fornication is against the law of God and not the mariages of priests They tolerated common whores as did Simon Magus and other heretickes and now in Rome the Pope not withstanding his pretended holinesse receiueth a tribute from them They do also sell Masses imposition of hands benefices and make money of their god of the altar and their religion which sauoureth of the heresie of Simon Magus Venalianobis saith Mantuan Templa sacerdotes altaria sacra coronae Ignis thura preces coelum est venale Deusque That is churches priests altars sacraments crownes fire incense prayers yea heauen and God himselfe are set to sale among vs. Brigit in her reuelations cap. 232. saith Priestes are worse then Iudas for that he sold Christ for mony but they barter him for all commodities As the Basilidians worshipped images vsed enchantments and superstitious adiurations so do they worshipping not onely materiall images but also their fantasticall imaginations They also exorcise water and salt saying Exorcizo te creatura aquae againe exorcizo te creatura salis With the Heretickes called Staurolatrae they worship the crosse with the Angelikes they serue and worship Angels with the Armenians they make the images of God the Father and the holy Ghost As the Nazarites mingled Iewish ceremonies with christian Religion so do Papists borrowing from them their paschal lambe their Iubileys their priestly apparell their altars their Leuiticall rites and diuers other Iewish ceremonies Irenaeus lib. 1. aduers. haeres cap. 30. saith that Marcion and Saturninus first taught abstinence from liuing creatures from whom the Papists séeme to haue borrowed their abstinence frō certaine meates as lesse holy then others Our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles as S. Augustine saith Epist. 86. ad Casulanum neuer appointed what dayes we ought to fast and what not The Papists therefore haue their fasts from others then from Christ or his Apostles From the Manicheys they borrow their communions vnder one kind as may be proued by the Chapt. relatum and comperimus dist 2. de consecrat and by Leo his fourth Sermon de quadrages The Helcesaites make Christ in heauen to differ from Christ on earth as saith Theodoret haeret fabul lib. 2. cap. de Helcesaeis his words are these Christum non vnum dicunt sed hunc quidem infernè illumverò supernè So likewise the Papists teach that Christs bodie in heauen is visible and palpable but not as it is in the Sacrament With the Pelagians they concurre in many points as I haue at large declared in my late challenge Hoc Pelagiani audent dicere saith S. Augustine lib. 2. de bono perseuerantiae c. 5. hominem iustum in hac vita nullum habere peccatum Now how can they cleare themselues from this that hold that a man is able to performe the law of God perfectly The Apostle Paul denyeth that we are iustified before God by the workes of the law The Papists haue taught quite contrarie He teacheth vs not to glorie in our works They say quite contrarie that men may glorie in their workes He sheweth that as many as receiue the sacrament of the Lords bodie are also to receiue the sacrament of his bloud They denie the cuppe to all the communicants beside the priest Our Sauiour instituting the Sacrament of his last supper said Accipite manducate that is take and eate These imagine that he offered his bodie and bloud really and corporally at his last supper and that he appointed his bodie and bloud actually to be offered in the Masse and not alwaies to be sacramentally and spiritually receiued of the communicants The Papists teach that wicked men reprobates and diuels may haue true faith But the Apostle teacheth that true faith iustiāeth that they which haue it liue by faith Commonly they hold that charitie is the forme of faith Which if it were true then could not faith subsist without charitie But the Apostle teacheth vs that faith as faith doth make the iust to liue and auncient Christians were alwayes ignorant of these philosophicall fancies They hold that diuers sinnes are committed which are not forbidden by Gods law But this sheweth that the law of God as they suppose is not perfect and that the lawes of man hauing nothing in them of Gods law bind the conscience as well as the law of God Finally the very foundations of popish religion are erronious the same being founded partly vpon the decretals of Popes partly vpon the traditions of men contained partly in their Missals breuiaries ond other rituall books partly in their fabulous legends and partly in the chest of the Popes brest and partly vpon the old Latin translation of the Bible which the Romanists hold to be authenticall and partly vpō the interpretations of the Romish Church But since it pleased God to put into her Maiesties royall heart a resolution to reforme the church that was so much deformed by the pharisaicall and superstitious additions of that Papists to restore religion according to that doctrine of the Apostles Prophets not only all former heresies errors were abolished but also the true doctrine of faith was restored The which is apparent not onely by the articles of Religion which we professe but also by our publike confessions and apologies which we haue published at diuers times And in part it may be proued by the secret confession of our aduersaries For albeit they would gladly cauill against our confessions yet they take their grounds commonly out of Luther Zuinglius Caluin Melancthon and others not often medling with our confessions Diuers of them also are wont to call vs negatiue Diuines Which argueth that so much as we hold positiuely is for the most part confessed by the aduersaries themselues and that we bring in no new faith but that which alwayes hath bene holden and maintained in the Church of Christ desiring onely that the positiue errors heresies and superstitions of Papists may be abolished Wherefore as Christians in time past extolled Constantine the great that gaue libertie to al his subiects to professe the Christian religion that assembled synods of Bishops and confirmed their decrees so ought we to celebrate the memory of our gracious Quéene that gaue libertie to all Christians to professe the truth that caused diuers assemblies of learned men and ratified the Christian faith by her authoritie CHAP. III. Of the true and sincere administration of the Sacraments of the Church restored in England OF the holy rites and sacraments of Christian religion we cannot speake without griefe of heart when we consider how shamefully they were abused mangled and corrupted by the synagogue of Antichrist Where Christ ordained onely two Sacraments to wit Baptisme where he said Teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Sonne and the holy Ghost and the sacrament of his body and blood where he said Take eate this is my body and drinke ye all of this for this is the
and professed enemie who in diuers wicked libels and paltrie pamphlets hath endeuoured to obscure her great glorie and to deface her worthie actions Wherein that I may proceed with more perspicuitie I think it fit to reason first of matters Ecclesiasticall and afterward of ciuill and worldly affaires In Ecclesiasticall affaires which by her meanes grew to a better settlement we are to consider first what grace it is to haue a certaintie in religion and next what fauour God shewed to vs reducing vs to the vnitie of the true Catholicke Church Thirdly we will reason of true faith fourthly of the sincere administration of the Sacraments fiftly of the true worship of God sixthly of the Scriptures and publicke prayers in our mother tongue seuenthly of freedome we enioyed by her from persecution from the Popes exactions frō his wicked lawes and vniust censures from al heretical and false doctrine eightly of deliuerance from schisme superstition and idolatrie and finally of good workes and the happinesse of those that not onely are able to discerne which are good workes but also do walke in them according to their Christian profession auoiding pretended Popish good-workes that are either impious or else superstitious and vnprofitable Al which graces this land hath long enioyed by her Maiesties reformation of religion In matters politicall we purpose to consider first the happie deliuerance of this land out of the hands of the Spaniard from all feare of forreine enemies Next her famous victories both against rebels and traitors at home and open enemies abroade and her glorie and reputation with forreine nations Thirdly the restitution of all royall authoritie and preheminence to the Crowne of which the Pope before that had vsurped a great part Fourthly the peaceable estate of this kingdome in the tumults of other nations round about vs and lastly the wealth and multitude of her subiects CHAP. I. Of certaintie in Faith and Religion and of the vnion we haue with the true auncient Catholike and Apostolike Church FAith as saith the Apostle Heb. II. is the ground of things which are hoped for and the euidence of things which are not seene If then we haue true saith we are assured of things hoped for although not séene When two of the disciples of Christ doubted of his resurrection he said vnto them O fooles and slow of heart to beleeue all that the Prophets haue spoken Ideo fideles vocati sumus saith Chrysostom Hom. 1. in 1. Tim 4. vt his quae dicuntur sine vlla haesitatione credamus Therefore we are called faithfull that we may beleeue without doubting those thing which are spoken So then all Christians that beleeue do certainly beléeue and are perswaded and he that doubteth beleeueth not Further the obiect of faith is most certaine Heauen and earth shall passe but my words shall not passe saith our Sauiour Matth. 24. Saint Augustine doth attribute that onely to the writers of canonical Scriptures that they could not erre Neither need I to stand long vpon this point séeing our adusrsaries also confesse that nothing that is false can be the obiect of faith But our aduersaries take away from Christians all certaintie of faith and religion For first they teach that no Christian is to beleeue that he shall be saued and secondly they make mans faith vncertaine concerning the obiect That is taught by the conuenticle of Trent sess 6. cap. 16. where it saith Neque seipsum aliquis etiamsi nihil sibi conscius sit iudicare debet that is neither ought any to iudge himselfe although he be not conscious to himselfe of any thing And in the same session chap. 9. it determineth that no man by the certaintie of faith ought to assure himself that he shal be saued The second point doth follow of the diuers doctrines of the Papists Eckius holdeth that the Scriptures are not authentical without the authority of the Church And although Bellarmine dare not allow this forme of speech yet where he defendeth the determination of the conuenticle of Trent concerning the old Latine translation in effect he granteth it For if the Church onely can make Scriptures authenticall then without the Churches authoritie they are not authentical In his booke De notis Eccles. c. 2. he saith the Scriptures depend vpon the Church Scriptura saith he pendent ab Ecclesia Stapleton lib. 9. de princip doctrinal cap. 4. saith that it is necessary that the Churches authoritie should consigne and declare which bookes are to be receiued for canonicall Scripture Necessarium est saith he vt Ecclesiae authoritas Scripturarum canonem consignet And his meaning is that no man is to receiue any bookes for canonicall but such as the Church from time to time shall determine to be canonical and those vpon the Churches determination he will haue necessarily receiued Secondly the conuenticle of Trent maketh Scriptures and vnwritten traditions of equall value Bellarmine in his fourth book De verbo Dei speaketh no otherwise of traditions then as of the infallible writtē word of God Stapleton saith The rule of faith doth signifie all that doctrine which is deliuered and receiued in the Church and that very absurdly as I thinke no reasonable man can well denie For that being granted the rule and doctrine ruled should be all one But of that we shall speake otherwhere Thirdly they teach that the determinations of the Church are no lesse firmely to be beleeued and reuerently to be holden then if they were expressed in Scriptures Id quod sancta mater Ecclesia definit vel acceptat saith Eckius Enchir. cap. de Eccles. non est minore firmitate credendum ac veneratione tenendum quam si in diuinis literis sit expressum And all our aduersaries do beleeue that the Popes determinations concerning matters of faith are infallible and so to be accounted of Finally in the canon law c. in canonicis dist 19. they place the decretals of Popes in equall ranke with canonicall Scriptures Of these positions it followeth that as long as men beleeue the Romish Church they neither beleeue truth nor haue any certaine faith or religion And that is proued by these arguments First he that beleeueth not Gods promises concerning his own saluation is an infidel and hath no true faith But this is the case of all Papists For not one of them beleeueth that he shall be saued nor imagineth that God hath said or promised any thing concerning his owne saluation Secondly if the Scriptures depend vpon the Church and the Church is a societie of mē then the Papists beleeue Scriptures with humane faith and depend vpon men But that they do planely teach Thirdly if the Church ought to consigne canonicall Scriptures and the Pope ought to rule the Church then if the Pope either determine against canonical Scriptures or make fabulous scriptures equall with canonicall Scriptures the Papists are to beleeue either doctrine contrarie or diuers from Scriptures at the least
Parsons will prooue his rule of faith he must shew a faith grounded vpon tradition that is not deduced out of Scriptures Nay if he will not be contrarie to himselfe he must shew that not the Apostles tradition as he saith in his Warn-word 1. Encoun cap. 15. but the Catholike church is the rule of faith as he holdeth Ward-word Encontr pag. 6. He doth also obiect against vs diuers alterations of religion in England in king Henry the eight his raigne and in king Edwards dayes and then asketh by what authoritie our rule of faith was established But first he might as well haue spoken of that alteration made in Q. Maries dayes when the impieties of Popish religiō were established by act of Parliament Secondly the alterations in religion made in England of late time make no variation in the rule of faith that is alwayes one but in the application and vse of it Thirdly albeit by act of Parliament the articles of religion were confirmed wherein the canon of scriptures and the substance of our confession is set downe yet was that rather a declaration of our acceptance then a confirmation of the rule of faith that in it selfe is alwayes immoueable Our rule of faith therefore is certaine albeit not alwaies in one sort approued or receiued by men But that rule of Popish faith neither in it self nor in the approbatiō of Parliaments or Churches is certaine or immoueable Finally he asketh a question of Sir Francis in his Ward-word p. 5. how he knoweth his religion to be true And saith he hath only two meanes to guide himselfe in this case and that is either Scriptures or the preaching of our Ministers But this question as I haue shewed toucheth himselfe that buildeth his faith vpon the Pope nearer then Sir Francis who groundeth himselfe his faith only vpon the holy Scriptures and is assured of his faith not by these two meanes onely but by diuers others For beside Scriptures he hath the help of the Sacraments of the Church of Gods spirit working within him of miracles recorded in scriptures of auncient Fathers of the practise of the Church of the consent of nations of the confession of the aduersaries of the suffering of Martyrs and testimonies of learned men and such like arguments In this question therefore Robert Parsons shewed himselfe to be a silly Frier and to haue had more malice then might In time past also we were as shéepe going astray and out of the vnion of the Catholike and Apostolike Church Diuers of our auncestors worshipped the crosse and the images of the Trinitie with diuine worship Some like bruite beasts fell downe before Idols crept to the crosse and kissed wood and stone Others worshipped Angels the blessed Uirgin and Saints praying vnto them in all their necessities trusting in them saying Masses in their honour and offering incense and prayers to their pictures and images For so they were taught or rather mistaught by popish Priests The Komish synagogue in the very foundations of religion was departed from the Apostolike and Catholike Church The schoolemen brought their proofes out of the Popes Decretals and Aristotles Metaphysickes Est Petr's sedes saith Bellarmine in Praefat ante lib. de Pont. Rom. lapis probatus angularis pretiosus in fundamento fundatus The See of Peter is an approued corner stone precious and laid in the foundation The same man lib. 2. de Pont. Rom. cap. 31. calleth the Pope the foundation of the Church Sanders calleth him the Rocke Alij nunc à Christo saith Stapleton relect princip doctr in Praef. eorúmue doctrina praedicatio determinatio fundamenti apud me locū habebūt That is Others now beside Christ and their doctrine preaching and determination shall be esteemed of me as a foundation This he saith where he talketh of the foundation of religion and the Church But the catholike Churth had no foundation beside Christ Iesus and his holy word and Gospell taught by the Prophets and Apostles The Apostle Gal. 1. denounced him accursed that taught any other Gospell then that which he had preached The holy Fathers proued the faith by holy Scriptures and not by popish Decretals and philosophicall Principles Concerning Christs bodie the Komanists taught that the same is both in heauen and in the Sacrament albeit we neither could see it there nor feele it But the scriptures teach vs that his bodie is both palpable and visible and is now taken vp into heauen So likewise teach the Fathers Vigilius in his fourth booke against Eutyches speaking of Christs bodie When it was on earth saith he surely it was not in heauen and now because it is in heauen certainely it is not on earth They haue also brought in new doctrine concerning Purgatorie and indulgences and which is no more like to the auncient catholike faith then heresie and noueltie to Christian religion They teach that whosoeuer doth not satisfie in this life for the temporall punishment of mortall sinnes committed after baptisme and remitted concerning the guiltinesse must satisfie for the same in Purgatorie vnlesse it please the Pope by his indulgences to release him Of the tormentors of soules in Purgatorie and of the nature qualitie and effect of indulgences they talke idlely and vnlike to the schollers of Catholikes The Catholicke doctrine concerning the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords supper they haue quite changed in Baptisme adding salt spittle hallowed water exorcismes blowings annointings light and other strange ceremonies In the Lords supper taking away the cup from the communicants and not deliuering but hanging vp or carying about the Sacrament and worshipping it as God and finally beleeuing holding transubstantiation They haue also deuised other sacraments and taught that they containe grace and iustisse They were wont to kisse the Popes toe and to receiue his dunghill decrētals worshipping Antichrist and intitling him Christs Uicar All which nouelties superstitions and heresies by her Maiesties godly reformation are abolished who hath restored the auncient Cathalike and Apostolike faith which the Popes of Rome for the most part had altered suppressed She hath also by her authoritie brought vs to the vnitie of the Catholike faith and by good lawes confirmed true Christian religion Before our times there was no settlement in matters of Religion Durand denieth Diuinitie to be Scientia Thomas and Richard Middleton hold that it is Writing vpon the master of Sentences the school-mē striue about the words vti and frui dissenting not only from their master but also from one another They differ also much about the distination of diuine attributes Vtrum sit realis formalis an rationis tantùm This saith Dionysius a Charterhouse Monke is one of the chiefe difficulties of Diuines and about it betweene famous Doctors is great dissention and contention AEgidius doth lance Thomas and others runne vpon both AEgidius in lib. 1. sent dist 2. would haue the persons of the Trinitie to be distinguished by a certaine thing
blood of the new testament and do this in remembrance of me that synagogue hath added fiue other sacraments giuing the same vertue to their extreme vnction and to mariage and orders concerning iustification that they giue to Baptisme the Lords supper The master of the Sentences rehearsing the seuē sacraments for the Lords supper putteth Panis benedictionem that is the blessing of the bread excluding the cup either from the Lords supper or from the number of sacraments He doth also differ from the rest in describing the vertue of the sacraments Alia remedium contra peccatum praebent saith he gratiam adiutricem conferunt vt baptismus alia in remedium tantùm sunt vt coniugium alia gratia virtute nos fulciunt vt eucharistia ordo That is some of the sacraments yeeld vs a remedy against sin and withall bestow on vs helpfull grace others are onely for remedy as mariage others do strengthen vs with grace and vertue as the eucharist and holy orders But Bellarmine lib. 2. de sacrament c. 13. doth shew that the common currant opinion now is otherwise and that all these sacraments do iustifie ex opere operato that is by vertue of the worke wrought As if all maried men and priests of Baal were iustified or as if iustification and grace came by greasing scraping crossing and such other ceremonies But neither are they able to iustifie this doctrine nor to shew either institution or promise of confirmation or extreme vnction or certaine signe of mariage or repentance or order or the other two new deuised sacraments Furthermore mariage repentance and priesthood were as well vsed in the time of the law as in the Gospell How then can these be sacraments of the Gospell They haue also altered corrupted and mangled Christ his institution concerning the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords supper In baptime they salt and coniure the water in which the party baptized is to be dipped They put salt into his mouth and touch his eares and nosthrils with spittle which is oft times very noisom They annoint him also on the head and giue him a candle in his hand and embroyle Christ his institution with diuers other ceremonies Finally to make water more effectuall they poure oyle into the sont In the sacrament of the Lords supper instituted in bread and wine they leaue neither the substance of bread nor wine but say that the same is transsubstantiated into Christs body and blood and that either his body and blood or the accidents of bread and wine subsisting without their substance make the sacrament Secondly they hold that Christs body and bloud are conioyned without any distance to the accidents of bread and wine albeit they are not there either felt or seene Thirdly they haue turned the sacrament of our communion with Christ and of our mutuall coniunction one with another into a priuate action of one Priest that eateth and drinketh all alone vncharitably and very directly contrary to Christ his institution who ioyntly said Accipite manducate hoc est corpus meum and bibite ex hoc omnes Take eate this is my body and drinke ye all of this contrary to the practise of the auncient Church that neuer solemnized this action without distribution of the sacrament and contrary to the vse and reason of the sacrament For why should not the faithfull be made partakers of that sacrament which is a signe of their vnion both with Christ and among themselues Fourthly Christ and his Apostles administred the cup to as many as receiued the holy eucharist But they by a solemne decrée of priests at Constance take away the cup from all saue the priests that say Masse Fiftly Christ ordained that the sacrament of his body and bloud should be distributed and receiued in that action these fellowes kéepe the sacrament in a boxe and cary it about in solemne processions Sixthly they worship the sacrament and call it their Lord and God contrary to all rules of Christianity Seuenthly Christ appointed a holy sacrament and gaue not his body and bloud to be offered continually in the Masse as a sacrifice auaileable for quicke and dead as these good fellowes do beleeue Finally the Apostle sheweth that as oft as we celebrate this holy action we shew forth the Lords death vntill his comming againe But the Papists forbid this action to be celebrated in a vulgar tong which is commonly vnderstood of the people as much as in them lyeth hindring them from shewing forth the Lords death they hold also that he is already come and present in the sacrament But the Church of England doth religiously obserue Christ his institution and that doctrine which the Apostles haue deliuered vnto vs. The same admitteth no sacramēts but two that is Baptisme and the Lords supper In Baptisme we refuse the idle and superstitious ceremonies brought in lately by Papists That which the Apostle had receiued of Christ Iesus and deliuered to the Corinthians 1. Cor. II. that we diligently obserue renouncing their nouelties heresies and blasphemies concerning the grosse carnal and corporall presence and eating and drinking of Christs body and bloud in the sacrament the late deuised transsubstantiation the blasphemous idole of the Masse the diuine worship of consecrated hostes the mangled communion vnder the forme of bread their celebration in a tongue not vnderstood of the communicants and all the rest of their abuses which without either authoritie of scriptures or allowance of the most auncient and sincere fathers they haue brought into the Church The sacraments therefore of the new Testament being pledges of Gods loue and seales of Gods graces whereby he worketh in vs we are not lightly to prize the true and sincere administration of them according to Christs holy institution nor to esteeme this a small benefite that the doctrine concerning the holy sacraments being reformed according to the canon of Gods word both the superstitious ceremonies in Baptisme and the idolatrous Masse with al abuses depending thereon were abrogated and remoued out of the Church and the celebration of Christs holy sacraments conformed according to the prime institution Many godly Emperors and Kings haue deserued praise in going about to reforme abuses crept into the administration of sacraments before their time but none more then our late most gracious Queene that from extreme abuses brought all to a most excellent order CHAP. IIII. Of the true worship of God established in the Church of England HOw the worship of God was corrupted among the Papists before the late reformation wrought by her Maiesties authoritie in the Church of England it wil hardly be of posteritie beléeued but that there are monuments of like corruptions yet remaining in diuers other countries and good records and memorials yet remaining of their notorious abuses in this countrie The faithfull Ministers that were yet remaining vpon the comming in of Quéene Marie wept to see the desolation of the Church as the people of
and the rocke vpon which the Church is built Bellarmine lib. 2. de pontif Rom. cap. 31. talking of the Popes titles saith that he is called a foundation and that he is fundamentum aedificij Ecclesiae the foundation of the building of the Church In his Preface before his bookes de Pontif. Rom. speaking of these words of Isay Ecce ponam in fundamentis Sion lapidem lapidem probatum angularem saith that these words not vnfitly may be applyed to the Pope as if he were that corner stone that is placed in the foundations of Sion Stapleton likewise in his Preface before the relection of his doctrinall principles affirmeth desperately that God speaketh in the Pope and that the foundation of Christian religion is necessarily placed in his authoritie teaching vs. It was much to say that he was any way the foundation of religion But to make him a necessarie foundation was a greater presumption then I find in his fellows His words are these In hac docentis hominis authoritate in qua Deum loquentem audimus religionis nostrae cognoscendae fundamentum necessariò poni cernimus Neither can any of them well deny but that the Pope is the rocke vpon which the Church is built and against which the gates of hell cannot preuaile séeing generally they proue the Popes authoritie out of Christs words to Peter Mat. 16. For if these words be not meant of the Pope but of Christ whom Peter confessed then are they fondly alleaged for iustification of the Popes authoritie In summe all their practise sheweth that the Pope to them is summa summarum and the corner stone and chiefe foundation of the popish Church For alleage Scriptures they quarrell about the interpretation and admit no sence but that which the Pope alloweth although his glosses and interpretations be neuer so contrarie to the text Againe alleage Councels they enquire if the Pope haue allowed them Alleage Fathers speaking against the Pope they reiect them But alleage the Popes determination there they stop like restie iades and will not be drawne further So the Pope and his resolutions are the foundations nay they are all in all with Papists But this is not onely contrarie to the words of Scripture Isay 8. and 28. Mat. 16. and 1. Cor. 3. and Ephes. 2. where Christ is made the corner stone and sole foundation of the Church but also contrarie to all Fathers and good interpreters of Scriptures The same is also most absurd and contrarie to reason For first if the Pope were the foundation of the Church then should there be as many foundations as Popes Secondly the Church should be built vpon foundations diuers from Christ. Thirdly the foundations of the Church should differ one from another one Pope centradicting and crossing another Fourthly the Popes being sometimes reprobates and damned hell should preuaile against the foundation of the Church which is most absurd Fiftly the Church during the vacation should be without foundatiō and a woman being Pope the Church should be built vpon a woman Finally the Church should be built vpon men subiect to infirmities errors and mutations and not vpon Christ Iesus the vnmoueable rocke The Conuenticle of Trent talking of the bookes of the old and new Testament and of traditions as well concerning faith as manners doth receiue both with equall affection and reuerence as it were either deliuered vnto vs either by the mouth of Christ or by the holy Ghost and kept by continual succession in the Catholike church Omnes libros tam veteris quà m noui testamenti cùm vtriusque vnus Deus sit author nec non traditiones ipsas tum ad fidem tum ad mores pertinentes tanquam vel ore tenus à Christo vel à Spiritu Sancto dictatas continua successione in Ecclesia catholica conseruatus pari pietatis affectis ac reuerentia suscipit ac veneratur Those likewise among the Papists that procéede Doctors or take any degrée in schooles do professe that they most firmely admit and embrace the traditions of the Apostles and the Church and other ecclesiasticall obseruances and constitutions Apostolicas ecclesiasticas traditiones reliquasque eiusdem Ecclesiae obseruationes constitutiones firmissimè admitto saith euery one of them Bellarmine lib. 4. de verbo Dei cap. 1. beginning to speake of traditions hitherto saith he we haue disputed of the written word of God now we will begin to speake briefly of the word of God not written accompting traditions to be the word of God as well as holy scriptures Aliud hodie religionis Christianae fundamentum saith Stapleton habemus non quidem à Christo aliud sed ab ipsis literis Euangelicis Apostolicis aliud That is we haue now another foundation of Christian religion not diuers from Christ but diuers from the Euangelicall and Apostolical scriptures So either he excludeth scriptures from being the ground of Christian religion or else maketh vnwritten traditions equall vnto them Afterward in his Analysis prefixed before his Doctrinall principles deliuering to his disciples the grounds of Christian religion he vouchsafeth the scriptures no place among them But first if by the books of the old testament they vnderstand all the bookes contained in the old latine vulgar translation of the Bible then they admit the third and fourth bookes of Esdras and all additions to the originall text to be canoniall scriptures which contradicteth their owne decrées concerning the canon of Scriptures Secondly it is absurd to make vnwritten traditions equall with the holy Scriptures For these are certainly knowne to procéed from God But of vnwritten traditions the aduersaries can bring no proofe but from men Now who is so presumptuous as to match the testimonies of men with the word of God Augustine in his 48. epistle to Vincentius speaking of the fathers writings saith they are to be distinguished from the authoritie of the canon And in his eight epistle which is to Hierome he saith that vnto the Scriptures alone this prerogatiue is to be giuen that none of them containeth any errors All other authors he wold haue censured and examined by them being not free from errours The holy Scriptures are alwayes consonant and agréeable to themselues But traditions do not onely contradict one another but also are repugnant to holy Scriptures Polycrates as Eusebius lib. 5. Eccles. hist. c. 23. reporteth maintained the obseruance of the feast of Easter according to the practise of the Churches of Asia to be according to the Apostles traditions Victor and the Church of Rome thought contrary Some maintained the fast vpon the Sabbath others denied it and both held by tradition Siue hodiè Christus natus est c. whether Christ was borne or baptized as this day saith Hicrome serm de nat to 3. there is a diuers opinion in the world and according to the diuersitie of traditions there are diuers iudgements The Romanists do found their communion vnder one kind and their Masses
without communion and the externall propitiatory sacrifice of the Masse and the hanging vp the Sacrament in the Pire and the diuine adoration giuen to it vpon tradition But all these obseruations are impious and contrary to Scriptures Some traditions are now abolished as the prohibition of Saterdayes fast the rite of standing when we pray betweene Easter and Whitsontide the formes of prayer in old time vsed in celebration of the sacrament of the Lords supper and diuers others whereof some are mentioned by Basil lib. de Spir. san c. 27. Bellarmine also lib. 4. de verbo Dei c. 2. confesseth that some traditions were temporarie But it is impious to say that the holy Scriptures are temporary or at any time to be abolished Diuers traditiōs are no where found but in the Legends Missals and Portesses and such books of smal account and credit as for example the ceremonies rites of the Masse the prayers of the canon the formall adoration of Saints and Angels the incredible narrations of S. Clement S. Nicholas S. Christopher S. George S. Catherine S. Dominicke S. Francis and infinite other Saints which no man may receiue with like affection as he receiueth holy Scriptures but he shall infinitly disgrace the Scriptures and shew him selfe to be no Catholike Furthermore if the Papists build their faith vpon traditions then is their faith humane as hauing no ground but the testimonie of this man and that man that speaketh of traditions Their faith is also most weake and fantasticall as being built vpon the lies reported in Legends and the fantasticall ceremonies contained in the Missall and Breuiary The holy Scriptures are called the old and new testament and the Apostle Ephes. 6. calleth the word of God the sword of the Spirit Writing to Timothy he saith holy scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect and absolute and wise vnto saluation But howsoeuer the blind Papists fauor their traditions yet I hope they will be ashamed to cal their fardle of traditions Gods eternal testament or the sword of the spirit or to say that traditions are able to make the man of God perfect or wise to saluation Finally no holy father did euer make Ecclesiastical traditions not written nor contained in Scriptures but only commended by the Church of Rome or kept by custome or taken vp by fancie and recorded only in humane writings of equall authoritie with canonicall scriptures Infidelitatis argumentum est c. saith Basil It is an argument of infidelity and a most certaine signe of pride if a man wil reiect any thing that is written or bring in any thing not written The like sayint he hath Moral 72. c. 1. 86. 22. Neither is it like that he should speake of traditions repugnant to scriptures as some do answer For euery Christian man knoweth that nothing is to be receiued contrarie to Scriptures and to admonish men of that had bene superfluous Si quid dicatur absque scriptura saith Chrysostome hom in Psal. 95. auditorum cogitatio claudicat nunc annuens nunc hasitans If any thing be spoken without proofe of scripture the mind of the hearers resteth in suspence now yeelding now denying Neither doth he speake onely of a mans owne inuention but also of all other mens reports or deuises without ground of scripture In his thirteenth homily vpon the second Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians he calleth Scriptures a most exact rule What néed then haue we of the additions of traditions not written if scriptures be a most exact rule Diabolici spiritus est saith Theophilus lib. 2. paschal aliquid extra scripturarum sacrarum authoritatem putare diuinum It is a signe of a diuellish spirit to thinke that any thing is diuine which is without the authoritie of holy scriptures What reason then hath Bellarmine to call traditions the word of God not written Hierome in his commentaries vpon the 23. of Mathew speaking of a certaine tradition Quod de scripturis authoritatem non habet eadem facilitate contemnitur qua probatur That which is not confirmed by authoritie of scriptures is with the same facilitie contemned that it is proued And writing vpon the first chap. of the prophet Aggey he saith That the sword of God doth strike all those things which men of their owne accord do find out and feine as it were Apostolicall traditions without the authoritie and testimony of scriptures Ubi de re obscurissima disputatur sayth Augustine lib. 2. de peccatorum merit remiss c. 36. non adiuuantibus diuinarum scripturarum certis clarisque documentis cohibere se debet humana praesumptio nihil faciens in alteram partem declinando Where we contend about some most obscure question there mans presumption ought to stay it selfe declining to neither side if the certaine and cleare documents of scripture helpe vs not The next ground of the late Romish faith is layd vpon the old latine vulgar translation For whosoeuer receiueth not the scriptures as they are contained in the old vulgar latine translation is pronounced accursed by the conuenticle of Trent Againe the same conuenticle purposing to declare what Latine edition or translation of scriptures is authenticall determineth that the old latin vulgar translation shall be authenticall so that no man vpon any pretence dare or may reiect it Vt nemo illam reijcere quouis praetextu audeat vel praesumat Canus in his theologicall common places as he calleth them doubteth not to affirme that the Iewes haue corrupted the Hebrew text of the old testament and this diuers other papisticall writers haue also supposed The glosse vpon the chapter vt veterum dist 9. affirmeth plainely that both Iewes and Greekes haue corrupted the copies of scriptures in those tongues But the old vulgar Latine translation most Papists now bold to be sincere incorrupt and pure and allow as authenticall Bellarmine in his second booke De verbo Dei cap. 2. saith that albeit the scriptures in Hebrew be not altogether corrupted yet they are not sound and pure but haue certaine errors Likewise lib. 2. ca. 7. speaking of the Greeke text of the new Testament he sayth that the same is not sound nor without errors and that it is not safe alwayes to correct the Latine by the Greeke But in the same booke cha 10. with all his force he endeuoreth to defend the old Latine translation as authenticall The which is not onely a plaine declaration of the weaknesse of the Romish faith that is built vpon so corrupt grounds but also of the absurd and vnreasonable procéeding of our aduersaries The prophet cryeth out against the Iewes that forsooke God the fountaine of liuing water and digged to themselues pits or cisternes that could hold no water Is it not then admirable that any should be so blind as to forsake the originall textes of Scripture and to flie to the corrupt cisternes of the Latine vulgar translation Hilary vpon the 118.
may we not say the same to Papists They may percase deny the case to be like But in my challenge I haue by many arguments proued them to be grosse Idolaters haue clearely shewed that they haue no better excuse for their worship of Images then the idolatrous Gentiles had for their worship of idoles Are they not then likewise blind and miserable Thinking to thrust others out of their societie which they call the Church they haue flatly excluded themselues from the societie and communion of the Catholike Church For if their Church be a companie of men professing the same faith and participating the same Sacraments vnder the rule of lawfull pastors and especially of the Pope as Bellarmine saith lib. 2. de Eccl. milit cap. 2. then are they not the catholike Church For that Church was long before either Pope or Bishop of Rome Beside that false it is that either the Apostles or whole Apostolike Church was subiect to the Bishop of Rome or that Iohn the Euangelist that liued long after Peter was subiect to Linus Cletus or Clement in whose time he liued Finally false it is that God appointed the church to be gouerned by the Bishops of Rome there is nothing thereof in Scriptures The Fathers shew that the chiefe authoritie in externall matters was in generall Councels and Emperors And Bellarmines idle disputes concerning his Pope are long since ouerthrowne That they are not the true Church it appeareth also for that they heare not the voice of Christ but sollow a stranger for that they haue receiued diuers heresies and deuised new Sacraments relinquishing Christ his institution in the celebration of the Lords supper for that they haue other foundations of their religion then were laid by Christ or his Apostles for that they persecute true Christians murther them and massacre them and by all meanes persecute them and for diuers other reasons laid downe in mine answer to Bellarmines booke De Eccles. militante If then it be not possible to be saued without the Church in what case are they that running after the Pope which is that Antichrist of which the Apostle speaketh 2. Thess. 2. are run out of the Church And whither are they runne forsooth into the confusion of Babylon where the Pope Cardinals Masse priests Friars make merchandize of mens soules Bellarmine saith that neither faith hope nor charitie nor other internall vertue is required that a man absolutely may be said to be a part of the Church but onely an externall profession of the faith and communion of the Sacraments Who then will not leaue that societie which for ought that we know may be a packe of Turkes and infidels without all vertue religion and honestie especially if they professe the Romish faith externally Further as they haue excluded themselues from the Church so they haue put themselues vnder the subiection of Antichrist that is the head of the malignant Church and to his Cardinals Masse-priests and Friars which rabblement are fitly resembled to the maister Cooke of hell his scalders the blacke-guard and all the scullerie of Satan Whatsoeuer the Pope decreeth that they receiue Agatho the Pope hath told them in good earnest that all sanctions of the Apostolike see are to be receiued as if they were confirmed by the diuine voice of Peter Be the Pope neuer so vnlearned or foolish or peruerse yet if he say the word sitting on his close chaire it must stand His voice they take to be infallible his sentence is honoured like a diuine Oracle Likewise his Cardinals Masse priests and Friars albeit they be the false Prophets spoken of by S. Peter 2. Pet. 2. and diuersly detected by S. Iohn in his Reuelation to be limbs of Antichrist yet are they followed These leade and their simple hearers follow them the way that leadeth to destruction Their teachers bring to themselues swift damnation as the Apostle S. Peter saith and they cannot escape beléeuing their damnable heresies and running after them in their wicked wayes Pius Quintus that helhound that first barked against Queene Elizabeth our late Soueraign saith that Christ committed his Church to Peter alone vni soli But that is most false The Apostle Ephes. 4. saith He gaue some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors and teachers Likewise Mat. 28. he said to all the Apostles Go and teach Beside that what doth the authoritie of Peter belong to the Pope S. Peter had neither such rubie Cardinals nor such a parti-coloured guard of Switzers nor such a hellish rabble of Masse-priests and Friars as the Pope hath Contrariwise he preached and suffered as the Pope doth not Others say that Masse-priests and Friars are the Apostles successors But we find them to be the locustes that as S. Iohn foretold came out of the bottomelesse pit mentioned Apocalyps 9. If they were the Apostles successors then would they teach the Apostles doctrine and not the Popes decretals scholasticall inuentions philosophicall subtilties and such fooleries Againe they would not lead their miserable disciples from Christ to Antichrist They haue also declined from the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles concerning the Sacraments Our Sauiour onely instituted two that properly deserue the name of Sacraments to wit Baptisme and the Eucharist as the writings of the Apostles beare witnesse The Fathers also confirme vnto vs two onely Sacraments of the new Testament Cyprian lib. 2. Epist. 1. Tunc demum planè sanctificari esse filij Dei possunt si vtroque Sacramento nascantur Then may they be sanctified and made the sonnes of God saith he if they be regenerate by both the Sacraments Augustine de symb ad Catechum saith Haecsunt Ecclesiae gemina Sacramenta these are the two Sacraments of the Church Neither doth any Father name more Sacraments then two where he speaketh properly as may be proued by the testimonie of Iustines second Apologie of Tertullian lib. 1. 4. contr Marcion Of Clement recognit lib. 1. Of Ambrose lib. de Sacrament Of Cyril of Ierusalem in his catechisticall Sermons of Augustine lib. 3. de doctr Christ. cap. 9 of Gregorie cap. multi secularium 1. q. 1. who although he name Baptisme Chrisme and the bodie and bloud of our Lord yet Chrisme was nothing but an addition to Baptisme Of Paschasius and others Sunt Sacramenta Christi saith Paschasius in Ecclesia catholica Baptismus corpus quoque Domini sanguis The Sacraments of Christ in the catholike Church are Baptisme and the bodie and bloud of our Lord. And so manifest a matter it is that Bessarion writing vpon the Sacrament confesseth that there are two Sacraments onely deliuered in the Gospell But the Papists haue added other fiue Sacraments vnto these two giuing like vertue vnto confirmation mariage order penance and extreame vnction as vnto Baptisme and the Lords Supper and teaching that Sacraments containe grace and iustifie the receiuer So that if we will beleeue them as well he is iustified
1. Pighius lib. 1. Eccles. hierarch cap. 2. saith That Scriptures are not aboue our faith but subiect vnto it Stapleton Princip doctrin lib. 12. cap. 15. holdeth that the Church and Scriptures are of equall authoritie Eckius in enchirid loc com cap. de Eccles. saith That the Scriptures are not authenticall without the authoritie of the church Bellarmine thought best not to dispute this question 2. Nicholas Lyra Hugo Dionysius Carthusianus Hugo Cardinalis Thomas de Vio and Sixtus Senensis lib. 1. Biblioth sanctae reiect the last seuen Chapters of the booke of Hester as not canonicall Scripture The Conuenticle of Trent Bellarmine and most popish Doctors of late time hold them to be canonicall and thinke hardly of those which teach contrarie 3. Iohn Driedo lib. 1. de Scripturis dogmat Eccles. denyeth the booke of Baruch to be canonicall Scripture Bellarmine lib. 1. de verb. Dei and most of his fellowes be of a contrarie opinion 4. Caietan and Erasmus in their Commentaries vpon the Epistle to the Hebrewes of Iames Iude the second of Peter the second and third of Iohn do dissent from the rest of their fellowes partly concerning the authors and partly concerning the authoritie of those Epistles 5. Iames bishop of Christopolis in Praefat. in Psalm And Canus lib. 2. cap. 13. de locis theologicis affirme That the Iewes haue depraued and corrupted the Scriptures An opinion false and blasphemous and therefore contradicted by Bellarmine lib. 2. de verb. Dei and diuers others 6. Sainctes Pagninus in Praefaet interpretationis suae Biblior And Paulus bishop of Foro-sempronij lib. 2. cap. 1. de die passionis Domini deny that the vulgar Latine translation was made by Hierome Augustine of Eugubium and Iohn Picus of Mirandula hold contrarie Bellarmine and Driedo say that it is part his and part others 7. Alexander Hales and Durand hold that the diuine attributes are not distinguished but in respect vnto creatures Henricus and Albertus Magnus in 1. Sent. dist 2. hold contrarie 8. Richardus in dist 3. lib. 1. sent holdeth that the most holy Trinitie may be demonstrated by naturall reasons Scotus and Francis Maronis and Thomas affirme contrarie 9. About the faculties of the soule called potentiae the schoolmen are deuided into thrée sects Some hold that they are al one with the substance of the soule others that they are accidents the third that they are betwéene substances and accidents 10. Abbas Ioachim and Richardus de sancto victore taught diuinam essentiam generare gigni The contrary is taught by Peter Lombard and his followers 11. Peter Lombard lib. sent 1. dist 17. taught that charitie wherewith we loue God and our neighbor is the holy Ghost and that it is not any thing created But now most of his followers haue in this point forsaken him and hold contrarie 12. In the 24. distinct of his first booke the same Peter Lombard saith that words of number spoken of God are spoken onely relatiuely and that the word Trinitie implieth nothing positiuely but onely priuatiuely Which because it contrarieth the mysterie of the holy Trinitie is denied almost by all his followers 13. In the 44. distinction of the same booke he saith that God can alwayes doe whatsoeuer he could euer do and willeth whatsoeuer he would at any time and knoweth whatsoeuer he he knew at any time But his disciples hold direct contrarie 14. Thomas p. 1. q. 46. art 2. holdeth that the world or at the least some creature might haue bene from euerlasting So likewise holdeth Bonauenture and some others Richardus doeth maintaine the opposite opinion 15. The Maister of Sentences in 4. dist 1. and Gabriel and Vega lib. 7. in concil Trident. c. 13. hold that not onely substances but accidents are also created Alexander Hales q. 9. m. 6. q. 10. m. 1. and Thomas p. 1. q. 45. art 4. affirme that only substances are created 16. About this question An omnium aeuiternorum sit vnum aeuum vel multiplex there are fiue different opinions the first of Scotus the second of Thomas the third of Durand the fourth of Henricus the fift of Bonauenture 17. Likewise about this question Quae sit ratio formalis cur Angelus sit in loco there are fiue diuers opinions all repugnant one to another 18. Thomas and Richardus do affirme that two Angels cannot be in one place together Scotus Occham and Gabriel hold the contrary 19. Thomas teacheth that Angels haue not intellectum agentem possibilem Scotus doth directly contradict him 20. Scotus and Gabriel teach that diuels and good Angels do vnderstand naturally both our thoughts and the thoughts one of another but to Thomas p. 1. q. 57. art 4. this seemeth absurd 21. Antisiodorensis lib. 2. sum teacheth that Christ had Angelum custodem other schoole-men denie it 22. Scotus sayth that the will is the onely subiect of sinne Thomas denieth it 23. Concerning the place of paradise there are thrée different opinions Some hold that it reacheth to the circle of the Moone Thom. in 2. dist 17. and Bonauenture doe place it vpon a high mountaine The rest place it in the East 24. Concerning the nature of frée wil there are diuersities of opinions among schoolemen and others as Iosephus Angles sheweth in lib. 2. sent dist 24. 25. 25. Richardus holdeth that frée will cannot be chaunged by God Others for the most part hold the contrary 26. Thomas Bonauenture and Sotus hold that grace is not a qualitie infused but a qualitie inherent in the soule Alexander Hales and Scotus hold that it is a qualitie infused 27. Iosephus Angles in lib. 2. sent dist 26. rehearseth thrée seuerall opinions of schoole doctors about the diuision of grace in gratiam operantem cooperantem whereby it may appeare that in talking of grace they do endeuor to shut out grace 28. Certaine schollers of Thomas beléeue and teach that no man being of yeares of discretion can be iustified by the absolute power of God without the act and concurrence of frée will Scotus Vega and Caietane say quite contrary Both their opinions are touched by Iosephus Angles in 2. sent dist 27. 29. Richardus in 2. dist 27. art 2. q. 1. Scotus in 1. dist 17. q. 1. art 1. and Durand in 1. dist 17. q. 2. others hold that a mā may merit the first grace de congruo Gregorius Ariminensis in 2. di 26. Lyranus in Ioan. 1. Waldensis and others do denie it Sotus li. 2. de nat grat c. 4. saith that the former opinion is neare to pelagianisme 30. Gregorius Ariminensis in 2. dist q. 1. and Capreolus in 2. di 27. q. 1. hold that no man without the illustration of Gods speciall grace can attaine to the knowledge of any morall truth But Thomas and Scotus in 2. dist 27. do hold contrary 31. Durand placeth originall sinne in the carnall appetite Thomas placeth it in the whole substance of the soule Scotus differeth from both and placeth
truth and grant al others by her example to beware of the Popes and Iebusits most dangerous practises which neuer cease working mischiefe if they may haue fit oportunitie CHAP. X. That kings and Princes liuing in subiection to the Pope are but halfe kings and demi-princes BUt suppose the Pope and his conspiring and working crew should neither attempt to take away the crowne nor the life from a prince that beléeueth his lawes and yéeldeth to the Pope all that authoritie which he claimeth yet doth he lose halfe his reuenues authoritie and regall soueraigntie For first the Pope shareth the Kings reuenues claiming tenths first fruites subsidies confirmation and disposition of Ecclesiasticall liuings and infinite summes of money for pardons licences dispensations and all maner of rescripts Those which are acquainted with the Popes faculties and incrochments in former Kings dayes within this land and now in Spaine Italy and other popish countries know they are intelerable and no way inferior to the Kings reuenues Nay if a King néed a dispensation for an Ecclesiasticall matter he is forced to bargaine with the Pope and to buy it deare The absolution of King Iohn had like to haue cost him the Crowne of England Secondly not the King but the Pope is King of priests and ecclesiasticall persons Boniface the 8. in the chap. Clericis de immunit eccles in 6. doth excommunicate both Kings and others that impose taxes and subsidies vpon the Clergie He doth also lay the same censure vpon those clergie men that pay any subsidies to ciuill Magistrates which sheweth that he kept them for his owne selfe Alexander the fourth in the chap. Quia nonnulli de immunit eccles in 6. exempteth the possessions and goods of clergy men from toll and custome Bellarmine in his treatise De exemptione clericorum cap. 1. setteth downe these propositions In causis Ecclesiasticis liberi sunt clerici iure diuino à secularium principum potestate That is In Ecclesiastical causes clerkes are free from the commaund of secular princes by the law of God And by ecclesiasticall causes he vnderstādeth all matters which concerne the church and which by hooke or crooke the Popes haue drawne to their owne cognition Againe he sayth Non possunt Clerici à Iudice seculari iudicari etiamsi leges ciuiles non seruent That is Clerks are not to be iudged of secular Iudges albeit they keep not his temporall lawes His third proposition is this Bona clericorum tam ecclesiastica quà m secularia libera sunt ac meritò esse debent à tributis principum secularium That is The goods of clerkes whether they belong to the Church or be temporal are free from tributes of princes and so ought to be He sayth also that secular princes in respect of clerkes are not soueraigne princes and that therefore clerkes are not bound to obey them Now how is the King absolute in his kingdome if he haue neither power ouer the persons of the clerks nor their goods Emanuel Sa in his aphorismes In verbo Clericus in his book first printed and alleaged by him that wrote the Franc discourse hath these words Clerici rebellio in regem non est crimen laesae maiestatis quia non est subditus regi The rebellion of a clerk against the King is no treason because he is not the kings subiect This is plaine dealing and sheweth that the king is no king of the Clergie where the Popes lawes beare sway But because these words be somewhat too plaine therefore in a later edition of these aphorismes set out at Venice they haue for their owne ease cut out the words albeit in effect Bellarmine and others teach so much Their practise also declareth that this is their meaning for Thomas Becket stoutly resisted Henry the second and his parliament enacting that clerkes offending against the kings lawes should answer before the kings Iustices Further he would not agree that clerkes lay-fee should come in trial before them Sixtus quartus did enterdite the state of Florence for that they had executed the Archbishop of Pisa notoriously taken in a conspiracie against the State Xistus quòd sacrato viro Archiepiscopo it a foedè interfecto Cardinalem quoque captiuum fecissent Hieronymo instigante grauissimum Florentinis sacris omnibus interdictis bellū intulit saith Onuphrius That is Sixtus warred vpon the Florentines and enterdited them for that they had killed the Archbishop of Pisa being a priest and layd hands on a cardinall And yet he declareth they were actors in the conspiracie against Iulian and Laurence de Medicis that then ruled the State This was also the greatest quarrell of the Pope against Henry the third of France for that he caused the Cardinal of Guise to be killed being culpable of most enormous treasons against him Now what can Kings do against their subiects if they may not punish them offending in treason Thirdly the Popes do draw many temporall matters from the cognition of the King to themselues and their adherents Boniface the 8. c. quoniam de Immunitat Eccles. in 6. doth excommunicate all those that do hinder matters to be brought frō triall of temporall iudges to Ecclesiasticall courts and namely those that will not suffer all contracts confirmed by oathes to be tried before Ecclesiasticall iudges By which meanes almost all causes were brought before them and the Kings iurisdiction almost stopped and suspended The Kings of England therfore to restraine these incrochmēts made the law of Praemunire putting them out of his protection that wold not be tried by his lawes Is it not strange then that Christian princes should suffer such companions to vsurpe their authoritie and not onely in causes Ecclestasticall but also in temporall to beare them selues as iudges Finally they deny that Christian Princes haue power either to make Ecclesiasticall lawes or to reforme abuses in the Church or to gouerne the Church concerning externall matters All papists do so distinguish betwixt Ecclesiastical and politicke gouernement that they exclude temporall Princes from the gouernement of the Church and make them subiect to the Pope Bellarmine lib. 1. de Pontif. Rom. c. 7. determineth that temporall Princes are no gouernours of the Church Ifthen Christian Princes loose part of their reuenues and part of their iurisdiction and are quite excluded both from the gouernement of the Church and also disposing of the persons and goods of Ecclesiasticall persons most apparent it is that such Princes as admit the Popes authoritie are either but halfe kings or else not so much loosing more then halfe their authoritie by the Popes incrochments How contrarie this is to the doctrine of the Apostles and ancient fathers we néede not here dispute S. Peter teacheth Christians to honour the King and Paule exhorteth euery soule to be subiect to the higher powers Now what greater dishonour can be offered to a king then to take away his authoritie And how are they subiect that pay the King nothing and claime
exemption from his gouernement Our Sauiour willeth all to giue to Caesar that which is due to Caesar and Peter payed tribute to Caesar. But his false successors pay no tribute to Caesar but take tribute of Caesar and challenge it as due to them selues Nay they haue against all right vsurped his imperiall citie of Rome and released all clerkes from temporall Princes obedience Tertullian saith Christians honored the Emperour as the next man in honour to God and onely inferiour to God Colimus Imperatorem saith he sic quomodo nobis licet ipsi expedit vt hominem a Deo secundum quicquid est à Deo consequutum solo Deo minorem Chrysostome sheweth that the Apostles wordes Rom. 13. concerne clerkes and religious men as well as lay men The same is also contrarie to the practise of the Church vnder the Law and vnder the Gospell and derogatorie to the Kings authoritie For both vnder the Law and when Emperors began to professe Christian religion they made lawes for the Church and reformed Ecclesiasticall abuses as both Scriptures and the lawes of the Code and Nouelles testifie Thirdly this authoritie is plainly vsurped by the Pope and his followers For vntill Gregorie the seuenth his time who by force and armes preuailed more then by reason we find that the clergie and Church was gouerned by Christian princes and their lawes Finally the same is disgracefull to Kings and burdensome to subiects and most vnreasonable Disgracefull it is to Kings to loose their royalties and to be made subiect to forreiners Burdensome it is to good subiects vpon whom the whole burden is laid and they exempted which are best able to beare The Germaines in their grieuances Grauam 28. shew that the charge of the warre against the Turke is laid wholy on lay-mens shoulders Finally it is no reason that those should liue vnder the Kings protection that neither pay him tribute nor acknowledge his authoritie But of the vnreasonablenesse of these incrochments we shall haue occasion to dispute elswhere Here it is sufficient to shew that the Popes vsurpations exactions and whole authoritie is preiudiciall to Kings vntollerable to their subiectes Be wise therefore D ye Kings of the earth and serue Christ Iesus but beware that in stead of Christ ye serue not Antichrist And you that are fréed by the preaching of the Gospell from the bondage of the Popes traditions and exactions take héed that you suffer not your selues to be entangled againe in his snares brought againe into bondage The Popes agents tell you of many goodly actions of the Pope and set out the beautie of traditions with faire words But they séeke nothing but to bring you into a snare and to make merchandise of your soules and to blind you so that you shall not be able to sée the miserie of those that liue vnder him or the trash of his false doctrine and traditions God graunt you therfore the spirit of wisedome and discretion that you may stand fast in the liberty of true Christians and neuer be entangled againe with the yoke of Popish bondage The third Booke of the answer to Robert Parsons his supernodical Warn-word containing a list of his lies falsities fooleries impieties and other enormous faults and abuses therein and elsewhere by him committed The Preface to the third Booke THus hauing ended our defence of Queene Elizabeths godly reformation and noted the miserable estate of Papists liuing vnder the Popes tyrannie and deformation it will be no hard matter for vs to dispatch the rest of the Warne-word being nothing else but a bundle of patcheries and fooleries patched together with a number of idle and vaine words scarce worth the reading or rūning ouer Wherin notwithstāding that I may proceed with more perspicuity I wil first examine the qualities of the author of this Warne-word and that so much the rather that you may forbeare to wonder at this warning peece or peeced Warne-word considering the qualitie of the warme fellow that made vs this braue peece of fire-worke Next I shall enter vpon the title and front of the booke and let you see how neither the portall corespondeth with the rest of his building nor the worke with the inscription and that the same doth well resemble a clome portall set beside a straw thatched house or a pig-stie set before Robert Parsons his putatiues fathers forge Thirdly his personall accusations and slaundrous imputations both against my selfe and others shall be answered The fourth place is due to his impieties which require a sharpe censure After that his ridiculous errors impudent falsifications vaine allegations grosse lies saucie rayling termes and clamorous outcries poore shifts and sottish answers lamentable begging of things in controuersie insolent brags and such like fooleries shall seuerally be scanned and reproued A man would percase wonder that a man in soidle a worke should runne into so many inconueniences and absurdities But this our aduersary is a beast and a grosse pecoran and no man How should we looke for other stuffc out of such a malicious heart Do men gather figs of thornes or grapes of briars As Hierome saith of Heluidius so I may say of Parsons Loquacitatem facundiam existimat maledicere omnibus bonae conscientiae signum arbitratur He supposeth babling to be eloquence and that railing vpon all men is a signe of a good conscience Let him therfore haue patience to haue his owne coxcombe pared and let him bark still like a helhound if he take pleasure in barking I doubt not but we shall so breake his dogs teeth that he shall hurt none by his biting But to cut off all preambles let vs now see if we can bring the iade Parsons from his gallop to his ambles CHAP. I. A legend of No saint but of Robert Parsons his life calculated in fauour of that swarme of traitors which euery yeare he sendeth out of his seditious Seminaries BEfore I enter into this discourse I do protest that I was drawne into it more then halfe against my will by the importunitie of Robert Parsons who first began this course and albeit without commission went about to make enquiry what I am what I did at Caliz what in Ireland and what in other places and to obiect whatsoeuer he thought might moue either suspicion of crime or occasion of ieast But séeing I am forced to defend my self I professe and proclaime it openly that I will spare neither Iebusite nor Masse priest nor Archpriest nor prouinciall Iebusite nor Pope nor Cardinall that shall come in question Howbeit let all the rest sleepe for this turne Now we will talke onely of Robert Parsons and see what reason he had to aske a reason of other mens actions that is so obnorious to so many accusations himselfe Our Sauiour Christ calleth him hypocrite that espieth a mote in another mans eye hauing a bcame in his owne eye Qui sibi hoc sumpsit saith Tully vt corrigat
that this report of Parsons is a lie without shew or probabilitie Afterward he affirmeth that a certaine Minister wrote in supply of the Knights defence And againe fol. 1. he felleth how I perusing the reply of Sir Francis thought in mine owne opinion to make a better defence But how can he proue that I perused the Knights answere or once saw it And whence doth he gather what opinion I had of mine owne doings If he proue nothing then will it be an easie matter to gather that he hath made two improbable lies The same is proued also for that my reply was made before the Knights Apologie was published or seene of me For if I had seene it first my labour might well haue bin spared the same being more then sufficient for the refutation of such a banglers babling discourse In his obseruations vpon my preface fol. 11. b. he sayth My proiect and purpose of writing is to irritate and stir vp her Maiesty and the Councel to ingulfe themselues in Catholikes bloud and to spoile their goods that I and my crew might come to haue a share But first it is most false that Papists are Catholikes Secondly no one word can he alleage out of my whole book wherby it may be gathered that I would haue any rigour vsed against such simple Papists that are not factious nor mutinous For all the harme I wish them is that they were wel instructed Thirdly if he meane those traitors that either came or meant to ioyne with the Adelantado against their prince and countrey then are they no Catholikes nor true subiects The same may be said also of Parsons his consorts Finally it is a shamelesse vntruth to say we desire either blood or spoile all our actions tending onely to resist forrein enemies and wicked traitors which séeke to shed their countrimens blood like water and to sacrifice it to the Pope and to giue the spoile of their country to the Spaniards as the factious Masse-priests and the Papists their consorts haue done diuers times and namely an 1588. and 1598. and since In his obseruasions vpon Sir Francis his Epistle fol. 6. He obiecteth saith Parsons that I seeke the ruine both of church and common wealth by my exhortation to peace attonement and mitigation in religion A notorious lie refuted by reading of Sir Francis his Apology where there is no one word sounding that way Neither do we blame any honest man that talketh of peace but scorne that traitors that haue warre in their hearts should talke of peace and that idolaters and heretikes should prate and talke of religion when they meane nothing but to erect idolatrie and to establish popish errors and superstition Fol. 16. speaking of me He blusheth not saith he to affirme that which all his fellowes haue denied And what is this trow you Forsooth that blasphemous and scandalous dogmatizing heretikes may be put to death But where he saith that all my fellows haue denied this he sheweth him selfe a shamelesse lying companion and the diuels fellow in forging lies For none of my fellowes euer denied that which I affirme but only wold not haue ignorant peaceable and simple heretikes that neither blaspheme nor dogmatise nor are offensiue to the State punished with death Likewise they condemne the cruell and bloody Papists that burne massacre men women and children for denying or contradicting any one point of their filthy abominable and erronious doctrine Fol. 18. he saith The Emperour in a certaine edict beginning reddentes Cod. de sum Trin. fid Cath. professeth his due subiection and of all his empire to the church of Rome which is a notorious and an impudent ly For in that law there is no one word to be found that importeth subiection either of the Emperour or of the Empire to the Church of Rome much lesse to the Pope of Rome Nay at that time the citie of Rome belonged to the Emperour which lately the Pope hath vsurped excluding the Emperour from thence But were there any thing contained in that law which may seeme spoken in fauour of the Romane Bishop yet is the same proued counterfet in my late treatise concerning falsities of the Romish synagogue Fol. 19. a. speaking of the Emperors They professed saith he the Bishops of Rome to be the heads and chiefe leaders of this vniuersall and visible Catholicke Church as before hath bene shewed by the examples of Gratian Valentinian and Theodosius to Pope Damasus and of Arcadius Honorius and Theodosius the second and of Saint Augustine to Pope Innocentius primus and of Iustinian to Pope Iohn the first This he saith boldly But in these few words a cluster of lies is packed vp close together For neither do Gratian Valentinian and Theodsius write to Damasus as the title of the law cunctos populos Cod. de sum trinit doth shew nor do they say that Damasus was head and leader of the vniuersall visible Church Nor do Arcadius Honorius and Theodosus the second talke of any such matter to be due to Innocentius the sirst Nor can it be proued out of Augustine or Iustinians decrée inter clara Cod. de sum trinit that this title was giuen to Innocentius the first or Iohn the first or second For beside that the law inter claras is counterfeit the interpreter doth corruptly translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the head of all priests the head of all Churches Nay hardly will Parsons be able to shew that any of these did speake of the vniuersall visible Church where they speake of the bishops of Romes authoritie These therefore are palpable if not visible lies And that which he saith of Iohn the first is a ridiculous lye For he was dead as Chronicles teach before Iustinians reigne He thinketh it law full to lie all manner of lies of Caluin And therefore boldly saith He was a priest and that he sayd masse Both which are denyed by those which wrote his life which say he departed out of France before he receiued any orders The same may be proued for that his name is found in no bishops records and for that he begunne to write his Institutions before 24. yeares of age Of which we gather that he hated the popish priesthood before he was of yeares to be made priest Fol. 22. b. he maketh Sir Francis to say that we haue changed old religion into Protestancy not changing therein his old fashion of cogging and lying For neither doth he nor any of vs acknowledge popish religion to be auncient nor do we call our religion protestancy although his dealing giueth vs oft occasion to protest against his wicked and false dealing Fol. 23. a. he affirmeth that Sir Francis talketh of nothing but feares frights and terrors But he might doe well to cease talking if he tell nothing but lies In the place mentioned Sir Francis talketh neither of feares frights nor terrors Nor doth it follow because Parsons and his consorts are still packing
might seeme to speak against images Neither doth he onely bely the fathers but his aduersaries also Fol. 114. he sayth that Aurifaber Snepfius Heshufius Vergerius Beza Musculus Socinus and other minifters in this agree that the auncient fathers are against them and for the Papists A matter neither agreed vppon by all nor in these termes confessed by any As for Socinus he was an Italian heretike cast out and condemned by our church Why then is he ranked with honest men Doth this ranke fellow in this multiforme lie think it reason to range together men of such disformitie In another place he affirmeth boldly that Luther Caluine Peter Martyr and Melancthon make God the author of sinne not considering as it séemeth what a sinfull act it is to calumniate and bely honest men That they are desperatly belied their words and writings where they profefse and declare the contrary of this which Walpoole affirmeth do manifestly demonstrate But this monster hath filed his tongue to speake vntruth Fol. 157. speaking of popish purgatorie and limbus patrum he sayth they were taught by all antiquitie A lie most notorious and which shal make him famous to all posteritie For neither is this word Limbus patrum nor the popish distinction of the parts of hell nor the popish doctrine concerning Limbus patrum and purgatory held by any one much lesse by all the ancient fathers And thereon I ioyne issue with this disioynted companion requiring him to answer that which I haue written De Purgatorio and contra limbum patrum papisticum to this purpose Of his great skil in Latin his words fol. 57. b. wil giue testimony For there he hath Vnae ecclesiae sole for Vno ecclesiae sole as Hierome hath or at least Vnius ecclesiae sole if hee would haue spoken in any congruity Of his skil in the Gréeke we find good proofe fol. 54. b. where in two words he maketh thrée faults First he denideth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and maketh it two words Next he writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and thirdly he putteth an accent of aspiration in the midst of a word If he had bene put to vse much Greeke we should haue had good stuffe that find him so faulty in this only one Gréeke word To conclude with our partie for this time neither in obiecting against his aduersary nor in defending himselfe his consorts his cause doth he acquite himself in any tolerable sort Unto me he obiecteth that I vnderstād not the state of the question A matter ridiculous For he himself cannot deny but I report the aduersaries meaning and words truly He chargeth me also with vntruths Yet is it no vntruth that I say that Stapleton denieth the scriptures to be the foundatiō of religion For I cite his words truly And euery man that readeth his booke entitled Principia doctrinalia shal find that scriptures are excluded out of the number of Principia doctrinalia With the like facility I shal cleare all the rest of his foolish obiections Wherest bring many arguments all concluding that papists are no true Catholikes as maintaining rather particular then catholike doctrine this wise confuter or rather confounder of himself slieth out like a wild goose into a long discourse of the name of Catholike and the causes of the amplitude of the Church matters scarcely questioned betwixt vs. He doth also lode vs with sacks of authorities of the Fathers concerning the vniuersality of the Church which are not to the purpose But in all this discourse he doth not once attempt to answer any thing said by vs. Likewise in the Challenge wherein Papists are declared not to be the true Church he flieth al encounter like a foolish combatant fighting with his owne shadow And this we do not dcubt but to declare shortly in a larger answer most fully In the meane while thou maist easily perceiue the vanity falshood forgery and insufficient dealing of our aduersaries Parsons in his booke set out vnder the name of T. F. doth most grosly and impudently praise himselfe In his booke of thrée conuersions he citeth Ado Treuirensis for Ado Viennensis and often mistaketh one for another Both his and their other faults I haue before briefly noted The rest if thou wilt haue patience with vs God willing thou shalt receiue shortly Now I could bestow no more time in polling these Arcadian fellowes The Lord if it be his holy will discouer all the impestures of hereticall Papists and grant that the rayes of his most glorious Gospell may shine in all mens hearts to the vtter confusion of the seate of Antichrist and the full establishment of the kingdome of Christ Iesus Laus Deo FINIS 2. King 18. Psal. 94. 1. Sam. 15. Prouerb 20. Ibidem Contra Constant * Eccles. 44. * Ibidem Ibid. cap. 49. Luke 24. Enchirid. c. de Ecclesia Sess 4. Lib. 7 princ doct c. 1. Ward-word pag. 6. 1. Cor. 3. Rom. 10. Lib. 3. aduers. Haeres cap. 4. Warn-word Encontr c. 16. Luk. 24. Mar. vlc Dist. 1. lib. 1. In dist 2. lib. 1 sent In 2. sēnt dist 1. In 2. sent dist 3. Cap. plurùnt dist 82. Irenaeus lib. 1. aduers. haeres cap. 23. Euseb. hist. li. 10. cap. 5. Euseb de vita Constant. lib. 3. c. 23. Matth. 18. Lib. sent 4. dist 2. Ibidem Psal. 137. In Missali Rom. 2. Entont c. 6. num 8. 2. Encont ca. 12. num 9. Ibid. num 10 Ioh. 3. Doctores Paris de peric nouis temp Regulae Ind. lib prohib Deut. 6. Lib. 2. aduers. haeres cap. 46 Wardw. p. 6. 1. Cor. 14. Warn-word Encontr 1. cap. 8. Eccles. hist. 10. cap. 1. In pragmat sanct In Conclu grauam In Praefat. in lib. de Eccles. minist Grauam 20. Ibid. 8. Mat 15. Iam. 4. In Bulla contra Elizabetham De reform Eccles. Grauam 34. De reform Eccles. Lib. 1. Epist. 11. ad Pomp. Gal. 1. Gal. 5. Epist. ad Smyrnens Lib 1. Instit. diuin c. 21. Ibid. c. 22. Lib. de idolol 1. Ioh. 5. Depraescrip aduers. haeret 2. Tim. 3. 1. Cor. 3. Contra Constantium In Missal Rom. In Mariali In Psalterio Bonauent Missal Rom. in fine De praescript aduers. Haeret. T it 2. Ibid. Ephes. 2. In vita Pij 5. In Epist. ad Nicolaum Sonnetto 106 4. Brig 49. 2. Brig 10. In vita Greg. 6 Deut. 28. Deut. 28. Philippie 10. Ibid. Psal. 34. Philippic 2. De leg Agrar contra Rull Philippic 2. Philippic 3. 1. Encountr cap. 11. nu 7. 1. Encont c 11. nu 5. 1. Encountr cap. 11. Psal. 14. Warnw. 1. encont cap. 17. Wardw. p. 3. Warnw. 1. encoutr cap. 18. Gal. 5. Philip. In Capt. Lib. 1. contra Celsum C. ignorantia de sum Trin. Note that this is a common text among the Papists Grauam 47. Onus Eccles. cap. 23. Ibidem Aureū speculā in Antilog 6. Brig 96. Lib. I. de consid 2 Brig 10. Syluius de gestis concil Basil. lib. 1. Ca. 29. parad