A BRIEFE CENSVRE VPON THE PVRITANE PAMPHLET * ⎠* ENTITVLED HVMBLE MOTYVES for association to maintayne Religion established REPROOVING IT OF SO MAny Vntruthes as there be leaues in the same PRINTED M. DI.III A BRIEFE CENSVRE VPON THE PVRITANE PAMPHLET ENTITVled Humble Motyues for Association to maintaine Religion established REPROOVING IT OF SO MANY Vntruthes as there be leaues in the same THE I. VNTRVTH THAT my first entrance of account may giue to all equal and indifferent Readers some proportion to make coniecture how large and great a number of wicked and malitious Vntruthes are contayned in so little and shorte a treatise As I will beginne my reckoning at the Title and beginning it selfe of this Association So for euery worde which it conteyneth being only six besides the particles adiections of our language I will assigne a seuerall falsehood And the first six Vntruthes for the first six wordes For although the common decree of Philosophers teacheth vs that Verety and falsity truth and falschoode consist not in particular dictions and first apprehension but in Composition or Diuision and in Iudgment Yet because that first Title is so copious that it may easely bee resolued into sixe seuerall Compositions Propositions and Iudgments which it vertually conceyneth that is that they be Motyues that the Motyues be Humble that they be for Association that the association is to maintayne Religion that the purpose of the Pamphletor is Religion that their Religion is establshed All which assertions as they be plainly intended in that glorious Position and six in number I challenge them to bee so many slanderous and impious Vntruthes and forgeries And concerning the greate humilitie either of Puritanes in generall or of this Associator in particuler affirmed in the first worde Humble I appeale for sentence to the Iudicials of al trials Popes Councels generall prouinciall confirmed not confirmed all holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church of God all Arguments diuine and humane naturall and miraculous which their proud and arrogant spirit in the basest Puritane hath condemned I craue censure of all Emperours Kings Princes their lawes decrees and Parlaments which euery of them as repugnant to their holy Ghost haue censured and reiected whether this is humility the foundation of piety because hee pleadeth it in this first place or pride and arrogancie the mother of all Irreligion rebellion to God and man and other monstrous offences which they haue brought into the worlde by that most ambitious presumptuous and blasphemous doctrine that euery Puritane is directed and infallibly assisted of the spirit and may controle at their pleasure all Popes Princes Councels Parlaments and Consistories of al times and places Which hath caused the Puritanes of England so often by their Admonitions Challenges Pamphlets Inuectiues Iabels and rayling slaunders to reprehend Queene Councell Parlament Clergy and whatsoeuer is of estimation in this kingdome And is the motyue which at this present mooueth this humble Associator to direct them all and presume that his only deuises are worthy to sway the Scepter THE II. VNTRVTH CONCERning the second worde Motyues MOtyues are so tearmed a mouendo of moouing and motyues of the mind take their denominatiō because they mooue and perswade the vnderstanding and will of man to yeeld consent vnto and assect such thinges as they convince the one to allowe and the other to embrace for as in naturall and corporall motion from whence this tearme is deriued the leuity grauity of bodies are the cause which mooue them the first to ascend and the second to a lower Center So in the motions of the reasonable powers of mans soule that reason and argumēt which conquereth humane vnderstanding to giue consent to that sentence which it conuinceth and that approoued bonity and goodnesse which winneth the will to affect the good which is proposed are iustely named the motyues which mooue those reasonable faculties And as in ordinary and naturall affaires ordinary and naturall reasons are sufficient and allowed for motyues So in supernaturall and diuine thinges exceeding the naturall wit and capacity of humane Iudgement supernaturall and miraculous Arguments are produced For which cause Catholickes the knowne patrons and desendors of christianity against all both externall and internall aduersaries produce not only the authorities of so many and muincible testimonies of holy Scriptures traditions from Christ and his Apostles decrees of Popes sentences of so many generall and generally approoued Councels and assemblies of the best learned Doctors and Professors of the worlde togither with the absurdities of all other Professions But to confirme diuine busines with the infallible reasons of God and to mooue men to embrace that to which by naturall reason they can neyther ascend or assent They produce so many and manifest miraculous operations works and wonders so many propheticall predictions and fore-tellinges of future contingent euents to establish those misteries wrought of God to that purpose which no created power of it selse to any end or by the power and assistance God can bring to effect to ratifie any errour or superstitious falsehoode Nowe let vs examine the Motyues of this Moouer by these proportions and trie whether they bee worthy to bee the first mooueable or no. If we consider what it is which he laboureth to remooue it is that Catholicke and vniuersall Religion of Christ which hath mooued the whole worlde to approoue it by such irresistable motyues as haue conuerted it They which should be mooued to this and to bee drawne onely by his motion are our prudent and gratious Princesse her wise and Honourable Councell the reste of the Nobility the Protestant Clergy whatsoeuer is reputed great and of the highest iudgment in our Nation Hee which would mooue them is endued with that Puritane spirit which is in continuall moouing and neuer findeth his place of rest and vvho for his dissolute and deformed motion shrowdeth himselfe vnder the title of an erring Planet not daring to diselose his name He citeth not one example or authority for his purpose Those which he alleasdgeth for Motyues be none at all as her Maiestie her selfe Councell Nobles Burgesses Bishoppes and the whole consent of Commons which are to be mooued by his Instince had giuen sentence in open Parlament immediatly before And the meanes which he prescribeth either in the same or more forcible manner had bene practised many yeares togither as will be euident hereafter and no man but such a spirituall fellowe can beignorant And yet they coulde not preuaile to that motion Therefore no Motyues THE III. VNTRVTH ABOVT THE third worde for Association THE name Association is deduced frō Socius a fellowe or Companion and being a noune of Action and doing must needes fignifie to make fellowes and companions In which and al such combinations there must of necessity bee as well a kinde of equality otherwise no fellowship but a subordination as also similitude likenesse and agreement as is euident in all coniunctious
acclamation to our Prince and Parlament by publickly defended posiitions that the lawes of Princes doe not binde in conscience Andrew Will. Sinop c. lawes Calu. inst Foxe to 2. sup obed Tind art 18. Claud. de Sanct. lib. 5. accad egl that eucrie man is Lord of other mens goods the children of faith which bee onely Puritanes in their opinion are vnder no lawe all humane lawes must be taken away the nature of the Gospell is to raise wars among Christians there is no Magistrate no Superiour and whose practise in action hath euer beene answerable to this doctrine manifeste by all monuments of theyr proceedings or rather to be reprooued for such pernitious and perilous people THE XV. VNTRVTH BVT to shewe how high a pitch of impiety he can mount to make a malitious stoope vpon men in misery he vttereth this most foule and vntrue sentence The Papists of Religion at this present Pag. 25. stand furnished 1. with credit and authority 2. wealth and ability 3 weapons and furniture So that they may drawe followers by the one wage them by the other and arme them by the third Whould any man thinke that so holy wise and well affected friend as this man woulde see me to her Maiesty durst present so monstrous and palpable an vntruth to the viewe of of so prudent a Priucesse but that I haue alleadged his owne wordes For the first of credit authority I thinke it a difficult thing for this Puritane to find one Cathohcke in England which hath any authority at all Let him name any Presedent of Wales or the North Warden of Ports Gouernour of Ilandes Captaine of Castle Lieuetenant of Tower Lieuetenant Deputy-Lieuetenant Sheriffe Iustice of peace or poore Constable or Tythingman which is a Papist of Religion I thinke it will be a dissicult thing for him to sinde in our whole kingdome tenne of the meanest authority which I haue named Of the chiefest no man can be singled sorth What the wealth and ability of them can be except God doth miraculouslie blesse them then let not Puritanes repine at his benediction who can imagine if he see the due payments of 260. poundes yearely paide to her Maicsties Checker by the chiefest and by other the two partes of their Reuenewes moste truely answered their goods seaxed and besides these so many extraordinary oppressions by Puritanes in authority As for weapons and surniture to arme so many as would sight against so many thousands of Puritanes of action Pag. 41. and resolution of London and good Towner most Lords Gentlemen and Captaines which be for them is a thing so ridiculouslie vntrue that none or sewe Catholickes be possessed of any at all Doth he not remember when they were dispoyled of them And to this day are scarcely where such Muster Masters liue admitted to haue vse of their owne to serue her Maiesty And at the time of the comming of the Earle of Essex out of Ireland when somewhat more was in hand then Catholickes imagined were they not generally in the West cuntries so dispoiled by puritane Iustices of their ordinary Armes weapons that they were in danger to be spoyled of the basest Robbers for want of sufficient defence against them but if these three thinges be those that bee so perilous in people apt for Innouations let him look into Puritanes and howe many thoufands he may finde furnished with those complements Pag. 41. His owne sentence London and good Townes most Lordes Gentlemen and Captames of action and resolution will be sufficient censure against him THE XVI VNTRVTH AT the last this Associator commeth to issue and somewhat vnmasketh himselfe to giue testimony to his spirit to dispose of the Crowne make his Queene a Pupill expell Catholickes roote out Protestantes wholly to aduance his Puritane Gospell to bring the Scepter and Regality of this Kingdome Pag. 18. to the sacred disposition of their spirit His wordes are these The mightiest in succession as your Maiestie knoweth are they speaking in the plurall number whose alliance kindred and confederacies are for the most part with Papists Who is ignorant this to be a notorious Vntruth except hee will aduance any Title from Spaine and then his plurall number wil except against him otherwise if al those which be next in succession must be esteemed as Papists and worthy of disinheritance from all Title of a Kingdome by the supreame sentence of their spirit because they be not Puritanes either a Puritane whether hee hath any Title or no must raigne Or which is more probably to be coniectured where these desires should be effected of depriuing true Titlers from their inheritance and Puritanisme shall haue superiority England shall haue no King Queene or Regent at all And if her Maiesty should attend to such treacherous and tyrannicall suggestions as this spirit enspireth and their purpose of planting their impiety be performed shee were like to be rewarded with the same payment of their common doctrine which I cited before that the children of faith are vnder no lawe That there is no Magistrate no Superiour among Christians All humane lawes must bee taken away Eueryman is Lorde of other mens goods and the like must bee put in practise The presbitery which they would haue planted in Scotland to the deposing of their King Kinge of Scots in his Booke of Reg. to Henry his Sonne Suru of holy disciple The practise of Geneua and such places for a fewe Ministers and yearly elected Artizans to gouerne and the Flemmish fashion must be erected And none but Puritanes and their vile deuises haue allowance which this seditious libeller doth plainly insinuate in the nexte page following Pag. 19. where he giueth this for a lawe to our gratious Queene to vse both Puritanes and Protestants for the planting of his platforme of Resormation and that being effected her Maiestie muste to vse his owne wordes by scuere discipline mightely encrease the first Puritanes daylie to deminish the second and third Protestants and Papists and to propulse the relapses of either So that the affections of these fellowes as themselues giue sentence tende to the ouerthrowe of Protestant as well as Papist And the number of the one equally as of the other must be diminished and propulsed So that whatsoeuer they are Queene Councell Nobility Lawes Parlament Authority or any proceeding not resined by the spirit of Puritanes must be thus diminished and ouerthrowne This as I saide besore was their first intention and nowe is their finall end THE XVII VNTRVTH ANd that these Pretendors of persection in Religion as this Associator calleth Puritanes might pretend a perfect and absolute neglect and reiectment of al order Pag. 24. Magistracy and Regiment in this Kingdome After they had so much distasted their sugred mouthes with the vnpleasing sauors of the State and Gouernment as they complained both in their so much dishked Bill of Reformation and this Author consesseth in his Associotion They first
office of defiance euen to the State it selfe of which he hath bin hitherto so kindely carefull And because he loueth authority and pleadeth for it of such as be placed therein and haue credit with her Maiesty he meaneth some of her priuie Councell he affirmeth not only that they haue incurred Premunire Pag. 38. by fauouring comforting counselling or abetting an appeale to Rome contrary to the Statute of 24. H. 8. c. 22. whereby he calleth their liberties landes and goodes into question But because he will cast at all euen their liues themselues chargeth them not onely with Priests and Iesuites but to haue receaued ahsolutiō indulgence or dispensatiō by such meanes Which what an vntruth it is I neede not vrter and howe venimous against such personages I remit to others censure And concerning the Protestant Bishops nowe at last he rewardeth with the offalles of the whore of Babilon Pag. 40. THE XXII AND LAST Vutruth AND as the nature of the spirit of these pretendors is to rule to gouerne to be at defiance with all peace with none so nowe he denounceth wars mustereth his men calleth his Lordes togither surueyeth his Cities and Townes Pag. 40. 41 numbreth his Gentlemen Captaines men affaction and resolution and arrayeth his whole Army in such order multitudes ten to one that if dissembling and vntruthes may not be admitted yet his confidence is that he may preuaile by armes And telleth in plaine tearmes that it is not good to prouoke the Puritanes And why forsooth because to vse his wordes London and good Townes Lordes Gentlemen and Captaines that be of the Religion incline that way and be men of action and resolution And concerning his Chaplaines thus he boasteth Setting by nonrefidents and dumbe dogges ye shall sinde ten Puritanes for one formalist What the meaning of these men is requireth no difficulty to decypher And yet if his wordes were true I doubt notbut he would dispute in an other manner which their spirit teacheth and battaile with weapons not with words as they haue threatned in other Pamphlets and their holy brethren performed in other place But for this time I will put it in the number of his vntruthes For if so many in authority and credit with her Maresty the Maior part of Parlamet Clergy and others are this mans Papists then it cannot be true that most Lords Gentlemen and Captaines and men of action and resolution London and townes out of vvhich those Papist Burgesses were chosen be for them And although the affirmation or denyall of them which speake so vntruly is not to be regarded yet if we will either consider their Religion in it selfe what it teacheth community of thinges warres rebellions spoyles and vsurpation of others labours fewe will be founde for I doe not speake but some may bee deceaued which haue either wit wealth honour credit authority or estimation but woulde bee willing to maintayne them which in this destructine Religion they cannot performe Or if we will be measured by experience wee shall consider that in these London and good townes whereof they glory onely the meanest and most needy which hope by exhanges and innouations to be exalted and among their clergy such as want wealth and benifices which they cannot get enuying at others substance haue embraced this Religion And if they coulde be aduāced change their debased estate Petr. frar or cont sectar nou test tr ord Burg in remonstrat sup edict Reg. Gal. delens Reg. Rel. woulde be no more scrupulous to change their pretended perfection then their brothers a Tayler and Cobler at Franckford which were vnder no lawe before when they had gotten head constituted Lawes Courts and Rulers as their spirit taught them And as Caluin Beza Othoman and others both in Switzerland and Fraunce could neither endure riches or regiment but kept councels to depose Princes and Rulers yet when themselues preuayled could both approoue of riches and keepe others in subiection to their deuises Thus we se by these sew things wherein I haue exemplisied in so shorte a Pamphlet how falsely and corruptly hee hath delt if the rest of his vntruthes shoulde be measured with like examine Which for many causes and not to bee offensiue I haue omitted And therefore when voluntarily I passe ouer so many sorgeries let no man thinke that I haue allowed for truth such things as I haue not here consuted And concerning the humilitie Motyues loyalty and loue of this Associator to our gratious Princesse and those Protestant Bishops whome hee taketh in hand to teach I hope no man will bee so moueable to be carried with the motions of him which not onely without any motiue at al would mooue so great a Queene and Kingdome to go about vtterly to remooue a Religiō which had reigned vnre mooued in her most holy and renowmed Ancestors and this Nation so many hundreds of yeares and mooued by so certaine and vnfallible motiues as I haue recited the whole Christian worlde to honour defend it but such as euery man of iudgment and such as will not be moued with euery blaste of such vnconstant and contemptible men may suppose they were by which so many prowde Pagan Emperours and Princes of the earth so many wise and learned Philosophers Magicians and potent enemies were conquered to professe so poore and penitentiall life in regard of those honours and pleasures they had enioyed Neither is this the ende and scope of that Associator as I haue described But to mooue our Soueraigne firste to establishe that Religion which she hath allowed onely vntill such time as he hopeth the former may bee ouerthrowne And then both that and the professors thereof muste bee diminished and taken away as his owne wordes haue witnessed And that vncertaine vnconstant false and seditious profession which neuer hath ende but euer is in debate contention disobedience rebellion and dissentions wickednesse must bee erected When the Vicar of Greenewitch or Deane of Winsor or Parson of any place where the Queene or King shall keepe their Court may depose them as their spirit pleaseth Which vnder Puritane correction to vse this mans phrase is far more dangerous to the State in ciuill consideration Pag. 35 then to maintayne supremacie in the See of Rome And yet I make a doubt if your Presbitery may be planted and the pretended persection in Religion admitted whether any Queene King or Prince may bee allowed with that submission For such Regents are incompatible of those brethren vpon vvhome no lawe may be imposed Then Nobles and Councell are to cease where both community of thinges must bee and so many Regalities and Regencies are as there be Parishes in this Nation thousandes of supremacies more then can giue maintenance to any vnity or Subordination As for Protestant Bishops and al such as depend vpon ecclesiastical dignities Pag. 24. you haue alreade enacted in this Pamphlet as distincte and opposite to Puritanes viz. such as pretend perfection in Religion Howe the depending authorities of inferiour Magistrates can haue place where the superiour to which they are subordinate is taken away it passeth my inuention Or howe the priuate wealth wiues or any proper of Subiects can be their peculiers where euery beggarly and lasciuious wanton muste haue his will as his spiritte leadeth I finde not in that profession And yet your owne writinges witnesse this vvoulde bee platforme of holy Assotiation FINIS