hebr. 1. saith God spake by the Prophets and this is to be vnderstood when the holy Prophets deliuered scriptures to Gods people Staple ton de author eccles in diuers places denieth that God speaketh in scriptures and his meaning is that he speaketh in the Pope Both Prophets and Apostles teach that the iust shall liue by faith but the Masse-priests say faith of it selfe is dead and that the life and forme thereof is charity The Scripture saith it is better to marrie than to burne the Papists teach that it is better to burne with lust then to marrie after the vow made of single life The Apostle 1. Tim. 3. will haue a bishop chosen that is the hush and of one wise and Hebr. 13. saith that mariage is honourable among all the Papists admit no maried men liuing with their wiues to be bishops and count marriage in Priests pollution The Apostle saith the law is the ministration of death and that by the workes of the law no flesh is iustified the Masse-priests teach their followers to seeke for life in the law and by the workes thereof say that all the faithfull are to bee iustified Finally poperie in effect is nothing else but a contradiction in most things to the words of holy scripture CHAP. XXII That the founders and defenders of popery doe most wickedly abuse holy scriptures ALl which notwithstanding the Papists for proofe of their false doctrines doe alleadge scriptures but yet so as any man may see if hee be not wilfully blind that they wickedly abuse scriptures and wrest them contrarie to their true sense and meaning Auentinus lib. 7. annal Boior speaking of Gregory the seuenth saith he forced the scriptures to serue his purpose by false interpretations diuinas scripturas falsò interpretando sâ—â—e causae seruire coegit and Aeneas Syluius lib. 1. de gest concil Basil speaking of other Popes saith they expound the words of Christ not as the meaning of the holy ghost requireth but according to their owne humor verba Christi non prout sensus sancti spiritus exposcit sed suopte ingenio interpretantur so in times past false teachers as S. Peter testifieth 2. Pet. 3. peruerted scriptures to their owne destruction and I would to God that it were to their owne destruction only but helas such seducers destroy both themselues and their credulous followers Innocentius 3. c. solitae de maior obed expoundeth these words Hieremy 1. behold I haue placed thee ouer nations and kingdoms of the Pope as if the holy Ghost had appointed him ouer Nations and kingdomes and made him superior to the emperor whereas he seemeth rather to be appointed by the diuell then the holy Ghost Likewise these words Genes 1. God made two great lights in the firmament of heauen the greater to rule the day the lesser to rule the night he supposeth to be meant of the Pope and Emperor as if the Pope were the great light ruling by day and the Emperor the lesse light ruling by night In the chapter nouit de iudicijs he doth vnderstand these words Deut. 1. thou shalt iudge the great as the small neither shalt thou accept any mans person of the Pope and of kings as if by the law of God the Pope were made iudge of kings and were as well to ouerrule them as the most contemptible Masse-priest of his owne rascall retinue Againe where we read 1. cor 5 that the seruant standeth or falleth to his owne master he concludeth in the chapt nimis de iureiurando that lay-men are not to compell clerkes to take oathes before them as if all clerkes were the Popes slaues and to fall downe before him and to serue him Clement the fift c. si dominum de reliq venerat sanct out of these words praise God in his Saints concludeth that we are to keepe the feast of Corpus Christi day Boniface the 8. extr de maior obed c. vnam sanctam concludeth that the Pope is aboue all men because we read Genes 1. that in the beginning and not in the beginnings God made heauen and earth as if the Pope were the beginning mentioned in that place Likewise of these words 1. Cor. 2. the spirituall man iudgeth all and is iudged of none he concludeth very wisely that the Pope is iudge
massacres and cruell executions done by the Papistes of late yeeres vpon the Saints of God haue proceeded from no other fountaine then from the malice of the diuel for he was a murderer from the beginning and Apocalyps 12. we read that the great red dragon that is the diuel persecuted the woman which was a figure of the church of God and caused her to flie into the wildernesse from the same fountaine also doe issue all the forgeries lies and calumniations of Papists whereby they haue gone about to suppresse the truth for the diuell is the father of lies and from their father the diuel the lying friers and Masse-priests haue learned their lying deuises who then is of God must needs hate this religion that is partly inuented and partly mainteined by the diuell CHAP. XXXIII That Papists can haue no assurance of the truth of their religion OF the trueth of our Christian faith we are assured for the articles thereof were deliuered by Christ taught by the Apostles and Prophets conteined in Scriptures and confessed by the catholicke church of all times but it is not so with Popery for neither did Christ deliuer it nor the Apostles and Prophets teach it nor is the same conteined in Scriptures or confessed by the catholike church of all times but dependeth partly vpon traditions not written and partly vpon the Popes determinations and partly vpon the opinions of schoole-men and canonistes and the monkes and friers now what assurance I pray you can any Papist haue of these doctrines First no man yet could euer tell what these traditions are which the Priests of Trent would make equall to Scriptures Bellarmine lib. 4. de verb. dei talketh at randon but he dare not come to particulars nor directly expresse them Secondly they dare not define where these traditions are to be found if they say in the decretales then all future traditions are cut off and former traditions founded on the Popes opinions if they say in the legends their traditions will prooue lies and fooleries for such are the legends if they tell vs of the pure fountaines of traditions of Caesar Baronius as Pope Sixtus the fift doth they will be laughed at that were not auised of their groundes before the time of this babling and confused Cardinal Thirdly they cannot shew why some traditions should be obserued and others not but if traditions were to be receined with equall affection to holy Scriptures then might none be abolished As for the determinations of Popes they can alledge no reason why they should be true if they bring the wordes of Christ to Peter they concerne them nothing that are so vnlike to Peter if they bring Christs promises to his church they concerne them much lesse for they are rather enemies then members of the church but were they members yet what man is priuiledged so that he cannot erre but those which for writing of holy Scriptures were led into all truth by the holy Ghost which is the spirit of truth Finally there is such contention betwixt the schoolemen and canonists and such diuersity of opinions among the seuerall Doctors of both the sides that it is bard to say whether any of them teacheth truly and most certaine that many of them teach falsely nay scarce any point of doctrine is deliuered by schoolemen wherein they dissent not one from another Now if they say their faith is founded not only vpon the Popes determinations and Apostolike traditions but also vpon holy scriptures yet holding as they doe this shall not any whit releeue them For first they cannot assure themselues that the Latine vulgar translation of the Bible is more true then the originall text in Hebrew and Greeke for all the fathers with one consent preferre the original fountaines before all versions Secondly they must needes stand in doubt which is the old Latine vulgar translation for if they allow that which was set out by Clement the 8. then cannot they allow of that which was set out by Sixtus Quintus the one so much differing from the other nor if they approue this can they follow that Thirdly they doe not beleeue the scriptures because God speaketh in them nor the traditions because they are Gods worde as they hold but because the church doth tell vs which are canonicall scriptures and consigneth them vnto vs and doth further deliuer vnto vs these traditions not written for this is Stapletons opinion in his bookes de doctrinalibus princip and authorit ecclesiast defens and is confessed of most Papists but if the authoritie of scriptures and traditions in respect of vs doth so depend vpon the church that no man can be assured of either without the authority of the Church then doth the faith of Papists rest vpon the Pope who as they say is chiefe gouernor of the church the which will bring the Papists to great vncertainty for who is so mad as to beleeue that a blind Pope can well iudge of colours or so senselesse as not to beleeue Gods word without the Popes warrant Fourthly they receiue not the articles of the faith because they are contained in scriptures but because they are deliuered vnto vs by the Pope Thomas Aquinas 2.2.9.1 art 10. saith that the ordring of matters of faith and the publication of the articles of the Creed belongeth to the pope that Athanasius his Creed was receiued because it was allowed by the Pope and this by others is deliuered in more grosse termes Stapleton in his doctrinall principles saith that the last resolution of matters of faith is in the Popes desinitiue sentence and Bellarmine lib. 3. de verb. dei c. 4. goeth about to shew that the Pope is the supreme iudge to whom the interpretation of scriptures and last resolution of all controuersies of religion is to bee referred But the papists can neither assure thomselues that he that sitteth at Rome is true Pope and S. Peters true successor nor that his determinations are certeine or true That the Pope is S. Peters true successor it will be hard to proue considering that he preacheth not as S. Peter did nor S. Peter weare a triple crowne and command temporall Princes as he doth it is very hard also to know whether he bee true Pope or no after the common vnderstanding of Papists for vnlesse he bee baptized and truly ordred and chosen he is no true Pope but it is hard to know whether he were baptized which dependeth vpon the Priests intention which is vncerteine and hidden it is also more hard to vnderstand whether he were truly ordred or not for if he were not baptized then is he not capable of Priest-hood as Innocentius saith c. ventens de presbytero non baptizato and if he that ordred him had no intention to doe it then receiued he no orders lastly it is a matter most difficult to know whether the Pope was rightly chosen or else by Simony or violence or other meanes intruded so it is alwaies most
Fourthly they haue added their owne traditions to the old and new testament receiuing with like affection and reuerence both scriptures and traditions as they write sess 4. synod trid Bellarmine speaketh no otherwise of traditions then as if they were the word of God not written but to adde to a mans testament is forgery hominis testamentum saith the Apostle Galat. 3. nemo spernit aut superordinet no man despiseth a mans testament or taketh vpon him to adde vnto it Fiftly they haue added to the canon of the old testament the bookes of Tobia Iudith Ecclesiasticus Wisdome the Machabies and certaine fragments not extant in the originall bookes of scriptures but to ascribe bookes to the spirit of God which were not published by the authority of Gods spirit is an audacious kind of falsity that they are not canonical scriptures it is proued by the testimony of the councell of Laodicea of Hierome in prologo Galeato Athanasius in synopsi Nazianzen in carminibus and diuers others Sixtly certaine Friers anno D. 1256. in Paris for Christs gospell published an other gospell which they termed eternall fratres noua quaedam praedicabant legebant docebant deliramenta ex libris Ioachim abbatis incipitque eorum liber Euangelium aeternum as Matthew Paris testifieth but no greater falsitie by men pretending Christianity can be committed then in exhibiting a false Gospell S. Paul Galath 1. pronounceth such teachers accursed Finally the conuenticle of Trent hath committed an egregious falsity in making the old Latine translation of the bible authenticall for the same in many places dissenteth from the orginall bookes as by conference it appeareth and as Isidore Clarius in his preface to the translation of the bible Erasmus Caietane and diuers other learned interpreters confesse and declare diuers editions also of this Latine translation doe much differ as appeareth by the bibles set foorth by Sixtus quintus Clement the eight and diuers others but that cannot be true that discordeth with it selfe quod dissonat verum esse non potest neither can they excuse themselues of falsity that exhibit a false copy for the true originall and authenticall bookes of scriptures Likewise haue our aduersaries corrupted and falsified both the acts of councels and the writings of the fathers for first they suppresse the true acts of many councels and the true bookes of many fathers such especially as touch the authority of the bishop of Rome Posseuin in his select bibliotheke counselleth his consorts to keepe the Greeke originall bookes of councels and fathers from the view of yong students but to suppresse the depositions of witnesses all law adiudgeth falsity Secondly they haue set foorth diuers false actes and canons vnder the names of the Apostles of the synode of Nice of Rome vnder Siluester of Neocesaria Sinuessa and other synods which themselues cannot denie to be diuersly falsified Isidore c. canones dist 16. and Leo c. Clementis dist ead and Gelasius c. sancta Rom. dist 15. doe number these canons among apocryphall writings the canons themselues condemne the baptisme of heretikes c. 45. and once dipping in baptisme c. 49. and Saterdaies fast c. 65. and alloweth the 3. booke of Machabees and Clements epistles for canonical scriptures and yet pope Adrian c. sextam synodum dist 16. alloweth them Russin in his history and Stephen Bishop of Rome c. viginti dist 16. allowe only 20. canons of the councel of Nice others in c. septuaginta ead dist say there are 70. one Alphonsus of Pisa of late in his summe of councels hath set out 80. canons of that councell Sozimus in the 6. councell of Carthage was taken alleaging a false canon of that councell for appeals to Rome Paschasius or some vnder his name corrupted a canon of that councell as if the same had decreed that the Church of Rome had alwaies had the primacy Pius the fifth in certaine letters of his to the Emperor alledgeth that the councell of Nice made the Pope of Rome gouernor of all Christian Princes the falsification is notorious and is extant in his letters set out by Hierome Catena Of the acts of the councell of Sinnessa there are 3. copies extant in Surius and different each from other they contradict themselues also for where in the latter end it is said that the first See shall not be iudged of any the fathers of that councell notwithstanding condemned Marcellinus damnauerunt eum extra ciuitatem The actes of the councels of Neocaesarea and Ancyra are so simple and so repugnant to the state of those times that blindemen albeit void of sight may feele them to be counterfet in ancient stories there is no mention of them nay in times of persecution and before Constantines time it is not likely that so many bishops could meete or would make such acts and canons as are imagined to be made in those councels The synode supposed to be assembled at Rome by Siluester contemeth diuers fabulous points as namely the report of Constantines leprosy of Nunnes professing virginitie after the age of 72. yeres The bishops names are barbarous the stile is Gothike the number of bishops there assembled is incredible it is therfore meere impudency to affirme the acts of that synode to be authenticall The 18. canon of the councell of Chalceden and the 36. canon of the 6. synode that giueth equall authority to the see of Constantinople and Rome is falsified both by Gratian and Gregory the 13. in his new edition of the canon law for vnder colour of those canons they determine quite contrary to canons that the Church of Constantinople should not be equall to Rome The fift councell of Carthage c. 3. determineth that bishops priests and deacons should absteine from their wiues in the time of their turnes or seruice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the Romanistes dist 33. c. placuit haue falsified this canon by adding subdeacons and excluding bishops priests and deacons from their wiues at all times The councell of Mileuis c. 22. forbiddeth Priests and inferiour clerks to appeale to Rome but Gratian falsifying the canon addeth these words nisi forte sedem Rom. appellauerint which is direct contrarie to the meaning of the councell In the 35. canon of the councell of Laodicea the worship of Angels is termed idolatrous and expressely forbidden but Carranza in his summe falsifieth the canon and for Angelos writeth Angulos Bellarmine lib. 1. de sanct beatitud c. 19. sheweth that in latter editions of councels his consorts haue established the inuocation of Saints by the 7. canon of the 6. synode but all ancient copies declare both him and his consorts to be notorious forgers of false canons It were an easie matter to shew the falshood of our aduersaries in diuers other canons but the breuitie of this discourse will not permit any larger number of witnesses in this point Thirdly vnder the names of fathers they haue set out diuers counterfet treatises and haue falsly both translated the Greeke fathers and
Finally Bellarmine and Coster saie that Calum was eaten vp with lice and died blaspheming and calling vpon the diuell a diuelish slander refuted by Galasius Beza and the publike testimony of the city of Geneua a litle before his death say they he called his fellow ministers vnto him exhorted them with many words full of piety and affection and departed this life rather like to one falling a slepe then dying Beza is charged for affirming that Christ had two hypostases or personall subsistences but his aduersaries deale with him calumniously for he confesseth and teacheth that Christ was one person albeit the same Christ was very God and very man the two natures being vnited in one person and the soule and the body being vnited in one man Feuardentius in Iacob 3. and Stapleton in prompt hebdom 3. quadrages and others raile at Beza for his verses which he made being a yong man But Beza did first condemne those verses himselfe as being made while he was an impure Papist and yet compare them with the Italian rymes that are euery where extant and with the verses of Casa and other Italians they may seeme modest and chast in respect Finally of late time the shamelesse Iebusites of France published a pamphlet of Bezaes recantation and reconciliation to the Pope fraught with diuers lies but Beza himselfe refuced their impudent lies and now the Papists themselues selues will not deny but that this was a lying and impudent pamphlet This is also the practise of Papists from time to time to sclander and to bely the seruants of God In the 8. session of the conuenticle of Constance the Masse-priestes charge Wicklesse that he taught that God must obey the diuell a matter no where sound either in termes or in sense in his writings they said also how he taught that Princes being in mortall sinne are not to be obeied his drift was only to shew that prelates liuing loosely were vnworthy of their places albeit he did not detract from the efficacy of sacraments ministred by them the right of kings against the vsurpations of the Clergy he stoutly mainteined In the same wicked assemblie Iohn Husse was accused that he taught that there was a fourth person besides the trinity and that he called Gregory a rymer neither did it auaile him that he denied these accusations most constantly for his accusers were heard and his defences little regarded he was also most falsely charged with driuing the Germans out of the vniuersity of Prague wheras it was proued that the Germans did voluntarily depart thence for that they pretended their ancient priuiledges to be infringed Against Bucer they giue out that dying he turned Iew and blasphemed the name of Christ a matter deuised without proofe or probability and conuinced by all that were present with him at his death Grineus was present at the end of Oecolampadius and testified that he died most quietly godlie and christianlie and with him concurreth Wolfangus Capito yet are not the Papists ashamed to giue foorth that the Diuell st angled him of whom I would but aske only one question to wit who these witnesses were that saw the Diuell committing this act Our English Papists seeke matter to obiect against bishop Iewell of reuerend memory but finde none only they tell vs diuers false allegations are found in his bookes but all their accusations are answered and rest so without replie although the shamelesse aduersaries desist not to alledge matters diuers times answered they saie further that D. Stephens and William Raynolds were cōuerted to Popery by reading his bookes but the first was a simple fellow and drawne away with hope the second ranne away forced by despaire Against Bishop Granmer they haue denised diuers slanderous tales as if he were vnlearned inconstant and caried about his wise in a tronke but for the first his learned writings and disputes wil testifie that it is vntruth furthermore very vnlike it is that he should haue beene emploied in so great affaires if he had not beene singularly learned his constancy appeareth in his continuall trauailes against the Popes authority and Popish errors the last is an improbable tale deuised by some standrous Popish parasite and well deserue they to be cased in cloke-bagges that doe beleeue it for he had sent his wife away before into Germany and had he not yet this deuise is improbable if not impossible Sanders Rishton Stapleton Parsons and their pewfellows haue published diuers slanders against king Henry the eight Queene Elizabeth of blessed memory and diuers of their loyall subiects but it is not to be maruelled if fugitiues and traytors raile against their Princes and all that fauour the state The vnwritten traditions of the Synagogue of Rome are nothing but lies deuised and falsely fathered vpon the Apostles and their successors Bellarmine de verb. dei lib. 4. c. 3. esteemeth the canon of the Masse to be a tradition yet was the same denised since the Apostles times and is not found in that forme of Masse which is in the old Romish ordinall in the Apostles time certes Christians neither praied for Popes nor for Emperors nor did Cosmas and Damianus and other Saints mentioned in the canons liue in the times of the Apostles or their next successors Innocent the third c. cum Marthae de celebratione missar determineth that these words of the canon tum leuauit oculos in caelum ad patrem and mysterium sidei and such like not mentioned in the gospell are receined from Christ by tradition but of his assertion he alledgeth no proofe neither can he shew reason why Christ should omitte words now reputed so necessary The worship of Images in the second councell of Nice is called an Apostolike tradition yet neuer doe we reade that any Apostle or Apostolike man did teach it Naie the law of God doth expressely forbid the making of all Images or similitudes to the end they should be worshipped Some say that praiers and sacrifices for the dead are confirmed by Apostolike traditions yet our Sauiour sheweth that we are to worke while we haue light and appointed the eucharist to be receiued of the communicants and not to be offered for quicke and dead The kissing of the altar and blessing of incense Masse-priests doe beleeue to be commanded by tradition from the same founteine doe issue the washings of hands turnings of the Priest the swinging of the chalice here and there the adoration of the host the pompous perambulation of the host in the pixe and other ceremonies of the masse but these traditions are founded vpon lies and fables and are partly Iewish partly Heathenish and all of them mere humane inuentions and deuises nay som of them are fond and rediculous as the kissing of stones and stocks some repugnant to scriptures as the adoration of the sacrament with that honour that is due to God In the missall salt is exorcised for the saluation of such as beleeue and water is hallowed for the driuing
away of the power of the enemy for the same end also candles are blessed but that these creatures haue these effects we doe not learne but out of lying traditions and the authors of them From traditions also the bishops suffragan doth challenge power to baptize belles and belles so baptized say they doe driue away diuels this is recorded by Martinus de Arles tractat de superstit numer 3.9 14. and of this abuse the Germans complaine in their greeuances Agnus dei as the Papists feine doth purge sinnes as well as the blood of Christ but this is a lying tradition and contrary to scripture for there we learne that sinnes are purged not by lambes of waxe but by the blood of Christ the immaculat lambe that taketh away the sinnes of the world Such are also the rest of those Romish traditions which the conuenticle of Trent maketh equall to holy scriptures The legendes conteine more lies then leaues for proofe I reporte me to the legendes of S. George S. Christopher S. Catherin S. Margaret and the rest S. George bad the Kings daughter of Silena to cast her girdle about the Dragons necke which she did and the dragon followed her like a gentle dog sequebatur eam velut mansuetissmus canis when S. George was put into a frying pan full of boiling lead making the signe of the crosse he was therein refreshed as if he had beene in a bath coepit in eo quasi in balneo refoueri S. Christophers staffe being pitched into the ground began to beare leaues and 8. M. men presently beleeued in Christ saith Iames de voragine he telleth further how diuers arrowes being shot at S. Christopher did still flote in the aire and could not come at him and that one arrow among the rest leaped backe and stroke out King Dagnus his cie matters very improbable and to say no more not found in any authenticall history Catherine King Costus his daughter being but 18. yeares of age is said to haue beene learned in all liberall sciences in the legend also we read how Maxentius the emperor would haue forced her to sacrifice to the Gods and for that purpose prepared a wheele which was turned by an Angel with such violence that it killed 4000. gentiles it is said also that she conuerted the Empres and one of the Emperors cheefe capteines called Porphyrius matters contrarie to all stories and not only not spoken of in histories S. Margaret was swallowed of the diuell in the figure of a Dragon but making the signe of the crosse the Dragon burst and out came S. Margaret safe and sound as we reade in the legend it is there said also that she tooke the diuell by the haire of the head and bette him but how these lies may be beleeued that is the question S. Francis as Bonauenture and Bartholomew de Pisa recount was diuers times taken vp into the aire called wolues his brethern and swallowes his sisters and had the markes of Christ imprinted in his hands feete and sides and these fables the Romanists beleeue Speculum exemplorum dist 7. c. 41. telleth how frier Leo saw two ladders reaching from the earth to heauen and that Christ sate at the toppe of the one and threw downe all the Friers that came that way but that our lady that sate at the toppe of the other receiued all that came that way Caesarius Hesterbach lib. 7. c. 35. telleth that a nunne called Beatrix ranne away with her louer and liued certeine yeares in a publike bordell yet because she serued our lady deuoutly it is said that our lady supplied her place and was taken for Beatrix all the time of her absence and in the end procured her as good grace in the nunnery as any of her fellowes Thus the Papists can confirme any point of their doctirne with leasings infinite such like leasings are conteined in the legendes The miracles reported in the legendes are nothing but miraculous lies Alexius staid so long in the church porch that the image of our lady spoke and bad the sexten let him in as we reade Lombard leg 89. S. Christina being placed vpon a wheele by her own father and hauing fire kindled vnder her and oile cast vpon it for her further torment the legende saith that the flame breaking out burnt 1500. men there also we reade how Christ descending tooke her to himselfe and baptized her in the sea and that hauing her tong cut out she spake notwithstanding and that her brests being cut milke issued out for blood loe I pray you a maid that gaue milke When Eustachius a soldier sometimes of Traians followed a hart it is said that the hart standing still Eustachius saw a crucifixe betweene the harts hornes which spoke to him through the harts mouth and asked him why he did follow that hart it is reported also in the legend that being put into a bull of Brasse burning red hot he continued there 3. daies without hurt S. Brice being accused to be father of a base child he caused the same child not being yet 30. daies old to confesse that Brice was not his father he did also carie hot coles in his bosome without burning his flesh or clothes Our English Saints also wrought great and strange miracles if we may beleeue Capgraue S. Aidus espying 8. wolues that were fore hungred gaue them 8. lambes of meere compassion afterward being sory for the losse of his lambes he praied and had the same 8. lambs safe and sound out of the wolues belly when wild beasts were hardly pursued they came to him as to a sanctuary S. Adrian being called vpon by a boy that was beaten the masters hand was staid in the aire and could no more touch him S. Dunstane being in his mothers wombe as is sayd wrought miracles lighting and putting out all the candles in the church being a man he tooke the Diuell by the nose as he looked in at a window at the least as we read in the legend S. Eanswide perceiuing a peece of timber to be too short for the work where she would employ it drew it out to a iust length by praier the same saint caused also water to runne vp a mounteine S. Goodric with the signe of the crosse tamed wolues and serpents in such sort that they lay with him by the fire side without offering any hurt I cannot stand long to recount many of this kinde of lying miracles neither shall I greatly need to rehearse more seeing these doe shew how much our aduersaries relie vpon lies Neither doe Popes or their agents absteine from lying In the 3. booke of Gregories dialogues we reade how a beare was commanded to keepe the Hermite Florences sheepe I doubt whether euer Gregory told any such fable it was sure some later Pope Innocentius in the Chap. quis nesciat dist 11. telleth vs that none founded churches in Italy France Spaine Africke and Sicily but those whom Saint Peter and his successors made priests
Gods worship and persecuted their enemies like most cruell tyrantes that afterward they might with more security satisfie their lusts when there was none to controll them Ioannes Marius de schism part 3. c. 5. testifieth that all the euils of christendome haue proceeded from the malice ambition and auarice of wicked Popes a malitia ambitione auaritia sceleratorum paparum omnia mala in mundo proueniunt Robert Grosted as Matthew Paris testifieth in Henrico 3. did bitterly inueigh against the couetousnesse vsury simony rapines excesse and luxuriousnesse of the court of Rome neither doth Budaeus de Asse or Valla contra Donationem Constantini say lesse against the Popes then he Next to the Popes the Cardinals Masse-priests Monks and Friers and of late yeares the Dominicans Franciscans and Iebusites are the chiefe aduancers teachers and defenders of Romish heresies of which if we say litle men may suppose there is no more to be said if we say what they deserue and is in authenticall bookes reported of them it would exceede the proportion of this short Suruey onlie thus much we say of many things that may be said Brigit in her reuelations testifieth that Cardinals are excessiue in pride couetousnesse al delights of the flesh 4. Brig 49. cardinales extenti effusi sunt ad omnem superbiam cupiditatem delectamentum carnis Pelaguis lib. 2. de planct eccles art 16. saith they are encreased in riches but much diminished in pietie aucta est possessio diminuta religio The same man lib. 2. de planct leccles art 20. saith the prelates of the church haue declared their sinnes like Sodome Peccatum suum sicut Sodoma praedicauerunt Mantuan Alphonsi lib. 6. saith that the priests hate their flocks and care not to feed them but to poll them and mocke them Pastores saith he odere pecus nec pascere curant Sed tondere greges pecorique illudere tonso Catherine of Siena c. 125. saith that religious men pretend angels liues but for the most part are woorse then diuels Religiosi collocati sunt in religione velut angeli sed quam plurimi sunt daemonibus deteriores What the Iebusites are I report me to the French carechisme of Iesuites set out by a Papist and a learned man and to the discourses of the secular priests against them they shew they are couetous false proud cruell malicious and diuels incarnate for the rest I referre them ouer to the 2. booke 2. chap. of my answer to Rob. Parsons his Warn-word a man in whom most of the capitall vices of the Iebusites may be specified The chiefe mainteiners of Popery in our times if we speake of lay men were Charles the 9. of France Henry the 3. his brother Philip the 2. of Spaine the duke of Alua the duke of Guise and his brethren the earle of Westmerland the head of the rebellion in the North. but if we seeke all histories we shall hardly finde woorse men Charles the 9. was a notorious sweater a perfidious and licentious prince Henry the 3. was superstitious and altogether giuen to carnall delights What Philip the 2. was his wiues and sonne and the innocents done to death by him for religion will speake one day the Duke of Guise and Alita were cruell and bloodie men perfidious and wicked atheists the first more giuen to pleasure the second to auarice Charles of westmerland was a rebell to his prince and a man consumed with his own delights and pleasures Is it not then a matter ridiculous that Masse-priests should so excessiuely commend this religion that had such founders and fauorers as these are and which as we see was inuented and confirmed by wicked men and vpholden by fraude and force CHAP. XLVII That Popery in many points is more absurd and abominable then the doctrine of Mahomet THe impieties and abominations of Turkish religion are so many that hardly can we recount them and so odious and horrible that no Christian can take pleasure to heare them and yet if we please to looke into the secret mysteries of Popery and to examine all the odious and abominable doctrines of the Romish synagogue we may well make question whether of the two religions deserueth more to be abhorred and hated for first the Turkes do speake well of the law and the Prophets and handle books of scriptures with great reuerence Antonie Geoffrey in his 2. booke of Turkish ceremonies reporteth how the Turkes accompt the gospels among holy scriptures inter sacras literas habent nostra euangelia saith he but the Papists speake euill of scriptures and call them sometimes a dead and killing letter sometimes a matter of strife sometime a nose of waxe they doe also handle them very rudely and without respect Lastly they will not haue them to be authenticall in respect of vs without the Popes consignation and testimony The Turkes neuer burned their Alchoran or the writings of the Prophets and Apostles vpon pretence of false translations but the Papists haue often times burned holy scripturs as appeareth by the ecclesiasticall histories of France England Germany and other places Postell in his history of Turkes sheweth how they teach that perfection is conteined in the gospell and Gifford lib. Caluinoturcis 3. c. 9. confesseth that they beleeue all religion to be therein conteined but Papists doe rather hope to finde perfection in the rules of Monkes and Friers then in the gospell and therefore accompt rather the state of Monks to be a state of perfection then the liues of Christians after the rule of the Gospell the Masse-priests of Trent doe make traditions equall to scriptures and commonly they deny scriptures to be a perfect rule of life and doctrine The doctors of Turkish religion were neuer so simple as to thinke the traditions of their church to be equall to the Alchoran of Mahomet But the Masse-priests of Trent will haue traditions not written and holy scriptures to bee receiued with equall affection Such as blaspheme Christ are punished by the Turkes most seuerely but Papists teare him in pieces with their blasphemies and such are thought to be most cleare of heresie which sweare most wickedly and blasphemously Auerroes of all religions accompteth Popery to bee most absurd for that Papists worship a peece of a Masse-cake for their God and yet presently deuoure him and swallow him downe into their bellies No Turkes euer allowed the eating of mans flesh or beleeued that it were possible for a man to swallow downe a whole and perfect man without hurt or diminution or brusing of his body but Papists make their followers eaters of mans flesh and say that euery one eating the sacrament doth eate vp Christs body whole and entire and yet beleeue that they neither breake his flesh nor digest it Euery Mahometan albeit he beleeueth not Christ to be God yet would be ashamed to say that doggs and hogges and other brute beasts may eate Christs body but the Papists albeit according to the Christian faith they