many Lordly titles and more then royall power ascribed to the Pope addeth these expresse words Sed glossatores iuris hoc dominium dederunt Papae cum ipsi essent pauperes rebus doctrina Englished thus But the Glossers and Interpreters of the Popes lawe gaue this dominion and these royall titles vnto the Pope themselues being blind Bayards and beggerly fellowes Thus writeth the Popes learned Doctour and religious Fryer by whose verdict it is most apparant to the world that pouertie and ignorance two gallant Romish courtiers were the beginning of al royall Pope-dom And no maruaile for by reason of their pouertie they flattered and sought to please the Pope and by reason of their ignorance they desperately published many things which they did not vnderstand The vsual practise of Papists in their Commentaries Bookes and Glosses hath bin such so intollerable in wresting the holy Scriptures as their owne deare brethren and great Doctors can not for shame denie or conceale the same Polidorus Virgilius a famous papist hath these words Non secus isti iurisconsulti aliquoties detorquent sacras literas quò volunt ac sutores sordidas solent dentibus extendere pelles Englished thus These popish Legists and Canonists doe now and then so wrest and writhe the holy Scriptures to that sense which themselues like best euen as Coblers do gnaw with their teeth and stretch out their filthy skinnes 1 Out of these words I obserue first that this Polidore was a great Papist himselfe and consequently that his testimonie must needes be of great force against the Papists Secondly that he speaketh not of the meanest and worst sort of Papists but euē of their best renowmed Doctors viz. of Hostiensis their grand and famous Doctor Thirdly that their mangling and wresting of the holy Scriptures is most intollerable that without the same they cannot possibly maintaine their wicked doctrine This is that which Doctor Fisher the late Byshoppe of Rochester hath freely confessed in his answere to the Articles of M. Luther which hee could not in truth withstand or gainesay These are his expresse wordes Contendentibus itaque nobiscum haereticis nos alio subsidio nostram oportet tueri causam quam scriptura sacrae Englished thus Therefore when Heretiques contend with vs we must defend our cause by other meanes then by the holy Scripture These are the very expresse wordes I neither adde any thing nor take any thing away of their owne famous popish byshop of their owne holy Saint of their glorious martyr a learned man in deed who laboured with might and maine for the popes vsurped soueraigntie and defended the same in the best manner he was able and to the vttermost of his skill And yet for all that hee hath boulted out vnawares against his will such is the force of trueth which must needs in time preuaile so much in plaine tearmes as is sufficient to ouerthrow all poperie for euer and to cause all people that haue any care of their saluation to renounce the pope his abominable doctrine to their liues end For our popish Byshoppe being put to his best trumpe telleth vs plainely and without all dissimulation his mouth being now opened by him who caused Balaams Asse to speake that they must not because forsooth they cannot defend and mantaine their poperie by the authoritie of the Scripture but by some other way and meanes Viz. by mans forged inuentions and popish vnwritten vanities which they terme the Churches Traditions Now gentle Reader how can any papist who is not giuen vp in Reprobum sensum for his iust deserts read such testimonies against poperie freely confessed and plainely published to the world and that by the pennes of most learned and renowned papists euen while they bestirre themselues busily to defend their pope and his popish doctrine for all that continue papists stil and be carryed away headlong into perdition beleeuing obeying that doctrine which as themselues confesse cannot be defended by the holy Scripture Me-thinkes they should bee ashamed to hold and beleeue that doctrine in defence whereof they can yeeld no better reason Alas alas how hath the late Romish Church seduced vs CHAP. III. Of kissing the Popes feet TOuching the kissing of the Popes feet the truth is this that some Christian kings and Emperours vppon a blinde zeale not grounded in knowledge did humble themselues to the Byshops of Rome and did yeeld vp their soueraigne rights vnto them and thereby opened the windowe to all Antichristian tyrannie For in short time after the Romish Byshoppes became so Lordly and insolent that they tooke roundly vpon them to despose the Emperours to translate their Empires to dispose at their owne pleasures of their royal scepters regalties Yea to be reuerenced honored and adored as Gods for that end must al faithfull Christians kisse the Popes feete Here for the better credite of mine assertion I will put downe the flat testimonie of their Saint Antoninus their religious Fryer who was sometime the Arch-byshop of Florence These are his expresse words Nulli ergo angelo commissa iurisdictio cura totius orbis sed papae totius mundi iurisdictio cura commissa est cum solum vt nomine mundi importatur terza sed etiam vt nomine mundi importatur caelum que super calum terram iurisdictione accepit Sequitur vnde papae recipit a fidelibus adorationes prostrationes oscula pedum quod non permisit angelus a Iohanne Euangelista sibi fieri Englished thus Therefore the iurisdiction and charge of the whole world is committed to none of the Angels but the iurisdiction and care of the whole world is committed to the Pope not onely as the name of the world doth import the earth but euen as it doth also signifie Heauen because hee hath receiued iurisdiction both ouer Heauen and Earth Wherefore the Pope receiueth of the faithfull adorations prostrations and the kissing of his feete which thing the Angel would not suffer Iohn the Euangelist to doe vnto him Thus writeth this popish Doctor For the better vnderstanding of whose discourse I note First that this Antoninus was not a bare papist but a man of great authoritie and high esteeme among the papists Viz. a canonized Saint a religious Fryer a Dominican and a most reuerend Arch-bishop and consequently that whatsoeuer he hath deliuered either touching the pope or poperie must needes bee of good credite and great force against the papists Secondly that the popes power and authoritie doth farre exceed the power of Angels Thirdly that the pope hath iurisdiction not onely ouer the earth but also ouer heauen it selfe Fourthly that by the reason of this exceeding and surpassing power the pope doth admit and receiue that homage which the Angel refused and prohibited S. Iohn to doe vnto him Alas alas how hath the late Romish Church deceiued vs CHAP. IIII. Of power ascribed to the pope The
omnes qui sunt in purgatorio si quis pro eis faciat quodiubet Englished thus As the pope can deliuer all that are in this world from paine due for sinne in this world if they doe that which he appointeth though they were many thousands moe then they be euen so can hee deliuer all that are in purgatorie if any doe that for them which he commandeth Viguerius a famous popish Fryer Dominican Doctor and professor of Thealogie proceedeth somewhat further then Siluester and Fumus auouching it to be neither inconuenient nor against Gods iustice These are his expresse wordes Nec est inconueniens quod papa posset purgatorium â—â—â—cuare Non enim per hoc aliquid detraheretur diuinae iustitiae Englished thus Neither is it conuenient that the pope can harrow hell for that doth nothing derogate from the iustice of God Aquinas the popish angelicall Doctor whose Doctrine no papist may reiect because sundry popes haue coÌ„firmed the same for authentical hath these words Christus poterat relaxare ergo et Paulus potuit ergo et papa potest qui non est minoris potestatis in ecclesia quam paulus fuit Englished thus Christ could pardon therefore Paul could also pardon and therefore the pope can likewise pardon as who hath no lesse power authoritie in the Church then Paul himselfe had So then the pope can doe as much as Christ if we belieue popish Doctors and Doctrine He can make the deafe to heare the dumbe to speake the lame to walke the blind to see and the dead to arise to life againe which I must first see ere I can belieue it howsoeuer Aquinas with his fellow Fryers doe write in that behalfe and doubtlesse this Doctrine and this supereminent power ascribed to the pope is plaine diabolicall and meere Antichristian Alas alas how hath the late Romish Church seduced vs. CHAP. V. Of the qualitie and condition of the Popes pardons together with the antiquitie thereof The first Section of the qualitie of popish pardons SIluester Prieras hath these words qui plenariaÌ„ indulgentiam rite assequutus est si eo instanti moreretur euolaret statim in caelum Englished thus He that hath lawfully gotten a plenarie pardon if that man should dye at that instant he should incontinently go 〈…〉 Aquinas Fumus Viguerius Antoninus Augustinus de Aneona and other papists teach the same Doctrine But it is needelesse to alledge more authoritie for this point seeing as it is already proued the pope hath as large power as Christ himselfe by the constant doctrine of best approued popish writers I wil therfore at this present onely name some pardons that haue bin granted the places and times where and when they were granted and the popes that did grant and giue the same referring the reader for a larger discourse therein vnto my booke of Motiues First many pardons are set down in the old english primars which giue many thousands of yeares pardon to all that shall but say very short prayers Before the prayer called Auste omnes animae there the reader shal finde in Latine set down in red letters that pope Iohn the twelft granted to all them that would say that prayer following so many yeares of pardon as there haue bin bodies buried in that church-yard since the originall therof A great reward for a very small labour for the prayer containeth but ten lines Before the prayer called Aue vulnus the reader shal find in latin red letters that Pope Innocent the second graunted 4000. yeares of pardon to euery one that should say the same prayer This was a greater reward because the prayer is shorter then the other Before the prayer called Aue domina there is set down in red letters that whosoeuer shall say the short prayer following shall enioy eleuen thousand yeares of pardon and withal shal see the blessed Virgin so many dayes before his death as he shall continue yeares in saying the same praier A large bountiful reward indeed Secondly huge infinit number of pardons are hanged vp in pardoning-tables at the pillars of euery Church for the most part in Rome not my selfe onely but many others haue both seene and read the same Thirdly there is a little pamphlet of the marueilous things of Rome which is commonly to be sold euery where in Rome one of which my selfe brought from thence and haue it at this houre which pamphlet sheweth many pardons for many thousands of yeares to be graunted to many Churches for such as will but come vnto them and there pray and visit the relikes thereof some fewe I am content to rehearse for the good of the readers In the Church of Saint Iohn Lateran there are euery day graunted to all that come thither 6048. yeares of pardon vpon the festiuall day of Saint Iohn the Euangelist 28. thousand yeares of pardon with so many quarantenes and plenarie remissions of their sinnes In the church of Saint Peter in Vaticano are so many yeares of pardon giuen as no man can number them Vi sono indulgentie senza numero there are pardons without number In the Church of Saint Paul there are giuen euery day 6048. yeares of pardon to all that come thither to pray Many other like pardons are named in the foresaid Pamphlet with the deliuery of certaine soules out of purgatorie But these fewe may bee a sufficient patterne how to giue iudgement of the rest peruse the 13. Chapter of purgatory and note it well for the explication hereof The second section of the antiquitie of Popish pardons THat the Doctrine of popish pardons is strange and new and that neither Christ nor his Apostles euer taught or practised the same as the late Romish Church hath vsed and daily vseth them Syluester a Papist so famous that he was not onely reputed but as it were surnamed Absolutus Theologus hath these words Indulgentia nobis per scripturam minime innotuit licet inducatur illud apostoâ—i si quid donaui vobis sed nec per dicta antiquorum doctorum sed modernorum Englished thus The popes pardons saith the popes owne deare Doctor sometime the maister of his sacred pallace were neuer known to vs by the scriptures although some doe alleage S. Paul for that purpose neither were they known by the auncient fathers but onely by late writers Antoninus the popes famous Arch-byshoppe and canonized saint hath the very same words and holdeth the selfesame opinion with Syluester he addeth some thing as it were for an explication of the matter These are his words Dicitur tamen Gregorius imposuisse indulgentias septennes instationibus Romae quia ecclesia hoc facit seruat non est credendum quod erret Englished thus Yet Gregorie is reported to haue graunted seuen yeares pardons when the stations were kept at Rome And because the Church vseth to practise this kind of pardoning we may not thinke that it erreth therein Or as
case in most plaine termes and blushed no whit thereat These are his expresse wordes Nec me latet D. Thomam praeuia maxima deliberatione asserere Rom. pontificem non posse propria dispensatione continentiae solemne votum monachorum tollere paulo post oportet tamen primam opinionem defendere ne qua passim fiant evertantur omnino Englished thus Neither am I ignorant that Saint Thomas affirmeth after exceeding great deliberation that the Byshop of Rome can not by his owne proper dispensation take away from Monkes their solemne vowe of chastitie This notwithstanding the former opinion must bee defended least those things which are vsually done by the pope in euery place be ouerthrowne and turned vp side downe Thus writeth this famous papist Out of whose wordes I note many very profitable Lessons for the benefite of the thankfull Reader First that the papists can not agree concerning their popes authoritie this is a point of great consequence Secondly that great learned Papists among whom Aquinas is one whose Doctrine sundry Popes haue confirmed doe roundly controwle the Popes vsurped authoritie Thirdly that their opinion must perforce bee defended which agreeth with the Popes vsuall practise and dealing because otherwise all the popes doings would soone bee ouerthrowne and poperie it selfe turned vpside downe This is a memorable obseruation wherein my bare relation would neuer carry credite if the truth thereof proceeded not from the pen of a famous popish writer Fourthly that the Popes Doctrine and popish Religion is most miserable which must bee vnderpropped and maintained by such poore sillie and beggerly shifts Fiftly that the papists haue no cause to exclaime against Priestes Marriage seeing the pope dispenseth at his pleasure with his owne Monkes in that behalfe Sixtly that the Doctrine of Aquinas which sundry popes haue approued confuteth the popes Religion So then the popes doings must needes bee defended because otherwise poperie can not stand Alas alas how hath the late Romish Religion seduced vs CHAP. XIII Of popish false forged purgatorie COncerning this point of doctrine genle Reader whosoeuer shall marke attentiuely what I shall sincerely God willing deliuer euen from the pen of a famous popish writer M. Doctor Fisher late Byshop of Rochester about 22. Miles distant from London can not doubtlesse but haue beare and conceiue in euerlasting hatred alienation of minde and resolute detestation not onely against popish purgatorie but also against all the rest of late hatched popish doctrine These therefore are the expresse words of this famous popish writer Sed graecis ad hunc vsque diem non est creditum purgatorium esse Legat qui velit Graecorum veterum commentarios nullum quantum opinor aut quam rarissimum de purgatori◠sermonem inveniet Sed neque latini simul omnes at sensim huius rei veritatē conceperūt sequitur non absque maxima sancti spiritus dispensatione factum est quod post tot annorum curricula purgatorij fides indulgentiarum vsus ab orthodoxis generatim sit receptus quamdiu nulla fuerat de purgatorio cura nemo quaesiuit indulgentias Nam ex illo pendet omnis indulgentiarum existimatio si tollas purgatorium quorsum indulgentijs opus erit his n si nullum fuerit purgatoriū nihil indigebimus contemplantes igitur aliquandiu purgatorium incognitum fuisse deinde quibusdam pedetentim partim ex reuelationibus partim ex scripturis fuisse creditum atque ita tandem generatim eius fidem ab orthodoxa ecclesia fuisse receptissimam facillimè rationem aliquam indulgentiarum intelligimus quum itaque purgatorium tam serò cognitū ac receptum ecclesiae fuerit vniuersae quis iam de indulgentijs mirari potest quod in principio nascentis ecclesiae nullus fuerat carum vsus caeperunt igitur indulgentiae postquam ad purgatorij cruciatus aliquandiu trepidatum erat Englished thus The Greekes to this day doe not beleeue that there is a purgatorie Read who list the Commentaries of the auncient Gretians and hee shall finde either very seldome mention of purgatorie or none at all For neither did the Latin Church conceiue the truth of this matter at one and the same time but by leisure and by little and little Neither was it done without the great dispensation of the holy Ghost that after so many yeares Catholiques both beleeued there was a purgatorie and also receiued the popes pardons generally so long as there was no care of purgatorie no man sought for pardons For of it dependeth all that estimation and credite which is ascribed vnto pardons If thou take away purgatorie to what end shall pardons be needfull For if there be no purgatorie we shall haue no need of pardons Considering therefore how long purgatorie was vnknowne then that some beleeued it by little and little partly by revelations and partly by the Scriptures and so at the length the whole Church receiued it wee doe easily vnderstand the cause of pardons Since therefore purgatorie was so lately known and receiued of the vniuersall Church who can now admire that there was no vse of pardons in the Primitiue Church pardons therefore then began when the people being bewitched stoode in the feare of purgatorie-paine and torment These are the expresse words of this famous popish Byshoppe when hee writing against M. Luther did with might and maine to the vttermost of his power and hee was able to say write as much as any papist in the world defend the popes authoritie and his late hatched Romish Religion which the vulgar sort of people being pitifully seduced Alas alas that they will not hearken vnto the truth which the maister-papists are enforced to confesse doe zealously embrace humbly obey wonderfully admire and terme it but most falslie and ignorantly the old religion I would gladly doe thee good gentle Reader and take any paine to my selfe to profite thy soule perswade thy selfe that I deale faithfully with thee and that I doe in none of my bookes which I either haue written or shall by Gods permission write in time to come charge the papists with any thing but the meere truth For I doe assure thee that my proceeding in the discouery of popish superstiōs vanities enormities falshoods dissentions schismes crueltie tyrannie errours heresies blasphemies is such so sincere as vppon a saluo conducto as they terme it granted from any king Christian licence procured of my gracious dread souergaine I am will be most willing to repaire into any prouince in Christendom there to giue an account and to make tryall of the same This offer gentle Reader I made aboue ten yeares agoe when I published my booke of Motiues as the Reader may easily find in peruse thereof but to this day no papist euer durst accept the same or answere either that booke of Motiues or any other that I haue written I therefore here make the same offer againe and I adde thereunto